Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Effective Approach for Point Clouds Registration Based on the Hard and Soft Assignments

For the registration of partially overlapping point clouds, this paper proposes an effective approach based on both the hard and soft assignments. Given two initially posed clouds, it firstly establishes the forward correspondence for each point in the data shape and calculates the value of binary variable, which can indicate whether this point correspondence is located in the overlapping areas or not. Then, it establishes the bilateral correspondence and computes bidirectional distances for each point in the overlapping areas. Based on the ratio of bidirectional distances, the exponential function is selected and utilized to calculate the probability value, which can indicate the reliability of the point correspondence. Subsequently, both the values of hard and soft assignments are embedded into the proposed objective function for registration of partially overlapping point clouds and a novel variant of ICP algorithm is proposed to obtain the optimal rigid transformation. The proposed approach can achieve good registration of point clouds, even when their overlap percentage is low. Experimental results tested on public data sets illustrate its superiority over previous approaches on accuracy and robustness.
Facial Expression and Imagery in Depression: An Electromyographic Study

&NA; When subjects are instructed to self‐generate happy, sad, and angry imagery, discrete patterns of facial muscle activity can be detected using electromyographic (EMG) procedures. Prior research from this laboratory suggests that depressed subjects show attenuated facial EMG patterns during imagery conditions, particularly during happy imagery. In the present experiment, 12 depressed subjects and 12 matched normals were requested to generate happy and sad imagery, first with the instruction to simply “think” about the imagery, and then to self‐regulate the affective state by “reexperiencing the feelings” associated with the imagery. Continuous recordings of facial EMG were obtained from the corrugator, zygomatic major, depressor anguli oris, and mentalis muscle regions. It was hypothesized that (a) these muscle sites would reliably differentiate between happy and sad imagery. (b) the instruction to self‐generate the affective feeling state would produce greater EMG differences than the “think” instructions, and (c) the “think” instructions would be a more sensitive indicator of the difference between depressed and nondepressed subjects, especially for happy imagery. All three hypotheses were confirmed. The application of facial electromyography to the assessment of normal and clinical mood states, and the role of facial muscle patterning in the subjective experience of emotion, are discussed.
Use of booster inoculations to sustain the clinical effect of an adjuvant breast cancer vaccine

The authors are conducting clinical trials of the HER‐2/neu E75‐peptide vaccine in clinically disease‐free breast cancer (BC) patients. Their phase 1‐2 trials revealed that the E75 + granulocyte‐macrophage colony‐stimulating factor (GM‐CSF) vaccine is safe and effective in stimulating clonal expansion of E75‐specific CD8+ T cells. They assessed the need for and response to a booster after completion of primary vaccination series.
OPEN: Optimized Path Planning Algorithm with Energy Efficiency and Extending Network - Lifetime in WSN

In Wireless Sensors Networks (WSNs), researcher’s main focus is on energy preservation and prolonging network lifetime. More energy resources are required in case of remote applications of WSNs, where some of the nodes die early that shorten the lifetime and decrease the stability of the network. It is mainly caused due to the non-optimal Cluster Heads (CHs) selection based on single criterion and uneven distribution of energy. We propose a new clustering protocol for both homogeneous and heterogeneous environments, named as Optimized Path planning algorithm with Energy efficiency and Extending Network lifetime in WSN (OPEN). In the proposed protocol, timer value concept is used for CH selection based on multiple criteria. Simulation results prove that OPEN performs better than the existing protocols in terms of the network lifetime, throughput and stability. The results explicitly explain the cluster head selection of OPEN protocol and efficient solution of uneven energy distribution problem.
The Miniature 2.4/5.2 GHz Dual-Band Bandpass Filter with Modified Hairpin Structure

