Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Opening up opportunities: education reforms in Poland

Poland is one of the few European countries that achieved strong improvement of student performance over the last decade. According to the OECD PISA results Poland moved from below to above the OECD average and now is close to top-performing countries. The score improvements are a consequence of Polish education system reform introduced in 1999. The most important change of the 1999 reform was an extension of comprehensive education by one year. The evidence suggests the change immediately benefited student, while the remaining elements of the reform are probably responsible for the gradual improvement. The differences between secondary schools were largely limited. Introduction of nation-wide comparable exams, conducted at the end of every stage of education, played a crucial role in assuring quality in education system. Poland also increased support for the preschool education and further expanded the general curriculum in vocational schools. The result of all reforms was the expansion of obligatory comprehensive education from 8 years to at least 10 years now.
What do we talk about when we speak of cosmological redshift?

From the first observations made by Slipher, our understanding and interpretation of the cosmological redshift was evolving until reaching the current consensus, through the expanding universe and the emergence of modern physical cosmology within the framework of General Relativity. The redshift is one of the most basic concepts of astronomy, and is one of the few observational parameters that can be measured directly. To refer to the temporal evolution of objects or cosmic structures in the universe, we often do so indistinctly through cosmic time or cosmological redshift. But repeatedly this connection ends up generating confusion not only among popular science communicators but also within the professional astronomical community. In this article, we will make a pedagogical approach to the link between cosmic time and cosmological redshift, and we will also clarify several common misunderstandings around this relation.
Non-rigid registration of 3D face scans

[ANGLES] The context of this thesis lies on building a model capable of recognizing human facial expressions and that is robust against identity. For recognizing these two aspects, the model has to be trained in advance. For this, various 3D scans have been previously recorded: 120 subjects making 36 facial expressions. These scans present a problem: they cannot be compared directly for many reasons. They present different number of vertices and they are not aligned. Training the model requires statistical analysis of the scans. A model studies the variability between different examples. It then represents each facial expression by a preferably different set of parameters. Altogether, this thesis presents a common representation of the scans. This allows to solve the problem of the number of vertices and alignment such that statistical analysis can be performed. We have implemented this solution following the methodology presented on a paper called FaceWarehouse. We have focused only on the representation of the neutral face.
Adsorption, Desorption, Resorption

The complete characterization of batch adsorption from solution, desorption, and related phenomena have been interpreted in the light of a general equation. The forward and reverse adsorption-rate constants and the adsorptive capacity comprise the only parameters. Where adsorption alone is of importance and the desorption-rate constant can be neglected, a simplified form of the theory results in a special equation which may suffice for most adsorption purposes. In either case, the characteristic parameters are determinable from the data and serve as criteria for comparing similar systems. The theory has been confirmed by the data of various investigators taken from the literature. The parameters derived from column adsorption are in agreement with the corresponding batch-derived parameters. The limitations as well as the capabilities of the theory are presented; but even where deviations from the assumed model exist, the results are useful.
Hearing Aids: Limitations and Opportunities

As technology advances, hearing aids continue to improve. But in recent years, most improvements have been limited to aesthetics, comfort, or secondary functions (e.g., wireless connectivity). With respect to their primary function— improving speech perception—the performance of hearing aids has remained largely unchanged. While audibility may be restored, intelligibility is often not, particularly in noisy environments (Hearing Health Care for Adults. National Academies Press, 2016). Why do hearing aids restore audibility but not intelligibility? To answer that question, we need to consider what aspects of auditory function audibility and intelligibility depend on. For a sound to be audible, it simply needs to elicit a large enough change in auditory nerve activity for the brain to notice; almost any change will do. But for a sound to be intelligible, it needs to elicit a very particular pattern of neural activity that the language centers of the brain can recognize.
SALIENCY MAP RETRIEVAL FOR ARTISTIC PAINTINGS INSPIRED FROM HUMAN UNDERSTANDING

This paper presents a simple and efficient method for detecting salient regions in digital representations of paintings. The main challenge is to model the way human eye and mind see and understand visual art. Based on a combination of features such as shape, colour, local contrast and position, the most relevant areas of a digital representation of a painting are detected. The model follows thoroughly the human interpretation of the artistic painting. The presented approach shows robustness regardless of the art movement the analyzed painting belongs to.
VORTICALLY ENHANCED HEAT TRANSFER AND MIXING: STATE OF THE ART AND RECENT RESULTS

Longitudinal and transverse pressure-driven vortices induced by shear instabilities behind vortex generators play a crucial role in convective transport phenomena. The proven influence of these turbulence promoters on heat and mass transfer enhancement has led to their incorporation in modern multifunctional heat exchangers/reactors. The purpose of this work is to demonstrate experimentally the effects of hydrodynamics on the transfer processes accompanying such flows. The high-efficiency vortex (HEV) is an innovative static mixer and a low-energy-consumption heat exchanger designed to exploit these types of vortices. Results obtained in turbulent flow with embedded vorticity in an HEV static mixer are compared with numerical results in the literature. Both numerical and experimental results confirm the high energy efficiency of the HEV static mixer flow.Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Vegetative organ anatomy of Ianthopappus corymbosus Roque & Hind (Asteraceae-Mutisieae)

