Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ubiquitous digital E-learning ecosystem

E-learning ecosystems provide the models, processes, applications, and technologies for establishing ICT infrastructure that supports e-learning. Peer-to-peer (P2P) systems are suited to e-learning ecosystems because they allow each service client machine to act also as a service provider without any central hub in the network of co-operative relationships. Learners organize themselves in complex web of dynamic inter-relationships within the digital e-learning ecosystem. Extending the e-learning ecosystem to ubiquitous computing devices such as Personal Digital Assistants (PDAs), smartphones, and portable multimedia players (PMP) raises many issues. Most present P2P system had been designed with a fixed, wired infrastructure in mind instead of a ubiquitous infrastructure. However, wireless ubiquitous devices are increasingly being used by students for personal entertainment and represent an opportunity for extending learning beyond the traditional campus environment. This paper proposes an intelligent agent mediated infrastructure for a ubiquitous digital e-learning ecosystem.
Treatment of early RA in clinical practice: a comparative study of two different DMARD/corticosteroid options.

OBJECTIVES To study the outcome in clinical practice of first DMARD and/or corticosteroid (CS) treatment in patients with recent onset rheumatoid arthritis (RA). PATIENTS 245 patients with active RA, not previously treated with DMARDs or CS, were randomised to one of two treatment groups, T1 = 7.5-15 mg of prednisolone (PRE) daily for one to three months followed, if needed, by methotrexate (MTX) in a weekly dose of 5-15 mg in addition to the lowest possible dose of PRE or T2 = sulfasalazine (SAL), supplemented with lowest possible CS dose if needed. METHODS The EULAR individual response criteria were applied and remission was defined as a final DAS28 < 2.6. Function was assessed by the HAQ and radiographic progression by Larsen scores. A patient who managed to remain on the allocated treatment for two years was described as a "completer". RESULTS After 2 years of treatment, 70% of the patients in T1 and 63% in T2 were responders (30% and 33% "good responders", respectively). In T1 29% and in T2 19% were in remission. There was a significant functional improvement in both groups but radiographic progression occurred. The mean decrease in HAQ and increase in the Larsen score were similar in the two groups. One-third of the patients were non-completers, 19% from T1 and 47% from T2. Non-completers had, compared with completers, a significantly lower rate of individual response and remission. Completers and non-completers had similar functional improvement and similar radiological progression. CONCLUSIONS Individual response and remission was reduced in patients who did not complete their first DMARD/CS treatment option. Treatment failures were significantly more frequent in the sulfasalazine plus optional CS than in the CS plus optional methotrexate treatment group.
Development of aqueous scrubber to oxidize and absorb nitric oxide

The use of sodium chlorite (NaC10 2) and alkaline aqueous cumene hydroperoxide (CHP) as oxidizing agents to promote the absorption of nitric oxide from flue gases was investigated in a semi-continuous bubbling scrubber. The efficiency of the scrubbing solutions to remove nitric oxide was evaluated as a function of operating conditions such as pH, concentration of the oxidants, residence time, temperature, flue gas compositions. Under acid conditions, sodium chlorite can stoichiometrically react and absorb 99.5% NO and 80% SO2 in the same scrubber with 0.672 M NaC102 in buffered solution at pH 6, and 0.3 M NaOH. During the reaction, nitric oxide was oxidized to nitrates and nitrites and sulfur dioxide to sulfates. Consequently, sodium chlorite can be used to control NO as well as SO2 . However, the parasitic effect of SO2 in consuming the reactant results in a relatively high operating cost. On the other hand, organic cumene hydroperoxide scrubbing solution has been found to operate under high alkalinity to control nitric oxide. The hydroperoxide used in this study was less expensive than sodium chlorite system and commercially available. The removal of 92% nitric oxide was achieved at 94 °C, 1.531 min residence time (scrubber contains 1.49 dm3 solution and flue gas is bubbled at 0.94 dm3 /min), with 0.12 M cumene hydroperoxide and 0.1 M potassium hydroxide. The major products obtained from the NO oxidation by alkaline cumene hyddroperoxide are , NO2 and NO3 and cumyl alcohol. Other products such as acetophenone and a-methyl styrene are observed as a result of the decomposition of the reactant and intermediates. DEVELOPMENT OF AQUEOUS SCRUBBER TO OXIDIZE AND ABSORB NITRIC OXIDE by Wanna Lolertpiphop A Thesis Submitted to the Faculty of New Jersey Institute of Technology In Partial Fulfillment of the requirements for the Degree of Master of Science in Chemical Engineering Department of Chemical Engineering, Chemistry, and Environmental Science October 1997
Robust Control of Mechanical Systems

