Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cuestionário de gratitud de 20 ítems (G-20) : tradução e adaptação transcultural para idosos do Brasil

A construcao e adaptacao de instrumentos sao necessarias para agregar metodos de avaliacao psicologica que visem investigar aspectos de promocao de saude e qualidade de vida, em particular percebe-se a importância de novos instrumentos que contemplem o idoso. A literatura tem apresentado a gratidao como fator protetivo e de promocao de saude e bem-estar subjetivo para os idosos. Portanto, o eixo central desse estudo e a traducao e adaptacao transcultural do Cuestionario de Gratitud de 20 items (G-20) elaborado por Bernabe-Valero et al (2014) na Espanha, direcionando o instrumento para a populacao brasileira idosa. Foi escolhido como metodo de adaptacao de instrumento o processo dividido em dez etapas de Beaton e outros (2002): 1) Definicoes conceituais e revisao da literatura; 2) Contato com a autora; 3) Traducao; 4) Sintese das Traducoes; 5) Retrotraducao (backtraslation); 6) Analise dos Juizes; 7) Modificacoes e reajustes; 8) Estudo Piloto; 9) Reajustes da versao Final e aplicacao em uma amostra maior; e, 10) Analises Psicometricas do instrumento. A versao brasileira ira manter a nomenclatura G-20, sendo acrescido o nome “Escala de Gratidao para Idosos G-20-IB” (Idosos Brasileiros) em seu titulo final. Participaram do estudo seis tradutores bilingues, sendo tres brasileiros e tres estrangeiros (etapa 3); Sete juizes, dois especialistas e cinco nao especialistas (etapa 6); 38 idosos (etapa 8); e 80 idosos (etapa 9), provenientes de tres estados do Brasil. Foram realizadas analises estatisticas descritivas (media, desvio-padrao, percentuais e percentis), para a analise entre juizes o indice de concordância foi avaliado atraves do metodo de Fagundes e do indice de Kappa, a consistencia interna foi medida atraves do Alpha de Cronbach. A G-20 IB apresentou adequabilidade nas analises de concordância interjuizes, sendo k=1. Tambem apresentou Alpha de Cronbach igual a α= 0.81 demonstrando otima adequacao, sugerindo que o instrumento possui um bom nivel de convergencia entre os itens. Ainda se fazem necessarios mais estudos para a validacao psicometrica da G-20 IB, mas esse estudo pode apresentar uma premissa de outros estudos que ainda poderao ser realizados com esse novo instrumento de avaliacao. A gratidao esta ligada diretamente com a maneira que moldamos as relacoes interpessoais e sentidos existenciais pessoais, ela possui um fator motivador e pro-social, que intensifica emocoes de bem-estar subjetivo para um envelhecimento bem sucedido. O aporte desse estudo seria o de poder contribuir na elaboracao de novos conhecimentos e de tecnicas de promocao de saude e de intervencao para o idoso, que priorizem o uso de taticas preventivas e nao farmacologicas.
Effective cubature FastSLAM: SLAM with Rao-Blackwellized particle filter and cubature rule for Gaussian weighted integral

Abstract Simultaneous localization and mapping (SLAM) is a key technology for mobile robot autonomous navigation in unknown environments. While FastSLAM algorithm is a popular solution to the large-scale SLAM problem, it suffers from two major drawbacks: one is particle set degeneracy due to lack of measurements in proposal distribution of particle filter; the other is errors accumulation caused by inaccurate linearization of the nonlinear robot motion model and the environment measurement model. To overcome the problems, a new Jacobian-free cubature FastSLAM (CFastSLAM) algorithm is proposed in this paper. The main contribution of the algorithm lies in the utilization of third-degree cubature rule, which calculates the nonlinear transition density of Gaussian prior more accurately, to design an optimal proposal distribution of the particle filter and to estimate the Gaussian densities of the feature landmarks. On the basis of Rao-Blackwellized particle filter, the proposed algorithm is comprised by two main parts: in the first part, a cubature particle filter (CPF) is derived to localize the robot; in the second part, a set of cubature Kalman filters is used to estimate environment landmarks. The performance of the proposed algorithm is investigated and compared with that of FastSLAM2.0 and UFastSLAM in simulations and experiments. Results verify that the CFastSLAM improves the SLAM performance. Graphical Abstract
Measuring the Effectiveness of Percutaneous Coronary Intervention.

