Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Evaluate the effectiveness and sustainability of OptiMal as a self-management intervention for cancer survivors

Introduction: There are over 150,000 cancer survivors in Ireland and survival rates are continuing to increase. Cancer survivors experience continuing symptoms such as pain, fatigue, cognitive difficulties, anxiety and depression post-treatment resulting in social isolation and decreased activity participation. Self-management interventions are recommended for cancer survivors as they can help individuals identify and manage these continuing symptoms. OptiMal is a six-week, self-management intervention originally designed for individuals with multimorbidity. The aim of this research is to evaluate OptiMal's effectiveness and sustainability as a self-management intervention for cancer survivors. Methodology: Three studies were undertaken as part of this research. Study I included a systematic review undertaken to examine the type, content and the impact of self-management interventions for cancer survivors. Study II included a mixed methods study to determine the effectiveness and sustainability of OptiMal as a self-management intervention for cancer survivors. The primary outcome measure was frequency of activity participation. Secondary measures included health-related quality of life, self-efficacy, perception of occupational performance, anxiety, depression, cognitive difficulties and fatigue. Finally, Study III included a qualitative study exploring cancer survivors' reasons for non-participation in self-management interventions. Results: Findings from the systematic review highlighted the diversity of self-management interventions that have been provided to cancer survivors and their lack of sustainability. In Study II, no statistically significant differences were observed in the primary outcome measure. However, statistically significant improvements were observed in quality of life (p<0.001, p=0.035) and anxiety (p=0.04) from baseline to three months follow-up between the control and intervention group. OptiMal was considered to be an acceptable intervention by cancer survivors. However, many survivors stated that they would have benefited from it earlier post-treatment. In Study III, cancer survivors declined participation in the mixed methods study as they had already developed effective self-management strategies or reported a lack of perceived need for self-management. Conclusion: Cancer survivors experience physical and psychosocial symptoms post-treatment which can impact on their quality of life and participation in daily activities. OptiMal, an occupation-based, self-management intervention was considered an acceptable intervention by cancer survivors. Participants identified benefits of the programme including group support and goal-setting, which may have helped address psychosocial issues. However, many would have preferred OptiMal earlier post-treatment. Further research is required to explore the effectiveness and sustainability of OptiMal, with a larger number of cancer survivors, earlier post-treatment. Some survivors reported a lack of perceived need for self-management. Further research is…
Technologies and Designs for Electronic Nanocomputers

Diverse space-related applications have been proposed for microscopic and sub-microscopic structures, mechanisms, and 'organisms'. To govern their functions, many of these tiny systems will require even smaller, nanometer-scale programmable computers, i.e. 'nanocomputers' on-board. This paper provides an overview of the results of a nearly two-year study of the technologies and designs that presently are in development for electronic nanocomputers. Strengths and weaknesses of the various technologies and designs are discussed, as well as promising directions for remedying some of the present research issues in this area. The presentation is a synopsis of a longer MITRE review article on the same subject.
Robust Tuning of Fixed-parameter Static VAR Compensator Controller for Damping Inter-area Oscillations in Power System

Abstract This article presents a method for tuning the parameters of a fixed-structure supplementary modulation controller of flexible AC transmission systems devices to enhance the damping of inter-area oscillations. The flexible AC transmission systems device considered in this work is the static VAR compensator. Conventional lead/lag structure of the supplementary modulation controller is retained, but its parameters are tuned using the real-coded genetic algorithm. The advantage of the proposed method is that it retains the simplicity of the conventional fixed-structure controller and also ensures robust acceptable performance over a wide range of system and operating conditions. The proposed approach has been applied to the controller design of the static VAR compensator connected in a two-area four-machine system. The details of implementation and simulation results are presented. Simulation results show that the method can be used for the designing of a supplementary modulation controller, which guarantees a robust closed-loop performance over a pre-specified range of operating and system conditions.
Designing with Web Standards

