Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Guidance of Autonomous Amphibious Vehicles for Flood Rescue Support

We develop a path-planning algorithm to guide autonomous amphibious vehicles (AAVs) for flood rescue support missions. Specifically, we develop an algorithm to control multiple AAVs to reach/rescue multiple victims (also called targets) in a flood scenario in 2D, where the flood water flows across the scene and the targets move (drifted by the flood water) along the flood stream. A target is said to be rescued if an AAV lies within a circular region of a certain radius around the target. The goal is to control the AAVs such that each target gets rescued while optimizing a certain performance objective. The algorithm design is based on the theory of partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP). In practice, POMDP problems are hard to solve exactly, so we use an approximation method called nominal belief-state optimization (NBO). We compare the performance of the NBO approach with a greedy approach.
The Redshift One LDSS-3 Emission line Survey (ROLES): survey method and z∼ 1 mass-dependent star formation rate density

Motivated by suggestions of 'cosmic downsizing', in which the dominant contribution to the cosmic star formation rate density (SFRD) proceeds from higher to lower mass galaxies with increasing cosmic time, we describe the design and implementation of the Redshift One LDSS3 Emission line Survey (ROLES). This survey is designed to probe low-mass, z ∼ 1 galaxies directly for the first time with spectroscopy. ROLES is a K-selected (22.5 < K AB < 24.0) survey for dwarf galaxies [8.5 ≲ log(M * /M) ≲ 9.5] at 0.89 < z < 1.15 drawn from two extremely deep fields [Great Observatories Origins Deep Survey-S (GOODS-S) and MS1054-Faint Infra-Red Extragalactic Survey]. Using the [O II]λ727 emission line, we obtain redshifts and star formation rates (SFRs) for star-forming galaxies down to a limit of ∼0.3 M yr ―1 . We present the [O II] luminosity function measured in ROLES and find a faint-end slope of α faint ∼ ―1.5, similar to that measured at z ∼ 0.1 in the Sloan Digital Sky Survey. By combining ROLES with higher mass surveys (Gemini Deep Deep Survey and European Southern Observatory GOOD-S public spectroscopy) we measure the SFRD as a function of stellar mass using [O II] (with and without various empirical corrections) and using spectral energy distribution fitting to obtain the SFR from the rest-frame UV luminosity for galaxies with spectroscopic redshifts. Our best estimate of the corrected [O II] SFRD and UV SFRD both independently show that the SFRD evolves equally for galaxies of all masses between z ∼ 1 and z ∼ 0.1. The exact evolution in normalization depends on the indicator used, with the [O II]-based estimate showing a change of a factor of ≈2.6 and the UV-based estimate a factor of ≈6. We discuss possible reasons for the discrepancy in normalization between the indicators, but note that the magnitude of this uncertainty is comparable to the discrepancy between indicators seen in other z ∼ 1 works. Our result that the shape of the SFRD as a function of stellar mass (and hence the mass range of galaxies dominating the SFRD) does not evolve between z ∼ 1 and z ∼ 0.1 is robust to the choice of indicator.
Lignin-Degrading Abilities of Novel Autochthonous Fungal Isolates Trametes hirsuta F13 and Stereum gausapatum F28

SUMMARY The aim of this research is to isolate and identify fungi with high lignin-degrading abilities that are autochthonous to southern Serbian region. Two novel fungal isolates identified as Trametes hirsuta F13 and Stereum gausapatum F28 were selected to assess their ligninolytic enzyme activities and the efficiency of lignin removal from beech wood sawdust. Obtained results show that both isolates are good sources of industrially valuable enzymes with a potential for application in various biotechnological and industrial processes. Both isolates showed laccase, manganese-dependent peroxidase, and versatile peroxidase activities, while only S. gausapatum F28 had lignin peroxidase activity. This is the first record of the ability of S. gausapatum species to produce lignin peroxidase. T. hirsuta F13 showed higher laccase activity than S. gausapatum F28, while S. gausapatum F28 had higher manganese peroxidase activity. Also, T. hirsuta F13 exhibited much higher laccase activity under submerged cultivation conditions than solid-state cultivation conditions, which is rare for fungi. This is important for industrial processes since the submerged fermentation is a dominant technique in industry. The test of the efficiency of lignin removal showed that both isolates are efficient lignin decomposers. After five weeks of incubation on beech wood sawdust, the total lignin losses were 33.84% with T. hirsuta F13 and 28.8% with S. gausapatum F28.
Novel Approaches to Speech Detection in the Processing of Continuous Audio Streams

