Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Deadlock avoidance in FMS based on structural theory of Petri nets

This paper presents an efficient deadlock avoidance method for FMS combining prevention and avoidance approaches using structure theory of Petri nets. The method proposed is achieved in two phases. First, from a Petri net model of a given FMS, the authors built an augmented net by adding a "local control place" to each not controlled minimal siphon of the initial net. In spite of the fact that the augmented net is deadlock-free for some classes of FMS, the occurrence of deadlock remains possible. That's why this phase is called "near-prevention" phase. The authors show that the augmented net reaches necessarily an unsafe marking before the occurrence of a deadlock. An unsafe marking is a marking where at least a "local control place" is token-free. So, the second phase of the proposed method consists to falsify as long as possible this necessary condition (unsafe markings) of occurrence of deadlocks in a dynamic way. This phase is implemented by an efficient Petri net controller for which effective conflict transitions are solved according to an appropriate resource allocation policy.
Effects of Election News Coverage: How Visibility and Tone Influence Party Choice

Previous research has shown that a party's election results can depend on visibility and tone in the media. Using daily content data from the major news bulletins and daily survey data from the 2007 national election campaign in Denmark (N = 5,083), our analysis improves upon two central aspects of this earlier research. First, the effects on vote choice of the parties' visibility and tone in the media are studied concurrently in the same model. Second, a distinction is made between the effects of direct exposure to specific news content and the effects of the cumulative information environment created by the media. Overall, it is found that the more visible and the more positive the tone toward a given party is, the more voters are inclined to vote for this party. The effects are primarily effects of the information environment, not effects of direct exposure, though undecided voters are also directly affected. In the discussion, central conditions for the strength of media effects are identified.
Using a Blended Approach to Teach Research Methods: The Impact of Integrating Web-Based and In-Class Instruction

This study explored using a blended format (both in-class and online components) for teaching undergraduate research methods. A Traditional section met in-person twice weekly for 75 minutes (50 minute lecture with 25 minute group work). A Blended section had the same format for the first 4 weeks, but then switched to a single, 75-minute lecture per week with all group activity shifted to Web-based discussions and online homework sets. Comparisons of exam scores indicated no difference on the midterm but Blended students significantly outperformed those in the Traditional section on the final exam. Students in the Blended section also actively participated in online discussions and maintained close contact with the instructor. These results suggest the integration of online components may help improve student performance.
Machine-independent generation of optimal local code.

Abstract : There has been extensive research into the automatic generation of compilers. Much of this has concentrated on the issues of syntax and semantics, while little has been done on the problems of code generation. This thesis represents one approach to the latter problem. A model of a compiler-compiler is presented, with the research focussing on the construction of one component of the compiler, that module which determines the possible code sequences which realize a given program. The input to this component is a set of code sequences which are possible realizations of each language construct. This thesis concentrates on the automatic generation of these code sequences from a formal description of the hardware and the language. A notation is developed for representing maching instructions, and a prototype system has been constructed to demonstrate that this notation is amenable to automated analysis. (Author)
LOW BACK PAIN AMONG OFFICE WORKERS IN A PUBLIC UNIVERSITY IN MALAYSIA

Introduction Low back pain (LBP) is a leading cause of disability and interferes with quality of life and work performance. This research aimed to determine the prevalence and associated factors of LBP among office workers in a public university in Malaysia. Methods This is a cross-sectional study. A self-constructed questionnaire was administered on office workers in Universiti Putra Malaysia, Serdang who have worked for at least 1 year. Workers who were pregnant or known to have back or spine disorder were excluded. Data was analyzed using SPSS version 21.0 for windows. Results We obtained 155 (response rate 81.0%) respondents who were mostly female (78.1%), aged less than 40 years (77.3%), Malays (98.7%) and never attended office ergonomics course (90.3%). Prevalence of LBP was 37% where majority were female (78.9%), Malay (98.2%), young (80.7%) and had poor knowledge on office ergonomics(62.5%). LBP was highest among those who worked for 10 years or less (66.1%), not attended office ergonomics course (91.2%), used non-ergonomic chair (98.2%) and leave their working chair infrequently (62.5%) and in short duration (74.1%). However, there were no statistically significant association for the factors (p>0.05). Discussion Low back pain affects more than one third office workers in UPM who are generally young, relatively new and those who have never attended office ergonomics course. All office workers should be trained on office ergonomics. The management should provide a conducive environment for good office ergonomics in order to prevent and control the occurrence of low back pain among office workers. Key words: office workers, public university, low back pain
Rest-to-rest slewing of flexible structures in minimum time

The rest-to-rest slewing of flexible structures in minimum time is considered via phase-plane techniques. The trajectories are shown to exhibit a mirror-image symmetry in the phase plane. The advantage of this approach is that the switching control law can be expressed in terms of the rigid body states only, thereby resulting in a closed-loop strategy. Simulations are included for a one-bending model of a flexible slewing structure. <<ETX>>
Child Labour in Africa

