Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Preservice Preschool Teachers' Responses to Bullying Scenarios: The Roles of Years of Study and Empathy

The present study is aim to examine whether preservice preschool teachers' respond differently to physical, verbal and relational bullying, and how their years of study and trait empathy related their responses. There were 242 preservice teachers in the present study. Empathy was measured with the self-report Interpersonal Reactive Index; the Bullying Attitude Questionnaire was used to assess their perceptions of incident seriousness, their sympathy toward the victim of the bullying, and their possibility to intervene in the situation. The results revealed that the participants responded most to physical bullying and least to relational bullying. Interestingly, responses to relational bullying tended to decrease during the university period. The empathy dimensions played different roles in the participants' responses to bullying, while cognitive empathy have little relationship with the participants' responses to bullying, emotional empathy played a more complex role in the participants' responses to bullying: empathic concerns moderated the relationship between years of study and responses to bullying, and personal distress negatively predicted the participants' responses to all types of bullying. The implications for bullying intervention and the suggestion for teacher education are discussed.
Applying a reusable framework for software selection

With increasing use of component-based development (CBD), the process for selecting software from repositories is a critical concern for quality systems development. As support for developers blending in-house and third party software, the context-driven component evaluation (CdCE) process provides a three-phase approach to software selection: filtering to a short list, functional evaluation and ranking. The process was developed through iterative experimentation on real-world data. CdCE has tool support to generate classifier models, shortlists and test cases as artefacts that provide for a repeatable, transparent process that can be reused as the system evolves. Although developed for software component selection, the CdCE process framework can be easily modified for other selection tasks by substituting templates, tools, evaluation criteria and/or repositories. In this article the authors describe the CdCE process and its development, the CdCE framework as a reusable pattern for software selection and provide a case study where the process is applied.
Low-complexity turbo detection for single-carrier low-density parity-check-coded multiple-input multiple-output underwater acoustic communications

A low-complexity turbo detection scheme is proposed for single-carrier multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) underwater acoustic (UWA) communications using low-density parity-check (LDPC) channel coding. The low complexity of the proposed detection algorithm is achieved in two aspects: first, the frequency-domain equalization technique is adopted, and it maintains a low complexity irrespective of the highly dispersive UWA channels; second, the computation of the soft equalizer output, in the form of extrinsic log-likelihood ratio, is performed with an approximating method, which further reduces the complexity. Moreover, attributed to the LDPC decoding, the turbo detection converges within only a few iterations. The proposed turbo detection scheme has been used for processing real-world data collected in two different undersea trials: WHOI09 and ACOMM09. Experimental results show that it provides robust detection for MIMO UWA communications with different modulations and different symbol rates, at different transmission ranges. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Providing Value to a Business Using a Lightweight Design System to Support Knowledge Reuse by Designers

This paper describes an alternative approach to knowledge based systems in engineering than traditional geometry or explicit knowledge focused systems. Past systems have supported product optimisation rather than creative solutions and provide little benefit to businesses for bespoke and low volume products or products which do not benefit from optimisation. The approach here addresses this by supporting the creativity of designers through codified tacit knowledge and encouraging knowledge reuse for bespoke product development, in particular for small to medium sized enterprises. The implementation and evaluation of the approach is described within a company producing bespoke fixtures and tooling in shorter than average lead times. The active support of knowledge management in the company is intended to add value to the business by further reducing the lead times of the designs and creating a positive impact to business processes. The evaluation demonstrates a viable alternative framework to the traditional management of knowledge in engineering, which could be implemented by other small to medium enterprises.
A comparative study of image retargeting

The numerous works on media retargeting call for a methodological approach for evaluating retargeting results. We present the first comprehensive perceptual study and analysis of image retargeting. First, we create a benchmark of images and conduct a large scale user study to compare a representative number of state-of-the-art retargeting methods. Second, we present analysis of the users' responses, where we find that humans in general agree on the evaluation of the results and show that some retargeting methods are consistently more favorable than others. Third, we examine whether computational image distance metrics can predict human retargeting perception. We show that current measures used in this context are not necessarily consistent with human rankings, and demonstrate that better results can be achieved using image features that were not previously considered for this task. We also reveal specific qualities in retargeted media that are more important for viewers. The importance of our work lies in promoting better measures to assess and guide retargeting algorithms in the future. The full benchmark we collected, including all images, retargeted results, and the collected user data, are available to the research community for further investigation at http://people.csail. mit.edu/mrub/retargetme.
Robust curb detection and vehicle localization in urban environments

