Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Algorithm Sensemaking: How Platform Workers Make Sense of Algorithmic Management

Algorithmic management can create work environment tensions that are detrimental to workplace well-being and productivity. One specific type of tension originates from the fact that algorithms often exhibit limited transparency and are perceived as highly opaque, which impedes workers’ understanding of their inner workings. While algorithmic transparency can facilitate sensemaking, the algorithm’s opaqueness may aggravate sensemaking. By conducting an empirical case study in the context of the Uber platform, we explore how platform workers make sense of the algorithms managing them. Drawing on Weick’s enactment theory, we theorize a new form of sensemaking— algorithm sensemaking—and unpack its three sub-elements: (1) focused enactment, (2) selection modes, and (3) retention sources. The sophisticated, multistep process of algorithm sensemaking allows platform workers to keep up with algorithmic instructions systematically. We add to previous literature by theorizing algorithm sensemaking as a mediator linking workers’ perceptions about tensions in their work environment and their behavioral responses.
Spatio-Temporal Clustering of Multi-Location Time Series to Model Seasonal Influenza Spread

Although seasonal influenza disease spread is a spatio-temporal phenomenon, public surveillance systems aggregate data only spatially, and are rarely predictive. We develop a hierarchical clustering-based machine learning tool to anticipate flu spread patterns based on historical spatio-temporal flu activity, where we use historical influenza-related emergency department records as a proxy for flu prevalence. This analysis replaces conventional geographical hospital clustering with clusters based on both spatial and temporal distance between hospital flu peaks to generate a network illustrating whether flu spreads between pairs of clusters (direction) and how long that spread takes (magnitude). To overcome data sparsity, we take a model-free approach, treating hospital clusters as a fully-connected network, where arcs indicate flu transmission. We perform predictive analysis on the clusters' time series of flu ED visits to determine direction and magnitude of flu travel. Detection of recurrent spatio-temporal patterns may help policymakers and hospitals better prepare for outbreaks. We apply this tool to Ontario, Canada using a five-year historical dataset of daily flu-related ED visits, and find that in addition to expected flu spread between major cities/airport regions, we were able to illuminate previously unsuspected patterns of flu spread between non-major cities, providing new insights for public health officials. We showed that while a spatial clustering outperforms a temporal clustering in terms of the direction of the spread (81% spatial v. 71% temporal), the opposite is true in terms of the magnitude of the time lag (20% spatial v. 70% temporal).
Self-Adjustable Galvanic Skin Response Sensor for Physiological Monitoring

Continuous physiological monitoring integrated within current wearable devices is a hot topic nowadays. Despite that, measuring physiological variables is still challenging due to intrinsic and extrinsic personal factors. This results in the need for smart, adjustable, and personalized sensing devices. Among the different physiological signals that can be measured, changes in skin conductance are extensively used in affective computing research. This measurement presents an unequivocal relationship with the sympathetic branch of the autonomous nervous system, which relates to emotional reactions. However, there is a lack of self-adjustable skin conductance sensors. This article presents a novel skin conductance analog front end to deal with individual physiological dynamics. We compared the performance of our system with other skin conductance sensor circuits presented in the literature. Moreover, the experimental results in this work come from the data collected in 47 women volunteers and are compared with the measurements with a reference physiological sensing system commonly used for validations. Finally, our system presents a competitive averaged sensitivity for a typical human electrodermal activity (EDA) range compared to the current state-of-the-art solutions. Experimental results show that the system achieves an averaged sensitivity of up to 0.33 nS for a range 0–40 $\mu \text{S}$ , with a relative error below 1% for fixed-resistance measurements and a 0.94 median correlation coefficient when directly comparing with the reference sensor. Moreover, we extracted and analyzed different physiological features in data from both sensors and obtained comparable results. Finally, this research is intended to boost the design and development of subject-independent and self-adjustable wearable sensors.
Determining the properties of accretion-gap neutron stars

If neutron stars have radii as small as has been argued by some, observations of accretion-powered X-rays could verify the existence of innermost stable circular orbits (predicted by general relativity) around weakly magnetized neutron stars. This may be done by detecting X-ray emission from clumps of matter before and after they cross the gap (where matter cannot be supported by rotation) between the inner accretion disk and the stellar surface. Assuming the validity of general relativity, it would then be possible to determine the masses of such neutron stars independently of any knowledge of binary orbital parameters. If an accurate mass determination were already available through any of the methods conventionally used, the new mass determination method proposed here could then be used to quantitatively test strong field effects of gravitational theory. 67 refs.
New class of VQ codebook design algorithms using adjacency maps

