Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Political Selection Method for African Democracies

This essay, having identified the failure of political leadership as the bane of economic development and democracy in Africa, has outlined mechanisms for selecting high quality leaders into public office. In the first stage of the screening process, certain elements of costs are imposed on the intending politicians so as to deter the entry of dishonest politicians into politics. This is accomplished via the inverse relationship between the degree of honest and the costs of participation. The unique thing is that separating equilibrium that makes participation costs zero for honest individuals and heavy for their dishonest counterparts could in principle be obtained. Interestingly the mechanisms that generate information about the past of intending politicians also impose heavy costs on groups which supply this information.
Advanced feature based digital video stabilization

The present paper describes a low-cost algorithm for video stabilization. Like other feature based algorithms, it is robust to motion blur, noise and illumination changes. Moreover, maintaining real time processing, it is not negatively affected by moving objects in the scene, works fine even in conditions of low details in the background and it is robust to scene changes.
Twitsen , A Business Promotional Analyzing Model using Twitter

Twitter is a microblogging service with more than 500 million users which generates over 340 million tweets daily. This paper aims to harness the data from Twitter and measure the sentiment or opinion associated with the tweet message to assists in the feedback measurement of any product or object. It identifies the polarity of the product as positive, negative or neutral. Part Of Speech tagging is used on the text data for linguistic categorization along with Semantex, an automatic text analyzer which groups the verb classes and Wikipedia’s online dictionary, Wikitionary to determine the polarity of adjective in the tweets.
Dual frequency band and polarization reconfigurable antenna for mobile devices

This paper presents the design of a compact planar inverted-F antenna (PIFA) with reconfigurable dual resonance frequency of 800 MHz and 1.4 GHz, and switchable horizontal and vertical polarization for mobile devices. PIN diodes are used to electronically control the antenna's electrical path width so as to achieve the desired resonance frequencies. The narrower the electrical path, the higher the resonance frequency. The antenna comprises a coupled parasitic shorted strip and feeding strip. By controlling the ON/OFF states of two PIN diodes, four operation modes from two frequencies and two polarizations can be achieved. The proposed antenna has a gain of 3.7 dBi, efficiency of up to 92%, and a reflection coefficient of less than −10 dB over the resonant bands for both horizontal and vertical polarizations.
Game theoretical approach of downlink resource allocation in 5G wireless fusion networks

The wireless networks are requiring higher transmission speed and more reliable QoS, especially the 5G systems. Different network providers will run different quality of transmission services and the user could choose the suitable set. In this work, considering the varieties of transmission types and price, we propose a novel game theoretical solution of downlink resource allocation, the fusion of different types of transmission could significantly reduce the transmission price under the constraint of system Quality of Service (QoS). Simulation results prove the fact that by using our proposed game theoretical method, the price of the downlink transmission could be reduced up to 37% under the constraint of QoS, the expense is the time consumption and the signal processing delay.
Geriatric emergency medicine: Research priorities to respond to "The Silver Boom".

With this issue, CJEM devotes an entire section to research in the field of geriatric emergency medicine (EM), that subspecialty of EM that focuses on the needs of older patients and the opportunities for providing optimal care to them. I salute the editors for devoting this much space to work by researchers in an area that some practitioners still don’t even identify as “a thing”; while those of us identify it as “the thing that is going to have the largest impact on the practice of EM for the next 30 years. ” Even 10 years ago, focus on the care of older emergency department (ED) patients seemed like a niche interest. Ten years later, demographic realities have made the importance of that focus clear to anyone working in an ED. It is not necessary to review tedious demographic statistics. One look at any street or shopping mall or doctor’s waiting room in the Western world reveals that the shape and structure of society are changing. The population pyramid has been inverted, and, for the next several decades, there will be increasingly more people over age 65 than under age 30 in most societies in the world. Those people will be the main consumers of ED care. EM has always prided itself on its ability to respond to urgent social realities (AIDS, severe acute respiratory syndrome [SARS], gun violence, the opioid epidemic, etc.). As the policy statement from the International Federation of Emergency Medicine points out, the field of EM must embrace the reality that older people are among our core users and that their care needs are among our raisons d’être. Now is the time for EM to champion a system change to ensure optimal care to older patients – and to provide the research that supports and drives that change. In 2013, a consensus group of emergency physicians, nurses, and geriatricians published the Geriatric ED Guidelines. Those guidelines outline opportunities for improvement that can be implemented in any general ED, related to the following: ∙ Staffing – the addition of nurse-led geriatric case management and interdisciplinary teams to provide additional assessments ∙ Education – the addition of continuing professional development to enhance skills knowledge and attitudes about geriatric issues and their impact on ED care ∙ Processes of care – the addition of standardized protocols and procedures around screening, investigation, and management of conditions and presentations (from hip fractures to functional decline to frailty to unmet social needs) that are often present in older patients ∙ Transitions of care – the addition of strategies to integrate ED care with the continuum of the patient’s care (recognizing that the ED is not just the front door to the hospital but also a “front porch” before a return to the community) ∙ Physical environment of the ED – the addition of features that extend from a thorough re-build using senior-friendly features to ensuring the presence of the most basic features essential to caring for vulnerable older people (the presence of canes, walkers, warm blankets, and food! )
ForFun 1.0: Prague Database of Forms and Functions – An Invaluable Resource for Linguistic Research

