Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Development of a stretchable skin-like tactile sensor based on polymeric composites

This paper presents the design, fabrication and characterization of a novel tactile skin-like sensor with the capability of detecting at the same time external mechanical stimuli like pressure and shear strain and that possesses some of the intrinsic properties of human skin, like extensibility, flexibility and compliance. The proposed sensor is resistive based and integrates two sensing parts built by means of electrically conductive polymer composites and elastic metallic thin films. The final prototype consists of a 1.5 mm silicone-Carbon Black (at 23.6%) layer on which a stretchable 90 nm Au thin film is deposited by providing a 20% bidirectional substrate stretching before Au deposition. Compression tests showed high values (70 kΩ−80 k£2) of the electrical resistance, that decreases quite regularly with the pressure (in the range of 0 N/mm2−0.16 N/mm2). In parallel, from shear strain testing, a low range of electrical resistance (20 Ω−70 Ω) from the extension and release phase was measured having a quite regular trend, increasing with the applied strain which reached 14%. The preliminary experimental analysis indicates that the new tactile skin-sensor can detect mechanical stimuli (e.g. pressure and shear strain) in a decoupled way through cross measurement of electrical resistance and it can be used for skin-like tactile arrays.
The influence of clinical equipoise and patient preferences on outcomes of conservative manual interventions for spinal pain: an experimental study

Background Expected pain relief from treatment is associated with positive clinical outcomes in patients with musculoskeletal pain. Less studied is the influence on outcomes related to the preference of patients and providers for a specific treatment. Objectives We sought to determine how provider and patient preferences for a manual therapy intervention influenced outcomes in individuals with acutely induced low back pain (LBP). Participants and methods Pain-free participants were randomly assigned to one of two manual therapies (joint biased [JB] or constant touch [CT]) 48 hours after completing an exercise protocol to induce LBP. Expectations for pain relief and preferences for treatment were collected at baseline, prior to randomization. Pain relief was assessed using a 100 mm visual analog scale. All study procedures were conducted in a private testing laboratory at the University of Florida campus. Results Sixty participants were included in this study. After controlling for preintervention pain intensity, the multivariate model included only preintervention pain (B=0.12, p=0.07) and provider preference (B=3.05, p<0.0001) and explained 35.8% of the variance in postintervention pain. When determining whether a participant met his or her expected pain relief, receiving an intervention from a provider with a strong preference for that intervention increased the odds of meeting a participant’s expected pain relief 68.3 times (p=0.013) compared to receiving any intervention from a provider with no preference. Receiving JB intervention from any provider increased the odds of meeting expected relief 29.7 times (p=0.023). The effect of a participant receiving an intervention they preferred was retained in the model but did not meet the criteria for a significant contribution. Conclusion Our primary findings were that participant and provider preferences for treatment positively influence pain outcomes in individuals with acutely induced LBP, and joint-biased interventions resulted in a greater chance of meeting participants’ expected outcomes. This is contrary to our hypothesis that the interaction of receiving an intervention for which a participant had a preference would result in the best outcome.
Network Cross-Validation for Determining the Number of Communities in Network Data

ABSTRACT The stochastic block model (SBM) and its variants have been a popular tool for analyzing large network data with community structures. In this article, we develop an efficient network cross-validation (NCV) approach to determine the number of communities, as well as to choose between the regular stochastic block model and the degree corrected block model (DCBM). The proposed NCV method is based on a block-wise node-pair splitting technique, combined with an integrated step of community recovery using sub-blocks of the adjacency matrix. We prove that the probability of under-selection vanishes as the number of nodes increases, under mild conditions satisfied by a wide range of popular community recovery algorithms. The solid performance of our method is also demonstrated in extensive simulations and two data examples. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Diagnostik und Klassifikation von Verhaltensauffälligkeiten bei Säuglingen und Kleinkindern von 0-5 Jahren

