Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Indoor positioning based on foot-mounted IMU

The paper presents the results of the project which examines the level of accuracy that can be achieved in precision indoor positioning by using a pedestrian dead reckoning (PDR) method. This project is focused on estimating the position using step detection technique based on foot-mounted IMU. The approach is sensor-fusion by using accelerometers, gyroscopes and magnetometers after initial alignment is completed. By estimating and compensating the drift errors in each step, the proposed method can reduce errors during the footsteps. There is an advantage of the step detection combined with ZUPT and ZARU for calculating the actual position, distance travelled and estimating the IMU sensors’ inherent accumulated error by EKF. Based on the above discussion, all algorithms are derived in detail in the paper. Several tests with an Xsens IMU device have been performed in order to evaluate the performance of the proposed method. The final results show that the dead reckoning positioning average position error did not exceed 0.88 m (0.2% to 1.73% of the total traveled distance – normally ranges from 0.3% to 10%), what is very promising for future handheld indoor navigation systems that can be used in large office buildings, malls, museums, hospitals, etc.
Disgusted by Sexual Abuse: Exploring the Association Between Disgust Sensitivity and Posttraumatic Stress Symptoms Among Mothers of Sexually Abused Children.

Nonoffending mothers of sexually abused children often exhibit high levels of posttraumatic stress (PTS) symptoms. Emerging evidence suggests that trait-like individual differences in sensitivity to disgust play a role in the development of PTS symptoms. One such individual difference, disgust sensitivity, has not been examined as far as we are aware among victims of secondary traumatic stress. The current study examined associations between disgust sensitivity and PTS symptoms among mothers of sexually abused children (N = 72). Mothers completed the Impact of Event Scale-Revised and the Three Domain Disgust Scale (Tybur, Lieberman, & Griskevicius, 2009). More than one third of mothers scored above a suggested cutoff (mean score = 1.5) for high levels of PTS symptoms. Hierarchical linear regression analysis results indicated that sexual disgust sensitivity (β = .39, p = .002) was associated with PTS symptoms (R(2) = . 18). An interaction analysis showed that sexual disgust sensitivity was associated with maternal PTS symptoms only when the perpetrator was not biologically related to the child (β = -.32, p = .047; R(2) = . 28). Our findings suggested that sexual disgust sensitivity may be a risk factor for developing PTS symptoms among mothers of sexually abused children.
Slip Recovery and Prevention in Pseudo Direct Drive Permanent-Magnet Machines

A Pseudo Direct Drive (PDD) is a permanent magnet machine with an integrated magnetic gear. It has two magnetically coupled rotors. When subjected to a load torque higher than the pull-out torque, slip between the two rotors may occur. Although this may not cause any damage to the PDD or the load, it could, if left uncontrolled, result in undesirable consequences such as loss of power transfer, excessive speed on the high-speed rotor (HSR), incorrect commutation signal, and/or loss of load speed/position control. This paper proposes a technique for a PDD equipped with a position/speed sensor on each rotor to control the slip caused by external overload torques and to enable a swift recovery when they are removed. However, when the PDD is equipped with only one sensor on the HSR, it is impossible to determine the position/speed of the low-speed rotor using an observer after slip occurs, which precludes a swift and controlled recovery. Therefore, a novel technique which prevents the slip between the two rotors under overload conditions is also proposed. Both techniques have been successfully implemented and demonstrated on a prototype PDD drive.
Calcification score versus arterial stenosis grading: comparison of two CT-based methods for risk assessment of anastomotic leakage after esophagectomy and gastric pull-up

