Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A discussion of Technological Frames applied at a Usability Test

This thesis is a discussion about the concept of Technological Frames. The concept was applied at an usability test in order to investigate how users applied their frames in the sense making process of learning a system. The test was conducted at Cisco’s video conference systems, Ocean and T3. The test and analysis proved a high correspondence between usability measurements and technological frames, as frames could answer the reasons for the testers decision making. Technological frames were also an adequate, but not sufficient, analytical tool to investigate the impact the designers frames had on the outcome of the interface. Technological Frames proved it self limited by the concepts own construction, as it saw frames as sense-making devises that functioned as guidelines, only to be applied in similar context as the existing frame. Technological Frames did not look upon the technology itself as a frame, while the findings presented in this thesis exposed that both testers, technology and designers inhabited a set of frames. Due to this, the concept of UF was created, to serve as a dynamic mind-set for investigating the intersection between the three elements. Genres, signs and gestures were applied to the UF concept, in order to assist Knowledge, Experience and Expectations in the process of understanding the interaction between the user and the technology. The UF tool was introduced to assist designers in the process of understanding and designing for their users, beyond the level of usability measurements.
Minimizing Energy Consumption for End-to-End Slicing in 5G Wireless Networks and Beyond

End-to-End (E2E) network slicing enables wireless networks to provide diverse services on a common infrastructure. Each E2E slice, including resources of radio access network (RAN) and core network, is rented to mobile virtual network operators (MVNOs) to provide a specific service to end-users. RAN slicing, which is realized through wireless network virtualization, involves sharing the frequency spectrum and base station antennas in RAN. Similarly, in core slicing, which is achieved by network function virtualization, data center resources such as commodity servers and physical links are shared between users of different MVNOs. In this paper, we study E2E slicing with the aim of minimizing the total energy consumption. The stated optimization problem is non-convex that is solved by a sub-optimal algorithm proposed here. The simulation results show that our proposed joint power control, server and link allocation (JPSLA) algorithm achieves 30% improvement compared to the disjoint scheme, where RAN and core are sliced separately.
Reliability validation of group membership services for x-by-wire protocols

Distributed fault tolerance algorithms are used for many ultra-reliable systems. For example, aviation fly-by-wire and automotive drive-by-wire network protocols need to reliably deliver data despite the presence of faults. Careful design is required, since ultra-reliable systems permit a failure rate on the order of just 10−9 failures per hour. Unfortunately, investing more effort at the design stage does not assure a more reliable product if no objective measurement technique is used at this stage. The key idea of this dissertation is to estimate the reliability of a service by measuring the probability that the algorithm's maximum fault assumption will be violated. An algorithm's maximum fault assumption states the number of active faults that can be tolerated. The service (and the system) may fail if this assumption is violated. The maximum fault assumption can be tested at design time, before costly design commitments have been made. This dissertation defines a methodology to measure the reliability of a service's maximum fault assumption. The methodology is applied to clock synchronization and group membership services from three safety-critical protocols—the FlexRay Consortium's FlexRay protocol, TTTech's Time Triggered Protocol Class C (TTP/C), and NASA Langley's Scalable Processor Independent Design for Electromagnetic Resilience (SPIDER). First, I compose an extensive, reusable physical fault model for the aviation and automotive domains. Next, I show how to map this physical fault model to the hybrid fault models in the specifications. For each protocol, I define a Markov model template consisting of an extensible set of states and transitions. Over twenty thousand models are then generated and solved using the NASA Langley Semi-markov Unreliability Range Estimator tool suite. The methodology identifies the type of fault expected to cause the most failures, and locates trade-off points in the design space where a different fault type becomes dominant. Armed with this information, a designer can target improvements to create and validate a more reliable service. For FlexRay clock synchronization, the Welch and Lynch and the Strictly Omissive formally proven services are compared. For TTP/C and SPIDER membership, customizing the fault diagnosis algorithms to handle transient faults improves the overall estimated reliability.
Out-of-Band Information Assisted Channel Estimation based on Distributed Compressive Sensing

Nowadays, with the development of wireless communication systems, high-frequency bands are utilized together with low-frequency bands to provide better system throughput. However, systems based on high-frequency bands suffer from coverage problems significantly. In this paper, we consider utilizing the sounding signals from two frequency bands to improve the channel estimation accuracy of both bands, and therefore enhance the coverage. An algorithm based on Distributed Compressed Sensing (DCS) is proposed, combining with Simultaneous Orthogonal Matching Pursuit (SOMP) technology. We verify the algorithm performance by simulations and real-world channel measurements, which show that the proposed method can improve the channel estimation accuracy of two frequency bands with the same pilot cost, compared with the system wherein the channels are estimated independently for each band.
Belief-Propagation-Based Low-Complexity Channel Estimation and Detection for Underwater Acoustic Communications With Moving Transceivers

