Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Are social supports in late midlife a cause or a result of successful physical ageing?

Background. Many studies have noted a strong association between poor social support and premature mortality. A limitation of such studies has been their failure to control adequately for confounders that damage both social supports and physical health. Methods. A 50-year prospective multivariate study of 223 men was used to examine the possible causal relationships between social supports and health. Alcohol abuse, prior physical health and mental illness prior to age 50 were controlled. Relative social supports were quantified over the period from age 50 to 70. Results. Adequacy of social supports from age 50 to 70 was powerfully correlated with physical health at age 70 (P<0·001). However, such social supports were also powerfully predicted by alcohol abuse (P<0·001), smoking (P<0·001) and indicators of major depressive disorder (P<0·01) assessed at age 50. When prior smoking, depression and alcohol abuse were controlled, then the association of physical health with social supports was very much attenuated. Some facets of social support like religion and confidantes were unassociated with health even at a univariate level. Surprisingly, in this sample friends seemed more important for sustained physical health than closeness to spouse and to children. Conclusions. While social supports undoubtedly play a significant role in maintaining physical well-being in late life, much of the association between poor social supports and mortality may be mediated by alcoholism, smoking and pre-morbid psychopathology.
A Simple Tactile Probe for Surface Identification by Mobile Robots

This paper describes a tactile probe designed for surface identification in a context of all-terrain low-velocity mobile robotics. The proposed tactile probe is made of a small metallic rod with a single-axis accelerometer attached near its tip. Surface identification is based on analyzing acceleration patterns induced at the tip of this mechanically robust tactile probe, while it is passively dragged along a surface. A training dataset was collected over ten different indoor and outdoor surfaces. Classification results for an artificial neural network were positive, with an 89.9% and 94.6% success rate for 1- and 4-s time windows of data, respectively. We also demonstrated that the same tactile probe can be used for unsupervised learning of terrains. For 1-s time windows of data, the classification success rate was only reduced to 74.1%. Finally, a blind mobile robot, performing real-time classification of surfaces, demonstrated the feasibility of this tactile probe as a guidance mechanism.
A comparative study for characterisation and prediction of tissue-specific DNA methylation of CpG islands in chromosomes 6, 20 and 22

Advanced technology has enabled identification of tissue-specific methylated CpG islands of different human tissues. As methylation of CpG islands is involved in various biological phenomena and function of the DNA methylation is linked to various human diseases such as cancer, analysis of the CpG islands has become important and useful in characterising and modelling biological phenomena and understanding mechanism of such diseases. However, analysis of the data associated with the CpG islands is a quite new and challenging subject in bioinformatics, systems biology and epigenetics.
VALIDATION OF OPTICAL-FLOW FOR QUANTIFICATION OF MYOCARDIAL DEFORMATIONS ON SIMULATED RT3D ULTRASOUND

Quantitative analysis of cardiac motion is of great clinical interest in assessing ventricular function. Real-time 3-D (RT3D) ultrasound transducers provide valuable four-dimensional information, from which quantitative measures of cardiac function can be extracted. Previously, we presented a method based on four-dimensional optical flow motion estimation for anatomical tracking of myocardium in RT3D ultrasound, from which myocardial displacement fields and dynamic cardiac metrics were computed. In this paper, in order to quantitatively validate our method, we build a truly 3D mathematical phantom of cardiac tissue and blood. Distinguished from previous studies, our work further decomposes tissue impedance into cell kernels and processes all functions in 3D. Instead of simply modeling the myocardium, a "quasi-LV" phantom is built including myocardium and blood. Also all ultrasound probe parameters used in this work are directly estimated from clinical RT3D data instead of using common parameters from 2D transducers. Based on this phantom, simulated RT3D ultrasound data sets are generated for validation to assess the performance of an optical flow based method in tracking myocardial tissues.
Localized minimum-energy broadcasting in ad-hoc networks