A compact dual-band bandpass filter is designed to operate at 2.4/5.2 GHz without any input/output impedance matching. This filter is constructed of three resonators which are based on the stepped impedance resonators and hairpin resonators. The A1203 ceramic with a thickness of 0.6 mm and a relative dielectric constant of 9.4 was adopted as substrate. It is easy to be integrated with other RF circuits by SOP (System on Package) process. The three-order dual-band bandpass filter is optimally designed and its properties are confirmed by experiment. By the high dielectric constant substrate and modified structure, the optimized device exhibits excellent dual- band filtering performances and small size. The size of the proposed filter can be reduced about 32.5% in comparing to the typical hairpin filters.
Immunogenicity and reactogenicity of tetravalent vaccine for measles, mumps, rubella and varicella (MMRV) in healthy children: a meta-analysis of randomized controlled trials

Background: Varicella is a highly infectious childhood disease. Tetravalent measles–mumps–rubella–varicella (MMRV) vaccine was introduced as one-syringe dose. Objective: To evaluate the immunogenicity and reactogenicity of MMRV vaccine versus trivalent MMR with varicella (V) vaccines in healthy children and to assess the respective safety issue. Methods: Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) were searched from the OVID databases. Trials were eligible if healthy children were randomized to receive MMRV or MMR+V vaccine. Seroconversions in serum antibody titers were the primary outcomes; adverse events were the secondary outcomes. Results: Ten RCTs with 8961 healthy children were identified. MMRV and MMR+V vaccines showed comparable immunogenicity against measles (relative risk [RR] = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.98–1.00), mumps (RR = 0.99, 95% CI = 0.97–1.00), rubella (RR = 1.00, 95% CI = 1.00–1.01) and varicella (RR = 0.98, 95% CI = 0.95–1.01). At least 93% of children in both groups had seroconverted within 6 weeks. MMRV group showed significantly higher incidences of fever (RR = 1.19, 95% CI = 1.09–1.31) and rash (RR = 1.23, 95% CI = 1.06–1.43). Conclusions: The immunogenicities of MMRV and MMR+V vaccines were comparable in healthy children; however, MMRV vaccination showed higher incidences of fever and rash.
Communication Across Conflict Lines: The Case of Ethnically Divided Cyprus

This article explores the dynamics of nationalist communication, or better, of non-communication, between the rival Cypriot ethnic communities. The analysis shows how the protracted ethno-nationalist conflict that has stained the history of the Eastern Mediterranean island of Cyprus has affected, among other things, the process of communication between the Greek Cypriot and the Turkish Cypriot communities. A number of themes that occupy a central place in the conflict are explored from the vantage point of how each community understands and addresses them as it interacts with the other. The inquiry discloses that the interpretive mental frameworks by which the meaning of words, facts, events, behaviors, and phenomena have been perceived, recalled, understood, and transferred have become culturally and institutionally configured in such a way over the years as to often dissociate and even dismantle the very conditions by which intercommunal communication becomes possible. The article also examines the conditions and prospects of freeing communication from its entrapments in the `meaning patterns' of ethno-nationalist conflict, particularly in the context of the emerging bicommunal citizen peace movement. It shows how the germinating inter-ethnic dialogue in the spirit of peaceseeking rapprochement is commencing a process of deconstructing the traditional forms of conflictual, nationalist discourse while opening up new vistas of understanding, possibilities, and vision for the future.
Likelihood‐based concordance tests for analysis of ascertained twin pair multinomial data

The classic twin model design has a wide application in human genetics. Under the assumption that nongenetic effects are shared to the same degree by monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twin pairs, a test of the equality of casewise concordances between MZ and DZ twins provides a clue to the influence of genetic and environmental factors on a disease. The casewise concordance is the conditional probability that given that one member of a twin pair is affected, the other is also affected. When disease prevalence is low or cost‐effectiveness is considered, collection of twin pairs by ascertainment for performing casewise concordance analysis is required. In this article, by defining an overall casewise concordance parameter, several likelihood‐based tests, such as likelihood ratio test LR, score test Score, the usual Wald test Wald and an alternative Wald test WaldA are investigated for a test of the equality of concordances between ascertained MZ and DZ twin pairs under multinomial models. Simulation studies were conducted for data with small sample sizes. The results show that the type I error rates and power of LR and Score are stable only when the overall casewise concordances are not extremely small or large. The Wald has higher power performance in most cases but would slightly inflate type I error rates; the WaldA is the most robust and recommended approach. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Scaling Rules for Tunnel Field-Effect Transistors

