Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ScienceDirect International Conference on Communication , Management and Information Technology ( ICCMIT 2015 ) Survey on Image Segmentation Techniques

Due to the advent of computer technology image-processing techniques have become increasingly important in a wide variety of applications. Image segmentation is a classic subject in the field of image processing and also is a hotspot and focus of image processing techniques. Several general-purpose algorithms and techniques have been developed for image segmentation. Since there is no general solution to the image segmentation problem, these techniques often have to be combined with domain knowledge in order to effectively solve an image segmentation problem for a problem domain. This paper presents a comparative study of the basic Block-Based image segmentation techniques. © 2015 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of Universal Society for Applied Research.
The Day of The Week Effect in the Colombia Stock Exchange

This study investigates the existence of day of the week effects on stock returns in the Colombian Stock Exchange (CSE) for the period between June 2001 and March 2005. The Bogota Stock Exchange was established in 1928. However, the two other main bourses in the country merged with this in 2001 to create the CSE. Since then, the CSE is becoming a good diversification alternative for both domestic and foreign investors. The modelling in the study begins with linear regression analyses, but the data generating process is shown to be non-linear. A non-linear GARCH model is then applied, achieving a good explanation for the modelled rates of return. Results obtained indicate the significant presence of day of the week effects in both returns and volatility. The maximum return is on Friday whereas the minimum is on Tuesday, with return variances at their highest on Monday.
Network-Wide Measurement of GPRS Bandwidth and Latency

Complementing a recently collected large data set on the TCP connection termination latency in GPRS networks we analyze server-side log data generated in a large scale automatic toll system to observe the network bandwidth. After a recent architectural change the on-board units (OBUs) record GPS tracks and transmit track data to the central system for processing rather than transmitting the toll data after local processing. The bandwidth in upload direction is estimated from the server-side log entries and corrected for the network latency. The data collected allows comparing the performance of seven types of OBUs in three GPRS networks
Massive MISO IBC Reduced Order Zero Forcing Beamforming - a Multi-Antenna Stochastic Geometry Perspective

In a multi-user multi-antenna interfering broadcast channel (IBC) system, optimal linear receive and transmit beam-formers are of the Maximum Signal-to-Interference-plus-Noise (MaxSINR) type. These designs make an optimal compromise between noise enhancement and interference suppression and reduce to matched filters at low SNR and zero-forcing at high SNR. The novel beamformers are here optimized for the Expected Weighted Sum Rate (EWSR) for the case of Partial Channel State Information at the Transmitters (CSIT). We consider a Gaussian partial CSIT model, combining channel estimates and covariance information. We constrain the transceiver to either zero-force or ignore each interference term. This leads to a reduced-order zero-forcing (RO-ZF) design in which the number of interference terms being zero-forced increases with SNR. We extend a recently introduced large system analysis for optimized beamformers with partial CSIT, by a stochastic geometry inspired randomization of the channel covariance eigen spaces, leading to much simpler analytical results which depend only on some essential channel characteristics. RO-ZF designs lead to variable reductions of computational complexity and CSI requirements.
Projective representations of abelian groups

Let co be a factor system for the locally compact abelian group G. Then we show that the finite-dimensional unitary irreducible projective representations of G, having factor system co, possess a common dimension d(wo). Using a characterisation of d (o) as the index in G of a maximal subgroup on which ao is symmetric we derive a formula for d(wo) in the case that G is discrete and finitely generated.
Vaccinationagainstmeningococcal disease inEurope : reviewand recommendations for theuseof conjugatevaccines

At the end of 2005, six European countries had implemented public immunization campaigns with serogroup C conjugate vaccines, and all had experienced substantial declines in the incidence of serogroup C disease. A quadrivalent ACWY meningococcal vaccine is in use in the USA, but serogroup A is extremely rare in Europe and serogroups Y and W135 are infrequent causes of disease. This paper outlines recommendations on the use of conjugate vaccines in Europe based on the experience with meningococcal C conjugate (MCC) vaccines so far.
Why Do Private Companies Demand Auditing? A Case for Organizational Loss of Control

