Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Highly enhanced context respectful counseling agent

A lot of IT workers suffer from stress in doing their work and there are a few counselors to help them. To cope with this problem, an enhanced context respectful counseling agent is proposed. This counseling agent extracts emotional words from clients' utterances throughout their dialogue to detect their changes and provides clients with such changes as dialogue summary. If no change is detected, it replies with clients' utterances' paraphrases followed by context-respectful prompts to dig/ narrow problems. Especially to continue the conversation towards clients' further reflection, our newly enhanced agent restricts or relates the topics with eventual and emotional words in dialogue sentences. Namely, it asks still context-respectful but self-disclosure type questions to understand the distressed client more correctly or more sincerely. Furthermore, it uses fuzzy reasoning to select an non boring response either from several digging prompts such as “more concretely”, “say more”, “please say it in detail”, etc. or from several sentences in case of no matching of input utterance with the above mentioned paraphrasing patterns. Owing to this enhancement, clients keeping and deepening reflection on themselves without boring in conversation, reach more problem clarification and self-awareness, which enables them to solve their more difficult problems.
Topic Extraction and Extension to Support Concept Mapping

Successful knowledge management may depend not only on knowledge capture, but on knowledge construction—on formulating new and useful knowledge that was not previously available. Electronic concept mapping tools are a promising method for supporting knowledge capture and construction, but users may find it difficult to determine the right knowledge to include. Consequently, knowledge-based methods for suggesting relevant information are desirable for supporting the knowledge modeling process. We are developing methods to aid concept mapping by suggesting relevant information to compare, contrast, and possibly include in knowledge models represented as concept maps. This paper presents two specific methods we are developing for this task, both of which automatically identify topics related to a concept map in order to guide the retrieval of related information. The first, DISCERNER, automatically organizes concept map libraries into a hierarchical structure of topic categories and subcategories that are used as indices for efficient access to relevant stored concept maps. The second, EXTENDER, characterizes the topics of concept maps under construction, applies clustering techniques to the resulting information, and performs incremental web-mining for new but related, topics. It suggests these topics as potential areas for extending the existing concept map or to include in new maps to increase current knowledge coverage. Key knowledge management issues include how to represent, capture, and construct needed knowledge, and how to access stored knowledge as needed. Concept maps and electronic concept mapping tools provide a representation and knowledge construction method that both novices and experts can use to directly develop and compare knowledge models. Recent research focuses on augmenting these tools by applying knowledge-based technologies to build “intelligent suggesters. ” These suggesters support users by suggesting relevant concepts, concept maps, and other resources to
Deformable Image Registration using Spring Mass System

The paper describes a novel multi-resolution registration method. It is fast, robust and offers high registration accuracy. The algorithm models deformations using an elastic spring mass system, which contains sparse masses interconnected by springs. The proposed method uses data intensity values to guide deformation with local constraints imposed by interaction of interconnecting springs. Moreover, by using such system prior information about the data can by easily embedded into the system to improve the registration accuracy. The performance of the method is tested using simulated as well as real dynamic magnetic resonance image dMRI data.
CDW: A text clustering model for diverse versions discovery

The development of information technology brings numerous online news and events to our daily life. One big problem of such information explosion is, many times there are diverse descriptions for one incident which make people confused. Although previous researches have provided various algorithms to detect and track events, few of them focus on uncovering the diversified versions of an event. In this paper, we propose a novel algorithm which is capable of discovering different versions of one event according to the news reports. We map documents to the topic layer to get the information of each topic. Then we extract the highly-differentiated words of each topic to cluster the documents. Compared with previous work, the accuracy of our algorithm is much higher. Experiments conducted on two data sets show that our algorithm is effective and outperforms various related algorithms, including classical methods such as K-means and LDA.
Infection control and prevention measures to reduce the spread of vancomycin-resistant enterococci in hospitalized patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVES Vancomycin-resistant enterococci (VRE) represent a major problem in healthcare settings worldwide. It is still unclear which is the most effective infection control and prevention (ICP) measure to reduce the spread of hospital-acquired VRE. METHODS Cochrane databases, MEDLINE, EMBASE and CINAHL were searched until June 2012 to find studies comparing wards/hospitals where ICP measures to prevent VRE transmission were investigated. In the absence of heterogeneity, a fixed-effects model was used to estimate the pooled risk ratio (RR). Study quality was assessed according to Cochrane Effective Practice and Organisation of Care (EPOC) criteria. RESULTS The search strategy retrieved 549 studies and 9 studies (1 randomized clinical trial, 3 controlled clinical trials and 5 interrupted time series) with 30, 949 participants were included. The overall study quality was low. Implementation of hand hygiene was associated with a 47% decrease in the VRE acquisition rate (pooled RR 0.53, 95% CI 0.39-0.73, I(2) 26%) while contact precautions did not significantly reduce the VRE acquisition rate (pooled RR 1.08, 95% CI 0.63-1.83, I(2) 0%). Due to the low number of studies, meta-analysis was not applied for surveillance screening, environmental cleaning and antibiotic formulary interventions. No studies were available on the effectiveness of isolation and cohorting of patients and staff. CONCLUSIONS Available evidence on the ICP measures to reduce VRE spread in adult hospitalized patients is poor. This systematic review suggests a significant role for the implementation of hand hygiene. Further studies with appropriate study design are urgently needed to define ICP measures able to reduce the acquisition of VRE among hospitalized patients.
Electric fi eld distribution in relation to cell membrane electroporation in potato tuber tissue studied by magnetic resonance techniques