The benchmark for demonstrating the effectiveness of a therapeutic intervention for coronary artery disease is widely accepted as a reduction in mortality or major adverse cardiac outcomes. In medicine, however, many therapies that do not prolong life are routinely practiced and considered appropriate. There has been tremendous interest in research on the comparative effectiveness of clinical practices since Title VIII of the American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009.1 Over 1 billion of federal funds was authorized to conduct research in clinical outcomes, effectiveness, and appropriateness of health-related services and procedures. Federal support of research in this arena was, in part, intended to control healthcare costs. If a therapy, for example, is found to have no or little benefit then it will not be practiced and cost will be reduced. In reality, the relationship between quality and cost is much more complicated.2 The interventional cardiology community has been scrutinized for the use of percutaneous coronary intervention (PCI) in stable ischemic heart disease (SIHD). This is largely related to claims of overuse and studies showing no reduction in death or myocardial infarction (MI) when compared with medical therapy alone. The crucial question is what outcomes should be measured to demonstrate the effectiveness of PCI? In patients with acute coronary syndromes, outcomes of death and MI are relevant because of a high short-term risk of these events. Whereas in SIHD the goal of PCI is symptom relief and health status outcomes need to be measured in additional to other clinical outcomes. Presented is the evidence for the effectiveness of PCI according to clinical indication of the procedure. In patients with acute coronary syndromes, there is no dispute about the effectiveness of PCI for reducing major adverse cardiac events. In ST-segment–elevation MI, reperfusion with either primary PCI or thrombolytic therapy reduces …
Immunosorbent binding bioassay: a solid phase biological immunoassay for the titration of antisera to alpha interferons.

An Immuno Sorbent Binding Bio-Assay (ISBBA) for the detection and the titration of antisera to the highly biologically active proteins, alpha interferons, is described. This method is similar to a classical solid phase immunoassay, except for the last step which uses the biological activity of the captured antigen. With specific serum antibodies the bound antigen prevents further virus induced cell lysis. On the contrary, with negative serum or preserum the antigen is washed out and virus induced cell lysis occurs, therefore no labelling is required. ISBBA exhibits three main differences when compared to the reference method i.e. the neutralization assay (NA): i) ISBBA is 10 to 1000 fold more sensitive than NA; ii) in contrast to NA, ISBBA is based on the production of an antiviral effect; iii) ISBBA makes it possible to use unpurified antigen. The applications of ISBBA to subtypes study in natural alpha interferon samples are discussed.
An algorithm for rerouting in traffic engineering of MPLS based IP networks

Multiprotocol label switching (MPLS) enables IP networks with quality of service to be traffic engineered well. Rerouting and bumping of label switched paths (LSP) are caused by link or node failure or recovery, connection admission or load balancing. We develop an algorithm for the traffic engineering problem associated with rerouting.
Almond Consumption and Cardiovascular Risk Factors in Adults with Prediabetes

Objective: The authors tested the hypothesis that in adults with prediabetes, an almond-enriched American Diabetes Association (ADA) diet improves measures of insulin sensitivity and other cardiovascular risk factors compared with an ADA nut-free diet. Methods: Design: Randomized parallel-group trial. Setting: Outpatient dietary counseling and blood analysis. Subjects: Sixty-five adult participants with prediabetes. Intervention: Sixteen weeks of dietary modification featuring an ADA diet containing 20% of energy from almonds (approximately 2 oz per day). Measures of Outcome: Outcomes included fasting glucose, insulin, total cholesterol (TC), low-density lipoprotein cholesterol (LDL-C), high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C), triglycerides, TC:HDL-C, and HbA1c, which were measured at weeks 0, 8, and 16. Body weight, body mass index (BMI), waist circumference, blood pressure, and nutrient intake were measured at weeks 0, 4, 8, 12, and 16. Results: The almond-enriched intervention group exhibited greater reductions in insulin (−1.78 µU/ml vs. +1.47 µU/ml, p = 0.002), homeostasis model analysis for insulin resistance (−0.48 vs. +0.30, p = 0.007), and homeostasis model analysis for beta-cell function (−13.2 vs. +22.3, p = 0.001) compared with the nut-free control group. Clinically significant declines in LDL-C were found in the almond-enriched intervention group (−12.4 mg/dl vs. −0.4 mg/dl) as compared with the nut-free control group. No changes were observed in BMI (−0.4 vs. −0.7 kg/m2, p = 0.191), systolic blood pressure (−4.4 mm Hg vs. −3.5 mm Hg, p = 0.773), or for the other measured cardiovascular risk factors. Conclusions: An ADA diet consisting of 20% of calories as almonds over a 16-week period is effective in improving markers of insulin sensitivity and yields clinically significant improvements in LDL-C in adults with prediabetes.
Effect of dispersion stability on thermal conductivity of binary nanofluids

