Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Cooperative Approach to Sensor Localisation in Distributed Fusion Networks

We consider self-localisation of networked sensor platforms, which are located disparately and collect cluttered and noisy measurements from an unknown number of objects (or, targets). These nodes perform local filtering of their measurements and exchange posterior densities of object states over the network to improve upon their myopic performance. Sensor locations need to be known, however, in order to register the incoming information in a common coordinate frame for fusion. In this work, we are interested in scenarios in which these locations need to be estimated solely based on the multi-object scene. We propose a cooperative scheme which features nodes using only the information they already receive for distributed fusion: we first introduce node-wise separable parameter likelihoods for sensor pairs, which are recursively updated using the incoming multi-object information and the local measurements. Second, we establish a network coordinate system through a pairwise Markov random field model which has the introduced likelihoods as its edge potentials. The resulting algorithm consists of consecutive edge potential updates and Belief Propagation message passing operations. These potentials are capable of incorporating multi-object information without the need to find explicit object-measurement associations and updated in linear complexity with the number of measurements. We demonstrate the efficacy of our algorithm through simulations with multiple objects and complex measurement models.
Performance analysis of general backoff protocols

In this paper, we analyze backoff protocols, such as the one used in Ethernet. We examine a general backoff function (GBF) rather than just the binary exponential backoff (BEB) used by Ethernet. Under some mild assumptions we find stability and optimality conditions for a wide class of backoff protocols with GBF. In particular, it is proved that the maximal throughput rate over the class of backoff protocols is a fixed function of the number of stations (N) and the optimal average service time is about Ne for large N. The reasons of the instability of the BEB protocol (for a big enough input rate) are explained. Additionally, the paper introduces novel procedure for analyzing bounded backoff protocols, which is useful for creating new protocols or improving existing, as no protocol can use unbounded counters.
HIV, Hepatitis B and C viruses’ coinfection among patients in a Nigerian tertiary hospital

Introduction Hepatitis co-infection with HIV is associated with increased morbidity and mortality. Methods This cross sectional study was carried out among HIV positive patients and HIV negative blood donors, HIV infected patients were recruited from the antiretroviral therapy clinics of the Lagos State University Teaching Hospital, in Nigeria. The diagnosis of HIV infection among patients and predonation screening of control blood donors was carried out using Determine1/2 screening rapid kits. (Inverness Medical, Japan). Reactive patients’ sera were confirmed with Enzyme Linked Immunosorbant Assay (Elisa) based immuuocomb1&11 comb firm kits (Orgenics, Israel). Hepatitis B surface antigen (HBsAg) and antibodies to hepatitis C virus (anti-HCV) were assayed using 4th generation Dialab Elisa kits for patients and control sera. Results Dual presence of HBsAg and anti-HCV was observed in 4(3.9%) of HIV infected patients, while 29(28.4%) and 15(14.7%) were repeatedly reactive for HBsAg and anti-HCV respectively. HIV negative blood donor controls have HBsAg and anti-HCV prevalence of (22) 6.0% and (3) 0.8% respectively. The prevalence of hepatitis co infection is higher among the male study patients 16(50%) than the female32 (45.7%). p > 0.001. Data analysis was done with statistical Package for social sciences (SPSS,9) and Chi square tests. Conclusion This study reveals a higher risk and prevalence of HBV and HCV co infections among HIV infected patients compared to HIV negative blood donors p < 0.001.
The Multi-Attribute Attentional Drift Diffusion Model of Consumer Choice

Many choices consumers face are over outcomes that consist of multiple attributes. For instance, when deciding to purchase a particular product consumers must account for both its price and its brand. Although these choices are quite common, we know relatively little about how changes in consumer attention to specific attributes impacts decisions. We propose a new computational model, the multi-attribute attentional drift diffusion model (maDDM), that describes how consumers weight a product’s attributes when making a decision. The model makes predictions about how changes in the amount of attention deployed to different attributes affects choices. In a laboratory experiment that makes use of eye tracking, we test and find evidence for these predictions. The model also predicts the existence of an attentional bias in multi-attribute choice: consumers increase the weight of the currently attended attribute and decrease the weight of unattended attributes. This bias affects decisions and has important implications for consumer science.
International adoption of the Second Step program: Moderating variables in treatment effects