The objective of this paper is to explain the motivation for owners of private companies to voluntarily demand audit (positive) assurance. It is hypothesized that the owner/manager seeks audits as compensatory control systems for the organizational loss of control inherent in hierarchical organizations. Thus, the expected value of wealth at risk due to loss of control sets a lower limit on the amount owners would be willing to pay for audits to compensate for that loss. The hypothesized relationship was tested using information for 103 private companies demanding audit (positive) assurance. The obtained relationships were basically unaltered by the introduction of lenders' requirement of audits (n = 40). Furthermore, the hypothesized compensatory aspect of audit assurance was absent for the demand for negative assurance (reviews) in a sample of 31 companies. This is consistent with the fact that negative assurance is not viewed as a way of providing confidence so as to compensate owners for loss of direct supervision and control.
Conditional Generative Adversarial Dense Network Model : ( G ) Triplet Level Dehazing Generator Network

This paper proposes a novel approach to remove haze from RGB images using a near infrared images based on a dense stacked conditional Generative Adversarial Network (CGAN). The architecture of the deep network implemented receives, besides the images with haze, its corresponding image in the near infrared spectrum, which serve to accelerate the learning process of the details of the characteristics of the images. The model uses a triplet layer that allows the independence learning of each channel of the visible spectrum image to remove the haze on each color channel separately. A multiple loss function scheme is proposed, which ensures balanced learning between the colors and the structure of the images. Experimental results have shown that the proposed method effectively removes the haze from the images. Additionally, the proposed approach is compared with a state of the art approach showing better results.
Changes in the governance of employment services in Germany since 2003

"Institutional changes in the governance of employment services were the starting point of comprehensive labour market and social policy reforms - the so-called Hartz-reforms (2003-2005) - in Germany. Particularly with the Hartz IV reform in 2005 Germany's status- and occupation-oriented social protection regime has been relinquished for a larger share of dependent population. At the interface of labour market and social policy high shares of meanstested income support recipients are going to be activated now. In line with similar developments in other countries the challenge for Germany's public employment and social services is the jointly managing of activation measures and income support policies in order to increase employment and to avoid exclusion. To deal with this challenge several European countries have set up 'single gateways' and 'one-stop shops' by merging the administration of different income support schemes (unemployment, work disability, social assistance) with employment and welfare services. The changes in the realm of employment services in Germany, however, follow a different path. Instead of implementing a single gateway for all unemployed and inactive working age people a two-tier or even three-tier system was created: Public Employment Service (PES) offices for short-term unemployed and joint agencies combining former local PES and municipal social assistance (ARGEn) for recipients of the basic income support. This new structure of administrative bodies, a result of protracted federal negotiations, created governance problems and hampers an effective activation strategy for potential long-term unemployed. The paper aims at a preliminary assessment of the effects of changing governance in employment services and sets out probable paths of future adaptation to arrive at more coherent activation strategies for all employable persons on income support. " (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))
Solving Arbitrage Problem on the Financial Market Under the Mixed Fractional Brownian Motion With Hurst Parameter H ∈]1/2,3/4[

This study deals with the arbitrage problem on the financial market when the underlying asset follows a mixed fractional Brownian motion. We prove the existence and uniqueness theorem for the mixed geometric fractional Brownian motion equation. The semi-martingale approximation approach to mixed fractional Brownian motion is used to eliminate the arbitrage opportunities.
The effects of teachers’ expectations about students’ motivation on teachers’ autonomy‐supportive and controlling behaviors

Abstract Previous studies in both educational and sport settings have examined the relationship between teachers’ and coaches’ expectations and behaviors towards students and athletes. The purpose of the present study was to extend this line of research by examining the effects of teachers’ expectations about students’ motivation on the frequency of controlling and autonomy‐supportive behaviors. Following the assessment of teachers’ expectations about students’ motivation and the assessment of students’ self‐determined motivation at the end of the first lesson, the interactions between PE teachers from nine classes and 172 students were videotaped and systematically coded during the six following gymnastics courses. Analyses revealed that (1) teachers’ expectations were not related to students’ initial self‐determined motivation, (2) overall, teachers interacted less frequently with students that they expected to be more motivated, and (3) teachers were much more controlling with students that they believed to be not motivated. The results are discussed in terms of the consequences of this differentiated treatment for students’ autonomous motivation
Dynamics of open quantum systems by interpolation of von Neumann and classical master equations, and its application to quantum annealing

