Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Usability evaluation of e-motion: A virtual rehabilitation system designed to demonstrate, instruct and monitor a therapeutic exercise programme

The importance of systematic usability evaluation of virtual rehabilitation systems cannot be underestimated. We have developed a virtual rehabilitation system with the functionality to guide a user through a therapeutic exercise programme. Progression is determined by userspsila ability to replicate movements as demonstrated by an on-screen character. Visual and auditory corrective feedback is provided during exercise in order to improve the userpsilas postural control and biomechanical alignment. The objective of this study was to evaluate the usability of our system and subsequently implement modifications aimed at improving fidelity and ease of use. The first stage of our evaluation involved conducting an expert walkthrough with six experts currently researching in areas related to the system design. Following system refinement and modification we conducted a user evaluation study with twelve novice users using VRUSE, a computerised questionnaire-based usability evaluation tool for assessment of virtual environments. Results have provided a systematic evaluation of the system, provided information for guidance on system alterations and will allow comparison of usability levels with similar virtual rehabilitation systems tested with the same protocol.
First-Order Models for POMDPs

Interest in relational and first-order languages for probability models has grown rapidly in recent years, and with it the possibility of extending such languages to handle decision processes—both fully and partially observable. We examine the problem of extending a first-order, open-universe language to describe POMDPs and identify non-trivial representational issues in describing an agent’s capability for observation and action—issues that were avoided in previous work only by making strong and restrictive assumptions. We present a solution based on ideas from modal logic, and show how to handle cases like being able to act upon an object that has been detected through one’s observations.
A Mixed Finite Element Method for EWOD That Directly Computes the Position of the Moving Interface

A new mixed finite element method is proposed and analyzed for simulating two-phase droplet motion in a microscale device driven by electrowetting-on-dielectric. The new feature of the method is that the finite element scheme is based on a weak formulation of the problem which includes the position of the moving interface and the curvature of its boundary as basic unknowns to be determined along with the velocity field and pressure. Well-posedness of the semidiscrete and fully discrete formulations and error estimates with minimal regularity assumptions are proved. Numerical examples are given to illustrate the robustness of the method.
Individual Accountability: The Interplay Between Task, Social Context and Personality Attributes

Het kernpunt van dit proefschrift is het fenomeen van individuele aansprakelijkheid of ‘accountability’ en haar uitkomsten. Het model van accountability bestaat uit drie groepen factoren. Dit zijn taakgerelateerde factoren (taakduidelijkheid en feedback). Daarnaast enkele factoren die hun oorsprong in de sociale context vinden (individuele verantwoordelijkheid en audience power), en ten slotte persoonlijkheid gerelateerde factoren (prestatieorientatie en kennisorientatie). Twee belangrijke vragen worden in dit proefschrift beantwoord. De eerste onderzoeksvraag is of accountability wel of niet moet worden gezien als een compilatie van de motiverende factoren, die positief op elkaar inspelen en synergie creeren. De tweede onderzoeksvraag behandelt de attitudes en de soorten van gedrag waar factoren van accountability en hun wisselwerkingen mee in verband zouden kunnen worden gebracht. De attitudes en gedrag houden in: betrokkenheid, taak gerelateerde prestatie, gebruik van en geloof in het kwaliteitsmanagement systeem en zelfpromotie (onderdeel van impressie management). Het blijkt uit het onderzoek dat accountability verschillend werkt voor mensen met verschillende niveaus prestatieorientatie: individuen met een sterke prestatieorientatie schijnen hier meer van te profiteren dan individuen met een sterke kennisorientatie. Een belangrijke implicatie voor de goal-setting theorie is dat motiverende eigenschappen van goal setting elementen (taakduidelijkheid en feedback) afhankelijk zijn van variabelen gerelateerd aan sociale context en persoonlijke doelorientatie. De wijze waarop accountability factoren samen werken duidt erop dat het fenomeen van accountability in het algemeen een bruikbaar instrument is wanneer al zijn elementen zijn afgestemd op de specifieke situatie waarin het wordt gehanteerd.
“The black men has wives and Sweet harts [and third person plural -s] Jest like the white men”: Evidence for verbal -s from written documents on 19th-century African American speech

ABSTRACT The analysis of letters written by 19th-century African Americans shows constraints on verbal -s marking which parallel those found in the writing of Scotch-Irish immigrants in the same time period and region, specifically a subject type constraint and a proximity to subject constraint. This correlation is highly suggestive for the study of the development of African American Vernacular English (AAVE). This study finds no support for a basis from a creole or from Standard English for AAVE in verbal concord and concludes that some, perhaps many, African Americans used varieties of English with little or no creole influence. Earlier studies have assumed that standard dialects of English constituted the superstrate in colonial and antebellum America; this analysis makes it clear that we must examine the features of the local varieties, black and white, before making any claims about the influences of language contact on a given variety. Further, the consistent patterns of inflections found in this study show that written documents, in particular letters written by semiliterate African Americans, are a good source for further linguistic study of 19th-century language.
Toward Reputable Grids

