Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Robust Model Reference Adaptive Impedance Control Scheme for an Active Transtibial Prosthesis

Summary In this paper, a novel robust model reference adaptive impedance control (RMRAIC) scheme is presented for an active transtibial ankle prosthesis. The controller makes the closed loop dynamics of the prosthesis similar to a reference impedance model and provides asymptotic tracking of the response trajectory of this impedance model. The interactions between human and prosthesis are taken into account by designing a second-order reference impedance model. The proposed controller is robust against parametric uncertainties in the nonlinear dynamic model of the prosthesis. Also, the controller has robustness against bounded uncertainties due to unavailable ground reaction forces and unmeasurable feedbacks of accelerations at the socket place. Moreover, an appropriate Series Elastic Actuator (SEA) mechanism for the prosthetic ankle is included in this work and its effects are discussed. Tracking performance and stability of the closed-loop system are proven via the Lyapunov stability analysis. Using simulations on an overall amputee prosthetic foot system, the effectiveness of the proposed RMRAIC controller is investigated for the task of level ground walking.
Very Low Complexity Convolutional Neural Network for Quadtree Structures

In this paper, we present a Very Low Complexity Convolutional Neural Network (VLC-CNN) for the purpose of generating quadtree data structures for image segmentation. The use of quadtrees to encode images has applications including video encoding and robotic perception, with examples including the Coding Tree Unit in the High Eﬃciency Video Coding (HEVC) standard and Occupancy Grid Maps (OGM) as environment representations with variable grid-size. While some methods for determining quadtree structures include brute-force algorithms or heuristics, this paper describes the use of a Convolutional Neural Network (CNN) to predict the quadtree structure. CNNs traditionally require substantial computational and memory resources to operate, however, VLC-CNN exploits downsampling and integer-only quantised arithmetic to achieve minimal complexity. Therefore, VLC-CNN’s minimal design makes it feasible for implementation in real-time or memory-constrained processing applications.
THE STATUS OF THE RUFOUS SCRUB-BIRD ATRICHORNIS RUFESCENS : HABITAT, GEOGRAPHICAL VARIATION AND ABUNDANCE.

The status of the Rufous Scrub-bird Atrichornis rufescens has always been difficult to assess due to the bird's secretive nature and the density of its habitat. The primary aim of this study has been to provide a scientific basis for future assessment of status by answering questions concerning three aspects of the species' biology: detectability, habitat requirements, and geographical variation. A secondary aim of the study has been to provide a preliminary assessment of status based on the results of an exploratory survey, interpreted within the context of the intensive research findings. The loud and penetrating song produced by territorial males provides the only useful means by which the Rufous Scrub-bird can be detected. A detailed study was made of song output and detectability in a sample of known territorial males located along trial transects. Detectability was found to be correlated with time of year (highest September to January), weather (highest in still, humid but mist-free conditions), forest type (highest in open forest), and distance from the transect (highest close to the transect). The data were used to develop a mathematical model describing the probability of detecting an average territorial male under any combination of the above factors. Estimates of detectability derived from this model can be used to adjust transect counts obtained elsewhere under a wide variety of conditions.
Effects of Dietary added 1% Rice-Husk Charcoal to Laying Hen on their Feces-Smell and Egg Qualities -A Study on Ecological Poultry Production-Y

To reduce bad smell from feces of laying hen, the effects of 1% charcoal dietary (the dietary of 1% rice-husk charcoal added to the formula feed) to 372-day-old laying hens were investigated in comparison with the non-charcoal dietary for 6 weeks in the summer period. The results show that both ammonia gas densities on the stacked feces and inside the poultry house by the 1% charcoal dietary were significantly reduced by 52% and 39% of them by the non-charcoal dietary. The Hen-day egg production rate, the egg mass and the eggshell breaking load by the 1% charcoal dietary was tend to be improved by 5%, 4% and 8%, respectively, as compared to the non-charcoal dietary. However, there was no respective difference between both dietaries in the feed consumption, the body weight, the average egg-weight, the eggshell weight, and the feces quantity. Therefore, it was clearly suggested that, although feeding the dietary added only 1% rice-husk charcoal to the laying hens, it did not have bad influences on the egg production and qualities, and the bad smell on the stacked feces and inside the poultry house was effectively reduced.
Title: Attenuation of dopamine-induced GABA release in problem gamblers Short running title: L-dopa effect on GABA release in gamblers

