Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Systolic blood pressure, diabetes and the risk of cardiovascular diseases in the Asia–Pacific region

Objective To assess the association between systolic blood pressure (SBP) and cardiovascular diseases (CVD) among participants with and without diabetes from cohorts in the Asia–Pacific region. Research design and methods Hazards ratios and 95% confidence intervals (CI) for CVD were calculated from Cox models, stratified by sex and region and adjusted for age using individual participant data from 36 cohort studies. Repeat measurements of SBP were used to adjust for regression dilution bias. Results During follow-up, 7387 fatal or non-fatal cardiovascular endpoints were recorded among 368 307 participants (6.4% with diabetes). SBP was associated with coronary heart disease (CHD), ischaemic stroke and haemorrhagic stroke in a continuous log-linear fashion among individuals with diabetes, as well as those without diabetes. Overall, each 10 mmHg higher usual SBP was associated with 18% (95% CI: 9–27%) and 23% (19–26%) greater risk for CHD among those with and without diabetes, respectively. The corresponding values for ischaemic stroke were 29% (14–45%) and 43% (37–50%), and for haemorrhagic stroke, 56% (32–83%) and 74% (66–82%). The test for heterogeneity by diabetes status in each of these associations was not significant (P ≥ 0.10). Conclusions Systolic blood pressure is an important marker of risk of CVD in people with and without diabetes. A given reduction in systolic blood pressure is likely to have a similar relative effect on reducing the risk of a cardiovascular event, regardless of diabetes status.
An Exploration on the Challenges Faced by People with Disabilities in HIV and AIDS Prevention , Care , Support and Treatment in Chipinge West Constituency in Zimbabwe Chijokwe Sithinyiwe

This study is coming against the background of general challenges faced by people with disabilities that have been reported at global, regional and national levels. Not much has been reported on the challenges faced by people with disabilities (PWDs) in the rural communities in HIV and AIDS prevention, care, support and treatment. The study therefore sought to explore these challenges and to answer the research question, a descriptive survey research design was used. The target population were people with disabilities and a sample of 30 PWDs and 5 key informants was chosen using the purposive sampling technique. Questionnaires and interviews helped in exploring the challenges faced by PWDs. Some of the challenges identified were that PWDs in the rural community do not have knowledge about the HIV and AIDS epidemic, they are not participating in HIV and AIDS related projects and programmes and they are having difficulties in accessing health services. Basing on these findings, the researchers recommended an empowerment of PWDs, their participation in HIV and AIDS related programmes and a comprehensive accessibility in health services.
Humanoid robot gait optimization: Stretched simulated annealing and genetic algorithm a comparative study

There are several approaches to create the Humanoid robot gait planning. This problem presents a large number of unknown parameters that should be found to make the humanoid robot to walk. Optimization in simulation models can be used to find the gait based on several criteria such as energy minimization, acceleration, step length among the others. The presented paper addresses a comparison between two optimization methods, the Stretched Simulated Annealing and the Genetic Algorithm, that runs in an accurate and stable simulation model. Final results show the comparative study and demonstrate that optimization is a valid gait planning technique.
The 2 nd International Conference on Integrated Information Internet of Things as Key Enabler for Sustainable Healthcare Delivery

Many errors occurring in healthcare are related to the lack of availability of important patient-related medical information. According to researchers, the use of information and communication technologies (ICTs) hold promise for increasing the accessibility of medical information and it is essential for patient safety. Furthermore, new developments in information and computing technologies will lead to subsequent dramatic changes in the healthcare environment. A vast and multilayered infrastructure of ubiquitous computing technologies and applications is emerging. The current widespread deployment of cell phones, laptops, Wi-Fi, Bluetooth, personal digital assistants (PDAs), and various forms of sensing devices based on digital and radio frequency identification (RFID) technologies penetrate the healthcare environment. The Internet of Things infrastructure allows connections between different entities, such as human beings (patients, medical staff, etc.), medical devices, intelligent wheelchairs, wireless sensors, mobile robots, etc. This paper aims to show how radio frequency identification, multi-agent and Internet of Things technologies can be used to improve people’s access to quality and affordable healthcare services, to reduce medical errors, to improve patient safety, and to optimize the healthcare processes. © 2012 The Authors. Published by Elsevier Ltd. Selection and/or peer-review under responsibility of The 2nd International Conference on Integrated Information.
Design and realization of ADXL203 posture detection platform based on LabVIEW

