Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Performance Evaluation of GEI for Impairment Detection

People who have some impairment, such as a person whose leg is immobilized in a plastic cast, an elder person who cannot bend his/her knees, and a cataract patient, show different walking styles comparing with normal walking. We can usually distinguish such the difference easily just by observing their ways of walking. If it can be realized by a computer, it would be great useful in fields of disease diagnosis, elderly care, and human-oriented commercial service. In a commercial facility, for example, such a system would be helpful for staffs to find and assist a person with impairment immediately. There are several studies that investigate the difference between normal and abnormal walking. Considering the sensors used in the experiments, these research can be mainly divided into two categories: invasive sensor based methods [1], [2], [3], and non-invasive sensor based methods [4], [5]. The former ones use motion capture systems or the wireless inertial sensor system. They are, however, not available to the real applications; it is impossible to make people wear such special devices. We thus choose the latter one; we use a camera to capture walking. As a feature representation of gait, we use Gait Energy Image (GEI) [6] originally proposed for the person authentication task. A supervised learning approach is applied to classify the normal and impaired walkings. In addition, we give intuitive consideration about which part of a human’s body is most different between the normal and abnormal walkings. The main contribution of this paper is to evaluate performance of GEI, which is originally for the person authentication, for discriminating the normal and impaired walkings. The results are reliable since we use an adequately large dataset consisting of more than a hundred subjects.
The English Language Passport Program: A Practical Review

There has been a recent shift in language education towards standardizing proficiency descriptive measures for foreign language acquisition through the use of the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). Whereas proficiency classified as “beginner” or “intermediate” may vary broadly depending on the institution, CEFR allows people across national and institutional lines to more accurately define language ability. Moreover, by being specific in the linguistic tasks that can be accomplish at each CEFR level, learners are able to complete self-assessments that realistically reflect ability and set explicit learning goals for the future. The English Language Passport (ELP) Program at Osaka-Shoin Women’s University has taken steps to incorporate CEFR and accompanying individualized student work portfolios into the curriculum in order to assess students’ linguistic abilities, create a concrete record of student achievement, increase motivation for learning, and connect language learning to the completion of real-world communicative tasks. This paper will outline how CEFR relates to the teaching philosophy of the ELP Program and describe the integration of CEFR in teaching methodology and assessment.
Gender Demographics and Perception in Librarianship Gender Demographics and Perception in Librarianship

Abstract This article is an examination of the history of gender demographics in the field of librarianship. The historic development and subsequent "feminization" of librarianship continues to influence the gender wage gap and the disproportionate leadership bias in the field today. This article examines the stereotyping of librarians and the cyclical effect of genderizing the profession. Consideration of current trends and data in librarian demographics demonstrates a consistent decrease in gender diversity, accompanied by a troubling lack of women leaders and executives. Additionally, this article explores options for combating the gender perceptions that negatively impact women in library and information science fields, including management and negotiation training in graduate programs, increased emphasis on technological skills, and professional organization advocacy.
PERTURBATION ALGORITHM FOR MINMAX REGRET MINIMUM SPANNING TREE PROBLEM

This paper analyses the problem of finding a robust spanning tree. The problem consists in determining a minimum spanning tree of a graph with uncertain edge costs. We should determ in such a spanning tree that minimizes the cost difference be twe n a selected tree and the optimal tree. While doing this, all po ssible realizations of edge costs should be take into account. This issue belongs to the class of NP-hard problems. In this paper an algorithm bas ed on the cost perturbation method dedicated to the analysed probl em has been proposed. The paper also contains results of numeri cal experiments testing the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm and compares it with algorithms known in the literature. The resear ch is done on a large number of various test examples taken from the lite rature.
An automatic SVM-based strategy for Digital Protocol

The main goal of Digital Protocol in Public Administrations is to make the document flows more functional and efficient, and to improve the transparency of the administrative actions. Commercial solutions for automatic document routing frequently do not respond to the standards of official protocols defined by the law. On the other hand many Digital Protocol platforms implemented at the present require both a wide human control and a specific expertise. In this paper an automatic strategy based on Support Vector Machine is proposed aiming at analysing and classifying documents with respect to their textual content.
Interpretable and robust blind image denoising with bias-free convolutional neural networks

Deep convolutional networks often append additive constant ("bias") terms to their convolution operations, enabling a richer repertoire of functional mappings. Biases are also used to facilitate training, by subtracting mean response over batches of training images (a component of "batch normalization"). Recent state-of-the-art blind denoising methods seem to require these terms for their success. Here, however, we show that bias terms used in most CNNs (additive constants, including those used for batch normalization) interfere with the interpretability of these networks, do not help performance, and in fact prevent generalization of performance to noise levels not including in the training data. In particular, bias-free CNNs (BF-CNNs) are locally linear, and hence amenable to direct analysis with linear-algebraic tools. These analyses provide interpretations of network functionality in terms of projection onto a union of low-dimensional subspaces, connecting the learning-based method to more traditional denoising methodology. Additionally, BF-CNNs generalize robustly, achieving near-state-of-the-art performance at noise levels well beyond the range over which they have been trained.
DUAL FREQUENCY MULTI-PURPOSE MOISTURE SENSOR BASED ON MICROSTRIP PATCH ANTENNA