Introduction : We have previously shown that an interaction between medial prefrontal and parietal cortices is instrumental in promoting self-awareness via synchronizing oscillations in the gamma range. The synchronisation of these oscillations is modulated by dopamine release. Given that such oscillations result from intermittent GABA stimulation of pyramidal cells, it is of interest to determine whether the dopaminergic system regulates GABA release directly in cortical paralimbic regions. Here we test the hypothesis that the regulation of the GABA-ergic system by the dopaminergic system becomes attenuated in problem gamblers resulting in addictive behaviors and impaired self-awareness. Methods : [ 11 C] Ro15 - 4513 PET, a marker of benzodiazepine α 1/ α 5 receptor availability in the GABA receptor complex, was used to detect changes in synaptic GABA levels after oral doses of 100mg L-dopa in a double blind controlled study of male problem gamblers (N=10) and age-matched healthy male controls (N=10). Results : The mean reduction of cortical grey matter GABA/BDZ receptor availability induced by L-dopa was significantly attenuated in the problem gambling group compared to the healthy control group (p = 0.0377). Conclusions: Our findings demonstrate that: (1) Exogenous dopamine can induce synaptic GABA release in healthy controls. (2) This release is attenuated in frontal cortical areas of males suffering from problem gambling, possibly contributing to their loss of inhibitory control. This suggests that dysfunctional dopamine regulation of GABA release may contribute to problem gambling and gambling disorder.
Q FEVER EPIDEMIOLOGY AND CONTROL IN DOMESTIC ANIMALS

The significance of each đomestic animal in the epiđemiology of Q-fe-ver is different in various regions anđ it đepenđs on the number of animals, level of infection, herđ size, type of breeding and the conđitions of hygiene. Epizootiological studies in our country show greater prevalence in sheep, than in cattle. Q-fever is maintained in Vojvođina in enđemo-epiđemic form. In Q-fever management programs for control of in sheep anđ cattle, serological examination and vaccination of the animals is recommenđeđ. Efficiency of the application of these measures shoulđ be conducted by applying recommended serological tests and đetection of causative agent should be done by PCR method. A stuđy on the comparative examination of efficiency, of different vaccination protocols has not yet been conđucteđ. This would refer primarily to the duration of vaccination program, animal categories that are supposeđ to be vaccinated anđ timing for vaccination. A significant decrease in the level of infection was found after vaccination during the first years upon application of vaccination program. When vaccination in heifers was done before pregnancy with vaccines containing C. burnetii phase I strains, it was five times less likely that the infection woulđ occur. Vaccination of cows with chronic infection prevents sheđđing of ri-ketsia via milk, regarđless whether the sheđđing is constant or intermittent. terms protection, anđ also in the terms of creating areas free from Q-fever in enđemic regions. General preventive measures applieđ in the case of Q-fever infection are: movement restriction, separation of ani-1 using the protective clothing, desinfection of equipement and vechicles, removing of placenta particles, removing of manure, quarantine after calving and lambing and not use common grazing. People proffesionally exposeđ to the risk from infection shoulđ be educated about the đisease. humans, results of serological analysis of 1340 sheep blood samples and 1398 blood samples from the residents of villages.
Soft Nanoimprint Lithography on Curved Surfaces

This thesis addresses the challenges of imprinting on curved surfaces. The imprinting on curved surfaces has gained high relevance due to its increasing demand for application in optics, biomedical implants and sensors. Currently, it is challenging to pattern structures on curved surfaces using conventional photolithography1 due to the limited depth of focus of the projection system. Herein, rises the use of Nanoimprint Lithography (NIL). NIL allows for uniform molding of structures on highly curved surfaces. It is not limited by optical effects such as scattering, diffraction and interference in a substrate as compared to conventional methods. In this thesis, soft UV-NIL process is developed, optimized and implemented for patterning on non-flat surfaces. It is a mechanical process based on the transfer of structures from a flexible and transparent soft polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) mold to the substrate in the presence of UV light. Demolding2 is an important aspect for a successful NIL process. The induced shear stress during the separation of the stamp (mold) from the substrate can lead to structural distortion, specifically on the edges of the curved surface, where the inclination is high. Soft NIL was applied as it is not dependent on complex machines, strict environmental conditions and optical limitations as compared to conventional lithography. A high precision Nano-positioning and Nano-measuring Machine (NPMM) was used to provide controlled positioning of substrate to the stamp. A compact and adjustable soft UV-NIL process was designed, assembled and integrated into the NPM machine. The successful implementation of the fundamental process in the NPMM created a foundation for making a NIL tool to be combined with a rotating device and integrated into the NPMM. The combination enables five degrees of freedom of motion for orthogonal molding and de-molding on edges of curved substrates. The rotating NIL tool addresses the generally overlooked challenge of patterning and characterization on the edges of curved substrate. Regardless of restricted measurement capabilities at high inclinations for high resolution nanostructures, it was possible to perform SEM imaging of the structures on top of the lens substrate as well as at inclination of 45°. It 1 A fabrication process to selectively pattern a thin film substrate using light to transfer a pattern from a photomask to a light-sensitive photoresist. 2 It is the separation of the molded pattern from the mold. has displayed imprinting capabilities on the edge of curved substrate with radius of curvature of approximately 25 mm at a surface normal tilted to 45°. The method enables precise imprinting capabilities at high inclinations, thereby presenting a novel approach of soft NIL on curved surfaces.
Comparison of analysis strategies for the determination of the ITRF

