Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simple and Efficient Marker-Based Approach in Human Gait Analysis Using Gaussian Mixture Model

Article history: Background: Gait analysis is a valuable tool that can be used in human motion tracking in many applications. Most motion tracking are performed using Marker-based System technologies. Objective: we present a simple but efficient two dimensional (2D) marker-based method that extracts the gait parameters automatically from an image sequence to be used in different human identification applications. The proposed method consists from four main steps: 1) three simple colored markers are added to the clothes of the targeted subject; where ankle has a green color ,knee has a blue color and hip has a red color 2)a gait video sequence captured by a static camera; and we are concerned with only side view videos and normal gait3) Segmentation method based on Gaussian Mixture Model is used to partition each frame to ankle, knee, hip and outlier region, and 4) the joint position and other variables such as segment lengths, and dynamic parameters of human gait were then calculated to extract gait features. For each frame within the video sequence we form a vector that contain position, Angular position, Angular displacement, Angular velocity and Angular acceleration; this vector is created for each low limb joint and segment part; then all frame vectors are stacked on each other to form a feature vector for gait motion parameters. Results: Our results shows that The developed method can effectively establish the gait motion parameters to be used in human gait identification applications. Conclusion: The main advantages for the presented system is that it does not suffers from the common shortfalls of skin based marker techniques such as skin artifact, the excessive time and complexity required for marker placement, the need for a controlled environment to acquire high- quality data, the high cost for the markers, and the effect of the markers on the subject's movement.
Integration Of Machining Constraints In Design Optimization Of A Guide Vane Cascade

Introduction In hydraulic turbomachinery, design optimization of blades to improve performances is an important issue. The conventional blade design and production process could be described in three steps. First, a Computer-Aided Design (CAD) modeling is done based on Computational Fluid Dynamics (CFD) simulations. Then, the tool path is computed, using Computer-Aided Manufacturing (CAM) software. Finally, blades are machined on 3 or 5-axis machine tool. The expected hydraulic performances are computed using zero defect CAD models and software [2]. On another hand, blade functional surfaces are made of freeform surfaces, obtained by high added value machining operations, like 5-axis milling. As machining constraints are not taken into account in the design step, difficulties come in the tool path computation and tool path interpolation [5] and, in the end, hydraulic performances are not those expected. In this paper, a new approach is proposed to design hydraulic blades based on machining considerations and applied to guide vane design. Main Idea In order to avoid geometrical deviations between machined blades and the CAD model, the proposed approach consists in taking into account machining constraints at a very early stage in the CAD modeling. In the proposed paradigm, the machining tool path is placed on the heart of the design process [1]. The polynomial machining tool path is computed so that the machined blade, not the CAD model, is optimum with respect to the hydraulic performances. Then, the optimization validates the surface geometry resulting from a machining simulation (Z-buffer simulation) and CAD model is the 3D representation of this simulation. Manufacturing is easier, faster, geometric quality and perceived quality are improved and hydraulic performance should meet expectations. The proposed work focuses on the comparison between the standard optimization process, called "Design", and the proposed approach called "Toolpath" based on the polynomial description of the tool trajectory using flank milling. Those two methods will be developed on a 2D study case: the geometric optimization of a guide vane cascade, one of the turbine parts which convert hydraulic power to electric power. The purpose of this article is to find out if performances obtained with a classic optimization (Design) and with machining constraints based optimization (Toolpath) are comparable. The optimization process used here can be decomposed in four stages. The first stage consists in defining a parametric model of the guide vane (Design model) or of the tool trajectory during milling (Toolpath model), e.g. Fig. 1.
F-fluoromisonidazole positron emission tomography can predict pathological necrosis of brain tumours

Title 18F-fluoromisonidazole positron emission tomography can predict pathological necrosis of brain tumors Author(s) Toyonaga, Takuya; Hirata, Kenji; Yamaguchi, Shigeru; Hatanaka, Kanako C. ; Yuzawa, Sayaka; Manabe, Osamu; Kobayashi, Kentaro; Watanabe, Shiro; Shiga, Tohru; Terasaka, Shunsuke; Kobayashi, Hiroyuki; Kuge, Yuji; Tamaki, Nagara Citation European Journal of Nuclear Medicine and Molecular Imaging, 43(8), 1469-1476 https://doi.org/10.1007/s00259-016-3320-x Issue Date 2016-07 Doc URL http://hdl.handle. net/2115/66417 Rights The final publication is available at link.springer. com Type article (author version) File Information EurJNuclMedMolImaging43_1469. pdf
Determinants of Capital Structure: Empirical Evidence from the Indonesia Stock Exchange

