Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mobile robot sonar sensing with pseudo-random codes

One of the most severe problems in conventional mobile robot sonar sensing is from the literature known as crosstalk. This article addresses the crosstalk problem and presents first experimental results of a new approach which allows the simultaneous firing of sonar sensors. At the same time frequent misreadings caused by crosstalk or external ultrasound sources are eliminated. Moreover, the range resolution as well as the lateral resolution of a sonar sensor are significantly increased. This is achieved by carefully designing the emitted burst, i.e. by using appropriate pseudo-random sequences together with a matched filter technique.
Noninvasive estimation of myosin heavy chain composition in human skeletal muscle.

PURPOSE Information on muscle fiber type composition is of great importance in muscle physiology and athletic performance. Because there are only a few techniques available that noninvasively and accurately provide an estimate of muscle fiber type composition, the development of additional and alternative approaches is required. METHODS Twenty-seven participants (21 men, 6 women) with an average age of 43 ± 18 yr, height of 175 ± 7 cm, and mass of 74 ± 12 kg participated in the study. Delay, contraction, and half relaxation times were calculated from tensiomyographic radial twitch responses of the vastus lateralis muscle. Univariate and multiple linear regression analyses were used to correlate the proportion of myosin heavy chain I (%MHC-I) in a biopsy obtained from the same muscle with a single and all three radial twitch parameters. RESULTS Delay, contraction, and half relaxation times all correlated with %MHC-I (r = 0.612, 0.878, and 0.669, respectively, at P ≤ 0.001). When all three parameters were included in a multiple linear regression, the correlation with the %MHC-I was even better (R = 0.933, P < 0.001). CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that time parameters of the skeletal muscle mechanical radial twitch response, measured with a contact linear displacement sensor, can be used as an accurate noninvasive predictor of the %MHC-I in a muscle.
Trends in Life Expectancy by Income and the Role of Specific Causes of Death

This study explores how life expectancy at age 35 has evolved across the income distribution in Sweden over time. We examine individual income for men 1970–2007 and family income for both men and women 1980–2007. During this period, income inequality increased in most western countries, but especially so in Sweden. Drawing on a large sample of the Swedish population, our results show that the gap in life expectancy between the richest and poorest fifths of the income distribution also increased. This was the case both for individual and family income. The increase was larger for men than for women, but the only group with stagnant life expectancy at age 35 was women in the lowest income quintile group. Between 1986 and 2007, the difference between the lowest and highest family income quintiles increased by about one year for women and by almost two years for men. The causes of death that most significantly contributed to the increased disparities among women were circulatory and respiratory diseases. For men, circulatory disease mortality alone caused most of the increased disparities.
Y-haplotypes and idiopathic male infertility in an Indian population

Infertility being a multifactorial disorder, both genetic and environmental factors contribute to the etiology of infertile phenotype. Chromosomal anomalies and Y-microdeletion are the established genetic risk factors of male infertility. Y-haplotypes has been found as risk factor for male infertility in certain populations, though in certain others no association has been reported, suggesting a population-specific association of these variations with male infertility. In a case-control study, 165 azoo-/oligospermic patients and 200 controls were haplotyped for certain Y-haplogroups for a possible association with idiopathic male infertility in an Indian population. Analysed Y-haplogroups showed no association with infertile phenotype. Thus this genetic factor is not a risk for infertility in the studied Indian population but that does not rule out the possibility of any of them, to be a risk in other populations.
A Multiple Criteria Approach for Evaluating Information Systems

An information system can be viewed as a symbiotic relationship between the users of the system and the system itself. Ideally, an information system should be evaluated with equal consideration given to both user constraints and to system constraints. The approach described in this article provides the analyst with a framework for gaining insight into information system performance from both user and system viewpoints by establishing a causal relationship between user goal attainment and system activity. This approach produces not only measures of current performance, but also predictive measures of future performance. The approach is based on a multiple goal programming formulation of the information system design evaluation problem. This article presents an overview of the formulation and its interpretation. The focus is on the analysis of an example system facilitated by this approach. A discussion of the applicability of the approach concludes this article.
Factors associated with psychiatric morbidity in Spanish schoolteachers.

