Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Evaluation Framework Incorporating User Interface Accessibility

As computer technologies rapidly evolve, evaluation as an integral part of the development lifecycle of complex systems and user interfaces (UIs), which address diverse user groups including people with disability, emerge as critical to their success. Typically though, traditional evaluation methods and techniques originally developed for conducting conventional UI usability evaluations (e.g., of GUIs) are usually introduced in late development stages of such UIs and adapted on a case-by-case basis. Reportedly, such non-systematic approaches to evaluation are often proved inefficient and ineffective in assessing the accessibility or other qualities such as the utility and usability of systems that are (also) targeted to a diverse user population. This paper presents a normative framework for evaluation that allows to address additional system qualities such as visibility-findability, perceived usefulness prior access and use, availability-approachability, interaction qualities (e.g., accessibility, utility and usability), and user relationship maintainability. The proposed model can be employed both in evaluating an individual system and in comparing / assessing sets of systems. Furthermore, the same model can apply also at the level of subsystems and system functions. A significant advantage of the proposed framework is that it can be employed for evaluations that need to pay attention also to substantial factors that are usually neglected. These include accessibility, the needs and requirements of a more diverse user population, and variances in user patterns as these evolve in the context of repeated and long term usage. In particular, the framework can be employed in the evaluation both of systems that are aimed to offer accessibility and usability to all, including people with disability, as well as of systems that are specifically developed for people with disability.
SNF1-related protein kinases : activation, responses to osmotic stress, and cuticle formation

Plants regulate their responses to changing environmental conditions to cope with stresses and survive under natural growth habitats. Growth and stress responses must be strictly balanced to prevent poor survival and compromised growth. The network of stress responses to various biotic and abiotic stressors is vast, interconnected, and includes multiple levels of regulation. Protein kinases play important roles in stress signalling as catalysts of phosphorylation, a modification that allows for a convenient way of rapidly adjusting protein functions. SNF1RELATED PROTEIN KINASEs (SnRKs) are a central kinase superfamily that is involved in stress responses and energy balance in plants. The aim of my doctoral thesis was to investigate the roles of SnRKs in various signalling pathways. This included information about how SnRKs are regulated by upstream elements and potential subunits, how their activities could be manipulated chemically, and whether they are involved in regulation of cuticle formation. SnRKs were studied by measuring their kinase activities, by analysing the expression levels in various conditions, including drought and salt stress, by characterisation of several signalling mutants, and by modelling of the interaction between SnRK2.6 and other molecules. The activities of SnRK2s were influenced in vitro by KIN GAMMA (KING) proteins, which had been previously identified as putative regulators of signalling related to abscisic acid (ABA). ABA is a plant hormone that is involved in plant development and stress responses. My studies suggested that KINGs are probable negative regulators of ABA signalling also in vivo, although their effects on SnRK2s remained less clear. A potential activator of ABA signalling, pladienolide B, activated SnRK2.6. This information is useful for further studies of the functions of SnRK2s, or for enhancing stress tolerance of plants. In addition to the research on regulation of SnRK2s, their downstream signalling pathways were investigated in regards to cuticle formation. The ABA-dependent regulation pathway of cuticle formation was found to deviate from the main ABA signalling pathway at SnRK2s. In addition to SnRK2s, regulators of other members of the SnRK superfamily were also examined. GEMINIVIRUS REP-INDUCING KINASEs (GRIKs), previously identified as upstream regulators of SnRK1s, showed a capacity to phosphorylate a member of the third SnRK family (SnRK3s) in vitro. In vivo experiments also showed that GRIKS are involved in NaCl tolerance. The results of this thesis clarified several functions of SnRKs in plant stress signalling. The knowledge of the induction and regulation of stress responses in plants is valuable for the breeding of economically important plants, e.g. stress-tolerant crops.
Escaping Plato ’ s Cave using Adversarial Training : 3 D Shape From Unstructured 2 D Photo Collections