In the minimum energy broadcasting problem, each node can adjust its transmission power in order to minimize total energy consumption but still enable a message originated from a source node to reach all the other nodes in an ad-hoc wireless network. In all existing solutions each node requires global network information (including distances between any two neighboring nodes in the network) in order to decide its own transmission radius. We describe a new localized protocol where each node requires only the knowledge of its distance to all neighboring nodes and distances between its neighboring nodes (or, alternatively, geographic position of itself and its neighboring nodes). In addition to using only local information, our protocol is shown experimentally to be comparable to the best known globalized BIP solution. Our solutions are based on the use of relative neighborhood graph, which preserves connectivity and is defined in localized manner.
How can Firms from Emerging Economies Enhance their CSR-Supported Export Strategies?

The broadly divided literature on the link between corporate social responsibility (CSR) and performance has distracted researchers from intricate inter-relationships that may hide behind straightforward direct effects. Drawing on the strategy tripod, our study addresses this gap by investigating how internal resources, markets and institutions influence a CSR-supported export strategy, which we conceptualise as a differentiation strategy consisting of firmand product-level CSR reputation and the performance-relevant international market orientation (IMO). Using a sample of 195 Brazilian export companies, we find that in conjunction with internal RD RBV; Export companies; International Marketing Orientation; Emerging Economies, Institutional Environment.
Density evolution analysis of node-based verification-based algorithms in compressed sensing

In this paper, we present a new approach for the analysis of iterative node-based verification-based (NB-VB) recovery algorithms in the context of compressive sensing. These algorithms are particularly interesting due to their low complexity (linear in the signal dimension n). The asymptotic analysis predicts the fraction of unverified signal elements at each iteration ℓ in the asymptotic regime where n → ∞. The analysis is similar in nature to the well-known density evolution technique commonly used to analyze iterative decoding algorithms. To perform the analysis, a message-passing interpretation of NB-VB algorithms is provided. This interpretation lacks the extrinsic nature of standard message-passing algorithms to which density evolution is usually applied. This requires a number of non-trivial modifications in the analysis. The analysis tracks the average performance of the recovery algorithms over the ensembles of input signals and sensing matrices as a function of ℓ. Concentration results are devised to demonstrate that the performance of the recovery algorithms applied to any choice of the input signal over any realization of the sensing matrix follows the deterministic results of the analysis closely. Simulation results are also provided which demonstrate that the proposed asymptotic analysis matches the performance of recovery algorithms for large but finite values of n. Compared to the existing technique for the analysis of NB-VB algorithms, which is based on numerically solving a large system of coupled differential equations, the proposed method is much simpler and more accurate.
Maximizing the Signal-to-Alias Ratio in Non-Uniform Filter Banks for Acoustic Echo Cancellation

A new method for designing non-uniform filter-banks for acoustic echo cancellation is proposed. In the method, the analysis prototype filter design is framed as a convex optimization problem that maximizes the signal-to-alias ratio (SAR) in the analysis banks. Since each sub-band has a different bandwidth, the contribution to the overall SAR from each analysis bank is taken into account during optimization. To increase the degrees of freedom during optimization, no constraints are imposed on the phase or group delay of the filters; at the same time, low delay is achieved by ensuring that the resulting filters are minimum phase. Experimental results show that the filter bank designed using the proposed method results in a sub-band adaptive filter with a much better echo return loss enhancement (ERLE) when compared with existing design methods.
How Safe Is Arteriovenous Malformation Surgery? A Prospective, Observational Study of Surgery As First‐Line Treatment for Brain Arteriovenous Malformations