Curb detection is an important capability for autonomous ground vehicles in urban environments. It is particularly useful for path planning and safe navigation. Another important task that can benefit from curb detection is localization, which is also a major requirement for self-driving cars. There are several approaches for identifying curbs using stereo cameras and 2D LIDARs in the literature. Stereo cameras depend on image pair matching methods to obtain depth information. Although 2D LIDARs being able to directly return this information, only few curb points can be detected using this sensor. In this work we propose the use of a 3D LIDAR which provides a dense point cloud and thus make possible to detect a larger extent of the curb. Our approach introduces the use of robust regression method named least trimmed squares (LTS) to deal with occluding scenes in contrast of temporal filters and spline fitting methods. We also used the curb detector as an input of a Monte Carlo localization algorithm, which is capable to estimate the pose of the vehicle without an accurate GPS sensor. We conducted experiments in urban environments to validate both the curb detector and the localization algorithm. Both method delivered successful results in different traffic situations and an average lateral localization error of 0.52655 m in a 800 m track.
Analysis and Simulation of the Free-Stretch-Blow Process of PET

This paper is concerned with understanding the behaviour of Polyethylene Terephthalate (PET) in the injection stretch blow moulding (ISBM) process where it is typically bi-axially stretched to form bottles for the packaging industry. Preforms which have been pre sprayed with a pattern and heated in an oil bath have been stretched and blown in free air using a lab scale ISBM machine whilst being monitored via high speed video. The images have subsequently been analysed using a digital image correlation system (VIC 3D). The results have been used to validate appropriate simulations of the free-blow process using ABAQUS®/Explicit FEA with a suitable viscoelastic material model, along with experimental process data obtained using an instrumented stretch rod.
A Multimodal Behavioral Biometric Technique for User Identification using Mouse and Keystroke Dynamics

A novel multimodal behavioral biometric technique is implemented to authenticate/identify users by the way they interact with the input devices namely mouse and keyboard. It is also shown how behavioral biometrics is more efficient and secure than physiological biometric systems and moreover the most secured system is that which uses combination of both. This paper explains how the user will first be enrolled into the system. Sufficient number of samples will ensure the accuracy of the system. During verification, the user data will be first matched with that of the database and a probability module will decide over most probable user to be authenticated. The database matching process and simple probability calculation will ensure a time efficient system.
Do adults want to learn by playing digital games?

Educational games mostly target children, often neglecting adults. To find out if adults are interested in educational games, we created and displayed one in an exhibition and used it to collect and study the audience's feedback and reactions toward such games. At the end of the experiment we found out that adult's interest in educational games changes depending on their age, and that they the will and desire to play such games if provided.
Enhanced n-Doping Efficiency of a Naphthalenediimide-Based Copolymer through Polar Side Chains for Organic Thermoelectrics

N-doping of conjugated polymers either requires a high dopant fraction or yields a low electrical conductivity because of their poor compatibility with molecular dopants. We explore n-doping of the polar naphthalenediimide–bithiophene copolymer p(gNDI-gT2) that carries oligoethylene glycol-based side chains and show that the polymer displays superior miscibility with the benzimidazole–dimethylbenzenamine-based n-dopant N-DMBI. The good compatibility of p(gNDI-gT2) and N-DMBI results in a relatively high doping efficiency of 13% for n-dopants, which leads to a high electrical conductivity of more than 10–1 S cm–1 for a dopant concentration of only 10 mol % when measured in an inert atmosphere. We find that the doped polymer is able to maintain its electrical conductivity for about 20 min when exposed to air and recovers rapidly when returned to a nitrogen atmosphere. Overall, solution coprocessing of p(gNDI-gT2) and N-DMBI results in a larger thermoelectric power factor of up to 0.4 μW K–2 m–1 compared to other NDI-based polymers.
Study on Treatment of Odor Containing H2S and NH3 by Industrial Scale Bio-Trickling Filters

The treatment of H2S and NH3 odor produced in sewage disposal process was carried out in industrial scale bio-trickling filters filled with different kinds of filler. The processing capacity per unit volume and the processing capacity per unit volume filler on odor removal performance for different bio-trickling filter were investigated. The results demonstrate that there are remarkable differences in deodorization performance between different kinds of bio-trickling filters.
Dynamic Temporal Change of Cerebral Microbleeds: Long-Term Follow-Up MRI Study