With the increasing amount of information stored in various audio-data documents there is a growing need for the efficient and effective processing, archiving and accessing of this information. One of the largest sources of such information is spoken audio documents, including broadcast-news (BN) shows, voice mails, recorded meetings, telephone conversations, etc. In these documents the information is mainly relayed through speech, which needs to be appropriately processed and analysed by applying automatic speech and language technologies. Spoken audio documents are produced by a wide range of people in a variety of situations, and are derived from various multimedia applications. They are usually collected as continuous audio streams and consist of multiple audio sources. These audio sources may be different speakers, music segments, types of noise, etc. For example, a BN show typically consists of speech from different speakers as well as music segments, commercials and various types of noises that are present in the background of the reports. In order to efficiently process or extract the required information from such documents the appropriate audio data need to be selected and properly prepared for further processing. In the case of speech-processing applications this means detecting just the speech parts in the audio data and delivering them as inputs in a suitable format for further speech processing. The detection of such speech segments in continuous audio streams and the segmentation of audio streams into either detected speech or non-speech data is known as the speech/nonspeech (SNS) segmentation problem. In this chapter we present an overview of the existing approaches to SNS segmentation in continuous audio streams and propose a new representation of audio signals that is more suitable for robust speech detection in SNSsegmentation systems. Since speech detection is usually applied as a pre-processing step in various speech-processing applications we have also explored the impact of different SNSsegmentation approaches on a speaker-diarisation task in BN data. This chapter is organized as follows: In Section 2 a new high-level representation of audio signals based on phoneme-recognition features is introduced. First of all we give a short overview of the existing audio representations used for speech detection and provide the basic ideas and motivations for introducing a new representation of audio signals for SNS segmentation. In the remainder of the section we define four features based on consonantvowel pairs and the voiced-unvoiced regions of signals, which are automatically detected by
Joint Uplink-Downlink Cooperative Interference Management With Flexible Cell Associations

We study information theoretic models of interference networks that consist of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$K$ </tex-math></inline-formula> Base Station (BS) - Mobile Terminal (MT) pairs. BS <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$i$ </tex-math></inline-formula> is connected to the MTs with indices in the set <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\{i,i+1,\ldots,i+L\}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>. We fix the value of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and study the per user Degrees of Freedom (puDoF) in large networks. We assume that each MT can be associated with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N_{c}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> BSs, and these associations are determined by a cloud-based controller that has a global view of the network. An MT has to be associated with a BS, for the BS to transmit its message in the downlink, or have its decoded message in the uplink. We propose puDoF inner bounds for arbitrary values of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$L$ </tex-math></inline-formula> for the uplink, and prove their optimality when only zero-forcing schemes are allowed. We then introduce new achievable average uplink-downlink puDoF values, and show their optimality for the range when <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$N_{c} \leq \frac {L}{2}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> and when we restrict our attention to zero-forcing schemes. Additionally, for the remaining range, we characterize the optimal downlink scheme when the uplink-optimal associations are used. Finally, we show that the proposed scheme is information theoretically optimal for Wyner’s linear interference network.
Chemical characterization of pressed and refined licuri (Syagrus coronata) oils