In order to apply nano-particles to the ammonia-water absorption refrigeration, TiN-ammonia water nanofluids (the binary nanofluids) were prepared by two steps. The dispersion stability of the binary nanofluids in different mass fractions of nano-particles and ammonia is investigated by the light absorbency ratio index methods. And the thermal conductivities were measured on the basis of the dispersion stability. The results show that the content of nano-particles and ammonia is the key parameters that affect the dispersion stability and thermal conductivity of nanofluids. The dispersion of nanofluids firstly increases to a maximum and then decreases with the increase of the content of nano-particles. It is the same with the increase of the ammonia content. The dispersion stability directly affects the thermal conductivity of binary nanofluids, and better dispersion can induce higher thermal conductivity. The nanofluid achieves the optimal dispersion stability and thermal conductivity ratio when the mass fraction of ammonia and nano-particles is 5% and 1.5% respectively.
Reconfigurable feeding network for GSM/GPS/3G/WiFi and global LTE applications

This paper presents a novel miniaturized reconfigurable and switchable feeding network to cover GSM, GPS, 3G, WiFi and global LET standards. The feeding network consists of four conventional Wilkinson power dividers which can be individually reconfigured in length using PIN diodes switches. By controlling the bias voltages of these PIN diodes, the operating frequency of the proposed design can be converted between four different bands: 600MHz-900MHz, 1.2GHz-1.6GHz, 1.8GHz-2.2GHz and 2.4GHz-2.6GHz. The first frequency band (600MHz-900MHz) is applied to satisfy the applications of LTE US (700MHz), LTE UK (800MHz) and GSM (850MHz, 900MHz). The second band (1.2GHz-1.6GHz) targets GPS L1 (1.575GHz) and GPS L2 (1.227GHz). Different GSM (1800MHz, 1900MHz) and 3G standards (UMTS, W-CDMA, TD-SCDMA and CDMA2000) are located in the third frequency band (1.8GHz-2.2GHz). The last band (2.4GHz-2.6GHz) is used to cover WiFi (2.45GHz) and LTE Europe (2.6GHz). The miniaturized and optimized feeding network exhibits good performance for S-Parameters in each band, which includes low return loss, equal power splitting and suitable insertion loss. Within the simulation environment, three types of PIN diode models were constructed and investigated in order to improve accuracy. The feeding network is implemented on an FR4 substrate. Fabrication and measurement results closely correlate with those obtained during design simulations. The reconfigurable feeding network can be particularly applied to commercial multiband communication systems.
In Vivo Engineering of Metabolically Active Hepatic Tissues in a Neovascularized Subcutaneous Cavity

