Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Potential of Tree Shade for Reducing Residential Energy Use in California

Electric utilities in California currently sponsor planting of approximately 75,000 yard trees annually as an energy conservation measure. In this study we evaluated the potential effects of tree shade on residential air conditioning and heating energy use for a range of tree orientations, building insulation levels and climate zones in California using computer simulation. Trees shading a home's west exposure produced the largest savings, both annual (kWh) and peak (kW), for all climate zones and insulation levels considered. Next largest savings were for southwest (annual and peak) and east (annual only) locations. Three trees (two on the west, one on the east side) reduced annual energy use for cooling 10 to 50 percent (200 to 600 kWh, $30 to $110) and peak electrical use up to 23 percent (0.7 kW). Except in climates with little air-conditioning demand, cooling load reductions were always greater than increased heating loads associated with shade from south side trees in winter. Air-conditioning savings, both peak and annual, were larger in warmer climates and uninsulated buildings; percentage savings were larger in cooler climates and for more energy efficient buildings. Recommendations are made regarding locating yard trees to maximize energy savings.
The Dynamics of Teacher Salary Expense

Hamilton Lankford is Associate Professor of Economics and Public Policy at the State University of New York at Albany. He received his Ph.D. in Economics from the University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill, and was a dissertation fellow at the Brookings Institution. Professor Lankford’s current research focuses on the economics of education. He has collaborated with Jim Wyckoff on a series of projects examining public/private school choice and the allocation of school expenditures. He was awarded an NSF/ ASSA/Census Fellowship to examine the effects of school choice and residential location choice on the racial composition of urban schools. He is also engaged in research examining the implicit subsidy to school districts from the property tax deduction on federal and state income taxes.
Temporal Word Embeddings for Narrative Understanding

We propose temporal word embeddings as a suitable tool to study the evolution of characters and their sentiments across the plot of a narrative text. The dynamic evolution of instances within a narrative text is a challenging task, where complex behavioral evolutions and other characteristics specific to the narrative text need to be inferred and interpreted. While starting from an existing approach to the learning of these models, we propose an alternative initialization procedure which seems to be especially suited for the case of narrative text. As a validation benchmark, we use the Harry Potter series of books as a challenging case study for such character trait evolution. A benchmark data set based on temporal word analogies related to the characters in the plot of the series is considered. The results are promising, and the empirical validation seems to support the working ideas behind this proposal.
Environmental Politics: Analyses and Alternatives Special Issue of Capital and Class, no. 72

Writing about the relative neglect of Volumes Two and Three of Capital within the socialist movement of her day, Rosa Luxemburg observed that Marx's critique of capital and his contribution to social science as a whole constituted one 'titanic whole' with an 'immeasurable field of application'. It propelled him far beyond the immediate needs of the class struggle (exemplified by the theory of exploitation in Volume I), and caused him to explore other aspects of capitalism in Volumes II and III, such as the reproduction schemes, competition between capitals, the distribution of surplus value, etc. issues that seemed to transcend the most pressing struggles of the social movement. Yet, history and the development of the movement, Luxemburg contended, would lead to renewed appreciation of Marx's intellectual corpus: 'Only in proportion as our movement progresses and demands the solution of new practical problems, do we dip once more into the treasury of Marx's thought in order to extract therefrom and to utilize new fragments of his doctrine. 'l Subsequent developments seem to have borne out the truth of Luxemburg's observation. Our understanding of Marx's work has been transformed again and again, partly as a result of the publication of 'new fragments of his doctrine', partly because history and the progress of the movement has demanded 'the solution of new practical problems', leading us to 'dip once more into the treasury of Marx's thought'. Examples of this abound, and mark the terrain of Marxist studies during most of the twentieth century: in relation to alienation, the state, the labour process, and many other areas. More recently, Marx's numerous discussions of globalisation, though still not systematically analysed, have forced even bourgeois scholars to acknowledge his prescient insights. It is no doubt true, as Weber once remarked, that Marx is not a car that can be driven anywhere. But it is no less true that his explorations into the human condition and human history were so great so 'immeasurable' in their application as Luxemburg said that he mapped out a much larger terrain than we have yet perceived or have had reason to make use of. Marx's work was not confined simply to the critique of capital (though that was always his central object), but embraced, to the
Automated Supply-Chain Quality Inspection Using Image Analysis and Machine Learning