The ADXL203 is high precision, low power and dual axis accelerometers which is produced by ANALOG DEVICES. In this paper, the author puts forward a way to construct the ADXL203 posture detection platform. Firstly, the application platform framework is devised, using PC, NI USB-6259 and acceleration sensor to build the ADXL203 posture detection hardware platform. Then the system software is developed based on LabVIEW virtual instrumentation development environment. Finally, taking HMR3000 as the standard components to calibrate the output voltage of ADXL203 in order to improve the accuracy of the posture angle measurment.
FAKTOR-FAKTOR PENENTU KEBERHASILANPERKEMBANGAN FINANCIAL TECHNOLOGY(Studi pada 3 Perusahaan Financial Technology di Indonesia)

ABSTRAK Penelitian ini bertujuan untuk mengurutkan faktor-faktor penentu keberhasilan financial tehnology di Indonesia yang terdiri dari pengalaman pelanggan, perkembangan teknologi dan internet, budaya organisasi, pendanaan dan peraturan pemerintah. Pendekatan penelitian yang digunakan dalam penelitian ini adalah analisis deskriftif dengan jenis penelitian kualitatif. Data yang digunakan adalah data primer dengan melakukan wawancara langsung kepada pelaku fintech. Berdasarkan hasil penelitian, faktor terprnting yang dipilih oleh informan adalah pendanaan lalu yang kedua adalah perkembangan teknologi dan internet. Selain kedua faktor tersebut, faktor pendanaan, budaya organisasi dan peraturan pemerintah juga ditemukan dalam penelitian ini. Kata Kunci : Financial Technology, Critical Success Factor.
Associations between polymorphisms in the chicken VIP gene, egg production and broody traits

1. In this study, the vasoactive intestinal peptide (VIP) gene was screened for variations by cloning and sequencing to analyse the association with chicken egg production and broodiness traits. 2. Sequencing revealed that 69 polymorphisms were found in a 9305-bp length of the chicken VIP gene, of which 39 were located in introns, 28 in 5′ regulatory region, 1 in exon 6 (synonymous) and 1 in 3′-UTR. The nucleotide diversity corrected for sample size was 1·96 × 10−3. 3. Five polymorphisms, C-3134T, “AGG” indel at −2648 to −2650, C + 338T, G + 780T and A + 4691G, were genotyped in 644 individuals of Ningdu Sanhuang chickens to evaluate their effects on egg production and broodiness traits. Marker-trait association analyses showed that the “AGG” indel was associated with total number of eggs from 90 to 300 d of age and total number of qualified eggs from 90 to 300 d of age. In contrast, C + 338T was associated with duration of broodiness.
The association between vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) +405G>C genetic polymorphism and endometriosis

The vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) is one of the most important candidate genes for the development of endometriosis, and VEGF genetic polymorphisms might be potentially associated with endometriosis risk. However, the results still remain controversial. The objective of this study aimed to perform a comprehensive meta-analysis to explore a better understanding of the effects of VEGF +405G>C genetic polymorphism on the risk of endometriosis. A total of eleven eligible studies were eventually identified in this meta-analysis, including 2829 endometriosis cases and 2947 controls. In the overall analysis, no significant association between the VEGF +405G>C genetic polymorphism and the risk of endometriosis was detected in all genetic models (for homozygote comparison [CC versus vs. GG]: OR = 1.21, 95% CI 0.67–2.19, P = 0.537; for heterozygote comparison [CG vs. GG]: OR = 1.16, 95% CI 0.86–1.56, P = 0.348; for dominant comparison CC/CG vs. GG: OR = 1.10, 95% CI 0.93–1.30, P = 0.263; for recessive comparison [CC vs. CG/GG]: OR = 1.03, 95% CI 0.73–1.47, P = 0.857; allele comparison [C vs. G]: OR = 0.99, 95% CI 0.70–1.40, P = 0.962). In the subgroup analysis by ethnicities, there was no significant association between VEGF +405G>C genetic polymorphism and endometriosis risk in Asians and/or Caucasians under all genetic models (all P-values >0.05). No publication bias was observed in this study. This meta-analysis supports that the VEGF +405G>C genetic polymorphism is not significant associated with the risk of endometriosis.
Formation control of second-order dynamic agents with heterogeneous communication delays