Second Step is a universal social-emotional learning program designed to decrease antisocial behaviors, increase prosocial behaviors, and increase knowledge about content curriculum. Given the international focus of using Second Step to improve social-emotional skills, it is especially important to provide an updated synthesis on the effect of the intervention. A single-program meta-analysis was completed in order to determine effects of participating in Second Step and to explore moderators of program effectiveness on prosocial and antisocial behavior outcomes as well as knowledge of emotions. Five moderators were explored, including (a) program saturation, (b) dependent variable source, (c) grade range, (d) metro area, and (e) geographical location. A combined total of 18,847 participants were included in the analysis of 27 studies. Results of the current study indicate that Second Step’s impact on students’ knowledge and attitudes of violence and violence prevention is much stronger than on increasing prosocial behavior or reducing antisocial behavior.
Semi-Supervised Classification Based on Low Rank Representation

Graph-based semi-supervised classification uses a graph to capture the relationship between samples and exploits label propagation techniques on the graph to predict the labels of unlabeled samples. However, it is difficult to construct a graph that faithfully describes the relationship between high-dimensional samples. Recently, low-rank representation has been introduced to construct a graph, which can preserve the global structure of high-dimensional samples and help to train accurate transductive classifiers. In this paper, we take advantage of low-rank representation for graph construction and propose an inductive semi-supervised classifier called Semi-Supervised Classification based on Low-Rank Representation (SSC-LRR). SSC-LRR first utilizes a linearized alternating direction method with adaptive penalty to compute the coefficient matrix of low-rank representation of samples. Then, the coefficient matrix is adopted to define a graph. Finally, SSC-LRR incorporates this graph into a graph-based semi-supervised linear classifier to classify unlabeled samples. Experiments are conducted on four widely used facial datasets to validate the effectiveness of the proposed SSC-LRR and the results demonstrate that SSC-LRR achieves higher accuracy than other related methods.
Synchronization Measures of the Scalp Electroencephalogram Can Discriminate Healthy from Alzheimer's Subjects

Three synchronization measures are applied to scalp electroencephalogram (EEG) data collected from 20 patients diagnosed to have either: (1) no dementia, (2) mild cognitive impairment (MCI), or (3) Alzheimer's disease (AD). We apply the three synchronization measures--the phase synchronization, and two measures of nonlinear interdependency--to the data collected from awake patients resting with eyes closed. We show that the synchronization in potential between electrodes near the left and right occipital lobes provides a statistically significant discriminant between the healthy and AD subjects, and the MCI and AD subjects. None of the three measures appears able to distinguish between the healthy and MCI subjects, although MCI subjects show synchronization values intermediate between healthy subjects (with high synchronization values) and AD subjects (with low synchronization values) on average.
Poverty Mapping with Aggregate Census Data: What is the Loss in Precision?

Spatially disaggregated maps of the incidence of poverty can be constructed by combining household survey data and census data. In some countries (notably China and India), national statistics agencies are reluctant, for reasons of confidentiality, to release household‐level census data, but they are generally more willing to release aggregated census data, such as village‐ or district‐level means. This paper examines the loss in precision associated with using aggregated census data instead of household‐level data to generate poverty estimates. The authors show analytically that using aggregated census data will result in poverty rates that are biased downward (upward) if the rate is below (above) 50%, and that the bias approaches zero as the poverty rate approaches zero, 50%, and 100%. Using data from Vietnam, it is found that the mean absolute error in estimating district‐level poverty rates is 2.5 percentage points if the census data are aggregated to the enumeration‐area level means, and 3–4 percentage points if the data are aggregated to commune or district level. Finally, the authors propose a method for reducing the error using variances calculated from the census. When this approach is applied to the Vietnam data, this method can cut the size of the aggregation errors by around 75%.
A New Approach to Primer Selection in Polymerase Chain Reaction Experiments