Knowing the composition of foods is fundamental to assess their potentialities and the availability of nutrients to consuming populations. The objective of this work was to increase knowledge about the licuri fruit (Syagrus coronata) by quantifying the fatty acids and verifying the antioxidant potential in the kernels fruit and in the pressed oils fruit. The lipid profile data shows a predominance of saturated fats, high levels of medium-chain fatty acids such as lauric and myristic fatty acids, a composition very similar to the coconut oil. Antioxidant activity was observed using methods of DPPH radical sequestration, ferric reduction and total level of phenolic compounds. The oil characterization in the Licuri fruit brings the prospect of using the same in cosmetic and pharmaceutical industry, as well as a healthy alternative for consumption by the population living in the semi-arid region in Brazil.
Theory and Practice in Recruiting Women for STEM Careers

The National Science Foundation funded project “Proven Practices for Recruiting Women to STEM careers” is now in its second year. This work is part of a larger project funded by the Advanced Technological Education Program of the National Science Foundation, DUE #0501971. This paper provides the interim results of the project’s review of existing literature on practices currently in use to recruit women into STEM careers, and on the career development and gender theories on which these practices are based. A description of each practice is presented along with research-based evidence on its effectiveness. Concluding remarks summarize the major findings of this review. Introduction When beginning any research project, it is a standard and “proven” practice to start with a review of existing literature. Accordingly, we began reviewing the literature on career theory for our project “Proven Practices for Recruiting Girls and Women into STEM Careers in ATE-Funded Programs. ” This project, as well as the overall Advanced Technological Education (ATE) program, is funded by the National Science Foundation (NSF DUE 0501971). The ATE program has several goals: to improve technological education; to recruit more people, especially women and minorities, into science, technology, engineering and mathematics (STEM) careers; and to increase the number and productivity of skilled technicians in advanced technology fields (Patton, 2005). We quickly discovered, of course, that the literature on career choice and development, particularly on adolescents, is drawn from a variety of fields and is, to say the least, voluminous. But we also noticed that many of the articles are concerned with proving, disproving, refining or extending aspects of several major theories. Additionally, the review was necessary to become conversant with the concepts developed by career choice and development theorists but left undefined in most research (see Brown & Brooks, 1996; Super, Savickas, & Super, 1996; Super, 1990). Because of the prominence and influence of John L. Holland’s theory of person-environment interaction, Donald E. Super’s life-span, life-space theory, and Lent, Brown and Hackett’s social cognitive career theory (SCCT), we chose to review these three theories in detail. Several researchers point out that the study of career choice began with trait and factor approaches (Super, 1990; Brown & Brooks, 1996). John L. Holland’s theory of matching each individual to a job on the basis of shared personality and job traits is considered an important example of this type of theory. In particular, his concepts of person-environment interaction and fit are still in use. Donald E. Super began his own career using a trait and factor approach, but later changed to a developmental approach. Super also changed the focus of vocational studies from occupation to career (Savickas, 1994), and recognized that career decisions are made over and over again, not just at one point in time (Super, 1990). Social Cognitive Career Theory
Movement patterns of marine turtles in the Mediterranean Sea: a review

Abstract Understanding the at-sea spatial behaviour of sea turtles is a priority for their conservation. In the present paper, the current information on the distribution and movement patterns of the two species breeding in the Mediterranean, the loggerhead and the green turtle, is reviewed, focusing mainly on the 195 published routes of satellite-tracked turtles. A satisfactory level of knowledge about adults’ migrations and other movements is reached only for loggerheads breeding at Zakynthos Island, Greece, and for green and loggerhead females nesting in Cyprus, while studies at foraging grounds are limited to loggerheads in the western and central parts of the basin. Adult males and females mostly show quite uniform post-breeding migratory patterns, typically moving towards individually specific neritic foraging grounds. A much higher variability is shown by loggerhead juveniles, which is probably associated with differences in their spatial behaviour while in oceanic or neritic waters. Evidence of seasonal migrations driven by lower temperatures in winter is available only for adult and juvenile loggerheads frequenting the two northernmost parts of the basin, i.e. the Ligurian and the northern Adriatic Sea. Current knowledge gaps and priorities for further research in the Mediterranean are discussed.
Modeling Water Quality in Rivers