A study on the vegetative organ anatomy of Ianthopappus corymbosus was conducted in order to provide a basis for comparison with the genus Richterago, since this species had been previously included in that genus. The anatomical characters of I. corymbosus that support its exclusion from the genus Richteragon are: epithelial cell organization of adventitious root secretory canals, non-glandular trichomes, and presence of cortical vascular bundles in the stem. In Ianthopappus corymbosus, the underground system consists of rhizophore from which adventitious roots branch off. The subapical meristem of the adventitious root revealed that the ground meristem forms the inner layer which in a meristematic phase, forms 2/3 of the cortex. This layer will differentiate in the endodermis, with Casparian strips, and is referred to as meristematic endodermis. Endodermic secretory canals, limited by four epithelial cells, appear in the region adjacent to the primary phloem.
APLICAÇÃO DE TÉCNICAS PARA ESTUDOS DE INGESTÃO, COMPOSIÇÃO DA DIETA E DIGESTIBILIDADE

A adequada nutricao dos animais de producao e dependente do conhecimento das exigencias dos animais e valor nutritivo dos alimentos. No entanto, em muitas situacoes, a obtencao das informacoes necessarias nao e possivel ou e dificultada pela falta de recursos ou alto custo dos procedimentos experimentais, sendo necessaria a aplicacao de tecnicas que possam estimar de forma precisa os parâmetros desejados. A avaliacao de animais em pastagem e bastante dificultada pela impossibilidade em se controlar a ingestao e excrecao dos animais, onde a aplicacao de modelos matematicos e a utilizacao de indicadores surgem como alternativas que podem reduzir custos e aumentar a precisao das estimativas. O objetivo dessa revisao foi apresentar as principais tecnicas em uso que visam determinar os parâmetros consumo, digestibilidade e composicao da dieta em diferentes sistemas de producao assim como as particularidades, vantagens e desvantagens dos metodos empregados. A escolha da tecnica empregada depende fundamentalmente dos objetivos a serem alcancados, dos recursos disponiveis e da precisao necessaria. A utilizacao de indicadores e uma ferramenta bastante apropriada, possibilitando a estimativa de consumo e digestibilidade nos diferentes compartimentos gastrintestinais. O emprego dos alcanos tem apresentado resultados bastante satisfatorios na avaliacao da composicao das dietas, em especial em sistemas de pastagem.
Fast rates in learning with dependent observations

In this paper we tackle the problem of fast rates in time series forecasting from a statistical learning perspective. In a serie of papers (e.g. Meir 2000, Modha and Masry 1998, Alquier and Wintenberger 2012) it is shown that the main tools used in learning theory with iid observations can be extended to the prediction of time series. The main message of these papers is that, given a family of predictors, we are able to build a new predictor that predicts the series as well as the best predictor in the family, up to a remainder of order $1/\sqrt{n}$. It is known that this rate cannot be improved in general. In this paper, we show that in the particular case of the least square loss, and under a strong assumption on the time series (phi-mixing) the remainder is actually of order $1/n$. Thus, the optimal rate for iid variables, see e.g. Tsybakov 2003, and individual sequences, see \cite{lugosi} is, for the first time, achieved for uniformly mixing processes. We also show that our method is optimal for aggregating sparse linear combinations of predictors.
Deliberative protests? Persuading politicians not to close schools in Swedish municipalities

Studies on the political impact of protest mobilization sometimes show that disruptive protests help social movements achieve their goals. This is conventionally explained by politicians’ interests in re-elections and social control, ultimately neglecting alternative arguments such as the drive for better policy solutions. This study investigates if well-reasoned arguments – measured by the deliberative quality of protest letters against school closures – persuade Swedish municipal decision-makers more than simple outcries. Analysis demonstrates support for this argument, as schools defended by protest letters with a higher deliberative quality have higher probability to remain open than schools defended by letters of a lower deliberative quality. However, a fundamental paradox rises from the second conclusion: intrinsically non-deliberate forms of protests, such as demonstrations, have a stronger negative effect on the likelihood of school closures. Hence, well-reasoned communicative practices have some power of persuasion, but experienced activists may prefer disruptive protests for more political leverage.
The influence of climate change , technological progress and political change on agricultural land use : calculated scenarios for the Upper Danube catchment area Einfluss