Capital structure strategy relates to the composition of debt and equity, which will deliver the highest profitability to the companies. To analyze the variables affecting the capital structure, this study utilized yearly financial statements from 2001 to 2015 with the exclusion of 2008, for 136 non-financial public companies listed on the Indonesia Stock Exchange. This study adopted an econometric approach of t-test, correlation coefficient, difference test and descriptive statistics analysis. The variables adopted are net debt-to-equity ratio as the dependent variable, size, profitability, asset structure, liquidity, sales growth and capital expenditure as the independent variable. This study found that for overall market, size, profitability, asset structure and sales growth have a significant relationship with capital structure. On the other hand, this study found no significant relationship between liquidity and capital structure. The findings of this study suggested that the manager should prioritize these four variables in determining the company’s capital structure. Keywords: capital structure, Indonesia, net debt to equity ratio, non-financial companies
Characterization of an azo-dye-degrading white rot fungus isolated from Malaysia

Sixty-three local white-rot fungi were isolated from soil and wood samples on potato dextrose agar (PDA). All these isolates were screened for their ability to degrade 4 textile azo dyes;Ponceau 2R (C.I. 16450), Orange G (C.I. 16230), Direct Blue 71 (C.I. 34140) and Biebrich Scarlet (C.I. 26905). Out of 40 isolates that gave positive results, only 1 promising isolate which completely degrades all 4 dyes in the minimum amount of time was selected for further investigation. This isolate was sourced from University Putra Malaysia (UPM) Serdang campus.The isolate was tentatively identified as Coriolopsis sp. Strain arf5 based on the analysis of the internal transcribed spacer (ITS) region. Nutritional studies on defined solid medium showed that this isolate was only able to degrade the 4 azo dyes under nitrogen-limiting conditions and an additional carbon source (glucose) need to be added to provide sufficient energy for the degradation to occur. Various parameters were optimized.
Design of Unmanned Surface Vessels Experiment Platform

In recent years, More and more attention has been paid to Unmanned Surface Vessels motion control field. An experimental platform for USV based on wireless communication was introduced for USV motion control algorithm experiments in this paper. The structure and implementation of experimental platform was described in detail. Stability and reliability tests for experimental platform were carried out by following an circular path, and the USV state data in sailing was analyzed by drawing tools in MATLAB. Experimental results show that the platform can complete algorithm validation experiments accurately.
CONSERVATION GENETICS AND NON-INVASIVE GENETIC SAMPLING OF EURASIAN OTTERS (Lutra lutra) IN THE CZECH AND SLOVAK REPUBLICS

Many important basic parameters for successful conservation management of Eurasian otter (Lutra lutra) populations are still not fully understood. Otters are rare and elusive animals, and it is very difficult to study their abundance and population structure. Over the past years, however, genetic methods have provided a new approach to this problem. If non-invasively obtained samples, such as faeces, are analysed, disturbing or even observing the animals is not required. We used a non-invasive genetic method to assess population size, sex ratio and spatial distribution of otters in two different habitats. Further, we studied the genetic structure of otters in the Czech and Slovak Republics using DNA extracted from both tissue and spraint samples. A total of 448 spraint samples and 134 tissues were analysed using 10 microsatellite loci and a SRY marker. At the first study site, a mountainous area of Slovenský raj National Park, 13 individuals (7 males and 6 females) were identified, while at the second site, a fishpond area of Třeboňsko Biosphere Reserve, it was 50 individuals (29 males and 21 females) for the same area size (100 km 2 ). When studying genetic structure of otter populations in the Czech and Slovak Republics, a relatively high level of genetic differentiation was found between the Czech and Slovak populations (FST = 0.154), supported by a perfect assignment in Bayesian clustering. Both MSVAR and BOTTLENECK programmes, which infer demographic history, indicated the occurrence of recent population bottleneck in both populations. Despite recent recovery, otter populations in both countries are still vulnerable.
Has Pharmaceutical Innovation Reduced Social Security Disability Growth?

Abstract This paper analyzes longitudinal state-level data during the period 1995–2004 to investigate whether use of newer prescription drugs has reduced the ratio of the number of workers receiving Social Security Disability Insurance benefits to the working-age population (the “DI recipiency rate”). All of the estimates indicate that there is a significant inverse relationship between disability recipiency and a good indicator of pharmaceutical innovation use: the mean vintage (FDA approval year) of Medicaid prescriptions. From 1995 to 2004, the actual disability rate increased 30%, from 2.62% to 3.42%. The estimates imply that in the absence of any post-1995 increase in drug vintage, the increase in the disability rate would have been 30% larger: the disability rate would have increased 39%, from 2.62% to 3.65%. This means that in the absence of any post-1995 increase in drug vintage, about 418,000 more working-age Americans would have been DI recipients.
The role of homeroom- and geography teachers in the obligatory administration in elementary schools