Purpose Anastomotic leakage is a major surgical complication following esophagectomy and gastric pull-up. Specific risk factors such as celiac trunk (TC) stenosis and high calcification score of the aorta have been identified, but no data are available on their relative prognostic values. This retrospective study aimed to compare and evaluate calcification score versus stenosis quantification with regards to prognostic impact on anastomotic leakage. Patients and methods Preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography scans of 164 consecutive patients with primary esophageal cancer were evaluated by two radiologists to apply a calcification score (0–3 scale) assessing the aorta, the celiac axis and the right and left postceliac arteries. Concurrently, the presence and degree of stenosis of TC and superior mesenteric artery were recorded for stenosis quantification. Results Anastomotic leakage was noted in 14/164 patients and 12/14 showed stenosis of TC (n=11). The presence of TC stenosis was found to have a significant impact on anastomotic healing (p=0.004). The odds ratio for the prediction of anastomotic leakage by the degree of stenosis was 1.04 (95% CI, 1.02–1.07). Ten of 14 patients had aortic calcification scores of 1 or 2, but calcification scores of the aorta, the celiac axis and the right and left postceliac arteries did not correlate with the corresponding TC stenosis values and showed no influence on patient outcome as defined by the occurrence of anastomotic insufficiency (p=0.565, 0.855, 0.518 and 1.000, respectively). Inter-reader reliability of computed tomography analysis and absolute agreement on calcium scoring was mostly over 90%. No significant differences in preoperative comorbidities and patient characteristics were found between those with and without anastomotic leakage. Conclusion Measurement of TC stenosis in preoperative contrast-enhanced computed tomography scans proved to be more reliable than calcification scores in predicting anastomotic leakage and should, therefore, be used in the risk assessment of patients undergoing esophagectomy and gastric pull-up.
Brand Personality Dimensions in the Brazilian Context

Abstract Brands may be perceived as possessing a set of distinct traits or characteristics, i.e., a personality, similar to a person. Thus, the personality of a brand is relevant as a source of differentiation in an increasingly competitive market environment. In this study, the authors explore the dimensions of brand personality proposed by J. Aaker (1997), seeking to discover the particular evaluation dimensions of the Brazilian context. The study was conducted in exploratory stages, beginning with a preparatory stage that was carried out by professionals and academics from the fields of communication and marketing. This was followed by stages of conclusive research using an online survey with a sample of 1,302 Brazilian consumers. Two sub-samples were extracted: one calibration sample for exploratory factor analysis and a validation sample to perform confirmatory factor analysis in order to verify the convergent and discriminant validities of the final scale. Five dimensions of brand personality in Brazil were detected: credibility, joy, audacity, sophistication and sensitivity. These dimensions showed some differences in comparison with similar studies that had been carried out in other countries. The study led to a scale of 28 items for measuring brand personality and made it possible to compare competing brands in terms of brand personality. Key words : marketing; brands; brand personality.
Test cost and misclassification cost trade-off using reframing

Many solutions to cost-sensitive classification (and regression) rely on some or all of the following assumptions: we have complete knowledge about the cost context at training time, we can easily re-train whenever the cost context changes, and we have technique-specific methods (such as cost-sensitive decision trees) that can take advantage of that information. In this paper we address the problem of selecting models and minimising joint cost (integrating both misclassification cost and test costs) without any of the above assumptions. We introduce methods and plots (such as the so-called JROC plots) that can work with any off-the-shelf predictive technique, including ensembles, such that we reframe the model to use the appropriate subset of attributes (the feature configuration) during deployment time. In other words, models are trained with the available attributes (once and for all) and then deployed by setting missing values on the attributes that are deemed ineffective for reducing the joint cost. As the number of feature configuration combinations grows exponentially with the number of features we introduce quadratic methods that are able to approximate the optimal configuration and model choices, as shown by the experimental results.
Absence of Neisseria meningitidis W-135 Electrophoretic Type 37 during the Hajj, 2002

We document the absence of carriage of Neisseria meningitidis W-135 of the sequence type 11 in returning pilgrims after the Hajj 2002. This finding contrasts with the 15% carriage rate we previously reported in pilgrims returning from the Hajj 2001. The epidemiology of carriage may be changing or may have been controlled by vaccination and a policy of administering antibiotics to pilgrims from countries with a high incidence of meningococcal disease.
Are All Generics Created Equal

