Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nanoporous ZnO prepared by electrochemical anodization deposition

Anodic physical deposition is a method that joins technical simplicity, environment friendly, non-toxic, low investment cost, and ease in morphology control. Nanoporous ZnO with high internal rough surface and polycrystalline nature has been prepared via a simple chemical technique. Anodization of Znic (Zn) foil was studied in a mixed of ammonium sulfate and sodium hydroxide solution under the affect of various anodization durations. The as-prepared samples were studied by X-ray diffraction (XRD), and energy dispersive analysis of X-rays (EDX). An optical characterization by a Raman spectrometer was performed to investigate their optical properties. The PL and Raman results revealed both good compromise with the features of our samples and dormant for forthcoming utilizations for example smart sensors system and other modern solid state technologies. The formation of porous structures has been confirmed by Raman spectroscopy and scanning electron microscopy investigations.
Incentives versus Reciprocity: Insights from a Field Experiment

The authors conduct a field experiment in which they vary the sales force compensation scheme at an Asian enterprise that sells consumer durable goods. With variation generated by the experimental treatments, the authors model sales force performance to identify the effectiveness of various forms of conditional and unconditional compensation. They account for salesperson heterogeneity using a hierarchical Bayesian framework to estimate the model. They find conditional compensation in the form of quota bonus incentives to improve performance; however, such compensation may lead to lower future performance. The authors find little difference in effectiveness between a quota bonus plan and punitive bonus plans framed as a penalty for not achieving quota. They find that unconditional compensation, in the form of reciprocity, is effective at improving sales force performance only when it is given as a delayed reward; however, the effectiveness of this plan decreases with repeated exposure. The authors also find heterogeneity in the impact of compensation on performance across salespeople, such that unconditional compensation is more effective for salespeople with high base performance, whereas conditional compensation is equally effective across all types of salespeople.
Lightweight monadic programming in ML

Many useful programming constructions can be expressed as monads. Examples include probabilistic modeling, functional reactive programming, parsing, and information flow tracking, not to mention effectful functionality like state and I/O. In this paper, we present a type-based rewriting algorithm to make programming with arbitrary monads as easy as using ML's built-in support for state and I/O. Developers write programs using monadic values of type m τ as if they were of type τ, and our algorithm inserts the necessary binds, units, and monad-to-monad morphisms so that the program type checks. Our algorithm, based on Jones' qualified types, produces principal types. But principal types are sometimes problematic: the program's semantics could depend on the choice of instantiation when more than one instantiation is valid. In such situations we are able to simplify the types to remove any ambiguity but without adversely affecting typability; thus we can accept strictly more programs. Moreover, we have proved that this simplification is efficient (linear in the number of constraints) and coherent: while our algorithm induces a particular rewriting, all related rewritings will have the same semantics. We have implemented our approach for a core functional language and applied it successfully to simple examples from the domains listed above, which are used as illustrations throughout the paper.
A pair of Braille-based chord gloves

Keyboards have been used on typewriters and as input devices to computers and many keyboards have been proposed in order to improve their performance. Some glove-based input devices to computers have been also proposed for compactness and flexibility. In this paper, an input device to computers consisting of a pair of gloves is proposed. The keys of the proposed gloves are mounted on the fingers of gloves and their chording methods resemble those of a Braille keyboard. Since the Braille representation for numbers and characters is efficient and has been well established for every language, the proposed input device may be one of good input devices to computers. Furthermore, since the Braille has been used for visually impaired people, the proposed one can be easily used as an input device to computers for them.
Engaging older adults in activity group settings playing games on touch tablets

This research develops, trials and evaluates three innovative game apps on mobile touch screen technology that addresses the needs of older adults during activity groups. The research was conducted with a group of older adults participating in the ageing-well activity program of a local council. The project assists older adults to discover and to increase their technology use in a familiar group setting. Building on established interests such as family history, cooking and movies, the study investigates how mobile technology can further these activity groups. The project aims to explore how mobile technology can be integrated in group settings (1) and to develop games suitable for these different settings (2). The paper makes recommendations for game play in older adults' activity groups using touch tablets.
Cyber-physical systems for real-time hybrid structural testing: a case study

