Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Effects of Game-Based Instruction on the Results of Primary School Children Taking a Natural Science Course

This study explored the effects of scenario simulation games and e-textbooks on the learning outcomes of elementary school students. The study subjects were 60 primary school students classified into two groups: The experimental group was provided with scenario simulation course materials, and the control group received e-textbook materials. The learning outcomes were compared between the two groups, which were further divided by ability level and gender. The female subjects in the experimental group showed slightly less improvement than the experimental group males, who showed significantly greater improvement than the female control group subjects. Use of the e-textbook had a less positive effect on learning outcomes than the scenario simulation game-based instruction.
Discriminative Prior Bias Learning for Pattern Classification

Prior information has been effectively exploited mainly using generative probabilistic models. In this paper, by focusing on the bias embedded in the classifier, we propose a novel method to discriminatively learn the prior bias based on the extra prior information assigned to the samples other than the class category, e.g., the 2-D position where the local image feature is extracted. The proposed method is formulated in the framework of maximum margin to adaptively optimize the biases, improving the classification performance. We also present the computationally efficient optimization approach that makes the method even faster than the standard SVM of the same size. The experimental results on patch labeling in the on-board camera images demonstrate the favorable performance of the proposed method in terms of both classification accuracy and computation time.
Surface Friction and Boundary Layer Thickening in Transitional Flow

Correct understanding of turbulence model, particularly boundary-layer turbulence model, has been a subject of significant investigation for over a century, but still is a great challenge for scientists[1]. Therefore, successful efforts to control the shear stress for turbulent boundary-layer flow would be much beneficial for significant savings in power requirements for the vehicle and aircraft, etc. Therefore, for many years scientists connected with the industry have been studying for finding some ways of controlling and reducing the skin-friction[2]. Experimentally, it has been shown that the surface friction coefficient for the turbulent boundary layer may be two to five times greater than that for laminar boundary layer[6]. By careful analysis of our new DNS results, we found that the skin-friction is immediately enlarged to three times greater during the transition from laminar to turbulent flow. We try to give the mechanism of this phenomenon by studying the flow transition over a flat plate, which may provide us an idea how to design a device and reduce shear stress.
Overview of Mobile IPv6 Security

Mobile IP enables a mobile node to be recognized via a single IP address even though the node may travel from one network to another. Despite reposition between different networks, connectivity at different positions is attained continuously with no user intervention. Mobile IP grants connectivity to nodes everywhere, whether within home networks or away from home. General improvement in MIPv6 may offer enhanced security, however, there are areas still prone to attacks. Security solutions for the mobile IP protocol are still in progress. IP Security (IPsec) in the IPv6 protocol can secure Mobile IPv6 more than IPv4. IPsec presents security services for the application and transportation layer protocols of the TCP/IP stack. However, there are several unsolved concerns and problems with Mobile IPv6 in most cases which justifies development of new methods to provide acceptable level of security. This article focuses on how IPsec works, Mobile IPv6 security, potential threats and security considerations.
Strong Tracking Unscented Kalman Filtering Algorithm Based-on Satellite Attitude Determination System

Combined with strong tracking filter (STF) theory, the Strong Tracking Square-Root Unscented Kalman Filter (UKF)-based satellite attitude determination algorithm is proposed in this paper. QR decomposition and Cholesyk decomposition are introduced in this paper, which improves the stability of filter. In addition, by introduced adaptive fading factor, the prediction error covariance matrix can be adjusted, thus it can guarantee the strong tracking performance of the proposed algorithm. At last, simulation results show that strong tracking square-root UKF has better stability, robustness and mutation status tracking capability than Square-Root UKF and Strong Tracking UKF.
RAM-SE'05-ECOOP'05 Workshop on Reflection, AOP, and Meta-Data for Software Evolution, Proceedings, Glasgow, UK, July 15, 2005

Starting from the advantages of using Feature-Oriented Programming (FOP) and program families to support software evolution, this paper discusses the drawbacks of current FOP techniques. In particular we address the insufficient crosscutting modularity that complicates software evolution. To overcome this tension we propose the integration of concepts of Aspect-Oriented Programming (AOP) into existing FOP solutions. As study object we utilize FeatureC++, a proprietary extension to C++ that supports FOP. After a short introduction to basic language features of FeatureC++, we summarize the problems regarding the crosscutting modularity. In doing so, we point to the strengths of AOP that can help. Thereupon, we introduce three approaches that combine FOP and AOP concepts: Multi Mixins, Aspectual Mixins, and Aspectual Mixin Layers. Furthermore, we discuss their benefits for software evolution.
Hybrid derivative-free EKF for USBL/INS tightly-coupled integration in AUV