Such genericity is a feature of entire sentences (or at least of entire clauses), and is not attributable to any subpart of the sentence, such as to the subject noun phrase or to the verb phrase. It is instead somehow an interaction between the two. This sets it apart from another type of genericity, which is attributed to the noun phrase’s referring to an abstract genus (or kind) and not as making a statement about the individual members of that genus, as in
The Clinical Utility of SUDOSCAN in Chronic Kidney Disease in Chinese Patients with Type 2 Diabetes

There are gaps between recommendations on regular screening for diabetic kidney disease (DKD) and clinical practice especially in busy and low resource settings. SUDOSCAN (Impeto Medical, Paris, France) is a non-invasive technology for assessing sudomotor function using reverse iontophoresis and chronoamperometry which detects abnormal sweat gland function. Vasculopathy and neuropathy share common risk factors and we hypothesized that SUDOSCAN may be used to detect chronic kidney disease (CKD). Between 2012 and 2013, SUDOSCAN was performed in a consecutive cohort of 2833 Hong Kong Chinese adults with type 2 diabetes. Chronic kidney disease was defined as estimated glomerular filtration rate <60 ml/min/1.73m2. In this cross-sectional cohort (mean age 58.6±9.5 years, 55.7% male, median disease duration 8 [interquartile range 3–14] years), 5.8% had CKD. At a cut-off SUDOSCAN-DKD score of 53, the test had sensitivity of 76.7%, specificity of 63.4% and positive likelihood ratio of 2.1 to detect CKD. The area under receiver operating characteristic curve for CKD was 0.75 (95% confidence interval 0.72–0.79). Patients without CKD but low score had worse risk factors and complications than those with high score. We conclude that SUDOSCAN may be used to detect patients at risk of impaired renal function as part of a screening program in Chinese population, especially in outreach or low resource settings.
XRCC5 VNTR, XRCC6 -61C>G, and XRCC7 6721G>T Gene Polymorphisms Associated with Male Infertility Risk: Evidences from Case-Control and In Silico Studies

We evaluate the association between genetic polymorphisms of XRCC5 VNTR, XRCC6 -61C>G, and XRCC7 6721G>T with male infertility susceptibility. A total of 392 men including 178 infertile males (102 idiopathic azoospermia and 76 severe oligozoospermia) and 214 healthy controls were recruited. XRCC6 -61C>G and XRCC7 6721G>T genotyping was performed by PCR-RFLP whereas XRCC5 VNTR was performed by PCR. The 2R allele and 2R allele carriers of XRCC5 VNTR polymorphism significantly decreased risk of male infertility. The mutant GG genotypes and carriers of the CG and GG genotypes of XRCC6 -61C>G showed increased risk for the male infertility. Furthermore, the G allele of the XRCC6 -61C>G was correlated with increased susceptibility to male infertility. Likewise, the T allele of the XRCC7 6721G>T polymorphism was associated with increased susceptibility to male infertility in azoospermia. In silico analysis predicted that the presence of tandem repeats in XRCC5 gene prompter can be sequence to bind to more nuclear factors. Also, rs2267437 (C>G) variant was located in a well-conserved region in XRCC6 promoter and this variation might lead to differential allelic expression. The XRCC7 6721G>T gene polymorphism occurred in an acceptor-splicing site, but this polymorphism has no severe modification on XRCC7 mRNA splicing. Our results indicate the association of XRCC5 VNTR, XRCC6 -61C>G, and XRCC7 6721G>T gene polymorphisms with male infertility in Iranian men.
The "Double Market" approach in venture capital and private equity activity: the case of Europe