We propose a new class of vector quantization (VQ) codebook design algorithms, which alleviate many of the drawbacks associated with the well-known LBG and its variants. We introduce the notion of an adjacency map (AM), which provides a heuristic template for improved codebook design, by reducing the search space required for exhaustive optimization, while providing solutions close to the globally optimum, independent of the initial codewords or a target codebook size. An iterative adjacency merge (IAM) algorithm is presented, which outperforms the pairwise-nearest-neighbor (PNN) approach, through conformance to the minimum adjacency map. Additionally, an exhaustive search algorithm is presented that reduces the search complexity to the minimum without introducing heuristics.
The songs of Tlaloc: Interference of ten ceramical duct flutes, Offering 89 of the Aztec Templo Mayor

Among the many preserved sound artefacts deposited in the offerings of the Aztec Templo Mayor are a set of ten tubular duct flutes made from clay, dating Late Postclassic Mesoamerica, 1350–1521 AD. The aerophones are completely painted in blue, and characterized by: (1) a short mouthpiece; (2) a framed aperture; (3) a tube with four fingerholes; and (4) an applicated mask with features of the Aztec rain god Tlaloc, basically three rings and a standardized relief structure of two clouds. While all measurements follow the same pattern, one particular organological distinction was made, as five flutes show an exit hole in the middle ring of the mask and five flutes are stopped. Thus, five instruments sound considerably higher, apart from the minimal pitch deviation of each specimen. Both the tonal capacity of each flute and the acoustics of several flutes played simultaneously were recorded and measured. A series of remarkable interference effects could be produced, which were strongly related to the ritual .
Fabrication and design of an integrable subwavelength ultrabroadband dielectric mirror

We have designed and fabricated a subwavelength grating (SWG) broadband mirror whose performance depends on key factors, including SWG period, duty cycle, and angle of incident light. The fabricated SWGs exhibit high reflectivity (⩾96%), when the grating periods are varied from 650to750nm and duty cycles are varied from 55% to 65%. The bandwidth and reflectivity of these mirrors are remarkably robust to variations in design and fabrication. The SWGs can be designed as broadband mirrors from microwave to visible wavelengths.
Recent Strategies for High-Performing Indoor Perovskite Photovoltaics

The development of digital technology has made our lives more advanced as a society familiar with the Internet of Things (IoT). Solar cells are among the most promising candidates for power supply in IoT sensors. Perovskite photovoltaics (PPVs), which have already attained 25% and 40% power conversion efficiencies for outdoor and indoor light, respectively, are the best candidates for self-powered IoT system integration. In this review, we discuss recent research progress on PPVs under indoor light conditions, with a focus on device engineering to achieve high-performance indoor PPVs (Id-PPVs), including bandgap optimization and defect management. Finally, we discuss the challenges of Id-PPVs development and its interpretation as a potential research direction in the field.
Total variation distances and rates of convergence for ancestral coalescent processes in exchangeable population models

Haploid population models with non-overlapping generations and fixed population size N are considered. It is assumed that the family sizes ν1,…,ν N within a generation are exchangeable random variables. Rates of convergence for the finite-dimensional distributions of a properly time-scaled ancestral coalescent process are established and expressed in terms of the transition probabilities of the ancestral process, i.e., in terms of the joint factorial moments of the offspring variables ν1,…,ν N . The Kingman coalescent appears in the limit as the population size N tends to infinity if and only if triple mergers are asymptotically negligible in comparison with binary mergers. In this case, a simple upper bound for the rate of convergence of the finite-dimensional distributions is derived. It depends (up to some constants) only on the three factorial moments E((ν1)2), E((ν1)3) and E((ν1)2(ν2)2), where (x) k := x(x-1)…(x-k+1). Examples are the Wright-Fisher model, where the rate of convergence is of order N -1, and the Moran model, with a convergence rate of order N -2.
Efficient wavelet-based deblocking algorithm for highly compressed images

In this paper, a novel post-processing method is proposed in wavelet domain for the suppression of blocking artifacts in compressed images. The novelty of new method is that we can obtain soft-threshold values based on the difference between the wavelet transform coefficients of image blocks and the coefficients of the entire image and threshold high frequency wavelet coefficients in different subbands using different values and strategies. The threshold value is made adaptive to different images and characteristics of blocking artifacts. In particular, the new method is robust, fast and works remarkably well for different DCT based compressed images at low bit rate. The method is nonlinear, computationally efficient and spatially adaptive. Another advantage of the new method is that it retains sharp features in the images after it removes artifacts. Experimental results show that the proposed method can achieve a significantly improved visual quality in the images, and also increase PSNR in the output image. The algorithm can be used for real-time post-processing in DCT-based encoders and decoders.
How banks are leveraging machine learning: perspective from African banks

In the present day world, a lot of information is generated in each field, and every field, as well as the banking industry, is among them. This data contains valuable information. Hence, it's important to shop, procedure, manage and analyze this information to extract information from it. It helps boost company profit. Banking industry plays a vital role in the country's economy. Customers are the primary advantage of the bank. Thus, it's essential to focus on issues experienced by the banks. Below, we focus on customer retention and fraud detection. In this particular work, supervised synthetic neural community algorithm is implemented for category job.
Electric vehicles and energy-saving technologies – master's degree program under the Erasmus project Cybphys

