Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biofilm Formation of Staphylococcus aureus Isolated from Infected Wound

Background: Staphylococcus aureus has the ability to form biofilms, and causes significant mortality and morbidity in the patients with wounds. Our aim was to study the in vitro biofilm-forming ability of isolated S. aureus patients and methods: one hundred clinical isolates of S. aureus were isolated from 350 pus samples using standard microbiological techniques. Biofilm formation ability of these isolates was detected phenotypically by tissue culture plate (TCP) method and congo red agar (CRA) and genotypically by detection of ica ABCD genes by PCR. Results: The clinical isolates of S. aureus recovered from infected wounds exhibit a high degree of biofilm formation Biofilm formation was observed in (76 %), (74%) and (70%) isolates of S. aureus via TCP method CRA and genotypically, respectively. Conclusion: This study illustrated that PCR method can be adopted as most suitable an reproducible method for detection of biofilm. CRA is qualitative, simple, inexpensive and easily reproducible method and convenient as screening method. TCP is semiquantitative method and remains a precious tool for in vitro screening of different biomaterial for the adhesive properties. Regular surveillance of biofilm formation by S. aureus leads to the early treatment of the wound infection.
Comparison of speed and accuracy for selected electronic communication devices and input methods

Four brands of electronic communication devices and three input selection methods were compared in terms of speed and accuracy. Sixteen able-bodied subjects (college students) used one of eight possible device/input method combinations to copy text or engage in a scripted interactive communication task. The printed outputs were analyzed for the number of words generated and the number of errors made. The electronic communication devices included the Equalizer, the EvalPAC, the ScanWRITER, and the Apple Macintosh with Screentyper software. The input selection methods included row-column scanning with a single switch, directed scanning using a joystick, and direct selection/access using head control. Analyses of the subjects' printed outputs, produced following short-term training, showed that the input selection method was a significant factor in text input rate for both text copying and interactive communication. The input method had no significant effect, however, on accuracy during either text copying o.
Forward kinematic analysis of a 6-3 type Stewart platform mechanism

Abstract The Stewart platform mechanism is one example of a fully parallel, six-degrees-of-freedom manipulator. Its forward kinematic analysis, i.e. finding the position and orientation of the top platform when a set of link lengths is given, has been extensively studied in the past. Study results have shown that if the closed-form solving procedure is performed, then this analysis could finally lead to a 16th-order polynomial equation in one unknown from which 16 different positions and orientations of the top platform can be determined. However, obtaining the solutions from such a high-order polynomial equation is quite an arduous task which is both computationally complex and time consuming. Relative to the closed-form solving procedure, the purpose of this paper is to propose an alternative numerical algorithm based upon the Newton-Raphson method in order to work out the forward kinematic analysis of a 6-3 type Stewart platform mechanism. The numerical results show that the present solutions could be obtained within a few iteration steps and are in excellent agreement with the published literature.
Common retrieval processes in producers and comprehenders of spatial information in a non-interactive task

This study explores spatial representations generated by people playing either the producer's or the comprehender's role in non-interactive settings, under identical manipulations of the communication modality (pointing vs. verbal directions) and the type of body rotation (physical vs. imagined). Results showed that these manipulations consistently modulated the accessibility of the target locations in similar ways for both producers and comprehenders, indicating a common retrieval process of spatial information in the absence of alignment cues. In both roles, the accessibility pattern to directions obtained when using the pointing gesture was heavily dependent on the rotation type, whereas that was less so when using verbal directions. The results also demonstrated that the differences in the accessibility patterns arise at the response encoding stage (in production) and at the response decoding stage (in comprehension), suggesting a functional parallelism in the response system between the two communication roles. The commonality in the retrieval processes is a genuine phenomenon that should be taken into account when attributing exclusively the phenomenon of spatial alignment to the interactive efforts performed by producers and comprehenders.
Develop Oral Presentation Skills Through Accounting Curriculum Design and Course-Embedded Assessment

At present, oral communication and presentation skills are important components of accounting education. Students can improve their oral presentation skills when they know the expectations for effective presentations, give multiple group and individual presentations, and experience consistent instructor feedback. The authors use a case study methodology to describe a systematic approach to embed team and individual presentations in undergraduate and graduate accounting courses, include presentation competency descriptors, present an oral presentation assessment rubric with selected outcomes, and conclude with a discussion of the observed strengths and weaknesses of the case study.
A confidence paradigm for classification systems