Reference systems are essential for navigation and surveying as well as for determining the shape of the Earth and its position and orientation in space. They are required for the precise determination of satellite orbits and serve as basis for Earth science applications such as measurements of the Earth’s gravity field, atmosphere studies, detection of plate tectonic motion or global sea level change monitoring. The International Terrestrial Reference Frame is the realization of the International Terrestrial Reference System. It is generated by combining observational data of the space geodetic techniques Global Navigation and Satellite Systems, Very Long Baseline Interferometry, Satellite Laser Ranging and Doppler Orbitography and Radiopositioning Integrated by Satellite. The purpose of combining the techniques is to exploit their individual strengths, since each technique is characterized by varying potential when it comes to determining certain geodetic parameters. The combination centers of the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service are responsible for the creation of the ITRF. They apply different strategies for the combination of the data. Comparisons of the independent solutions improve the reliability and provide an assessment of the accuracy of the ITRF. In this thesis the similarities and differences of the two approaches are discussed. Furthermore, based on the VLBI campaign CONT14, both methods are compared by estimating coordinates of the participating stations. Thereby the results of the combination of solutions depend more on arbitrary operator decisions. However, when identical conditions are applied to define the geodetic datum, the resulting station coordinates only differ on the sub-millimeter level.
Identification of Influential Features and Fraud Detection in the Insurance Industry using the Data Mining Techniques (Case Study: Automobile's Body Insurance)

: By increase of fraud in the insurance company and imposition of immense financial costs on these companies, identification of, and prevention from, fraud has been turned into one of significant distresses of the insurance companies. Data mining techniques assist in discernment of, and prevention from, fraud and abuse in the insurance. In this paper, using two selection methods of feature based on genetic algorithm and correlation, influential variables were found and then implemented on the data set of naive bayesian and decision tree algorithms. Results showed that modeling by use of selection method of feature based on genetic algorithms has a higher accuracy compared to selection method of feature based on correlation.
Prevalence of HIV among Attendees of ARFH Centre in Ibadan, Southwestern Nigeria

: In a cross-sectional study, 200 patients attending the Association for Reproductive Family and Health (AFRH) Centre in Ibadan, Nigeria were screened randomly to determine the prevalence of HIV, using conventional methods. Of the 200 subjects, 18(9.0%) was positive for HIV. Risk factors associated with HIV were young age, sex and marital status (P<0.05). The importance of routine HIV screening in sexually active patients especially among the young and singles is advocated. It is recommended that routine screening for HIV should be incorporated into hospital care.
ePlant: Visualizing and Exploring 1 Multiple Levels of Data for Hypothesis 2 Generation in Plant Biology

19 A big challenge in current systems biology research is that different types of 20 data must be accessed from separate sources and visualized using separate tools. 21 The high cognitive load required to navigate this workflow is detrimental to 22 hypothesis generation. There is a need for a robust research platform that 23 incorporates all data, and provides integrated search, analysis, and visualization 24 features through a single portal. We present ePlant (http://bar.utoronto.ca/eplant), 25 a visual analytic tool for exploring multiple levels of Arabidopsis data through a 26 zoomable user interface. ePlant connects to several publicly available web services 27 to download genome, proteome, interactome, transcriptome, and 3D molecular 28 structure data for one or more genes or gene products of interest. Data are 29 displayed with a set of visualization tools that are presented using a conceptual 30 hierarchy from big to small, and many of the tools combine information from more 31 than one data type. We describe the development of ePlant in this paper and present 32 several examples illustrating its integrative features for hypothesis generation. We 33 also describe the process of deploying ePlant as an “app” on Araport. Building on 34 readily available web services, the code for ePlant is freely available for any other 35 biological species research.
The effect of Downside Risk Reduction On UK Investment Portfolios

This paper investigates the effect of downside risk reduction on UK investment portfolios. We compare the UK equity portfolio (containing Managed Futures) performance outcomes arising from using the n-degree Lower Partial Moment (LPM) and the Minimum Variance asset allocation models. We find that, through the use of the n-degree LPM models, assets can be allocated more effectively based on their below-target variations or downside risks for the portfolio. This resulted in a better out-sample portfolio returns than the minimum variance model. It, however, introduced positive skewness to the portfolio and results suggest that as skewness increases beyond quite modest limits both diversification and portfolio returns tend to deteriorate. Our findings about this relationship pattern are similar to the academic literatures. This paper highlighted the importance of proper understanding one’s risk tolerance in investment decision making, especially downside risk, which we reveal it could often affect portfolio returns badly.
Cloning and the Evaluation of Gene Expression and Purification of Gene Encoding Recombinant Protein Containing Binding Subunit of Coli Surface Antigens CS1 and CS2 from Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