Control of mechanical systems has been an important problem since several years ago. For free-motion systems, the dynamics is often modeled by ordinary differential equations arising from classical mechanics. Controllers based on feedback linearization, adaptive, and robust techniques have been proposed to control this class of systems (Brogliato et al., 1997; Slotine & Li, 1988; Spong & Vidyasagar, 1989). Many control algorithms proposed for these systems are based on models where practical situations like parameter uncertainty, external disturbances, or friction force terms are not taken into account. In addition, a complete availability of the state variables is commonly assumed (Paden & Panja, 1988; Takegaki & Arimoto, 1981; Wen & Bayard, 1988). In practice, however, the position is usually the only available measurement. In consequence, the velocity, which may play an important role in the control strategy, must be calculated indirectly, often yielding an inaccurate estimation. In (Makkar et al., 2007), a tracking controller that includes a new differentiable friction model with uncertain nonlinear terms is developed for Euler-Lagrange systems. The technique is based on a model and the availability of the full state. In (Patre et al., 2008), a similar idea is presented for systems perturbed by external disturbances. Moreover, some robust controllers have been proposed to cope with parameter uncertainty and external disturbances. H∞ control has been a particularly important approach. In this technique, the control objective is expressed as a mathematical optimization problem where a ratio between some norms of output and perturbation signals is minimized (Isidori & Astolfi, 1992). It is used to synthesize controllers achieving robust performance of linear and nonlinear systems. In general, the control techniques mentioned before yield good control performance. However, the mathematical operations needed to calculate the control signal are rather complex, possibly due to the compensation of gravitational, centrifugal, or Coriolis terms, or the need to solve a Hamilton-Jacobi-Isaacs equation. In addition, if an observer is included in the control system, the overall controller may become rather complex. Another method exhibiting good robustness properties is the sliding mode technique (Perruquetti & Barbot, 2002; Utkin, 1992). In this method, a surface in the state space is made attractive and invariant using discontinuous terms in the control signal, forcing the system to converge to the desired equilibrium point placed on this surface, and making the controlled dynamics independent from the system parameters. These controllers display good performance for regulation and tracking objectives (Utkin et al., 1999; Weibing & Hung, 1993; 8
Coulomb replica‐exchange method: Handling electrostatic attractive and repulsive forces for biomolecules

We propose a new type of the Hamiltonian replica‐exchange method (REM) for molecular dynamics (MD) and Monte Carlo simulations, which we refer to as the Coulomb REM (CREM). In this method, electrostatic charge parameters in the Coulomb interactions are exchanged among replicas while temperatures are exchanged in the usual REM. By varying the atom charges, the CREM overcomes free‐energy barriers and realizes more efficient sampling in the conformational space than the REM. Furthermore, this method requires only a smaller number of replicas because only the atom charges of solute molecules are used as exchanged parameters. We performed Coulomb replica‐exchange MD simulations of an alanine dipeptide in explicit water solvent and compared the results with those of the conventional canonical, replica exchange, and van der Waals REMs. Two force fields of AMBER parm99 and AMBER parm99SB were used. As a result, the CREM sampled all local‐minimum free‐energy states more frequently than the other methods for both force fields. Moreover, the Coulomb, van der Waals, and usual REMs were applied to a fragment of an amyloid‐β peptide (Aβ) in explicit water solvent to compare the sampling efficiency of these methods for a larger system. The CREM sampled structures of the Aβ fragment more efficiently than the other methods. We obtained β‐helix, α‐helix, 310‐helix, β‐hairpin, and β‐sheet structures as stable structures and deduced pathways of conformational transitions among these structures from a free‐energy landscape. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
An index of patient reported outcomes (PRO-Index) discriminates effectively between active and control treatment in 4 clinical trials of adalimumab in rheumatoid arthritis.

