Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Prevalence of middle ear disorders in coal miners

Results are presented from a study of the prevalence of middle and external ear disorders in coal miners who work underground. The study followed from an earlier NIOSH report (1976) that indicated a possibly large number of otoscopic abnormalities in this population of workers. Otoscopic examinations, pure tone air- and bone-conduction audiometry tests, and impedance tests were administered to 350 underground miners and 150 industrial workers not associated with mining. The study was conducted completely within a hospital otolaryngology/audiology clinic setting. Results of the investigation showed a highly similar prevalence of middle ear and ear canal abnormalities in the miner group and the control group (19 percent). Middle ear abnormalities observed in the miners were judged by the examining otolaryngologists to have preceded their experience in the mines and were not related solely to underground noise exposure or coal dust. Nearly half of the subjects who had an air-bone gap had no middle ear abnormality observable by otoscopic examination. There was substantial agreement between the finding of abnormal otoscopy and abnormal tympanometry. By itself, acoustic reflex was not useful in identifying middle ear disorders, since this reflex may be absent for other reasons, including presence of severe sensorineural hearing loss.
Automatic goal allocation for a planetary rover with DSmT

In this chapter, we propose an approach for assigning aninterest level to the goals of a planetary rover. Assigning an interest level to goals, allows the rover to autonomously transform and reallocate the goals. The interest level is defined by data-fusing payload and navigation information. The fusion yields an 'interest map',that quantifies the level of interest of each area around the rover. In this way the planner can choose the most interesting scientific objectives to be analysed, with limited human intervention, and reallocates its goals autonomously. The Dezert-Smarandache Theory of Plausible and Paradoxical Reasoning was used for information fusion: this theory allows dealing with vague and conflicting data. In particular, it allows us to directly model the behaviour of the scientists that have to evaluate the relevance of a particular set of goals. This chaptershows an application of the proposed approach to the generation of a reliable interest map.
Anti-Hepatitis B Virus Activity of ORI-9020, a Novel Phosphorothioate Dinucleotide, in a Transgenic Mouse Model

ABSTRACT ORI-9020, a novel dinucleotide, evaluated in transgenic mice expressing hepatitis B virus (HBV), significantly reduced liver HBV DNA (P ≤ 0.001). Levels of HBeAg and HBsAg in serum and of HBcAg in liver were not affected by treatment. A minimal effective dosage was determined to be between 1.6 and 0.5 mg/kg of body weight/day, which was similar to that observed for adefovir dipivoxil.
The Effect of Ultraviolet Radiation on Physiological and Molecular Characterization on the Capsicum Plants (Solanales: Solanaceae)

Background: Chilli or Pepper (Capsicum species) is an essential and critical plant shown as vegetable cum spice crop that grown for the ornamental, medicinal and pharmaceutical applications. An enormous source of vitamins A and C constituted in the Capsicum species which is an essential and critical plant shown as vegetable and spice crops that grown worldwide for the ornamental, medicinal and pharmaceutical applications. The present paper deals with the relative changes in biochemical composition of the plants because of impacts of the induced mutation and assessment of the changes in the molecular characterization using AFLP innovation. Furthermore, AFLP investigation can be utilized to assess how the mutagenic specialists alter the structure of DNA in living beings and furthermore with the changes in the quantification of physiological and biochemical amounts.Results: Minimum amount of proteins (799.997 µg/ml), carbohydrates (39.13 µg/ml) and free fatty acids (673.2 µg/ml) were found in very high intervening mutated plants. Maximum percentage of inhibition by the peroxidase activity (0.1685 μg/ml), catalase activity (0.078 μg/ml), Diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (68.57 μg/ml) activity and 2, 2’- azino-bis (3-ethylbenzoithioazoline-6-sulphonic acid) (97.88 μg/ml) activities were found in profoundly exposed mutated plants compared to the normal Capsicum plant species. A dendrogram representing the similarity in DNA bands of Capsicum plants in different time intervals of UV-C radiations showed significant negative affinities.Conclusions: This paper encourages us in understanding an induced mutation by UV-radiation on the Chilli plant leaves and its impact on plant cell creation and DNA structure, and acquiring sound and safe plants for mutagenesis. Therefore, this study brings mutation prompts diverse sorts of basic variations from the norm in cell organelles and its structure of the plant sources.
Information management for creative stimuli in engineering design

