Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Developing Digital Control System Centrifugal Pumping Unit Digital Control Systems

Currently, the leading Russian oil companies engaged in the development of automatic control systems (ACS) oil equipment, to improve its efficiency. As an example of an object needed to optimize its work, a centrifugal pumping unit (CPU) can be specified. Frequency actuators provide an opportunity to run CPU in any algorithm, and many industrial controllers, are part of the automatic control system technological process (ACSTP), allow optimizing the operation of the centrifugal pumping unit and help determine the requirements for the development of digital automatic control system for CPU. The development of digital automatic control systems for such a complex nonlinear control object like CPU has several features that should be considered when designing control systems for that object. KeywordsACS Automatic Control System; CPUCentrifugal Pumping Unit; PIDA proportional–integral–derivative.
Low Back Pain in Adolescent Athletes: Comparison of Diagnoses Made by General Orthopedic Surgeons and Spine Surgeons

ABSTRACT Background: Nonspecific low back pain (NSLBP) is a term used to describe low back pain of unknown origin with no identifiable generators. Over a decade ago, it was reported to account for about 85% of all cases of low back pain, although there is some doubt about the frequency. The purpose of this study was to determine the frequency of NSLBP in adolescent athletes diagnosed by general orthopedic surgeons and by spine surgeons. Materials and Methods: A total of 69 adolescent athletes consulted our sports spine clinic to seek a second opinion for low back pain. Data on age, sex, type of sport played, the previous diagnosis made by general orthopedic surgeons, and the final diagnosis made by spine surgeons were collected retrospectively from medical records. Results: The frequency of NSLBP diagnosed by general orthopedic surgeons was 18.9% and decreased to 1.4% after careful imaging and functional nerve block examination by spine surgeons. The final diagnoses made by spine surgeons for those patients previously diagnosed as having NSLBP by general orthopedic surgeons were as follows: early-stage lumbar spondylolysis, discogenic low back pain, facet joint arthritis, lumbar disc herniation, and lumbar apophyseal ring fracture. Conclusions: In adolescent athletes, the rate of NSLBP diagnosed by general orthopedic surgeons decreased markedly when the diagnosis was made by spine surgeons. A thorough medical interview, careful physical examination, appropriate diagnostic imaging, and selective nerve block examination can effectively identify the cause of low back pain.
AdaBoost and Histograms for Fast Face Detection

A popular learning method for solving classification problems is AdaBoost, which combines an ensemble of weak classifiers into a strong classifier. In this report the real version of AdaBoost is used on the face detection problem and the weak classifiers are modeled by simple histograms. A face detector of the Viola-Jones type is built to detect frontal faces in un-constrained images. The real-time performance of the system is attributed to how AdaBoost selects a small number of critical visual features and how more and more complex classifiers are combined in a cascade. Results are demonstrated on a real-world test set and show that similar detection rates can be achieved with less than half the number of weak classifiers needed for standard AdaBoost.
Using Eye-Movement Events to Determine the Mental Workload of Surgical Residents

These days, eye-tracking is one of the promising technologies used in different fields such as aviation, arts, sports, psychology and driving for several purposes. Even though it is being used for health purposes, studies involving eye-tracking are rare in the field of endo-neurosurgery. This study aims to use this technology to promote our understanding of the effect related to computer-based instructional materials on mental workload of endo-neurosurgery residents. Four computer-based simulation scenarios are developed based on skill development requirements of endo-neurosurgery residents. Two of them were designed as general models and the other two as simulated surgical models. During these surgery procedures, in real settings, surgical residents need to use their both hands simultaneously to control the endoscope and the operational tool in a coordinated fashion. Therefore, to shed light on the participants’ behaviors, these scenarios are performed with dominant-hand, non-dominant hand and, finally with both-hands using haptic interfaces. Twenty-three residents volunteered in this study. Their eye-movements were recorded while performing the scenarios. According to the results of this study, when performing the simulated surgical models, an increase in the participants’ mental workload was recorded when compared to the other scenarios. Accordingly, it can be concluded that the eye-movements of surgical residents can provide insights about the anticipated level of difficulty about the skill-based tasks. This information might be very critical to properly design and organize instructional materials for endo-neurosurgery, and also to better guide and evaluate the progress of trainees in computer simulation-based skill training environments.
Can archaeology become a positive working environment for adults with autism spectrum disorders?