The tunnel FETs [1]–[5] have band-to-band (B2B) surface tunneling currents for both the off(below threshold) as well as on-region of operation. Thus, the characteristics can be described by one equation [6]. For a heavily doped source, the electric field, , falls rapidly to zero 3-4 nm into the source. Thus, the active region of the device which is determined by the tunneling junction at the source end, close to the Si-SiO interface, is of the order of a few nanometers [7]. The channel essentially does not play any significant role in determining the device characteristics [8]. Unlike the conventional (Con) MOSFETs [9], where , for the tunnel FETs, it is nearly independent of scaling [10]. Furthermore, as for Con MOSFETs, for tunnel FETs, scaling leads to a lowering in normalized ( at =1V/nm) [10]. Another critical parameter is the biasing of tunnel FETs. As tunnel FET is a gated reverse-biased p-i-n diode, only half of supply voltage, ! is available to have constant gate leakage current for a given technology node [11]. Thus, the tunnel FET parameters are degraded employing conventional scaling rules. In this abstract, we verify, by means of experimental and simulation results (see [6]), that is independent of scaling, and " is a strong function of and is degrading with increasing # . Thus, apart from a need of additional parameters, like tunnel bandgap and gate workfunction engineering to improve the performance, different scaling rules are needed for tunnel FET scaling. In Fig. 1 we show experimental transfer characteristics for Si vertical tunnel FETs with $ 70nm and 25nm. The two devices are processed under identical conditions [12] on separate wafers. While % '& & is seen to increase with increasing and lowering , is essentially independent of . The increase in & & for ($ 25nm is due to doping smear-out in the channel which results in an early p-i-n diode Zener breakdown. This is in agreement with the simulation predictions [10]. Using Kane’s model [13] the following expression for the tunnel FET in the saturation region has been derived [6], $*),+ /. 0 132! 4 5' 6 # 87 2:9<;>= ? A@ B CEDGFIH JLK 5M9ON PRQ KTS (1)
The Elasticity of Preferences

We explore how preferences for attributes are constructed when people choose between multiattribute options. As found in prior research, we observed that while people make decisions, their preferences for the attributes in question shift to support the emerging choice, thus enabling confident decisions. The novelty of the studies reported here is that participants repeated the same task 6 to 8 weeks later. We found that between tasks, preferences returned to near their original levels, only to shift again to support the second choice, regardless of which choice participants made. Similar patterns were observed in a free-choice task (Study 1) and when the favorableness of options was manipulated (Study 2). It follows that preferences behave in an elastic manner: In the absence of situational pressures, they rest at baseline levels, but during the process of reaching a decision, they morph to support the chosen options. This elasticity appears to facilitate confident decision making in the face of decisional conflict.
Causes of death in multiple system atrophy

Multiple system atrophy (MSA) is a heterogeneous neurodegenerative disorder, with a clinical presentation combining extrapyramidal, cerebellar, autonomic or pyramidal symptoms. There are two major subtypes: MSA-P, with a clinical predominance of parkinsonism, and MSA-C, with a clinical predominance of cerebellar symptoms. Although various factors have been proposed to predict survival in MSA, including age at onset and several phenotypic features,1 the terminal/end of life events have never been systematically studied. We present our results from a study on the causes of death in a series of pathologically confirmed, definite MSA cases. All patients registered with the University of Miami/NPF Brain Endowment Bank (UM/BEB) donation programme with a diagnosis of neuropathologically confirmed, definite multiple system atrophy (MSA; n = 21) were included in this study. Pertinent information was gathered by two prospectively filled questionnaires used as part of the UM/BEB’s recruitment process: (a) the UM/BEB Parkinson’s disease registry form, a 128-item, self-administered questionnaire on demographics, environmental exposures, personal and family history, comorbid conditions, activities of daily living, clinical and treatment details; and (b) the “agonal state” form, a 25-item questionnaire on events covering the 48 h before death completed by the treating doctor/nurse. For comparisons, each MSA case was closely matched for age at disease onset (±2 years) and sex with a Parkinson’s disease brain donor by an investigator blinded to the disease status and clinical information. Medical, hospital and hospice …
A Multicenter Prospective Evaluation of the Clinical Utility of F-18 FDG-PET/CT in Patients With AJCC Stage IIIB or IIIC Extremity Melanoma