This paper aims to contribute to the understanding of the factors that determine fundraising and investment in the private equity market in Europe. These are analysed separately, since the lags faced in this activity determine the existence of two separate markets. As a result, private equity institutions deal with different agents, namely investors (fundraising) and firms (investment), whose link with the market is affected by different determinants. The results show that liquidity and the size of the local market are the main factors determining fundraising whereas liquidity and research and development expenditure determine investments in early stage firms.
Sputum Bacteriology and Antibiotic Sensitivity Pattern of Patients HavingAcute Exacerbation of COPD in India ? A Preliminary Study

Background: Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease (COPD) is a common disease and equally affecting rural population. Majority of COPD exacerbations are infective and facilities of bacterial culture are not available at peripheral health institutions. Acute exacerbations can contribute to irreversible progression of disease. Objective: To find out the bacteria predominantly causing the AECOPD in our region, its relation with severity of the diseases and antibiotic most effective against these organisms. Material and Methods: Previously diagnosed patients presented with acute exacerbation were investigated for sputum characteristics, culture and drug sensitivity. Results: Culture was positive in 41 (82%) patients. Streptococcus pneumoniae (32%) was the most common pathogen isolated followed by Streptococcus pyogens (16%) and Pseudomonas (12%). Piperacillin+tazobactum was the most effective antibiotic against all organisms. Quinolones were less effective. Discussion: Sputum culture was positive in 82% of patients with AECOPD which was higher as compare to other studies. On the contrary positive growth in 97% of samples has also been found. This difference may be because of the fact that culture positivity depends on nature of sputum, time of collection sputum and previous antibiotic use. Conclusion: Streptococcus pneumoniae is still the most common pathogen in patients with AECOPD of this area. Piperacillin+tazobactum should be the first choice empirical antibiotic. Quinolones should be used cautiously in area where prevalence of tuberculosis is high. However more studies with larger population required which also includes bronchoscopic sampling along with sputum.
HEV fuel optimization using interval back propagation based dynamic programming

To my Parents Whose guidance, care, love, and support has proven extremely valuable to me ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS First and foremost I would like to thank my advisor, Dr. Nader Sadegh, for giving me the opportunity to carry out this research. I feel privileged to work alongside him for the last two years. He has been a guiding light, supporting me at all times and giving me the right advice. His words of encouragement thought the duration of the research spurred me onto this work. In addition to helping with my research, the discussions I had with Dr. Sadegh have helped me develop a deep interest control theory and has motivated me to delve further in this field. their valuable time to serve on my thesis committee and provided their valuable feedback. Finally, I owe my thanks to Mrs. Johnson Glenda of the mechanical engineering department, who has helped guide me through the administrative process of completing my MS thesis degree in a timely manner. SUMMARY In this thesis: • The primary powertrain components of a power split hybrid electric vehicle are modeled. In particular, the dynamic model of the energy storage element (i.e., traction battery) is exactly linearized through an input transformation method to take advantage of the proposed optimal control algorithm. • A new dynamic programming approach called interval back propagation is introduced. This involves quantization of the energy storage states (i.e., states of charge) into a set of computed intervals. • A closed form globally optimal solution is obtained for the optimal input under certain conditions. • The procedure used for real time implementation of the algorithm is elucidated • The fuel economy results are compared with those from standard rule based techniques to confirm improvement. A lipschitz continuous and nondecreasing cost function is formulated in order to minimize the net amount of consumed fuel. The globally optimal solution is obtained using a dynamic programming routine that produces the optimal input based on the current state of charge and the future power demand. it is shown that the global optimal control solution can be expressed in closed form for a time invariant and convex incremental cost function utilizing the interval back propagation approach. The global optimality of both time varying and invariant solutions are rigorously proved. The optimal closed form solution is further shown to be applicable to the xi time varying case provided that the time variations of …
Mixed community-acquired pneumonia in hospitalised patients