This paper presents an overview of child labour in Africa. It discusses the incidence and nature of child labour, possible causes, and actual and potential policy instruments. It answers some questions and raises others. Africa has the highest incidence of child labour in the world. While child labour has been declining in Asia and Latin America, economic decline, war, famine and HIV/AIDS have combined to prevent this in Africa. Contrary to the popular image of child labour in factories managed by Dickensian employers, the overwhelming majority of working children in Africa are employed on household-run farms and enterprises. Recent theoretical and policy-level discussion has neglected to recognise the implications of this fact. Thus, for example, considerable attention has been dedicated to consideration of the impact on child labour of minimum wages or trade sanctions when, given the nature of work performed by most children in Africa (and, indeed, by the majority in other . Le present document donne une vision d’ensemble du travail des enfants en Afrique. On y examine l’incidence et la nature de ce travail, les causes possibles de ce phenomene, ainsi que les instruments en place ou potentiels d’action des pouvoirs publics dans ce domaine. En Afrique, l’incidence du travail des enfants est superieure a celle que l’on observe dans n’importe quelle autre region du monde. Si le taux d’activite des enfants a diminue en Asie et en Amerique latine, la conjonction du marasme economique, des guerres, des famines et de la pandemie VIH/sida a empeche l’Afrique d’evoluer dans la meme direction. Contrairement a l’image que l’on se fait habituellement des enfants travaillant dans des usines dirigees par des patrons tout droit sortis des romans de Charles Dickens, l’ecrasante majorite des petits travailleurs africains sont employes dans des exploitations agricoles ou des entreprises familiales. Sur le plan theorique comme sur celui de l’action des pouvoirs .
Caring Situation and Provision of Web-based Support for Young Persons Who Support Family Members or Close Friends with Mental Illness

Changes in psychiatric health care and increased reliance on outpatient care have resulted in the transfer of responsibility for care from psychiatric services to social networks. Young person’s therefore often take responsibility during their own sensitive phase of emerging adulthood for the care of a loved one who suffers from mental illness. The overall aim of this study was to learn how young persons who provide care and support to a person with mental illness handle their everyday lives. This study also aimed to evaluate web-based versus folder support for these young informal carers. The papers in this thesis use qualitative descriptive (I), comparative (II), mixed methods (III), and experimental (IV) design approaches. Participants were recruited twice: first, 12 participants were recruited for the qualitative papers and interviewed; then 241 participants were included in the interventions and sent self-administered questionnaires by email or the regular postal service at the start of the intervention (T1), after 4 months (T2), and after 8 months (T3) during 2010 and 2011. Young informal carers (YIC) managed their everyday lives and unexpected stressors from their perceived responsibility for the supported person by relying on their own abilities and their social networks and by maintaining a constant state of readiness in case something should happen to the supported person. Supporting a person in the family can have higher positive subjective value than supporting a friend. Although friends perceived that they received more support. They often did not share their situation with others and felt that others did not understand what they were going through; even when YIC did share their burden with their social networks, they felt either that they were ignored or that others did not know how to act or what to say. YIC often experienced a lack of appropriate, available, and serious professional support. They thought that support from professionals might improve their caring situation and that it might ease their burden if the person with mental illness had more professional care and support. Baseline stress levels were high in both intervention groups (web-based support versus informational folder), but decreased in the folder group. The folder group showed more improvement in their caring situation than the web group, and improvements in general selfefficacy, well-being, and quality of life. The web group also showed improved well-being. Non-significant differences between the groups indicate that each intervention could be useful depending upon the individual’s preference. This highlights the importance of adopting a person-centred approach to offer young persons the appropriate support.
Effects of Peripheral Neuropathy on CTB-labeled Motor Neurons Following Ligation of the Tibial Nerve

Changes in CTB labeled motor neurons of the spinal cord were observed after the induction of peripheral neuropathy by ligation of the tibial nerve. Rats were anesthetized and the tibial nerve was ligated with 3-0 silk. The rats were separated into three groups based on the length of time the tibial nerve was ligated (1, 2, or 4 weeks). After the ligation procedures were complete, the tibial nerve stumps were soaked in CTB solution. Tibial nerve segments and the spinal cord were then observed. In the control and experimental groups, CTB-labeled neurons formed a discrete population that was concentrated primarily at the L5 level, while the contributions from L4 and L6 were minor. According to the distributions, CTBlabeled neurons were divided into rostral and caudal groups. A selective decrease of CTB-labeled neurons was observed only in the caudal group, extending from the rostral L5 to one-half of the rostral L6. The total numbers of CTB-labeled motor neurons were 2,160±169.3, 1,002±245.1, 587.5±346.5, and 1,728±402.6 in the control group, 1 week group, 2 week group, and 4 week group, respectively. The selective decrease of CTB-labeled neurons in the caudal division was responsible for the decrease in the total number of labeled neurons in all groups. Following peripheral neuropathy caused by ligation of the tibial nerve, CTB-labeled neurons in the spinal cord decreased selectively. These results may provide important neuroanatomical data regarding the effects of peripheral neuropathy by ligation of the tibial nerve.
Effect of fat preload on gastric myoelectrical activity in normal humans