We introduce PLATONICGAN to discover the 3D structure of an object class from an unstructured collection of 2D images, i. e. , neither any relation between the images is available nor additional information about the images is known. The key idea is to train a deep neural network to generate 3D shapes which rendered to images are indistinguishable from ground truth images (for a discriminator) under various camera models (i. e., rendering layers) and camera poses. Discriminating 2D images instead of 3D shapes allows tapping into unstructured 2D photo collections instead of relying on curated (e.g., aligned, annotated, etc.) 3D data sets. To establish constraints between 2D image observation and their 3D interpretation, we suggest a family of rendering layers that are effectively differentiable. This family includes visual hull, absorption-only (akin to x-ray), and emissionabsorption. We can successfully reconstruct 3D shapes from unstructured 2D images and extensively evaluate PLATONICGAN on a range of synthetic and real data sets achieving consistent improvements over baseline methods. We can also show that our method with additional 3D supervision further improves result quality and even surpasses the performance of 3D supervised methods.
MEASURING THE RELATIONSHIP BETWEEN INFLATION AND ECONOMIC GROWTH : EVIDENCE FROM SELECTED EUROPEAN COUNTRIES

The relationship between inflation and economic growth is crucial in any economy; for this reason, it has received wide attention in theoretical and empirical works. The coexistence of high economic growth together with low inflation becomes an essential objective for policymakers. It is particularly interesting to study this relationship in economies converging to the most developed ones, as is the case of Central and Eastern European countries with respect to core economies in the European Union. This paper examines the relationship between inflation and economic growth for six European countries in 1991-2015. This work has a twofold objective. Firstly, to unveil the existence of the relationship in these countries; secondly, to detect a potential different behaviour regarding the impact of inflation on economic growth in these two groups of countries, as they have their idiosyncrasy. The results point to a long-run positive relationship in all countries; regarding the short-run dynamics of economic growth, it is proven to be nonlinear. Following the results, the similarities between the two sets of countries are found out and the policy implications are presented.
Using Facebook for Academic Purposes: Current Literature and Directions for Future Research

This study reviews the international literature on using Facebook for academic purposes to examine whether and how this popular social networking site contributes to teaching and learning in formal education. A review of 57 empirical studies on this topic suggest that (a) the majority of studies report positive effects or feedback of using Facebook for academic purposes, and recommend its integration into teaching and learning; (b) Facebook is shown to be effective as a platform for academic communication and effective in promoting student-centered learning; (c) the effects of Facebook used as Learning Management System are mixed and under-studied; (d) the quality of Facebook-related learning process and learning outcomes is under-studied; (e) Facebook may not be suitable for teaching in all disciplines; and (f) studies heavily rely on preexperimental design and self-reported data, which raises the issue of response bias. It is recommended that future research should (a) focus more on in-depth examination of the process and quality of learning using Facebook, (b) adopt quasi- or true experimental design to control for confounding factors, (c) properly address potential response bias by minimizing the relationship between researcher and students, and (d) more frequently adopt content analysis to reduce reliance on self-reported data.
Meta-Cognitive Architecture for Team Agent

A key element of our approach is the interpretation of “self” in a meta-cognitive sense: that is, “self” is understood as a virtual character representing an agent as the subject of experience, as the target of attribution of experiences and deliberate actions performed by this agent. Thus understood, “self” can be represented as an element in an agent’s cognitive system and can be used for meta-cognitive processing: i.e., reasoning about one’s own self and other selves. This general idea reflects a simulationist theory-ofmind viewpoint (Nichols & Stich, 2000), which is taken as the basis for our approach. Our model of an agent’s mind includes multiple instances of “self” representing notions of INow, I-Yesterday, I-Imagine, I-Goal, etc. Each instance of “self” is represented by a “chart” with a set of properties and mental states attributed to it. Thus, mental states in this framework are representations of experiences attributed to a particular instance of “self”. This attribution further implies certain rules and constraints imposed on the contents and the dynamics of representations. The result is a general architecture that will enable in intelligent agents a metacognitive “common sense”, which proves to be vital in a variety of paradigms and scenarios requiring cooperation within a team.
Effects of Static and Dynamic Stretching on Muscle Architecture