There is no universally accepted methodology to determine how much confidence one should place in the output of a classification system. In this article, we develop a confidence paradigm. This is a theoretical framework that attempts to unite the viewpoints of the classification system developer (or engineer) and the classification system user (or warfighter). The developer designs and tests the classification system at a macro‐level. The user fields the system in an environment often quite different than the environment used to develop the system. The user operates at a micro‐level and is interested in the indications as they are made by the system. The paradigm is based on the assumptions that the system confidence acts like or can be modelled as value, and that indication confidence can be modelled as a function of the posterior probability estimates. The viewpoints of the developer and the user are unified through the fundamental proposition that the expected value of the user's confidence should be approximately equal to the developer's confidence. This paradigm provides a direct link between traditional decision analysis techniques and traditional pattern recognition techniques. This methodology is applied to an automatic target recognition data set, and the results demonstrate the sort of behavior that would be expected from a rational confidence measure. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Naval Research Logistics, 2011
Tablet Personal Computer Integration in Higher Education: Applying the Unified Theory of Acceptance and use Technology Model to Understand Supporting Factors

Many educational institutions have implemented ubiquitous or required laptop, notebook, or tablet personal computing programs for their students. Yet, limited evidence exists to validate integration and acceptance of the technology among student populations. This research examines student acceptance of mobile computing devices using a modification of the “Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology” (UTAUT) recently developed by leading researchers in the technology acceptance field. The objective of the study is to identify the variance of selected acceptance elements that contribute to the overall behavioral intent to use Tablet PCs (TPC). These outcomes are then used as a means to forecast, explain, and improve integration of the technology in the higher education context. The research also contributes to UTAUT's theoretical validity and empirical applicability and to the management of information technology (IT) based initiatives in education.
Distributed cochannel interference control in cellular radio systems

Distributed power control algorithms that use only the carrier-to-interference ratios (C/I ratios) in those links actually in use are investigated. An algorithm that successfully approximates the behavior of the best known algorithms is proposed. The algorithm involves a novel distributed C/I-balancing scheme. Numerical results show that capacity gains on the order of 3-4 times can be reached also with these distributed schemes. Further, the effects of imperfect C/I estimates due to noise vehicle mobility, and fast multipath fading are considered. Results show that the balancing procedure is very robust to measurement noise, in particular if C/I requirements are low or moderate. However, for required high C/I levels or for a rapidly changing path loss matrix, convergence may be too slow to achieve substantial capacity improvements. >
Representation in Engineering Design: A Framework for Classification

Many researchers have identified engineering design representation as a central issue for design research and design automation development. Despite this identification, there is still no common agreement on a framework for classifying and describing representation in engineering design. A framework for classifying representations in engineering design is presented here that is based upon the vocabulary, structure, expression, purpose, and abstraction. Examples are used to illustrate the application of this framework. Finally, this framework is compared to other partial representation classifications found in the literature. The framework discussed here enables design researchers, design practitioners, and design students to compare design representation approaches thereby supporting the selection of appropriate representations and models for various design tasks and automation.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Security Analysis: Principles and Technique

New Intro, Seth Klarman New Intro, Jim Grant New Intro to Part 1, by Roger Lowenstein Part 1, Survey & Approach New Intro to Part 2, By Howard Marks Part 2, Fixed Value Investments New Intro to Part 3, By Ezra Merkin Part 3, Securities with Speculative Features New Intro to Part 4, By Bruce Berkowitz Part 4, Common Stocks New Intro to Part 5, By Glenn Greenberg Part 5, Analysis of the Income Account New Intro to Part 6, By Bruce Greenwald Part 6, Balance Sheet Analysis New Intro to Part 7, By David Abrams Part 7, Additional Aspects of Security Analysis
Red spectra from white and blue noise

The value of maps of the interval in modelling population dynamics has recently been called into question because temporal variations from such maps have blue or white power spectra, whereas many observations of real populations show time–series with red spectra. One way to deal with this discrepancy is to introduce chaotic or stochastic fluctuations in the parameters of the map. This leads to on–off intermittency and can markedly redden the spectrum produced by a model that does not by itself have a red spectrum. The parameter fluctuations need not themselves have a red spectrum in order to achieve this effect. Because the power spectrum is not invariant under a change of variable, another way to redden the spectrum is by a suitable transformation of the variables used. The question this poses is whether spectra are the best means of characterizing a fluctuating variable.
Eliciting Teaching Evaluation Information Interactively

Abstract This article presents an interactive method of eliciting evaluation information from students through microcomputers linked by a network. The first phase, data gathering, provides students in a class with the opportunity to construct and use an instrument of their own design. In the second phase, student inputs are aggregated through a voting procedure for construction of a uniform instrument for the class. Results of this process show that students can accomplish this in a timely fashion, tend to select a multitude of rating items, do not select items that they feel are unimportant, and take the evaluation process seriously.
Food Consumer Information Behavior: Need Arousal, Seeking Behavior, and Information Use