ABSTRACT Within this paper I explore the potential of archaeology to be used to engage with, and provide a positive workspace for, adults with Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD). I make use of qualitative research methods, predominantly semi-structured interviews, to identify issues which may prevent adults with ASD gaining or maintaining employment. I present a set of proposed guidelines for working with adults with ASD. I believe that these guidelines would be relatively straightforward to implement, and encourage debate around their introduction. The work focuses on working within the United Kingdom, although the guidelines proposed can be applied in a wider context. I present these guidelines as the starting point for a discussion regarding what archaeologists can do to create a positive workplace for adults with ASD.
Perspectives Perspectives Perspectives Perspectives Perspectives Remote Sensing and Human Health: New Sensors and New Opportunities

Remote sensing data enable scientists to study the earth's biotic and abiotic components. These components and their changes have been mapped from space at several temporal and spatial scales since 1972. A small number of investigators in the health community have explored remotely sensed environmental factors that might be associated with disease-vector habitats and human transmission risk. However, most human health studies using remote sensing data have focused on data from Landsat's Multispectral Scanner (MSS) and Thematic Mapper (TM), the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA)'s Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer (AVHRR), and France's Système Pour l'Observation de la Terre (SPOT). In many of these studies (Table 1), remotely sensed data were used to derive three variables: vegetation cover, landscape structure, and water bodies. International space agencies are planning an estimated 80 earth-observing missions in the next 15 years (29). During these missions >200 instruments will measure additional environmental features such as ocean color and other currently detectable variables, but at much higher spatial and spectral resolutions. The commercial sector is also planning to launch several systems in the next 5 years that could provide complementary data (30). These new capabilities will improve spectral, spatial, and temporal resolution, allowing exploration of risk factors previously beyond the capabilities of remote sensing. In addition, advances in pathogen, vector, and reservoir and host ecology have allowed assessment of a greater range of environmental factors that promote disease transmission, vector production, and the emergence and maintenance of disease foci, as well as risk for human-vector contact. Advances in computer processing and in geographic information system and global positioning system technologies facilitate integration of remotely sensed environmental parameters with health data so that models for disease surveillance and control can be developed. Since the launch of Landsat-1 28 years ago, remotely sensed data have been used to map features on the earth's surface. An increasing number of health studies have used remotely sensed data for monitoring, surveillance, or risk mapping, particularly of vector-borne diseases. Nearly all studies used data from Landsat, the French Système Pour l'Observation de la Terre, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's Advanced Very High Resolution Radiometer. New sensor systems are in orbit, or soon to be launched, whose data may prove useful for characterizing and monitoring the spatial and temporal patterns of infectious diseases. Increased computing power and spatial modeling capabilities of geographic information systems could extend the use of …
Design of a Virtual Reality System for the Study of Diagram Use in Organic Chemistry

Organic chemists must be adept at relating different 2D diagrammatic representations of molecules while also understanding their 3D structure. Concrete (3D) models can aid students in developing these aspects of representational competence but a growing trend is to incorporate virtual 3D models into instruction. In this paper, we describe the design of a virtual reality system to investigate how students use virtual models, for learning about different structural diagrams common in organic chemistry. We follow with preliminary results of a study comparing the relative effectiveness of virtual versus concrete models. Participants performed tasks using either virtual or concrete models to match or to complete three different types of molecular diagrams. The preliminary results suggest a benefit of using virtual models over concrete models.
Allergic diseases: the price of civilisational progress

Atopic disorders are a major global health problem. The prevalence of asthma, allergic rhinitis and atopic dermatitis has been increasing over the last four decades, both in the industrialized and developing countries. It seems to be related to changes in the social structure, increasing industrialization, pollution and dietary changes. Many hypotheses link the allergy epidemic to stringent hygiene, dominance of a westernized lifestyle and an accelerated pace of life. Dietary antioxidants, lipids, sodium, vitamin D seem also to be implicated. We endeavour to review the most relevant theories with a special emphasis on the hygiene, antioxidative, lipid and air pollution hypotheses. It is however important to note that none of them explains all the aspects of unprecedented rise in the prevalence of allergic disorders. A complex interplay between host's immune response, invading pathogens, diversity of environmental factors and genetic background seems to be of a particular importance. Current allergy epidemic is multifactorial and basic and epidemiologic studies are warranted to further our understanding of this phenomenon.
Joint Relay Selection and Resource Allocation for D2D-Enabled Cellular Communications

Device-to-device (D2D) communications allow direct transmissions between two proximate user equipments (UEs) under the control of base stations (BSs), which can improve local services and spectrum efficiency in cellular networks. In this paper, we propose an efficient resource allocation scheme and a low complexity relay selection strategy for D2D communications enabled cellular networks, where a D2D UE can act as a source as well as a potential relay for other UEs. Consider the selection cooperation (SC) rule which restricts relaying for a D2D transmitter to only one relay (i.e., another D2D transmitter) is imposed. First, we formulate the resource allocation problem for the cooperative D2D transmitters as a bargaining game. By solving the Nash bargaining solution (NBS) of the game, proportional fair (PF) rate allocation for the D2D communications can be achieved. Next, to implement the SC rule, a simple heuristic is proposed which is used to maintain the long-term priority fairness of relay selection for each D2D link. The proposed algorithm has a low computational complexity of O(N2), where N is the number of cooperative D2D transmitters in a game. Simulation results demonstrate the system efficiency and fairness properties of the proposed scheme.
Accuracy evaluation of SRTM and ASTER DSMs