We address the problem of primer selection in polymerase chain reaction (PCR) experiments. We prove that the problem of minimizing the number of primers required to amplify a set of DNA sequences is NP-complete, and show that even approximating solutions to this problem to within a constant factor times optimal is intractable. On the practical side, we give a simple branch-and-bound algorithm that solves the primers minimization problem within reasonable time for typical instances. We present an efficient approximation scheme for this problem, and prove that our heuristic always produces solutions no worse than a logarithmic factor times the optimal, this being the best approximation possible within polynomial time. Finally, we analyze a weighted variant, where both the number of primers as well as the sum of their "costs" is optimized simultaneously. We conclude by presenting the empirical performance of our methods on biological data.
The Implementation of Green Supply Chain Management Practices in Electronics Industry

green activities in computer parts' manufacturers in Thailand, 11 manufacturers are case studies who provide in-depth interview about green procurement, green manufacturing, green distribution, and/or reverse logistics. To evaluate green supply chain management, the questionnaire related to investigate GSCM practices, measure GSCM performance, and explore GSCM pressure/ driver within Thai electronics industry is used to obtain survey results. Then suggestions to develop GSCM in electronics industry are presented.
An investigation of salespeople’s nonverbal behaviors and their effect on charismatic appearance and favorable consumer responses

The concept of charisma has gained considerable interest among social scientists in multiple disciplines. Nevertheless, research on charisma in the marketing field is scarce, and little is known about which specific nonverbal behaviors predict perceived charisma and lead to positive consumer responses. Therefore, the aim of this article is to identify nonverbal behaviors that lead to a salesperson’s perceived charisma in a personal selling context by means of high-precision, time-locked coding. This research explores aspects of body language that differentiate salespeople from each other and investigates whether such differences are antecedents of perceived charisma. The findings indicate that certain arm actions, arm postures, and action functions have a significant effect on charismatic appearance and can in turn produce favorable attitudes toward the salesperson.
High-Resolution Measurements of Intersystem Bands of Carbon Monoxide toward X Persei

In an echelle spectrum of X Per acquired with the Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph, we have identified individual rotational lines of 11 triplet-singlet (intersystem) absorption bands of 12CO. Four bands provide first detections for interstellar clouds. From a comparison with the ζ Oph sight line, we find that X Per is obscured by a higher 12CO column density of 1.4 × 1016 cm-2. Together with the high spectral resolution of 1.3 km s-1, this allows (1) an improved measurement of previously published interstellar f-values for seven bands and (2) an extraction of the first astrophysical oscillator strengths for d-X (8-0), (9-0), and (10-0), as well as for e-X (12-0). The 13CO d-X (12-0) band, previously suspected to exist toward ζ Oph, is now readily resolved and modeled. Our derived intersystem f-values for 12CO include a few mild (≤34%) disagreements with recent predictions from a perturbation analysis calculated for the interstellar excitation temperature. Overall, the comparison confirms the superiority of employing multiple singlet levels in the calculations of mixing coefficients over previous single-level predictions.
Diabetes Alters Activation and Repression of Pro- and Anti-Inflammatory Signaling Pathways in the Vasculature