Background Cerebral microbleeds (MBs) are understood as an important radiologic marker of intracerebral hemorrhage. We sought to investigate the temporal changes of MBs and clinical factors associated with the changes using long-term follow-up MRI. Methods/Principal Findings From October 2002 to July 2006, we prospectively enrolled patients with stroke or transient ischemic attack, and followed-up their brain MRIs with an interval >12 mo. We compared demographic factors, vascular risk factors, laboratory findings, and radiologic factors according to the presence or changes of MBs. A total of 224 patients successfully completed the follow-up examinations (mean, 27 months). Newly developed MBs were noted in 10 patients (6.8%) among those without MBs at baseline (n = 148), and in those with MBs at baseline (n = 76), the MB count had decreased in 11 patients (14.5%), and increased in 41 patients (53.9%). The estimated annual rate of change of MB numbers was 0.80 lesions per year in all patients, a value which became greater in those patients who exhibited MBs at baseline (MBs≥5, 5.43 lesions per year). Strokes due to small vessel occlusion and intracerebral hemorrhage, as well as white matter lesions were independently associated with an increased MB count, whereas the highest quartile of low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol was associated with a decreased MB count. Conclusion During the follow-up period, most of MBs showed dynamic temporal change. Symptomatic or asymptomatic small vessel diseases appear to act as risk factors while in contrast, a high level of LDL cholesterol may act as a protective factor against MB increase.
Transmission and Toxigenic Potential of Vibrio cholerae in Hilsha Fish (Tenualosa ilisha) for Human Consumption in Bangladesh

Fish have been considered natural reservoirs of Vibrio cholerae, the deadly diarrheal pathogen. However, little is known about the role of fish in the transmission of V. cholerae from the Bay of Bengal to the households of rural and urban Bangladesh. This study analyzes the incidence and pathogenic potential of V. cholerae in Hilsha (Tenualosa ilisha), a commonly caught and consumed fish that exhibits a life cycle in both freshwater and marine environments in Bangladesh. During the period from October 2014 to October 2015, samples from the gills, recta, intestines, and scale swabs of a total of 48 fish were analyzed. The fish were collected both at local markets in the capital city Dhaka and directly from fishermen at the river. PCR analysis by targeting V. cholerae species-specific ompW gene revealed that 39 of 48 (81%) fish were positive in at least one of the sample types. Real-time PCR analysis demonstrated that the cholera-causing ctxA gene was detected in 20% (8 of 39) of V. cholerae-positive fish. A total of 158 V. cholerae isolates were obtained which were categorized into 35 genotypic groups. Altogether, 25 O1 and 133 non-O1/O139 strains were isolated, which were negative for the cholera toxin gene. Other pathogenic genes such as stn/sto, hlyA, chxA, SXT, rtxC, and HA-P were detected. The type three secretion system gene cluster (TTSS) was present in 18% (24 of 133) of non-O1/O139 isolates. The antibiotic susceptibility test revealed that the isolates conferred high resistance to sulfamethoxazole-trimethoprim and kanamycin. Both O1 and non-O1/O139 strains were able to accumulate fluid in rabbit ileal loops and caused distinctive cell death in HeLa cell. Multilocus sequence typing (MLST) showed clonal diversity among fish isolates with pandemic clones. Our data suggest a high prevalence of V. cholerae in Hilsha fish, which indicates that this fish could serve as a potential vehicle for V. cholerae transmission. Moreover, the indigenous V. cholerae strains isolated from Hilsha fish possess considerable virulence potential despite being quite diverse from current epidemic strains. This represents the first study of the population structure of V. cholerae associated with fish in Bangladesh.
Estimating Scale-Invariant Future in Continuous Time

Natural learners must compute an estimate of future outcomes that follow from a stimulus in continuous time. Widely used reinforcement learning algorithms discretize continuous time and estimate either transition functions from one step to the next (model-based algorithms) or a scalar value of exponentially discounted future reward using the Bellman equation (model-free algorithms). An important drawback of model-based algorithms is that computational cost grows linearly with the amount of time to be simulated. An important drawback of model-free algorithms is the need to select a timescale required for exponential discounting. We present a computational mechanism, developed based on work in psychology and neuroscience, for computing a scale-invariant timeline of future outcomes. This mechanism efficiently computes an estimate of inputs as a function of future time on a logarithmically compressed scale and can be used to generate a scale-invariant power-law-discounted estimate of expected future reward. The representation of future time retains information about what will happen when. The entire timeline can be constructed in a single parallel operation that generates concrete behavioral and neural predictions. This computational mechanism could be incorporated into future reinforcement learning algorithms.
Audio Time Stretching Using Fuzzy Classification of Spectral Bins