In this paper, the formation control is investigated for a network of second-order dynamic agents with heterogeneous communication delays. The desired stationary formation is achieved by introducing diverse self-delay for each agent. In addition, a delay-dependent formation control algorithm is proposed to achieve the desired moving formation. Based on the frequency-domain analysis and matrix theory, sufficient conditions are obtained for the multi-agent systems asymptotically converging to desired stationary and moving formation respectively. Simulation results illustrate the correctness of the results.
Study of speech features robustness for speaker verification application in noisy environments

This paper presents a comparative study and evaluation of the performances of four speech feature vectors, i.e., MFCC, IMFCC, LFCC, and PNCC in a speaker verification system based on speaker modeling through the Gaussian mixture model (GMM) under clean and noisy speech conditions. The TIMIT and NOISEX92 dataset were used in implementing the tests for speech signal and noise, respectively. The evaluation results show that IMFCC and PNCC provide superior performance in the presence of noise. In order to enhance the performance of the system under noisy conditions, the application of spectral subtraction algorithm as a pre-processing stage was investigated. It only improved the performance for the speech signal contaminated with white noise.
Relationship of IPO Issue Price and Listing Day Returns with IPO Pricing Parameters

Initial Public Offer (IPO) is one of the means for companies to raise capital in the primary market. A company issues new securities for subscription by the public, in an IPO. An IPO helps a retail investor to acquire shares in an attractive company and broaden his investment portfolio. Hence it is necessary that the pricing of IPOs truly reflect the intrinsic value of the issuing company. The IPO’s listed from 2003 to 2013 in Bombay Stock Exchange (BSE) was the sampling frame for the study. 75.24 % of the sampling frame (313 IPOs) was used for the analysis of research objectives. The share prices of Companies were taken from BSE Website (www.bseindia.com). The details of the Issuing Companies were obtained from SEBI Website (www.sebi.gov.in). Further details were collected from Prime Database and CMIE Prowess. The pricing parameters were selected as per SEBI guidelines. The under-pricing of IPOs is studied using Market Adjusted Abnormal Return (MAAR). A Causal Research design is used in the study. Regression analysis was used to study the impact of selected variables on Issue price and MAAR. Approximately 58% of the IPOs in the study period were underpriced. For the sample IPOs, P/E Ratio, IPE, RoNW and NAV are significant predictors of Issue price. For overpriced IPOs, Beta estimates indicated that P/E Ratio, RoNW and NAV are significant predictors of Issue price. For under-priced IPOs, Beta estimates indicated that IPE, RoNW and NAV are significant predictors of Issue price. The pricing parameters were not found to be the significant predictors for MAAR. The results obtained from the study provide important information to investors intending to invest in IPO’s for a short term.
Fault-tolerant design of motor-drives for high reliability applications

The present paper describes how fault-tolerance concepts are implemented in electrical drives for high reliability applications, such as in the More Electric Aircraft. The impact on the motor-drive architecture and design is discussed, considering the different levels concerned: electrical machine, power converter and control. The case of study refers to the development of an electrical actuator for the flap panels of medium-size aircrafts. Two different solutions are presented: switched reluctance and brushless DC motor drives. The reliability issues and the requirements for the degraded operating modes of the flap application are illustrated. Experimental results are given showing the performance of both the motor-drive solutions in the healthy and faulty operation modes.
Modulation of glycogen synthesis in rat skeletal muscle by changes in cell volume.