Objective/Background:There is a high risk of relapse in stage IIIB/IIIC melanoma. The utility of 2-[fluorine-18]-fluoro-2-deoxy-D-glucose positron emission tomography integrated with computed tomography (FDG-PET/CT) in these patients to evaluate response to treatment or for surveillance after treatment is currently not well defined. Methods:Prospective data from 2 centers identified 97 patients with stage IIIB/IIIC extremity melanoma undergoing isolated limb infusion (ILI) who had whole body FDG-PET/CT scans before and every 3 months after treatment. Clinical response was determined at 3 months by Response Evaluation Criteria In Solid Tumors. Results:Complete response (CR) after ILI occurred in 33% (32/97) of patients. FDG-PET/CT accurately identified 59% of patients who were CRs (19/32), whereas 41% (13/32) had residual metabolic activity in the extremity that was histologically negative for melanoma. The 3-year disease-free rate was 62.2% (95% CI: 40.1%–96.4%) for those patients who were CRs by both clinical/pathologic examination and FDG-PET/CT (n = 19) compared to only 29.4% (95% CI: 9.9%–87.2%) of those CRs who still had residual FDG-PET/CT activity (n = 13). FDG-PET/CT was utilized for surveillance of disease recurrence outside the regional field of treatment. Fifty-two percent (51/97) of patients developed disease outside the extremity at a median time of 212 days from pre-ILI FDG-PET/CT. In 47% (29/62) of these cases, the recurrence was resected. Conclusions:Although FDG-PET/CT does not appear to accurately identify patients who appear to be CRs to ILI, it does appear to identify a subgroup of patients whose regional progression-free survival is markedly worse. However, FDG-PET/CT appears to be an excellent method for surveillance in stage IIIB/IIIC patients after ILI with ability to identify surgically resectable recurrent disease in these high-risk patients.
L’EXPERIMENTATION DES EMBALLAGES BIODÉGRADABLES AU CAMEROUN : UN VECTEUR DU DÉVELOPPEMENT DURABLE ?

L’article etablit que la politique du developpement durable est l’une des preoccupations majeures pour toute organisation. Elle l’est davantage avec l’avenement des dechets plastiques qui menacent gravement notre environnement, mais aussi et surtout la sante humaine et animale ; les multiples difficultes pour la collecte, le transfert et l’elimination des dechets ont des impacts tant environnementaux (enlaidissement du paysage de la ville, infertilite des sols, bouchage des canalisations du reseau, stagnation et pollution des eaux) que sanitaires (propagation de maladies hydriques telles que le cholera, la typhoide, le paludisme et la mortalite du betail suite aux indigestions causees par l’ingestion accidentelle des dechets plastiques). Les dechets plastiques ou emballages non biodegradables sont un redoutable danger socio-environnemental. En effet, les animaux marins (tortues, hippopotames, baleines,…) et terrestres (les animaux ruminants) qui les ingerent, meurent etouffes ou intoxiques. L’incineration des emballages non biodegradables dont la matiere premiere est d’origine fossile, emet du dioxyde de carbone, qui est un gaz a effet de serre. La combustion provoque l’acidification de l’atmosphere et des oxydations photochimiques, ce qui accentue le rechauffement climatique. Ces differentes consequences des emballages non biodegradables sur l’environnement ont amene les autorites camerounaises a mettre en œuvre des mesures interdisant la commercialisation de tels emballages, et a opter pour ceux qui sont biodegradables. Cependant, de telles pratiques contribuent-elles reellement au developpement durable ? A travers une approche qualitative, nous avons tente de repondre a cette preoccupation en montant que les emballages biodegradables d’une facon ou d’une autre contribuent au developpement durable a travers une contribution durable aux besoins humains, aux conditions sociales, aux defis environnementaux et a l’economie de ressources
Realization of microcontroller-based polarization control system with genetic algorithm