A novel method for audio time stretching has been developed. In time stretching, the audio signal’s duration is expanded, whereas its frequency content remains unchanged. The proposed time stretching method employs the new concept of fuzzy classification of time-frequency points, or bins, in the spectrogram of the signal. Each time-frequency bin is assigned, using a continuous membership function, to three signal classes: tonalness, noisiness, and transientness. The method does not require the signal to be explicitly decomposed into different components, but instead, the computing of phase propagation, which is required for time stretching, is handled differently in each time-frequency point according to the fuzzy membership values. The new method is compared with three previous time-stretching methods by means of a listening test. The test results show that the proposed method yields slightly better sound quality for large stretching factors as compared to a state-of-the-art algorithm, and practically the same quality as a commercial algorithm. The sound quality of all tested methods is dependent on the audio signal type. According to this study, the proposed method performs well on music signals consisting of mixed tonal, noisy, and transient components, such as singing, techno music, and a jazz recording containing vocals. It performs less well on music containing only noisy and transient sounds, such as a drum solo. The proposed method is applicable to the high-quality time stretching of a wide variety of music signals.
Rectal cancer survival in the United States by race and stage, 2001 to 2009: Findings from the CONCORD‐2 study

In the first CONCORD study, 5‐year survival for patients with diagnosed with rectal cancer between 1990 and 1994 was <60%, with large racial disparities noted in the majority of participating states. We have updated these findings to 2009 by examining population‐based survival by stage of disease at the time of diagnosis, race, and calendar period.
Genetic Spatiotemporal Anatomy of Plasmodium vivax Malaria Episodes in Greece, 2009–2013

An influx of immigrants is contributing to the reemergence of Plasmodium vivax malaria in Greece; 1 persistent focus of transmission is in Laconia, Pelopónnese. We genotyped archived blood samples from a substantial proportion of malaria cases recorded in Greece in 2009–2013 using 8 microsatellite markers and a PvMSP-3α gene fragment and plotted their spatiotemporal distribution. High parasite genetic diversity with low multiplicity of infection was observed. A subset of genetically identical/related parasites was restricted to 3 areas in migrants and Greek residents, with some persisting over 2 consecutive transmission periods. We identified 2 hitherto unsuspected additional foci of local transmission: Kardhítsa and Attica. Furthermore, this analysis indicates that several cases in migrants initially classified as imported malaria were actually locally acquired. This study shows the potential for P. vivax to reestablish transmission and counsels public health authorities about the need for vigilance to achieve or maintain sustainable malaria elimination.
RadialGAN: Leveraging multiple datasets to improve target-specific predictive models using Generative Adversarial Networks

Training complex machine learning models for prediction often requires a large amount of data that is not always readily available. Leveraging these external datasets from related but different sources is therefore an important task if good predictive models are to be built for deployment in settings where data can be rare. In this paper we propose a novel approach to the problem in which we use multiple GAN architectures to learn to translate from one dataset to another, thereby allowing us to effectively enlarge the target dataset, and therefore learn better predictive models than if we simply used the target dataset. We show the utility of such an approach, demonstrating that our method improves the prediction performance on the target domain over using just the target dataset and also show that our framework outperforms several other benchmarks on a collection of real-world medical datasets.
Atmospheric Pressure Synthesis of ZnO Nanotubes by Aqueous Solution Route

Single-crystalline ZnO nanotubes were fabricated via a simple aqueous solution method under low temperature and atmospheric pressure conditions. X-ray powder diffraction (XRD), field-emission scanning electron microscopy (FE-SEM) and high-resolution transmission electron microscopy (HR-TEM) equipped with the selected area electron diffraction (SAED) setup were used to analyze the crystal structure, surface morphology and inner structure of ZnO nanotubes. Photoluminescence (PL) and UV-visible absorption spectra were carried out to investigate optical properties of ZnO nanotubes. The results indicate ZnO nanotubes only exhibit sharp and strong near ultraviolet emission at 363 nm according to PL spectrum.
Virtual Analog Models of the Lockhart and Serge Wavefolders

Wavefolders are a particular class of nonlinear waveshaping circuits, and a staple of the “West Coast” tradition of analog sound synthesis. In this paper, we present analyses of two popular wavefolding circuits—the Lockhart and Serge wavefolders—and show that they achieve a very similar audio effect. We digitally model the input–output relationship of both circuits using the Lambert-W function, and examine their time- and frequency-domain behavior. To ameliorate the issue of aliasing distortion introduced by the nonlinear nature of wavefolding, we propose the use of the first-order antiderivative method. This method allows us to implement the proposed digital models in real-time without having to resort to high oversampling factors. The practical synthesis usage of both circuits is discussed by considering the case of multiple wavefolder stages arranged in series.