Derneği. Tüm hakları saklıdır. ABSTRACT Objective: The aim of this study is to investigate the acute and chronic effects of static and dynamic stretching on muscle architecture of the peronealis longus and tibialis anterior muscles. Materials and Methods: All 34 participants who volunteered for this study were randomly divided into static (n=12), dynamic (n=11) and control (n=11) groups. The subjects in the stretching group performed stretching exercises for the ankle evertor and dorsiflexor muscles 5 days a week for 6 weeks. Morphological structures of peroneal and tibial muscles were evaluated at the beginning (2 times for acute effect) and the end of this period. Muscle architecture (pennation angle, fascicle length and muscle thickness) was evaluated by ultrasonographic measurements. Results: Either in terms of acute or chronic effects, no significant differences were found following static and dynamic stretching exercises for peroneal and tibial muscle morphology parameters (p>0.05). Conclusion: It is possible to state that static and dynamic stretching exercises with a total duration of 240 seconds have no positive or negative effects on muscle architecture of the peroneus longus and tibialis anterior muscles in means of acute and long-term applications.
Security Analysis of Stochastic Routing Scheme in Grid-Shaped Partially-Trusted Relay Quantum Key Distribution Network

Quantum key distribution (QKD) technology provides proved unconditional security in pointto-point key transmissions based on quantum mechanics. However, several limitations, most prominently range, make it complex to construct large QKD network. The trusted relay QKD network is the most practical scene, and stochastic routing scheme was proposed to solve the fatal problem that some relay nodes may be controlled by adversary. But most results in stochastic routing scheme hinge on an adversary model without consideration of attacker's prior-knowledge and attack strategy. To reveal the security problem, we propose a new adversary model and apply it in grid-shaped partially-trusted relay QKD network. Then we analyze the best attack strategy and the impact on security under various situations respectively. Analysis and simulation results show that in some cases the security of stochastic routing scheme will be compromised, and a generalized upper bound for the overall safe probability is obtained. We also discuss how to alleviate the security problem, making the network more robust to attacks.
Recent Update: Effects of Aflatoxin in Broiler Chickens

Aflatoxin is a worldwide problem in poultry industries as it is known to contaminate poultry feed. Aflatoxin induces stress and increases mortality rate during infection in poultry, especially broiler chickens. The objectives of this study was to observe the pathological effects due to aflatoxicosis in broiler chickens. A total of 120 chickens were divided into four groups, group A fed with a basal diet without aflatoxin contamination, group B with aflatoxin (> 1 ppb < 50 ppb), group C with aflatoxin (> 51 ppb < 100 ppb), group D with aflatoxin (> 101 ppb < 150 ppb). The data were collected and analysed on day 7, 14, and 21. The results showed that diet with high aflatoxin contamination in group D impaired the physical and laboratory performances of the chickens, increased the risk of residue in the poultry’s final products. The varying doses of aflatoxin contamination in the chicken feed causes the problems on the broiler chickens with different level of severity.
Near-Optimal Lower Bounds for -nets for Half-spaces and Low Complexity Set Systems

Following groundbreaking work by Haussler and Welzl (1987), the use of small -nets has become a standard technique for solving algorithmic and extremal problems in geometry and learning theory. Two significant recent developments are: (i) an upper bound on the size of the smallest -nets for set systems, as a function of their so-called shallow-cell complexity (Chan, Grant, Könemann, and Sharpe); and (ii) the construction of a set system whose members can be obtained by intersecting a point set in R by a family of half-spaces such that the size of any -net for them is Ω( 1 log 1 ) (Pach and Tardos). The present paper completes both of these avenues of research. We (i) give a lower bound, matching the result of Chan et al., and (ii) generalize the construction of Pach and Tardos to half-spaces in R, for any d ≥ 4, to show that the general upper bound, O( d log 1 ), of Haussler and Welzl for the size of the smallest -nets is tight.
Reputation and Competition among Information Intermediaries