A geography teacher is a professional person who conducts the teaching process in accordance with the standards and procedures of the teacher’s call. It is necessary for a teacher to possess knowledge in the psychological, pedagogical, and sociological domains because he/she often plays the role of a homeroom teacher as well. The role of teachers is to adapt the teaching content to students’ intellectual abilities by applying diverse methods, didactic principles, and teaching resources. The aim of the paper is to provide ways, through research and analysis, how to manage school documentation and the role of a geography and homeroom teacher in elementary schools. The methods used in the preparation of the paper are: analytical, synthetic, descriptive, comparative, statistical, graphic, and critical. The work was written on the basis of the data obtained from the survey conducted among teachers. The research was conducted among teachers working in urban and rural areas, with different places of employment, and with different work experience. One of the aims of the research was to determine if there were similarities and differences between the answers of the homeroom teachers and geography teachers.
Principles and applications of sensitivity encoded magnetic resonance imaging

New theoretical and practical concepts are presented for considerably enhancing the performance of MRI by means of arrays of multiple receiver coils. Sensitivity encoding (SENSE) is based on the fact that receiver sensitivity generally has an encoding effect complementary to Fourier preparation by linear field gradients. Thus, using multiple receiver coils in parallel scan time in Fourier imaging can be considerably reduced. The problem of image reconstruction from sensitivity encoded data is formulated in a general fashion and solved for arbitrary coil configurations and Ä-space sampling patterns. Special attention is given to the currently most practical case, namely sampling a common Cartesian grid with reduced density. For this case the feasibility of the proposed methods was verified both in vitro and in vivo. Scan time was reduced to onehalf using a two-coil array in brain imaging. With an array of five coils double-oblique heart images were obtained in one-third of conventional scan time. Chapter 2: Methodological Developments
Psycho-physiological response of soldiers in urban combat

Current armed conflicts are asymmetrical and are developed in urban areas. These new requirements have not been studied for current literature. The aim of this study was to analyse changes in cortical arousal, blood lactate, muscle strength, autonomic modulation and rate of perceived exertion in a simulated urban combat. We analyzed 20 soldiers before and after an urban combat simulation. The results showed how urban combat produced high sympathetic nervous system activation, increasing the muscle strength, heart rate and blood lactate concentration of the soldiers. Despite this effort, rate of perceived exertion were not consistent with the physiological response that soldiers presented, the rate of perceived exertion was lower than the physiological response evaluated. Furthermore, the information processing and cortical arousal decreased after the urban combat simulation. These results have showed the psycho-physiological response of soldiers in combat, helping to better understanding and enabling an improvement of current training methods of soldiers.
Living Labbing the Rotterdam Way: Co-Creation as an Enabler for Urban Innovation

The living lab concept seems appropriate to study the design and evaluation of innovative services that enrich everyday life. This article elaborates on “living methodologies”, methods and tools necessary in "living labbing". Living methodologies address the social dynamics of everyday life that are essential for understanding living labs, not only conceptually, but also as mature methodologies for fostering innovation in real-life contexts. We report on three cases from Rotterdam in the Netherlands, where "living labbing" was used to enable citizens to co-develop their city. These cases utilized visual ethnography as a research method and prototyping and co-creating as design tools. The cases not only inspire citizen participation, but also inform social innovation and city’s policymaking. The user-driven approach, do-it-yourself mindset, and the participatory character perfectly fit with the down-to-earth attitude of Rotterdam residents. Living in cities is an art, and we need the vocabulary of art, of style, to describe the peculiar relationship between man and material that exists in the continual creative play of urban living. The city as we imagine it, then, soft city of illusion, myth, aspiration, and nightmare, is as real, maybe more real, than the hard city one can locate on maps in statistics, in monographs on urban sociology and demography and architecture. Jonathan Raban Novelist and travel writer
Mediterranean Conference on Information Systems ( MCIS ) 2011 MAKING SENSE OF THE USE OF ONLINE SOCIAL NETWORKING IN HIGHER EDUCATION : AN ANALYSIS OF EMPIRICAL DATA USING ACTIVITY THEORY

The use of Online Social Networking (OSN) for teaching and learning is a phenomenon observed in many countries today. However, the reasons that lecturers use OSN and the explicit narrative of how they appropriate social technologies for educational uses are not well understood. This paper offers empirical evidence from the first phase of a study concerning the ways lecturers use OSN for advancing teaching and learning. Sixteen lecturers from nine Malaysian universities were interviewed in the period of July to August 2010. Lecturers were asked about their use of Social Technologies (ST) for OSN activities, the processes involved in OSN use, and the benefits and challenges of the OSN use. The empirical data were analysed using thematic analysis and then mapped to the constructs of Activity Theory, the theoretical lens used for making sense of the OSN appropriation process in this research. The preliminary findings revealed that (1) the individual characteristics of the lecturers are among the main reasons for OSN use, and (2) the process of OSN use can be quite complex and requires delicate management on the part of lecturers. Finally the paper identifies challenges and opportunities that can be associated with OSN use for advancing teaching and learning for higher education.
Some Biological Hints on the Control of Heat and Mass Transfer