Article history: Received 30 October 2015 Received in revised form 8 January 2016 Accepted 3 March 2016 Available online 12 March 2016 Magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography (MREIT) enables determination of electric field distribution during electroporation in which cell membrane permeability is increased by application of an external high electric field. In this study,MREITwas performed for thefirst time to predict electroporated areas in a pulsed electricfield (PEF) treated vegetable tissue. The studywas performed onpotato tubers using different amplitudes of electric pulses and resultswere evaluated also bymeans ofmultiparametricMRI.MREIT determined regions of electric field distribution corresponded to visible darkened areas of the treated potatoes, as well to the results of multiparametricMRI. Results of this study suggest thatMREIT could be used as an efficient tool for improving the effectiveness of PEF treatment applications. Industrial relevance: This study presents a method capable of determining electric field distribution during PEF treatment using magnetic resonance electrical impedance tomography. The method has a practical value as it can potentially enable monitoring of the outcome of PEF applications which strongly depends on local electric field. Measurement of electric field distribution would enable detection of insufficient electric field coverage before the end of the PEF treatment, thus increasing and assuring its effectiveness. © 2016 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Public concerns about violent video games are moral concerns—How moral threat can make pacifists susceptible to scientific and political claims against violent video games

Public discussions about the harmfulness of violent media are often held in the aftermath of violent felony. At the same time, we know little about whether and how experiencing real-life violence impacts the way laypersons perceive and evaluate debates about virtual violence. In Study 1, we provided data indicating that both real-life violence and violent video games are perceived as morally threatening by people who regard nonviolence to be an important moral value (i.e., pacifists). In Study 2, we hypothesized and found that when pacifists perceive threat from the presence of real-life violence, they are especially susceptible to scientific and political claims indicating that violent video games are harmful. Our findings are in line with the value protection model and research on the psychological consequences of threat. Implications of the present findings are discussed with regard to a better understanding of the violent video games debate in the general public.
Translational control of pyrC expression mediated by nucleotide-sensitive selection of transcriptional start sites in Escherichia coli

Expression of the pyrC gene, which encodes the pyrimidine biosynthetic enzyme dihydroorotase, is negatively regulated by pyrimidine availability in Escherichia coli. To define the mechanism of this regulation, an essential regulatory region between the pyrC promoter and the initial codons of the pyrC structural gene was identified. Mutational analysis of this regulatory region showed that the formation of a hairpin at the 5' end of the pyrC transcript, which overlaps the pyrC ribosome binding site, is required for repression of pyrC expression. Formation of the hairpin appears to be controlled by nucleotide-sensitive selection of the site of pyrC transcriptional initiation. When the CTP level is high, the major pyrC transcript is initiated with this nucleotide at a position seven bases downstream of the pyrC -10 region. This transcript is capable of forming a stable hairpin at its 5' end. When the CTP level is low and the GTP level is high, conditions found in cells limited for pyrimidines, the major pyrC transcript is initiated with GTP at a position two bases further downstream. This shorter transcript appears to be unable to form a stable hairpin at its 5' end. These results suggest a model for regulation in which the longer pyrC transcripts are synthesized predominantly under conditions of pyrimidine excess and form the regulatory hairpin, which blocks pyrC translational initiation. In contrast, the shorter pyrC transcripts are synthesized primarily under conditions of pyrimidine limitation, and they are readily translated, resulting in a high level of dihydroorotase synthesis. The data also indicate that a low level of pyrimidine-mediated regulation may occur at the level of transcriptional initiation.
Context-adaptive algorithms to improve indoor positioning with inertial sensors