This article draws from general and specific literature to present the way food consumer information behavior is executed from the stage of information need recognition to that of information use. Information needs are derivative needs, which originate from primary (physiological or psychological) needs. After need arousal, the consumer starts seeking food information by using one or more of the available out-of-store (published material, media, experts, institutional bodies, and social milieu) or in-store (store personnel, food labels) information sources. The information gathered is evaluated and, when it is judged insufficient in terms of quantity and/or quality, the consumer continues to seek information by following other paths. Simultaneously and/or subsequently, the information is refined, processed, and translated into different behavioral responses. The article concludes by highlighting some open issues and by proposing new research directions.
Accelerated Degree Programs: Assessing Student Attitudes and Intentions

Accelerated degree classes and programs are becoming increasingly popular across college campuses, mainly because of changing demographic trends of students seeking tertiary education. However, there is a lack of research on student attitudes and intentions from an administrative perspective. Investigating a large sample of graduate business students, the authors of this study found that part-time students and those working full time were the most supportive of a proposal to accelerate an MBA program. However, there were significant differences by programs, student status, and source of tuition payments. Important segments of students stated that the intensification would affect their class participation negatively. The authors discuss implications of their results and suggest areas for future research.
Investigating an innovative computer application to improve L2 word recognition from speech

The ability to recognise words from the aural modality is a critical aspect of successful second language (L2) listening comprehension. However, little research has been reported on computer-mediated development of L2 word recognition from speech in L2 learning contexts. This report describes the development of an innovative computer application to improve L2 word recognition from speech, and goes on to describe an exploratory study of its use by 33 English as a second language (ESL) students. The study detected significant differences between word recognition scores measured before and after participants used the application. The manner with which students engaged with the computer application in terms of word recognition, self-determined exposure to speech input (repetitions) and modified output productivity (revisions) are also described and analysed. Differences in engagement by learners with different word recognition capabilities are noted. The paper concludes with a discussion of some recommendations for the use of computer-assisted development of L2 word recognition from speech and also provides concrete suggestions for much needed further empirical research in this area.
Understanding music with AI: perspectives on music cognition

Part 1 Two views on cognitive musicology: artificial intelligence and music - cornerstone of cognitive musicology, O. Laske beyond computational musicology, P. Kugel. Part 2 General problems in modeling musical activities: representing listening behaviour - problems and prospects, S.W. Smoliar symbolic and sonic representations of sound-object structures, B. Bel music structures - interleaving the temporal and hierarchical aspects in music, B. Balaban on designing a typed music language, E.B. Blevis, et al logical representation and induction for computer assisted composition, F. Courtot. Part 3 Music composition: cybernetic composer - an overview, C. Ames and M. Domino Wolfgang - a system using emoting potentials to manage musical design, R.D. Riecken on the application of problem reduction search to automated composition, S.C. Marsella and C.F. Schmidt the observer tradition of knowledge acquisition, O. Laske. Part 4 Analysis: an expert system for harmonizing chorales in the style of J.S. Bach, K. Ebcioglu an expert system for harmonic analysis of tonal music, H.J. Maxwell on the algorithmic representation of musical style, D. Cope. Part 5 Performance: Bol processor grammars, B. Bel and J. Kippen a new approach to music through vision, S. Ohteru and S. Hashimoto. Part 6 Perception: analyzing and representing musical rhythm, C. Linster on the perception of metre, B.O. Miller, et al the quantization problem - traditional and connectionist approaches, P. Desain and H. Honing. Part 7 Learning and tutoring: an architecture for an intelligent tutoring system, M.J. Baker a knowledge intensive approach to mcachine learning in tonal music, G. Widmer.
Introduction to Robotics Mechanics and Control

1. Introduction. 2. Spatial Descriptions and Transformations. 3. Manipulator Kinematics. 4. Inverse Manipulator Kinematics. 5. Jacobians: Velocities and Static Forces. 6. Manipulator Dynamics. 7. Trajectory Generation. 8. Manipulator Mechanism Design. 9. Linear Control of Manipulators. 10. Nonlinear Control of Manipulators. 11. Force Control of Manipulators. 12. Robot Programming Languages and Systems. 13. Off-Line Programming Systems.
Use of HMM for evaluation of maintenance activities