An image processing method for automatic quality assurance of Ericsson products is developed. The method consists of taking an image of the product, extract the product labels from the image, OCR the product numbers and make a database lookup to match the mounted product with the customer specification. The engineering innovation of the method developed in this report is that the OCR is performed using machine learning techniques. It is shown that machine learning can produce results that are on par or better than baseline OCR methods. The advantage with a machine learning based approach is that the associated neural network can be trained for the specific input images from the Ericsson factory. Imperfections in the image quality and varying type fonts etc. can be handled by properly training the net, a task that would have been very difficult with legacy OCR algorithms where poor OCR results typically need to be mitigated by improving the input image quality rather than changing the algorithm.
How Early Can the Tendency toward Hypertension Be Detected

The detection of the earliest stages in the development of a chronic disease is useful for many reasons. The natural history of the disease can best be defined if the time of onset is more clearly delineated. It is reasonable to assume that etiologic studies are best conducted as close to the time of onset as is possible. It seems reasonable to assume also that treatment will be most effective in the earliest stages of the disease rather than in later stages, when tissue changes that are perhaps irreversible may already have occurred. In the case of the studies of blood pressure, several observations made during the last decade or two suggested the basis for the present approach. It was demonstrated by Miall and Oldham, following many clinical indications, that the blood pressure of an individual was reflected in his first-order relatives within the limits of a regression coefficient of approximately 0.3-0.4. 1,2 This observation followed a relation that was predicted by Pickering and his associates.3 Inasmuch as these observations were made in adults, it was reasonable to ask how early in life this familial relation could be demonstrated. The value of finding such a familial relation early in life seemed to be augmented by the recent observations by Miall and Lovell that in adults the greatest determinant of rise in blood pressure was the level of blood pressure attained at the beginning of a longitudinal survey. Thus, those with the highest pressures had the greatest rise in pressure over subsequent years, suggesting that the phenomenon of rising pressure was already established and moving in a defined direction for most individuals in a population.
MODELING OF THE WEDGE SPLITTING TEST USING AN EXTENDED CRACKED HINGE MODEL

The present paper describes a semi-analytical fracture model based on the cracked hinge approach by Ulfkjær [1]. Some extensions of the original formulation are introduced and also implemented (as JAVA code) to enable the use of any softening function with arbitrary shape for the cracked part of the model, which is considered as a fictitious (cohesive) crack. The application of the model to the wedge-splitting test (WST) is validated, showing the consistency of the adopted formulations with reference data. Furthermore, the capability of the model to integrate various softening curves is verified using FEM simulations.
Poor academic performance as predictor of depression among university students

Present study was conducted to investigate the relationship between Academic performance and Depression among university students. It was hypothesized that poor academic performance is the predictor of depression among university students. Sample of 100 students (50 males and 50 females) was selected from university. Depression Anxiety Stress Scale was used for the measurement. Linear regression was performed to test the hypothesis. Additional analysis was conducted to check the gender difference in Depression. Present study approved the hypothesis that poor Cumulative Grade Point Average (C.G.P.A) lead students to develop depression. Results also revealed that there is significant difference among gender on the basis of depression.
Looking for bright spots

Many journeys in urban environments are short and could be conveniently carried out on foot or by bike. However, a lot of people use public transport or cars for short journeys and this places pressure on urban transport infrastructures. Motivating people to change their transport habits is a wicked problem and challenging to address. We outline our current approach that involves a long term study of Fitbit users to identify the ‘bright spots’: the factors that enable some people to successfully change their transportation habits in the long term.
PREVALENCE OF POSTPARTUM DEPRESSION IN ALZAHRA HOSPITAL IN RASHT IN 2004

Introduction: Postpartum depression is a prevalent disorder that has undesirable effects on mother and child’s health. Its prevalence is reported different in various studies. Objective: The aim of this study was to determine the prevalence of postpartum depression in mothers who delivered at Alzahra hospital in Rasht in 2004. Materials and Methods: In this cross sectional study 335 women who delivered at Alzahra hospital after signing informed consent were assessed with a demographic questionnaire including variables (age, live child number, home living, delivery type, wanted or unwanted pregnancy, history of abortion or dead child, delivery number, educational level, employment status after delivery). Samples were screened with Beck depression inventory (a standard self questionnaire and independent of any cultural bias) 2-3 weeks after delivery. For mothers who scored 16 or higher, a structural clinical interview for major depressive disease was done. The interview results were evaluated according to DSMIV-TR criteria and the results were analyzed and statistically significant difference was determined (α=0/05) Results: According to the screening examination, 61 patients had mild depression (scoring 16-230) and 6 patients suffered moderate depression (scoring 31-46). From 59 patients who referred for clinical interview, 48 had essential depression disorder based on DSMIV-TR and 43 had mild depression. There was a significant relationship between mothers’ occupation and depression (P=0.02) and between history of still birth and infant death in past with depression (P=0.02) Conclusion: The prevalence of mild depression in our study was notable. In addition to the limitations of this study, more studies with more specific screening assessment and more subjects are recommended
Biocultural Stewardship : A Framework for Engaging Indigenous Cultures

