Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Uncertainty Singularity Analysis of Parallel Manipulators Based on the Instability Analysis of Structures

When all the inputs of a parallel manipulator (PM) are locked, the manipulator is usually turned into a structure. When an uncertainty singularity occurs for a PM, the latter structure is unstable or, in other words, it may undergo infinitesimal or finite motion. Hence, the investigation of the uncertainty singularities of a PM can be reduced to the instability analysis of its corresponding structure. PMs with a 3-XS structure cover a broad class of PMs. A 3-XS structure is composed of two platforms connected by three XS serial chains in parallel. Here, X and S denote a generalized joint with one degree of freedom (DOF) and a spherical joint, respectively. An X joint can take the form of any kinematic joint with one DOF, such as a revolute joint or a prismatic joint, or the form of any closed kinematic chain with one DOF, such as a parallelogram. In this paper, the instability condition of the 3-XS structure is derived by simply differentiating its constraint equations. The geometric interpretation of the instability condition is revealed using a method based on linear algebra. The uncertainty singularity analysis of the 6-3 Gough-Stewart PM is performed to illustrate the application and efficiency of the proposed approach. Several specific cases of the 6-3 Gough-Stewart PM with singularity surfaces of reduced degree are proposed. The geometric interpretation of the singularity conditions is also given for some of the specific cases.
Adolescent sexual and reproductive health needs in Uganda : understanding determinants of adolescent sexual behaviors

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SEISMIC BEHAVIOR OF A HYBRID PRECAST CONCRETE WALL SPECIMEN: MEASURED RESPONSE VERSUS DESIGN PREDICTIONS

This paper presents the results from the testing of a 0.4-scale “hybrid” precast concrete wall specimen under reversed-cyclic lateral loads combined with gravity loading. The specimen was designed to conform to the requirements of ACI ITG-5.2 (2009) and tested according to ACI ITG-5.1 (2007) to ultimately support the validation of hybrid precast walls for use in moderate and high seismic regions based on ACI 318 (2008). The measured behavior of the structure is discussed and compared with design predictions, focusing specifically on the applied lateral load and displacement, energy dissipation, performance of the steel reinforcement, and behavior along the horizontal base-panel-to-foundation and panel-to-panel joints. The test structure was not able to reach the maximum required drift level due to a combination of poor unconfined concrete strength and poor placement of the confinement reinforcement at the toes. However, the performance of the wall up to this premature failure level was consistent with the expected behavior, thus validating the procedure that was used in the design of the structure.
Instructable Intelligent Personal Agent

Unlike traditional machine learning methods, humans often learn from natural language instruction. As users become increasingly accustomed to interacting with mobile devices using speech, their interest in instructing these devices in natural language is likely to grow. We introduce our Learning by Instruction Agent (LIA), an intelligent personal agent that users can teach to perform new action sequences to achieve new commands, using solely natural language interaction. LIA uses a CCG semantic parser to ground the semantics of each command in terms of primitive executable procedures defining sensors and effectors of the agent. Given a natural language command that LIA does not understand, it prompts the user to explain how to achieve the command through a sequence of steps, also specified in natural language. A novel lexicon induction algorithm enables LIA to generalize across taught commands, e.g., having been taught how to "forward an email to Alice," LIA can correctly interpret the command "forward this email to Bob. " A user study involving email tasks demonstrates that users voluntarily teach LIA new commands, and that these taught commands significantly reduce task completion time. These results demonstrate the potential of natural language instruction as a significant, under-explored paradigm for machine learning.
Sets with Small Sumset and Rectification

We study the extent to which sets A ⊆ Z/NZ, N prime, resemble sets of integers from the additive point of view (‘up to Freiman isomorphism’). We give a direct proof of a result of Freiman, namely that if |A + A| ⩽ K|A| and |A| < c(K)N, then A is Freiman isomorphic to a set of integers. Because we avoid appealing to Freiman's structure theorem, we obtain a reasonable bound: we can take c(K)⩾ (32K)−12K2 . As a byproduct of our argument we obtain a sharpening of the second author's result on sets with small sumset in torsion groups. For example, if A ⊆ F2n , and if |A + A| ⩽ K|A|, then A is contained in a coset of a subspace of size no more than K222K2−2|A| . 2000 Mathematics Subject Classification 11B75.
High Performance Bricks from Fly Ash