Body-mounted inertial systems for indoor positioning and pedestrian guidance have some major advantages against other technologies. They do not require any preinstalled facilities, i.e. they can run completely autonomous and all the necessary components are standard equipment of modern smart phones. The quick availability and autonomy is a special advantage in fields of application such as first responders and military, while the integration of all system components in an everyday life gadget makes it especially attractive for the consumer market. But in both cases there is a severe problem to solve: The positioning accuracy is very weak if only a simple double integration of the accelerations is performed. In the following two context-adaptive algorithms to improve indoor positioning with inertial sensors are presented and the achieved results are discussed. The first algorithm enhances the detection of zero-velocity updates (ZUPT); the other method improves positioning by map matching.
Supervised dimension reduction with topic models

We consider supervised dimension reduction (SDR) for problems with discrete variables. Existing methods are computationally expensive, and often do not take the local structure of data into consideration when searching for a low-dimensional space. In this paper, we propose a novel framework for SDR which is (1) general and ∞exible so that it can be easily adapted to various unsupervised topic models, (2) able to inherit scalability of unsupervised topic models, and (3) can exploit well label information and local structure of data when searching for a new space. Extensive experiments with adaptations to three models demonstrate that our framework can yield scalable and qualitative methods for SDR. One of those adaptations can perform better than the state-of-the-art method for SDR while enjoying signiflcantly faster speed.
I'll Get by with a Little Help from my Friends: Young People's Help-Seeking for Depression

The present research involved two studies examining the impact of severity on the process of help-seeking for depression. The first study included a survey of 316 New Zealand Adolescents (14-18 years) help-seeking, their inclination to seek help from a friend, parent, medical person and mental health professional for each scenario, and barriers to seeking help from these sources. Young females were more likely to identify depressive symptoms as a problem, and reported higher help-seeking, as well as lower barriers to seeking help. Age and ethnicity impacted on the process of seeking help, and inclination to seek help from different sources, supporting a complex multi-stage process, which both individual and contextual variables impact on the different stages. Correspondence Analysis was conducted on participant barriers to seeking help, which revealed that the severity of symptoms and source of help were reflected in participants' selection of barriers. It was suggested that young people perceive formal sources of help as more appropriate for severe symptoms of depression than informal sources such as friends and family. To examine this further, twenty-two semi-structured interviews were conducted with similar aged young people in the second study. Through thematic analysis, two overarching themes were identified. The expected response from a helper, and their relationship with a helper, were found to influence seeking help from different sources. The severity of depressive symptoms was found to overlap with these themes, to influence the perceived appropriateness of different helpers. This research contributes to understanding the reasons young people prefer informal sources of help. That is, they are more trusted, the response is more predictable, and help is considered more relevant from informal sources, particularly friends. The importance of utilising and strengthening already established help-seeking pathways of friends and family is encouraged to improve help-seeking from professionals.
Experimental validation of detonation shock dynamics in condensed explosives

Experiments in the HMX-based condensed explosive PBX-9501 were carried out to validate a reduced, asymptotically derived description of detonation shock dynamics (DSD) where it is assumed that the normal detonation shock speed is determined by the total shock curvature. The passover experiment has a lead disk embedded in a right circular cylindrical charge of PBX-9501 and is initiated from the bottom. The subsequent detonation shock experiences a range of dynamic states with both diverging (convex) and converging (concave) configurations as the detonation shock passes over the disk. The time of arrival of the detonation shock at the top surface of the charge is recorded and compared against DSD simulation and direct multi-material simulation. A new wide-ranging equation of state (EOS) and rate law that is constrained by basic explosive characterization experiments is introduced as a constitutive description of the explosive. This EOS and rate law is used to compute the theoretical normal shock velocity, curvature relation of the explosive for the reduced description, and is also used in the multi-material simulation. The time of arrival records are compared against the passover experiment and the dynamic motion of the shock front and states within the explosive are analysed. The experiment and simulation data are in excellent agreement. The level of agreement, both qualitative and quantitative, of theory and simulation with experiment is encouraging because it indicates that descriptions such as the wide-ranging EOS/rate law and the corresponding reduced DSD description can be used effectively to model real explosives and predict complex dynamic behaviors.
Towards an adaptable QoS aware middleware for distributed objects