This thesis describes research carried to investigate the role of creative stimuli in the engineering design process. The research was cross-disciplinary bringing findings and perspectives from cognitive psychology to engineering design. The theoretical work undertaken has produced a model to represent how information can be made to work effectively as creative stimuli, inspiring creative ideas that in turn affect the design outputs produced through the creative design process. By combining participation action research with an observational audit, the information-use profiles were constructed for the innovation hub within the associated case company. These gave details of the types of projects and tasks undertaken by the case company; the designers working on them, and most importantly the information being used during design activities. It was shown that over 50% of the information uses recorded were working on diagrammatic representations, predominantly using CAD and imaging software. In this thesis it is shown that information captured, documented and stored by a company can be used as a useful source of creative stimuli. A tool was proposed to retrieve this information in a guided manner to support creative idea generation in industrial brainstorm sessions. The evidence suggested that introducing any of the tested formats of stimuli to a brainstorm group had positive affect on both the rate of idea production and the quality of the ideas being produced. Stimuli sourced internally to the case company in a guided manner were shown to perform as well as the most established creative stimuli tools available.
Emotion recognition in humans and machine using posed and spontaneous facial expression

In the wake of rapid advances in automatic affect analysis, commercial software tools for facial affect recognition have attracted considerable attention in the past few years. While several options now exist to analyze dynamic video data, less is known about the relative performance of these classifiers, in particular when facial expressions are spontaneous rather than posed. In the present work, we tested eight out-of-the-box machine classifiers (Affectiva's Affdex, CrowdEmotion's FaceVideo, Emotient's Facet, Microsoft's Cognitive Services, MorphCast's EmotionalTracking, Neurodatalab's EmotionRecognition, VicarVision's FaceReader and VisageTechnologies' FaceAnalysis), and compared their emotion recognition performance to that of human observers. For this, a total of 938 videos were sampled from two large databases that conveyed the basic six emotions (happiness, sadness, anger, fear, surprise, and disgust) either in posed (BU-4DFE) or spontaneous (UT-Dallas) form. Results revealed a recognition advantage for human observers over machine classification. Among the eight classifiers, there was considerable variance in recognition accuracy ranging from 49 \% to 62 \%. Subsequent analyses per type of expression revealed that performance by the two best performing classifiers approximated those of human observers, suggesting high agreement for posed expressions. However, accuracy was consistently lower for spontaneous affective behavior. Overall, the recognition of happiness was most successful across classifiers and databases, whereas confusion rates suggested system-specific biases favoring classification of certain expressions over others. The findings indicate shortcomings of existing out-of-the-box classifiers for measuring emotions, and highlight the need for more spontaneous facial datasets that can act as a benchmark in the training and testing of automatic emotion recognition systems.
Utilization of Fermented Palm Bunches Trash Combined with Defaunationand Rumen By Pass Protein on Sheep Performance

The research was done to study the effects of fermented palm bunches trash which was combined with defaunation, and rumen by pass protein on sheep performance. Twenty local sheep allocated at random were used in a randomized block design with 4 kinds of feeding as the treatments. These treatments were A1 = control feeding (grass), A2 = fermented palm bunches trash, A3 = fermented palm bunches trash which was supplemented by 4% Sapindus rarak and A4 = fermented palm bunches trash which was supplemented by 4% Sapindus rarak and 10% callyandra. Five blocks of sheep were used as replications, they were B1 = 8.80 – 9.00 kg; B2 = 7.00 kg; B3 = 6.50 – 6.80 kg; B4 = 6.00 kg; and B5 = 4.00 – 5.00 kg. The result of the experiment showed that there was highly significant different (P < 0.01) of the treatment toward the sheep performance. Fermented palm bunches trash which was supplemented by Sapindus rarak as the source of defaunation and Callyandra as the source of protein by pass could increase daily weight gained, feeding consumption, nitrogen retention and feeding eficiency of the local sheep. It was concluded that palm bunches trash could substitute grass portion in sheep diet. Keywords : palm bunches trash, fermentation, defaunation, by pass protein, performance
Endurance Limit for HMA Based on Healing Phenomenon Using Viscoelastic Continuum Damage Analysis