This paper investigates the e¤ect of competition on the reputation mechanism in the market for information intermediaries such as rating agencies. I use a dynamic model to endogenize the value of reputation to enable comparison of equilibria under di¤erent market structures. Behavior is determined in the model by weighing the current rating fee against the future value the rating agency derives from enjoying a good reputation. I show that competition weakens the reputation mechanism, and thus worsens the quality of information by reducing the value of a good reputation but not the short-term gain of lying. Information intermediaries can potentially alleviate the problem of asymmetric information. Credit rating agencies convey information about creditworthiness of an issuer of nancial product; certi cation bodies such as standardsetting organizations convey information about whether a product or production process satis es certain properties. The value of these agencies relies on their ability to credibly convey information about the product they rate. An information intermediary has a conict of interest when it is paid by the sellers whose products it evaluates. This issue in the credit rating industry has received considerable public attention in the wake of the recent nancial crisis. A report by Levin and Coburn (2011) documents how analysts are under pressure to adjust models to give clients a desirable rating in order not to lose business. Gri¢ n and Tang (forthcoming) show that a top US rating agency frequently adjusts, often upward, the rating its own model predicts. Such conict of interest can be mitigated by concern for reputation. If an intermediary delivers poor information, then its ratings will not be highly valued by market participants in the future, and thus it will be unable to charge a high School of Economics and Finance, The University of Hong Kong, Pokfulam Road, Hong Kong (pei-yu.lo@econ.hku.hk). I thank Jimmy Chan, Meng-yu Liang, William Taysom, C.C. Yang and Steve Xu for their very useful comments and discussion. I also thank the audiences at NTU, Academia Sinica, ESWC 2010, IIOC 2010, ICGT 2010. I gratefully acknowledges nancial support from the Hong Kong government under General Research Fund HKU 749010H.
A NEW REGIONAL APPROACH FOR FREE DISTRIBUTED PARAMETER SYSTEMS

The aim of this paper is to develop a new approach based on state exponential estimator. More precisely, we extend the notion of regional exponential observability as in ref. [1] to the case where the dynamical systems are uncontrolled (F-systems). For different sensors, we give the characterizations of regional exponential free observer in order that exponential free observability can be achieved. Furthermore, we show that, there exists a dynamical F-system for distributed diffusion F-system is not exponential F-observable in the usual sense, but it may be regional exponential F-observable. ةرحلا ةيعيزوتلا ةمظنلأاب ةقطنمل ةديدج ةقيرط يراوجلا مساج فيصن ةيرصنتسملا ةعماجلا ،مولعا ةيلك ،تايضايرلا مسق . دادغب قا رعلا . ةصلاخلا هقيرط ريوطت وه ثحبلا اذه نم فدهلا هلاحلل يسلاا نمخملا موهفم ىلع دمتعت ةديدج . عيسوت قدا لكشب ىلع هيلباقلا لا هدهاشملا ردصملا يف امك هيقطنملا هيبراقت [1] ريغ هيكرحلا تاموظنملا نوكت امدنع ، اهيلعرطيسم ) هرح تاموظنم . ( يسلاا رحلا دهاشملا موهفم تا زيمم يطعن تاسجملا نم هفلتخم عاونلا هيلعو تاموظنملا كلتل هيسلاا هرحلا هدهاشملأ ىلع ةيلباقلا زاجنا لجلأ ،يقطنملا . ا انهرب كلذ ىلع ةولاع دجوت هن هرحلا هدهاشملل هلباق تسيل هيرا رح هيعيزوت هرح هموظنم هدهاشملل هلباق نكلو ،ماعلا ىنعملا يف هيسلاا هرحلا هيقطنملا هيسلاا .
IMPACT OF CONTAMINANTS ON THE BREEDING SUCCESS OF THE CORMORANT Phalacrocorax carbo sinensis IN THE NETHERLANDS