OBJECTIVE To analyze 2 indices composed of the 3 patient reported outcomes (PRO) in the American College of Rheumatology (ACR) Core Data Set--physical function, pain, and global estimate--without joint count or laboratory data, for capacities to distinguish active from control treatments in 4 pivotal clinical trials. METHODS Data from 4 clinical trials involving adalimumab, in combination with methotrexate or other disease-modifying antirheumatic drugs (DMARD) or as monotherapy, versus control treatment were made available to analyze properties of various indices. A categorical PRO-Index M was defined as "majority" improvement in 2 of the 3 PRO measures at 20%, 50%, and 70% levels; results were evaluated to analyze agreement with ACR20, ACR50, ACR70 responses and an "all Core Data Set measures" index based on 4 of the 7 measures having such levels of improvement. A continuous PRO-Index C was defined as the median or 2nd highest of 3 percentage differences from baseline to endpoint; results were evaluated to analyze agreement with a continuous ACR-N, "all Core Data Set measures" index, and Disease Activity Score 28 (DAS28). RESULTS All indices distinguished active versus control treatment at similar levels, including PRO-Index M versus ACR20, ACR50, and ACR70 responses, and PRO-Index C versus DAS28. CONCLUSION PRO indices based only on patient questionnaire data, without joint counts or laboratory tests, may be useful quantitative measures of therapeutic efficacy for use in standard rheumatology clinical care.
Social Cognitive Theory as a Predictor of Dietary Behavior and Leisure Time Physical Activity in Middle Aged Asian Indian Women

ii Acknowledgement.iii List of Tables . viii List of Figures.x Chapter One: The Purpose.1 Statement of the Problem.5 Research Questions and Hypothesis.6 Operational Definitions.10 Delimitations.13 Limitations.13 Assumptions.14 Chapter Two: Review of Literature.15 Obesity. 16 Chronic Illnesses.17 Dietary Behaviors.18 Dietary Behaviors in Minorities and Women.20 v Physical Activity.22 Physical Activity in Minorities and Women.23 Asian Indians.25 Dietary Behaviors in Asian Indians.26 Physical Activity in Asian Indians.27 Social Cognitive Theory.29 Self Efficacy.31 Summary.34 Chapter Three: Methods.36 Design.36 Population and Sample.37 Instrumentation.37 Procedures.39 Data Analysis.41 Summary.41 Chapter Four: Results.42 Respondents.43 vi Reliability of Coefficients for Instruments.43 Demographic and Background Characteristics.45 Correlations.55 Regression Models.59 Summary.61 Chapter Five: Discussion.62 Testing Research Hypothesis.63 Conclusions.67 Fruit and Vegetable Consumption.67 Leisure Time Physical Activity.68 Discussion.69 Limitations of the Study.71 Implications for Practice.72 Recommendations for Future Practice.73 Summary.74 References.76 Appendix A: Questionnaire.86 vii Appendix B: Panel of Experts.99 Appendix C: Letter to Experts.102 Appendix D: IRB Approval . 104 Appendix E: Written Consent from Manav Seva Mandir temple.105
Study on three-level power amplifier of magnetic bearings for high speed machine

In order to meet the requirement of magnetic suspension bearings for high speed machine, the three-level PWM switching power amplifiers are designed and tested. The carrier triangular wave phase shift method is used in the design. The comparative study on the three-level PWM switching power amplifier with the two-level PWM switching power amplifier indicates that the three-level PWM technique can effectively reduce the current ripple of the suspension force control windings. The experimental results of the prototype verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the proposed three-level switching power amplifier.
Small-world properties of brain Functional Connectivity Networks are affected by emotional stimuli

The aim of this study was to examine whether Functional Connectivity Networks (FCN) obtained during exposing the humans to emotional stimuli, vary according to the characteristics of the stimuli. Twenty-eight participants passively viewed emotional pictures from International Affective Picture System (IAPS) ranging across both arousal and pleasure dimensions. Electroencephalographic (EEG) signals were simultaneously recorded from 19 scalp sites. Relative Wavelet Entropy (RWE) was estimated for all EEG electrode pairs. Different RWE thresholds were set in order to form the corresponding FCNs. Graph theory metrics, such as Density, Cluster Coefficient and Global Efficiency were calculated for all FCNs. It was found that arousal significantly affected small-world properties of FCNs formed from 42 to 170 msec; low arousing pictures elicited FCN with higher Density, higher Cluster Coefficient and higher Global Efficiency as compared to high arousing ones.
Application of GPRS technology in water quality monitoring system