Achieving reliable communications with low complexity is challenging for underwater acoustic communications with moving transceivers, where the time-varying channels need to be estimated and tracked accurately and data detection needs to be performed with low complexity. In this article, with the use of a superimposed training (ST) scheme, we address this challenge by developing a low-complexity channel estimation and tracking algorithm, which is then integrated with low-complexity data detection in the frequency domain. ST is used to acquire improved channel-tracking capability. Based on belief propagation, we design a message-passing-based low-complexity bidirectional channel estimation (LCE-MP) algorithm, where all computational intensive parts are handled by the fast Fourier transform (FFT) algorithm, thereby achieving very efficient implementation with logarithmic complexity. Specifically, a message-passing-based fast information collection algorithm is presented to acquire “local” channel estimates, followed by the fusion of local channel estimates to achieve a “global” estimate of the channel. It is shown that the computational complexity per channel tap is only in a logarithmic level for the channel estimation and tracking. Moreover, the ST-scheme-based LCE-MP algorithm is combined with FFT-based data detection and decoding, which are performed in an iterative manner. The overall complexity of channel estimation and data detection is in a logarithmic level, and the system delivers excellent performance thanks to the joint processing. Field experiments were carried out in Jiaozhou Bay in 2019, and the experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed technique.
The future of Technology Enhanced Learning (TEL) is in the hands of the anonymous, grey non-descript mid-level professional manager.

Much of the research into the implementation of TEL has centred on teaching approaches and the change (or not) in the role of the academic, which is reflective of the importance of the academic to what takes place in a Higher Education Institute (HEI). Technology enhanced learning (TEL), however, poses a considerable challenge to how the Higher Education (HE) sector operates, as it has done with numerous other sectors. Typically, technology confronts existing practices and boundaries. For HEIs, TEL has accelerated the move away from the discipline-based academics as being at the centre of the education process and replaced them with students. This displacement of the academic for the student has been complemented by changing approaches to teaching, (the growth of network learning for example) and the introduction of new work practices from the private sector in the guise of new managerialism. With the academic’s role reduced from controller to that of participant, the space left is being filled by client-focused mid-level professional managers. Distinct from academic managers, mid-level professional managers are situated between academics and senior management, which is a key position for the implementation of TEL at a time when its future rests on bridging the gap between the bottom up initiatives of the past and the institute-wide initiatives of the future. This discussion piece reflects on the changing role of the academic in a new managerialist TEL HE sector and argues for the overdue recognition of the importance of the mid-level professional manager to the future of TEL.
The Living Alone with Cognitive Impairment Project’s Policy Advisory Group on Long-Term Services and Supports: Setting a Research Equity Agenda

(1) Background: A United States national policy advisory group (PAG) was convened to identify barriers and facilitators to expand formal long-term services and support (LTSS) for people living alone with cognitive impairment (PLACI), with a focus on equitable access among diverse older adults. The PAG’s insights will inform the research activities of the Living Alone with Cognitive Impairment Project, which is aimed at ensuring the equitable treatment of PLACI. (2) Methods: The PAG identified barriers and facilitators of providing effective and culturally relevant LTSS to PLACI via one-on-one meetings with researchers, followed by professionally facilitated discussions among themselves. (3) Results: The PAG identified three factors that were relevant to providing effective and culturally relevant LTSS to PLACI: (i) better characterization of PLACI, (ii) leveraging the diagnosis of cognitive impairment, and (iii) expanding and enhancing services. For each factor, the PAG identified barriers and facilitators, as well as directions for future research. (4) Conclusions: The barriers and facilitators the PAG identified inform an equity research agenda that will help inform policy change.
Development of Burnout in Physical Therapist Students and Associated Factors: A Study During COVID-19

Supplemental Digital Content is Available in the Text. Introduction. Burnout is a negative response to work-related stress and follows a developmental process that might begin during students' academic studies. Review of Literature. Numerous factors affect burnout in graduate students, and few published studies have assessed burnout in physical therapist students. Subjects. Participants included 1,340 Doctor of Physical Therapy (DPT) students from DPT programs across the United States. Method. Students completed a Psychdata survey in fall 2020 that assessed burnout using the Oldenburg Burnout Inventory for Students (OLBI-S), resilience using the Connor-Davidson Resilience Scale (CD-RISC), perceived stress using the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), and additional questions regarding levels of support and the learning environment. Burnout levels for each year in a DPT program were determined using 2 one-way independent analysis of variances, 1 for each OLBI-S subscale. Cutoff scores to group students into the burnout and nonburnout groups were determined using quartiles. Logistic regression was used to identify factors that may have an influence on the development of burnout. Results. No significant difference was found in burnout scores among students in different years in a DPT program. Using cutoff scores, 35.4% of DPT students were in the burnout group. Factors found to be statistically significant in predicting burnout were satisfaction with the level of support from faculty, satisfaction with overall learning environment, CD-RISC score, and PSS score (χ2(4) = 266.827, P < . 001). The final model explained 24.8% of the variance and correctly classified 72.1% of cases. Discussion and Conclusion. Students who have higher levels of perceived stress, lower levels of satisfaction with the level of support from faculty, and lower levels of satisfaction with their overall learning environment at DPT school may be more likely to develop burnout, while students who have higher levels of resilience may be less likely to develop burnout. This study was conducted during the COVID-19 pandemic and may not be generalizable to nonpandemic times.
Parametric Modeling as a Technology of Rapid Prototyping in Light Industry