This review paper explores the possibilities of the control of heat and mass transfer associated with drought tolerance and freeze tolerance. The accumulation of some metabolites, such as proline and trehalose, are effective for drought tolerance. The special microstructures on the surfaces of some plants and insects in deserts are effective for collecting moisture in the air. Methods of preserving crops will be improved by the mimetic of the drought tolerance. Calcium ions and a protein are effective for the retrieval of damaged cell membrane due to ice formation. Ice crystal growth is inhibited by some substances such as antifreeze proteins. The cryopreservation of foods and organs will be improved by the mimetic of the freeze tolerance.
Grounded Theory. Una aplicación de la teoría fundamentada a la salud

El objetivo de este articulo es mostrar como fueron aplicados en un proyecto de investigacion concreto algunos elementos del estilo de investigacion cualitativa denominado "teoria fundamentada" (en el ingles original, grounded theory). Esta denominacion se refiere a que la construccion de teoria esta basada en los datos empiricos que la sustentan, siguiendo un procedimiento de analisis inductivo.
Low Frequency Measurement of Mechanical Vibration Using Optocoupler Sensor and Cantilever System

It has been realized and characterized the instrument for low frequency measurement of mechanical vibration by using optocoupler sensors and cantilever system. The realized optocoupler sensor system consists of light emitting diode (LED) and phototransistor. The LED is placed on the end of cantilever and phototransistor is placed on the fixed axe as reference point. The frequency of mechanical vibration on the vertical direction can be shown directly by recording the signal detected by phototransistor. The cantilever used is produced from stainlesstel razor blade that gives a 2.98 Hz natural frequency for 0.28 × 10 -3 kg of sample weight (mp) and 0.21 × 10 -3 kg of cantilever weight (mk). The possible measured frequencies are ranged from 1 - 2.98 Hz. The output of measurement system is directly given in computer by serial interfacing employing microcontroller AT89C51 and MAX232 circuit. Copyright © 2014 IFSA Publishing, S. L.
Stockholding: From participation to location and to participation spillovers

This paper provides a joint analysis of household stockholding participation, stock location among stockholding modes, and participation spillovers, using data from the US Survey of Consumer Finances. Our multivariate choice model matches observed participation rates, conditional and unconditional, and asset location patterns. Financial education and sophistication strongly affect direct stockholding and mutual fund participation, while social interactions affect stockholding through retirement accounts only. Household characteristics influence stockholding through retirement accounts conditional on owning retirement accounts, unlike what happens with stockholding through mutual funds. Although stockholding is more common among retirement account owners, this fact is mainly due to their characteristics that led them to buy retirement accounts in the first place rather than to any informational advantages gained through retirement account ownership itself. Finally, our results suggest that, taking stockholding as given, stock location is not arbitrary but crucially depends on investor characteristics.
Fusion Control of Flexible Logic Control and Neural Network

Based on the basic physical meaning of error and error variety , this paper analyzes the logical relationship between them and uses Universal Combinatorial Operation Model in Universal Logic to describe it. Accordingly, a flexible logic control method is put forward to realize effective control on multivariable nonlinear system. In order to implement fusion control with artificial neural network, this paper proposes a new neuron model of Zero-level Universal Combinatorial Operation in Universal Logic. And the artificial neural network of flexible logic control model is implemented based on the proposed neuron model. Finally, stability control, anti-interference control of double inverted-pendulum system, and free walking of cart pendulum system on a level track are realized, showing experimentally the feasibility and validity of this method.
Constructing Interdisciplinary Educational Reality Into Information Age

The theoretical basis of designing interdisciplinary educational reality is built on the basis of approaches of constructivism. Twenty methods have been identified that can be used to conduct interdisciplinary research in the field of education on a different constructs and for the formation of a constructed reality by different subjects of the educational process. Among the interdisciplinary constructs, the following are considered: 1) the theoretical positions of constructivism, which are the basis for interdisciplinary understanding of the constructed educational reality; 2) interdisciplinary approaches of the constructivism methodology; 3) constructive pedagogy in the post-Soviet space; 4) verification methods used in interpreting the results of interdisciplinary research in the field of education. Each subject constructs his own reality according to the level of his information literacy and goes beyond formal education. In particular, we give a brief overview of the research conducted among mathematics teachers from Latvia, Russia and Estonia on the use of constructivism methods in their practice. The theoretical basis of the constructed educational reality is considered in the article; interdisciplinary approaches within the framework of the constructivism methodology; the principles of designing interdisciplinary educational reality are given; there are described the development of the ideas of