OBJECTIVESExisting studies reporting the risk of surgery for brain arteriovenous malformations (AVMs) are often biased by the exclusion of patients not offered surgery. In this study, we examine the risk of surgery, including cases excluded from surgery because of the high surgical risk. METHODSData were collected on 640 consecutively enrolled AVMs in a database that included all patients not considered for surgery. RESULTSPatients with Spetzler-Martin grade 1 to 2 AVMs (n = 296) were treated with a surgical risk of 0.7% (95% confidence interval [CI], 0%-3%); patients with Spetzler-Martin grade 3 to 4 AVMs in noneloquent cortex (n = 65) were treated with a surgical risk of 17% (95% CI, 10%-28%). Patients with Spetzler-Martin grade 3 to 5 AVMs in eloquent cortex (n = 168) were treated with a surgical risk of 21% (95% CI, 15%-28%). However, because 14% of patients in this series with similar AVMs were refused surgery because of perceived surgical risk, these results are not generalizable to the population of patients with similar AVMs. CONCLUSIONThe results of this series suggest that it is reasonable to offer surgery as a preferred treatment option for Spetzler-Martin grade 1 to 2 AVMs. This study also reinforces the predictive value of the Spetzler-Martin grading system, with some caveats.
Exploratory Study of Relationships among Statement Credibility, Context, and Semantic Similarity

In our work we investigate the relationship between semantic textual similarity and credibility of the individual sentence. For this purpose we performed an experiment to create a corpus of sentences with known credibility value. Then we calculated semantic similarity of each pair of sentences and tried to assess the credibility of a sentence using similar one. Performing comparison, we use idea to treat credibility as a probability distribution. By comparing the expected value of the credibility distribution with the results of the experiment, we evaluate the relationship of similarity relation with credibility.
Design of Shared Aperture Wideband Antennas Considering Band-Notch and Radiation Pattern Control

Two wideband antennas sharing a common aperture are presented. One antenna consists of an electrically loaded rectangle monopole, an electrically loaded inverse L-shape monopole, and a lowpass matching network between the two monopoles. It covers 30-600 MHz (VSWR <3) with band-rejection characteristic in 86-110 MHz. The other one is a planar open-sleeve monopole, which covers 820-1200 MHz with VSWR<2. These two antennas are integrated in an aperture with size of only 420 times 200 mm2. Both antennas are planar, which are promising candidates for either vehicular or airborne applications.
Effect of Gray Fabric Properties on Flame Resistance of Knitted Fabric

In this study, knitted fabrics that have been used extensively in recent years are chosen to investigate the effects of their properties on flame resistance. Physical parameters (fiber type and composition, yarn count, yarn twist coefficient, fabric design, weight per unit area, air permeability, fabric thickness, cover factor, loop density) that affect fabric flammability are defined and an experimental study is designed. The burning behavior of the all fabrics is evaluated using the BS 5438 vertical flammability test method because its results are very similar to real fabric burning behavior and it is more responsive than other test methods. Finally, experimental results are evaluated according to a MANOVA analysis using an SPSS statistical program. How and at which level knitted fabric param eters affect a fabric's burning behavior is defined, and regression models of these parameters are obtained. Using these regression models, the burning behavior of knitted fabrics is evaluated, and it is possible to rank them according to their burning character istics.
Automatic NLP-based enrichment of E-learning content for English language learning

The creation of quality content for E-learning resources is a time-consuming task. To simplify the process of content creation for language learning and enable easy adaptability for different requirements and language levels we strive to add as much automation as possible. In order to still obtain high quality, we present in this paper our approaches to enrich E-learning-based English vocabulary tests, which support blended learning and improve direct user feedback. We integrate openly available language resources for selecting and appending usage example sentences for a given vocabulary corpus. Furthermore we discuss our results and suggest to acquire natural language processing (NLP) based techniques to improve the generation of language related contents in general and to overcome some of the weaknesses of our current solution.
Polarization bistability in 1.5 micron wavelength single-mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting lasers induced by orthogonal optical injection