Real-time hybrid testing of civil structures, in which computational models and physical components must be integrated with high fidelity at run-time, represents a grand challenge in the emerging area of cyber-physical systems. Actuator dynamics, complex interactions among computers and physical components, and computation and communication delays all must be managed carefully to achieve accurate tests. In this paper we present a case study of several fundamental interlocking challenges in developing and evaluating cyber-physical systems for real-time hybrid structural testing: (1) how physical and simulated components can be integrated flexibly and efficiently within a common reusable middleware architecture; (2) how predictable timing can be achieved atop commonly available hardware and software platforms; and (3) how physical vs. simulated versions of different components within a system can be interchanged with high fidelity between comparable configurations. Experimental results obtained through this case study give evidence of the feasibility and efficacy of these steps towards our overall goal: to develop a Cyber-physical Instrument for Real-time hybrid Structural Testing (CIRST).
Case Studies of Musculoskeletal-Simulation-Based Rehabilitation Program Evaluation

Variability in motor rehabilitation program outcomes can be attributed not only to individual components (human patient/rehabilitation equipment) but also to their system-level interactions. Thus, effective deployment of a rehabilitation program depends upon: 1) suitable therapist selection of user-device ergonomics; 2) adjustable device settings; and 3) exercise regimen parameters; to achieve desired system-level motor performance. In this paper, we discuss aspects of creation of a virtual design environment, leveraging tools from musculoskeletal analysis, optimization, and simulation-based design, to permit therapists to rapidly evaluate and systematically customize rehabilitation programs. Specifically, this framework is intended to facilitate 1) parametric study of ergonomic/device/regimen settings on musculoskeletal performance; 2) use of design tools such as optimization for decision support in arriving at the best program; and 3) scaffolded examination of linkage between form and function by iterative what-if type of analyses. We use two case studies (bicep-curling and motor rehabilitative driving) to highlight benefits of such simulation-based rehabilitation program evaluation.
DRSP : Dimension Reduction For Similarity Matching And Pruning Of Time Series Data Streams

Similarity matching and join of time series data streams has gained a lot of relevance in today’s world that has large streaming data. This process finds wide scale application in the areas of location tracking, sensor networks, object positioning and monitoring to name a few. However, as the size of the data stream increases, the cost involved to retain all the data in order to aid the process of similarity matching also increases. We develop a novel framework to addresses the following objectives. Firstly, Dimension reduction is performed in the preprocessing stage, where large stream data is segmented and reduced into a compact representation such that it retains all the crucial information by a technique called Multi-level Segment Means (MSM). This reduces the space complexity associated with the storage of large time-series data streams. Secondly, it incorporates effective Similarity Matching technique to analyze if the new data objects are symmetric to the existing data stream. And finally, the Pruning Technique that filters out the pseudo data object pairs and join only the relevant pairs. The computational cost for MSM is O(l*ni) and the cost for pruning is O(DRF*wsize*d), where DRF is the Dimension Reduction Factor. We have performed exhaustive experimental trials to show that the proposed framework is both efficient and competent in comparison with earlier works.
Is allergen exposure the major primary cause of asthma?

In recent decades a number of authors have argued that allergen exposure is the major primary cause of asthma, and that the global increases in asthma prevalence are due to increases in exposure to aeroallergens. We have assessed the epidemiological evidence in support of this hypothesis. No longitudinal studies were identified in which allergen exposure during infancy in a random population sample has been related to asthma risk after the age of six years. Two studies have been conducted in selected populations chosen on the basis of a family history of asthma or allergy; one study found a non-statistically significant association whereas the other study found no association. Many of the identified prevalence studies in children showed negative associations between allergen exposure and current asthma, and the weighted averages of the population attributable risks in children were 4% for Der p 1, 11% for Fel d 1, –4% forBla g 2, and 6% for Can f 1. There was little change in these estimates in studies in which children whose parents had adopted allergen avoidance measures were excluded. Furthermore, evidence from population studies is equivocal and provides little consistent evidence that allergen exposure is associated with the prevalence of asthma at the population level. Population-based cohort studies are clearly required, but currently available evidence does not indicate that allergen exposure is a major risk factor for the primary causation of asthma in children.
Passive Stiffness of Isolated Cardiac and Skeletal Myocytes in the Hamster

