Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using APPM-trained ANN to solve stochastic expected value mode

Stochastic expected value model is one classical stochastic optimisation problem. Generally, the fitness function should be constructed and computed with artificial neural network ANN, thus, the computational efficiency is relied upon the weights and structure of ANN. In this paper, a new algorithm, artificial plant growing process model APPM which is inspired by plant growing process, is applied to train the weights of ANN. To show the performance, two examples are chosen to check. Simulation results show it is effective.
An image processing approach for aircraft flight parameter estimation using the acoustical Lloyd's mirror effect

A time-frequency analysis of the output of an acoustic sensor located above the ground during the transit of an aircraft shows an interference (or fringe) pattern on the time-frequency plane. This interference pattern, referred to as the Lloyd's mirror effect, is caused by the temporal variations of the constructive/destructive interference frequencies of the direct and ground-reflected aircraft sound fields at the sensor. A model has been developed to describe the temporal variations of the destructive-interference frequencies for an aircraft in level flight over a hard ground. This paper describes two methods to estimate the aircraft flight parameters based on this model. In both methods, the time-frequency distribution of the sensor output is treated as an image. This image is pre-processed to enhance the destructive-interference pattern and then the flight parameters are extracted from the resultant image by optimising a cost function. The effectiveness of the methods is verified using real acoustic data.
An economic evaluation of implant treatment in edentulous patients-preliminary results.

PURPOSE Edentulous patients with denture problems benefit from implant treatment with overdenture prostheses. The aim of this prospective study was to investigate a method of analyzing cost effectiveness in dentistry. As an example, overdenture treatment with two or four implants was compared to the conventional complete denture (CD). MATERIALS AND METHODS In a self-selected trial, 20 patients each were treated with implant-retained overdentures (two implants, IRET), implant-supported overdentures (four implants, ISUP), or CDs (control group) in the edentulous mandible. A cost-effectiveness analysis was performed from the patient's perspective, with a time horizon of 6 months. Direct health-care costs were calculated in Swiss Francs (in 2000), and effects were defined as improvements in perceived chewing ability compared with the baseline value before treatment (measured on a VAS). Point estimates for mean incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were complemented with cost-effectiveness acceptability curves to account for uncertainties associated with costs and effects. RESULTS Mean incremental costs were CHF 4,329 (IRET-CD), CHF 13,360 (ISUP-CD), and CHF 9,031 (ISUP-IRET); these cost differences were all statistically significant. The mean incremental effects at 6 months were 19% (IRET-CD), 23% (ISUP-CD), and 4% (ISUP-IRET). Incremental cost-effectiveness ratios were CHF 228 (IRET-CD), CHF 581 (ISUP-CD), and CHF 2,258 (IRET-ISUP) per percentage increase in chewing ability. CONCLUSION From an economic point of view, IRETs were more attractive than ISUPs. The latter were associated with a statistically significant improvement in perceived chewing ability compared to CDs, but at substantially higher costs.
The Role of Grit in Predicting Student Performance in Introductory Programming Courses: An Exploratory Study

This research examines the association between student grit and academic achievement in introductory computer programming courses. While several studies have established a link between grit and student success in classes with lower failure rates, this exploratory work is the first to investigate the relationship in courses with high failure rates. Our survey data show that grittier students earn higher grades in introductory programming courses than less gritty students, thus providing support for extending the student grit-performance relationship to high failure courses.
Local Update Dynamic Policy Programming in reinforcement learning of pneumatic artificial muscle-driven humanoid hand control