This paper deals with a tool which may help maintenance managers to schedule maintenance activities. To help them, we show that by using events which can be observed on a process, like maintenance events, we can predict failures before they occur. Principles are based on hypothesis that failure is preceded by a typical sequence of events. We also show that hidden Markov models can be used according to the right choice of parameters.
Classification of Emotional Speech Based on an Automatically Elaborated Hierarchical Classifier

Current machine-based techniques for vocal emotion recognition only consider a finite number of clearly labeled emotional classes whereas the kinds of emotional classes and their number are typically application dependent. Previous studies have shown that multistage classification scheme, because of ambiguous nature of affect classes, helps to improve emotion classification accuracy. However, these multistage classification schemes were manually elaborated by taking into account the underlying emotional classes to be discriminated. In this paper, we propose an automatically elaborated hierarchical classification scheme (ACS), which is driven by an evidence theory-based embedded feature-selection scheme (ESFS), for the purpose of application-dependent emotions' recognition. Experimented on the Berlin dataset with 68 features and six emotion states, this automatically elaborated hierarchical classifier (ACS) showed its effectiveness, displaying a 71.38% classification accuracy rate compared to a 71.52% classification rate achieved by our previously dimensional model-driven but still manually elaborated multistage classifier (DEC). Using the DES dataset with five emotion states, our ACS achieved a 76.74% recognition rate compared to a 81.22% accuracy rate displayed by a manually elaborated multistage classification scheme (DEC).
Descartes' Error: Emotion, Reason and the Human Brain

Antonio R Damasio Picador, pounds sterling16.99, pp 312 ISBN 0 330 33927 3 Documentary makers find the brain sexy at present; surf the television channels and the workings of the psyche are hard to avoid: violence, paraphilias, psychopathy, all are explained. Brain books are similarly popular. They come in three varieties. There is the “you're only” school: you're only a cluster of neurons (Francis Crick), processes (Daniel Dennett), microtubules (Sir Roger Penrose) and so on in a reductionist vein. Humans are considered from a pathological/laboratory perspective. Computer metaphors abound (your mind is your software! ) and there are boxes and arrows in profusion. Such books …
Urban multipath propagation delay characteristics in mobile communications

In this paper, propagation delay measurements were carried out in Tokyo (metropolitan urban area) where high rises and other buildings are concentrated on a plane and in Kofu (urban area adjacent to mountains) surrounded by tall mountains. The delay characteristics such as delay spread and wave numbers were found. The principal results obtained in these areas are as follows. (1) In a metropolitan urban area, i.e., Tokyo, (a) the average delay spread in a high-density residential district is less than about 1 μs and the delay profile consists of a group of direct waves arriving directly from the base station; and (b) the average delay spread in a location with high-rise buildings is also less than 1 μs and the average number of arriving waves is about five with the delay profile consisting of a direct wave group and a reflected wave group from reflecting object. (2) In an urban area adjacent to mountains, i.e., Kofu, the average delay spread is less than about 2 μs and the average number of arriving waves is four. The delay profile consists of a direct wave group and a reflected wave group. The level of the reflected wave group decreases exponentially with the delay time in the case of reflection from buildings, while the level is almost constant within a certain range of delay time and is of a spread shape (rectangular) in the case of reflection from mountains. From these measured results, a simple propagation model consisting of a direct wave group and a reflected wave group is proposed. It is shown that the distance dependence of the delay spread has a peak between the base station and a reflecting object.
Computer Algorithms: Introduction to Design and Analysis

From the Publisher: This edition features an increased emphasis on algorithm design techniques such as divide-and-conquer and greedy algorithms, along with the addition of new topics and exercises. It continues the tradition of solid mathematical analysis and clear writing style: emphasizes the development of algorithms through a step-by-step process rather than by merely presenting the end result; stresses the importance of the algorithm analysis process - continuously re-evaluating, modifying, and perhaps rejecting algorithms until a satisfactory solution is attained; provides extensive treatment of recursion with a clear, student-friendly review of how it works and why it is a valuable programming technique; uses a Java-like pseudocode; and includes an appendix with java examples.
Assessed Online Discussion Groups in Biology Education

Abstract Sophisticated software such as Virtual Learning Environments (VLEs) are rapidly being deployed by universities. Despite widespread use of such systems, experience shows that there is frequently poor pedagogic development, leading primarily to use of VLEs as electronic document repositories rather than as online learning systems in which the available suite of tools are used to their full potential. Online assessment is the major potential efficiency gain of such systems, but most staff do not scratch the surface of the full capabilities of the software. Based on our experience, we describe practical guidelines for a model of online assessment which promotes deep versus superficial learning, encourages higher level learning competencies and inclusivity.