This study reports a PC software, used in a Windows-based environment, which was developed based on the first order reaction of Biological Oxygen Demand (BOD) and a modified Streeter and Phelps equation, in order to simulate and determine the variations of Dissolved Oxygen (DO) and of the BOD along with the studied river reaches. The software considers many impacts of environmental factors, such as the different type of discharges (concentrated or punctual source, tributary contribution, distributed source), nitrogenous BOD, BOD sedimentation, photosynthetic production and benthic demand of oxygen, and so on. The software has been used to model the DO profile along one river, with the aim to improve the water quality through suitable engineering measure.
Soft robotic glove for kinesthetic haptic feedback in virtual reality environments

Current virtual environments rely heavily on audio and visual feedback as a form of sensory feedback [1]. The degree of immersion can be increased by augmenting synthetic haptic feedback from the user interface. Most of the existing wearable haptic feedback systems use tactile stimulation by vibrating motors for haptic feedback which lack a compelling sense of immersion with force feedback[2][3]. e.g. in the case of pressing a button. This research addresses this issue with hardware architecture for kinesthetic force feedback. This research focuses on the design of a wearable soft robotic haptic feedback glove for force feedback in virtual environments. The glove provides a force feedback to the fingers while clicking a button in virtual environments. The glove design includes a soft exoskeleton actuated by Mckibben muscles which are controlled using a custom fluidic control board [4]. The user’s fingers are tracked using the infrared cameras. This tracking system provides the information for the position of the user’s fingers. Based on this information, the soft glove is actuated to provide a haptic feedback. The Soft exoskeleton and actuation make the glove compliant, compact and unintimidating as compared to force feedback glove with rigid kinematic linkages. The glove design is inexpensive, mass-manufacturable and compatible to 90% of the U.S. population. The user could test the glove by playing the piano in virtual reality environment. The presence of audio, visual and haptic feedback makes the virtual reality environment highly immersive. The informal pilot study indicates that haptic glove improves the immersive experience of the virtual reality environments. Users in informal pilot study described the experience as “like nothing seen before”, “mesmerizing” and “amazing”.
Evaluation of Optimal Parameters Affecting of Isotropic Plates with Polygonal Cutout under Shear Load using Particle Swarm Algorithm

In this paper the optimal values of effective parameters on the stress distribution around polygonal cutouts in isotropic plates are calculated. To achieve this goal, the complex variable method and PSO algorithm have been used. The expansion of the Muskhelishvili’s method are used to analyze the stress distribution in infinite isotropic plates containing various cutouts. By using conformal mapping, the area outside the noncircular cutout is mapped to the area outside of unit circle. The effective parameters on stress distribution around the cutout as design variables include: cutout shape, cutout orientatin and bluntness. The proper selection of these parameters leads to achieve minimum stress around the cutout and result in the loadbearing capacity of structures increases. The goal function in this problem is the maximum stress created around the cutout calculated by the analytical solution method. The results presented in this study shows that by choosing the appropriate shape of cutout and the optimal effective parameters, stress concentration factor can be significantly reduced and lowest stress concentration factor rather than the value of stress concentration corresponding to circular hole can be achieved.
Proposed Framework to Investigate Perceived Alternative Job Opportunities as a Moderator on the Relationship between Job Embeddedness, Pay Satisfaction and Actual Voluntary Turnover

Globally, the issue of actual voluntary turnover is a phenomenon that hinders organisations from accomplishing objectives. While prior studies have examined several factors that elucidate why employees voluntarily quit their jobs, however, only a handful have made efforts to link job embeddedness and pay satisfaction. In fact the few, if any reported conflicting results. Hence, as a contribution, this paper proposes a framework that explores the relationship between job embeddedness, pay satisfaction and actual voluntary turnover with a moderating role of perceived alternative job opportunities among former faculty members in Nigeria. Keywords: Actual voluntary turnover, job embeddedness, pays satisfaction, perceived alternative job opportunities
Schriftliche Ergebnisrückmeldungen zum Unterrichtswissen – ein geeignetes Mittel zur Förderung von Selbstreflexion im Lehramtsstudium?