The paper deals with the parametric modeling method of virtual mannequins for the purposes of design automation in clothing industry. The described approach includes the steps of generation of the basic model on the ground of the initial one (obtained in 3D-scanning process), its parameterization and deformation. The complex surfaces are presented by the wireframe model. The modeling results are evaluated with the set of similarity factors. Deformed models are compared with their virtual prototypes. The results of modeling are estimated by the standard deviation factor.
A transdiagnostic psychosocial prevention-intervention service for young people in the Republic of Georgia: early results of the effectiveness study

ABSTRACT Background: The decade between the ages of 14 and 25 is a particularly vulnerable period for the development of mental health problems, especially of common mental disorders. Mental health and psychosocial prevention and support services for young people in the Republic of Georgia have been extremely limited, leaving a wide treatment and care gap. Club Synergy was designed as an innovative, pragmatic solution that is responsive to the needs of young people and incorporates all necessary levels of care required (prevention, early identification & intervention, and treatment) into a single, trauma-informed service that uses a transdiagnostic approach. This paper presents preliminary findings from the pilot phase of establishing and running the service. Aim To examine the characteristics of young people presenting to Club Synergy and the effectiveness of contact with the service. Methods: Quantitative evaluation of a consecutive series of young people seen by Club Synergy between November 2019 and July 2020. Demographic information was analysed using descriptive statistics. Pre–post outcomes for anxiety (GAD-7), depression (PHQ-9) and health-related quality of life (EQ-5D-5L) were analysed using the Wilcoxon signed-rank test. Results: Hundred and seventy-four young people were included. The majority (68.9%) self-referred, with referral from The Ministry of Justice due to conflict with law (23%) accounting for most of the other young people seen. Emotional disturbance (73.6%), anxiety (60.3%), problems in interpersonal relationships (57.5%) and low mood (49.4%) were the commonest presenting symptoms. Seventy-three per cent reported 4 or more adverse childhood experiences. After engaging in transdiagnostic modules, median baseline scores for depression and anxiety reduced by 40% and 45%, respectively, and self-rated health improved by 14%. Conclusions: Preliminary analysis indicates that Club Synergy’s trauma-informed model of care, based on a transdiagnostic approach, has the potential to provide an effective service to young people in Georgia at risk of developing and with mental health problems. HIGHLIGHTS This pragmatic study of a newly established mental health service for young people in Georgia suggests that a trauma-informed approach, using transdiagnostic modules, has the potential to effectively prevent and treat common mental health presentations.
Behavior-Centered Digital-Twin Design for Dynamic Cyber-Physical System Development

Digital Twins are digital models of Cyber-Physical Systems to enable not only continuous monitoring but also active functional improvement of networked services, physical products, machines and devices. This capacity is of utmost importance when recognizing and exploring business opportunities in terms of organizational and technology innovations, as well as enriching the scope of system-relevant applications. Before being operated in their target ecosystems, such as smart cities, Cyber-Physical Systems can be validated and be run as Digital Twin through executable behavior models. The development of these models captures both, the horizontal, and the vertical integration of CPS components, thus allowing to consider specific system qualities, such as pollution effects of traffic. This article investigates methodological and technological aspects of developing and operating Digital Twins along system transformation processes. We consider integration depth and breadth, connectivity, organizational intelligence, validation, and implementation variability in the context of human-centered modeling and development. The approach enriches the understanding of digital twins towards digital representation of Cyber-Physical Systems allowing for dynamic allocation of physical and digital parts according to operational conditions. An exemplary case study in traffic management demonstrates the feasibility and practicability of the communication-centered approach.
Insecticidal bioefficacy screening of some chalcone and acetophenone hydrazone derivatives on Spodopetra Frugiperda (Lepidoptera: Noctuidae)