The method of water quality monitoring applied by XueYe reservoir is sampling in the scene and analyzing at the laboratory at present. Based on analyzing key problem of water quality monitoring, automatic water quality monitoring system based on GPRS is provided in this paper. Considering features of water quality monitoring, the general structure and network framework of the system, and the way of access to GPRS of data monitoring center are designed based on GPRS technology. Water quality parameters collected by multi-parameter water quality probe are transmitted to data processing and monitoring center through GPRS wireless communication network of mobile. The system collects, transmits and processes water quality parameters automatically, so production efficiency and economy benefit are improved greatly. Practice has proven GPRS technology can achieve well within the complex environment of poor water quality unmonitored, and more specifically applicable to the collection point, data transmission automatically generate the field of water analysis equipment data transmission and monitoring.
Mastery learning of advanced cardiac life support skills by internal medicine residents using simulation technology and deliberate practice

AbstractBACKGROUND: Internal medicine residents must be competent in advanced cardiac life support (ACLS) for board certification. OBJECTIVE: To use a medical simulator to assess postgraduate year 2 (PGY-2) residents’ baseline proficiency in ACLS scenarios and evaluate the impact of an educational intervention grounded in deliberate practice on skill development to mastery standards. DESIGN: Pretest-posttest design without control group. After baseline evaluation, residents received 4, 2-hour ACLS education sessions using a medical simulator. Residents were then retested. Residents who did not achieve a research-derived minimum passing score (MPS) on each ACLS problem had more deliberate practice and were retested until the MPS was reached. PARTICIPANTS: Forty-one PGY-2 internal medicine residents in a university-affiliated program. MEASUREMENTS: Observational checklists based on American Heart Association (AHA) guidelines with interrater and internal consistency reliability estimates; deliberate practice time needed for residents to achieve minimum competency standards; demographics; United States Medical Licensing Examination Step 1 and Step 2 scores; and resident ratings of program quality and utility. RESULTS: Performance improved significantly after simulator training. All residents met or exceeded the mastery competency standard. The amount of practice time needed to reach the MPS was a powerful (negative) predictor of posttest performance. The education program was rated highly. CONCLUSIONS: A curriculum featuring deliberate practice dramatically increased the skills of residents in ACLS scenarios. Residents needed different amounts of training time to achieve minimum competency standards. Residents enjoy training, evaluation, and feedback in a simulated clinical environment. This mastery learning program and other competency-based efforts illustrate outcome-based medical education that is now prominent in accreditation reform of residency education.
Comparison of radiosensitizing effects of the mammalian target of rapamycin inhibitor CCI-779 to cisplatin in experimental models of head and neck squamous cell carcinoma

To determine if the mammalian target of rapamycin (mTOR) inhibitor CCI-779 can sensitize head and neck squamous cell carcinoma (HNSCC) to radiotherapy (XRT) and compare the radiosensitizing effects to cisplatin with its known considerable toxicity. Radiosensitizing effects of CCI-779 were assayed on HNSCC cell lines in vitro. CCI-779 (5 mg/kg), cisplatin (1 mg/kg), and XRT (2 Gy) alone and in combination were evaluated for antitumor activity in mice bearing FaDu and SCC40 xenografts. Effects of CCI-779 on radiation-induced activation of the Akt/mTOR pathway were analyzed. Although CCI-779 did not sensitize HNSCC cells to ionizing radiation in vitro, combination of CCI-779 and XRT significantly augmented the in vivo tumor growth-inhibitory effects of XRT and CCI-779 (P < 0.05). In addition, CCI-779 + XRT suppressed tumor growth more effectively than cisplatin + XRT (P < 0.05). CCI-779 + XRT significantly improved survival compared with XRT alone in both cisplatin-sensitive FaDu (P < 0.01) and cisplatin-resistant SCC40 (P < 0.05) xenograft mice. There were no additional benefits of adding cisplatin to CCI-779 + XRT. CCI-779 significantly attenuated irradiation-induced up-regulation of the mTOR pathway, increased apoptosis and displayed potent antiangiogenic activity in FaDu xenografts that was further enhanced by its combination with XRT (P < 0.05), which may explain the mechanism of its selective radiosensitizing effects in vivo and not in vitro. Antitumor activity of XRT was enhanced when combined with CCI-779 in HNSCC xenograft model. CCI-779 + XRT showed antitumor activity superior to conventional chemoradiotherapy with cisplatin. These results pave the way for clinical trials using molecular targeted therapy with CCI-779 in combination with XRT for HNSCC treatment. [Mol Cancer Ther 2009;8(8):2255–65]
The ability to influence others via emotion displays