Problem. The quality of higher education is achieved by compliance with the conditions for the implementation of educational activities and learning outcomes with the requirements of legislation and higher education standards, professional and international standards, as well as the needs of stakeholders and society. Obviously, the requirements, recommendations and opinions of stakeholders play one of the main roles in the process of ensuring the quality of higher education. It should be noted that without ensuring and improving the quality of higher education, it is impossible to obtain accreditation of an educational program (EP) in the relevant specialty. Goal. Obtaining feedback from employers and representatives of the academic community with experience in working and teaching in 141 specialties "Electrical Power Engineering and Electromechanics" to improve the quality of education in the Master's EP "Electric vehicles and energy-saving technologies". Methodology. The method of questioning consists in obtaining information by means of written answers of respondents to a system of standardized questions. Methods of information processing and synthesis method - the study of an object in its integrity, in the unity and interconnection of its parts. Results. An analytical review of decisions on EP and publications on the introduction of innovative teaching methods and methods of maintaining the quality of the educational process into the educational process was carried out. In a number of educational components, the list of literature will be expanded due to the technical documentation of automakers and references to modern research by foreign authors. It is proposed to improve the existing and develop new laboratory and practical work on modern equipment purchased through the CybPhys project and on the equipment of interested employers. It is proposed to expand the practical component of the educational components of the EP related to the cycle of professional training disciplines. It is proposed to add the topic "Alternative power sources" to the cycle of disciplines of the applicant's free choice (professional training section). Originality. It is proposed to conduct practical and laboratory classes and conduct research on the topic of the thesis directly in production and in the daily work of service stations and car service. Practical value. Based on the results of the feedback received from stakeholders, appropriate changes will be made to the courses that will improve the quality of education and make the master's EP "Electric vehicles and energy-saving technologies" even more relevant and relevant for the labor market in the field of electric power, electrical engineering and electromechanics, in particular, with regard to the industry electric vehicles and energy saving technologies.
1-slim triangles and uniform hyperbolicity for arc graphs and curve graphs

We describe unicorn paths in the arc graph and show that they form 1-slim triangles and are invariant under taking subpaths. We deduce that all arc graphs are 7-hyperbolic. Considering the same paths in the arc and curve graph, this also shows that all curve graphs are 17-hyperbolic, including closed surfaces.
Optical and electrical characterization of plasma polymerized pyrrole films

Plasma polymerization of pyrrole was carried out in the presence and absence of iodine, and the resulting films were characterized by optical and electrical means. Their infrared spectra were very similar to each other, suggesting that iodine was neither bonded in any manner to, nor strongly interacting with, the pyrrole polymer chains. Based on their infrared spectra, a chemical structure was proposed for the plasma-polymerized pyrrole (PPPy) film. An analysis of the electronic spectra gave band gap energies of 1.3 and 0.8 eV for the undoped and doped PPPy films, respectively. In line with this result, the current–voltage characteristics of the two types of polymer films revealed that the conductivity of the doped PPPy film was approximately two times greater than that of the undoped one. An investigation of the scanning electron micrographs led us to conclude that iodine had changed the surface morphology of the PPPy film, resulting in the small increase in conductivity. A detailed analysis of the condu.
AFM characterization of morphological evolution and adhesion properties of ZnO/C nanosheet-modified asphalt under UV irradiation

As an organic material, asphalt is vulnerable to ultraviolet (UV) irradiation. The effect of UV aging on physical properties has been intensively studied. In this study, large ZnO/C nanosheets were employed to shield asphalt from UV irradiation and delay the deterioration of its natural properties. The evolution of the morphology and adhesion properties of the ZnO/C nanosheet-modified asphalt material at the nanoscale was characterized by atomic force microscopy (AFM). The results show that the ZnO/C nanosheet-modified asphalt behaves differently from raw asphalt. The increase in the number of flaws can be suppressed by the addition of ZnO/C nanosheets, and the change in the adhesion properties caused by UV irradiation can also be hampered.
Two ultramassive white dwarfs found among candidates for magnetic fields

The enhanced and broad Balmer lines evident in spectrophotometry of the white dwarfs PG 1658+441 and PG 0136+251 were previously interpreted in terms of comparatively weak surface magnetic fields, in the range 1-3 MG. New CCD spectrophotometry and circular spectropolarimetry confirm a magnetic field of mean surface strength B s =2.3±0.2 MG on the former star, but provide only marginal evidence for a much weaker longitudinal component of B e =−75±35 kG (1 σ) on the latter object
Scalar Curvature and Conformal Deformation of Hyperbolic Space