In order to device a sensor system that is capable of measuring moisture content of diverse agriculture products and crops (i.e. natural rubber latex, liquids, etc), a dual frequency sensor system has to be developed . The original idea of taking a large number of measurements (based on near field reflection method) at two different frequencies in the X-Band (8.48 and 11.65 GHz) is the driving motive for this research. The replacement of the conventional open horn antenna with microstrip radiating patches will make the sensor more versatile and compact. With the appropriate correlation, a calibration equation was found that instantly gives independent moisture content and/or dry mass content of the sample under consideration regardless of other intervening factors (i.e. measuring the moisture content of a sample independent of its bulk density). The sensor works with a laptop pc. The design and development of software using a graphical programming language (Lab View) helped analyze, manipulate and manage the huge set of data collected. The software provided error correction and incorporated the calibration of the system in order to display numerically and graphically the properties of the sample under test. INTRODUCTION In the last few decades, microwave dielectric-based sensors were mainly developed for sensing moisture in different materials [1]. The fact that these sensors rely on measurement of dielectric properties, which are also dependent on other physical properties of the material i.e. bulk density, moisture content, temperature etc, makes them potential multi-parameter sensors provided that appropriate correlations are established between measured dielectric and physical properties [2]. In this paper, we deviate from the open-ended coaxial line as a standard sensor for permittivity measurements. An alternative approach is introduced here based on disk patch microstrip antenna operating at two different driving frequencies in the X-Band (8.48 and 11.65 GHz). It is based on measuring reflection of the mature fields in near-field region from the sample interface. This new sensor is developed for special application of determining water content of liquids and food products easily and efficiently through the use of pre-determined calibration equation without the need for expensive VNA instruments. The sensor was tested with diluted dry milk powder.
A Marxist Reading of John Steinbeck’s The Grapes of Wrath

This essay explores how a critical reading of the novel The Grapes of Wrath (1939) can inform teachers when discussing inequality issues in the ESL classroom. The main questions being investigated are how the novel The Grapes of Wrath reveals oppressive and unequal power relationships, and how a critical reading of the novel can be used when teaching and informing others about inequality. In this study, the material is collected through a color coding scheme based on a Marxist reading of The Grapes of Wrath. The themes discussed and analyzed from the novel regard unequal power relationships in terms of exploitation, land ownership, the margin of profit, and a struggle between the individual and the group. In relation to the literary analysis, practical implications and possibilities for educators are discussed and considered. A number of conclusions are drawn from the analysis in this study. Firstly, the literary analysis establishes that The Grapes of Wrath indeed can be regarded as a critique of capitalism. Secondly, by making connections to a modern day example of economic crisis, aims in the Swedish curriculum, existing theory of critical literacy, and Critical Literature Pedagogy, the analysis shows clear practical implications for educators in terms of using this novel when discussing inequality issues. While this study includes a thorough analysis of The Grapes of Wrath and practical implications for educators, it does not cover all aspects of the novel, nor all aspects of working with CLP in the ESL classroom.
Rapid and reliable diagnosis of Wilson disease using Xray fluorescence

Wilson’s disease (WD) is a rare autosomal recessive disease due to mutations of the gene encoding the copper-transporter ATP7B. The diagnosis is hampered by the variability of symptoms induced by copper accumulation, the inconstancy of the pathognomonic signs and the absence of a reliable diagnostic test. We investigated the diagnostic potential of X-ray fluorescence (XRF) that allows quantitative analysis of multiple elements. Studies were performed on animal models using Wistar rats (n 5 10) and Long Evans Cinnamon (LEC) rats (n 5 11), and on human samples including normal livers (n 5 10), alcohol cirrhosis (n 5 8), haemochromatosis (n 5 10), cholestasis (n 5 6) and WD (n 5 22). XRF experiments were first performed using synchrotron radiation to address the elemental composition at the cellular level. High-resolution mapping of tissue sections allowed measurement of the intensity and the distribution of copper, iron and zinc while preserving the morphology. Investigations were further conducted using a laboratory X-ray source for irradiating whole pieces of tissue. The sensitivity of XRF was highlighted by the discrimination of LEC rats from wild type even under a regimen using copper deficient food. XRF on whole formalin-fixed paraffin embedded needle biopsies allowed profiling of the elements in a few minutes. The intensity of copper related to iron and zinc significantly discriminated WD from other genetic or chronic liver diseases with 97.6% specificity and 100% sensitivity. This study established a definite diagnosis of Wilson’s disease based on XRF. This rapid and versatile method can be easily implemented in a clinical setting.
Improving RAPTOR tokamak plasma profile simulations: Neutral Beam Injection module and automated model parameter optimization