This paper presents a novel hybrid derivative-free extended Kalman filter, which takes advantage of both the linear time propagation of the Kalman filter and nonlinear measurement propagation of the derivative-free extended Kalman filter. The proposed filter is very suitable for the tightly coupled integration navigation system which consists of USBL or GPS with INS. The computation burden is reduced sharply compare to nonlinear estimation method such as the unscented Kalman filter (UKF). Simulations are conducted to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed Kalman filter. The performance of the novel filter is as good as that of the UKF in integration navigation.
Measurement and interpretation of voice traffic on the Internet

The Internet is being used to carry voice conversations. Sometimes the quality is acceptable, and at other times the voice is unintelligible. In this paper, we describe the results of a set of measurements on intrastate, cross country, and international Internet connections. The measurements are used to determine the relationships between the delay that is inserted to compensate for the variation in network delay, the strategy that is used to restore lost packets, and the "quality" of the voice connection. The "quality" of a connection is defined as the fraction of the time that a channel is free of distortion for intervals that are long enough to transmit active speech segments. We also examine the sensitivity of our quality measure to modifying the required length of the distortion free intervals. We have found that, with the proper combination of packet restoration, receiver delay and patience on the part of users, connections can be established that provide reasonably good voice connections, even during the busy period on the worse channel. Patience is required because a certain fraction of the connections are very bad. In which case the best strategy is to try again later. It is noted that the quality of international connections is not as good as cross country connections, which is not as good as the quality of intrastate connections. This indicates that Internet voice is better suited for local bypass than its current role as a replacement for long distance connections.
Please Scroll down for Article Stochastic Models an M/g/1 Queue with Adaptable Service Speed an M/g/1 Queue with Adaptable Service Speed

This article may be used for research, teaching and private study purposes. Any substantial or systematic reproduction, redistribution , reselling , loan or sub-licensing, systematic supply or distribution in any form to anyone is expressly forbidden. The publisher does not give any warranty express or implied or make any representation that the contents will be complete or accurate or up to date. The accuracy of any instructions, formulae and drug doses should be independently verified with primary sources. The publisher shall not be liable for any loss, actions, claims, proceedings, demand or costs or damages whatsoever or howsoever caused arising directly or indirectly in connection with or arising out of the use of this material. We consider a queueing system where feedback information about the level of congestion is given right after arrival instants. When the amount of work right after arrival is at most (respectively, larger than) K , then the server works at speed r 1 (respectively, r 2) until the next arrival instant. We derive the distribution of the workload right after and right before arrivals, as well as in steady state. In addition, we consider the generalization to the N-step service rule.
High Temperature Unfolding Simulations of the TRPZ1 Peptide

We report high temperature molecular dynamics simulations of the unfolding of the TRPZ1 peptide using an explicit model for the solvent. The system has been simulated for a total of 6 μs with 100-ns minimal continuous stretches of trajectory. The populated states along the simulations are identified by monitoring multiple observables, probing both the structure and the flexibility of the conformations. Several unfolding and refolding transition pathways are sampled and analyzed. The unfolding process of the peptide occurs in two steps because of the accumulation of a metastable on-pathway intermediate state stabilized by two native backbone hydrogen bonds assisted by nonnative hydrophobic interactions between the tryptophan side chains. Analysis of the un/folding kinetics and classical commitment probability calculations on the conformations extracted from the transition pathways show that the rate-limiting step for unfolding is the disruption of the ordered native hydrophobic packing (Trp-zip motif) leading from the native to the intermediate state. But, the speed of the folding process is mainly determined by the transition from the completely unfolded state to the intermediate and specifically by the closure of the hairpin loop driven by formation of two native backbone hydrogen bonds and hydrophobic contacts between tryptophan residues. The temperature dependence of the unfolding time provides an estimate of the unfolding activation enthalpy that is in agreement with experiments. The unfolding time extrapolated to room temperature is in agreement with the experimental data as well, thus providing a further validation to the analysis reported here.
Evaluation of medical and psychological parameters of quality of life in supraventricular tachyarrhythmia children. A comparison with healthy children

