Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multidirectional Human-in-the-Loop Balance Robotic System

We present the design and performance of a novel multidirectional balance robotic system. This robot adds mediolateral standing balance control to the functionality of previous systems. To evaluate the performance of the system, we quantified its motion-tracking capability by applying target trajectories related to perturbed and unperturbed quiet standing balance. We observed minimal delays (9.4–13.9 ms) and near-unity gain up to 4 Hz when tracking multi-sine trajectories and small errors when tracking natural balance trajectories (≤0.05 mm, corresponding to ≤0.009<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^\circ $</tex-math></inline-formula>), which were all below human perceptual thresholds reported for standing balance (150 ms and 0.17<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^\circ $</tex-math></inline-formula> at 0.06<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^\circ $</tex-math></inline-formula>/s). Next, we evaluated the human-in-the-loop real-time robot performance when participants (N = 6) maintained their upright balance in the mediolateral direction while firmly secured to the robot. The results revealed small errors between the predicted and robotic motion (<0.4 mm, corresponding to <0.03<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^\circ $</tex-math></inline-formula>) as well as between the robotic and measured human motion (<0.7 mm, corresponding to <0.05<inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$^\circ $</tex-math></inline-formula>) in real-time applications. The sub-15ms delays, combined with submillimeter movement errors and relative robot-human movements, enable realistic multidirectional simulations of human balance. These unique robotic features open up new research opportunities for exploring the sensorimotor principles and biomechanical interactions underlying the multidirectional control of balance, and may ultimately be used to assess and rehabilitate standing balance deficits in older adults and clinical populations.
Factors for enabling effective student learning within English colleges: the case of computing

ABSTRACT The development of computing as a subject area and the skills gaps present in society has placed an increased emphasis on the teaching of computing and what practices enable effective student learning. Within England, colleges have been described as pivotal in addressing these skills gaps, but there is a lack of computing education research within a college setting. This paper therefore aims to answer the following research question: How are computing educators within English colleges enabling effective student learning for computing? Through conducting 24 semi-structured interviews with computing educators from 13 English colleges, six themes were identified which include having staff who care, building a positive relationship with students, developing student soft skills, challenging current practice, putting an emphasis on students, and other teaching tips. This paper augments findings of good practice that have been found in other educational settings such as the use of unplugged activities, flipped learning, and pair programming, but in the unique context of teaching computing within English colleges. Furthermore, this paper more explicitly contributes to knowledge and practice through detailing how a focus on student needs is deemed more important for enabling effective student learning for computing than the choice of curriculum or available resources.
Ally and adversary reconstruction problems

This thesis examines the ally and adversary reconstruction problems. Both are generalizations of the famous reconstruction conjecture. The results given here provide new insight to the reconstruction conjecture, and to the development and analysis of algorithms for graph reconstruction. In this thesis, all graphs considered are simple, finite, and undirected. A vertex-deleted subgraph or card, G$-$v, of a graph G is obtained from G by deleting the vertex v and all edges incident to v. The deck of a graph G, denoted D(G), is its collection of cards. Two graphs G and H are said to have k cards in common if $\mid$D(G) $\cap$ D(H)$\mid$ = k. A graph G is reconstructible from a subset C of its deck if every graph H whose deck contains C is isomorphic to G. The problems studied can best be understood in terms of an ally and an adversary. We are given cards one at a time from a graph G. G is reconstructible from the cards given, but is not reconstructible if the last card is omitted. In the case of ally reconstruction, an ally chooses the cards so that as few cards as possible are needed to reconstruct G. For adversary reconstruction, an adversary chooses the cards so that as many cards as possible are needed. The ally-reconstruction number of a graph is the number of cards the ally selects; the adversary-reconstruction number is the number the adversary chooses. Results proved in this thesis are: (1) Almost all graphs have ally and adversary-reconstruction numbers equal to three. (2) Regular graphs can have ally and adversary-reconstruction numbers at most n/2 + 2. (3) A disconnected graph is recognizable given any n/2 + 2 cards. (4) The adversary-reconstruction problem for disconnected graphs is essentially as difficult as that for general graphs. (5) The only disconnected graphs which can have ally-reconstruction number greater than three are those whose components are all isomorphic. In this case, the ally-reconstruction number is at most c + 2 where c is the order of a component. (6) Trees on five or more vertices have ally-reconstruction number three. (7) We give a family of pairs with $n\over 2$ + $\biggl({n + 1.125\over 8}\biggr)\sp{1/2}$ +. 375 common cards. No families with more common cards are known. (8) If G and H are graphs with different degree sequences on n $>$ 6 vertices, they have at most n $-$ 2 common cards.
Global assessment of spatiotemporal changes of frequency of terrestrial wind speed