The q-profile, also known in literature as the safety factor profile, is an important quantity because it determines the stability as well as the performance of a fusion plasma. A strong degree of control over this q-profile makes the operation of a tokamak fusion reactor more stable (avoidance of plasma instabilities) and efficient (optimal q-profile shape). Control of the q-profile can be achieved through either open-loop (feedforward) control or closed-loop (feedback) control, or a combination of both. For the development and testing of both types of control a fast controloriented transport code which can simulate the evolution of the safety factor profile in time is crucial. The RAPTOR (RApid Plasma Transport simulatOR) code was developed with this aim in mind. The performance of the open-loop and closed-loop control system strongly depends on the quality of the RAPTOR predictions. During this research the predictions of RAPTOR were improved by adding a fast Neutral Beam Injection module (NBI) and by developing a generic method to estimate the model parameters in RAPTOR. The NBI system is an important external heating and current drive actuator to alter the q-profile of a fusion plasma. It is used at many existing tokamaks and will be an important actuator for ITER. The developed fast Neutral Beam Injection module, based on a pencil beam approach, produces results similar to more complete beam codes for an ITER-like scenario. In RAPTOR an ad-hoc model is used, instead of a first principle physics model, to describe the electron heat diffusivity χe in view of computational speed. The structure of the ad-hoc model is given by the physics knowledge, and only the unknown physics of χe, which is more complicated and less well understood, is captured in its model parameters. During this research on the one hand the ad-hoc model was extended in order to better describe physical phenomena such as the sawtooth instability and the degradation of transport due to higher temperature. On the other hand a generic parameter identification method was developed to estimate RAPTOR’s model parameters. For the TCV tokamak in Lausanne it was shown that the developed method is capable of finding the model parameters such that the RAPTOR predictions agree within twenty percent with measurements. As a result of the work presented in this thesis, the RAPTOR code is now equipped with a NBI module that allows RAPTOR to simulate a multitude of tokamaks including ITER. Benchmarks of this fast NBI module for an ITER-like scenario showed good agreement with large scale NBI codes, while running significantly faster. Furthermore the extension of the transport model and a newly developed model-parameter estimation routine now results in a better description of the physics and allows for a less ad-hoc and more automated method to implement RAPTOR on a variety of tokamaks.
The bioethical debate between Laicism and Catholicism on the self-determination of death and dying. Gathering of logical substratum over and above opposites

The study considers two corpora that confront the themes of the end of life: the first is constituted by 12 contributions from a book edited by the Fondazione Umberto Veronesi (2006) and the second by 13 contributions from an International Congress organized by the Pontificia Accademia Pro Vita (2008). To underline similarities and differences in the lexical profiles the two groups of opposite contributions have been compared and contrasted using qualitative and quantitative perspectives. The research identifies and describes the pivot concepts that justify the contraposition. This work is important because it shows a methodological way to demonstrate the procedure useful for a critical analysis of the contents that are involved in the bioethical debate. In fact it is a very rare experiment in this field, and so it opens a new view on the possibility of rendering methodologically more evident the comparison on which the political and social choices depend.
OBSERVATION OF SPIN POLARIZATION IN TRANSITION METAL DICHALCOGENIDE

Monolayer transition-metal dichalcogenides (TMDC) have been attracting great attention as the candidate material for next-generation electronic devices utilizing spin and/or valley degrees of freedom [1-5]. As shown in Fig. 1(a), for example, the monolayer-MoS2 is formed by the 2-dimensional network of Mo sitting in the center of S triangular prisms, thus possessing the 3-fold symmetry without an inversion center. Because of this peculiar trigonal structure, in contrast to the simple honeycomb graphene, the spontaneous spin and valley coupled band structure (i.e. spin/valley polarization) is realized at the Brillouin zone corners. Indeed, the control and detection of the valley polarization are demonstrated by using the photoluminescence circular dichroism in monolayer-MoS2 [1-4]. Monolayer-MoS2 hitherto has been mostly obtained by mechanically exfoliating the 2H-polytype bulk crystal, which itself lacks the spin/valley polarization due to its centrosymmetric structure recovered by the hexagonal stacking. The exfoliated monolayer-MoS2 thus obtained has the limited size of area (< 1 m 2 ), thus preventing the direct investigations on its spin and electronic structure. Here we focus on another stable phase of polytype, 3R-MoS2 (space group R3m) [6-8], which is composed of the so-called abc stacking where the 3-fold symmetry of monolayer-MoS2 remains in bulk, as shown in Fig. 1(b). In 3R-MoS2, the spin/valley coupling similar to monolayer-MoS2 should reside in bulk, appearing as the opposite spin-polarizations at K and ' K -points [Fig. 1(c)].
Effect of the Amplitude in Ultrasonic Nano-crystalline Surface Modification on the Corrosion Properties of Alloy 600