Both climate and agricultural policy changes are commonly seen as important drivers for agricultural production. In this study, scenarios of climate and political change were calculated for the Upper Danube catchment area using the regional optimization model ACRE. Two political scenarios were calculated for the year 2020. One scenario assumes the continuation of the Common Agricultural Policy reform 2003 the other assumes a strong shift away from payments of the first pillar to payments of the second pillar of the CAP. Both scenarios were combined with four different scenarios of climate change and technological progress derived from ICCP SRES assumptions and the ACCELERATES project. The results of the scenario calculations were analysed with respect to their implications for the whole catchment area as well as for selected districts. Climate change and technological progress both cause small changes in agricultural land use: fodder crop area tends to be converted to cash crop area, and intensive grasslands tend to be converted into extensive grasslands. Climate change and technological progress increase crop productivity, and consequently, total gross margin increases. The impact of climate change might get stronger toward the end of the century which is beyond the scope of the investigations presented here. The impact of climate change might thus switch from bringing net benefits in the short to medium term to bringing net losses for the area investigated in the long run.
İşitme Kayıplı Çocuğu Olan Bir Annenin Aile Eğitimi Sürecinin İncelenmesi

Bu arastirmanin amaci isitme kayipli cocugu olan bir annenin, aile egitimi surecinin incelenmesidir. Eylem arastirmasi olarak desenlenen calismanin katilimcilari isitme kayipli bir cocugun annesi ve egitimcidir. Arastirma verileri, aile egitimi uygulamalarinin videoteyp kayitlari, anneyle yapilan gorusmeler, gecerlik guvenirlik komitesi ses kayitlari ve arastirmaci gunlukleri yoluyla toplanmistir. Arastirma surecinde toplam on seans aile egitimi yapilmistir. Aile egitimi surecinin incelenmesi amaciyla tum seanslarin genel dokumu yapilmis, elde edilen verilere tumevarim analizi uygulanmistir. Arastirma suresince her seans sonrasi yazarlar arasinda duzenlenen toplantilarla seans suresince karsilasilan sorunlar saptanmis ve yeni bir eylem plani olusturulmustur. Olusturulan eylem plani cercevesinde bir sonraki aile egitimi planlanarak uygulanmistir. Calisma suresince bu dongu sistematik bir sekilde surdurulmustur. Verilerin analizi sonucu 7 ana tema, 9 alt temaya ulasilmistir. On seans egitim sonrasinda annenin cocugun gelisimini destekleyen olumlu davranislarinda artis ve egitimcinin aile egitimi uygulamasinda olumlu degisikler gozlenmistir.
Extraction auto-adaptative des contours 3D des obstacles routiers par stéréovision

Within the framework of obstacle detection for driving assistance, we present a self-adaptive, robust and reliable stereo vision method that extracts 3D edges of obstacles. This method of extraction is a cooperation of two methods of extraction of 3D edges of obstacles that have not the same sensitivity and that are used in a complementary way. After the detection of the road plane, the first method extracts 3D curves by thresholding the disparity value of its 3D points . The second one extracts 3D segments by thresholding its inclinaison angle with respect to the road plane. Some experimental results are presented on real road scenes whose visibility conditions are different.
PARAMETERS AFFECTING THE STRESSES WITHIN PEDICEL SCREW SYSTEMS IN A STABILIZED LUMBAR SPINE

Several linear and nonlinear finite element models of intact and fixed lumbar spine were analyzed. The intact model was developed based on CT images, and following verification, was employed to simulate the spinal fixation procedure using two different commercial pedicle screw systems. The results including the force-deformation behavior and the stress distribution within the structures were studied in detail. The effects of pedicle morphology, insertion errors and material properties of bone graft on the stress distribution pattern within the vertebrae and implant components were also studied. The results suggest superiority of titanium implants over steel implants, necessity of bone graft insertion, and a higher failure risk for screws due to osteoporosis. It has been recommended that surgeons use thicker screws when dealing with pedicels with larger anterior posterior length and avoid insertion errors to minimize the risk of screw fracture.
The Solow-Swan Model with Kaldor-Pasinetti Saving and Time Delay

In this paper, we analyze the model associated to an economic growth process with a Kaldor-Pasinetti saving and a delay in produc- tion. We demonstrate that the steady state may exhibit Hopf cycles. Mathematics Subject Classification: 34K18, 91B62 The analysis of the fundamental issues in dynamical macroeconomics usually begins with the study of the Solow-Swan growth models (11-12), which is a one-dimensional dynamical system able to generate monotonic convergence to a steady growth equilibrium. As shown by Asea and Zak (1), when production occurs with a delay, the resulting model is able to generate chaotic dynamics. In this paper, we study the dynamics of a Solow-Swan growth model modified by introducing different but constant saving propensities attached to factor shares (Kaldor-Pasinetti saving) and a time delay in the productive operation of installed capital. The length of delay which preserves the stability of the positive equilibrium is estimated, and the existence of Hopf bifurcation when the delay crosses through a critical value is investigated. For future research it would be interesting to extend this line of research to other economic growth models (e.g., Ferrara and Guerrini (2-3), Guerrini (4-8)).
DISCOVERY OF SPACEFLIGHT-RELATED VIRULENCE MECHANISMS IN SALMONELLA AND OTHER MICROBIAL PATHOGENS: NOVEL APPROACHES TO COMMERCIAL VACCINE DEVELOPMENT