Wind energy, an important component of clean energy, is highly dictated by the disposable wind speed within the working regime of wind turbines (typically between 3 and 25 m s−1 at the hub height). Following a continuous reduction (‘stilling’) of global annual mean surface wind speed (SWS) since the 1960s, recently, researchers have reported a ‘reversal’ since 2011. However, little attention has been paid to the evolution of the effective wind speed for wind turbines. Since wind speed at hub height increases with SWS through power law, we focus on the wind speed frequency variations at various ranges of SWS through hourly in-situ observations and quantify their contributions to the average SWS changes over 1981–2021. We found that during the stilling period (here 1981–2010), the strong SWS (⩾ 5.0 m s−1, the 80th of global SWS) with decreasing frequency contributed 220.37% to the continuous weakening of mean SWS. During the reversal period of SWS (here 2011–2021), slight wind (0 m s−1 < SWS < 2.9 m s−1) contributed 64.07% to a strengthening of SWS. The strengthened strong wind (⩾ 5.0 m s−1) contributed 73.38% to the trend change of SWS from decrease to increase in 2010. Based on the synthetic capacity factor series calculated by considering commercial wind turbines (General Electric GE 2.5-120 model with rated power 2.5 MW) at the locations of the meteorological stations, the frequency changes resulted in a reduction of wind power energy (−10.02 TWh yr−1, p < 0.001) from 1981 to 2010 and relatively weak recovery (2.67 TWh yr−1, p < 0.05) during 2011–2021.
Improved PSO-SVM-Based Fault Diagnosis Algorithm for Wind Power Converter

Due to the complexity of the working environment of wind power systems, wind power converters (WPCs) will experience different types of failures. In order to improve the reliability and stability of the wind power system and avoid system shutdown, this paper takes the back-to-back wind power converter as the research object, and proposes an improved particle swarm optimization (PSO)- support vector machine (SVM) algorithm, which solves the problems of low accuracy, long execution time and high data dependence of traditional fault diagnosis schemes. Firstly, the moving average algorithm is used to process the fault data of the converter, and then the support vector machine based on the improved particle swarm algorithm is used to diagnose the open-circuit fault of the converter. In the dataset consisting of 9800 training samples and 4200 testing samples, the accuracy of training samples is 98.898%, and the accuracy of testing samples is 98.4524%, which effectively improves the problem that traditional SVM can only handle small batch nonlinear datasets. Finally, the effectiveness and superiority of the proposed scheme are verified by comparing the SVM algorithm under the same dataset.
Health-related quality of life measured by SF-36 among postdelivery mothers attending maternal and child health clinic in Eastern Nepal: a cross-sectional study

Objectives: Assessing health-related quality of life (HRQoL) and its associated factors is essential for providing adequate healthcare and developing necessary interventions in women postdelivery. This study intended to find out the HRQoL score and related factors among women postdelivery in Nepal. Methodology: This was a cross-sectional study using nonprobability sampling conducted at a Maternal and Child Health (MCH) Clinic in Nepal. The study participants were 129 women postdelivery to 12 months who visited the MCH Clinic from 2 September 2018 to 28 September 2018. Outcome measures were sociodemographic, clinical indicators, obstetric indicators, and their relation with the overall HRQoL score of postdelivery mothers using the Short Form Health Survey (SF-36) Version 1. Results: Of 129 respondents, 68.22% were in the 21–30 age group, 36.43% were upper caste, 88.37% were Hindu, 87.60% were literate, 81.39% were homemakers, 53.49% with income less than 12 months, 88.37% had family support, and 50.39% with vaginal deliveries. HRQoL was significantly more in employed women (P=0.037), those with family support (P=0.003), and those who had a cesarean section (P=0.02) and wanted pregnancy (P=0.040). Conclusion: HRQoL in women postdelivery can be influenced by employment status, family support, type of delivery, and desirability of pregnancy.
Physical Gels of Atactic Poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) in Water: Rheological Properties and As-Derived Spinodal Temperature