We study experimentally the polarization bistability of a single transverse and polarization mode vertical-cavity surface-emitting laser (VCSEL) induced by orthogonal optical injection. As the master laser frequency is scanned near the resonance frequency of the depressed linearly polarized fundamental-mode, and for a fixed master laser power, the VCSEL exhibits two successive polarization switchings. Pure frequency-induced polarization bistability is found because both polarization switchings exhibit bistable regions. The width of both bistable regions is analyzed as a function of the master laser power and for different values of the VCSEL current. The hysteresis width fluctuates around a constant level while the injected power is smaller than a certain value. Further increase of the master laser power leads to a smaller constant value of the hysteresis width. The value of that transition value is independent on the VCSEL current. Power-induced polarization bistability - by fixing the frequency of the injected light- is found near that transition value. The character of the power-hysteresis cycles change from clockwise to anticlockwise as the master laser frequency moves away from the frequency of the depressed linearly polarized fundamental-mode. Qualitatively similar results are found for different VCSELs with wavelength around 1550 nm.
Data Management in Cloud Computing Ms

To some, cloud computing seems to be little more than a marketing umbrella, encompassing topics such as distributed computing, grid computing, utility computing, and software-as-a-service, that have already received significant research focus and commercial implementation. Nonetheless, there exist an increasing number of large companies that are offering cloud computing infrastructure products and services that do not entirely resemble the visions of these individual component topics. In this paper, the limitations and opportunities of deploying data management issues on the emerging cloud computing platforms are discussed. It is speculated that large scale data analysis tasks, decision support systems, and application specific data marts are more likely to take advantage of cloud computing platforms than operational, transactional database systems. A list of features that a DBMS designed for large scale data analysis tasks running on cloud computing platforms should contain is presented. Some currently available open source and commercial database options that can be used to perform such analysis tasks are discussed, and it is concluded that none of these options, as presently architected, match the requisite features. The need for a new DBMS, designed specifically for cloud computing environments is also discussed in this paper.
Study of Damage Mechanism of High Power Microwave on Electronic Equipments

Currently, damage effect of high power microwave (HPM) on electronic equipments is of increasing interest. HPM can disturb, damage, or destroy many military or civil electronic equipments. In this paper, the representative HPM waveform is investigated in time and frequency field respectively, and the main characteristics (peak power, rise time, power density, etc) are analyzed and listed. HPM generation devices and radiation are also discussed. Coupling energy into electronic devices via front door and back door, as a function of coupling coefficient and the effective area, is modeled. By presenting lots of kinds of coupling modes and paths, damage effects are divided into five different classes, and damage mechanism of HPM on electronic equipments is proven in the paper.
FIB Micro-Pillar Sampling Technique For 3D Stem Observation And Its Application

T. Yaguchi*, M.Konno*, T. Kamino*, T. Hashimoto**, T. Onishi**and K.Umemura***, K.Asayama**** *Hitachi Science Systems Ltd., 11-1 Ishikawa-cho, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, 312-0057 Japan **Hitachi High-Technologies Corp., 882 Ichige, Hitachinaka, Ibaraki, 312-8504 Japan ***Central Research laboratory Hitachi Ltd. 1-180 Higashikoigakubo, Kokubunji, Tokyo, 185-8601 Japan ****Semiconductor and Integrated Circuits Division, Hitachi Ltd., 20-1 Josuihon-cho 5, Kodaira, Tokyo 187-8588 Japan
Survey of the Efficacy of a Short Fragment of the rbcL Gene as a Supplemental DNA Barcode for Diatoms