BACKGROUND The relationship between psychiatric morbidity and characteristics of the work environment has been well-documented, and one of the professional groups in which psychiatric symptoms are most common is schoolteachers. AIMS The present study was designed to evaluate the association between psychiatric morbidity [measured with General Health Questionnaire (GHQ)-28 score] and workplace-, sociodemographic- and personality-related variables in schoolteachers. METHODS A sample of 498 non-university teachers in the city of Granada (southern Spain) were studied with a questionnaire comprising items that covered work-related variables (work and professional variables, as well as job perceptions), sociodemographic characteristics of the teachers and personality, evaluated with the Temperament and Character Inventory (TCI-125). The dependent variable was psychiatric morbidity, measured as scores >6 on the GHQ-28. Crude and adjusted odds ratios between each independent variable and psychiatric morbidity were obtained. RESULTS In the adjusted analysis, psychiatric morbidity was associated with heavy workload, physical assault from pupils, low appraisal by superiors, low job satisfaction, high stress, female gender and (regarding personal characteristics) high scores for harm avoidance and novelty seeking and low scores for self-directedness. CONCLUSIONS When personality characteristics are taken into account, the effect of workplace and sociodemographic variables was limited, although workload, poor job satisfaction and female sex remained associated with psychiatric morbidity.
Detection of Zika Virus Infection in Thailand, 2012–2014

Zika virus (ZIKV) is an emerging mosquito-borne pathogen with reported cases in Africa, Asia, and large outbreaks in the Pacific. No autochthonous ZIKV infections have been confirmed in Thailand. However, there have been several cases reported in travelers returning from Thailand. Here we report seven cases of acute ZIKV infection in Thai residents across the country confirmed by molecular or serological testing including sequence data. These endemic cases, combined with previous reports in travelers, provide evidence that ZIKV is widespread throughout Thailand.
Multinational teams in the European Commission and the European Parliament

International public organizations, as the European Commission and the European Parliament, are under almost permanent political pressure to improve efficiency. While teamwork is considered to be a possible remedy, so far little research on effectiveness of multinational teams was undertaken in international public organizations. The purpose of this book is to identify the distinctive characteristics that influence multinational team performance in a public management context. Based on a qualitative research approach a complexity model of multinational team performance was developed. This model can be used as a checklist to identify possible problems in multinational teams. Additionally, managerial implications of how to deal with the inherent complexity of multinational teams are given.
A finite wordlength analysis of an LMS-Newton adaptive filtering algorithm

The effects of quantization in an least-mean-square (LMS)-Newton adaptive filtering algorithm are investigated. The algorithm considered uses an optimum convergence factor that forces the output a posteriori error to become zero in each iteration. The propagation of errors due to quantization in the internal variables of the algorithm is investigated, and a closed-form formula for the excess mean square error due to quantization is derived. Fixed-point arithmetic is assumed throughout. Several simulations confirm the accuracy of the formulas presented. <<ETX>>
A new polarimetric method for the analysis of dextran and sucrose.

A new method for dextran quantification has been developed and field-trialled in Jamaica, in association with the Sugar Industry Research Institute. The method uses a near infrared (NIR) polarimeter and a specific dextranase. The dextranase selectively breaks-down the dextran into sugars of lesser specific rotations without affecting any other substance present in the juice. The initial dextran concentration is derived from the calibration curve of the change in observed optical rotation (OR) due to enzymatic hydrolysis and outputted automatically by the polarimeter. Readings are not affected by the molecular weight of the dextrans, the entire procedure takes less than 10 minutes to perform and it is semiautomated. Use of a NIR polarimeter negates the need for lead clarification. The method is suitable for both juice and raw sugar samples.
Bmc Complementary and Alternative Medicine in Vitro Test of External Qigong

Background: Practitioners of the alternative medical practice 'external Qigong' generally claim the ability to emit or direct "healing energy" to treat patients. We investigated the ability of experienced Qigong practitioners to enhance the healthy growth of cultured human cells in a series of studies, each following a rigorously designed protocol with randomization, blinding and controls for variability.
Reducing the Generosity and Increasing the Conditionality of Disability Benefits: Turning the Supertanker or Squeezing the Balloon?

This paper examines the impact of a major Australian disability reform – the 2006 Welfare to Work reform – on welfare receipt. It uses a combination of difference-in-differences and propensity score matching to identify the treatment effect. The reform reduced the generosity and increased the conditionality of welfare payments by shifting partially disabled disability benefit claimants from disability benefits to unemployment benefits. This led to increases among partially disabled welfare recipients in the hazards for exiting welfare and for switching (back) from unemployment to disability benefits. It also led to an increase in the hazard for returning to welfare for those having previously exited welfare. Overall the reform had no impact on the probability of being on welfare 12 months or 24 months later. Disability reforms need to do more than simply reduce the generosity and tighten the conditionality of payments if they are to impact on welfare dependence among people with disability.
On China's Domestic Capital Mobility and the Role of the Government: Empirical Evidence Over 1970–2006