We propose a new dimension of emotional intelligence (EI) that is particularly relevant in organizational settings: the ability to influence others via emotion displays. In this article, we first describe social functional accounts of emotions and the evidence supporting social effects of emotions. Then, we propose that individuals differ in the degree to which they can influence the behaviors, attitudes, and emotions of others via their emotion displays, and we demonstrate that this individual variation meets the criteria for an emotional ability. We articulate the mechanisms by which the ability to influence others via emotion displays is related to competence in organizational settings. In addition, we develop propositions about factors that moderate the effect of this ability on competence. We describe the research implications of our model.
Hybrid Reassemblage: An Exploration of Craft, Digital Fabrication and Artifact Uniqueness

ABSTRACT Digital fabrication, and especially 3D printing, is an emerging field that is opening up new possibilities for craft, art and design. The process, however, has important limitations; in particular, digitally designed artifacts are intrinsically reproducible. In stark contrast, traditional craft artifacts are individually produced by hand. The authors combine digital fabrication and craft in their work involving object destruction and restoration: an intentionally broken crafted artifact and a 3D printed restoration. The motivation is not to restore the original work but to transform it into a new object in which both the destructive event and the restoration are visible and the re-assembled object functions as a memorial.
Nonepileptic Seizures: An Overview

Abstract Since before the time of Charcot, nonepileptic seizures (NES) have intrigued and perplexed physicians. With the advent of the electroencephalogram, particularly with the addition of continuous video monitoring, the diagnosis of NES has received increasing evaluation. Characteristic historical features and clinical signs of NES, coupled with new diagnostic techniques, have progressively refined our understanding of the disorder. The treatment of patients who have NES has received much less attention and the prognosis of these patients illustrates the need for a more comprehensive, systematic, and validated intervention. These issues are discussed with an emphasis on the need for future research.
Scaling Predictive Modeling in Drug Development with Cloud Computing

Growing data sets with increased time for analysis is hampering predictive modeling in drug discovery. Model building can be carried out on high-performance computer clusters, but these can be expensive to purchase and maintain. We have evaluated ligand-based modeling on cloud computing resources where computations are parallelized and run on the Amazon Elastic Cloud. We trained models on open data sets of varying sizes for the end points logP and Ames mutagenicity and compare with model building parallelized on a traditional high-performance computing cluster. We show that while high-performance computing results in faster model building, the use of cloud computing resources is feasible for large data sets and scales well within cloud instances. An additional advantage of cloud computing is that the costs of predictive models can be easily quantified, and a choice can be made between speed and economy. The easy access to computational resources with no up-front investments makes cloud computing an attractive alternative for scientists, especially for those without access to a supercomputer, and our study shows that it enables cost-efficient modeling of large data sets on demand within reasonable time.
A memetic model of product invention

This study describes a novel simulation model of the process of product invention (InventSim). Invention is conceptualized as search on a landscape of product design possibilities, by a population of profit-seeking agents (inventors). The search process embeds both social and individual learning and is modelled using a memetic-type algorithm. The algorithm includes the search heuristics of thought experiments and election. This study examines the impact of these heuristics on the rate of invention in a society where inventors' estimates of the expected fitness (payoffs) of proposed inventions are noisy. The simulation results indicate that the heuristics are crucial in driving forward the inventive process even when payoff expectations are noisy.