In The Netherlands Cormorants reached a minimum number of breeding pairs in the mid-1960s. Since the end of the 1970s the population is increasing again, and many new and rapidly expanding colonies have been settled. However, in a colony in Dordtse Biesbosch, situated in the centre of the sedimentation area of the rivers Rhine and Meuse, breeding success was very poor during 1987-1989. In order to establish the factors responsible, a study of breeding biology was carried out in 7 colonies, representing a wide range of contamination levels in surrounding feeding areas. Because literature on breeding biology of the species is relatively scarce, this paper firstly presents data on the breeding biology from a colony of Cormorants in a relatively clean area, producing average numbers of fledglings. Secondly, the different stages of breeding are compared for all colonies studied, together with several other parameters. From these data, possible factors causing the large differences in reproductive success between the colonies are evaluated. The low breeding success in Dordtse Biesbosch (c. 0.5 fledged young/pair) and, to a lesser extent, in some colonies upstream along the river (c. 1.2-1.7 fledged young/pair) can be considered the cumulative effect of (1) a later onset of egg-laying and a related decrease in clutch size, (2) a reduction of eggshell thickness, probably to a level low enough to cause breaking of part of the eggs, (3) a high embryomortality, resulting in a reduced hatching success and (4) a high mortality of young, especially in their first weeks. It is concluded that organochlorine contaminants are the most likely cause: p,p' -DDE (through eggshell thinning) and PCBs (through direct toxic effects on the embryo). lBureau Ecoland, Hoofdstraat 178, NL-2351 AR Leiderdorp, The Netherlands. 2Present address and correspondence: Bureau Waardenburg bv, P.O. Box 365, NL-4100 AI Culemborg, The Netherlands
Dtact: a tactile device which changes how a surface is perceived

Among human senses, touch is much less understood than hearing or sight. However, today, new emerging technologies are placing tactile interaction at the heart of the communication with smart devices (smartphones, tablets, …). Hence, studying the sense of touch is now very important, in order to better understand the mechanisms induced from the mechanical excitation of skin to the feeling experienced by a user. Also, being able to detect and measure tactile disabilities, and to propose rehabilitation is a challenge; otherwise, numerous people can drift away from these objects as they can't be used easily by them. In the paper, we present Dtact, a device which stimulates the finger pulp with a calibrated stimulation. It is designed to be used during experimental studies aiming at recording nerves and brain activity of a user touching its surface. It will be used to detect tactile disabilities, and perhaps some exercises could be programmed for the purpose of rehabilitation.
Small-Size Tapered Slot Antenna (TSA) Array for 5G Cellular Communications

─ Design and development of a compact tapered slot antenna (TSA) array for the fifth generation (5G) cellular communications is described in this study. The proposed low-profile TSA element is designed on a Rogers RT 5880 (ε=2.2 and δ=0.0009) dielectric to work in the frequency range of 21 to 23 GHz. The configuration of the employed TSA antenna elements is composed of a slot-line flare from a small gap to a large opening, matching to free space's wave. The TSA elements are fed by hockey-stick baluns. Eight elements of TSAs with well-defined end-fire radiation patterns have been used on the top portion of mobile-phone PCB to form a 1×8 linear phased array design. In addition, the performance of the antenna in the vicinity of user’s hand has been investigated in this study. The results show that the proposed design provides good characteristics in terms of S-parameters, antenna gain, efficiency, and beam steering, which is fitting the need of 5G cellular communications. In addition, using eight rows of the designed 22 GHz TSA array, radiation performance of 8×8 planar phased array has been studied. More than 20 dB realized gain, and -0.5 dB (90%) total efficiency have been obtained when its beam is tilted to 0 elevation. The results show this TSA antenna arrays satisfy general requirements for use in 5G platforms. Index Terms ─ 5G wireless networks, cellular communications, planar phased array, TSA.