In this thesis we investigate how state-of-the-art object middleware can be improved in order to further simplify the design, development and deployment of telematics services. In our view, object middleware is the only cost-effective means for realizing telematics services in a fast, extensible and customisable way. Contemporary object middleware does not offer sufficient facilities to control the qualitative aspects of a service.
A unified strategy for monitoring changes in abundance of birds associated with North American tidal marshes

An effective approach to species conservation involves efforts to prevent species from becoming threatened with extinction before they become listed as endangered. Standardized monitoring efforts provide the data necessary to estimate population trajectories of many species so that management agencies can identify declining species before they reach the point of endangerment. Species that occur in tidal saltmarshes in North America are under sampled by existing broad-scale monitoring programs. We summarize existing local and regional survey efforts for saltmarsh birds and propose a standardized continental protocol for assessing the status and population trends of birds that breed in saltmarshes in North America. The objective of this proposed survey effort is to create a series of interconnected monitoring efforts that will provide information on the status and the changes in status of terrestrial birds living in saltmarsh systems of North America. We describe detailed fi eld protocols for standardized surveys of saltmarsh birds across North America. We recommend morning point-count surveys with an initial 5-min passive period followed by a period of call broadcast. Surveyors record all individual birds detected (regardless of distance) for all species that are associated with saltmarshes and estimate the distance to each individual bird detected. We provide recommendations for standardizing distance between adjacent survey points, how repeat detections across points are recorded, daily and seasonal timing of surveys, timing of surveys relative to tidal cycles, number of replicate surveys per year, and focal species for this standardized survey effort. Recommended survey protocols include methods that allow estimation of various components of detection probability so that stronger inferences can be made based on trends in count data. We explain why the various survey recommendations are made so that potential participants understand the rationale for various aspects of the survey protocols. We also provide sample data forms and an example of how to fi ll out a data form. These protocols build upon the Standardized North American Marsh-Bird Monitoring Protocols by encouraging those interested in saltmarsh passerines (and other saltmarsh birds) to conduct surveys using a standardized protocol similar to that being used for secretive marsh birds. Standardization of this sort will allow data from surveys focusing on saltmarsh passerines to be easily pooled with data from surveys focusing on secretive marsh birds. Implementing these standardized surveys in saltmarshes across North America will help document regional and continental patterns in distribution and abundance of all birds associated with tidal marshes.
Problem Alcohol Use in Young Australian Adults

Objective: To examine the extent to which excessive drinking in young adults is associated with alcohol abuse and dependence. Method: Cross-sectional analyses were conducted using data from the eighth wave of the Victorian Adolescent Health Cohort Study, which comprised 1943 Victorians currently aged 24–25 years drawn from 44 secondary schools across the state in 1992. The main outcome measures of interest were short-term risk drinking status (based on daily alcohol consumption) and long-term risk drinking status (based on total weekly alcohol consumption). Results: Two out of 5 participants drank at moderate to high risk levels for short-term harm. Yet, because young people tend to drink on only 1–2 days a week, fewer (22%) were at moderate to high risk for long-term harm. Although 20% of the participants met criteria for a diagnosis of alcohol abuse or dependence, most of those in the moderate- to high-risk drinking categories were not diagnosed with either alcohol disorder. Conclusion: Excessive alcohol use in one or two sessions a week appears to be common in young Australian adults. While short- and long-term risky drinking is more common in those with an alcohol use disorder, the majority of moderate- and high-risk drinking is done by those who do not meet criteria for an alcohol use disorder.
A closed-loop adjusting strategy for wireless HART time synchronization

Wireless Highway Addressable Remote Transducer (HART) uses Time Division Multiple Access (TDMA) and channel hopping to communicate between devices. So it is important to keep high accurate time synchronization for a wireless network. This paper proposes a closed-loop adjusting strategy for time synchronization (CATS) which deals with the dramatic variation of oscillator drift rates. CATS is based on double sampling periods, i.e., a synchronization period and an adjusting period. The variation of relative drift rate between different nodes is estimated in the synchronization period. The closed-loop control law is carried out in the adjusting period, which is derived from the estimator of relative drift rate variation. The experimental results indicate that CATS achieves almost the same accuracy as the flooding time synchronization protocol (FTSP) with the regression table of 8(FTSP-8), and it outperforms FTSP-16. Furthermore, it's revealed that CATS achieves lower computational complexity and stronger environmental adaptation than FTSP does.