Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
ICTs and Hope for Development: A Theoretical Framework

Hope is a core part of what it means to be human, and has long been recognised as foundational in driving people to make changes in their lives and contexts. Yet this importance of hope is not reflected in academic research, with little work being undertaken on hope and development, and none on hope and the application of ICT‐for‐development (ICT4D). This paper makes a start on closing this knowledge gap by exploring the different meanings of hope within existing literature. It synthesises these meanings into a new multi‐dimension content model of hope that looks at the subject, object and enaction of hope. This model is then linked to ICT4D initiatives by taking into account the hopes of different stakeholders, which are seen – via a modified ICT4D value chain framework – to be both an input to and an output from ICT4D adoption and use. The paper then undertakes a preliminary application of this framework to a case study using multiple sources of secondary data from the One‐Laptop‐per‐Child initiative. This provides preliminary validation for the models of hope, and offers a foundation for future research seeking to understand the connection between ICT4D and this key human belief.
Rational Control of Spin-Crossover Particle Sizes: From Nano- to Micro-Rods of [Fe(Htrz)2(trz)](BF4)

The spin-crossover (SCO) materials based on iron (II) and triazole ligands can change their spin state under an external perturbation such as temperature, pressure or light irradiation, exhibiting notably large hysteresis in their physical properties’ transitions. If these aspects are investigated for decades, it is only in the recent years that the design of SCO particles has attracted the attention of the scientific community with increasing interest focusing on the possibility of getting wide ranges of sizes and shapes of nanoparticles. In this context, we rationalized the reverse-micellar synthesis, thanks to the scrutiny of the experimental parameters, to produce SCO particles with controlled size and shape. This approach has been performed for the reference one-dimensional (1D) polymeric spin-crossover compound of formula [Fe(Htrz)2(trz)](BF4). A synergetic effect of both time and temperature is revealed as being of paramount importance to control the final particle size. Consequently, under well-defined experimental conditions, we can now offer rod-shaped SCO particles with lengths ranging from 75 to 1000 nm.
Determinacy with Capital Adjustment Costs and Sector-Specific Externalities

This Paper explores the stability properties of the steady state in the standard two-sector real business cycle model with a sector-specific externality in the capital-producing sector. When the steady state is stable then equilibrium is indeterminate and stable sunspots are possible. We find that capital adjustment costs of any size preclude stable sunspots for every empirically plausible specification of the model parameters. More specifically, we show that when capital adjustment costs of any size are considered, a necessary condition for the existence of stable sunspots is an upward-sloping labour demand curve in the capital-producing sector, which in turn requires an implausibly strong externality. This result contrasts sharply with the standard result that when we abstract from capital adjustment costs, stable sunspots occur in the two-sector model for a wide range of plausible parameter values.
Monte-Carlo Planning for Socially Aligned Agents using Bayesian Affect Control Theory

Affect Control Theory (ACT) is a mathematically well-defined model that makes accurate predictions about the affective content of human action. The affective predictions, which are derived from statistics about human actions and identities in real and laboratory environments, are shared normative behaviours that are believed to lead to solutions to everyday cooperative problems. A probabilistic and decision-theoretic generalisation of ACT, called BayesAct, allows the principles of ACT to be used for human-interactive agents by defining a utility function and a probabilistic version of the ACT dynamical model of affect. Planning in BayesAct, which we address in this paper, then allows one to go beyond the affective norm, and leads to the emergence of more complex interactions between “cognitive” reasoning and “affective” reasoning, such as deception leading to manipulation and altercasting. As BayesAct is a large hybrid (continuous-discrete) state/action/observation partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP), in this paper we propose a continuous variant of a successful Monte-Carlo tree search planner (POMCP), which performs dynamic discretisation of the action and observation spaces while planning. We demonstrate our variant POMCP-C in simulation on (i) two twoagent coordination problems that involves manipulation through affective interaction, and (ii) an affectively-aware assistive health-care device. In addition, we show that our solver can be used in non-affective domains, by demonstrating it on a continuous robot navigation problem from the literature and achieving over 50% increase in average reward compared to traditional solvers.
Radiofrequency ablation of very-early-stage hepatocellular carcinoma inconspicuous on fusion imaging with B-mode US: value of fusion imaging with contrast-enhanced US