Aqueous solutions of atactic poly(N-isopropylacrylamide) (a-PNIPAM) undergo complex phase transitions at 20–33 °C. In this temperature range, the a-PNIPAM solution exhibits a phase behavior of lower critical solution temperature at the binodal temperature (Tb) and physical gel formation at the gel temperature (Tgel). On slow heating of the one-phase solution containing linear a-PNIPAM chains, branched chains are gradually developed to proceed with the physical gelation before phase separation considering that Tgel < Tb. Thus, the phase separation temperature determined from the conventional approaches, either by turbidity to derive the Tb or by scattering to derive the spindal temperature (Ts) from the Ornstein–Zernike analysis, is strictly the transition temperature associated with the a-PNIPAM hydrogel (or highly branched chains newly developed at elevated temperatures), rather than the initial a-PNIPAM solution prepared. Herein, the spinodal temperatures of a-PNIPAM hydrogels (Ts,gel) of various concentrations were determined from rheological measurements at a heating rate of 0.2 °C/min. Analyses of the temperature dependence of loss modulus G″ and storage modulus G′ give rise to the Ts,gel, based on the Fredrickson–Larson–Ajji–Choplin mean field theory. In addition, the specific temperature (T1) above which the one-phase solution starts to dramatically form the aggregated structure (e.g., branched chains) was also derived from the onset temperature of G′ increase; this is because as solution temperature approaches the spinodal point, the concentration fluctuations become significant, which is manifested with the elastic response to enhance G′ at T > T1. Depending on the solution concentration, the measured Ts,gel is approximately 5–10 °C higher than the derived T1. On the other hand, Ts,gel is independent of solution concentration to be constant at 32.8 °C. A phase diagram of the a-PNIPAM/H2O mixture is thoroughly constructed together with the previous data of Tgel and Tb.
All Roads Lead to Rome: Enhancing the Probability of Target Attainment with Different Pharmacokinetic/Pharmacodynamic Modelling Approaches

In light of rising antimicrobial resistance and a decreasing number of antibiotics with novel modes of action, it is of utmost importance to accelerate development of novel treatment options. One aspect of acceleration is to understand pharmacokinetics (PK) and pharmacodynamics (PD) of drugs and to assess the probability of target attainment (PTA). Several in vitro and in vivo methods are deployed to determine these parameters, such as time-kill-curves, hollow-fiber infection models or animal models. However, to date the use of in silico methods to predict PK/PD and PTA is increasing. Since there is not just one way to perform the in silico analysis, we embarked on reviewing for which indications and how PK and PK/PD models as well as PTA analysis has been used to contribute to the understanding of the PK and PD of a drug. Therefore, we examined four recent examples in more detail, namely ceftazidime-avibactam, omadacycline, gepotidacin and zoliflodacin as well as cefiderocol. Whereas the first two compound classes mainly relied on the ‘classical’ development path and PK/PD was only deployed after approval, cefiderocol highly profited from in silico techniques that led to its approval. Finally, this review shall highlight current developments and possibilities to accelerate drug development, especially for anti-infectives.
River bend sediment management using modified triangular vanes

