Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Exchange Rate Forecasting using ARIMA, Neural Network and FuzzyNeuron

Prediction of Exchange rates has been a challenging task for traders and practitioners in modern financial markets. Statistical and econometric models are extensively used in the analysis and prediction of foreign exchange rates. This paper investigates the behavior of daily exchange rates of the Indian Rupee (INR) against the United States Dollar (USD), British Pound (GBP), Euro (EUR) and Japanese Yen (JPY). This paper attempts to examine the performance of ARIMA, Neural Network and Fuzzy neuron models in forecasting the currencies traded in Indian foreign exchange markets. Daily RBI reference exchange rates from January 2010-April 2015 were used for the analysis.
Preprocessing and analyzing educational data set using X-API for improving student's performance

Educational data mining concerns of developing methods to discover hidden patterns from educational data. The quality of data mining techniques depends on the collected data and features. In this paper, we proposed a new student performance model with a new category of features, which called behavioral features. This type of features is related to the learner interactivity with e-learning system. We collect the data from an e-Learning system called Kalboard 360 using Experience API Web service (XAPI). After that, we use some data mining techniques such as Artificial Neural Network, Naïve Bayesian, and Decision Tree classifiers to evaluate the impact of such features on student's academic performance. The results reveal that there is a strong relationship between learner behaviors and its academic achievement. Results with different classification methods using behavioral features achieved up to 29% improvement in the classification accuracy compared to the same data set when removing such features.
Effectiveness of the Electronic Cigarette: An Eight-Week Flemish Study with Six-Month Follow-up on Smoking Reduction, Craving and Experienced Benefits and Complaints

Background: Smoking reduction remains a pivotal issue in public health policy, but quit rates obtained with traditional quit-smoking therapies remain disappointingly low. Tobacco Harm Reduction (THR), aiming at less harmful ways of consuming nicotine, may provide a more effective alternative. One promising candidate for THR are electronic cigarettes (e-cigs). The aim of this study was to investigate the efficacy of second-generation e-cigs both in terms of acute craving-reduction in the lab and in terms of smoking reduction and experienced benefits/complaints in an eight-month Randomized Controlled Trial (RCT). Design: RCT with three arms. Methods: Participants (N = 48) unwilling to quit smoking were randomized into two e-cig groups and one control group. During three lab sessions (over two months) participants, who had been abstinent for four hours, vaped/smoked for five minutes, after which we monitored the effect on craving and withdrawal symptoms. eCO and saliva cotinine levels were also measured. In between lab sessions, participants in the e-cig groups could use e-cigs or smoke ad libitum, whereas the control group could only smoke. After the lab sessions, the control group also received an e-cig. The RCT included several questionnaires, which repeatedly monitored the effect of ad libitum e-cig use on the use of tobacco cigarettes and the experienced benefits/complaints up to six months after the last lab session. Results: From the first lab session on, e-cig use after four hours of abstinence resulted in a reduction in cigarette craving which was of the same magnitude as when a cigarette was smoked, while eCO was unaffected. After two months, we observed that 34% of the e-cig groups had stopped smoking tobacco cigarettes, versus 0% of the control group (difference p < 0.01). After five months, the e-cig groups demonstrated a total quit-rate of 37%, whereas the control group showed a quit rate of 38% three months after initiating e-cig use. At the end of the eight-month study, 19% of the e-cig groups and 25% of the control group were totally abstinent from smoking, while an overall reduction of 60% in the number of cigarettes smoked per day was observed (compared to intake). eCO levels decreased, whereas cotinine levels were the same in all groups at each moment of measurement. Reported benefits far outweighed the reported complaints. Conclusion: In a series of controlled lab sessions with e-cig naïve tobacco smokers, second generation e-cigs were shown to be immediately and highly effective in reducing abstinence induced cigarette craving and withdrawal symptoms, while not resulting in increases in eCO. Remarkable (>50 pc) eight-month reductions in, or complete abstinence from tobacco smoking was achieved with the e-cig in almost half (44%) of the participants.
Fermentation Characteristics and Lactic Acid Bacteria Succession of Total Mixed Ration Silages Formulated with Peach Pomace