DNA barcoding is a tool that uses a short, standard segment of DNA to identify organisms. In diatoms, a consensus on an appropriate DNA barcode has not been reached, but several markers show promise. These include the 5.8S gene plus a fragment of the internal transcribed spacer 2 (ITS‐2) of nuclear‐encoded ribosomal RNA, a 420‐bp segment of the 18S rRNA gene, and a 748‐bp fragment at the 3′‐end of the ribulose bisophosphate carboxylase large subunit (rbcL) gene. Here, we tested a 540‐bp fragment 417‐bp downstream of the start codon of the rbcL gene for its efficacy in distinguishing diatom species in a wide range of taxa. Overall, 381 sequences representing 66 genera and 245 species from the classes Mediophyceae and Bacillariophyceae were examined. Intra/interspecific thresholds were set at p = 0.01 differences per site (diff./site) for Mediophyceae and p = 0.02 diff. /site for Bacillariophyceae and correctly segregated 96% and 93% of morphological congeners, respectively. When testing reproductively isolated or biological species, which are only available from Bacillariophyceae, 80% of species were discriminated. Therefore, we concluded that, alone, the rbcL region tested herein as potential a DNA barcode was not a sufficient discriminator of all diatoms. We suggest that this fragment could be used in a dual‐locus barcode with the more variable 5.8S+ITS‐2 to discriminate species without sufficient interspecific divergences in the tested rbcL region and to provide insight into species identity from a separately evolved genome.
Fiber Dosage Effects in Asphalt Binders and Hot Mix Asphalt Mixtures

The application of fibers and other materials in asphalt mixes has been studied and applied over the past five decades in order to improve pavement performance around the world. This thesis highlights the characteristics and performance properties of modified asphalt mixes using a blend of polypropylene and aramid fibers, The main objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of adding different fiber dosages on the laboratory performance of both asphalt binder and mixture. The laboratory study was conducted on sixteen different dosages and blends of the fibers, with various combinations of polypropylene and aramid, using binder tests as well as hot mix asphalt tests. The binder tests included: penetration, softing point, and Brookfield viscosity tests. The asphalt mixture tests included the dynamic modulus, and indirect tensile strength. The binder test results indicated that the best viscosity - temperature susceptibility performance would be from the blend of three dosages of polypropylene and one dosage of aramid, the dynamic modulus test results also confirmed this finding. Overall, in almost every case, the addition of fibers resulted in an increase in mixture stiffness regardless of fiber content. From the indirect tensile strength results, the polypropylene fibers had less of an effect on post peak failure than the aramid fibers. Overall, the aramid fibers yielded better results than the polypropylene fibers. This study has important implications for the future of pavement design and the prospect of using optimal dosages of polypropylene and aramid fibers in further research to further determine their long-term performance and characteristics used in real world applications.
A synthetic framework for evaluating the anthropomorphic characteristics of prosthetic hands

In order to improve the prosthetic hand's design and usability, this paper presents a synthetic framework for evaluating the current prosthetic hands' anthropomorphic features with 12 quantified prosthetic hand anthropomorphism evaluation indexes (QPHAEIs). Our primary results show that a global anthropomorphic score (GAS) of the current commercial prosthetic hands is only 45.2%. The compliance, coupling speed ratio and configuration of the degrees of freedom (DOF) are found to be the lowest three anthropomorphism evaluation indexes in all QPHAEIs. Besides these significant findings, a consideration priority order in prosthetic hand's anthropomorphic index design is also proposed. Further correlation analysis indicates that evaluation methods using rotation axis distribution, rather than experimental grasp gesture, are more reliable to measure a prosthetic hand's GAS.
Distributed Estimation for Adaptive Networks Based on Serial-Inspired Diffusion

Distributed estimation and processing in networks modeled by graphs have received a great deal of interest recently, due to the benefits of decentralised processing in terms of performance and robustness to communications link failure between nodes of the network. Diffusion-based algorithms have been demonstrated to be among the most effective for distributed signal processing problems, through the combination of local node estimate updates and sharing of information with neighbour nodes through diffusion. In this work, we develop a serial-inspired approach based on message-passing strategies that provides a significant improvement in performance over prior art. The concept of serial processing in the graph has been successfully applied in sum-product based algorithms and here provides inspiration for an algorithm which makes use of the most up-to-date information in the graph in combination with the diffusion approach to offer improved performance.