Over the last few years DSMs derived from satellite sensors, as SRTM (Space Shuttle Radar Topography Mission) and ASTER (Advance Space borne Thermal Emission and Reflection Radiometer) DSMs, have been issued and continuously updated. The SRTM DSM is delivered in three different versions (Finished, DTED, CGIAR), with different nominal accuracy covering a large part of the world at a resolution of 3’’ x 3’’. The goal of the work is to evaluate these products by a comparison carried out over Colli Albani area in Italy with two reference DSMs obtained by a LIDAR survey and by a CARTOSAT-1 stereopair, in order to assess both mean accuracy and its dependency on morphology and land cover types.
LARGE PROPER MOTIONS IN THE YOUNG LOW-MASS PROTOSTELLAR SYSTEM IRAS 16293 – 2422

We compare high angular resolution VLA 3.6-cm continuum observations of the protostellar system IRAS 16293–2422 obtained in 1989 and 1994, and show that the positions of the three VLA sources in IRAS 16293–2422 have changed significantly between the two epochs. The corresponding angular displacements are much larger than the parallax of those sources, and imply transverse velocities (10– 30 km s) well above the Keplerian rotation speeds expected for those low–mass sources. The proper motions of two of the components appear to be very similar to one another, and to the proper motions of pre–main sequence stars in the same direction. We argue that they correspond to the overall proper motion of the small cloud (L1689N) harboring IRAS 16293–2422. The displacement of the third source, however, is larger and in a different direction. That component has previously been argued to be a shock between a partially ionized wind and the ambient medium, so some fast motions are not unexpected. It is somewhat puzzling, however, that the direction of the motion does not coincide with the direction of any of the known outflows powered by IRAS 16293–2422.
Neutrophil adhesion to E‐selectin under shear promotes the redistribution and co‐clustering of ADAM17 and its proteolytic substrate L‐selectin

E‐selectin is expressed by the vascular endothelium and binds flowing neutrophils in the blood to facilitate their recruitment into the underlying tissue at sites of inflammation. L‐selectin on neutrophils is engaged by E‐selectin and undergoes rapid clustering and then coalescence in the trailing edge of polarizing cells. These processes are believed to increase the valency and capacity of L‐selectin to signal CD18 integrin activity. Neutrophils, upon exiting the microvasculature, down‐regulate their surface L‐selectin through ectodomain shedding by a disintegrin and metalloprotease 17 (ADAM17). We reasoned that neutrophil tethering and rolling on E‐selectin might initiate a coordinate change in the membrane distribution of ADAM17 as well. We found that ADAM17 indeed underwent a dramatic cell surface redistribution to the trailing edge of neutrophils rolling on purified E‐selectin when activated by a chemoattractant under shear flow; however, its lateral migration occurred at a slower rate than L‐selectin. ADAM17 and L‐selectin also redistributed in the same manner in neutrophils attached to IL‐1β‐stimulated HUVEC under shear flow. In contrast, the coalescence of L‐selectin on the surface of neutrophils by antibody cross‐linking did not promote the redistribution of ADAM17, suggesting that these molecules do not constitutively associate in the plasma membrane. Together, our findings reveal that neutrophil activation upon E‐selectin adhesion initiates active transport of ADAM17 and L‐selectin to the cell uropod, thus providing additional insight into the molecular mechanisms that regulate L‐selectin during leukocyte extravasation.
Nash's Nobel

We've all been to see A Beautiful Mind, the Oscar winning film about John Nash, starring Russell Crowe. Although Nash won a Nobel for economics, the film focuses on the love story and mental health aspects. So if you're the rare actuary whose education has left intact some residue of intellectual curiosity, you might have left the film with a few unanswered questions. In insurance, game theory has been proposed for evaluation of strategic options involving competitor responses, and explanation of phenomena such as premium cycles. This note explains the concept of a Nash equilibrium, outlining the game theory context and the key results for which Nash gained his Nobel.
Specialization and Division of Labour in Distributed Autonomous Agents Dissertation in fulfilment of the requirement for the degree of Master of Science in Computer Science