The aim of this study was to investigate the effect of fat preload on gastric myoelectrical activity in normal humans. The study was performed in 10 normal subjects (five males, five females) fasted for 6h or more. Gastric myoelectrical activity was recorded using surface abdominal electrodes. In the study session the subjects ingested a 40‐g liquid fat meal (2 oz of lipomul) after a 30‐min baseline recording. A test meal (225 kcal beef stew) was then consumed 15 min after drinking the lipomul, and the recording was continued for 2 h after the test meal. The control session performed on a separate day followed the same procedure except that the lipomul was replaced by 2 oz of water. The order of the study and control sessions was randomized. The cutaneous recording of gastric myoelectrical activity (electrogastrogram or EGG) was digitized and subjected to computerized quantitative data analysis. The peak power and the corresponding frequency of the EGG during every 15‐min time interval were computed using spectral analysis. Student's t‐test was applied to determine the effect of fat preload on the surface recording of gastric myoelectrical activity. It was found that: (1) the power of the 15‐min EGG at the dominant frequency immediately after fat preload was significantly lower than that of the baseline EGG (P = 0.01); (2) the postprandial power increase of the EGG at the dominant frequency was significantly lower with fat preload than with placebo preload (P = 0.002); (3) the dominant frequency of the EGG was not affected by fat preload. It was concluded that fat preload significantly decreases the power of the EGG but does not affect the frequency of the gastric slow wave.
Compromiso Duodenal en púrpura de Henoch-Schönlein

La Purpura de Henoch-Schonlein (PHS) es una vasculitis sistemica de pequenos vasos que afecta piel, articulaciones, tracto gastrointestinal y rinones en diferente grado y variada intensidad. Se presenta con mayor frecuencia en ninos por lo que es considerada como la causa mas comun de purpura no trombocitopenica en esa edad, aunque tambien puede aparecer en edad adulta. Los sintomas asi como el compromiso gastrointestinal puede ser variados, aunque se considera que puede ocurrir hasta en el 85% de pacientes. Se describe el caso de un paciente de 12 anos de edad con hemorragia digestiva debido a compromiso duodenal asociado a esta afeccion y evidenciado por endoscopia.
Plato and Aristotle on Music and Music Education: Lessons From Ancient Greece

The purpose of this paper is to discuss the Athenian views of music and music education as these are presented in the works of the ancient Greek philosophers Plato and Aristotle and to suggest ways in which the issues raised by them are still relevant for music education today. Their philosophical and practical views on music education, apart from being an excellent and very up-to-date source for advocacy, can also initiate thoughts and promote solutions on problems that still remain unsolved. During the study, of their works, the reader surprisingly realizes that these philosophers had stated 2,500 years ago what the music education community has, just recently, come to realize concerning the value of music education, children's musical development, and instructional strategies in music.
Great 'app-eal' but not there yet: a review of iPhone nutrition applications relevant to child weight management

Aims: There is increasing interest in the use of smartphone applications (apps) for delivering child obesity management interventions and supporting lifestyle behaviour change; however, there has been very little academic research on their development. Our aim is to review nutrition-related apps designed for children currently available in Australia for their usefulness in education or support behavioural interventions for child obesity. Methods: Apps available for download in iTunes Australia between 2 April and 3 June 2013 which were suitable for children >12 years were identified. Key words were chosen to identify apps applicable to children, focusing on nutrition. Results: A total of 27 apps were included. Most apps (24/27) were not based on evidence-informed recommendations. A third of apps were developed in the USA (n = 10; 37%) and were free (67%), nine apps required upfront payment, with a mean cost of $A2.80 (range $A0.99-$A7.49). The most common nutrition features were the promotion of energy balance (n = 12 apps) and guidance on appropriate portion size (n = 15). The most common behaviour change feature was goal setting (n = 15). The five apps that scored most highly against the characteristics reviewed were: Calorie Counter Pro by My Net Diary, Weight Watchers, Swap It Don't Stop It, Control My Weight by CalorieKing and Rate What I Ate-Photo Diet Tracker. Conclusions: Very few apps were identified that could be used in education or support behavioural interventions for child obesity. There is a need to harness this technology and evaluate the applicability and use within childhood obesity research interventions.
Basilea 3 e la stabilità finanziaria delle banche: quale relazione con la dimensione della banca?