Introduction There are only a few available studies evaluating quality of life (QoL) in pediatric patients with cardiac arrhythmia. The aim of the study was to evaluate medical and psychological parameters of the QoL in children with a diagnosed supraventricular tachyarrhythmia (SVT) and to compare the obtained data with a group of healthy children (HC). Material and methods Inclusion criteria: children aged 7–18 with SVT, treated at Poznan University of Medical Sciences, Department of Pediatric Cardiology. The evaluation tools were the WHOQOL-BREF instrument and a questionnaire related to the patient's feelings and observations concerning arrhythmia (Pediatric Arrhythmia Related Score – PARS), developed by the authors and adjusted to the group of arrhythmia patients. Results The study included 180 SVT children and 83 HC. On the basis of WHOQOL-BREF the SVT group was found to have lower assessment values of QoL within the physical domain (Phd) (mean ± SD: 65.7 ±15.8 vs. 81.6 ±12.8; p < 0.0001) and psychological domain (Psd) (mean ± SD: 75.8 ±15.2 vs. 81.3 ±14.1; p < 0.005). No significant differences were found within the social relationships domain or the environment domain. On the basis of PARS in the SVT group the patients reported significantly increased symptoms within Phd (mean ± SD: 2.3 ±0.7 vs. 1.6 ± 0.3; p < 0.0001) as well as increased negative feelings within Psd (mean ± SD: 2.3 ±0.7 vs. 2.1 ± 0.6; p < 0.005). Conclusions Medical and psychological parameters of the QoL in SVT children are significantly lower in comparison with HC. A diagnosis of SVT has no influence on the social and environmental areas of QoL. The PARS appears to be a useful tool to supplement the generic questionnaire for QoL evaluation in SVT children.
Visualisation and Comparison of Image Collections based on Self-organised Maps

Self-organised maps (SOM) have been widely used for cluster analysis and visualisation purposes in exploratory data mining. In image retrieval applications, SOMs have been used to visualise high-dimensional feature space and build indexing structures. In this paper, we extend the use of SOMs for profiling and comparison of image collections, and present empirical results obtained in collection visualisation, visual and quantitative comparison of collections, and a prototype system implementation.
Prenyl Ammonium Salts – New Carriers for Gene Delivery: A B16-F10 Mouse Melanoma Model

Purpose Prenyl ammonium iodides (Amino-Prenols, APs), semi-synthetic polyprenol derivatives were studied as prospective novel gene transfer agents. Methods AP-7, -8, -11 and -15 (aminoprenols composed of 7, 8, 11 or 15 isoprene units, respectively) were examined for their capacity to form complexes with pDNA, for cytotoxicity and ability to transfect genes to cells. Results All the carriers were able to complex DNA. The highest, comparable to commercial reagents, transfection efficiency was observed for AP-15. Simultaneously, AP-15 exhibited the lowest negative impact on cell viability and proliferation—considerably lower than that of commercial agents. AP-15/DOPE complexes were also efficient to introduce pDNA to cells, without much effect on cell viability. Transfection with AP-15/DOPE complexes influenced the expression of a very few among 44 tested genes involved in cellular lipid metabolism. Furthermore, complexes containing AP-15 and therapeutic plasmid, encoding the TIMP metallopeptidase inhibitor 2 (TIMP2), introduced the TIMP2 gene with high efficiency to B16-F10 melanoma cells but not to B16-F10 melanoma tumors in C57BL/6 mice, as confirmed by TIMP2 protein level determination. Conclusion Obtained results indicate that APs have a potential as non-viral vectors for cell transfection.
Strategies for preventing a knowledge-loss crisis

When employees leave an organization, they depart with more than what they know; they also leave with critical knowledge about who they know. Thus, the departure of key people can significantly affect the relationship structure and consequent functioning of an organization. In particular, companies should be aware of the unique knowledge held by three important types of employees: ? central connectors? (those who are regularly asked for help, typically because they have a high level of expertise in one or more areas), ? brokers? (those who act as bridges across subgroups) and ? peripheral players? (those who reside on the boundaries of a network but could still possess valuable niche expertise and outside knowledge). Departure of an employee who filled any one of these roles presents knowledge-loss risks that need to be addressed. The departure of a handful of key brokers, for example, could fracture the social network of an organization into isolated subgroups. Thus companies need to take various measures to (1) identify key knowledge vulnerabilities by virtue of both what a person knows and how that individual? s departure will affect a network and (2) address specific knowledge-loss issues based on the different roles that employees play in the network.
Modeling the Spatial Dependency of Shopping Center Trade Areas

The shopping habits of consumers residing in one geographical area, and shopping in another appears as a major problem in retail activity modeling, and is referred to as spatial dependency of shopping center trade areas. The level of dependency is crucial in delineation of the trade area boundaries for retailers to obtain realistic information on the spatial behavior of consumers, and a better direction for formulation of the retail development strategy. As a rule of thumb, the dependency increases when the spatial scale is smaller and the geographical units are distant from each other, such as in rural areas. The literature presents such studies at state, statistical metropolitan area and rural county levels. However, it does not present any models to assess the level of dependency at smaller units. This study aims to uncover various levels of spatial dependency across shopping center trade areas in Ohio: at county(CTY) and zipcode(ZCU) levels. At the CTY level, recursive equation models and at the ZCU level, simultaneous equation models and spatial regression models with retail gravity indices are used. The results show that the level of dependency is identified more clearly at the ZCU level than at the CTY level, pointing to a competitive substitution between retail systems across ZCUs. Additionally, the models show that a new retail gravity index is useful to assess the level of dependency at the ZCU level. These results can be used by decision makers for commercial zoning policy, shopping center site selection, and can be incorporated into urban policy making processes.
Heuristics for the Design of ThickComposite