The Grid approach provides a vision to access, use, and manage heterogeneous resources in virtual organizations across multiple domains and organizations. This paper foremost analyses some of the issues related to establishing trust and reputation in a Grid. Integrating reputation into quality management provides a way to reevaluate resource selection and service level agreement mechanisms. We introduce a reputation management framework for Grids to work toward facilitating the complex task of improving the quality of resource selection. Based on community experience we adapt trust and reputation of entities through specialized services. Simple contextual quality statements are evaluated in order to effect the reputation for a monitored resource. Additionally, we introduce a novel algorithm for evaluating Grid reputation by combining two known concepts using eigenvectors to compute reputation and integrating global trust.
A warm touch of affect?

One of the research areas within affective Computer Mediated Communication currently under investigation is that of mediated social touch. A social touch is a complex composition of different physical parameters that can be simulated by haptic technologies. In this article we argue why we think it makes sense to incorporate warmth - and in particular simulations of one's body heat - in mediated communication devices; that is, physical warmth affects perceptions of social warmth, and our skin temperature can be considered a display of our socio-emotional state. Moreover, we outline specific research domains for the current PhD project.
Test S of Haplotype Concordance and Discordance

The test presented here is based upon the proband and his/her affected as well as unaffected siblings. Here, the siblings are analyzed in terms of similarities of haplotypes. The proposed ‘S’ test is used in testing hypothesis that a particular disease has random pattern of inheritance against the alternative hypothesis that it has non-random pattern of inheritance. Probability distribution, mean and variance of the test are derived under the null hypothesis of random inheritance of the disease. It is then applied to data set of varying size of sibships having at least one affected and one unaffected sibs to investigate the existence of linkage disequilibrium.
Statistical analysis approach for posture recognition

The aim of this study is to determine the best eigenfeatures of four main human postures based on the rules of thumb of Principal Component Analysis namely the KG-rule, Cumulative Variance and the Scree Test followed by statistical analysis. Accordingly, all three rules of thumb suggest the retention of only 35 main principle components or eigenvalues. Next, these eigenfeatures that we named as dasiaeigenposturespsila are statistically analyzed prior to classification. Thus, the most relevant component of the selected eigenpostures can be ascertained. The statistical significance of the eigenpostures is determined using ANOVA. Further, a multiple comparison procedure (MCP) and homogeneous subsets tests are performed to determine the number of optimized eigenpostures for classification. artificial neural network (ANN) and support vector machine (SVM) were employed for classification. Results attained that the statistical analysis has enabled us to perform effectively the selection of eigenpostures for classification of human postures.
A Neuronal Model of a Global Workspace in Effortful Cognitive Tasks

Abstract: A minimal hypothesis is proposed concerning the brain processes underlying effortful tasks. It distinguishes two main computational spaces: a unique global workspace composed of distributed and heavily interconnected neurons with long‐range axons, and a set of specialized and modular perceptual, motor, memory, evaluative, and attentional processors. Workspace neurons are mobilized in effortful tasks for which the specialized processors do not suffice. They selectively mobilize or suppress, through descending connections, the contribution of specific processor neurons. In the course of task performance, workspace neurons become spontaneously coactivated, forming discrete though variable spatio‐temporal patterns subject to modulation by vigilance signals and to selection by reward signals. A computer simulation of the Stroop task shows workspace activation to increase during acquisition of a novel task, effortful execution, and after errors. We outline predictions for spatio‐temporal activation patterns during brain imaging, particularly about the contribution of dorsolateral prefrontal cortex and anterior cingulate to the workspace.
Ionogram analysis using fuzzy segmentation and connectedness techniques