L’obiettivo dello studio e analizzare la relazione tra la stabilita finanziaria della banca e la sua dimensione. Facendo riferimento ad una misura della stabilita finanziaria della banca ampiamente utilizzata in letteratura (Z-index), abbiamo sviluppato la ricerca su un campione di 26 banche italiane suddiviso, sulla base del criterio dell’attivo di bilancio, in 3 gruppi dimensionali. In primo luogo, abbiamo verificato l’adeguatezza del campione ai nuovi requisiti patrimoniali previsti da Basilea 3. Successivamente abbiamo confrontato la stabilita finanziaria di ciascun gruppo al fine di identificare potenziali fonti di rischio legate alla dimensione della banca. I risultati ottenuti nel periodo dal 2005 al 2011 mostrano che le banche piu piccole presentano un maggior grado di stabilita finanziaria e di patrimonializzazione rispetto a quelle piu grandi.
Ultrasound scanning in pregnancy: The short-term psychological effects of early real-time scans

The short-term psychological effects on the mother of real-time ultrasound examination early in pregnancy have been evaluated. Primiparae were randomly assigned to one of two groups: a high feedback, where they saw the monitor screen; b low feedback, where the scan was accompanied by a global evaluation of progress. Women were assessed before and after examination. The results confirm the acceptability of scanning, with mothers in both groups displaying more positive attitudes after it. Significant between-group differences emerged with respect to self-reported emotional state and attitudes toward the scanning procedure. The results demonstrate the powerful effect of ultrasound on maternal attitudes. The implications are discussed in terms of studying ‘at risk’ mothers, along with the rationale for enhancing feedback at this stage.
Specialized housing needs of Americans with multiple sclerosis: Descriptive results of a national analysis

BACKGROUND: This article presents the results of a comprehensive national analysis of the specialized and accessible housing situation among Americans with multiple sclerosis (MS). This study represents the first national assessment of specialized housing among Americans with MS. OBJECTIVE: The objective of this study was to comprehensively evaluate the specialized housing situation for US adults with MS, and specifically, to identify the most pressing needs and most frequently identified barriers to achieving safe and accessible
Enseignants débutants et pratiques de gestion de classe

L'auteur effectue une revue de la documentation scientifique qui traite du role des representations et des connaissances procedurales dans les pratiques en gestion de classe des enseignants debutants. Il fait etat de recherches qui ont analyse la nature et l'effet des representations des enseignants au debut de leur carriere. Il examine les ecrits contrastant les connaissances des enseignants debutants et celles des experts dans differents domaines associes a la gestion de classe. Il presente les resultats de recherches relatifs au processus de transformation des representations et d'acquisition de connaissances qui se produit au cours des premieres annees d'enseignement et son impact sur la gestion de classe. Il identifie des mesures susceptibles de faciliter et d'accelerer le developpement des competences en gestion de classe des enseignants debutants.
Design of a wideband optimum signal for time delay and Doppler stretch measurements

An optimum signal in the form of a linearly-increased frequency-hopped uniform pulse train is derived and analyzed. This signal possesses some good wideband ambiguity properties that are useful for many practical applications. In this paper, the proposed signal is specifically used as the source input in the context of target localization in which time delay and Doppler stretch estimation based on the wideband ambiguity function are required. A significant improvement in terms of estimation accuracy is obtained.
THE DIFFERENCES BETWEEN NOVICE AND EXPERIENCED UNIVERSITY PREP-CLASS TEACHERS ’ CLASSROOM MANAGEMENT , SELF-EFFICACY PERCEPTIONS AND STUDENTS

Most teachers believe that classroom atmosphere has an utmost impact on having an effective and fruitful learning environment. Good classroom management skills are accepted to be the essentials of effective teachers, but as there are some differences about teachers’ classroom management perceptions; it may be difficult to define one unique way of classroom management. While some teachers believe that an effective classroom atmosphere is a silent one, some others prefer an active and talkative classroom. Every teacher has a different idea about classroom management, so they have different management strategies. The participants of this study were 8 university prep-school teachers, four of whom were experienced while the other four were novice ones. In this study, the differences between experienced and novice university prep school teachers’ classroom management orientations were tried to be identified by administering the ABCC inventory developed by Martin, Yin & Baldwin (1998). Besides this, the short form of Teachers’ Sense of Efficacy Scale (TSES) which was developed by Tschannen-Moran & Hoy (2001) was administered to see teachers’ perceptions about their own efficacy as a teacher. Furthermore, after administering the questionnaires, semi-structured interviews were conducted. In the light of the questionnaire and interview results, the relationship between teachers’ self-efficacy perceptions and their students’ academic achievement levels was discussed. The results revealed that, although experienced and novice teachers did not have significant differences about their classroom management orientations, their self-efficacy perceptions, which are believed to affect students’ achievement to some degree, were observed to be slightly different.