Background/Aims To determine the value of fusion imaging with contrast-enhanced ultrasonography (CEUS) and computed tomography (CT)/magnetic resonance (MR) images for percutaneous radiofrequency ablation (RFA) of very-early-stage hepatocellular carcinomas (HCCs) that are inconspicuous on fusion imaging with B-mode ultrasound (US) and CT/MR images. Methods This retrospective study was approved by our institutional review board and the requirement for informed consent was waived. Fusion imaging with CEUS using Sonazoid contrast agent and CT/MR imaging was performed on HCCs (<2 cm) that were inconspicuous on fusion imaging with B-mode US. We evaluated the number of cases that became conspicuous on fusion imaging with CEUS. Percutaneous RFA was performed under the guidance of fusion imaging with CEUS. Technical success and major complication rates were assessed. Results In total, 30 patients with 30 HCCs (mean, 1.2 cm; range, 0.6-1.7 cm) were included, among which 25 (83.3%) became conspicuous on fusion imaging with CEUS at the time of the planning US and/or RFA procedure. Of those 25 HCCs, RFA was considered feasible for 23 (92.0%), which were thus treated. The technical success and major complication rates were 91.3% (21/23) and 4.3% (1/23), respectively. Conclusions Fusion imaging with CEUS and CT/MR imaging is highly effective for percutaneous RFA of very-early-stage HCCs inconspicuous on fusion imaging with B-mode US and CT/MR imaging.
Effect of a Novel Quaternary Ammonium Methacrylate Polymer (QAMP) on Adhesion and Antibacterial Properties of Dental Adhesives

This study investigated the resin–dentin bond strength (μTBS), degree of conversion (DC), and antibacterial potential of an innovative adhesive system containing a quaternary ammonium methacrylate polymer (QAMP) using in situ and in vitro assays. Forty-two human third molars were flattened until the dentin was exposed and were randomly distributed into three groups of self-etching adhesive systems: Clearfil™ SE Bond containing 5% QAMP (experimental group), Clearfil™ Protect Bond (positive control) and Clearfil™ SE Bond (negative control). After light curing, three 1 mm-increments of composite resin were bonded to each dentin surface. A total of thirty of these bonded teeth (10 teeth per group) was sectioned to obtain stick-shaped specimens and tested under tensile stress immediately, and after 6 and 12 months of storage in distilled water. Twelve bonded teeth (4 teeth per group) were longitudinally sectioned in a mesio-to-distal direction to obtain resin-bonded dentin slabs. In situ DC was evaluated by micro-Raman spectroscopy. In vitro DC of thin films of each adhesive system was measured using Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy. In vitro susceptibility tests of these three adhesive systems were performed by the minimum inhibitory/minimum bactericidal concentration (MIC/MBC) assays against Streptococcus mutans, Lactobacillus casei, and Actinomyces naeslundii. No statistically significant difference in μTBS was observed between Clearfil™ SE Bond containing 5% QAMP and Clearfil™ SE Bond (p > 0.05) immediately, and after 6 and 12 months of water storage. However Clearfil™ Protect Bond showed a significant reduction of μTBS after 12 months of storage (p = 0.039). In addition, QAMP provided no significant change in DC after incorporating into Clearfil™ SE Bond (p > 0.05). Clearfil™ SE Bond containing 5% QAMP demonstrated MIC/MBC values similar to the positive control against L. casei and A. naeslundii and higher than the negative control for all evaluated bacterial strains. The use of QAMP in an adhesive system demonstrated effective bond strength, a suitable degree of conversion, and adequate antibacterial effects against oral bacteria, and may be useful as a new approach to provide long-lasting results for dental adhesives.
Metataxonomic and Metagenomic Approaches vs. Culture-Based Techniques for Clinical Pathology

Diagnoses that are both timely and accurate are critically important for patients with life-threatening or drug resistant infections. Technological improvements in High-Throughput Sequencing (HTS) have led to its use in pathogen detection and its application in clinical diagnoses of infectious diseases. The present study compares two HTS methods, 16S rRNA marker gene sequencing (metataxonomics) and whole metagenomic shotgun sequencing (metagenomics), in their respective abilities to match the same diagnosis as traditional culture methods (culture inference) for patients with ventilator associated pneumonia (VAP). The metagenomic analysis was able to produce the same diagnosis as culture methods at the species-level for five of the six samples, while the metataxonomic analysis was only able to produce results with the same species-level identification as culture for two of the six samples. These results indicate that metagenomic analyses have the accuracy needed for a clinical diagnostic tool, but full integration in diagnostic protocols is contingent on technological improvements to decrease turnaround time and lower costs.
Modification of Mechanical Properties, Polymerization Temperature, and Handling Time of Polymethylmethacrylate Cement for Enhancing Applicability in Vertebroplasty