A heuristic is proposed for a problem that occurs in the design of thick composite cylinders: the selection of the angles of wrap of all the layers forming a cylinder for given material properties and layer thicknesses. The heuristic consists of a local search algorithm that improves on a given initial design by modifying the angle of a single layer in each iteration. Each design is evaluated by computing a safety factor. Computational experience with the heuristic is presented and discussed.
Web Based Hindi to Punjabi Machine Translation System

Hindi and Punjabi are closely related languages with lots of similarities in syntax and vocabulary Both Punjabi and Hindi languages have originated from Sanskrit which is one of the oldest language. In terms of speakers, Hindi is third most widely spoken language and Punjabi is twelfth most widely spoken language. Punjabi language is mostly used in the Northern India and in some areas of Pakistan as well as in UK, Canada and USA. Hindi is the national language of India and is spoken and used by the people all over the country. In the present research, Basic Hindi to Punjabi machine translation system using direct translation approach has been developed. The results of this translation system are surprisingly good. The system includes lexicon based translation, transliteration and continuously improving the system through machine learning module. It also takes care of basic word sense disambiguation.
Identifying Lean Software Development Values

A gile software development (ASD) has emerged as a practice-led initiative which offers great promise in improving software productivity. However some confusion exists as to its relationship with Lean Software Development (LSD). Some treat LSD as more or less synonymous with ASD whereas others view LSD as a different concept. The definition and positioning of LSD relative to ASD is important as it gets to the heart of software development as craft versus science debate. The purpose of this paper is to identify core LSD values that ‘define’ LSD much as the agile manifesto values unified and defined so-called "lightweight methods" for ASD. We posit that LSD is more management philosophy than method and illuminate this through a genealogical analysis of the origins of LSD. We identify principles from various sources on the application of lean thinking in different domains. Synthesizing these principles we derive a candidate set of lean values that characterise LSD. Although immediately valuable to practitioners seeking to apply lean values in agile projects, future research will use this value-set to assess elements of "lean thinking" in the practices and principles of various agile methods so as to facilitate optimal applicability of these methods in a lean context.
COMPUTER VISION AND OTOLITH: TOWARD A MODELISATION OF THE MORPHOGENESIS OF ACCRETIONARY PROCESSES

Otolith are small stone growing according to an accretionary process located in fishes inner ears from which a lot can be learnt about their biology and ecology. Computer vision is one of the mean of systematic analysis of those stone. This paper describe an approach using partial differential equation and variational methods to reconstruct the morphogenesis of an otolith from an image
Radiological diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma

Diagnosis of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) still remains a challenging issue. In the setting of liver cirrhosis, international guidelines have set the noninvasive criteria for HCC diagnosis, represented by the detection of contrast hyperenhancement in the arterial phase (wash-in) and hypoenhancement in the portal or delayed phase (wash-out) with dynamic multi-detector computer tomography or magnetic resonance (MR) imaging. Although highly specific, this typical enhancement pattern has relatively low sensitivity, since approximately one-third of HCC nodules are characterized by atypical enhancement patterns. In atypical HCC nodules larger than 1 cm, the majority of international guidelines recommend liver biopsy. However, there is an increasing interest in exploiting new noninvasive diagnostic tools, to increase the sensitivity of radiological diagnosis of HCC. Diffusion-weighted MR imaging and MR hepatobiliary contrast agents may represent useful tools for the detection and characterization of borderline hypovascular lesions by providing functional information such as water molecule motion in diffusion-weighted imaging and residual hepatobiliary function, which can be impaired early during the course of hepatocarcinogenesis. Also, dual-energy computed tomography (CT) represents an interesting new CT technology that could increase detectability and conspicuity of hypervascular lesions, thus possibly improving CT sensitivity in small HCCs. However, more data and further developments are needed to verify the usefulness of these new technologies in the diagnosis of HCC and to translate these recent advances into clinical practice.
Map-MRF based LIP segmentation without true segment number

This paper presents an MAP-MRF (i.e. maximum a posteriori — Markov random field) based image segmentation method to achieve stable performance without knowing the true segment number in advance. Specifically, we firstly assign the segment number a value greater than or equal to the ground truth. Subsequently, cluster centroid of each segment in observation space is initialized randomly so that each pixel can be assigned the Euclidean distance-based membership. Then, a 2-D MRF is constructed on the regular pixel lattice of the interesting image. Under MAP-MRF framework, the image segmentation can be regarded as a labeling problem with the label configuration determined by the segment label of membership winner on each site. We therefore propose an iterative algorithm by optimizing the objective function to fade out the over-segmentation, through which an optimal segmentation is achieved. Finally, an unsupervised lip segmentation scheme based on the proposed method is presented. Experiment shows its outstanding performance.