A central mechanism driving vascular disease in diabetes is immune cell-mediated inflammation. In diabetes, enhanced oxidation and glycation of macromolecules, such as lipoproteins, insults the endothelium, and activates both innate and adaptive arms of the immune system by generating new antigens for presentation to adaptive immune cells. Chronic inflammation of the endothelium in diabetes leads to continuous infiltration and accumulation of leukocytes at sites of endothelial cell injury. We will describe the central role of the macrophage as a source of signaling molecules and damaging by-products which activate infiltrating lymphocytes in the tissue and contribute to the pro-oxidant and pro-inflammatory microenvironment. An important aspect to be considered is the diabetes-associated defects in the immune system, such as fewer or dysfunctional athero-protective leukocyte subsets in the diabetic lesion compared to non-diabetic lesions. This review will discuss the key pro-inflammatory signaling pathways responsible for leukocyte recruitment and activation in the injured vessel, with particular focus on pro- and anti-inflammatory pathways aberrantly activated or repressed in diabetes. We aim to describe the interaction between advanced glycation end products and their principle receptor RAGE, angiotensin II, and the Ang II type 1 receptor, in addition to reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by NADPH-oxidase enzymes that are relevant to vascular and immune cell function in the context of diabetic vasculopathy. Furthermore, we will touch on recent advances in epigenetic medicine that have revealed high glucose-mediated changes in the transcription of genes with known pro-inflammatory downstream targets. Finally, novel anti-atherosclerosis strategies that target the vascular immune interface will be explored; such as vaccination against modified low-density lipoprotein and pharmacological inhibition of ROS-producing enzymes.
Blind channel identification in Alamouti coded systems: a comparative study of eigendecomposition methods in indoor transmissions at 2.4 GHz

This paper focuses on blind channel estimation in Alamouti coded systems with one receiving antenna working in indoor scenarios where the flat fading assumption is reasonable. A comparative study of several channel estimation techniques in both simulated and realistic scenarios is presented. The tested methods exploit the orthogonality property of the Alamouti coded channel matrix, and are based on the eigendecomposition of a square matrix made up of second-order statistics (SOS) or higher order statistics (HOS) of the observed signals. An experimental evaluation is carried out on a testbed developed at the University of A Coruna (UDC) and operating at 2.4 GHz. The results show the superior performance of the SOS-based blind channel estimation technique in both line of sight (LOS) and non-LOS (NLOS) channels.
Competing meanings of childhood and the social construction of child sexual abuse in the Caribbean

This article examines the dynamic interplay between competing meanings of childhood and the social construction of sexual abuse in the Caribbean. Drawing on qualitative data from a study undertaken in six Caribbean countries, the article suggests that Caribbean childhoods are neither wholly global nor local but hybrid creations of the region’s complex historical, social and cultural specificities, real or imagined. As childhood is a concept that lies at the intersection of multiple frames of reference, context-specific definitions of childhood – what it means to be a child – have a direct impact on the way in which the issue of child sexual abuse is constructed and understood.
How Aware Are Other Nations of Climate Change? Analyzing Germans’ Second-Order Climate Change Beliefs About Chinese, US American and German People

ABSTRACT What people believe about the beliefs of other people – second-order beliefs – has been acknowledged as a key factor that shapes public support for international climate policy. However, very little is known about their origins. Based on data from an online survey (n = 935), we analyzed how German citizens assess the climate change awareness in their own nation as compared to those of the US and China. Even if the public climate change awareness in the US and China factually differs, we found that German citizens equivalently rate both nations similar and much lower than their own, a finding which can be explained with social identity processes and “in-group”/“out-group” biases. Hierarchical regression analyses demonstrate that the attention individuals pay towards television and social media predict second-order beliefs on climate change awareness positively, while attention to print media is a negative predictor.
PROCESS SIMULATION APPROACH TO DESIGN AND EVALUATION OF TOLL PLAZA WITH ETC GATES

This study proposes a process simulation-based approach to traffic jam issues in toll plaza with ETC gates in expressways. Describing overview of ETC system around the world as well as in Japan, the paper clarifies the issue of traffic jams, which occurs in toll plaza of expressways in Japan. Two kinds of solution to traffic jam issues are studied in this research. One is to determine the appropriate time in gate change for combination gates. The other one is to study the layout redesign of toll plaza to achieve more efficient performance. For these solutions, the paper describes the process simulation model which has been developed in this study, and also shows its internal procedures to simulate the traffic jams. Using the results of simulation, the feasibility of the model will be discussed. This paper also shows the results of simulation of a case study and discusses what the simulation-based approach can do in order to propose a practical solution to the traffic jam issues which prohibits the progress of ETC systems.
Kepatuhan Minum Obat pada Pasien Tuberkulosis Paru