ABSTRACT Triangular vanes (TVs) are among the flow pattern correction structures which have recently been considered environmentally friendly structures against river bend bank erosion. However, the scour around the structure’s tip may cause its failure. On the other hand, it has been shown that the use of slot in the bridge pier and bridge abutment is effective in reducing scour depth, hence in this study, the effect of four different positions of rectangular slot on TV: Case 1) near the TV’s tip, parallel to the vane’s chord and close to the bed; Case 2) near the outer bank, parallel to the vane’s chord and close to the water surface; Case 3) horizontally and near the bed and Case 4) vertically and near the outer bank is experimentally studied in a 90° mild bend flume. The maximum scour depth (ds), and the point bar height at the end of experiments were compared with the case of no slot (Case 0). The best performance in reducing ds was obtained for Case 1 and then Case 3 with 24% and 19% reduction compared to Case 0, respectively. Poor performance was found for Case 2.
The Role of Comprehension Monitoring in Predicting Reading Comprehension Among French Immersion Children

ABSTRACT Purpose This study investigated the extent to which comprehension monitoring in children’s first and second language predicts reading comprehension. Method Children’s ability to detect inconsistencies in orally presented stories was measured by response to a judgment question about whether the story made sense and by the identification of the inconsistency within the story. The participants included 115 English-French bilingual children (M ageGrade2 = 7.8 years) recruited from a French immersion program in Canada. Results In each language, two regressions were carried out to examine the contribution of comprehension monitoring to reading comprehension in Grades 2 and 3, and one regression was computed to examine the contribution of Grade 2 comprehension monitoring to Grade 3 reading comprehension. The concurrent results revealed that, in Grade 3, children’s comprehension monitoring was a unique predictor of reading comprehension in English and French. This relationship was not observed in Grade 2. Notably, the longitudinal analyses indicated that Grade 2 children’s comprehension monitoring in English made a significant contribution to English reading comprehension in Grade 3. However, this relationship was not established in French. Conclusions These results promote a call to include support for higher-level oral language skills during the early stages of bilingual reading instruction.
Western redcedar — natural history and pathosystems, with emphasis on cedar leaf blight

Abstract The wood properties of western redcedar (Thuja plicata) (WRC) are revered in traditional practices by Pacific Coast First Nations and valued for speciality commercial purposes. In the near future, WRC harvesting will shift to second growth from old-growth, however, its cultural significance will persist, and the superior physical and chemical properties of the wood mean that it will remain in high demand. Investigating and understanding the adaptations of the species to environmental and pathogen stress in the face of changing climates can assure a sustainable supply of WRC. Of the pathogens affecting WRC, cedar leaf blight (Didymascella thujina) (CLB) is the most severe. This foliar disease infects the leaflets of seedlings and mature trees, causing a loss of photosynthetic area resulting in decreased growth or mortality. The disease is more severe on nursery seedlings than mature trees. Future projected climates in WRC’s native range are expected to increase the prevalence of, and damage from CLB. This review summarizes the state of knowledge and emphasizes recent advances in the understanding of the Thuja – Didymascella pathosystem.
The Strategy of Conflict.

I. Elements of a Theory of Strategy 1. The Retarded Science of International Strategy 2. An Essay on Bargaining 3. Bargaining, Communication, and Limited War II. A Reorientation of Game Theory 4. Toward a Theory of Interdependent Decision 5. Enforcement, Communication, and Strategic Moves 6. Game Theory and Experimental Research III. Strategy with a Random Ingredient 7. Randomization of Promises and Threats 8. The Threat That Leaves Something to Chance IV. Surprise Attack: A Study in Mutual Distrust 9. The Reciprocal Fear of Surprise Attack 10. Surprise Attack and Disarmament Appendices A. Nuclear Weapons and Limited War B. For the Abandonment of Symmetry in Game Theory C. Re-interpretation of a Solution Concept for "Noncooperative" Games Index
City-regions in Central Eastern Europe: emerging metropolitan territorialities in post-socialist planning systems