Let (Hm, gH), m ≥ 3, be the m-dimensional hyperbolic space with its Riemannian metric gH, of sectional curvature − 1; and let K be a smooth function on Hm. In the first part of this article we establish sufficient conditions for K to be-respectively, not to be-the scalar curvature of some complete metric u4/(m − 2)gH pointwise conformal to gH. In the second part we prove results for the two-dimensional case, singularity and uniquens questions.
Airflow and Turbulence Noise for Fricative and Stop Consonants: Static Considerations

A number of speech sounds are generated by creating turbulent airflow in the vicinity of a constriction in the vocal tract. The equations relating the airflow through such a constriction, the pressure drop across the constriction, and the dimensions of the constriction are reviewed and are summarized in graphical form. Previous theoretical and experimental data on turbulence noise generation at a constriction or obstruction in a tube are described. These data are consistent with a model that represents a turbulence noise source in the vocal tract as an equivalent sound‐pressure source whose magnitude is proportional to the pressure drop across the constriction or obstruction. The characteristics of the sound radiated from the mouth opening are determined by the source location and radiation characteristics, as well as by the properties of the source. The airflow and acoustic characteristics for various classes of speech sounds produced with turbulence noise at the glottis or at a supraglottal constriction.
Cpw-Fed Compact Meandered Strip Antenna on a Soft Substrate for Dualband Wlan Communication

A compact design of dualband strip antenna for 2.4/5 GHz WLAN communication is proposed. Printed on a thin soft laminate dielectric substrate and easily fed by using a coplanar waveguide (CPW) stripline, a small, low-profile, and flexible antenna structure with two meandered strips, capable of generating two separate resonant modes accompanied with 60% of size reduction compared with the reported one, is achieved. Prototypes of the proposed antenna have been constructed and tested. The obtained impedance bandwidths reach about 14% for the 2.4 GHz band and 23% for the 5 GHz band, which meet the required bandwidth specification of 2.4/5 GHz WLAN standard. Also, good radiation performance and antenna gain (≥2 dBi) over the two frequency ranges have been obtained.
Learning to Locate: Adaptive Fingerprint-Based Localization With Few-Shot Relation Learning in Dynamic Indoor Environments

WiFi fingerprint-based localization has been intensive studies as a promising technology of ubiquitous location-based services. Two main concerns for its wide spread applications are to tackle with the cumbersome efforts of site survey and to combat vulnerable environment changes. To address these issues comprehensively, we propose a novel approach on adaptive fingerprint-based localization with less site survey, named as LESS, by exploring a new paradigm of radio map construction and adaptation with few-shot relation learning. Firstly, we extend sparsely collected fingerprints with the fingerprint augmentation method which produces new related data and derives their location information based on local proximity property in a low-dimensional manifold space. Then, LESS designs deep relation networks to learn not only the appropriate features but also a transferable deep-distance metric for modeling the fundamental relationships of the neighborhood fingerprints. Finally, once trained, LESS can quickly establish the neighborhood relationships among new fingerprints in the changed surroundings to realize adaptive location estimations, even without the network updating. The extensive experimental results demonstrate that LESS can achieve an attractive trade-off between the system overhead and the location performance with the superiorities over others in dynamic indoor environments.
Impact of camera separation on performance of H.264/AVC-based stereoscopic video codec

The impact of camera separation on the performance of an H.264/ AVC-based stereo-vision codec is investigated. To achieve this, the H.264/AVC software has been modified to support stereoscopic video coding. Results were generated using two sets of wide baseline convergent multi-view test videos: Breakdancers and Ballet. To generate a set of synchronised stereo-videos from the same scene with different inter-camera angles, all possible camera pairs are generated and classified according to their inter-camera angles. The resulting sets of stereo-videos are coded using a H.264/AVC-based stereo-vision and simulcast codecs. Results indicate that the stereo-vision codec outperforms the simulcast coding at lower inter-camera angles. Finally, a range of inter-camera angles for best use of either stereo-vision or simulcast coding is determined.
Tartini Versus Helmholtz Judged by Modern Sensory Observation

Concerning the frequency location and the origin of the Tartini pitches the dogmatic assertions found in the textbooks of psychophysiological acoustics are the unhappy evolution of the hopeful guess ventured by Helmholtz that these secondary pitches and the physical combination tones produced by an air pressure tank could be regarded as analogous. In fact, they are incompatible.
Bistable output characteristics in semiconductor laser injection locking

Experimental observations of bistability in semiconductor lsaer injection locking are demonstrated for the first time in the output versus frequency detuning curve. This is accomplished using DFB lasers for both injecting and injected lasers in order to maintain a single longitudinal mode operation, even at a near laser threshold. The essential mechanism giving rise to the bistability is the carrier density dependence of the refractive index in the active region. Bistability in injected laser output is also observed when the injecting laser drive current changes.