Perpetual Pavements, if properly designed and rehabilitated, it can last longer than 50 years without major structural rehabilitation. Fatigue endurance limit is a key parameter for designing perpetual pavements to mitigate bottom-up fatigue cracking. The endurance limit has not been implemented in the Mechanistic Empirical Pavement Design Guide software, currently known as DARWin-ME. This study was conducted as part of the National Cooperative Highway Research Program (NCHRP) Project 9-44A to develop a framework and mathematical methodology to determine the fatigue endurance limit using the uniaxial fatigue test. In this procedure, the endurance limit is defined as the allowable tensile strains at which a balance takes place between the fatigue damage during loading, and the healing during the rest periods between loading pulses. The viscoelastic continuum damage model was used to isolate time dependent damage and healing in hot mix asphalt from that due to fatigue. This study also included the development of a uniaxial fatigue test method and the associated data acquisition computer programs to conduct the test with and without rest period. Five factors that affect the fatigue and healing behavior of asphalt mixtures were evaluated: asphalt content, air voids, temperature, rest period and tensile strain. Based on the test results, two Pseudo Stiffness Ratio (PSR) regression models were developed. In the first model, the PSR was a function of the five factors and the number of loading cycles. In the second model, air voids, asphalt content, and temperature were replaced by the initial stiffness of the mix. In both models, the endurance limit was defined when PSR is equal to 1.0 (net damage is equal to zero). The results of the first model were compared to the results of a stiffness ratio model developed based on a parallel study using beam fatigue test (part of the same NCHRP 9-44A). The endurance limit values determined from uniaxial and beam fatigue tests showed very good correlation. A methodology was described on how to incorporate the second PSR model into fatigue analysis and damage using the DARWin-ME software. This would provide an effective and efficient methodology to design perpetual flexible pavements.
Streamlining DoD Acquisition: Balancing Schedule with Complexity

Abstract : Since at least the late 1960s, the Department of Defense has been trapped in an escalating cycle of cost overruns and schedule delays on large acquisition programs. In particular, state-of-the-art aircraft programs have ballooned from one to five year sprints during and immediately after World War II to the 25-year marathons of the present day. An aerospace force that once blackened the skies over Europe with tens of thousands of aircraft of all shapes and sizes and swelled our nation's nuclear deterrent with thousands of leading-edge missiles and warheads now struggles to purchase a few dozen modern bombers, barely 150 fighters, and a few hundred airlifters and tankers despite enormous outlays over the last 20 years. Over this time, the average age of operational USAF aircraft has grown from just a few to approximately 24 years, and seems inevitably bound to approach 40 years within decades. In response to these trends, a parade of commissions and surveys, marching to a seemingly perpetual acquisition reform drumbeat, have proposed a dizzying array of cures for the gamut of ills effecting the acquisition corps. Yet despite these heroic efforts, program schedules and costs continue to grow, confounding even the sharpest minds of American industry. The United States has so far been able to compensate for this growing inefficiency by leaning on the massive industrial might of the world's greatest economy. Unfortunately, it appears that the age of defeating our enemies by outspending them is ending. To begin, the American share of the world's economic output has been steadily shrinking since the end of World War II, and some estimate that the United States will be replaced by China as the world's largest economy by the year 2030 and may well slide into third place behind India by 2050.
Using Cloud–Based Web Application for Universityes: A Case of University of Technology in Iraq

The aim of this project is to design Cloud-based web App prototype system for University of Technology (UTC) in Iraq. This system enables online application to be available via a web site page like Microsoft office, Pixlr (online image editor), Google drive …etc. By developing this project, it helps Iraqi universities as a solution to reduce the cost of information technology requirements, provision the time and ease to use for education in Iraqi universities. Also it will create of specialized units to develop knowledge and contribute to solving the problems faced by the education sector of Iraqi universities in general. Moreover, the use of UTC system will reduce the demand for human resources, because it does not require a large number of management or maintenance if any problem occurring in the cloud. Also, it will help the student to communicate remotely with the university and lecturers. The Vaishnavi Research Methodology was adopted in this project with its five stages, which includes: Awareness of problem, Suggestion (integrated with System Development Methodology), Development (integrated with Object Oriented Development Life Cycle approach), Evaluation, and Conclusion is used to design the prototype. According to the requirements are collected through the data gathering the prototype model is proposed, and the system is designed. Furthermore, the prototype was evaluated by using SUS questionnaire and the usability results was presented and discussed as well.
Effect of single/dual monitor use on the behavior of neck-shoulder musculature

Effect of single/dual monitor use on the behavior of neck-shoulder musculature Rabab T. Alabdulmohsen The design and functionality of the computer or video display unit (VDU) workstation has continuously evolved since its advent. One of the recent developments in the design of VDU workstations that may affect working postures of the head and neck and the activity of corresponding musculature is the use of dual screen monitors. VDU workstations with dual screen monitors are becoming increasing common at offices, libraries, and many other workplaces. A few studies show that user performance and efficiency is positively affected by the use of dual screen monitors, however, currently effect of dual screen monitors on the overall behavior of the neck and shoulder region is unknown. Therefore, this study was aimed at understanding the effect of use of dual screen monitors VDU workstation on the biomechanical behavior of the neck and shoulder musculature. A laboratory study was performed to compare the effect of dual and single screen VDU workstation on the 3D head and neck postures and neck muscles activities. Nine healthy participants were recruited for this study. Each participant performed three types of tasks: (1) reading for ten minutes; (2) typing for five minutes; and (3) search and find tasks for ten minutes using single and dual screen monitors. The results of the present study have showed that user adopted asymmetrical, more rotated, head and neck postures while working with dual screen monitors. Working postures and muscle activity pattern with respect to the monitor layout were found to depend on the type of the task. Typing task elicited higher postural and muscle activity load followed by search and find, and reading tasks. Independent of the tasks, right sternocleidomastoid muscle showed higher activity levels for dual screen layout. This increased activity level may be due to increased head rotation associated with the dual screen monitors.
Estimation of the Signal-To-Interference Ratio Based on Normalized Cross-Correlation with Symmetric Leaky Blocking Matrices in Adaptive Microphone Arrays(画像信号処理及び一般)