You code. And code. And code. You build only to rebuild. You focus on making your site compatible with almost every browser or wireless device ever put out there. Then along comes a new device or a new browser, and you start all over again.You can get off the merry-go-round.It's time to stop living in the past and get away from the days of spaghetti code, insanely nested table layouts, tags, and other redundancies that double and triple the bandwidth of even the simplest sites. Instead, it's time for forward compatibility.Isn't it high time you started designing with web standards? Standards aren't about leaving users behind or adhering to inflexible rules. Standards are about building sophisticated, beautiful sites that will work as well tomorrow as they do today. You can't afford to design tomorrow's sites with yesterday's piecemeal methods.Jeffrey teaches you to: Slash design, development, and quality assurance costs (or do great work in spite of constrained budgets) Deliver superb design and sophisticated functionality without worrying about browser incompatibilities Set up your site to work as well five years from now as it does today Redesign in hours instead of days or weeks Welcome new visitors and make your content more visible to search engines Stay on the right side of accessibility laws and guidelines Support wireless and PDA users without the hassle and expense of multiple versions Improve user experience with faster load times and fewer compatibility headaches Separate presentation from structure and behavior, facilitating advanced publishing workflows
The Theory of the Coupled Spring Foundation as Applied to the Investigation of Structures Supported on Soil

The concept of elastic foundation as a number of springs functioning independently of one another is not quite correct in a good many cases. To overcome this drawback, various authors have introduced a simple form of interaction of the springs. The foundation model obtained in this way called the "coupled spring foundation" is characterised by a number of features which are also encountered in actual foundations. This is, inter alia, also found to be the case with structures supported on soil. The theory is applied to model research on airfield runways. The interpretation of field tests for determining the foundation parameters is discussed.
PEOPLE'S REPUBLIC OF CHINA LEGAL UPDATE: SUPREME PEOPLE'S COURT'S GUIDING OPINION ON REFUND REQUESTS RELATING TO UNAUTHORIZED ONLINE VIDEO GAMING TRANSACTIONS PAID FOR BY MINORS (PUBLISHED MAY 15, 2020)

The Supreme People’s Court (SPC) of the People’s Republic of China (PRC) promulgated its Guiding Opinion on Several Issues Concerning the Lawful and Proper Handling of Civil Cases Involving the Novel Coronavirus Pneumonia (COVID-19) Epidemic No. 2 (hereinafter, the ‘Guiding Opinion’) on 15 May 2020. Paragraph 9 of the Guiding Opinion declares that: ‘If a person with “limited capacity for civil conduct,” without the consent of their guardian, engages with paid online video games [e.g., purchases a video game software or makes in-game purchases through microtransactions], or “donates” to content creators or makes other similar payments on livestreaming platforms, to such a sum which is “incompatible with their age and intellectual abilities,” the courts shall support claims from their guardians demanding refund from the internet service providers [e.g., the game company or the livestreaming platform] for such payments. ’
Flying High in a Competitive Industry: Secrets of the World's Leading Airline

Preface Chapter 1 The Airline Industry: Economics and Strategic Trends Chapter 2 Airline Industry Structure: Disastrous Performance and the Route to Success Chapter 3 Key Drivers of SIA's Performance: A Strategic Choice and Resource Deployment Perspective Chapter 4 Achieving Cost-Effective Service Excellence at Singapore Airlines Chapter 5 Innovation as a Key to Sustained Service Excellence Chapter 6 Managing People Effectively to Deliver Sustained Service Excellence Chapter 7 How to Win in Cut-Throat Industries I: Achieving Strategic Alignment Chapter 8 How to Win in Cut-Throat Industries II: Strategy, Competencies, Innovation and Culture Case Study Strategy and Organisation at Singapore Airlines - Creating a Global Champion
Following recipes with a cooking robot