This article investigates capital mobility across 29 provinces in China for the period of 1970–2006 using the Feldstein–Horioka (FH) approach and Campbell and Mankiw’s consumption-smoothing (CS) framework. It also examines the role of the governments in driving provincial capital mobility. If the provincial government investment is not properly separated out from the private investment, the FH framework applied to the overall saving and investment (private plus public) is found to underestimate the private saving–investment correlation and hence overstates the degree of private capital mobility compared with the CS framework that focuses on the private consumption and output. Both frameworks indicate strong correlation between private saving–investment and private consumption–output, implying strong barriers in the provincial private capital flows. However, there is ample evidence that capital mobility has been rising over time, particularly after the mid 1990s. It also appears that the government facilitates capital flows through inter-governmental transfers during the sample period. The extent of provincial capital mobility sheds light on the ability of different provinces in diversifying idiosyncratic provincial risks. The earlier findings are robust to alternative measurements of variables and model specifications.
Does deliberation matter?: the impact of the Bologna process on attitudes and policies in European higher education

This research analyses the impact of deliberative governance mechanisms on policy reforms. This mode of governance involves the direct participation of state and non-state actors in meetings, during which participants are open to the exchange of arguments about a particular policy space and to reaching an agreement which can be non-binding. This research develops the theoretical claim that deliberative governance has a significant impact on the cognitive aspect of domestic policies and in particular individual attitudes. It focuses on the Bologna process that has been at the heart of European-wide reforms of higher education and investigates three aspects. First, a survey of participants in the Bologna process shows how their attitudes have changed. Secondly, case studies of the Sorbonne and Bologna agreements of the 25th of May 1998 and the 19th of June 1999 investigate how those changes of attitudes and policies fit participants’ interests. Thirdly, a comparison between reforms in England and France (mid-1980s-2007) discusses how changes of attitudes relate to domestic policy changes. The study explores two mechanisms that have been widely held to facilitate reforms, namely ‘learning’ and ‘strategic use’. The study finds that participants are open to changing their perceptions and receiving information on policy options in deliberations if it fits their interests. Deliberations also help diffuse paradigms which facilitate domestic reforms. More importantly, deliberative governance obeys a certain hierarchy when influencing individual attitudes. It starts by changing the most instrumental attitudes. However, all attitudes are connected, leading to a spiralling effect toward attitude change concerning more fundamental domestic reforms. Deliberative governance therefore has the potential to create some convergence in certain policy areas. This research contributes to the relevant European integration literature on deliberative governance and policy change by drawing on theoretical insights from the wide literature on cognitive theories. It also adds to the specialist field of studies concerning the European higher education area.
PAIRING OF SUPERMASSIVE BLACK HOLES IN UNEQUAL-MASS GALAXY MERGERS

We examine the pairing process of supermassive black holes (SMBHs) down to scales of 20–100 pc using a set of N-body/SPH simulations of binary mergers of disk galaxies with mass ratios of 1:4 and 1:10. Our numerical experiments are designed to represent merger events occurring at various cosmic epochs. The initial conditions of the encounters are consistent with the ΛCDM paradigm of structure formation, and the simulations include the effects of radiative cooling, star formation (SF), and supernovae feedback. We find that the pairing of SMBHs depends sensitively on the amount of baryonic mass preserved in the center of the companion galaxies during the last phases of the merger. In particular, due to the combination of gasdynamics and SF, we find that a pair of SMBHs can form efficiently in 1:10 minor mergers, provided that galaxies are relatively gas-rich (gas fractions of 30% of the disk mass) and that the mergers occur at relatively high redshift (z ∼ 3), when dynamical friction timescales are shorter. Since 1:10 mergers are most common events during the assembly of galaxies, and mergers are more frequent at high redshift when galaxies are also more gas-rich, our results have positive implications for future gravitational wave experiments such as the Laser Interferometer Space Antenna.
Biofilm Formation by Staphylococcus epidermidis on Foldable and Rigid Intraocular Lenses