ABSTRACT City-regions in Central Eastern Europe are still underrepresented in academic debate on metropolitan planning and governance. However, they may provide a valuable insight into the early stages of creating planning partnerships that struggle to cope with problems arising from uncoordinated spatial development in the period of post-socialist transformation, which was not addressed adequately by formal planning systems and regular territorial-administrative units. The paper presents a comparative analysis of six city-regions in Central Eastern Europe based on a review of strategic and planning documents, and direct interviews with representatives of key stakeholders in each area. The main findings of the paper include the significant but underestimated role of the second-tier local governments in metropolitan institutional setups and the crucial position of emerging coalitions of academics, metropolitan-oriented officials and planners for establishing a sustainable planning agenda in the city-region. City-regions in CEE do not follow the categorization of soft spaces of planning that is derived from other territorial contexts. This is because the spatial planning efforts within city-regional soft spaces in CEE are more sustainability-driven than growth-oriented. Yet, more ambitious spatial visions may be overshadowed by a strong focus of local elected politicians on infrastructure projects.
Inhibitory Control Is Needed for the Resolution of Arithmetic Word Problems: A Developmental Negative Priming Study.

Solving simple arithmetic word problems is a major ability that children must acquire throughout the primary-grade mathematics curriculum. However, this skill is often challenging for them. For instance, “unknown referent problems” are more difficult to solve than “unknown compare problems. ” In unknown compare problems, the relational term (e.g., “more than”) is consistent with the arithmetic operation (e.g., addition) required to find the solution, whereas in unknown referent problems, the relational term (e.g., “more than”) is inconsistent with the arithmetic operation (i.e., subtraction). To determine whether solving unknown referent problems relies on the ability to inhibit the heuristic “add if more, subtract if less” strategy, we devised a negative priming (NP) paradigm for children, adolescents, and adults. For each test trial, an unknown referent problem served as a prime, in which the inhibition of the heuristic strategy was necessary and was immediately followed by an unknown compare problem that served as a probe, in which the heuristic strategy became the appropriate strategy to use. For each control trial, a neutral problem served as a prime and was followed by an unknown compare problem as a probe. All participants performed the unknown compare problems more slowly when they were preceded by unknown referent problems, which reflected typical NP effects. Our results confirm that success in completing unknown referent problems reveals not only participants’ ability to grasp the underlying logic of the problem but also their ability to inhibit a misleading strategy. This study sheds light on the importance of inhibitory control in learning mathematics.
Molecular Characteristics of Methicillin-Resistant and Susceptible Staphylococcus aureus from Pediatric Patients in Eastern China

Staphylococcus aureus is an opportunistic pathogen that causes invasive infections in humans. In recent years, increasing studies have focused on the prevalence of S. aureus infections in adults; however, the epidemiology and molecular characteristics of S. aureus from Chinese pediatric patients remain unknown. The present study examined the population structure, antimicrobial resistance, and virulent factors of methicillin-resistant and -susceptible S. aureus isolated from Chinese pediatric patients from one medical center in eastern China. A total of 81 cases were screened with positive S. aureus infections among 864 pediatric patients between 2016 and 2022 in eastern China. Molecular analysis showed that ST22 (28.4%) and ST59 (13.6%) were the most typical strains, and associations between different clonal complex (CC) types/serotype types (ST) and the age of pediatric patients were observed in this study. CC398 was the predominant type in neonates under 1 month of age, while CC22 was mainly found in term-infant (under 1 year of age) and toddlers (over 1 year of age). Additionally, 17 S. aureus isolates were resistant to at least three antimicrobials and majority of them belonged to CC59. The blaZ gene was found in 59 isolates and mecA gene was present in 26 strains identified as methicillin-resistant. Numerous virulent factors were detected in S. aureus isolated from present pediatric patients. Remarkably, lukF-PV and lukS-PV were dominantly carried by CC22, tsst-1 genes were detected in CC188, CC7, and CC15, while exfoliative toxin genes were found only in CC121. Only 41.98% of the S. aureus isolates possessed scn gene, indicating that the sources of infections in pediatric patients may include both human-to-human transmissions as well as environmental and nosocomial infections. Together, the present study provided a phylogenetic and genotypic comparison of S. aureus from Chinese pediatric patients in Suzhou city. Our results suggested that the colonization of multi-drug resistant isolates of S. aureus may raise concern among pediatric patients, at least from the present medical center in eastern China.