Der Artikel gibt einen zusammenfassenden Uberblick uber die internationale Diskussion und den Stand der Literatur zu Grundsatzproblemen der Psychopathologie, diagnostischen Problemen und Moglichkeiten sowie zu Behandlungsstandards bei Verhaltensauﬀalligkeiten in der Altersklasse von der Geburt bis zum Vorschulalter (0 bis 5 Jahre). Es wird auf die aktuelle Revision der "Diagnostic Classiﬁcation 0-3 (DC: 0-3R)" der Arbeitsgruppe Zero To Three (ZTT) im August 2005 und die Formulierung von Forschungskriterien, "Research Diagnostic Criteria-Preschool Age (RDC-PA)" eingegangen. Der Stand der Literatur wird referiert und klinische Implikationen werden aufgezeigt. Grundsatzliche Fragestellungen einer fruhkindlichen Psychopathologie werden besprochen und geeignete Untersuchungsverfahren vorgestellt. Es wird ein Arbeitsvorschlag fur ein Standardvorgehen im Bereich diagnostischer Zuordnung bei Verhaltensauﬀalligkeiten bei Kindern von 0 bis 5 Jahren gegeben. Auf der Grundlage der vorgeschlagenen Standards sollten weitere Untersuchungen zur Evidenzbasierung der vorgestellten diagnostischen und therapeutischen Masnahmen bei Sauglingen und Kleinkindern mit Verhaltensauﬀalligkeiten durchgefuhrt werden. Schlagworter Diagnostische Klassiﬁkation (DC: 0-3R) - Sauglings- und Kleinkindpsychiatrie - Eltern-Klein- kind-Interaktion - Leitlinienbehandlung - Forschungskriterien im Vorschulalter (RDC-PA) The Article is working on developmental psychopathology, diagnosis, and treatment of behavioral problems in infants and toddlers age 0 to 5. An overview of the literature about the international discussion is given. In particular diagnostic classiﬁcation is elaborated by mentioning the revision of "Diagnostic Classiﬁcation 0-3 (DC: 0-3R)" and "Research Diagnostic Criteria-Preschool Age (RDC-PA)". State of the art and clinical implication is reported on the basis of principal considerations on infant psychiatry. The american practice parameters become adapted and a working title for diagnostic formulation is given. More research should be done against the background of the introduced standards. Keywords Diagnostic Classiﬁcation 0-3 (DC: 0-3R) - Infant Psychiatry - Parent-Infant-Interaction- Practise Parameters - Research Diagnostic Criteria Preschool Age (RDC-PA)
Basal Ganglia and the Error Monitoring and Processing System: How Alcohol Modulates the Error Monitoring and Processing Capacity of the Basal Ganglia

© 2012 Welcome and Pereverzev, licensee InTech. This is an open access chapter distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/3.0), which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Basal Ganglia and the Error Monitoring and Processing System: How Alcohol Modulates the Error Monitoring and Processing Capacity of the Basal Ganglia
Research on the Relevance Feedback-based Image Retrieval in Digital Library

— In recent years, the relevance feedback technology is regarded in content-based image retrieval. This paper suggests a neural networks feedback algorithm based on the radial basis function, coming to extract the semantic character of image. The results of experiment indicated that the performance of this relevance feedback is better than the feedback algorithm based on Single-RBF.
High selectivity X-band planar diplexer with symmetrical box-section filters

Coupled resonator filters with asymmetrical frequency response usually require couplings with opposite signs. This is the case of box-section filters, where one negative sign is needed in order to generate a phase inversion of the signal. An alternative consists of introducing the phase shift not in the couplings, but in resonators, allowing symmetrical geometries with only one kind of coupling. The resulting modified half-wavelength, parallel-coupled microstrip filters are used as building blocks for a X-band diplexer with contiguous pass bands, where the asymmetry of the frequency response is exploited in order to increase the selectivity between channels.
Community-based Health Workers Achieve High Coverage in Neonatal Intervention Trials: A Case Study from Sylhet, Bangladesh

A large proportion of four million neonatal deaths occur each year during the first 24 hours of life. Research is particularly needed to determine the efficacy of interventions during the first 24 hours. Large cadres of community-based workers are required in newborn-care research both to deliver these interventions in a standardized manner in the home and to measure the outcomes of the study. In a large-scale community-based efficacy trial of chlorhexidine for cleansing the cord in north-eastern rural Bangladesh, a two-tiered system of community-based workers was established to deliver a package of essential maternal and newborn-care interventions and one of three umbilical cord-care regimens. At any given time, the trial employed approximately 133 community health workers—each responsible for 4–5 village health workers and a population of approximately 4,000. Over the entire trial period, 29,760 neonates were enrolled, and 87% of them received the intervention (their assigned cord-care regimen) within 24 hours of birth. Approaches to recruitment, training, and supervision in the study are described. Key lessons included the importance of supportive processes for community-based workers, including a strong training and field supervisory system, community acceptance of the study, consideration of the setting, study objectives, and human resources available.
Statistical analysis of Monopulse-SAR for CFAR detection of ground moving targets

An efficient approach to achieve ground moving target indication (GMTI) for synthetic aperture radar (SAR) is to use the Monopulse-SAR system. This paper examines the statistics of monopulse ratio (MR) for SAR/GMTI model when complex Gaussian clutter-plus-noise is considered. The probability density function (pdf) of MR is analyzed in detail. Especially, the conditional likelihood function of MR under the null hypothesis is given in a closed-form defined by special functions. An automatic constant false-alarm rate (CFAR) detector for moving targets is provided and extended to a multi-MRD form to further improve the final detection performance. Experimental results are presented to examine the detection performance and validate the theoretical analysis.
Long range microfluidic shear device for cellular mechanotransduction studies