We present a new procedure for the analysis of ionograms that evolves from methods developed for image analysis and utilizes techniques based on the concepts of fuzzy segmentation and connectedness. Ionogram traces are often not “crisply” defined, and we demonstrate that it is possible to approximate them as fuzzy subsets within the two‐dimensional space defined by the time‐of‐flight and the radio frequency. A real number between 0 and 1 is assigned to each pixel in an ionogram, thereby defining the membership of that pixel to each of the fuzzy subsets, effectively creating a “gray scale” ionogram. In this context, ionogram analysis becomes a problem in fuzzy geometry, and various geometrical properties, including the topological concepts of connectedness, adjacency, height, width, and major axis, can be defined. It is shown that not only does the fuzzy segmentation process separate signals from the chaotic noise background that often characterizes ionograms, but that it can also be applied to classify ionospheric echoes according to standard nomenclature, e.g., normal E, F, or Es layers. Furthermore, in reference to the skeleton or thinning extraction procedures employed in imaging processing, the fuzzy connectedness between echoes in selected segments can be used to determine the primary layers that are characteristic of vertical incidence ionospheric reflection. This information can be provided as input to automatic scaling or true‐height inversion routines, which can then be used to derive either the standard URSI set of ionospheric parameters or the electron density distribution in the overhead ionosphere, or both. This fuzzy algorithm approach has been successfully applied to midlatitude ionogram data from advanced digital ionospheric sounders operated by the National Central University and Utah State University.
Sleep environment and the risk of sudden infant death syndrome in an urban population: the Chicago Infant Mortality Study.

OBJECTIVE To examine risk factors for sudden infant death syndrome (SIDS) with the goal of reducing SIDS mortality among blacks, which continues to affect this group at twice the rate of whites. METHODS We analyzed data from a population-based case-control study of 260 SIDS deaths that occurred in Chicago between 1993 and 1996 and an equal number of matched living controls to determine the association between SIDS and factors in the sleep environment and other variables related to infant care. RESULTS The racial/ethnic composition of the study groups was 75.0% black; 13.1% Hispanic white; and 11.9% non-Hispanic white. Several factors related to the sleep environment during last sleep were associated with higher risk of SIDS: placement in the prone position (unadjusted odds ratio [OR]: 2.4; 95% confidence interval [CI]: 1.7-3.4), soft surface (OR: 5.1; 95% CI: 3.1-8.3), pillow use (OR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.5-4.2), face and/or head covered with bedding (OR: 2.5; 95% CI: 1.3-4.6), bed sharing overall (OR: 2.7; 95% CI: 1.8-4.2), bed sharing with parent(s) alone (OR: 1.9; 95% CI: 1.2-3.1), and bed sharing in other combinations (OR: 5.4; 95% CI: 2.8-10.2). Pacifier use was associated with decreased risk (unadjusted OR: 0.3; 95% CI: 0.2-0.5), as was breastfeeding either ever (OR: 0.2; 95% CI: 0.1-0.3) or currently (OR: 0.2; 95% CI: 0.1-0.4). In a multivariate model, several factors remained significant: prone sleep position, soft surface, pillow use, bed sharing other than with parent(s) alone, and not using a pacifier. CONCLUSIONS To lower further the SIDS rate among black and other racial/ethnic groups, prone sleeping, the use of soft bedding and pillows, and some types of bed sharing should be reduced.
Media Consumption and Support for Capital Punishment

Theoretically, the media influences public perceptions of crime and criminality and helps shape perceptions of how the crime problem should be managed. Using a 2010 survey in Washington state, this article tests the theoretical connection between watching television (news, crime dramas, and police-reality programs), reading the newspaper, listening to the radio, interacting with the Internet, and support for capital punishment. Research in the area of perceptions of capital punishment shows that support for capital punishment varies depending on its operationalization; therefore, this study includes both a general measure of support for capital punishment and a measure that provides for the availability of life without parole as an alternative option. Variables including race, sex, age, attitudes toward the police, and perceptual variables such as collective efficacy, economic insecurity, and justice concerns are included as controls in the models. Findings indicate that the relationship between media consumption and capital punishment is dependent on both the media form/channel and the operationalization of capital punishment.
Development of a Vision-Based Driver Assistance System with Lane Departure Warning and Forward Collision Warning Functions

The objective of this research is to develop an advanced driver assistance system with lane departure warning and forward collision warning functions. The main input of this system is a CMOS camera, which is used to acquire roadway image in front of vehicle. In order to extract lane markings and vehicles from roadway image, the image processing methods such as coordinate systems transformation, object detection and object tracking are applied to recognize the lane boundaries and the preceding vehicles. In lane marking recognition, gray scale statistics, dynamic range of interesting (ROI) and featured-based approaches are used to detect lane boundaries successfully. For vehicle recognition, a Sobel edge-enhancement filter and optical flow algorithm are used to implement vehicle detection and tracking. Besides, by means of the roadway and headway physical estimation models, the circumstances of lane departure and forward collision can be detected. The experimental results indicate that the hardware and the implemented algorithm used in this research are able to recognize the lane markings and headway distance precisely, and meet the requirements of real-time computing and high reliability.
The orthotic effect of functional electrical stimulation on the improvement of walking in stroke patients with a dropped foot: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE Analysis of the available evidence on the improvement of walking in stroke patients with a dropped foot when using peroneus stimulation. METHODS A systematic review was performed to identify trials that investigated the orthotic effect of functional electrical stimulation (FES) on walking in stroke patients with a dropped foot. Two independent raters scored the methodological quality of the included articles. Walking speed and physiological cost index (PCI) were selected as the primary outcome measures. Studies that measured walking speed were pooled and a pooled difference including confidence interval was calculated. RESULTS Eight studies were included in the review, of which one was a randomized controlled trial. Methodological score ranged from 8 to 18 out of 19. Six studies measured walking speed. The pooled improvement in walking speed was 0.13 m/s (0.07-0.2) or 38% (22.18-53.8). CONCLUSIONS The present review suggests a positive orthotic effect of functional electrical stimulation on walking speed.
Small-time scaling behaviors of Internet backbone traffic: an empirical study