Ants solve complex and dynamic problems with virtually no formalized mechanisms to coordinate their work. Ants are known to divide the labour, such that highly specialized groups perform different tasks. This enhances colony efficiency. As a model for computing ants are good because they are simple, distributed, autonomous and yet solve complex tasks. In this thesis specific questions are addressed regarding how ants achieve division of labour, and how to achieve division of labour in distributed autonomous software agents. Multi-agent simulations has been performed, which enabled me to evolve complex behaviour for software agents that facilitated division of labour in both a transportation optimisation problem, and in a waste management optimisation problem. Swarm intelligence was used as a modelling method, and evolutionary algorithms were used to evolve controller logic for the agents.
Mobile radio frequency charger for wireless sensor networks in the smart grid

Smart grid is the future vision for supplying energy. It integrates the advances in power engineering as well as information technology and telecommunication in one cohesive network. However, this vision poses several challenges; one of the key challenges is the continuous monitoring of the state of every component (e.g. voltage, current, temperature, energy consumption, energy prices, etc.) in the system. Wireless sensor network is a promising candidate for fulfilling this task. This work suggests a new realistic approach for providing energy for the deployed sensor nodes using mobile charger. The aim is to sustain the operation of the sensor network in terms of data transmission and coverage. The proposed approach integrates the cluster formation process using LEACH-C with the recharging process by defining the required emitted energy as well as the locations to be visited by the mobile charger. The main objectives are to maximize the nodes battery utilization, distribute power effectively from the energy harvester, and optimize the distance between mobile charger and sensor nodes. We tested our approach using NS2 simulator. The simulation results have shown the achievement of the above objectives.
Analysis of Probabilistic Error Checking Procedures on Storage Systems

Conventionally, error checking on storage systems is performed on-the-fly (with probability 1) as the storage system is being accessed in order to improve the reliability of the storage system. However, such a procedure may needlessly cause degraded performance due to the extra processing time needed for executing the error checking code. In this paper, we consider fault-tolerant storage systems designed to provide continuous services to customers over a mission period and the design goal is (1) to maximize the cumulative number of requests that the storage system can service without failure over the mission period or (2) to be able to service at least a given number of requests without failure over the mission period with its system reliability maximized. We develop a Markov reward model to identify the design conditions under which probabilistic error checking procedures can better satisfy this design goal than conventional on-the-fly error checking procedures. The result helps determine the best time interval between successive executions of the error checking procedure to meet such design goal and is useful for designing adaptive systems that can temporarily tradeoff reliability for performance to meet design goal (2) in response to dynamic workload changes in the environment.
Revisiting mediational models of sport commitment with female gymnasts

The purpose of this study was to test alternative models of sport commitment with a youth sport sample. Competitive female gymnasts (N = 792; Levels 4–10), ages 8–19 years (M = 11.68, SD = 2.33), completed measures designed to assess the determinants of commitment. Data were analysed via path analysis models in the lavaan package in R. Three separate models were fitted: (a) direct effects model, (b) a mediational model testing the indirect effects of the predictors via enjoyment, and (c) direct and indirect effects of the predictors on sport commitment. Of the models tested, the direct and indirect effects model yielded the best fit of the data (RMSE = .03 90% CI [.000, .057], TLI = .989, CFI = .997, NFI = .989; 67% of the variance in commitment explained). The model revealed that enjoyment, involvement opportunities, investments, and attractive alternatives had a direct effect on commitment. With regard to the indirect effects of the determinants on commitment via enjoyment, attractive alternatives, involvement opportunities, investments, costs, parent and best friend social constraints, and coach and teammate social support had direct effects on enjoyment, which predicted the level of gymnastics commitment. Additionally, some differences emerged in the salient predictors of commitment for high versus low level competitors. The role of enjoyment within commitment is complex depending on competitive level, and future research should consider alternative models when examining the role of social influence on sport commitment.
Adaptation and exogenous selection in a Picea glauca × Picea engelmannii hybrid zone: implications for forest management under climate change

The nature of selection responsible for the maintenance of the economically and ecologically important Picea glauca × Picea engelmannii hybrid zone was investigated. Genomic, phenotypic and climatic data were used to test assumptions of hybrid zone maintenance and to model future scenarios under climate change. Genome-wide estimates of admixture based on a panel of 86 candidate gene single nucleotide polymorphisms were combined with long-term quantitative data on growth and survival (over 20 yr), as well as one-time assessments of bud burst and bud set phenology, and cold hardiness traits. A total of 15 498 individuals were phenotyped for growth and survival. Our results suggest that the P. glauca × P. engelmannii hybrid zone is maintained by local adaptation to growing season length and snowpack (exogenous selection). Hybrids appeared to be fitter than pure species in intermediate environments, which fits expectations of the bounded hybrid superiority model of hybrid zone maintenance. Adaptive introgression from parental species has probably contributed to increased hybrid fitness in intermediate habitats. While P. engelmannii ancestry is higher than P. glauca ancestry in hybrid populations, on average, selective breeding in managed hybrid populations is shifting genomic composition towards P. glauca, potentially pre-adapting managed populations to warmer climates.