Realization of a PIC32 microcontroller-based polarization control system is described. Genetic algorithm is used for control purposes. The controller measures the signal intensity to estimate the genetic value. To reach optimum performance, the code is optimized by using the best genetic parameter to achieve the fastest execution time. This algorithm consumes low size of memory besides providing fast speed. The implementation of microcontroller allows for more economic polarization control solution.
Effect of routine zinc supplementation on pneumonia in children aged 6 months to 3 years: randomised controlled trial in an urban slum

Abstract Objectives: To evaluate the effect of daily zinc supplementation in children on the incidence of acute lower respiratory tract infections and pneumonia. Design: Double masked, randomised placebo controlled trial. Setting: A slum community in New Delhi, India. Participants: 2482 children aged 6 to 30 months. Interventions: Daily elemental zinc, 10 mg to infants and 20 mg to older children or placebo for four months. Both groups received single massive dose of vitamin A (100 000 IU for infants and 200 000 IU for older children) at enrolment. Main outcome measures: All households were visited weekly. Any children with cough and lower chest indrawing or respiratory rate 5 breaths per minute less than the World Health Organization criteria for fast breathing were brought to study physicians. Results: At four months the mean plasma zinc concentration was higher in the zinc group (19.8 (SD 10.1) v 9.3 (2.1) μmol/l, P<0.001). The proportion of children who had acute lower respiratory tract infection during follow up was no different in the two groups (absolute risk reduction −0.2%, 95% confidence interval −3.9% to 3.6%). Zinc supplementation resulted in a lower incidence of pneumonia than placebo (absolute risk reduction 2.5%, 95% confidence interval 0.4% to 4.6%). After correction for multiple episodes in the same child by generalised estimating equations analysis the odds ratio was 0.74, 95% confidence interval 0.56 to 0.99. Conclusions: Zinc supplementation substantially reduced the incidence of pneumonia in children who had received vitamin A.
A critical perspective on action research as a method for information systems research

This paper reviews the origins, techniques and roles associated with action research into information systems (IS). Many consider the approach to be the paragon of post-positivist research methods, yet it has a cloudy history among the social sciences. The paper summarizes the rigorous approach to action research and suggests certain domains of ideal use (such as systems development methodology). For those faced with conducting, reviewing or examining action research, the paper discusses various problems, opportunities and strategies.
CLUSTERING CATEGORICAL DATA USING ROUGH SETS : A REVIEW

In the present day scenario, there are large numbers of clustering algorithms available to group objects having similar characteristics. But the implementations of many of those algorithms are challenging when dealing with categorical data. While some of the algorithms available at present cannot handle categorical data, the others are unable to handle uncertainty. Many of them have the stability problem and also have efficiency issues. This paper provides a review of the various algorithms that try to cluster the categorical databases.
Case Report: Optimization of a Research Web Environment for Academic Internal Medicine Faculty

Usability evaluations are a powerful tool that can assist developers in their efforts to optimize the quality of their web environment. This underutilized, experimental method can serve to move applications toward true user-centered design. This article describes the usability methodology and illustrates its importance and application by describing a usability study undertaken at the Mayo Clinic for the purpose of improving an academic research web environment. Academic institutions struggling in an era of declining reimbursements are finding it difficult to maintain academic enterprises on the back of clinical revenues. This may result in declining amounts of time that clinical investigators have to spend in non-patient-related activities. For this reason, we have undertaken to design a web environment, which can minimize the time that a clinician-investigator needs to spend to accomplish academic instrumental activities of daily living. Usability evaluation is a powerful application of human factors engineering, which can improve the utility of web-based Informatics applications.
4-Carboxypyridazin-1-ium chloride

The structure of the title compound, C5H5N2O2 +·Cl−, is composed of chloride anions and 4-carboxypyridazin-1-ium cations. Chloride anions bridge the cations via O—H⋯Cl and N—H⋯Cl hydrogen bonds to form ribbons. The latter, linked by van der Waals forces with lengths in the range 3.254 (2)–3.497 (2) Å, form coplanar layers. Very weak interactions operate also between adjacent layers, as indicated by their spacing of 3.339 (1) Å.