This paper proposes estimation of the signal-to-interference ratio (SIR) based on normalized cross-correlation (NCC) with symmetric leaky blocking matrices for adaptive microphone arrays. An analysis of the NCC shows that it is a function of the actual SIR and the phase difference between its inputs. This function provides its optimum SIR estimation when the phase difference is maximized for the interference and minimized for the target. Symmetric leaky blocking matrices are designed and optimized to approximately satisfy this condition. The actual and the theoretical NCCs show good agreement with each other at different SIRs using white signals. The proposed SIR estimation is insensitive to the threshold for target detection for a wide range of input signals with different directions of arrival. Simulation results show that the NCC is close to for the target and for the interference, representing a nearly optimum behavior.
ePrescribing : Studies in Pharmacoinformatics

Det overgripande syftet med den har avhandlingen har varit att, inom omradet lakemedelsinformatik, studera utvecklingen av elektroniska stod inom lakemedelsforskrivning; for klinisk praxis, uppfolj .
Ghd8 regulates rice photosensitivity by forming a complex that interacts with Ghd7

Background: Flowering time is one of the most important agronomic characteristics that ultimately determine yield potential and eco-geographical adaptation in crops. Ghd8 and Ghd7, two major flowering genes, have similar functions and large pleiotropic effects in controlling the heading date, plant height and grain yield of rice. However, these genes interact at the genetic and molecular levels has not been determined to date. Results: In this study, we investigated the genetic interaction between Ghd8 and Ghd7 by using a set of near-isogenic lines and a panel of natural germplasm accessions in rice. We found that Ghd8 affected multiple agronomic traits in a functional Ghd7-dependent manner. Both functional Ghd8 and Ghd7 are pivotal for rice photosensitivity controlled by Hd1 and Hd3a. GHD8 could form a heterotrimeric complex with HD1 and OsHAP5b to activate the transcription of Ghd7 by binding directly to the promoter region of Ghd7, which contains the CCAAT-box motif. Conclusions: The results of this study help to elucidate the genetic and molecular bases of Ghd8 and Ghd7 interactions, indicating that Ghd8 acts upstream of Ghd7 to activate its transcription, which inhibits Hd3a expression and thus affects flowering time and rice adaptation.
Empirical analysis of wireless sensor networks

Wireless sensor networks are the collection of wireless nodes that are deployed to monitor certain phenomena of interest. Once the node takes measurements it transmits to a base station over a wireless channel. The base station collects data from all the nodes and do further analysis. To save energy, it is often useful to build clusters, and the head of each cluster communicates with the base station. Initially, we do the simulation analysis of the Zigbee networks where few nodes are more powerful than the other nodes. The results show that in the mobile heterogeneous sensor networks, due to phenomenon orphaning and high cost of route discovery and maintenance, the performance of the network degrades with respect to the homogeneous network. The core of this thesis is to empirically analyze the sensor network. Due to its resource constraints, low power wireless sensor networks face several technical challenges. Many protocols work well on simulators but do not act as we expect in the actual deployments. For example, sensors physically placed at the top of the heap experience Free Space propagation model, while the sensors which are at the bottom of the heap have sharp fading channel characteristics. In this thesis, we show that impact of asymmetric links in the wireless sensor network topology and that link quality between sensors varies consistently. We propose two ways to improve the performance of Link Quality Indicator (LQI) based algorithms in the real asymmetric link sensor networks. In the first way, network has no choice but to have some sensors which can transmit over the larger distance and become cluster heads. The number of cluster heads can be given by Matern Hard-Core process. In the second solution, we propose HybridLQI which improves the performance of LQI based algorithm without adding any overhead on the network. Later, we apply theoretical clustering approaches in sensor network to real world. We deploy Matern Hard Core Process and Max-Min cluster Formation heuristic on real Tmote nodes in sparse as well as highly dense networks. Empirical results show clustering process based on Matern Hard Core Process outperforms Max-Min Cluster formation in terms of the memory requirement, ease of implementation and number of messages needed for clustering. Finally, using Absorbing Markov chain and measurements we study the performance of load balancing techniques in real sensor networks.