Polymethylmethacrylate (PMMA) bone cement is a popular bone void filler for vertebroplasty. However, the use of PMMA has some drawbacks, including the material's excessive stiffness, exothermic polymerization, and short handling time. This study aimed to create an ideal modified bone cement to solve the above-mentioned problems. Modified bone cements were prepared by combining PMMA with three different volume fractions of castor oil (5%, 10%, and 15%). The peak polymerization temperatures, times to achieve the peak polymerization temperature, porosities, densities, modulus and maximum compression strengths of standard (without castor oil), and modified cements were investigated following storage at ambient temperature (22°C) or under precooling conditions (3°C). Six specimens were tested in each group of the aforementioned parameters. Increasing castor oil content and precooling treatment effectively decreased the peak polymerization temperatures and increased the duration to achieve the peak polymerization temperature (P < 0.05). Furthermore, the mechanical properties of the material, including density, modulus, and maximum compression strength, decreased with increasing castor oil content. However, preparation temperature (room temperature versus precooling) had no significant effect (P > 0.05) on these mechanical properties. In conclusion, the addition of castor oil to PMMA followed by precooling created an ideal modified bone cement with a low modulus, low polymerization temperature, and long handling time, enhancing its applicability and safety for vertebroplasty.
Specific Induction of Protein Kinase Cδ Subspecies after Transient Middle Cerebral Artery Occlusion in the Rat Brain: Inhibition by MK-801

Protein kinase C (PKC) consists of a family of closely related Ca2+/phospholipid-dependent phosphotransferase isozymes, most of which are present in the brain and are differentially activated by second messengers. Calcium-dependent PKC activity may cause neuronal degeneration after ischemic insult. PKC is also involved in trophic-factor signaling, indicating that activity of some PKC subspecies may be beneficial to the injured brain. Therefore, we screened long-term changes in the expression of multiple PKC subspecies after focal brain ischemia. Middle cerebral artery occlusion was produced by using an intraluminal suture for 30 min or 90 min. Inin situ hybridization experiments, mRNA levels of PKCα, -β, -γ, -δ, -ε and -ζ were decreased in the infarct core 4 hr after ischemia and were lost completely 12 hr after ischemia. In areas surrounding the core, PKCδ mRNA was specifically induced 4, 12, and 24 hr after ischemia in the cortex. At 3 and 7 d, the core and a rim around it showed increased mRNA levels of PKCδ. No other subspecies were induced. At 2 d, immunoblotting demonstrated increased levels of PKCδ protein in the perifocal tissue, and immunocytochemistry revealed an increased number of PKCδ-positive neurons in the perifocal cortex. In the core, PKCδ-positive macrophages and endothelial cells were seen. Pretreatment with MK-801, an NMDA antagonist, inhibited cortical PKCδ mRNA induction. The data show that focal brain ischemia induces PKCδ mRNA and protein but not other PKC subspecies through the activation of NMDA receptors and that the upregulation lasts for several days in neurons of the perifocal zone.
Mother's body size and placental size predict coronary heart disease in men.

AIMS People whose birthweights were towards the lower end of the normal range are at increased risk of coronary heart disease. This is attributed to foetal programming through malnutrition, but the cause of the malnutrition is unknown. METHODS AND RESULTS We studied 6975 men born in Helsinki during 1934-44. Their size at birth was recorded. Babies who later developed coronary heart disease tended to have a low ponderal index (birthweight/length(3)). Three different placental phenotypes predicted the disease. In primiparous mothers who were short, having below median height, the hazard ratio for the disease was 1.14 (95% confidence interval 1.08-1.21, P< 0.0001) for each centimetre increase in the difference between the length and breadth of the placental surface. In tall mothers whose body mass index was above the median, the hazard ratio was 1.25 (1.10-1.42, P= 0.0007) per 40 cm(2) decrease in the surface area. In tall mothers whose body mass index was below the median, the hazard ratio was 1.07 (1.02-1.13, P= 0.01) per 1% increase in the placental weight/birthweight ratio. CONCLUSIONS Three different combinations of maternal and placental size predicted coronary heart disease. The mother's body size determines the availability of nutrients and is linked to the development and function of the placenta, reflected in its shape and size. We speculate that variations in three processes of normal placental development lead to foetal malnutrition. The processes are (i) implantation and spiral artery invasion, (ii) growth of the chorionic surface, and (iii) compensatory expansion of the chorionic surface.
Fast techniques for computing finite-length MIMO MMSE decision feedback equalizers

Multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) digital communication systems have received great attention due to their potential of increasing the overall system throughput. In such systems, MIMO decision feedback equalization (DFE) schemes are often used to mitigate intersymbol interference (ISI) resulting from channel multipath propagation. In this context, the existing computationally efficient methods for exact estimation of the DFE filters under minimum mean-square-error criteria (MMSE-DFE) rely on fast Cholesky decomposition and backsubstitution or Levinson techniques. These methods may still present several difficulties in implementation as the demand on higher transmission rates increases, and thus a simple solution is necessary. In this paper, new procedures for fast computation of the MIMO-MMSE-DFE are presented. The new algorithms are obtained from a simple observation, namely, that the optimal feedforward filter (FFF) is related to the well-known Kalman gain matrix, commonly encountered in fast recursive least squares adaptive algorithms-for which fast recursions exist and are readily applicable. Moreover, the feedback filter can be easily computed via stable fast MIMO convolution techniques. As a result, the proposed method is less complex, more structured, and can be as reliable in finite precision as known approaches in the literature.
Rotary ultrasonic drilling and milling of ceramics

An experimental study of the rotary ultrasonic drilling of ceramics is first presented. The influence of different process parameters on the material removal rate for machining of magnesia stabilized zirconia is examined. Then a mechanistic approach to modeling the material removal rate during rotary ultrasonic drilling of ceramics is proposed and applied to predicting the material removal rate for the case of magnesia stabilized zirconia. Finally, a new method to extend rotary ultrasonic drilling process to face milling of ceramics is proposed. The development of the experimental setup is described and preliminary experimental results are presented and discussed.
The Impact of Irrelevant and Misleading Information on Software Development Effort Estimates: A Randomized Controlled Field Experiment

Studies in laboratory settings report that software development effort estimates can be strongly affected by effort-irrelevant and misleading information. To increase our knowledge about the importance of these effects in field settings, we paid 46 outsourcing companies from various countries to estimate the required effort of the same five software development projects. The companies were allocated randomly to either the original requirement specification or a manipulated version of the original requirement specification. The manipulations were as follows: 1) reduced length of requirement specification with no change of content, 2) information about the low effort spent on the development of the old system to be replaced, 3) information about the client's unrealistic expectations about low cost, and 4) a restriction of a short development period with start up a few months ahead. We found that the effect sizes in the field settings were much smaller than those found for similar manipulations in laboratory settings. Our findings suggest that we should be careful about generalizing to field settings the effect sizes found in laboratory settings. While laboratory settings can be useful to demonstrate the existence of an effect and better understand it, field studies may be needed to study the size and importance of these effects.
A patient-specific computational study of transvenous defibrillation [segmented CT images]

The goal of this study is to assess the predictive capacity of computational models of transvenous defibrillation by comparing the results of patient-specific simulations to clinically determined defibrillation metrics. Solutions for seven patient-specific models have been completed. The 3-D models of the thorax and in situ electrodes were created from segmented CT images taken shortly after implant. Each of the 3-D models was created by defining each voxel in the segmented data set as a volume element in the computational model. The electric field distribution during defibrillation was computed using the finite volume method. The critical mass hypothesis was used to define a successful shock and to determine the defibrillation metrics from the calculated field distribution. Simulated defibrillation thresholds yielded good estimates of the clinically determined thresholds in 4 of the 7 patients examined. The model-predicted impedances correlate well with the clinical measurements. These results are promising and provide preliminary support to the potential utility of this modeling approach for patient-specific surgical planning of cardioverter defibrillator implantation and for evaluating new electrode configurations.
Spatial and Kinematic Alignments between Central and Satellite Halos

Based on a cosmological N-body simulation, we analyze spatial and kinematic alignments of satellite halos within 6 times the virial radius of group-sized host halos (rvir). We measure three different types of spatial alignment: halo alignment between the orientation of the group central substructure (GCS) and the distribution of its satellites, radial alignment between the orientation of a satellite and the direction toward its GCS, and direct alignment between the orientation of the GCS and that of its satellites. Analogously, we use the directions of satellite velocities and probe three further types of alignment: the radial velocity alignment between the satellite velocity and the connecting line between the satellite and GCS, the halo velocity alignment between the orientation of the GCS and satellite velocities, and the autovelocity alignment between the satellite orientations and their velocities. We find that satellites are preferentially located along the major axis of the GCS within at least 6rvir (the range probed here). Furthermore, satellites preferentially point toward the GCS. The most pronounced signal is detected on small scales, but a detectable signal extends out to ~6rvir. The direct alignment signal is weaker; however, a systematic trend is visible at distances ≲2rvir. All velocity alignments are highly significant on small scales. The halo velocity alignment is constant within 2rvir and declines rapidly beyond. The halo and the autovelocity alignments are maximal at small scales and disappear beyond 1rvir and 1.5rvir, respectively. Our results suggest that the halo alignment reflects the filamentary large-scale structure that extends far beyond the virial radii of the groups. In contrast, the main contribution to the radial alignment arises from the adjustment of the satellite orientations in the group tidal field. The projected data reveal good agreement with recent results derived from large galaxy surveys.