Background: Biofilm formation of Staphylococcus epidermidis is a major etiological factor of inducing device-related infections. Objectives: The ability of biofilm formation by the S. epidermidis was assessed in vitro on two brands of foldable (hydrophilic) and two brands of rigid (hydrophobic) intraocular lens materials in order to investigate the role of lens material in postoperative endophthalmitis. Materials and Methods: To ensure reproducibility of biofilm formation on intraocular lenses, two strains of S. epidermidis and three quantification methods were performed. The S. epidermidis strains, DSMZ3270 (biofilm-producer) and ATCC12228 (non-biofilm-producer) were applied. Organisms were cultivated on disks of different brands of foldable hydrophilic Intra Ocular Lens (IOL) made of acrylic (Didar, Iran; (A) and Omni, India; (B)), and rigid hydrophobic IOL made of polymethyl methacrylate (PMMA; Didar, Iran; (C) and Hexavision, France; (D)). Biofilms were stained with crystal violet (CV) dye, which is an index of biofilm formation. The bacterial population was counted after biofilm homogenization. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) was performed to examine the extent of biofilm formation. Results: Adherence of DSMZ3270 strain on both types of foldable and rigid IOLs, was significantly more than ATCC12228 (P < 0.001-0.05 and, P < 0.01-0.05, respectively). The bacterial populations between the lenses were significantly different (P < 0.05). Subsequent studies demonstrated significant differences between brands of foldable and PMMA IOLs. According to statistical analyses the incubation time influenced the biofilm formation on both types of IOLs which meant that by increasing incubation time, the biofilm formation increased. According to the SEM pictures, biofilm seems to be lysed at 72 hours. Conclusions: These data demonstrated that the attachment of bacteria to hydrophilic acrylic IOLs was more than hydrophobic PMMA ones independent of the brand. According to these results the bacterial strain might have more hydrophilic properties. Augmenting the biomass of biofilm by passing of time demonstrated the key role of time in biofilm formation on the IOL surfaces. The differences between IOL brands in the biofilm formation indicated the influence of design parameters for IOLs.
Hydrodynamic Experimental Investigation on Efficient Swimming of Robotic Fish Using Self-propelled Method

Efficient swimming of biologically carangiform robotic fish has been investigated by using a novel experimental method. The laboratory robotic fish model, which follows an exact replica of Saithe, is self-propelled on a servo towing system. The forward towing speed is determined by the fluid force acting on the robotic fish, as the fish undulates its body in the water. The importance of the self-propelled method, which allows for simultaneous measurement of internal and external forces on the robotic fish, has been demonstrated in the hydrodynamic experiment. The hydrodynamic result shows that the optimal efficient swimming pattern of the robotic fish is found at a parametric value where Strouhal number (St) and body wave
Distortions to Agricultural Incentives in Pakistan

This is a product of a research project on Distortions to Agricultural Incentives, under the leadership of Kym Anderson of the World Bank’s Development Research Group. The authors are grateful for excellent research support from Marika Krausova, for helpful comments from workshop participants and for funding from World Bank Trust Funds provided by the governments of Ireland, Japan, the Netherlands (BNPP) and the United Kingdom (DfID).
Best Practices for Convolutional Neural Networks Applied to Object Recognition in Images

This research project studies the impact of convolutional neural networks (CNN) in image classification tasks. We explore different architectures and training configurations with the use of ReLUs, Nesterov's accelerated gradient, dropout and maxout networks. We work with the CIFAR-10 dataset as part of a Kaggle competition to identify objects in images. Initial results show that CNNs outperform our baseline by acting as invariant feature detectors. Comparisons between different preprocessing procedures show better results for global contrast normalization and ZCA whitening. ReLUs are much faster than tanh units and outperform sigmoids. We provide extensive details about our training hyperparameters, providing intuition for their selection that could help enhance learning in similar situations. We design 4 models of convolutional neural networks that explore characteristics such as depth, number of feature maps, size and overlap of kernels, pooling regions, and different subsampling techniques. Results favor models of moderate depth that use an extensive number of parameters in both convolutional and dense layers. Maxout networks are able to outperform rectifiers on some models but introduce too much noise as the complexity of the fully-connected layers increases. The final discussion explains our results and provides additional techniques that could improve performance.
Distinctions between emotion and mood

Most academics agree that emotions and moods are related but distinct phenomena. The present study assessed emotion-mood distinctions among a non-academic population and compared these views with distinctions proposed in the literature. Content analysis of responses from 106 participants identified 16 themes, with cause (65% of respondents), duration (40%), control (25%), experience (15%), and consequences (14%) the most frequently cited distinctions. Among 65 contributions to the academic literature, eight themes were proposed, with duration (62% of authors), intentionality (41%), cause (31percnt;), consequences (31%), and function (18%) the most frequently cited. When the eight themes cited by both academics and non-academics were rank ordered, approximately 60% overlap in opinion was evident. A data-derived summary of emotion-mood distinctions is provided. These data should prove useful to investigators interested in developing a clearer scientific distinction between emotion and mood than is currently available.