Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelling and Evaluation of Surgical Performance Using Hidden Markov Models

Minimally invasive surgery has become very widespread in the last ten years. Since surgeons experience difficulties in learning and mastering minimally invasive techniques, the development of training methods is of great importance. While the introduction of virtual reality-based simulators has introduced a new paradigm in surgical training, skill evaluation methods are far from being objective. This paper proposes a method for defining a model of surgical expertise and an objective metric to evaluate performance in laparoscopic surgery. Our approach is based on the processing of kinematic data describing movements of surgical instruments. We use hidden Markov model theory to define an expert model that describes expert surgical gesture. The model is trained on kinematic data related to exercises performed on a surgical simulator by experienced surgeons. Subsequently, we use this expert model as a reference model in the definition of an objective metric to evaluate performance of surgeons with different abilities. Preliminary results show that, using different topologies for the expert model, the method can be efficiently used both for the discrimination between experienced and novice surgeons, and for the quantitative assessment of surgical ability
An assessment of perceptions of social isolation among elderly within an evaluation of the Older and Bolder activity program

Studies have shown the relationship between social isolation and a variety of adverse physical, mental and social issues [Sorkin, 2002, Prairie Women’s Health Center of Excellence, 1999, The National Heart Foundation of Australia, 2003, and Melnik, Helferd, Firmery and Wales, 1994]. It seems that further study of social isolation and loneliness can be a key factor to improving elderly health levels. The Older and Bolder program, which aims to increase the level of physical activity among older adults in the Northern Region of the Illawarra, has been running for over two years, and an evaluation of the Program could be beneficial for participants and prospective participants. Therefore, the aim of this study is to evaluate aspects of participation and effects on social isolation among the older adults in the Older and Bolder program. Methods used in this study include focus group discussions, questionnaires and interviews. Of 50 participants, eleven participants were randomly selected and discussed on their views and experiences of participation in the Older and Bolder program during focus group discussions. The impediments and benefits gained through Older and Bolder were asked in questionnaires that were sent out to all 50 participants and 26 non-participants. The University of California, Los Angeles (UCLA) Loneliness Scale was adopted to measure each individual’s loneliness level and a weekly diary was provided to assess the level of social contacts, which were placed in the questionnaire. Interviews were conducted to inquire about the personal meaning of social isolation; feelings of loneliness and the level of social contacts with ten participants and six non-participants that were randomly selected. A contents analysis was used for analyses of collected data from focus group discussions and interviews. Statistical tests, such as the t-test, Chi-square test, tests for correlation, and Kolmogorov-Smimov test, were used for analyses of collected data from questionnaires. The significance level was set out at 5 per cent. In the focus group discussions, it was discovered that finding activities that suit the participants’ age, having a regular schedule, establishing a new lifestyle, and increasing social contacts with others appeared to be the most important aspects of the Older and Bolder program. From the survey, it was found that declining physical conditions and medical limitations were common impediments for participation, and health problems were the most common reasons for former participants to quit the program. Social benefits, such
Aplicação de exame de resposta auditiva de estado estável para avaliação da atenuação de protetores auriculares

O objetivo desta pesquisa foi determinar os níveis de atenuação de Dispositivos de Proteção Auditivos (DPAs), usando um teste chamado Resposta Auditiva de Estado Estável (RAEE). O teste RAEE é um exame eletrofisiológico que usa elétrodos paara captar a atividade elétrica do tronco encefálico, sem depender da resposta do indivíduo, eliminando a subjetividade, assim como aspectos ligados à atenção, tempo de resposta, níveis de audição, etc. Neste método foram avaliados dez indivíduos, por meio da RAEE, estimulando-se o sistema de audição, primeiro sem protetor e, subsequentemente, com dois tipos de protetores auditivos, a saber, um de inserção intra-auricular outro circunauricular de uso comum no mercado. Os resultados evidenciaram valores inferiores àqueles expressos no Certificado de Aprovação: para o plug, uma diferença de 10,3 dB, e para a concha, 4,3 dB. Na repetição dos testes, encontrou-se uma boa repetitividade, com diferença entre zero e 5 dB para 72,2% das frequências testadas.
Remembering or knowing others? Person recognition and recollective experience

Using Tulving's (1985) remember/know procedure, the present research investigated the experiential concomitants of person recognition. Noting basic differences in the manner in which the mind processes expectancy-related material, it was anticipated that facial typicality would be a critical determinant of people's recollective experiences (i.e., remembering vs knowing). In particular, it was expected that whereas remember responses would be more prevalent for distinctive than typical faces, know responses would reflect the opposite pattern. The results of two experiments provided general support for these predictions. In addition, the recollective advantage for distinctive faces was traced to the availability of attentional resources at encoding. These results are considered in the context of contemporary issues in person recognition and social cognition.
A LOW COMPLEXITY ERROR CONCEALMENT SCHEME FOR MPEG-4 CODED VIDEO SEQUENCES