We propose a method to interpolate dynamics of von Neumann and classical master equations with an arbitrary mixing parameter to investigate the thermal effects in quantum dynamics. The two dynamics are mixed by intervening to continuously modify their solutions, thus coupling them indirectly instead of directly introducing a coupling term. This maintains the quantum system in a pure state even after the introduction of thermal effects and obtains not only a density matrix but also a state vector representation. Further, we demonstrate that the dynamics of a two-level system can be rewritten as a set of standard differential equations, resulting in quantum dynamics that includes thermal relaxation. These equations are equivalent to the optical Bloch equations at the weak coupling and asymptotic limits, implying that the dynamics cause thermal effects naturally. Numerical simulations of ferromagnetic and frustrated systems support this idea. Finally, we use this method to study thermal effects in quantum annealing, revealing nontrivial performance improvements for a spin glass model over a certain range of annealing time. This result may enable us to optimize the annealing time of real annealing machines.
Programming Language Teaching Model Based on Computational Thinking and Problem-based Learning

The paper presents the purpose of learning programming language is to master the method of learning the language, rather than just master the language itself. Therefore, the cultivation of Computational Thinking is an important goal of language learning. After analyzing the teaching of Programming Languages in university, this paper put forward the Problem-Based Learning is beneficial to achieve this aim. During teaching process, Collaborative Learning and Grouping Learning can improve teaching effectiveness. A new method, which is to carry out these ideas and organize Problem-Based Learning and Grouping Learning, is given after reconstructing the teaching contents. The result of reform reveals that students' test scores have been greatly improved, the quality and quantity of the completed design work are greatly improved, the number of programming competition awards also increased significantly. In order to make computing thinking deeply rooted, this method may be extended to other important computer basic courses. Keywords—Programming Language; Teaching mode; Computational Thinking; Problem-based Learning; Collaborative Learning; Group Learning
The Role of Working Memory among Non-Traditional Foreign Language Students

Over the last 40 years, a growing number of nontraditional students have joined the ranks of higher education. However, due to a number of internal and external factors, these students face multiple social, economic, and academic challenges that may limit their success in postsecondary education. The focus of this article is to examine the implications of these challenges on the learning of a foreign language (FL), and more specifically on the role played by working memory (WM) with nontraditional FL learners. To this end, research studies in the fields of psycholinguistics, cognitive psychology and neuroscience are reviewed and their findings are analyzed to uncover meaningful relationships between WM and FL learning among nontraditional students. To conclude, FL teaching methodologies and guidelines are recommended.
Avian In fl uenza A Virus ( H 5 N 1 ) Outbreaks , Kuwait , 2007

HAL is a multi-disciplinary open access archive for the deposit and dissemination of scientific research documents, whether they are published or not. The documents may come from teaching and research institutions in France or abroad, or from public or private research centers. L’archive ouverte pluridisciplinaire HAL, est destinée au dépôt et à la diffusion de documents scientifiques de niveau recherche, publiés ou non, émanant des établissements d’enseignement et de recherche français ou étrangers, des laboratoires publics ou privés. Avian influenza A virus (H5N1) outbreaks, Kuwait, 2007. Ahmad Al-Azemi, Justin Bahl, Sameer Al-Zenki, Yousif Al-Shayji, Sami Al-Amad, Honglin Chen, Yi Guan, J S Malik Peiris, Gavin J D Smith
Local and global: Mesogovernments and territorial identities

Colloquium on ‘Identity and Territorial Autonomy in Plural Societies’, IPSA Research Committee on Politics and Ethnicity. University of Santiago (July 17-19, 1998), Santiago de Compostela, Spain. Printed in Nationalism and Ethnic Politics 5 (3-4): 61-75, 1999.
Quorumsensingandvirulence regulation inXanthomonas campestris

It is now clear that cell–cell communication, often referred to as quorum sensing (QS), is the norm in the prokaryotic kingdom and this community-wide genetic regulatory mechanism has been adopted for regulation of many important biological functions. Since the 1980s, several types of QS signals have been identified, which are associated commonly with different types of QS mechanisms. Among them, the diffusible signal factor (DSF)-dependent QS system, originally discovered from bacterial pathogen Xanthomonas campestris pv. campestris, is a relatively new regulatory mechanism. The rapid research progress over the last few years has identified the chemical structure of the QS signal DSF, established the DSF regulon, and unveiled the general signaling pathways and mechanisms. Particular noteworthy are that DSF biosynthesis is modulated by a novel posttranslational autoinduction mechanism involving protein–protein interaction between the DSF synthase RpfF and the sensor RpfC, and that QS signal sensing is coupled to intracellular regulatory networks through a second messenger cyclic-diGMP and a global regulator Clp. Genomic and genetic analyses show that the DSF QS-signaling pathway regulates diverse biological functions including virulence, biofilm dispersal, and ecological competence. Moreover, evidence is emerging that the DSF QS system is conserved in a range of plant and human bacterial pathogens.
Consequential Cash Choice Experiments: Provision Rules and Decision Support for Restoration of NROCs Ecosystem