Single cardiac myocytes and skeletal myocyte fragments, devoid of interstitial collagen but with intact glycocalyx, were prepared by mechanical disaggregan'on of hamster ventricular myocardium and caudal gracilis muscle, respectively. Passive stiffness was studied by examining the sarcomere length-tension relationship over the approximate Eulerian stress range of 0–20 mN/mm2 for cardiac myocytes and 0–120 mN/mm2 for skeletal myocytes. Creep and stress-relaxation became apparent only when cells were stretched to sarcomere lengths close to, or exceeding, 2.2 μm for the cardiac myocytes, and 2.7 μm for the skeletal myocytes. Stress-relaxation and creep occurred simultaneously, suggesting that the sarcomere is at least one of the structural components responsible for viscoelasticity. The differential strain stiffness constant was calculated from the regression of natural stress [Ln(mN/mm2)] against differential strain [(L-Lo)/ Lo] and found to be 7.48 ± 1.73 for the ventricular myocytes and 5.77 ± 0.87 for the skeletal myocyte fragments. The natural strain stiffness constant was obtained from the regression of natural stress against natural strain [Ln(L/Lo)]. The natural strain stiffness constant was 30–50% higher than the differential strain constant. The high correlation coefficients obtained for both regressions indicate that the length-tension relationships for these isolated cardiac and skeletal myocytes can be very closely fitted to the single exponential function, σ = C-exp[K(e)]. The length-tension curves obtained for the skeletal myocyte fragments are qualitatively and quantitatively similar to those obtained by others with intact skeletal muscle. The cardiac myocyte length-tension curves are qualitatively, but not quantitatively, similar to those obtained with cardiac muscle. Isolated ventricular myocytes are stiffer than similarly isolated skeletal myocytes. These findings suggest that cellular structures contribute to myocardial stiffness in the hamster.
Behavioral Synthesis of Fault Secure Controller/Datapaths Based on Aliasing Probability Analysis

This paper addresses the problem of synthesizing fault-secure controller/data path circuits from behavioral specifications. These circuits are guaranteed to either produce the correct output, or to flag an error. We use an iterative improvement-based behavioral synthesis framework that performs functional unit selection, clock selection, scheduling, and resource sharing with the aim of minimizing the area of the synthesized circuit, while allowing multicycling, chaining, and functional unit pipelining. We present a dynamic comparison selection algorithm that can be used during behavioral synthesis to determine which intermediate results in the computation need to be secured in order to enable maximal resource sharing. Previous work on synthesizing fault-secure data paths has focused on ensuring that aliasing (a condition when the circuit produces an incorrect output and does not flag an error) cannot occur in any part of the design. We demonstrate that such an approach can lead to unnecessarily large overheads. In order to alleviate the overheads incurred for fault security, our behavioral synthesis framework uses ALiasing Probability analysiS (ALPS) in order to identify resource sharing configurations that reduce area while introducing a very low probability of aliasing (of the order of 10/sup -10/ for a bit-width of 32) in the resultant data path. Experimental results performed for several behavioral descriptions demonstrate that our techniques synthesize more compact circuits than techniques available in the literature, e.g., double modular redundancy or zero-aliasing techniques.
On Calibrating the Sensor Errors of a PDR-Based Indoor Localization System

Many studies utilize the signal strength of short-range radio systems (such as WiFi, ultrasound and infrared) to build a radio map for indoor localization, by deploying a large number of beacon nodes within a building. The drawback of such an infrastructure-based approach is that the deployment and calibration of the system are costly and labor-intensive. Some prior studies proposed the use of Pedestrian Dead Reckoning (PDR) for indoor localization, which does not require the deployment of beacon nodes. In a PDR system, a small number of sensors are put on the pedestrian. These sensors (such as a G-sensor and gyroscope) are used to estimate the distance and direction that a user travels. The effectiveness of a PDR system lies in its success in accurately estimating the user's moving distance and direction. In this work, we propose a novel waist-mounted based PDR that can measure the user's step lengths with a high accuracy. We utilize vertical acceleration of the body to calculate the user's change in height during walking. Based on the Pythagorean Theorem, we can then estimate each step length using this data. Furthermore, we design a map matching algorithm to calibrate the direction errors from the gyro using building floor plans. The results of our experiment show that we can achieve about 98.26% accuracy in estimating the user's walking distance, with an overall location error of about 0.48 m.
Using Mediation to Achieve Provenance Interoperability (Extended Abstract)

Provenance is essential in scientific experiments. It contains information that is key to preserving the data and to determine it's quality and authorship. In complex experiments and analyses, where multiple tools are used to derive data products, provenance captured by these tools must be combined in order to determine the complete lineage of the derived products. We propose a mediator-based architecture to integrate provenance information from multiple sources, which contains two key components: a global mediated schema that is general and capable of representing provenance information represented in different models; and an expressive query interface that supports complex queries over provenance information spread over multiple different sources. We also present a case study where we show how this model was applied to integrate provenance from three provenance-enabled systems.
A Real-time Underwater Object Detection Algorithm for Multi-beam Forward Looking Sonar