In this paper, we introduce the first version of ForFun, Prague Database of Forms and Functions, as an invaluable resource for profound linguistic research, particularly in describing syntactic functions and their formal realizations. ForFun is built with the use of already existing richly syntactically annotated corpora, collectively called Prague Dependency Treebanks. ForFun brings this complex annotation of Czech sentences closer to researchers. We demonstrate that ForFun 1.0 provides valuable and rich material allowing to elaborate various syntactic issues in depth. We believe that nowadays when corpus linguistics differs from traditional linguistics in its insistence on a systematic study of authentic examples of language in use, our database will contribute to the comprehensive syntactic description.
Development of a Web Portal for Physical Activity and Symptom Tracking in Oncology Patients: Protocol for a Prospective Cohort Study

Background Significant benefits accrue from increasing physical activity levels in people with a history of cancer. Physical activity levels can be increased using behavioral change interventions in this population. Access to Web portals and provision of activity monitors to provide feedback may support behavior change by encouraging patient engagement in physical therapy. The Web portal evaluated in this study will provide a system to monitor physical activity and sleep, for use by both clinician and patient, along with symptom and health-related quality of life tracking capabilities. Objective The aim of this study was to outline a protocol for a feasibility study focused on a Web-based portal that provides activity monitoring and personalized messaging to increase physical activity in people with cancer. Methods Using a longitudinal cohort design, people with cancer will be serially allocated to 3 intervention cohorts of 20 participants each and followed for 10 weeks. Cohort 1 will be provided a wearable activity monitor and access to a Web-based portal. Cohort 2 will receive the same content as Cohort 1 and in addition will receive a weekly activity summary message. Cohort 3 will receive the same content as Cohorts 1 and 2 and in addition will receive a personalized weekly coaching message. Feasibility of the use of the portal is the primary outcome. Results Results are expected in early 2018. Outcome measures will include goal attainment and completion rate. Conclusions This study will provide information about the feasibility of investigating eHealth initiatives to promote physical activity in people with cancer. Registered Report Identifier RR1-10.2196/9586
Leveraging morphological information via employing word hashing for sequence labeling

State-of-the-art sequence labeling systems traditionally used handcrafted n-gram features and data pre-processing, but usually ignored character-level information. In this paper, we propose to apply word hashing method which can catch the morphological information of words to sequence labeling tasks. Auto-encoder is first employed to learn latent morphological representation in a pre-training stage. Our model benefits from both morphological and semantic features of words by using bidirectional LSTM structure. Experiment results show that our model achieves best result on Chunking task — 94.93% and NP-Chunking task — 95.70% on CoNLL2000 dataset and obtains competitive performance on NER task — 89.29% on CoNLL2003 dataset.
A Competitive Clustering on Bigdata N .

The vast increase in the volume of data has created a need for new applications and algorithms to quickly analyse the large scale of data. Many of the cluster analysis techniques like K-Means are used to compute the data in distributed systems, its accuracy depends on the initial seeding of centroids. The improvisation of K-Means algorithm shows good initial seeding but it suffers with the serial nature i.e., it takes long time on large data sets. In this paper we propose a new algorithm with Map Reduce implementation to address the above problems. Our algorithm provides parallel processing of data by dividing it into number of subsets using Hadoop with MapReducing methods. Our work provides good initial centers in a less time and also produces fast and accurate cluster analysis on
In vivo performance of a visible wavelength optical sensor for monitoring intestinal perfusion and oxygenation