1. The hypothesis that cellular hydration state modulates muscle glycogen synthesis was tested by measuring the incorporation of [14C]glucose into glycogen (glycogen synthesis) in primary rat myotubes after experimentally induced volume changes. 2. Glycogen synthesis in myotubes increased (by 75%, P < 0.01) after swelling induced by 60 min exposure to hyposmotic media (170 mosmol kg‐1) relative to isosmotic control (300 mosmol kg‐1) values, it decreased (by 31%, P < 0.05) after shrinkage induced by 60 min exposure to hyperosmotic (430 mosmol kg‐1) media. Myotube 2‐deoxy‐D‐glucose (0.05 mM) uptake was unaffected by changes in external osmolality. 3. Wortmannin (100 nM; 60 min), a phosphatidylinositol 3‐kinase inhibitor, decreased basal glycogen synthesis by 28% whereas rapamycin (100 nM; 60 min), which blocks the activation of p70 S6 kinase, had no effect. Both wortmannin (100 nM; 60 min) and rapamycin (100 nM; 60 min) blocked the changes in glycogen synthesis resulting from hypo‐ and hyperosmotic exposure. 4. Myotube glycogen synthesis is modulated by volume changes independently of changes in glucose uptake. The phenomenon may be physiologically important in promoting glycogen storage during circumstances of myofibrillar swelling, e.g. after feeding or exercise.
Reinforcement Learning based Charging Station Management for Electric Vehicles

Electric vehicles (EV) are emerging as a promising transportation medium because they provide better energy efficiency and are more environmentally friendly compared to gasoline-fueled vehicles. However, long charge times and low charger coverage hinder EV charging services. To overcome these problems, this paper proposes a reinforcement learning (RL) based optimal management policy that can maximize the utilization of EV chargers while guaranteeing quality of service. The proposed RL based scheme learns the arrival pattern of EVs and adjusts the service area of each charging station in a dynamic environment.
Quadrupedal galloping control for a wide range of speed via vertical impulse scaling

This paper presents a bio-inspired quadruped controller that allows variable-speed galloping. The controller design is inspired by observations from biological runners. Quadrupedal animals increase the vertical impulse that is generated by ground reaction forces at each stride as running speed increases and the duration of each stance phase reduces, whereas the swing phase stays relatively constant. Inspired by this observation, the presented controller estimates the required vertical impulse at each stride by applying the linear momentum conservation principle in the vertical direction and prescribes the ground reaction forces at each stride. The design process begins with deriving a planar model from the MIT Cheetah 2 robot. A baseline periodic limit cycle is obtained by optimizing ground reaction force profiles and the temporal gait pattern (timing and duration of gait phases). To stabilize the optimized limit cycle, the obtained limit cycle is converted to a state feedback controller by representing the obtained ground reaction force profiles as functions of the state variable, which is monotonically increasing throughout the gait, adding impedance control around the height and pitch trajectories of the obtained limit cycle and introducing a finite state machine and a pattern stabilizer to enforce the optimized gait pattern. The controller that achieves a stable 3 m s−1 gallop successfully adapts the speed change by scaling the vertical ground reaction force to match the momentum lost by gravity and adding a simple speed controller that controls horizontal speed. Without requiring additional gait optimization processes, the controller achieves galloping at speeds ranging from 3 m s−1 to 14.9 m s−1 while respecting the torque limit of the motor used in the MIT Cheetah 2 robot. The robustness of the controller is verified by demonstrating stable running during various disturbances, including 1.49 m step down and 0.18 m step up, as well as random ground height and model parameter variations.
An Enhanced PIN Diode Model for Voltage-Controlled PIN Diode Attenuator

This paper presents an enhanced PIN diode model for the voltage-controlled PIN diode attenuator. The proposed model operates well when it is used in the voltage-controlled mode as well as current-controlled mode, and it is a simple and straightforward model, since the PN junction diode of this model has the same I-V curve as that of the PIN diode. The validity of the proposed model is demonstrated by the measured data.
The Journal of Systems and Software