The application of surface modification technology, including water jet and laser peening, was carried out in the early 2000s in many industries [1,2]. The nuclear industry has tried to apply this technology to the parts of the primary and secondary sides because the technology can harden the surface and improve the fatigue strength, surface roughness and wear resistance, and form very high compressive stresses on the surface [3-7]. When SCC (Stress Corrosion Cracking) susceptible materials were used in corrosive environments under high tensile stress fields, generally, SCC could be easily induced [8]. Therefore, nuclear power plants are trying to apply various methods, including the substitution to high corrosion resistant materials, reduction of mechanical stress, weld overlay, weld inlay, weld onlay and water chemistry control [1]. However, the above methods have a difficulty because of high cost. As a result, the peening process is emerging in order to reduce the difficulty of the substitution and inspection costs. Since 2016, the nuclear industry in the USA has applied the peening process to nuclear vessels and steam generator, and tried its application to other parts and further research [1]. Applicable peening process includes shot [9-11], laser [12-16], water jet [17,18] and ultrasonic shot peening [19,20], and UNSM etc. Among the peening processes, it is well known that UNSM is very powerful [21]. In the UNSM process, the material is impacted with a hard rigid pin moving at a ultrasonic frequency, typically 20 kHz. A tungsten carbide (WC) tip is attached to an ultrasonic horn, which strikes the specimen surface up to 20,000 or more times per second with 1,000 to 10,000 shots per square millimeter in a very short time. The impact deforms the surface of the target material and converts its microstructure into nanocrystals [22]. The variables in the UNSM process are static load, amplitude, pitch and tip diameter, etc. Researches about mechanical properties and fatigue were performed by using the UNSM technology [23-26], but there is little to the study about the corrosion resistance. Recently, our research team reported the effect of UNSM on the corrosion resistance of stainless steel and Alloy 600. In the case of the stainless steel [27-29], the UNSM treatment improves the passivation film and pitting corrosion resistance, and reduces the chromium carbide Effect of the Amplitude in Ultrasonic Nano-crystalline Surface Modification on the Corrosion Properties of Alloy 600
On the Theory and Practice of Invariant-based Verification of Quantum Programs

We investigate program verification, a fundamental and challenging task in quantum programming, based on quantum Hoare logic and quantum invariants. Ying et al. (POPL’17) have developed a framework based on semidefinite programs (SDPs) for computing quantum invariants for partial correctness, which is however expensive to use due to its exponential scaling in terms of the number of qubits. In this paper, we develop two approaches that can effectively reuse the information generated from quantum invariants so as to avoid repetitive costs in solving exponentially large SDPs. Our first contribution is the formulation of themaster Hoare triple that encodes the complete information of quantum programs inspired by the Choi-Jamiołkowski isomorphism. We demonstrate how to obtain the master Hoare triple by a single use of SDP, and once it is generated, how to obtain any other Hoare triple from the master one by a simple logic rule, and how master Hoare triples of sub-programs can be reused to simplify the computation of quantum invariants of the main program. Our second contribution is the introduction of approximate quantum invariants and a framework to reuse invariants of any given quantum program to efficiently analyze its nearby (e.g., noisy, erroneous) programs without using SDPs. Finally, we demonstrate the use of our techniques on realistic quantum programs, such as quantum Hamiltonian simulation and Repeat-Until-Success, with a huge numerical advantage over the previous SDP approach.
Paying by the Hour: Are Wages the Cost of Waiting?

Consumers dislike waiting. In modeling consumer behavior for services, this obvious fact is often captured by assuming that consumers incur a cost per-unit-time spent waiting. A natural question that arises is: where does this waiting cost come from? Is it merely foregone earnings or is it something different? In this paper, we address these questions by assuming an agent faces a utility maximization problem that focuses on time allocation subject to time and budget constraints. The cost of waiting is then the minimum monetary compensation required to keep the agent utility level constant as the agents loses time due to waiting. We show that the relationship between the cost of waiting and wages depends intricately on the agent’s compensation structure. We prove that agent’s cost of waiting is equal to her hourly wage only when the compensation structure is linear. The equivalence between hourly wages and waiting costs breaks down for a more general compensation structures such as fixed shifts or even piece-wise linear wages. Furthermore, we show that hourly wages can overestimate or underestimate the cost of waiting in the presence of such non-linear compensation structure. These results are robust to several modifications of our basic model.