Pneumatic Artificial Muscle (PAM) is an attractive device to be used as an actuator for humanoid robots because of its high power-to-weight ratio and good flexibility. However, both the modeling and the controlling of PAM-driven robots are challenging due to the high nonlinearities of a PAM's air pressure dynamics and its mechanical structure. This paper focuses on applying Reinforcement Learning (RL) to the control of a PAM-driven robots without our knowledge of its model. We propose a new RL algorithm, Local Update Dynamic Policy Programming (LUDPP), as an extension of Dynamic Policy Programming (DPP). This algorithm exploits the nature of smooth policy update of DPP to considerably reduce the computational complexity in both time and space: at each iteration, this algorithm only updates the value function locally throughout the whole state-action space. We applied LUDPP to control one finger (2 DOFs with a 12-dimensional state-action space) of Shadow Dexterous Hand, a PAM-driven humanoid robot hand. Experimental results suggest that our method can achieve successful control of such a robot with a limited computational resource whereas other conventional value function based RL algorithms (DPP, LSPI) cannot.
Cytogenetic findings and prognosis in neuroblastoma with emphasis on marker chromosome 1

The relationship between cytogenetic findings and prognosis in 51 pediatric patients with neuroblastoma is described. Patients were classified into the following four groups based on karyotypic findings: (1) near diploidy, 42 to 47 chromosomes (n = 11); (2) hyperdiploidy, 50 to 56 chromosomes (n = 4); (3) near triploidy, 60 to 77 chromosomes (n = 33); and (4) hypotetraploidy, 80 to 83 chromosomes (n = 3). Patients with near diploid or hypotetraploid karyotypes also had several structural abnormalities including marker chromosome 1, with or without double minutes (DM) or homogeneously staining regions (HSR). Most of these patients were 1 year of age or older and had advanced tumors. The patients who were in the hyperdiploid or near triploid category had few structural abnormalities; all of them, except one, were younger than 1 year of age, had localized tumors, and are long‐term, disease‐free survivors. Kaplan‐Meier analysis of survival rates disclosed a significant difference favoring the latter group (P < 0.001). N‐myc gene amplification was found in five patients of the former group but in no patients of the latter group. The presence or absence of DM or HSR in the former group had no statistically demonstrable effect on survival. However, the presence of marker chromosome 1 appears to indicate a poor prognosis. Five patients with Stage IV‐S disease had near triploid abnormalities similar to findings in patients with localized tumors. We propose that localized and Stage IV‐S neuroblastomas can be classified as one disease category, and that patients with near diploid or hypotetraploid karyotypes are clinically distinct from those having hyperdiploid or near triploid karyotypes. We consider that chromosomal pattern is a more influential prognostic factor than age, disease stage, or N‐myc gene amplification.
Analysing requirements in a case study of pairing

Agile software development methods suggest that sharing tasks between a pair of developers has advantages over letting them work as individuals. This effect has been observed in designing and coding tasks too. However, it is not yet known whether or not pairing on requirements engineering tasks could deliver a similar benefit at an early phase of software projects. Based on first-hand experience in pairing development of the OpenOME tool, we analyse the evolving stakeholder requirements using the i*/Tropos method. Our findings show that sharing tasks of different roles becomes more effective when those roles are played by one stakeholder, possibly due to smaller communication delay at a shorter distance.
Occupational noise exposure and blood pressure

Objective To investigate the relationship between occupational noise exposure and blood pressure Methods We studied 8811 workers at a metallurgical factory, who were exposed to different levels of noise at the worksite: ≤80 dB for 8078 workers and >80 dB for 733 workers. A clinical examination, including measurements of blood pressure (by mercury sphygmomanometer, Korotkoff phases I and V), heart rate (by pulse palpation), body weight and height, was performed. The subjects were stratified into four age groups (18–30, 31–40, 41–50 and >50 years) and into two body mass index groups: normal weight (≤25 kg/m2) and overweight (>25 kg/m2). In order to eliminate possible confounding factors and statistical bias, a retrospective case versus control analysis was also carried out Results The epidemiologic approach showed that the systolic blood pressure (SBP) but neither the diastolic blood pressure (DBP) nor the heart rate values were statistically higher in the group who were exposed to noise levels of >80dB, although the difference could be considered clinically relevant only in the older age group. The prevalence of hypertension (according to World Health Organization criteria) was higher among the workers who were exposed to the higher levels of noise. Stratification for body mass index confirmed the existence of a higher prevalence of hypertension in the exposed group. The results from the case versus control analysis indicated that both the SBP and the DBP levels in the exposed group were significantly higher than those in the reference group, and confirmed the existence of a higher prevalence of hypertension in the exposed group Conclusions The present data suggest that occupational exposure to noise levels exceeding 80dB may lead to a higher prevalence of hypertension and to increased blood pressure values, although the results appear quantitatively different according to the approach that is taken to the problem (i.e. the epidemiologic or the case versus control approach)
A Better Appraisal of Wittgenstein's Tractatus Manuscript