Bricks whose solid ingredient is 100% fly ash have been manufactured. The manufacturing process uses techniques and equipment similar to those used in clay brick factories. The bricks produced were about 28% lighter than clay bricks. The bricks manufactured from fly ash possessed compressive strength higher than 40 MPa. This exceeds some of the best of load carrying clay bricks available by more than 25% and is several times better than acceptable commercially available common clay bricks. Other important characteristics of the fly ash bricks have been evaluated. These included absorption capacity, initial rate of absorption, modulus of rupture, bond strength and durability. The values of these characteristics for fly ash bricks are excellent and have exceeded those pertaining to clay bricks. Moreover, fly ash bricks have been produced with a naturally occurring reddish colour similar to that of normal clay bricks. The new bricks and process have been patented and the new bricks have been given the name FlashBricks. This paper presents the results of testing and the advantages gained by this type of bricks over conventional clay bricks.
The Sympathetic System in Hypertension: State‐of‐the‐Art Review

One may postulate a genetic defect in membrane permeability, in the transport of sodium, or in the sodium pump in vascular muscle which could account for increased intracellular sodium and enhanced vascular contractility. If the electrogenic sodium pump is overactive, as in SHR, its inhibition may lead to significant depolarization and greater contraction. Sympathetic innervation may be essential for the development of membrane abnormality as well as for the development of hypertrophic vascular changes, both of which augment contraction and vascular tone. A similar membrane defect at the sensory endings of arterial stretch receptors may account for impaired arterial baroreceptor reflexes seen in very early phases of hypertension or, in some genetic models, before hypertension develops. This defect may be related to the sodium pump or sodium transport in the receptor region and cause a decrease in baroreceptor discharge and in the strain-sensitivity of the baroreceptors, resulting in exaggerated sympathetic drive. Further information is needed on the baroreflex control of various efferents in hypertension. Another membrane defect at the adrenergic nerve terminals may facilitate release of endogenous NE. Excessive salt intake may unmask or exaggerate the membrane defects. In the central nervous system a defect in glutamine, NE, or GABA receptors may contribute to a high central sympathetic drive. Greater receptor affinity to various pressor neuropeptides such as angiotensin and leucine enkephalin or greater release of these peptides may also account for the excessive CNS sympathetic activation or impairment of baroreflexes at a central level. Cardiac receptors may have a variable influence on sympathetic drive in the various stages of hypertension, depending on the degree of cardiac hypertrophy or cardiac size. Finally, increased renal afferent nerve activity may provoke an increase in sympathetic activity and provide a link between natriuretic factors and the sympathetic nervous system in hypertension.
The Dynamics of Sovereign Debt Crises and Bailouts

Motivated by the recent European debt crisis, this paper investigates the scope for a bailout guarantee in a sovereign debt crisis. Defaults may arise from negative income shocks, government impatience or a "sunspot"-coordinated buyers strike. We introduce a bailout agency, and characterize the minimal actuarially fair intervention that guarantees the no-buyers-strike fundamental equilibrium, relying on the market for residual financing. The intervention makes it cheaper for governments to borrow, inducing them borrow more, leaving default probabilities possibly rather unchanged. The maximal backstop will be pulled precisely when fundamentals worsen.
Localized Notch signal acts through eyg and upd to promote global growth in Drosophila eye

Notch (N) signal is activated at the dorsoventral (DV) border of the Drosophila eye disc and is important for growth of the eye disc. In this study, we showed that the Pax protein Eyg is a major effector mediating the growth promotion function of N. eyg transcription is induced by N signaling occurring at the DV border. Like N, eyg controls growth of the eye disc. Loss of N signaling can be compensated by overexpressing eyg, whereas loss of the downstream eyg blocked the function of N signaling. In addition, we showed that N and eyg could induce expression of upd, which encodes the ligand for the Jak/STAT pathway and acts over long distance to promote cell proliferation. Loss of eyg or N can be compensated by overexpressing upd. These results suggest that upd is a major effector mediating the function of eyg and N. The functional link from N to eyg to upd explains how the localized Notch activation can achieve global growth control.
Membrane Lipid Modulations Remove Divalent Open Channel Block from TRP-Like and NMDA Channels

Open channel block is a process in which ions bound to the inside of a channel pore block the flow of ions through that channel. Repulsion of the blocking ions by depolarization is a known mechanism of open channel block removal. For the NMDA channel, this mechanism is necessary for channel activation and is involved in neuronal plasticity. Several types of transient receptor potential (TRP) channels, including the Drosophila TRP and TRP-like (TRPL) channels, also exhibit open channel block. Therefore, removal of open channel block is necessary for the production of the physiological response to light. Because there is no membrane depolarization before the light response develops, it is not clear how the open channel block is removed, an essential step for the production of a robust light response under physiological conditions. Here we present a novel mechanism to alleviate open channel block in the absence of depolarization by membrane lipid modulations. The results of this study show open channel block removal by membrane lipid modulations in both TRPL and NMDA channels of the photoreceptor cells and CA1 hippocampal neurons, respectively. Removal of open channel block is characterized by an increase in the passage-rate of the blocking cations through the channel pore. We propose that the profound effect of membrane lipid modulations on open channel block alleviation, allows the productions of a robust current in response to light in the absence of depolarization.
Speech listening specifically modulates the excitability of tongue muscles: a TMS study