Abstract. Traumatic injury resulting in hemorrhage is a prevalent cause of death worldwide. The current standard of care for trauma patients is to restore hemostasis by controlling bleeding and administering intravenous volume resuscitation. Adequate resuscitation to restore tissue blood flow and oxygenation is critical within the first hours following admission to assess severity and avoid complications. However, current clinical methods for guiding resuscitation are not sensitive or specific enough to adequately understand the patient condition. To better address the shortcomings of the current methods, an approach to monitor intestinal perfusion and oxygenation using a multiwavelength (470, 560, and 630 nm) optical sensor has been developed based on photoplethysmography and reflectance spectroscopy. Specifically, two sensors were developed using three wavelengths to measure relative changes in the small intestine. Using vessel occlusion, systemic changes in oxygenation input, and induction of hemorrhagic shock, the capabilities and sensitivity of the sensor were explored in vivo. Pulsatile and nonpulsatile components of the red, blue, and green wavelength signals were analyzed for all three protocols (occlusion, systemic oxygenation changes, and shock) and were shown to differentiate perfusion and oxygenation changes in the jejunum. The blue and green signals produced better correlation to perfusion changes during occlusion and shock, while the red and blue signals, using a new correlation algorithm, produced better data for assessing changes in oxygenation induced both systemically and locally during shock. The conventional modulation ratio method was found to be an ineffective measure of oxygenation in the intestine due to noise and an algorithm was developed based on the Pearson correlation coefficient. The method utilized the difference in phase between two different wavelength signals to assess oxygen content. A combination of measures from the three wavelengths provided verification of oxygenation and perfusion states, and showed promise for the development of a clinical monitor.
ICA domain filtering for reduction of noise in x-ray images

Radiological imaging such as x-ray CT is one of the most important tools for medical diagnostics. Since the radiological images are always with some quantum noise and the reduction of quantum noise or Poisson noise in medical images is an important issue. In this paper, we propose a new filtering based on independent component analysis (ICA) for reduction of noise. In the proposed filtering, the image (projection) is first transformed to ICA domain and then the components of scattered x-ray are removed by a soft thresholding (Shrinkage). The proposed method has been demonstrated by using both standard images and Monte Carlo simulations. Experimental results show that the quality of the image can be dramatically improved without any blurring in edge by the proposed filter
SmartTable: A Spreadsheet Program with Intelligent Assistance

We introduce SmartTable, an online spreadsheet application that is equipped with intelligent assistance capabilities. With a focus on relational tables, describing entities along with their attributes, we offer assistance in two flavors: (i) for populating the table with additional entities (rows) and (ii) for extending it with additional entity attributes (columns). We provide details of our implementation, which is also released as open source. The application is available at http://smarttable.cc.
Efficient Algorithm for Predicting QOS in Cloud Services

: Cloud computing model enables accessing to information resources in request time. On the other hand, there are different cloud Service providers which present services with different qualitative characteristics. Determining the best cloud computing service for a specific application is a serious problem for users. Ranking compares the different services offered by different providers based on quality of services, in order to select the most appropriate service. In this paper, the existing approaches for ranking cloud computing services are analyzed. The overall performance of each method is presented by reviewing and comparing of them. The essential features of an efficient rating mechanism are indicated. Cloud computing is becoming valuable now a days. Make high-performance based cloud applications is a critical research problem. QoS rankings provide essential information for making optimal cloud service selection from a set of functionally equivalent service candidates. For getting QoS values, real-world invocations on the service candidates are usually essential. To avoid the time-consuming factors and expensive real-world services invocations, this paper develop a QoS ranking prediction architecture for cloud services by taking advantage of the past service usage experiences of other consumers. Our proposed architecture requires no additional invocations of cloud services when making QoS ranking prediction. Here we develop two personalized QoS ranking prediction approaches are proposed to predict the QoS rankings directly. Comprehensive experiments are conducted for performance analysis. The experimental results show that our approach performance is efficient than other competing approaches.
Review of Saccharomyces boulardii as a treatment option in IBD

Abstract Context: Review of the yeast Saccharomyces boulardii as a treatment option for the inflammatory bowel diseases (IBD) ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease. Objective: IBD is caused by an inappropriate immune response to gut microbiota. Treatment options could therefore be prebiotics, probiotics, antibiotics and/or fecal transplant. In this review, we have looked at the evidence for the yeast S. boulardii as a treatment option. Material and methods: Searches in PubMed and the Cochrane Library with the MeSH words ‘Saccharomyces boulardii AND IBD’, ‘Saccharomyces boulardii AND Inflammatory Bowel Disease’, ‘Saccharomyces boulardii AND ulcerative colitis’ and ‘Saccharomyces boulardii AND Crohn’s disease’ gave total a total of 80 articles. After exclusions because of irrelevance, articles in other languages and some articles that were not available, 16 articles were included in this review. Results: Three of the clinical trials showed a positive effect of S. boulardii in IBD patients (two Crohn’s disease, one ulcerative colitis), while there was one trial that didn’t prove any effect (Crohn’s disease). Included Animal trials and cell assays describes different anti-inflammatory mechanisms of S. boulardii supporting a possible effect when treating IBD patients. Discussion: The number of studies of S. boulardii as treatment for IBD is limited. Furthermore, the existing trials have small populations and short duration. Conclusion: We do not have enough evidence to prove the effect of S. boulardii in IBD. Saccharomyces boulardii is, however, a plausible treatment option in the future, but more placebo-controlled clinical studies on both patients with ulcerative colitis and Crohn’s disease are needed.
The Postulate of the Three Regimes of Economic Growth Contradicted by Data