Cells sense external mechanical stimulus and respond to it through mechanotransduction mechanism. Fluid shear stress (FSS) has been found to be an important element among the mechanical stimuli. Recent advancements in microfluidics made mechanotransduction studies possible in near physiological conditions using microfluidic devices. FSS on human cells covers a broad range from very low level experienced due to interstitial flows (0.1 mPa) to very high level in aorta (10 Pa). In the present communication, we have designed a novel microfluidic device which can generate FSS on cells of five different orders with single inflow of fluid which can cover the whole range of physiological fluid shear stresses in one run. The dimensions of the device were calculated taking a resistance model for the micro channels. Flow velocities and wall shear stress were predicted through computer simulation. Shear stress values were analyzed for two different depths of channels and different inlet flow rates ranging from 50 to 0.5 μl/s. FSS was found to increase linearly with inlet flow rate and the stress profile was flatter for lesser depth of channel.
Carbon Copy Metaphor: Mode Switching Technique for Trackpad-based Manipulations

Drawing characters or images using smartphones and tablets is much easier than drawing using trackpads commonly equipped in laptops and desktop computers. The reason is that tablets are absolute coordinate input devices, whereas trackpads are relative coordinates input devices similar to conventional mouse. However, most of the modern laptops have trackpads approximately the same size as a smartphone screen, and they have enough space for hand-writing. We believe that modern trackpads would allow users to write easily as smartphones or tablets, if they properly provide an absolute coordinates input mode. This paper proposes a novel input technique that aims to switch between relative and absolute coordinates input methods seamlessly based on the "carbon copy" metaphor. We display a small workspace ("carbon copy area") on a computer screen that corresponds one-to-one with the handy trackpad. The user can input hand-written characters or images using absolute coordinates input on this virtual carbon copy paper and move it anywhere using relative coordinates. Our technique allows a user to call both absolute and relative coordinates input methods and use them appropriately with arbitrary timing. We developed a prototype application software to utilize this technique based on a preliminary experiment.
Islet‐cell‐to‐cell communication as basis for normal insulin secretion

The emergence of pancreatic islets has necessitated the development of a signalling system for the intra‐ and inter‐islet coordination of β cells. With evolution, this system has evolved into a complex regulatory network of partially cross‐talking pathways, whereby individual cells sense the state of activity of their neighbours and, accordingly, regulate their own level of functioning. A consistent feature of this network in vertebrates is the expression of connexin (Cx)‐36‐made cell‐to‐cell channels, which cluster at gap junction domains of the cell membrane, and which adjacent β cells use to share cytoplasmic ions and small metabolites within individual islets. This chapter reviews what is known about Cx36, and the mechanism whereby this β‐cell connexin significantly regulates insulin secretion. It further outlines other less established functions of the protein and evaluates its potential relevance for the development of novel therapeutic approaches to diabetes.
A distributed framework for mining financial data

Financial institutions are struggling with the challenges of managing and analyzing large dataset, especially if the dataset are accessed and shared among various subsidiaries from different location. These existing organizations, in the past, often employed a centralized control over their dataset as a way to curb data integrity and data solidarity. In this instance, a central processing unit, often a single machine, could consume all resources, else not affording to process the data altogether. To solve these incumbent problems, distributed computing techniques are being introduced to improve the efficiency of data processing. In this project, we present a framework to distribute processing resources for data mining tool, i.e. to provide the ability to distribute the processes, over a cloud software stack using open source tools and platforms. As a conclusion to this framework, we discussed the open source tools and platforms along with our preliminary investigation results.
Spinal motor outputs during step-to-step transitions of diverse human gaits

Aspects of human motor control can be inferred from the coordination of muscles during movement. For instance, by combining multimuscle electromyographic (EMG) recordings with human neuroanatomy, it is possible to estimate alpha-motoneuron (MN) pool activations along the spinal cord. It has previously been shown that the spinal motor output fluctuates with the body's center-of-mass motion, with bursts of activity around foot-strike and foot lift-off during walking. However, it is not known whether these MN bursts are generalizable to other ambulation tasks, nor is it clear if the spatial locus of the activity (along the rostrocaudal axis of the spinal cord) is fixed or variable. Here we sought to address these questions by investigating the spatiotemporal characteristics of the spinal motor output during various tasks: walking forward, backward, tiptoe and uphill. We reconstructed spinal maps from 26 leg muscle EMGs, including some intrinsic foot muscles. We discovered that the various walking tasks shared qualitative similarities in their temporal spinal activation profiles, exhibiting peaks around foot-strike and foot-lift. However, we also observed differences in the segmental level and intensity of spinal activations, particularly following foot-strike. For example, forward level-ground walking exhibited a mean motor output roughly 2 times lower than the other gaits. Finally, we found that the reconstruction of the spinal motor output from multimuscle EMG recordings was relatively insensitive to the subset of muscles analyzed. In summary, our results suggested temporal similarities, but spatial differences in the segmental spinal motor outputs during the step-to-step transitions of disparate walking behaviors.
Relation between Oral Health Status and Electrocardiogram ST Segment Changes in a Group of Patients with Myocardial Infarction