In diesem Beitrag wird ein Tool zur Anregung von Selbstreflexion im Lehramtsstudium vorgestellt und evaluiert. Dessen Grundlage bildet die Annahme, dass neben Professionswissen, Überzeugungen, motivationalen Orientierungen und selbstregulativen Fähigkeiten auch die Reflexion von Wissensinhalten und Überzeugungen zur Entwicklung von Professionalität beiträgt. Nach der Teilnahme an der LeveL-Studie, in der das pädagogisch-psychologische Unterrichtswissen von Lehramtsstudierenden untersucht worden war, erhielten im Sommer 2015 N = 50 und im Frühjahr 2016 N = 61 Studierende detaillierte schriftliche Rückmeldungen zu ihren Ergebnissen in einem unterrichtsbezogenen Wissenstest und einem Videotest zur Analyse von Unterrichtsqualität. In einer schriftlichen Befragung zu den Rückmeldungen gaben ungefähr zwei Drittel der Studierenden an, sich intensiv mit der Rückmeldung auseinandergesetzt zu haben. Dieses und weitere Ergebnisse werden vorgestellt und kritisch diskutiert.
Stirling numbers interpolation using permutations with forbidden subsequences

We present a family of number sequences which interpolates between the sequences Bn; of Bell numbers, and n! It is de3ned in terms of permutations with forbidden patterns or subsequences. The introduction, as a parameter, of the number m of right-to-left minima yields an interpolation between Stirling numbers of the second kind S(n; m) and of the 3rst kind (signless) c(n; m). Moreover, q-counting the restricted permutations by special inversions gives an interpolation between variants of the usual q-analogues of these numbers.
Development of a toolkit for spoken dialog systems with an anthropomorphic agent: Galatea

The Interactive Speech Technology Consortium (ISTC) has been developing a toolkit called Galatea that comprises four fundamental modules for speech recognition, sp eech synthesis, face synthesis, and dialog control, that can be u sed to realize an interface for spoken dialog systems with an anthr opomorphic agent. This paper describes the development of th e Galatea toolkit and the functions of each module; in addition, it discusses the standardization of the description of multimodal interactions.
Characteristics of Reflective Practitioners: towards an operationalization of the concept of reflection

Abstract This article reports about a research project on reflective teaching in a preservice teacher education program. The program is based on an explicit view of good teaching and a theory of mathematics education. Reflective teaching was conceptualized accordingly. Four studies were carried out: an initial overall evaluation, a longitudinal study into developmental processes in student teachers, a study into correlates of reflectivity as measured with the aid of a questionnaire, and a quasi‐experimental study into the effects of the program. These studies reveal a number of critical attributes and correlates of reflectivity, thus offering building blocks for a theory in which empirically based relationships are established between good teaching, the concept of reflection and characteristics of reflective practitioners.
Comment on "Ultra low frequency (ULF) electromagnetic anomalies associated with large earthquakes in Java Island, Indonesia by using wavelet transform and detrended fluctuation analysis" by Febriani et al. (2014)

Abstract. We examine the recent report of Febriani et al. (2014) in which the authors show changes in ULF magnetic field data prior to the M7.5 Tasikmalaya earthquake that occurred south of Java, Indonesia, on 2 September 2009. Febriani et al. (2014) state that the magnetic changes they found may be related to the impending earthquake. We do not agree that the pre-earthquake magnetic changes shown in Febriani et al. (2014) are seismogenic. These magnetic changes, indeed, are too closely related to global geomagnetic disturbances to be regarded as being of seismic origin.