The objective of this study was to assess the use of peach pomace in total mixed ration (TMR) silages and clarify the differences in aerobic stability between TMR and TMR silages caused by lactic acid bacteria (LAB). The TMR were prepared using peach pomace, alfalfa hay or Leymus chinensis hay, maize meal, soybean meal, cotton meal, limestone, a vitamin-mineral supplement, and salt in a ratio of 6.0:34.0:44.4:7.0:5.0:2.5:1.0:0.1 on a dry matter (DM) basis. Fermentation quality, microbial composition, and the predominant LAB were examined during ensiling and aerobic deterioration. The results indicated that the TMR silages with peach pomace were well fermented, with low pH and high lactic acid concentrations. The aerobic stability of TMR silages were significantly higher than that of TMR. Compared with TMR silages with alfalfa hay, TMR silage with Leymus chinensis hay was much more prone to deterioration. Although the dominant LAB were not identical in TMR, the same dominant species, Lactobacillus buchneri and Pediococcus acidilactici, were found in both types of TMR silages after 56 d of ensiling, and they may play an important role in the aerobic stability of TMR silages.
Structured H-infinity control based on classical control parameters for the VEGA launch vehicle

This article describes a methodology for structured H-infinity synthesis that reconciles classical and robust control concepts. The aim is to provide a transparent and methodological process to tune the weights used in the structured synthesis. The process is exemplified on a simplified model for the atmospheric ascent-flight control system for the VEGA launch vehicle. The results show that the same gains used for a real flight can be recovered leading the path for industrial transfer of the H-infinity structured control to launchers.
Paths to compliance: Differing influences of maternal behavior in temperamentally fearful and exuberant infants

Title of Document: PATHS TO COMPLIANCE: DIFFERING INFLUENCES OF MATERNAL BEHAVIOR IN TEMPERAMENTALLY FEARFUL AND EXUBERANT INFANTS Melissa Marie Ghera, Ph.D., 2007 Directed By: Professor Nathan A. Fox, Department of Human Development The goal of this study was to describe the expression of compliance in temperamentally positive and negatively reactive children and the factors that contribute to individual differences in expression of compliance within and between these groups. As part of a larger project examining temperament over time, 244 infants and their mothers were evaluated at 9and 36-months of age. At 9 months of age, maternal responsiveness and sensitivity (see Kochanska, 1998) were evaluated and infants underwent the Laboratory Temperament Assessment Battery (Lab-TAB; Goldsmith and Rothbart, 1999), while mothers and infants were jointly evaluated for expression of mutually positive affect (Kochanska, 1998). At 36 months, maternal discipline and child compliance were observed in the home (see Kochanska & Aksan, 1995). Regardless of temperament, children displayed more situational compliance during a forbidden toy paradigm as compared to a clean-up context. During forbidden toy, temperamentally positive children displayed more situational compliance than their negative counterparts, while no such differences were found during clean-up. Structural equation modeling techniques revealed differential contributors to the display of compliance based on child temperament and context of interaction. During clean-up, no direct contributors to the display of compliance were found for temperamentally positive children; however avoidant behavior on the part of the child led to suboptimal maternal behavior. For temperamentally negative children, approach behaviors were associated with more optimal maternal behavior. Maternal responsiveness led to increased situational compliance for these children. In the forbidden toy context, the path from avoidance to affect was significant and negative for both temperamentally reactive groups. For temperamentally negative children, increased avoidant behavior was associated with decreased gentle discipline, while approach behaviors were associated with increased gentle discipline. Additionally, any type of discipline, gentle or punitive, was significantly, negatively predictive of committed compliance. For temperamentally positive children, displays of avoidance decreased displays of mutually positive affect. Also, use of gentle discipline was significantly, inversely related to child displays of committed compliance, as well as significantly, positively related to their displays of situational compliance. Discipline also mediated the relation between affect and compliance, as well as responsiveness and compliance, for the temperamentally positive group. PATHS TO COMPLIANCE: DIFFERING INFLUENCES OF MATERNAL BEHAVIOR IN TEMPERAMENTALLY FEARFUL AND EXUBERANT INFANTS
Dominant Optic Atrophy in a Japanese Family with Opa1 Frameshift Mutation (V942fsX966)