Investigating incentives, through valuation context and questions, that motivate respondents to reveal their true values for environmental good under consideration has been a long-standing area of research in stated preference literature. A large number of previous non-market valuation studies have focused on various dimensions of valuation questions and context and have investigated how these dimensions affect the incentives to answer truthfully. An important, but relatively less-explored, area is the inclusion of a provision rule, by which environmental good under investigation will be provided, and how this affects participants’ incentives to tell the true values. Provision rules, that are made explicit to survey respondents, provide a connection between survey choices and actual outcomes. Advancements in Mechanism Design Theory have recently attracted researchers’ attention on examining alternative provision rules using discrete choice experiments (DCE) and comparing preferences and tradeoffs across provision rules. Only very few studies,mostly in laboratory experiments, have attempted to examine the influence of the inclusion of a provision rule in elicited preferences and tradeoffs. Employing a split-sample approach, this study compares a single decision-maker’s choice and a plurality vote provision rules in in-person choice experiments using real cash for actual implementation of ecosystem restoration project on the ground. A very preliminary conditional logit model results suggest that both rules produce statistically similar preference functions in terms of marginal values and tradeoffs between restoration attributes. Further analysis is yet to be conducted to ensure these preliminary results hold consistently using a Latent Class Model to incorporate preference heterogeneity for ecosystem restoration.
To What Extent Does the Interest Burden Affect Firm Survival? Evidence from a Panel of UK Firms During the Recent Financial Crisis

Using a panel of mainly unquoted UK firms over the period 2000–09, we document a significant effect of changes in the interest burden from debt-servicing on firm survival. The effect is found to be stronger during the recent financial crisis compared with more tranquil periods. Furthermore, the survival chances of bank-dependent, younger, and non-exporting firms are most affected by changes in the interest burden, especially during the crisis. Our results are robust to using different estimation methods and different interest burden measures They suggest that one way for policymakers to mitigate the effects of financial crises by limiting firm failures would be to prevent financing costs from rising, especially for those firms more likely to face liquidity constraints.
Multiphase flow and monitoring of CO 2 in the subsurface Annual Report 2016

Carbon capture and storage (CCS) is a climate change technology in relative infancy with the potential to grow to a significant scale. While the oil and gas industry has, however had centuries of field-scale operations research guiding scientists’ understanding of oil/water multiphase flow, CCS has not been afforded the same luxury. The prohibitive cost of pilot studies and the general urgency of the global warming crisis forces a comparatively rushed deployment. As such, the nuances of multiphase flow in CO2/brine systems can only be anticipated from a combination of theory, core-scale experiments and field data from precious few pilot-projects. Moreover, unlike oil and gas reservoirs with proven seals that have withstood the test of time, CCS storage sites must be carefully characterized and monitored to assure that CO2 will achieve high retention rates. Our research focuses on determining the underpinning science unique to multiphase flow in CCS and to a lesser extent in enhanced oil recovery (EOR) operations, through both experiment and simulation. For example, we are applying new rigor to the fundamental understanding of residual trapping phenomena. At the core-scale, we are using Xray-microtomography to study whether the process of Ostwald ripening (the respective dissolution/exsolution of small/large bubbles) might affect the mobility of residually trapped CO2. An upscalable pore-scale model for simulating Ostwald ripening is being developed in conjunction with the experiments. At the field-scale we are conducting macroscopic-percolation simulations to determine the previously overlooked impact of capillary pressure heterogeneity on residual trapping. We are pushing the boundaries of real-time pore-scale multiphase flow imaging, in developing the use of microPET scanning of samples. While PET scanning requires the use of a radioactive tracer, it has advantages over established Xray-CT methods with improved resolution and dense temporal sampling. In EOR applications, we are using numerical simulation to investigate the potential for CO2 exsolution from a saturated injection fluid to access otherwise trapped oil stores. Finally, in keeping with our overall investigation of the nuances of CCS multiphase flow, we are developing robust monitoring techniques that are insensitive to such uncertain physical phenomena. We show that early-time pressure monitoring in the abovezone, where initial leakage is primarily single-phase in nature, may be used in a variety of situations to locate a potential leak in the caprock. As a whole, our research is contributing to an improved understanding of subsurface CO2 multiphase flow, through experimentation and simulation of physical affects that may have been overlooked in other subsurface applications. Our results continue to guide applications studies in CCS monitoring and EOR.