The precise neural mechanisms underlying speech perception are still to a large extent unknown. The most accepted view is that speech perception depends on auditory‐cognitive mechanisms specifically devoted to the analysis of speech sounds. An alternative view is that, crucial for speech perception, it is the activation of the articulatory (motor) gestures that generate these sounds. The listener understands the speaker when his/her articulatory gestures are activated (motor theory of speech perception). Here, by using transcranial magnetic stimulation (TMS), we demonstrate that, during speech listening, there is an increase of motor‐evoked potentials recorded from the listeners' tongue muscles when the presented words strongly involve, when pronounced, tongue movements. Although these data do not prove the motor theory of speech perception, they demonstrate for the first time that word listening produces a phoneme specific activation of speech motor centres.
Perceived Consequences of Adopting the Internet into Adult Literacy and Basic Education Classrooms.

The purpose of this study is to use Rogers’s theory of diffusion of innovations to understand adult literacy instructors’ perceptions of the consequences of adopting the Internet into their classrooms. This study provides information about the types of consequences as perceived by adult literacy instructors and their perceptions about the desirability, predictability, and directness of those consequences. Adult literacy instructors were used as informants because they were able to observe first-hand the impact the Internet has on their teaching, students and classroom environments. The results show that perceptions of consequences instructors experienced when they adopted the Internet were overwhelmingly positive. Most notable in the findings are that consequences are desirable and often unanticipated. Of the 60 consequences experienced by instructors, 56 were classified as desirable, three were undesirable and one was mixed. Yet, of those same 60 consequences, instructors indicated 36 were unanticipated and 40 were directly related to adopting the Internet. Instructors that participated in the study felt the Internet helped empower students, improve their engagement with the material, and improve their literacy, thinking, and research skills. Participants reported that the Internet energized the classroom and made it more collaborative. In addition, instructors reported that the Internet enabled them to become more facilitative in their approach and include projects geared more towards higher-level thinking. INDEX WORDS: Adult education, Adult literacy, Adult basic education, Computers,
INFLATION STABILIZATION AND DEFAULT RISK IN A CURRENCY UNION

By developing a class of dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models with nominal rigidities and assuming a two-country currency union with sovereign risk, we show that there is not necessarily a trade-off between the prevention of default risk and stabilizing inflation. Under optimal monetary and fiscal policy, comprising a de facto inflation stabilization policy, the tax rate as an optimal fiscal policy tool plays an important role in stabilizing inflation, although not completely because of the distorted steady state. Changes in the tax rate to minimize welfare costs via stabilizing inflation then improve the fiscal surplus, and because of this and the incompletely stabilized inflation, the default rate does not increase as much.
Impact of chronic urticaria on the quality of life of patients followed up at a university hospital *

BACKGROUND Chronic urticaria is a debilitating disease that considerably affects health-related quality of life, and the Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire is the only questionnaire specifically designed for its evaluation. OBJECTIVE To evaluate the quality of life of patients with chronic urticaria, using the Brazilian Portuguese version of the Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire. METHODS The Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire was self-administered in 112 chronic urticaria patients and disease activity was assessed through the Urticaria Activity Score. Clinical and socio-demographic characteristics of patients were studied, such as: age, sex, etiologic diagnosis of chronic urticaria, duration of disease and Urticaria Activity Score. RESULTS The population studied was composed 85.72% of women with a mean age of 46 years (18-90), while the median disease duration period was 10 years (3 months-60 years). Regarding the etiologic diagnosis, 48.22% had chronic spontaneous urticaria; 22.32% associated with inducible urticaria, 28.57% with chronic autoimmune urticaria, and 23.21% had physical urticaria alone. Disease activity evaluated using the Urticaria Activity Score was 1.04 ± 1.61 (0-6). The total score for the Chronic Urticaria Quality of Life Questionnaire was 36 (0-100) and dimension I (sleep/mental status/eating) had a greater impact on quality of life. The items with the highest mean scores were nervousness and shame over lesions, while the items with the lowest scores were lip swelling and limitations on sporting activities. CONCLUSIONS Chronic urticaria compromises patients' quality of life, mainly those with more severe disease or who are diagnosed with chronic autoimmune urticaria.
Metabolic syndrome in lupus patients in northeast of Iran, and their lifestyle habits.