Economic growth in Western Europe, Eastern Europe, Asia, countries of the former USSR, Africa and Latin America were analysed. It is demonstrated that the fundamental postulate of the Unified Growth Theory about the existence of the three regimes of growth (Malthusian regime, post-Malthusian regime and sustained-growth regime) is contradicted by data. These regimes did not exist. In particular, there was no escape from the Malthusian trap because there was no trap. Economic growth in all these regions was not stagnant but hyperbolic. Unified Growth Theory is fundamentally incorrect. However, this theory is also dangerously misleading because it claimsa transition from the endless epoch of stagnation to the new era of sustained economic growth, the interpretation creating the sense of security and a promise of prosperity. The data show that the opposite is true. Economic growth in the past was sustained and secure. Now, it is supportedby the increasing ecological deficit. The long-term sustained and secure economic growth has yet to be created. It did not happen automatically, as suggested incorrectly by the Unified Growth Theory.
Low hepatitis C viral load predicts better long-term outcomes in patients undergoing resection of hepatocellular carcinoma irrespective of serologic eradication of hepatitis C virus.

PURPOSE Hepatitis C virus (HCV) infection has been recognized as a potent risk factor for the postoperative recurrence of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC). However, little is known about the impact of HCV viral load on surgical outcomes. The study objective was to investigate clinical significance of HCV viral load on long-term outcomes of HCC. PATIENTS AND METHODS Three hundred seventy patients who were classified as Child-Pugh class A and underwent curative liver resections for HCV-related HCC were divided into low and high viral load groups (≤ or > 5.3 log(10)IU/mL) based on the results of a minimum P value approach to predict moderate to severe activity of hepatitis; the clinical outcomes were then compared. RESULTS The 5-year recurrence-free survival rate was 36.1% in the low viral load group and 12.4% in the high viral load group (P < .001). The 5-year overall survival rate was 76.6% in the low viral load group and 57.7% in the high viral load group (P < .001). Multivariate analysis confirmed significant correlation between high viral load and tumor recurrence with a hazard ratio of 1.87 (95% CI, 1.41 to 2.48; P < .001). Subanalysis revealed that the favorable results in the low viral load group were not attributed to whether or not serologic eradication of HCV was obtained both in primary and recurrent lesions. CONCLUSION Low HCV viral load predicts better long-term surgical outcomes in patients with HCC regardless of the serologic eradication of HCV.
Vector-borne disease, climate change and urban design.

Mosquitoes and ticks are susceptible to climate because a) their mortality rates are affected by temperature and humidity; b) the rates of progress from one life stage to the next (and thus their lifecycle length and abundance) are temperature-dependent; c) breeding rates are affected by climate; and d) host-seeking activity of vectors varies with temperature and humidity. For mosquito-borne diseases the extrinsic incubation period – or the time it takes for a virus to get from the gut of a mosquito to its salivary glands – depends on temperature. If the climate is too cold, the extrinsic incubation period is longer than the average survival time of a mosquito so viral transmission will not occur. However, different VBDs will respond differently to the long-term changes in temperature and rainfall patterns and the increased climate variability and extreme weather events that are expected to occur with climate change.
Development of an Effective Gaze Writing System with an Interface for Text Copy and Paste

While many interfaces for gaze writing (text entry by eye gaze) are available today, these interfaces are just a replacement of a keyboard. For more efficient gaze writing, this paper proposes a novel gaze writing system which has two kinds of gaze writing interfaces: (1) an interface for text entry and (2) an interface for text copy and paste. The interface for text entry was selected from conventional interfaces based on experiments of workload evaluation of beginner users. The interface for text copy and paste, which is newly developed in our study, enables a user to specify a text range and paste the text to a desired position with only gaze interaction. To overcome the lack of accuracy of gaze pointing, the proposed system adopts the model of two step cursor control, which processes initial cursor setting and adjustment in turn. The experimental results have shown that the proposed interface makes gaze writing more efficiently.