2001, Bangalore, India. (Organized by the IEEE Bangalore Section.) Personal use of this material is permitted. However, permission to reprint/republish this material for advertising or promotional purposes or for creating new collective works for resale or redistribution to servers or lists, or to reuse any copyrighted component of this work in other works must be obtained from the IEEE Bangalore Section, India and Ittiam Systems Pvt. Ltd.
Mosaic Prophages with Horizontally Acquired Genes Account for the Emergence and Diversification of the Globally Disseminated M1T1 Clone of Streptococcus pyogenes

ABSTRACT The recrudescence of severe invasive group A streptococcal (GAS) diseases has been associated with relatively few strains, including the M1T1 subclone that has shown an unprecedented global spread and prevalence and high virulence in susceptible hosts. To understand its unusual epidemiology, we aimed to identify unique genomic features that differentiate it from the fully sequenced M1 SF370 strain. We constructed DNA microarrays from an M1T1 shotgun library and, using differential hybridization, we found that both M1 strains are 95% identical and that the 5% unique M1T1 clone sequences more closely resemble sequences found in the M3 strain, which is also associated with severe disease. Careful analysis of these unique sequences revealed three unique prophages that we named M1T1.X, M1T1.Y, and M1T1.Z. While M1T1.Y is similar to phage 370.3 of the M1-SF370 strain, M1T1.X and M1T1.Z are novel and encode the toxins SpeA2 and Sda1, respectively. The genomes of these prophages are highly mosaic, with different segments being related to distinct streptococcal phages, suggesting that GAS phages continue to exchange genetic material. Bioinformatic and phylogenetic analyses revealed a highly conserved open reading frame (ORF) adjacent to the toxins in 18 of the 21 toxin-carrying GAS prophages. We named this ORF paratox, determined its allelic distribution among different phages, and found linkage disequilibrium between particular paratox alleles and specific toxin genes, suggesting that they may move as a single cassette. Based on the conservation of paratox and other genes flanking the toxins, we propose a recombination-based model for toxin dissemination among prophages. We also provide evidence that a minor population of the M1T1 clonal isolates have exchanged their virulence module on phage M1T1.Y, replacing it with a different module identical to that found on a related M3 phage. Taken together, the data demonstrate that mosaicism of the GAS prophages has contributed to the emergence and diversification of the M1T1 subclone.
Measures of Goodness for Color Scanners

Color errors in scanners arise from two sources: the non-colorimetric nature of the scanner sensitivities and the measurement noise. Several measures of goodness have been used to evaluate scanners based on these errors. In this paper, the trustworthiness of these measures is studied through simulations. A new measure incorporating both the above sources of errors and providing excellent agreement with perceived color error is also presented.
Model-free force tracking control of piezoelectric actuators: Application to variable damping actuator

On a new demand of safe human-robot interaction for robotic applications, the Compact Compliant Actuator, named CompActTM, is recently developed with physical compliance and active variable damping. In this mechanism, a desired physical damping behavior is realized by generating a friction force which is actively controlled by piezoelectric actuators (PEAs). However, nonlinearities such as hysteresis and creep effect make difficult to precisely control the generated piezoelectric force. This paper focuses on a development of precise force tracking controller for PEAs. A time delay estimation (TDE) using a force feedback is newly proposed to compensate a hysteretic behavior of the PEA and external uncertainties without a mathematical model. Thanks to the force-based TDE, the proposed control is accurate, computationally efficient and easily implementable on the real PEA system. The proposed control scheme is experimentally verified on the CompActTM. Root-mean-square values of the steady-state error for step commands are kept as less than error ratio of 0.13 % and the closed-loop system bandwidth for sinusoidal commands of 20 N stroke is confirmed as about 11 Hz under 100 N payload. In addition, the stability of the proposed control is proved to be bounded-input-bounded-output (BIBO) stable.
ANGIE : Adaptive Network for Granular Information and Evidence Processing

In this paper the possibility of using adaptive networks in fuzzy-evidence-based decision support systems is considered. The architecture and learning algorithm underlying ANGIE (adaptive network for granular information processing) is presented. The proposed learning procedure helps in solving a task that can be related to sensitivity analysis in decision aid models. The proposed adaptive network can be used as a decision support system or as a tool for determining the significance and contribution of fuzzy features to the reaching of the desired value of the fuzzy criterion.
The Dysfunctions of MIDI

The Musical Instrument Digital Interface (MIDI) is now a de facto standard for the digital representation of musical events. Actions of live musical performers are being "MIDIfied," commercial software is being based on MIDI-gated conceptions, and digital synthesizers are being slaved to MIDI masters. MIDI-based hardware and software is also proliferating at a tremendous rate, virtually ensuring that the characteristics of MIDI will play an important role in shaping a significant portion of future music. This paper concentrates on known dysfunctions of MIDI from a purely musical point of view, paying particular attention to performance capture, the digital representation of musical control processes, and synthesizer control.
A Case Study of Power and the Eroticized Transference–Countertransference