Depending on circumstances, kellert argues that people relate to the natural world from any blend of these value stances. However, people may tend to favor one or two value stances as their primary preference and base decisions and actions accordingly. i t is important to cultivate a respectful and engaging approach to developing and maintaining relationships with indigenous cultures. i propose that two fields of inquiry, bioculturalism and stewardship, be considered together as biocultural stewardship in order to strengthen both. My main premise is that the dominant culture of a country or region bears more responsibility for creating relationships with indigenous cultures because of inherent power differentials, as well as histories of oppression and marginalization. However, it is arguably a matter of necessity at this point in human existence to move past the perceived barriers of culture toward more open and respectful relationships. it is critical to consider the complex and daunting challenges associated with sustainability issues from a variety of perspectives, including those of indigenous cultures.1 Biocultural stewardship provides a perspective on land use practices and governance that is culturally relevant to indigenous cultures and illuminates pathways for Western cultures to recognize the interdependence of people and nature. it fosters conditions for creating relationships with indigenous cultures to promote biological and cultural conservation and relearn indigenous understandings of alternative ways for humans to relate with the natural world.
Intra-cerebral implantation of a variety of collagenous scaffolds with nervous embryonic cells

Collagenous scaffolds provide good conditions for embryonic nerve cell growth. The aim of the current study was to assess the brains reaction to the implantation of 3D sponge-shaped scaffolds. These scaffolds consisted of collagen (Col) and Col with chondroitin sulphate, which is modified by carbodiimide, or Col crosslinked with dialdehyde cellulose. The current study also evaluated the expression of integrins α2 and β1 in embryonic nerve cells. Embryonic nerve cells were isolated from the brains of rat embryos. Acellular scaffolds, or scaffolds populated with embryonic nerve cells, were implanted into the rats brain. The fibers of all the implanted scaffolds remained intact and served as a template for cell infiltration. The implants induced minimal to moderate inflammatory responses and minimal glial scar formations. Immunohistochemical studies did not indicate any microtubule-associated protein 2 or glial fibrillary acidic protein-positive cells inside the scaffolds. Acellular and cell-populated scaffolds yielded similar responses in the brain. The expression of integrin α2 and β1 was observed in embryonic nervous cells. TC-I15, the integrin α2β1 inhibitor, was not demonstrated to modify cell entrapment within the collagenous scaffolds. All applied scaffolds were well tolerated by the tissue and were indicated to support blood vessel formation. Therefore, all tested biomaterials are recommended for further studies. Additional chemical modifications of the material are suggested to protect the seeded cells from apoptosis after implantation into the brain.
Field Report II A contemporary music recording in Higher order Ambisonics

In 2010, the author had the privilege to capture a performance of Rebecca Saunders' intricately spatial composition Chroma XII in fully periphonic third­ order Ambisonics. The production grew to considerable complexity and provides an excellent showcase for a large­scale Ambisonic production using free software. This paper discusses the artistic motivation (or even necessity) of using a with­height recording method for the work at hand. After a short description of the composition, its instrumentation and the performance space, the microphone and mixing techniques are being discussed in detail, including hardware and software toolchains, post­production workflow, and lessons learned from subsequent replays on various systems. This paper is a follow­up to a workshop paper presented at LAC 2010 in Utrecht [1].
Growth-Faltering Rates in California, Guatemala, and Tamil Nadu: Implications for Growth-Monitoring Programmes