We present the concept of runnable virtual node (RVN) as a means to achieve predictable integration and reuse of executable real-time components in embedded systems. A runnable virtual node is a coarse-grained software component that provides functional and temporal isolation with respect to its environment. Its interaction with the environment is bounded both by a functional and a temporal interface, and the validity of its internal temporal behaviour is preserved when integrated with other components or when reused in a new environment. Our realization of RVN exploits the latest techniques for hierarchical scheduling to achieve temporal isolation, and the principles from component-based software-engineering to achieve functional isolation. It uses a two-level deployment process, i.e. deploying functional entities to RVNs and then deploying RVNs to physical nodes, and thus also gives development beneﬁts with respect to composability, system integration, testing, and validation. In addition, we have implemented a server-based inter-RVN communication strategy to not only support the predictable integration and reuse properties of RVNs by keeping the communication code in a separate server, but also increasing the maintainability and ﬂexibility to change the communication code without affecting the timing properties of RVNs. We have applied our approach to a case study, implemented in the ProCom component technology executing on top of a FreeRTOS-based hierarchical scheduling framework and present the results as a proof-of-concept.
Scanning electric microscopy used to analyze the effect of gamma irradiation on enamel and dentin

1 Biomechanical Research Group, Area of Dentistica and Dental Materials, School of Dentistry, Federal University of Uberlândia, Pará Avenue 1720, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Brazil. Area of Cell Biology, Department of Biomedical Sciences, Federal University of Triângulo Mineiro, Tutunas Avenue 490, 38061-500 Uberaba, Brazil. Graduate Program, Dental School, Federal University of Uberlândia, Pará Avenue 1720, 38400-902 Uberlândia, Brazil. Graduate Program, Dental Materials Department, Piracicaba School of Dentistry, State University of Campinas, Limeira Avenue 901, 13414-903, Piracicaba, SP, Brazil
Control Over Wireless Communication Channel for Continuous-Time Systems

This paper is concerned with the control of one dimensional continuous time linear Gaussian systems over additive white noise wireless fading channels subject to capacity constraints. Necessary and sufficient conditions are derived, for bounded asymptotic and asymptotic observability and stabilizability in the mean square sense, for controlling such systems. For the case of a noiseless time-invariant system controlled over a continuous time additive white Gaussian channel, the sufficient condition for stabilizability and observability states that the capacity of the channel, Ca, satisfies, Ca> [A]+, where A is the system coefficient and [a]+= a, if a ≥0 and [a]+= 0, if a < 0. Moreover, the necessary condition states that the channel capacity must satisfy Ca≥ [A]+. It is shown that a separation principle holds between the design of the communication and the control sub-systems, implying that the controller that would be optimal in the absence of the communication channel is also optimal for the problem of the controlling the system over the communication channel.
Temperature dependence of gain saturation in multilevel quantum dot lasers

The temperature dependence of quantum dot (QD) optical gain is analyzed using a multilevel model and compared with experiment. The maximum gain is found to have a surprisingly strong temperature dependence that causes level switching and can limit laser performance in QD lasers. The model based on multiple discrete levels elucidates general design criteria that should be satisfied to obtain a stable threshold versus temperature in QD lasers. Good agreement is obtained between calculations and experiment for level switching in 1.3-/spl mu/m QD lasers.
An Explicit Analytical Solution to the Grain Boundary Barrier Height in Undoped Polycrystalline Semiconductor Thin-Film Transistors

Based on discrete grain analysis and U-shaped distribution of density of states (DOS) for grain boundary (GB) traps, a physical-based explicit analytical solution to the GB potential barrier height (ψB) is developed for undoped polycrystalline semiconductor thin-film transistors (TFTs). The explicit solution is derived using the Lambert W function, without additional approximations introduced. The validity and accuracy of the solution is demonstrated comparing the model with both numerical calculations and experimental ψB data of polycrystalline Si TFTs. Furthermore, it is found that a previous widely used Seto's model could be consistent to the proposed model in the above-threshold region, in this case deep states DOS dominates ψB, where the monoenergetic trap density of Seto's model roughly corresponds to the deep states DOS multiplying by 3-4 units of the thermal energy kT. Finally, the analytical model is applied in ZnO TFTs.