In this thesis, we present BakeBot, a PR2 robot system that interprets natural language baking recipes into baking instructions which it follows to execute the recipe, from mise en place presentation of the ingredients through baking in a toaster oven. We developed parameterized motion primitives for baking. The motion primitives utilize the existing sensing and manipulation capabilities of the PR2 platform and also our new compliant control techniques to address environmental uncertainty. The system was first implemented as a static finite state machine, which was tested through 27 baking attempts, 16 of which successfully resulted in edible cookies. The system was then implemented as a dynamic state machine, in which the robot estimated the world state and planned sequences of motion primitives to follow the baking instructions inferred from the natural language recipe, which was tested thorough five baking attempts of two different recipes, all of which resulted in edible cookies. Thesis Supervisor: Daniela Rus Title: Professor of Electrical Engineering and Computer Science Mechanical Engineering Faculty Reader: John Leonard Title: Professor of Mechanical Engineering
VALIDATION OF A FORWARD MARCHING PROCEDURE TO COMPUTE TIP VORTEX GENERATION PROCESS FOR SHIP PROPELLER BLADES

Abstract : The tip vortex flow field has a significant influence on the performance a ship propeller. The ability to compute the tip vortex flow field would be valuable aid in the design of ship propellers, and in the analysis of their performance. The present report demonstrates the feasibility of computing the tip vortex generation process with a forward-marching computation procedure. For the purpose of this study, turbulent flow test cases were considered. The results of the computations were compared with experimental data from Gray et al. (Ref. 1), and demonstrate the capability of the forward-marching procedure to accurately compute the flow processes in the tip vortex generation. The flow field is computed from a set of three-dimensional viscous flow equations with no empiricism introduced for the vorticity generated and shed at the propeller tip.
Examining Trust as a Key Determinant of eHealth Adoption in Malawi

Background There is value in having the general public take initiative in taking care of personal health. With the heavy burden of finances and shortage of healthcare personnel, patient-centered healthcare is increasingly becoming important especially through eHealth. The way technology is accepted and utilized may have significant hypothetical and concrete inferences. Thus, eHealth, like any other technology, has little value unless it is used. Nevertheless, there are many factors that potentially promote or hinder uptake and use of eHealth services. This study particularly focused on the role that trust plays in determining an individual’s decision to use eHealth services. Methods Using the Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology (UTAUT) model as the primary model of inference, two new constructs were introduced to determine whether trust is a significant contributor in consumers’ decision to use eHealth. Through convenience sampling, participant responses were collected over a period of 6 weeks and evaluated using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) technique. Results A total of 400 responses were collected and outcomes of the analysis showed that Performance Expectancy (PE), Effort Expectancy (EE), Social Influence (SI), and Facilitating Conditions (FC), had an affirmative effect on Behavioral Intentions to use eHealth. Performance Expectancy indirectly had a positive effect on Behavioral Intentions to use eHealth services via Trust in Internet (ToI) and Trust in Online Healthcare Providers (ToH). However, ToI had an insignificant effect while ToH had a positive effect. Conclusion Trust is indeed an important element in a user’s determination to use eHealth services. However, it depends on what exactly it is that users place trust in. Consumers are less trusting in the internet to facilitate accessing health related services but are more trusting in online healthcare service providers to ably assist with relevant services. The study also shows that it is essential for key stakeholders such as public policy actors and web designers to take into consideration specific target groups and user preferences which will enhance greater engagement of eHealth services.
Role of regulatory T-cells on ischemic stroke outcome: new clinical evidences

Background: Recent preclinical studies have shown that regulatory T (Treg) cells play a key role in the immune response after ischemic stroke (IS). However, the role of Treg-cells in human acute IS has been poorly investigated. Our aim was to study the relationship between circulating Treg-cells and outcome in human IS patients.Methods Methods: A total of 204 IS patients and 22 control subjects were recruited. The main study variable was good functional outcome at 3 months (modified Rankin scale ≤2) considering infarct volume, Early Neurological Deterioration (END) and risk of infections as secondary variables. The percentage of circulating Treg-cells was measured at admission, 48, 72h and at day 7 after stroke onset.Results Results: Circulating Treg-cell levels were higher in IS patients compared to control subjects. Treg-cells at 48h were independently associated with good functional outcome (OR, 3.5; CI: 1.9-7.8) after adjusting by confounding factors. Patients with lower Treg-cells at 48h showed higher frequency of END and risk of infections. In addition, a negative correlation was found between circulating Treg-cells at 48h (r=-0.414) and 72h (r=-0.418) and infarct volume. Conclusions: These findings suggest that Treg-cells may participate in the recovery of IS patients. Therefore, Treg-cells may be considered a potential therapeutic target in acute ischemic stroke.
Establishing Confidence in Safety Assessment Evidence