This paper substitutes a structural hermeneutics for the sequential approach to the Tractatus and its manuscript, which leaves the manuscript completely unexplained. All the pieces come together only if we recognise that Wittgenstein's book is a hierarchical object that was composed following a top-down strategy. Therefore, we realise that the “summary on scattered sheets” represents the perspicuous version of the manuscript, the correlations with the Notebooks become obvious and the “supplements” can be reconstructed. A correct dating of the composition allows us to understand how it was possible, without digital technologies except from an ingenious application of the decimal system, to achieve this formal masterpiece.
Zinc oxide nanorod integrated microdevice for multiplex virus detection

Technology development for point-of-care viral pathogen detection is critical for early diagnosis of infectious diseases, and rapid and effective disease intervention. In this paper, we present the development of a zinc oxide nanorod-integrated microdevice for highly sensitive and specific detection of avian influenza virus. This multiplexed immunofluorescence platform takes two advantages of the zinc oxide nanorods. On one hand, the 3D morphology of zinc oxide nanorods efficiently increases the effective surface area for monoclonal antibodies and decreases the diffusion distance between antibody and pathogens. On the other hand, the unique optical property of the translucent randomly ordered zinc oxide nanorod surface enhances fluorescence detection by 30–70%. We demonstrated the detection limit of the H5N2 avian influenza virus could be lowered down to 3.6×103 EID50/mL (EID50: 50% embryo infectious dose), which was about 22 times more sensitive than conventional ELISA assay tested under the same conditions. We further designed the microfluidic biosensor platform to detect multiple viruses simultaneously by spatial encoding of capture antibodies. One prominent feature of the device is that the captured H5N2 avian influenza virus can be released by simply dissolving zinc oxide nanorods under slightly acidic environment for subsequent off-chip analyses. As a whole, this platform provides a powerful tool for rapid detection of multiple pathogens, which may extent to the other fields for low-cost and convenient biomarker detection.
Borderline Cases and Bivalence

It is generally agreed that vague predicates like 'red', 'rich', 'tall', and 'bald', have borderline cases of application. For instance, a cloth patch whose color lies midway between a definite red and a definite orange is a borderline case for 'red', and an American man five feet eleven inches in height is (arguably) a borderline case for 'tall'. The proper analysis of borderline cases is a matter of dispute, but most theorists of vagueness agree at least in the thought that borderline cases for vague predicate '4' are items whose satisfaction of '1' is in some sense unclear or problematic: it is unclear whether or not the patch is red, unclear whether or not the man is tall.1 For example, Lynda Burns cites a widespread view as holding that borderline cases "are not definitely within the positive or negative extension of the predicate. Borderline cases are seen as falling within a gap between the cases of definite application of the predicate and cases of definite application of its negation" (1995, 30). Michael Tye writes that the "concept of a borderline case is the concept of a case that is neither definitely in nor definitely out" (1994b, 18). Reflecting this common view, the standard philosophical analysis defines borderline cases for vague predicate '4' as items that are neither definitely (clearly, determinately) 0 nor definitely not q. A borderline case for '4' is then also a borderline case for 'not V': being borderline not D consists in being neither definitely not ( nor definitely not not (D, which is equivalent to being borderline (. This standard analysis is usually meant to express a semantic conception of borderline cases-that is, a conception of them as arising from semantic features of a vague predicate. In that case the definiteness operator is interpreted so that the sentence 'x is definitely V' is true if and only if the sentence 'x is V' is true, and false if and only if 'x is V' is not true, where being not true consists in being either false or neither true nor false.2 Where xis a borderline case, then, the sentences 'x is V' and 'x is not V' are not true; they are also not false, and so are neither true nor false. Various nonclassical semantics have been introduced to capture the meanings of sentences that are neither true nor false, including such devices as supervaluations, indefinite or indeterminate values, truth-value gaps, and degrees of truth. Some of these systems invalidate Excluded Mid-
The Adaptation of Mothers of Children With Intellectual Disability in Lebanon