Recent success in clinical hepatocyte transplantation therapy has encouraged further investigation into bioengineering hepatic tissues in vivo. Engineering tissues in the subcutaneous space is an attractive method; however, hepatocyte survival has been transient due to insufficient vascular network formation. To establish a vascularized cavity, we created a polyethylene terephthalate mesh device coated with poly(vinylalcohol) that allowed for the gradual release of basic fibroblast growth factor (bFGF), a potent angiogenic factor. The efficacy of the bFGF‐releasing device in inducing vascular network formation in the subcutaneous space was observed in mouse and rat studies. Isolated mouse hepatocytes transplanted into newly vascularized subcutaneous cavities allowed for persistent survival up to 120 days. In the absence of a vascularized compartment, the survival of the transplanted hepatocytes was markedly diminished. Functional maintenance of the engineered hepatic tissues was confirmed by high expression of liver‐specific mRNAs and proteins. These engineered hepatic tissues have the ability to take up inoculated compounds and express strong induction of drug‐metabolizing enzymes, demonstrating functional relevance as a metabolic tissue. In conclusion, we have created a novel technology to engineer functionally active hepatic tissues in the subcutaneous space, which will likely facilitate hepatocyte‐based therapies.
The Use of Information and Communication Technology (ICT) as a Teaching Method in Vocational Education and Training in Tourism

Globalization and technological change that have characterized recent years have created a new global economy powered by technology, fueled by information and knowledge, with serious implications for the nature and purpose of education institutions. Effective integration of ICT into the education system is a complex, multilateral process that involves not only the presence of technology, but also a corresponding curriculum, institutional availability, teachers’ skills development, long-term funding. This article explores the use of ICT tools in vocational education and training in tourism, proposing concrete ways to use new technologies in teaching-learning-evaluation of disciplines in the field of Tourism and Food. The research was carried out on a sample composed of high school students from Constanta County, Romania, and we used the psycho-pedagogical experiment as a research method. The results of the analysis confirm the initial hypothesis that the use of ICT, as a teaching method in tourism classes, determines, among pupils, the formation and development of specific skills to a greater extent than the use of traditional methods.
Analysis of time to market complexity: A case study of application of Bayesian networks as a forecasting tool

This study is dedicated to the research of the main critical factors that exist during the product concept phase and the influence of these factors have on defining time to market. The main factors were identified by a survey involving experts from different segments of the industry. The validation of the main factors was done by the simulation applying Bayesian network inside the New Product Development Area (NPD) of the one company leader of market in Brazil. The results show that two common factors contribute heavily to the delay in the launch of new products in this sector. The factors identified include the introduction of non-dominated technologies into new products and the competence of the project leader. The empirical application of artificial intelligence using the Bayesian networks as a statistical tool is analyzed as an alternative to the statistical methods commonly employed for the study of project performance.
The asymptotically additive topological pressure: variational principle for non-compact and intersection of irregular sets

ABSTRACT Let be a dynamical system, where is a compact metric space and is a continuous map. Using the concepts of g-almost product property and uniform separation property introduced by Pfister and Sullivan in Pfister and Sullivan [On the topological entropy of saturated sets, Ergodic Theory Dyn. Syst. 27 (2007), pp. 929–956], we give a variational principle for certain non-compact with relation to the asymptotically additive topological pressure. We also study the set of points that are irregular for a collection finite or infinite of asymptotically additive sequences and we show that carried the full asymptotically additive topological pressure. These results are suitable for systems such as mixing shifts of finite type, β-shifts, repellers and uniformly hyperbolic diffeomorphisms.
Current trends in targeting the hormonal regulation of appetite and energy balance to treat obesity

With the eruption of the obesity pandemic over the past few decades, much research has been devoted to understanding the molecular mechanisms by which the human body regulates energy balance. These studies have revealed several mediators, including gut/pancreatic/adipose hormones and neuropeptides that control both short- and long-term energy balance by regulating appetite and/or metabolism. These endogenous mediators of energy balance have been the focus of many anti-obesity drug-development programs aimed at either amplifying endogenous anorexigenic/lipolytic signaling or blocking endogenous orexigenic/lipogenic signaling. Here, we discuss the efficacy and safety of targeting these pathways for the pharmacologic treatment of obesity.
Analysis and optimization of Galois/Counter Mode (GCM) using MPI

Cryptography is the most effective and common technique used to achieve confidentiality, authentication and non-repudiation of data. In cryptography MACs are used between two parties that share a secret to authenticate information exchange between those parties. Galois/Counter Mode (GCM) is an algorithm for authenticated encryption proposed by National Institute of Standards and Technology (NIST). GCM is one of the secure and efficient authenticated technique. The objective of this paper is to analyze the efficiency of GCM using MPI. Some recommendations based on experimental data for selection of efficient GCM for an end user.
Avaliações aplicadas em uma Licenciatura em Ciências Biológicas: dos agrupamentos categoriais hierárquicos a caminhos alternativos