Background and aims. Only half to two-thirds of cardiovascular diseases can be explained by the classic risk factors. It is believed that chronic oral inflammation is a potent risk factor for systemic diseases. Studies show that electrocardiogram ST segment changes can be predictive of myocardial infarction outcome. In this study the relation between electrocardio-gram ST segment changes and oral health is evaluated. Materials and methods. In this cross-sectional study, thirty-six patients (14 females and 22 males) with myocardial infarction were enrolled. Oral health indices including DMFT index, probing depth, clinical attachment loss and bleeding on probing were recorded for each patient. DMFT index, PD, CAL as continuous variables and BOP as a categorical variable were compared with ST segment changes by independent t-test and chi-squared test, respectively (α=0.05). Results. DMFT index, BOP and PD revealed no statistically significant relation with ST segment groups. CAL showed a statistically significant difference within ST segment groups (P=0.003, OR=1.68). Conclusion. Clinical attachment loss was significantly higher in patients with ST segment depression, while no correla-tion was seen between probing depth, bleeding on probing and DMFT index with ST segment elevation or depression.
Creating cross-school connections: LC networking in support of leadership and instructional development

Teacher leadership can be challenging (Smylie and Denny 1990), isolating (Datnow 2002) and fraught with a lack of connectedness with other teacher leader colleagues (Edge 2003). Today, many teachers’ professional classroom-based existence is characterised by immediacy, concreteness, ever-changing conditions or unpredictability (Fullan 1991). These conditions often create little time for personal and professional reflection, limit opportunities for interpersonal shared learning opportunities with other teachers, and support a short-term focus on improvement and change. Both House (1974) and Fullan (1991) emphasise the conventional individualistic norms of teacher professionalism as a significant barrier to diffusion of knowledge and information between educators. However, even within these conditions, teachers are often called upon to accept additional responsibilities and lead school-level change. Constraints placed on teachers to remain physically within their classrooms and schools often negate opportunities for teacher leaders to network with peers across districts and local authorities. This isolation translates into a lack of access to valuable support that would enhance their professional learning. One potential district-level remedy for decreasing teacher isolation and improving support is establishing mechanisms for teacher leaders to network across schools, share their experiences and collectively develop their personal and professional efficacy in their roles. Cross-school teacher leader networking presents significant opportunities for teacher leaders to connect with colleagues, share personal and professional experiences and develop their leadership and instructional expertise. A recent early years literacy project within the Toronto District School Board in Toronto, Canada presents an interest case study of an effort to provide teacher leaders with opportunities to connect with peers to support their own school-level implementation of the reform initiative. Teacher leader networking was initiated during the third year of the Early Years Literacy Project when the Project’s Management Team began to acknowledge a disturbing trend in teacher leader retention: an almost 50% yearly turnover in the
An open-circuit faults diagnosis method for matrix converters based on DWT analysis of output current

A novel diagnosis method is proposed in this work which is designed to detect open-circuit faults that occur in the matrix converter topology. In the potential application range of this type of converters, increased reliability and fault tolerance of the drive system is required through its remedial operation in cases of partial failures. All these requirements indicate that a monitoring system that is able to timely detect the various possible failures is necessary. In this paper, the output current of the matrix converter is monitored and analyzed using the discrete wavelet transform (DWT) in order to detect partial or total open-circuit failures of the converter's bidirectional switches. The main advantage of the proposed method is that it is based on the output current measurement in contrast to the output voltage measurement that is required by previously proposed methods. Thus, the proposed method can be integrated without additional costs into motor current signature analysis (MCSA) systems that are used to detect faults in induction machines (IM). The choice of the mother wavelet which is used in the DWT analysis as well as the choice of the window function are evaluated in this work. The case of rapid changes of the output phase currents corresponding to the operating conditions are also examined.
Color vision-based multi-level analysis and fusion for road area detection

This paper presents an integrated approach to robust analysis of road area images in front of the car from a single color camera. In order to get more information from the image source, we build a three-level data fusion based on Dempster-Shaferpsilas decision theory. During the first level, we separate the input image into perspective view and birdpsilas view and recognize small road patches from the background using color histogram features. In the second level we fuse the evidences from each recognized patch and re-calculate the road-like probabilities in each view. The third level is to merge the results of the two views into one birdpsilas-view segmentation map to achieve a high degree of reliability. Our Bagging-like method has been tested in real world environments and the fusion results have been shown to be robust to road textures, trees and moving objects in the scene.