In many Middle Eastern countries, including Lebanon, there is a stigma attached to families who have an intellectually impaired child. These families complain of isolation and lack of community resources that could help them cope with their circumstances to optimize the child’s abilities. Health professionals and researchers should be cognizant of factors related to the process of stress adaptation to help families cope with their circumstances. The aim of this cross-sectional study was to identify factors that play a role in mothers’ adaptation to the care of their intellectually impaired children. The results, based on a sample of 127 mothers from Lebanon, reveal that a high percentage of mothers had depressive symptoms. Multiple regression analysis demonstrates that by order of importance, the factors that determine maternal depression are family strain, parental stress, and family income. The conclusions about nursing implications from a cultural perspective are discussed and recommendations proposed.
Quantité d"information échangée : une nouvelle mesure de la similarité des mots

Il existe beaucoup de methodes pour mesurer la similarite entre mots et ces methodes se basent souvent sur des approches differentes. La recherche que nous presentons a pour but une nouvelle methode basee sur l'analyse d'un dictionnaire. Les definitions du dictionnaire creent un reseau dont les noeuds sont les entrees lexicales du dictionnaire, les arcs sont les liens representant la relation entre une entree et les mots de ses definitions. Le sens d'un mot depend de la "quantite totale" d'"information" que chaque mot dans sa definition va lui communiquer. La similarite entre 2 mots est definie par la "Quantite d'Information Echangee" (QIE) entre 2 mots, a travers le reseau.
On the Problem of Over-clustering in Tuple-based Coordination Systems

When it comes to communication performance, open distributed tuple-space systems depend heavily on the proximity of tuples to processes. Researchers have proposed many approaches for storing tuples in a way that processes benefit from the organization of tuples. Although some progress has been made, most of the proposed solutions fail to address the reverse problem: if most tuples are kept close to processes, the system's robustness is affected - the over-clustering of tuples in particular nodes creates a dependence on that particular node. Hence, we have a dichotomy where it is important to organize tuples in clusters close to processes, but it is equally important to avoid over-clustering. This paper presents a self-organized solution to the tuple distribution problem, in which the possibility of over-clustering is considered.
A surface-micromachined optical self-homodyne polarimetric sensor for noninvasive glucose monitoring

A surface micromachined, highly sensitive optical polarimetric sensor using a self-homodyne coherent detection method has been demonstrated. By detecting the small polarization rotation of polarized laser light passing through a glucose-containing fluid, this sensor is suitable for noninvasive glucose monitoring for diabetes patients. A resolution glucose level of 75 mg/dl has been obtained, with a 0.9956 correlation coefficient between the reference and the measured values. This polarimeter has the advantages of full system integration and compatibility with silicon processing industry, which makes an integrated, low-cost noninvasive glucose sensor feasible.
Anodal transcranial direct current stimulation over the dorsolateral prefrontal cortex improves anorexia nervosa: A pilot study.