Criteria used in growth-monitoring programmes in developing countries were applied to three-month weight-gain data for children 12–24 months old in three populations: in Berkeley, California; Guatemala; and Tamil Nadu. A significant proportion of the Berkeley children showed growth faltering: 18% had at least one period in which they failed to gain any weight, and 37% had at least one in which they gained less than 300 g in three months. The frequency of faltering, however, was appreciably greater in Guatemala (45% and 82% respectively) and Tamil Nadu (42% and 74% respectively). These data raise concerns that growth-monitoring criteria, as used in most settings, identify too many children for special attention, perhaps more than can be handled by most programmes. Adjusting the criteria to select fewer children necessarily means departure from the simplest guidelines about focusing on the growth trajectory (i.e., up, fat, or down) to those that specify rates of weight gain by age. This may make growth monitoring impractical in many settings.
Autogenous bone grafts in periodontal practice: A literature review

To improve the long-term prognosis of teeth, the treatment of periodontal diseases has evolved from resection to regeneration. Regeneration of the supporting structures of the teeth involves the use of a variety of materials of natural and synthetic origins. The ultimate aim of a true connective tissue attachment to the cementum, however, is difficult to achieve and a few of the materials have shown promising results. Autogenous bone graft obtained from the same individual has always been considered the gold standard because of its high osteogenic potential and virtually nil side effects. The present paper describes the use of autogenous grafts in the periodontal practice. The compilation of the data was done by PubMed search since the first use of the graft in periodontics.
The challenges of elastic in situ analysis and visualization

In situ analysis and visualization have been proposed in high-performance computing (HPC) to enable executing analysis tasks while a simulation is running, bypassing the parallel file system and avoiding the need for storing massive amounts of data. One aspect of in situ analysis that has not been extensively researched to date, however, is elasticity. Current in situ analysis frameworks use a fixed amount of resources and can hardly be scaled up or down dynamically throughout the simulation's run time as a response to changes in the requirements. In this paper, we present the challenges posed by elastic in situ analysis and visualization. We emphasize that elasticity can take various forms. We show the difficulties of supporting each form of elasticity with the state-of-the-art HPC technologies, and we suggest solutions to overcome these difficulties. The resulting four-way classification can be seen as a taxonomy for future elastic in situ analysis and visualization systems.
Code Weaver: A Tangible Programming Learning Tool with Mixed Reality Interface

In this study, we developed Code Weaver, a tool for learning basic programming concepts designed for elementary school or younger children. A tangible user interface of this tool can be programmed by directly combining parts with a physical form by the users’ hands. In this way, we attempted to resolve several problems, including the typical obstacles encountered in learning programming languages by small children such as text input via a keyboard, strict syntax rule requirements, and difficulties associated with group learning involving multiple participants.
Color-Based Edge Detection on Mesh Surface

Edge detection is one of the fundamental techniques and can be applied in many places. We propose an algorithm for detecting edges based on the color of a mesh surface. To the best of our knowledge, we are the first to detect edges on mesh surface based on the color of the mesh surface. The basic idea of our method is to compute color gradient magnitudes of a mesh surface. To do that, the mesh is split along the intersection of surfaces into some segments. Then, segments are voxelized and assigned a representative color by averaging colors at boundaries between voxels and mesh faces. Artificial neighbors are created for completeness and 3D canny edge detection is applied to the resulting 3D representation. Lastly, additional intersections are added by looking at the intersection of two surfaces. Figure 1 shows the results of our method.
Learning to rank hotels for search and recommendation from session-based interaction logs and meta data

Being able to provide high quality search and recommendation services can be a decisive success factor for online applications, e.g., in today's competitive e-commerce environments. Context-adaptive and personalized item suggestions can help to both improve the user experience and the provider's short-term and long-term revenue. However, automating this form of adaptation can be challenging, when no long-term preference profiles are available. In these situations, the user's preferences and short-term intent must be derived from the last few observed interactions. In this work, we present a hybrid approach to rank hotels based on the user's most recent interactions and meta data about the available items. The developed recommendation approach can be used both for personalized search and session-based recommendation. Technically, we employed a combination of a gradient-boosted learning-to-rank model, Bayesian Personalized Ranking and an embedding model using Doc2Vec. The approach was successfully evaluated in the context of the ACM RecSys 2019 challenge, where it led our team letoh govatri to the fifth place on the leaderboard, with a ranking accuracy only 0.53% below the winning approach.
Ambiguity as a Means for triggering Civic Participation

This paper builds on the dimensions of ambiguity, as stated in the article by Gaver et al. [1]. It proposes to transfer the phenomenon of ambiguity to the domains of Social and Public Design, which are not only in need of generating attention in public spaces but also in funnelling long-term interest to deploy citizen participation. This paper discusses the categories of ambiguity on a theoretical level and adds relevant Research-Through-Design case studies that examine design knowledge in practice.