Purpose The authors report the ophthalmic characteristics of a male proband in a Japanese family with autosomal dominant optic atrophy (DOA) harboring a frameshift mutation in the OPA1 gene. Methods Conventional ophthalmologic examinations including static automated perimetry were performed, as well as assessment of the three-generation family history. The peripapillary retinal nerve fiber layer (RNFL) was evaluated using scanning laser polarimetry. Mutation screening of the OPA1 gene was performed with polymerase chain reaction amplification and direct sequencing. Results A frameshift mutation (p.V942fsX966) was identified in the proband and his mother. In comparison with the adolescent onset of visual loss in the proband and his maternal grandfather, the mother presented with only subtle temporal disc pallor and has never been aware of any visual disturbances. Symmetric thinned peripapillary RNFL was detected in the proband, whose visual field abnormalities were limited to central scotomas and were without mean deviation worsening between 11 to 17 years of age in both eyes. The proband's logMAR visual acuity (0.52 to 0.7) has remained almost unchanged for more than 10 years since initial evaluation at age 10. Conclusions The OPA1 mutation may be correlated with slow progression of DOA, and with phenotypic variations within the family. Further study is necessary to determine whether symmetric thinned peripapillary RNFL represents a feature of DOA. (Eur J Ophthalmol 2007; 17: 253–8)
The AT & T NEXT-GEN TTS system

The new AT&T TTS system for general U.S. English text is based on best‐choice components picked from the AT&T Flextalk TTS, the Festival System from the University of Edinburgh, and ATR’s CHATR system. From Flextalk, it employs text normalization, letter‐to‐sound, and (optionally) baseline prosody generation. Festival provides general software‐engineering infrastructure (modularity) for easy experimentation and competitive evaluation of different algorithms or modules. Finally, CHATR’s unit selection was modified to guarantee the intelligibility of a good n‐phone (n=2 would be diphone) synthesizer while improving significantly on perceived naturalness relative to Flextalk. Each decision made during the research and development phase of this system was based on formal subjective evaluations. For example, the best voice found in a test that compared TTS systems built from several speakers gave a 0.3‐point head start (on a 5‐point rating scale) in quality over the mean of all speakers. Similarly, using our H.
Infertility, Reproductive Loss and the Adoption Home Study Process

The purpose of this research was to explore how a history of infertility and reproductive loss impacts an individual’s experience of the adoption home study process. Many individuals use adoption to expand their family after losing the ability to have a child biologically. This study examined the prevalence of grief in individuals with infertility and reproductive loss as well as how that grief is currently addressed by social work professionals in the adoption home study assessment. Participants were gathered through social media groups online as well as various adoption support organizations. Participants were asked to fill out a confidential survey with both qualitative and quantitative aspects. Findings show that the experiences of these individuals are diverse, and while some felt that their adoption social worker professionally addressed their grief in the home study, others felt that their social worker was not empathetic and provided too little resources for their needs in preparation for parenting a child through adoption. Equally diverse were the respondents’ experiences with grief and loss related to their infertility. While some felt that the loss of a biological child was profound, ambiguous and sad, others stated they felt little grief due to their interest in and commitment to building their family through adoption. It is important for the profession of social work to understand the losses related to infertility in order to properly assess families and prepare them for the task of parenting a child through adoption.
Technical Detail and Appendices for a Study of Neighborhood Archetypes for Population Health Research