With the increased complexity and higher safety commitment of modern safety–critical systems, safety assessment models of these systems are increasingly complicated and obscure. In practice, however, there is insufficient guidance on how to improve the understanding and evaluation of these models, while they are often used as important items of evidence in safety cases. This significantly threatens the confidence we can have in the soundness of safety cases. In this thesis, a coherent, structured approach to establishing confidence in safety assessment evidence is developed. Firstly, a means for the structured documentation of the core data elements of safety assessment models is defined, to support the development of both primary safety arguments and confidence arguments. Secondly, a model of evidence is developed to support the interfacing of safety assessment evidence with safety arguments. Thirdly, a structured cross-model inconsistency analysis method is proposed as a means of scrutinizing potentially inadequate models. Finally, an expanded argument construction process is established to add rigour to safety case development, and a number of argument patterns are designed to guide and inspire structured justification of the adequacy of safety assessment models as evidence for safety critical systems. The evaluation of the approach is carried out primarily through examples and cases studies. It is demonstrated that the approach is feasible and the confidence issue in safety assessment evidence is addressed more explicitly and more rigorously by using the approach.
Understanding Digital Subscriber Line Technology

1. DSL Fundamentals. Alternatives to DSLs: Fiber, Wireless, and Coax. Worldwide Extent. Voice-Band Modems and DSLs. Transmission Modes. DSL Terminology. Rate Versus Reach. Crosstalk. Enabling and Disabling Forces. Applications. Evolution of Digital Transmission. 2. Types of DSLs. DSL Design Margin. DSL Precursors. Basic Rate ISDN. HDSL. ADSL. VDSL. 3. Twisted-Pair Transmission. Twisted-Wire-Pair Origins. Telephone Network and Loop Plant Characteristics. Line Powering. Sealing Current. Transmission Line Characterization. Noises. Spectral Compatibility. More Two-Port Networks. Three-Port Networks for DSLs. References. 4. Comparison with Other Media. Fiber-to-the-Home. Coax and Hybrid Fiber Coax. Wireless Alternatives. Satellite Services. References. 5. Transmission Duplexing Methods. Four-Wire Duplexing. Echo Cancellation. Time-Division Duplexing. Frequency-Division Multiplexing. References. 6. Basic Digital Transmission Methods. Basic Modulation and Demodulation. Baseband Codes. Passband Codes. References. 7. Loop Impairments, Solutions, and DMT. Intersymbol Interference. Multichannel Line Codes. Trellis Coding. Error Control. References. 8. Initialization, Timing and Performance. Initialization Methods. Adaptation of Receiver and Transmitter. Measurement of Performance. Timing Recovery Methods. References. 9. Operations, Administration Maintenance, and Provisioning. OAM&P Features. Loop Qualification. 10. DSL in the Context of the ISO Reference Model. The ISO Model. Theory and Reality. The Internet Protocol Suite. ATM in the Seven-Layer Model. 11. ADSL: The Bit Pump. ADSL System Reference Model. ATU-C Reference Model. ATU-R Reference Model. Specific Configurations to Support ATM. Framing. Operations and Maintenance. Initialization. Reference. 12. ATM Transmission Convergence on ADSL. Functions of ATM Transmission Convergence. Transmission Convergence in an ADSL Environment. Reference. 13. Frame-Based Protocols over ADSL. PPP over a Frame-Based ADSL. FUNI over ADSL. Reference. 14. ADSL in the Context of End-to-End Systems. An Overview of a Generic DSL Architecture. Potential ADSL Services and the Service Requirements. Specific Architectures for Deploying ADSL in Different Business Models. Several ADSL Architectures. References. 15. Network Architecture and Regulation. Private Line. Circuit Switched. Packet Switched. ATM. Remote Terminal. Competitive Data Access Alternatives. Regulation. 16. Standards. ITU. Committee T1. ETSI. ADSL Forum. ATM Forum. DAVIC. IETF. EIA/TIA. IEEE. The Value of Standards and Participation in Their Development. Standards Process. Appendix A: Glossary. Appendix B: Selected Standards and Specifications. Appendix C: Selected T1E1.4 Contributions and ADSL Forum Technical Reports (found on website). Index.
Operating the portable seismic pavement analyzer