The role of mixed community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) is controversial. The aim of the present study was to determine the incidence, principal microbial patterns, clinical predictors and course of mixed CAP. The current study included 1,511 consecutive hospitalised patients with CAP. Of these, 610 (40%) patients had an established aetiology. One pathogen was demonstrated in 528 patients and 82 (13%) patients had mixed pneumonia. Cases including CAP, by a pyogenic bacteria and a complete paired serology for “atypicals”, revealed that 82 (13%) patients had definite single pyogenic pneumonia and 28 patients (5%) had mixed pyogenic pneumonia. In patients with mixed CAP, Streptococcus pneumoniae was the most prevalent microorganism (44 out of 82; 54%). The most frequent combination was S. pneumoniae with Haemophilus influenzae (17 out of 82; 21%). Influenza virus A and S. pneumoniae (five out of 28; 18%) was the most frequent association in the mixed pyogenic pneumonia group. No clinical predictors for mixed pneumonias could be identified. Patients with mixed pyogenic pneumonia more frequently developed shock when compared with patients with single pyogenic pneumonia (18 versus 4%). In conclusion, mixed pneumonia occurs in >10% of cases with community-acquired pneumonia requiring hospitalisation.
Mining a Small Medical Data Set by Integrating the Decision Tree and t-test

Although several researchers have used statistical methods to prove that aspiration followed by the injection of 95% ethanol left in situ (retention) is an effective treatment for ovarian endometriomas, very few discuss the different conditions that could generate different recovery rates for the patients. Therefore, this study adopts the statistical method and decision tree techniques together to analyze the postoperative status of ovarian endometriosis patients under different conditions. Since our collected data set is small, containing only 212 records, we use all of these data as the training data. Therefore, instead of using a resultant tree to generate rules directly, we use the value of each node as a cut point to generate all possible rules from the tree first. Then, using t -test, we verify the rules to discover some useful description rules after all possible rules from the tree have been generated. Experimental results show that our approach can find some new interesting knowledge about recurrent ovarian endometriomas under different conditions.
Quality of life with three antihypertensive treatments. Cilazapril, atenolol, nifedipine.

A multicenter, randomized double-blind study of 6 months' duration was performed in 540 patients (average age 54 years, 57% male) with mild-to-moderate essential hypertension to determine the relative effects on quality of life of cilazapril, atenolol, and nifedipine retard. Quality of life was assessed by using both a self-administered and an interviewer-administered questionnaire; the assessment included a complaint score (symptoms checklist), Health Status Index, assessment of work satisfaction, Psychological General Well-being Index, Profile of Mood States subscales, and life satisfaction assessment. Psychomotor function was measured by the Reitan Trail Making test B. At the end of the trial, diastolic blood pressure had fallen by an average of 15 mm Hg in all three groups, but significantly (p = 0.01) more patients taking cilazapril required the addition of a diuretic (36%) compared with those taking atenolol (25%) or nifedipine retard (24%). No significant differences in quality of life were observed between cilazapril and atenolol during the trial. Symptomatic complaints increased on nifedipine retard (p = 0.02) and contributed to a higher discontinuation rate (21% discontinued treatment compared with 13% and 14% taking atenolol and cilazapril, respectively, p = 0.04). However, a possible improvement in the fatigue subscale (p = 0.04) was also observed on nifedipine retard. The 95% confidence intervals showed that none of the drugs in this trial produced an effect equivalent to that previously reported between captopril and methyldopa in the Psychological General Well Being Index or between captopril and methyldopa or propranolol in Trail Making test B. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Postinfarct Cortical Plasticity and Behavioral Recovery

Plasticity phenomena in the cerebral cortex after ischemic injury have been documented repeatedly over the past 2 decades both in animal models and in human stroke survivors. This review highlights many of the major neuroanatomic and neurophysiological changes that characterize poststroke plasticity in experimental animals. Spared regions adjacent to the infarct and far removed from the infarct undergo functional alterations that are modified by behavioral experience. Recent evidence is also reviewed, demonstrating that long-range intracortical pathways can be rerouted to completely novel territories. The implications of this new finding for understanding the brain’s capacity for recovery are discussed.