The principal objective of this study is to characterize the places in which people live by factors associated with physical and mental wellbeing. We demonstrate a new approach that employs neighborhood measures such as social environment, built environment, commuting and migration, and demographics and household composition to classify neighborhoods into archetypes. The number of neighborhood archetypes, their defining attributes, and their change/stability between 1990 and 2000 is analyzed using latent class analysis applied to a rich array of data sources. In both years, six archetypes of U.S. neighborhoods are differentiated which occur at prevalence from 13% to 20%: Mobile single-household, urbanites; Low SES, rural; Poor, urban, minority; Low SES, urban, minority commuters; High SES, foreign born, new home owners; and Middle-class suburban/exurban families . Findings show that neighborhoods have remained notably constant between 1990 and 2000, with 76.4% of the neighborhoods categorized as the same archetype ten years later. The approach to defining neighborhood archetypes translates the theoretical aspects of research on neighborhoods and health into a measurement typology that can be employed in applied research questions such as public health surveillance and planning and which can be replicated and extended for use in other historical, geographical, and substantive applications.
Aging in Elderly: Chronological Versus Photoaging

Background: Skin is a window to aging changes, a biological reality. There is a dearth of studies regarding the various chronological (intrinsic) aging and photoaging (extrinsic) changes seen in Asians. This study was undertaken to detect the clinical pattern of aging skin changes and dermatoses seen in the elderly. Materials and Methods: This was a descriptive study conducted on 500 consecutive elderly individuals attending the Dermatology out-patient department. The severity of photoaging was graded using Glogau scale. Results: Most of the population had skin type IV and V. Majority (415, 83%) of our cases had chronological aging without photoaging and the remaining 85 (17%) individuals had photoaging along with chronological aging. The common skin changes due to chronological aging were thin skin, fine wrinkles, xerosis, and loss of elasticity. Photoaging changes such as dyspigmentation, freckles, thick skin, deep wrinkles, melasma, citrine skin, senile purpura, pseudostellate scar, acrokeratoelastoidosis marginalis, and lentigines were less frequent in our study. Smoking and prolonged sun exposure was the risk factors aggravating photoaging. The most common dermatosis was pruritus in 248 (49.6%) individuals, of which 149 (29.8%) had pruritus associated with xerosis. Contact dermatitis was more common in males. Fungal infections were frequently seen in females. Seborrhoeic keratosis (253, 50.6%) was the most common benign neoplasm more commonly seen in males. Cutaneous malignancies were less common in our study population. Conclusion: Photoaging changes were less common than chronological aging changes in skin type IV. Chronological changes were more frequent in females than males, while photoaging was more frequent in males.
Applying social tagging to manage cognitive load in a Web 2.0 self-learning environment

Web-based self-learning (WBSL) has received a lot of attention in recent years due to the vast amount of varied materials available in the Web 2.0 environment. However, this large amount of material also has resulted in a serious problem of cognitive overload that degrades the efficacy of learning. In this study, an information graphics method is proposed to resolve this problem. This method is based on social tagging, which is used to visualize the relationships among materials and can thus assist learners in facilitating learning. To examine the feasibility of the proposed method for managing cognitive load, an experimental model was designed in which cognitive load theory was adopted as the theoretical framework. A total of 60 university students participated in the experiment, and the partial least squares method was used to verify the experimental model. The results show that the information graphics method has a positive impact on three types of cognitive load, namely intrinsic, extraneous, and germane. Furthermore, intrinsic and germane cognitive load have a positive influence on perceived learning effectiveness, while extraneous cognitive load does not have a significant influence. One possible reason for this outcome is that the problem of visual load was not considered in the design of this study. The overall summary of the findings is that the use of social tagging can effectively manage cognitive load and positively links to perceived learning effectiveness.
Neural adaptive PID formation control of car-like mobile robots without velocity measurements

Abstract A virtual leader–follower formation control of a group of car-like mobile robots is addressed in this paper. First, the kinematic and dynamic models of car-like robots are transformed into a second-order leader–follower formation model which inherits all structural properties of the robot dynamic model. Then, a new observer-based proportional–integral-derivative formation controller is proposed to force that all robots construct a desired formation with respect to a predefined virtual leader. To improve the formation tracking and observation performance, the integral action is incorporated into the design of the observer–controller scheme. Adaptive robust and neural network techniques are also employed to compensate uncertain parameters, unmodeled dynamics, and external disturbances. Lyapunov’s direct method is utilized to show that the formation tracking and observation errors are semi-globally uniformly ultimately bounded. Then, the proposed controller is extended to the leader–follower formation of a team of tractor–trailer systems. Finally, simulation results illustrate the efficiency of the proposed controller.
Sprouted Innervation into Uterine Transplants Contributes to the Development of Hyperalgesia in a Rat Model of Endometriosis