Di Indonesia, Tuberkulosis (TB) sampai saat ini masih menjadi masalah kesehatan masyarakat di dunia. Hasil survei awal penelitian di Wilayah Kerja Puskesmas Sadabuandiperoleh data bahwa jumlah penderita TB Paru BTA Positif terdapat 106 penderita. Tujuan penelitian ini untuk menganalisis determinan kepatuhan minum obat pada pasien tuberkolosis paru di wilayah tersebut.Penelitian ini menggunakan desain cross sectional. populasi yang diambil adalah keseluruhan Penderita Tuberkulosis Paru Di Wilayah kerja Puskesmas Sadabuan Kota Padangsidimpuan sebanyak 106 orang, dengan jumlah sampel sebanyak 51 orang dengan cara kuesioner dan wawancara. Analisis data menggunakan uji chi-square dan regrsi linear logistik.Hasil penelitian diperoleh bahwa terdapat hubungan pengetahuan (0,000), sikap (0,000), pendidikan (0,000), pekerjaan (0,001), dan dukungan keluarga (0,000) terhadap kepatuhan minum obat. Pengetahuan merupakan faktor dominan yang mempengaruhi kepatuhan minum obat pasien TB Paru dengan nilai OR (Exp B = 29.169). Diharapkan Bagi petugas kesehatan diharapkan selalu mengingatkan penderita TB paru pada saat pengambilan obat untuk lebih memperhatikan keteraturan dalam minum obat, sedangkan bagi penderita TB paru diharapkan untuk teratur dalam minum obat, berobat sesuai dengan jadwal.
Chronic multimorbidity impairs role functioning in middle-aged and older individuals mostly when non-partnered or living alone

Background Due to the aging of the population, society includes a growing proportion of older individuals prone to chronic morbidity. This study aimed to investigate the adverse effects of single and multiple chronic morbidity on psychosocial health and whether these effects are more pronounced in individuals who are non-partnered or living alone. Materials and methods Baseline data from the ‘Lifelines Cohort Study’ collected between 2006 and 2013 in the Netherlands were used. Individuals aged 50+ (n = 25,214) were categorized according to their health status (healthy, single chronic morbidity, multiple chronic morbidity), relationship status (partnered, non-partnered), and living arrangement (living with someone, living alone). Analyses of covariance (ANCOVA) were performed to study the main- and the interaction-effects on mental health and role functioning as assessed with the RAND-36. Results Irrespective of having chronic morbidity, having a partner was associated with better mental health when partners shared a home. Individuals with single and especially multiple chronic morbidity had impaired role functioning. Having a partner mitigated the adverse effects of multimorbidity on role functioning, but only in individuals who shared a home with their partner. Non-partnered individuals with multimorbidity and those not sharing a home with their partner demonstrated impaired role functioning. Conclusions The results demonstrate that multimorbidity negatively affects role functioning, but not the mental health, of middle-aged and older individuals. Sharing a home with a partner can mitigate these adverse effects, while other combinations of relationship status and living arrangement do not. Offering intervention to those individuals most vulnerable to impaired functioning may relieve some of the increasing pressure on the health care system. An individual’s relationship status along with one’s living arrangement could foster the identification of a target group for such interventions attempting to sustain physical functioning or to adapt daily goals.
Assembly System Design: a Branch and Cut Approach

This paper addresses the single-product assembly system design problem (ASDP), which seeks to minimize total cost by optimally integrating design (selecting the machine type to locate at each activated station) and operating issues (assigning tasks to observe precedence relationships and cycle time restrictions). We propose an effective branch-and-cut approach for solving single-product ASDPs, adapting inequalities known to be valid for embedded line balancing structures to form inequalities that are valid for the ASDP. The implementation alsoinvolves a specialized preprocessor, a heuristic, separation procedures, and an enumeration scheme. Computational tests establish benchmark results for this first implementation of cutting planes for solving the ASDP.