Understanding infectious disease risks during spaceflight is critical to provide safe passage for human space exploration and holds potential for innovations in infectious disease control for the general public. The key to this research is the novel way that cells adapt and respond to spaceflight, as they exhibit important biological characteristics that are directly relevant to human health and disease including changes in immune function, cellular stress responses, and infectious disease potential that are not observed using traditional experimental approaches. We discovered that spaceflight uniquely alters the virulence and gene expression of the bacterial pathogen Salmonella typhimurium, and that the conserved, small regulatory RNA-binding protein, Hfq, plays a central role in regulating the Salmonella spaceflight response. We have subsequently shown that spaceflight culture also alters the Hfq regulon in other bacterial pathogens. As Hfq regulation is often associated with ionic salt concentrations, we discovered that altering the concentration of certain ionic salts, like phosphates, in the growth media prevents the increased disease causing potential of Salmonella during spaceflight. Collectively, our results suggest that RNA binding regulatory proteins and their small RNA binding counterparts may be key to a conserved, common cellular spaceflight response mechanism in bacterial cells that can be manipulated by environmental salt/ion levels. The implications of our findings would affect NASA’s approach to infectious disease risk assessment, development of biological processing systems for exploration, and other mission-related functions. Knowledge gained from this work will broaden our knowledge of microbial cells for both spaceflight and Earth based applications and holds translational potential for the development of vaccines and therapeutics for the general public.
Hydrogen bond dynamical properties of adsorbed liquid water monolayers with various TiO2 interfaces

Equilibrium classical molecular dynamics (MD) simulations have been performed to investigate the hydrogen-bonding kinetics of water in contact with rutile-(110), rutile-(101), rutile-(100), and anatase-(101) surfaces at room temperature (300 K). It was observed that anatase-(101) exhibits the longest-lived hydrogen bonds in terms of overall persistence, followed closely by rutile-(110). The relaxation times, defined as the integral of the autocorrelation of the hydrogen bond persistence function, were also longer for these two cases, while decay of the autocorrelation function was slower. The increased number and overall persistence of hydrogen bonds in the adsorbed water monolayers at these surfaces, particularly for anatase-(101), may serve to promote possible water photolysis activity thereon.
Brown Adipose Tissue as a Therapeutic Target for Obesity: From Mice to Humans

Brown adipose tissue (BAT) is a site of sympathetically activated non-shivering thermognenesis during cold exposure and after spontaneous hyperphagia, thereby involving in the autonomic regulation of energy balance and body fatness. Recent radionuclide studies have demonstrated the existence of metabolically active BAT in adult humans. Human BAT is activated by acute cold exposure, particularly in winter, and contributes to cold-induced increase in whole-body energy expenditure. The metabolic activity of BAT is lower in older and obese individuals. The inverse relationship between the BAT activity and body fatness suggests that BAT, because of its energy dissipating activity, is protective against body fat accumulation. In fact, either repeated cold exposure or daily ingestion of some food ingredients acting on transient receptor potential channels recruited BAT in association with increased energy expenditure and decreased body fatness. Thus, BAT is a promising target for combating obesity and related metabolic disorders in humans.
Excitation temperature of C2 and broadening of the 6196Å diffuse interstellar band

This paper presents a finding of the correlation between the width of a strong diffuse interstellar band at 6196 A and the excitation temperature ofC2 based on high resolution and high signal-to-noise ratio spectra. The excitation temperature was determined from absorption lines of the Phillips A 1 Πu − X 1 Σ + and Mulliken D 1 Σ + − X 1 Σ + systems. The width and shape of the narrow 6196 A DIB profile
Voltage and Angle Stability Reserve of Power Systems with Renewable Generation

Abstract Voltage and angle stability of power systems with renewable power supply and the corresponding region of attraction are analyzed jointly. First, the power system model is derived that consists of algebraic power network equations and differential power generator equations. The renewable power generators like photovoltaic inverters or wind turbines are modeled with first order dynamics. Second, power system stability is analyzed for two kinds of power networks: high-voltage networks with purely inductive power lines and medium-/low-voltage networks with homogeneous resistive-inductive power lines. For both cases, decoupling droop controllers are presented and the stability of this power system including these controllers is analyzed. The analysis is based on contraction arguments that have been used before to prove consensus in multi-agent system. However, due to the particular structure of the power system model, conventional contraction arguments have to be adapted for this analysis.