Endometriosis is an enigmatic painful disorder whose pain symptoms remain difficult to alleviate in large part because the disorder is defined by extrauteral endometrial growths whose contribution to pain is poorly understood. A rat model (ENDO) involves autotransplanting on abdominal arteries uterine segments that grow into vascularized cysts that become innervated with sensory and sympathetic fibers. ENDO rats exhibit vaginal hyperalgesia. We used behavioral, physiological, and immunohistochemical methods to test the hypothesis that cyst innervation contributes to the development of this hyperalgesia after transplant. Rudimentary sensory and sympathetic innervation appeared in the cysts at two weeks, sprouted further and more densely into the cyst wall by four weeks, and matured by six weeks post-transplant. Sensory fibers became abnormally functionally active between two and three weeks post-transplant, remaining active thereafter. Vaginal hyperalgesia became significant between four and five weeks post-transplant, and stabilized after six to eight weeks. Removing cysts before they acquired functional innervation prevented vaginal hyperalgesia from developing, whereas sham cyst removal did not. Thus, abnormally-active innervation of ectopic growths occurs before hyperalgesia develops, supporting the hypothesis. These findings suggest that painful endometriosis can be classified as a mixed inflammatory/neuropathic pain condition, which opens new avenues for pain relief. The findings also have implications beyond endometriosis by suggesting that functionality of any transplanted tissue can be influenced by the innervation it acquires.
Legitimación de la violencia y contexto: análisis textual del discurso de las FARC-EP

Resumen En este estudio se analizó el discurso de las FARC-EP durante un periodo de cinco años. Los resultados muestran la existencia de dos momentos discursivos claramente diferenciados que se asocian a las modificaciones producidas en el contexto político, especialmente en las relaciones entre ese grupo y el gobierno colombiano. Pero los datos de este trabajo revelan que esos cambios en el discurso son meramente estratégicos ya que en ambos periodos están presentes, aunque bajo fórmulas retóricas distintas, los argumentos que legitiman la existencia de ese grupo armado.
Glycemic Control and Radiographic Manifestations of Tuberculosis in Diabetic Patients

Background Radiographic manifestations of pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) in patients with diabetes mellitus (DM) have previously been reported, with inconsistent results. We conducted a study to investigate whether glycemic control has an impact on radiographic manifestations of pulmonary TB. Methods Consecutive patients with culture-positive pulmonary TB who had DM in three tertiary care hospitals from 2005–2010 were selected for review and compared with a similar number without DM. Glycemic control was assessed by glycated haemoglobin A1C (HbA1C). A pre-treatment chest radiograph was read independently by two qualified pulmonologists blinded to patients’ diabetic status. Films with any discordant reading were read by a third reader. Results 1209 culture positive pulmonary TB patients (581 with DM and 628 without DM) were enrolled. Compared with those without DM, TB patients with DM were significantly more likely to have opacity over lower lung fields, extensive parenchymal lesions, any cavity, multiple cavities and large cavities (>3 cm). The relative risk of lower lung field opacities was 0.80 (95% CI 0.46–1.42) for those with DM with A1C<7%, 2.32 (95% CI 1.36 - 3.98) for A1C 7%–9%, and 1.62 (95% CI 1.12–2.36) for A1C>9%; and that of any cavity over no cavity was 0.87 (95% CI 0.46–1.62) for patients with DM with A1C<7%, 1.84 (95% CI 1.20–2.84) for A1C 7%–9%, and 3.71 (95% CI 2.64–5.22) for A1C>9%, relative to patients without DM. Conclusions Glycemic control significantly influenced radiographic manifestations of pulmonary TB in patients with DM.