The small-time (sub-seconds) scaling behaviors of Internet backbone traffic, based on traces collected from OC3/12/48 links in a tier-1 ISP is studied. We observe that for a majority of these traces, the (second-order) scaling exponents at small time scales (1 ms - 100 ms) are fairly close to 0.5, indicating that traffic fluctuations at these time scales are (nearly) uncorrelated. In addition, the traces manifest mostly monofractal behaviors at small time scales. The objective of the paper is to understand the potential causes or factors that influence the small-time scalings of Internet backbone traffic via empirical data analysis. We analyze the traffic composition of the traces along two dimensions - flow size and flow density. Our study uncovers dense flows (i.e., flows with bursts of densely clustered packets) as the correlation-causing factor in small time scales, and reveals that the traffic composition in terms of proportions of dense vs. sparse flows plays a major role in influencing the small-time scalings of aggregate traffic.
Content-Based Retrieval Concept

Because of the demand for efficient management in images, much attention has been paid to image retrieval over the past few years. The text-based image retrieval system is commonly used in traditional search engines (Ratha et al., 1996), where a query is represented by keywords that are usually identified and classified by human beings. Since people have different understandings on a particular image, the consistency is difficult to maintain. When the database is larger, it is arduous to describe and classify the images because most images are complicated and have many different objects. There has been a trend towards developing the content-based retrieval system, which tries to retrieve images directly and automatically based on their visual contents. A similar image retrieval system extracts the content of the query example q and compares it with that of each database image during querying. The answer to this query may be one or more images that are the most similar ones to q. Similarity retrieval can work effectively when the user fails to express queries in a precise way. In this case, it is no longer necessary to retrieve an image extremely similar to the query example. Hence, similarity retrieval has more practical applications than an exact match does.
The influence of laboratoy experimental work on concept acquisition in a medical physiology course with implications for curriculum deliberations and instructional design

Following revision of the curriculum the effectiveness of a traditional cookbook experiment, used in conjunction with an ‘interpretation seminar’, was evaluated. Curriculum revision had been predominantly concerned with an avoidance of overloading and provision of self-study periods. The preceding lectures were integrated with the experiment. The learning resulting from the practical experience was assessed using pre- and post-tests. The practical exercise was ineffective and did not facilitate conceptual understanding. Due to the central role of passive teaching methods the students adopted a surface approach to all learning, were teacher dependent and did not make effective use of their private study. Furthermore, owing to a broad-based entry into medical school many students lacked the basic skills essential to the achievement of meaningful learning. Clearly, for effective learning the curriculum and pedagogy must be geared to the background and educational needs of the students.
Compatibility of ketorolac tromethamine injection with common infusion fluids and administration sets.

The compatibility of ketorolac tromethamine injection with commonly used i.v. infusion solutions and administration set components was evaluated. The infusion solutions tested were 0.9% sodium chloride injection, 5% dextrose injection, 0.9% sodium chloride and 5% dextrose injection, Plasma-Lyte A pH 7.4 injection, Ringer's injection, and lactated Ringer's injection. The ketorolac tromethamine admixture concentration studied was 30 mg/50 mL for all solutions. Admixtures were stored in polyvinyl chloride bags and glass bottles at room temperature under fluorescent light and sampled at 0, 6, 24, and 48 hours. Chemical compatibility was determined by high-performance liquid chromatography, and physical compatibility was determined by visual analysis, counting of subvisible particles by HIAC, and pH measurements. Adsorption of ketorolac tromethamine to i.v. administration set components was also evaluated. Ketorolac tromethamine exhibited excellent physical and chemical stability in all six infusion solutions tested. No degradation of drug, formation of particulates, or adsorption to containers or infusion tubing was noted at any concentration for any of the solutions. After the solutions were mixed, the pH remained essentially unchanged. Ketorolac tromethamine injection was physically and chemically stable when mixed with a variety of commonly used infusion solutions and was not adsorbed to administration set components or to glass or polyvinyl chloride containers.