Background: Systemic lupus erythematous is an autoimmune disease associated with atherosclerotic manifestations or metabolic disturbance due to inflammation. The aim of this study was to determine frequency of metabolic syndrome (MetS) in SLE compared to healthy controls. Methods: In this cross-sectional study, 150 SLE patients and 220 healthy volunteers were enrolled. MetS was diagnosed according to ATPIII criteria. Patients and controls were compared according to prevalence of MetS. In addition, SLE patients with and without MetS were compared according to laboratory parameters. Each patient also fulfilled a checklist about routine daily activities and diet program. Data were analyzed by SPSS-11 software. Results: MetS was significantly lower in SLE than healthy controls (18% vs 29.1%, P=0.015). Disease manifestations, major organ involvement, serum values of complements and anti-DNA antibody and pharmacological therapy did not correlate with MetS occurrence in patients. The mean TG, FBS, systolic and diastolic BP were statistically higher in lupus patients compared to healthy volunteers in contrast to waist circumference. HDL-cholesterol serum values did not show any significant difference between two groups. Conclusion: It seems that despite higher values of blood pressure, serum lipids and glucose in lupus patients, the cumulative metabolic components were in a manner to make MetS more prevalent in healthy volunteers. As far as life habits are concerned, lupus patients in general did not exercise enough and did not go on a healthy diet despite of glucocorticoid therapy and hypertension.
Globalisation, Enterprise and Knowledge: Education, Training and Development in Africa

This book examines the challenges facing education in African countries, within the context of globalisation. It is suggested that developing a notion of learning-led competitiveness is a crucial part of any response to globalisation, as well as allowing the performance of education and training institutions to be monitored. Three areas of concern are brought together in this book: debates about the impact of globalisation on development thinking and practice; responses to globalisation in educational development; and national experiences in Ghana, Kenya and South Africa. An analysis of the intersections between education, training and enterprise development is given, and possible future approaches for policy, practice and research are identified.
Is there phonological feature priming?

Abstract While there is robust evidence of segment priming, particularly in some real word contexts, there is little to no evidence bearing on the issue of priming of subsegmental features, particularly phonological features. In this article, we present two lexical decision task experiments to show that there are no consistent priming effects attributable to phonological place of articulation features. Given that there is clear evidence of segment priming, but no clear evidence of priming due to other phonological representations, we suggest that it is doubtful that priming is a good tool to study phonological representations, particularly those that are not consciously accessible.
Impact of Cloud Model Microphysics on Passive Microwave Retrievals of Cloud Properties. Part II: Uncertainty in Rain, Hydrometeor Structure, and Latent Heating Retrievals

Abstract The impact of model microphysics on the retrieval of cloud properties based on passive microwave observations was examined using a three-dimensional, nonhydrostatic, adaptive-grid cloud model to simulate a mesoscale convective system over ocean. Two microphysical schemes, based on similar bulk two-class liquid and three-class ice parameterizations, were used to simulate storms with differing amounts of supercooled cloud water typical of both the tropical oceanic environment, in which there is little supercooled cloud water, and midlatitude continental environments in which supercooled cloud water is more plentiful. For convective surface-level rain rates, the uncertainty varied between 20% and 60% depending on which combination of passive and active microwave observations was used in the retrieval. The uncertainty in surface rain rate did not depend on the microphysical scheme or the parameter settings except for retrievals over stratiform regions based on 85-GHz brightness temperatures TB alone .
Comparative clinical assessment of cotton hair thread and silk suture on surgically induced skin wounds on New Zealand rabbits ( Oryctolagus cunnicullus )

The gross tissue reactivity, bacterial load counts and clinical parameters were investigated following the use of cotton hair thread (CHT) and silk suture on surgically induced wounds on rabbits. Twelve clinically healthy male rabbits of New Zealand breed were used. They were acclimatized for two weeks and randomly assigned into three groups A, B and C of four (4) rabbits each. A 6 cm long paralumber skin incision was aseptically performed in both groups of animals using xylazine and ketamine. The incised skin wounds in groups A and B rabbits were apposed with conventional silk and cotton hair thread (CHT) sutures respectively while no surgery was performed in the group C rabbits. The sutured sites in the groups (A and B) were evaluated for both bacterial load counts and gross features: swelling, erythema and percentage suture breakage and scored at post-surgical days (psd) 1, 7, 10, 14 and 21. Clinical vital signs: heart and respiratory rates and temperature were evaluated in the three groups before (day 0) and during the above psd. The means of the bacterial load counts, clinical vital parameters demonstrated no statistical significance (p > 0.05) in the study. There was no significant different (p > 0.05) in the gross tissue reactivity in the two groups throughout the period. It was concluded that CHT showed promise for possible use as skin suture in rabbits.