Background & Objective: Enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) is a major causative agent of diarrhea. Enterotoxins and the colonization factors (CFs) are major virulence factors in ETEC infections. The bacterium binds to the intestinal epithelial cell surface through colonization factors and produces enterotoxins that cause excessive fluid and electrolyte secretion in the lumen of the intestine, which ultimately leads to diarrhea . Due to the difficulty of treatment and the high prevalence of this disease, the design of the vaccine against this organism is one of the goals of the World Health Organization. The CooD-CotD protein, as adhesion tip subunits of CS1 and CS2, plays an important role in bacterial attachment to the intestinal epithelial cells. In this study, the expression and purification of chimeric protein CooD-CotD was carried out with the aim of investigating as candidate vaccine. Materials & Methods: In this study, codon optimization of cooD-cotD chimeric gene was performed by Gene Designer software. The gene was amplified by PCR and cloned into pJET1.2 / blunt then it was subcloned into pET28a to express chimeric protein. Recombinant protein was purified following expression, using Ni-NTA affinity chromatography and confirmed by western blotting analysis. Results: The presence of 82kDa in the SDS-PAGE gel showed that expression of CooD-CotD chimeric protein and confirmed by western blotting analysis. Yield of purified protein was 121 mg/ml. Conclusions: Expression and protein purification studies showed that this protein has expression in the homologous host.
Highly Efficient Bridgeless Dual-Mode Resonant Single Power-Conversion AC–DC Converter

This paper presents a bridgeless dual-mode single power-conversion ac–dc converter that can achieve a high conversion efficiency. By adopting a bidirectional switch, we remove a full-bridge diode rectifier from the grid side of the proposed converter, and thereby, reduce the number of components and the primary-side conduction loss. To adapt the converter to 1-kW power applications with a bidirectional switch, we used a series-resonant circuit in the output voltage doubler on the secondary side. The series-resonant circuit also provides zero-current switching turn-off at the output diode, and thereby, reduces the reverse-recovery loss. To attain medium–high power capability with an appropriate transformer, the proposed converter operates in both discontinuous conduction mode and continuous conduction mode. The operation principle of the converter is presented and analyzed. By using the dual-mode control algorithm, the proposed converter achieves a high power factor of 0.994 and maximum efficiency of 97.3$\%$. Experimental results for a prototype 1-kW ac–dc converter verify these characteristics.
AR Smart Home: a Smart Appliance Controller Using Augmented Reality Technology and a Gesture Recognizer

— Recently, smart speakers have become commercially common operation methods for controlling home appliances, and they have solved some of the problems with remote control operations. However, smart speakers also have some problems. For example, it is difficult to use voice recognition in a noisy environment. In addition, it takes a long time to check the current status of home appliances because users have to ask their smart speakers questions or give commands and wait for answers. To investigate other remote operation methods, we propose AR Smart Home , which uses the augmented reality technology and gesture recognition technology. Through evaluating the prototype system, we found that operating home appliances with gestures and interacting with virtual 3D home appliances instead of the actual home appliances are acceptable in terms of usability.
Towards the Explicitation of Hidden Dependencies in the Module Interface

—Balancing between the desire for information-hiding and the risk of introducing undesired hidden dependencies is often not straightforward. Hiding important parts of the internal functionality of a module is known as the black box principle, and is associated with the property of reusability and consequently evolvability. An interface, which is roughly explaining the core functionality of a module, helps indeed the developer to use the functionality without being forced to concentrate on the implementation details. However, some implementation details should not be hidden if they hinder the use of the module when the environment changes. These kind of implementation details can be called undesired hidden dependencies. An interesting question then becomes, which information should be hidden and which not? In this paper, we use the Normalized Systems theorems as a base to evaluate which details should be hidden versus transparent in order to improve reusability. In other words, which kind of information encapsulation contributes towards safe black box reuse?
Genetic algorithm for variable ordering of OBDDs

A genetic algorithm (GA) is applied to find a variable ordering that minimises the size of ordered binary decision diagrams (OBDDs). OBDDs are a data structure for representation and manipulation of Boolean functions often applied in CAD. The choice of the variable ordering largely influences the size of the OBDD (i.e. its size may vary from polynomial to exponential in the number of variables). Dynamic variable ordering is the state-of-the-art method for finding good variable orderings. In the paper it is shown by experimental results that better sizes can be obtained using GAs. The authors' GA approach is a practical alternative to the exact algorithm for variable ordering. It produced optimal results for most considered benchmarks, but it is also applicable to functions with more than 20 variables due to its short runtimes.