Analisaram-se 100 avaliacoes escritas (AE) relacionadas ao ensino de conceitos de Biologia, elaboradas e aplicadas por professores atuantes em uma Licenciatura em Ciencias Biologicas de uma instituicao publica de ensino superior, da regiao Centro-Oeste, no Brasil, no periodo de 2011 a 2014. A validacao do estudo se deu por meio de analise quali-quantitativa dessas AE, envonvendo dois docentes especialistas na area. A dissimilaridade entre as AE analisadas foi estimada com base no coeficiente de Jaccard, tendo sido construido um correspondente dendrograma, aos dados gerados e categorizados. Os resultados sinalizam, entre os agrupamentos de categorias hierarquicas, predominância de perfil tradicional de avaliacao com forte apelo ao conhecimento enciclopedico e memoristico. Tambem verificaram-se AE que possibilitam explorar as habilidades cognitivas dos estudantes e aspectos mais abrangentes, em contraposicao a aprendizagem mecânica do conhecimento cientifico. O estudo sugere haver necessidade ao repensar caminhos alternativos aos modelos de avaliacao comumente utilizados.
Energy-Efficient Partial-Cooperative Spectrum Sensing in Cognitive Radio over Fading Channels

Energy efficiency in cooperative spectrum sensing in cognitive radio is investigated in this paper, where a novel approach is proposed for reducing the energy consumed in spectrum sensing and improving the resultant energy efficiency of the cognitive transmission. The proposed approach is based on limiting the number of users that participate in the spectrum sensing task. The participation decision of each user is taken individually by the user itself, where each user estimates the expected amount of consumed energy based on its distance from the base station, and compares it to a predefined threshold. The user will participate only if the estimated energy is less than the threshold. Besides reducing energy consumption, our proposal increases the amount of successfully transmitted data as well. Moreover, an optimization of the threshold is carried out through simulation in order to optimize the energy efficiency. Our results show a considerable amount of reduction in energy consumption (up to 80%) compared to the conventional approach.
Design and Verification of Behaviour-Based Systems Realising Task Sequences

Since their invention in the 1980s, behaviour-based systems have become very popular among roboticists. Their component-based nature facilitates the distributed implementation of systems, fosters reuse, and allows for early testing and integration. However, the distributed approach necessitates the interconnection of many components into a network in order to realise complex functionalities. This network is crucial to the correct operation of the robotic system. There are few sound design techniques for behaviour networks, especially if the systems shall realise task sequences. Therefore, the quality of the resulting behaviour-based systems is often highly dependant on the experience of their developers. This dissertation presents a novel integrated concept for the design and verification of behaviour-based systems that realise task sequences. Part of this concept is a technique for encoding task sequences in behaviour networks. Furthermore, the concept provides guidance to developers of such networks. Based on a thorough analysis of methods for defining sequences, Moore machines have been selected for representing complex tasks. With the help of the structured workflow proposed in this work and the developed accompanying tool support, Moore machines defining task sequences can be transferred automatically into corresponding behaviour networks, resulting in less work for the developer and a lower risk of failure. Due to the common integration of automatically and manually created behaviour-based components, a formal analysis of the final behaviour network is reasonable. For this purpose, the dissertation at hand presents two verification techniques and justifies the selection of model checking. A novel concept for applying model checking to behaviour-based systems is proposed according to which behaviour networks are modelled as synchronised automata. Based on such automata, properties of behaviour networks that realise task sequences can be verified or falsified. Extensive graphical tool support has been developed in order to assist the developer during the verification process. Several examples are provided in order to illustrate the soundness of the presented design and verification techniques. The applicability of the integrated overall concept to real-world tasks is demonstrated using the control system of an autonomous bucket excavator. It can be shown that the proposed design concept is suitable for developing complex sophisticated behaviour networks and that the presented verification technique allows for verifying real-world behaviour-based systems.