Spodopetra Frugiperda is a highly polyphagous migratory lepidopteran pest species. It causes infestation in crops leading to severe crop losses. Being a new invasive parasite, its susceptibility to insecticides needs to be explored and therefore, there is an urgent need to develop the potent insecticides for the effective control of this insect pest. This is the first report on toxic effects produced by the prepared chalcone and hydrazone analogs, followed by structure relationships. Five compounds of chalcone and hydrazone derivatives have been synthesized in pure state as reported procedures, and their toxicity as potential insecticidal agent against Spodopetra Frugiperda was screened. Their characterizations by using spectroscopic analyses were performed. The toxicity data exhibited that compound 5 is more toxic about 2-fold than other synthesized compounds, the other screened compounds showed weak to strong toxicological activity against Spodopetra Frugiperda (lepidoptera: Noctuidae).
Computers and Chemical Engineering

a b s t r a c t The chemicals and materials used to manufacture and package semiconductors and printed circuit boards are called electronic chemicals. The purity of these electronic chemicals, given by the industry association Semiconductor Equipment and Materials International (SEMI), is a very compromising concern for the semiconductor industrial sector, so very strict requirements are set to avoid microelectronic devices failures because of the content of impurities of electronic chemicals. For the particular case of hydrogen peroxide as one of the most consumed wet electronic chemicals, SEMI Document C30-1110 indicates five different electronic grades defined by their limiting impurities content. The semiconductor industry is appearing as an emerging application of reverse osmosis membranes based processes. After reviewing the patents published over the last twenty years about ultrapurification for industrial production of high purity electronic grade hydrogen peroxide, the referenced separation techniques can be replaced by reverse osmosis with lower operating expenses due to energy and chemicals. This work proposes a membrane process design based on an integrated countercurrent membrane cascade, in order to determine the optimum osmosis cascade for each SEMI Grade hydrogen peroxide, with the economic profit as the objective function in the optimization strategy. The results show the benefits of the reverse osmosis process, with profit values of 20–85 million $/year, for a target annual production of 9000 tons of electronic hydrogen peroxide, requiring the integrated reverse osmosis cascades of two stages for the production of Grade 1 to seven stages for the strictest Grade 5. © 2012 Elsevier Ltd. All rights reserved.
Exercise Normalized the Hippocampal Renin-Angiotensin System and Restored Spatial Memory Function, Neurogenesis, and Blood-Brain Barrier Permeability in the 2K1C-Hypertensive Mouse

Hypertension is associated with blood-brain barrier alteration and brain function decline. Previously, we established the 2-kidney,1-clip (2K1C) hypertensive mice model by renin-angiotensin system (RAS) stimulating. We found that 2K1C-induced hypertension would impair hippocampus-related memory function and decrease adult hippocampal neurogenesis. Even though large studies have investigated the mechanism of hypertension affecting brain function, there remains a lack of efficient ways to halt this vicious effect. The previous study indicated that running exercise ameliorates neurogenesis and spatial memory function in aging mice. Moreover, studies showed that exercise could normalize RAS activity, which might be associated with neurogenesis impairment. Thus, we hypothesize that running exercise could ameliorate neurogenesis and spatial memory function impairment in the 2K1C-hypertension mice. In this study, we performed 2K1C surgery on eight-weeks-old C57BL/6 mice and put them on treadmill exercise one month after the surgery. The results indicate that running exercise improves the spatial memory and neurogenesis impairment of the 2K1C-mice. Moreover, running exercise normalized the activated RAS and blood-brain barrier leakage of the hippocampus, although the blood pressure was not decreased. In conclusion, running exercise could halt hypertension-induced brain impairment through RAS normalization.
Correlation between Electrodiagnostic Study and Imaging Features in Patients with Suspected Carpal Tunnel Syndrome

Electrodiagnostic studies (EDXs) are the confirmative diagnostic tool for carpal tunnel syndrome (CTS). Previous studies have evaluated the relationship between EDXs and ultrasonography (US) but not with X-rays. Recently, many studies on the diagnostic value of X-rays in various diseases have been reported, but data on CTS are lacking. We evaluated the relationship between electrodiagnostic parameters and roentgenographic and ultrasonographic features in CTS and investigated the usefulness of X-rays and US for CTS. This retrospective study included 97 wrists of 62 patients. All patients with suspected CTS underwent EDXs, wrist US, and wrist X-rays. The CTS patients were classified into mild, moderate, and severe groups. The roentgenographic features included the ulnar variance (UV) and the anteroposterior diameter of the wrist (APDW), and the ultrasonographic features included the flattening ratio (FR) and the thickest anteroposterior diameter of the median nerve (TAPDM). Most EDX parameters showed significant correlations with roentgenographic and US features. The electrodiagnostic severity was also correlated with all imaging features. Therefore, both wrist X-rays and wrist US can be useful for the diagnosis of CTS as supplements to EDXs.