BACKGROUND Existing treatments for adults with anorexia nervosa (AN) have limited proven efficacy. New treatments that have been suggested involve targeted, brain-directed interventions such as transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS). We describe findings from seven individuals with treatment-resistant AN who received 10 sessions of anodal tDCS, over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC). MATERIAL AND METHOD In this open-label, single-arm study, seven patients received anodal tDCS (2mA) for 25 minutes over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex daily for ten days. Assessments pre-tDCS, post-tDCS and one month later included the Eating Attitude Test (EAT), Eating Disorder Inventory (EDI) and Beck Depression Inventory (BDI). RESULTS Three patients improved in all three rating scales immediately after the treatment sessions and one month later. Two patients showed improvement at the end of treatment but returned to the baseline after one month. One subject improved only on the BDI scale but not eating scales. The scores in the three rating scales were unaffected by treatment in the remaining patient. There was a significant effect of time (pre, post and 1 month later) on the three rating scores; BDI (P = 0.016), EDI (P = 0.018) and EAT (P = 0.016) and a significant correlation between the percent improvement of BDI and EAT (p = 0.01), and between BDI and EDI (P = 0.006). CONCLUSIONS These findings suggest that tDCS has potential as an adjuvant treatment for AN and deserves further study.
Sistema robotizado de xadrez

Resumo: A utilizacao de sistemas robotizados na industria apresenta vantagens em termos economicos e tecnicos, essencialmente permitindo um incremento de produtividade, robustez e qualidade. Este artigo apresenta um sistema robotizado com aspectos ludicos que permite demonstrar aos alunos e visitantes da Escola Superior de Tecnologia e Gestao (ESTiG) do Instituto Politecnico de Braganca (IPB) as capacidades associadas a estes sistemas. A aplicacao computacional desenvolvida implementa um jogo de xadrez, cujo movimento fisico das pecas e realizado por um robot.
Effect of Digitalis on Systolic Time Intervals in Heart Failure

It is generally recognized that conventional hemodynamic measures are not consistently altered by digitalis in patients with congestive heart failure. In normal subjects. digitalis has been found to abbreviate the systolic time intervals at a time when other hemodynamic changes are minimal. The present studies were designed to study the response in systolic time intervals among patients with heart failure and to test whether their determination may offer a more consistent measure of the response to digitalis than other hemodynamic parameters. Thirteen patients with clinically conspicuous congestive heart failure due to arteriosclerotic (5), hypertensive (5) and primary myocardial disease (3) were studied before and 55 to 65 minutes after cedilanid-D (1.2–1.6 mg iv). The responses in total electromechanical systole (QS2), the heart sounds interval (S1S2), and the pre-ejection period (PEP) proved to be a more constant and specific measure of the digitalis effect than other hemodynamic responses. Abbreviation in the left ventricular ejection time (LVET) was less consistent than that in the other systolic time intervals. The changes in PEP and LVET, after correction for heart rate, correlated significantly with each of the hemodynamic responses (cardiac output, cardiac work, stroke volume, stroke work, mean stroke power, mean rate of left ventricular ejection, mean arterial and pulse pressure). In contrast, the responses in QS2 and S1S2 did not correlate significantly with any hemodynamic measure. Serial observations of the systolic intervals permitted description of the sequential development of the digitalis response. Maximum abbreviation in all of systolic intervals occurred within 40 minutes of drug administration. The rate of onset of the response to cedilanid-D was the same in the patients as in normal individuals. The systolic time intervals offer a conveniently derived noninvasive measure of the cardiac response to digitalis in patients with congestive heart failure. The changes in the PEP and LVET are conditioned by the overall hemodynamic response and can be applied as a measure of the magnitude of change in the cardiac output and stroke parameters.
Electret based vibration energy harvester for sensor network

Energy harvesting is an enabling technology for wireless sensor network and low-power-consumption wearable devices. Among various energy sources in the environment, structural vibration and human motion are most abundantly distributed. Since kinetic energy of the vibration is mainly concentrated in the low-frequency range, electrostatic induction generator using electrets attracts much attention. Here, recent progress of electret materials, charging methods, and device technologies are discussed for further developments of MEMS electret energy harvesters.