Abstract : The portable seismic pavement analyzer (PSPA) is a non-destructive testing device that measures the seismic modulus of concrete pavements. This report provides guidance on how to operate the PSPA including (a) general use and recommendations of the PSPA, (b) processing data measured from the PSPA, (c) step-by-step instructions for replacing the batteries in the PS PA, (d) step-by-step instructions for removing and replacing the rubber pads on the bottom of the receivers and the source of the PSPA, and (e) troubleshooting.
An improved model for the resonant frequency of tunable rectangular microstrip antenna

An improved model for the resonant frequency of a tunable rectangular microstrip antenna is presented. The influence of fringing fields and air gap between the dielectric substrate and ground plate on the resonant frequency is taken into consideration by introducing effective width W/sub eff/ and effective length L/sub eff/, equivalent permittivity /spl epsiv//sub r,equ/ and dynamic permittivity /spl epsiv//sub r,dyn/. The theoretic values are compared with experimental values, showing good agreement.
The development of ISO 9000 certification and the future of quality management: A survey of certified firms in Hong Kong

Reports the findings of a survey on ISO 9000 certified firms in Hong Kong conducted by the University Industrial Centre of the University of Hong Kong in August 1996. Findings suggest that while in general the number of firms certified to ISO 9000 had been increasing, the proportion of small and medium firms appeared to be quite stable. Most of the small and medium firms in both manufacturing and service sectors, and a large proportion of firms in construction sectors were certified in order to satisfy the customers’ demand. Certified firms achieved certain benefits in terms of relationship with existing customers, attracting new customers and internal operations management. The findings indicated that the certified firms need to improve their relations with their subcontractors. Total quality management (TQM) was widely adopted by the firms after they were certified. A good proportion of firms sought to implement ISO 14000.
Sistem Identifikasi Biometrik Finger Knuckle Print Menggunakan Histogram Equalization dan Principal Component Analysis (PCA)

Biometrik berbasis otentikasi pribadi adalah sebuah metode yang efektif untuk secara otomatis mengenali identitas seseorang. Biometrik adalah ilmu mengidentifikasi seseorang menggunakan fisiologis atau karakteristik. Sebuah sifat biometrik seperti Finger Knuckle Print (FKP) yang dimiliki seseorang adalah unik dan aman. Dari hasil penelitian menunjukan bahwa algoritma PCA memiliki tingkat akurasi rendah. Principal Component Anaysis (PCA) adalah suatu teknik reduksi dinamis dan ekstraksi fitur yang optimal jika dipandang dari sudut pandang teori informasi. Apakah penggunan teknik peningkatan citra bisa memaksimalkan tingkat akurasi pengolah citra menggunakan PCA. Salah satu teknik peningkatan citra adalah Histogram Equalization. Histogram Equalization adalah teknik peningkatan kontras dalam pengolahan gambar yang menggunakan histogram gambar. Dari hasil penelitian ini, sistem identifikasi biometrik finger knuckle print menggunakan algoritma principal component analysis dengan peningkatan citra histogram equalization menghasilkan tingkat akurasi lebih besar yaitu 94 % dibandingkan dengan tanpa peningkatan citra histogram equalization yang hanya memiliki tingkat akurasi 81,3 %. Masing-masing di teliti dengan jumlah citra uji 150 (masing-masing orang 3 citra uji) dan citra latih 250 (masing-masing orang 5 citra latih). Ini membuktikan bahwa penggunan teknik peningkatan citra bisa memaksimalkan tingkat akurasi pengolah citra menggunakan algoritma PCA.