Abstract A novel algorithm for the detection of underwater man-made objects in forward-looking sonar imagery is proposed. The algorithm takes advantage of the integral-image representation to quickly compute features, and progressively reduces the computational load by working on smaller portions of the image along the detection process phases. By adhering to the proposed scheme, real-time detection on sonar data onboard an autonomous vehicle is made possible. The proposed method does not require training data, as it dynamically takes into account environmental characteristics of the sensed sonar data. The proposed approach has been implemented and integrated into the software system of the Gemellina autonomous surface vehicle, and is able to run in real time. The validity of the proposed approach is demonstrated on real experiments carried out at sea with the Gemellina autonomous surface vehicle.
Influence of chemical doping on flux pinning of GdBa2Cu3O7−z films

Epitaxial GdBCO films with Cobalt (Co) and BaZrO3 (BZO) doping were prepared on (00l) LaAlO3 substrate by a self-developed fluorine-free polymer-assisted metal-organic deposition (FF-PA-MOD) approach. The effect of different doping ways on structure and properties of GdBCO films was investigated. Our results show that in-field critical current density (Jc) values of doped films have been distinctly improved compared to the pure film. It is noted that Co-doped film has much larger in-field Jc values than BZO-doped film, especially at higher temperatures. Furthermore, Co-doped GdBCO film shows significantly enhanced surface smoothness and grain connectivity. It is suggested that obviously enhanced Jc–B properties of the film may be attributed to improved surface morphologies and effective flux pinning centres by dilute Co doping. This study may offer another simple and efficient way to obtain the GdBCO-based coated conductors with high current densities.
Plasticizer effect on melt blending of polylactide stereocomplex

Abstract Poly(l-lactide) (PLLA)/poly(d-lactide) (50/50) with plasticizer contents ranging from 2% to 16% w/w were prepared by melt blending using an internal mixer. Wide-angle X-ray diffraction, Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy and differential scanning calorimetry results confirmed that complete stereocomplex polylactide crystallites without any homocrystallites were produced. Compared to neat PLLA, the melting temperature of the stereocomplex polylactide and its plasticized samples was approximately 55°C higher. Higher plasticizer contents decreased glass transition temperature of the stereocomplex, which implied higher flexibility and enhanced the crystallization rate. However, the plasticizer in the stereocomplex reduced the thermal stability.
Novel fabrication of hierarchically porous hydroxyapatite scaffolds with refined porosity and suitable strength

Based on extrusion deposition and foaming technique, a novel method for biological hydroxyapatite (HA) scaffolds was introduced in this paper. The scaffolds were primarily characterised by interconnected and hierarchically porous structures with high porosity, adjustable distribution of pore sizes, as well as considerable mechanical strength. In order to confirm that fine control of bulk porosity and mechanical strength was possible and feasible, further analysis of obtained scaffolds was carried out by field emission scanning electron microscope (FESEM), compressive test and calculation of volumetric shrinkage; in particular, the additional porosity resulting from the introduction of pore former was evaluated. The results indicated that this method can have a great potential to construct HA scaffolds of suitable quality for spongy bone in bone tissue engineering.
The economics of agricultural development : what have we learned?

Agricultural development thinking has gone through several stages of fad and fancy, often without an understanding of previous fallacies. Its current doldrums are unfortunate given the unrivaled importance of agricultural development for poverty reduction in most development countries. After reviewing several policy and program areas, lessons are synthesized, and a forward-looking research framework suggested, especially regarding role of specialization in the evolution of economic organization. The corresponding role of government is seen to be the facilitation of economic cooperation, rather than social engineering.
Effect of educational intervention program for parents on adolescents’nutritional behaviors in Isfahan in 2016

BACKGROUND: Family participation is an important element on nutritional education especially for students. Parents have a key role in instilling and understanding healthy eating habits, but yet the use of family participation strategies in the nutrition education was low. The aim of this study is determining the effect of parental educational intervention program for parents on adolescents’ nutritional behaviors in Isfahan, Iran in 2016. MATERIALS AND METHODS: This study was a kind of field trial that conducted on 63 girl teenagers from junior high schools of Isfahan in 2016 that were randomly divided into two groups of intervention and control. The data collection tool which was a researcher made questionnaire was completed in both groups before and 1 month after the intervention. The intervention included three training sessions for parents and giving educational compact disc and forwarding SMS. To analysis of data independent t-test and paired t-test were used. RESULTS: Paired t-test showed that in intervention group the average score of fruit (P = 0.03) and in control group the average score of vegetables (P < 0.05) were significant statistical difference, but in other aspects of nutritional behaviors was not a significant difference. Independent t-test showed that after intervention, mean scores nutritional behavior of adolescent girls in both groups had no significant differences. CONCLUSIONS: No significant difference was in the nutritional behaviors before and after the intervention. Hence, just educating the parents is not enough for achieving appropriate nutritional behaviors in the adolescents.