This study of power in the eroticized transference–countertransference presents two sessions in the middle stage of an analysis of a woman struggling with issues of anxiety about her own power and a belief that her love and desires are destructive, toxic, and murderous. The case is presented from a neo-Kleinian/relational perspective in which the analytic strategy focuses on the development of enactments and transitional experiences and the use of evocative, presentational language, in contrast to a more traditional interpretive strategy in which discursive language concentrates on historical explanation and the differentiation of fantasy and reality. The two contiguous sessions begin with the patient's concerns about the bad behavior of the analyst and his male colleagues at an institute group-process conference. These reservations reflect the patient's anxieties about potential destructiveness and aggression, her resentment about the unfairness of men's sense of social and professional privilege, and th.
Dynamic networks and directed percolation

We introduce a model for dynamic networks, where the links or the strengths of the links change over time. We solve the model by mapping dynamic networks to the problem of directed percolation, where the direction corresponds to the time evolution of the network. We show that the dynamic network undergoes a percolation phase transition at a critical concentration pc, that decreases with the rate r at which the network links are changed. The behavior near criticality is universal and independent of r. We find that for dynamic random networks fundamental laws are changed. i) The size of the giant component at criticality scales with the network size N for all values of r, rather than as N2/3 in static networks. ii) In the presence of a broad distribution of disorder, the optimal path length between two nodes in a dynamic network scales as N1/2, compared to N1/3 in a static network.
Blocking Pore-open Mutants of CLC-0 by Amphiphilic Blockers

The blockade of CLC-0 chloride channels by p-chlorophenoxy acetate (CPA) has been thought to be state dependent; the conformational change of the channel pore during the “fast gating” alters the CPA binding affinity. Here, we examine the mechanism of CPA blocking in pore-open mutants of CLC-0 in which the residue E166 was replaced by various amino acids. We find that the CPA-blocking affinities depend upon the volume and the hydrophobicity of the side chain of the introduced residue; CPA affinity can vary by three orders of magnitude in these mutants. On the other hand, mutations at the intracellular pore entrance, although affecting the association and dissociation rates of the CPA block, generate only a modest effect on the steady-state blocking affinity. In addition, various amphiphilic compounds, including fatty acids and alkyl sulfonates, can also block the pore-open mutants of CLC-0 through a similar mechanism. The blocking affinity of fatty acids and alkyl sulfonates increases with the length of these amphiphilic blockers, a phenomenon similar to the block of the Shaker K+ channel by long-chain quaternary ammonium (QA) ions. These observations lead us to propose that the CPA block of the open pore of CLC-0 is similar to the blockade of voltage-gated K+ channels by long-chain QAs or by the inactivation ball peptide: the blocker first uses the hydrophilic end to “dock” at the pore entrance, and the hydrophobic part of the blocker then enters the pore to interact with a more hydrophobic region of the pore. This blocking mechanism appears to be very general because the block does not require a precise structural fit between the blocker and the pore, and the blocking mechanism applies to the cation and anion channels with unrelated pore architectures.
Design and Evaluation of Ocusert for Controlled Delivery of Flurbiprofen Sodium

Purpose: The basic objective of this study is to develop the Flurbiprofen sodium soluble ocusert to increase patient compliance by improving local delivery of the drug. Materials and Methods: Three different polymers were used in combination to prepare the rate controlling membrane. The drug reservoir was prepared by using hydroxy propyl methyl cellulose. Ocuserts were evaluated for their physicochemical parameters. The optimized formulations were further evaluated for accelerated stability studies, eye irritancy tests, and for in vivo drug release studies. Results: Ocuserts were found stable at room temperature and showed a strong positive correlation between in vitro and in vivo drug release. Conclusion: An appropriate combination of hydrophilic and hydrophobic polymers provides better control of drug delivery.
A dynamic gesture recognition system for the Korean sign language (KSL)

The sign language is a method of communication for the deaf-mute. Articulated gestures and postures of hands and fingers are commonly used for the sign language. This paper presents a system which recognizes the Korean sign language (KSL) and translates into a normal Korean text. A pair of data-gloves are used as the sensing device for detecting motions of hands and fingers. For efficient recognition of gestures and postures, a technique of efficient classification of motions is proposed and a fuzzy min-max neural network is adopted for on-line pattern recognition.
DC bus current optimization control strategy in DFIG wind power systems with current source converter

This paper proposes the dc bus current optimization control strategy in DFIG wind power systems with current source converter (CSC). In CSC-based systems, the converter losses are dependent on the dc bus current so that it is important to reduce it to minimum. The dc current is chosen as the larger value of rotor side converter (RSC) current and grid side converter (GSC) current. The RSC current is usually larger than GSC current because RSC will provide the generator's exciting current additionally. If the generator's stator can provide some reactive power to provide part of the exciting current, and the GSC compensate this part of reactive power to keep the grid working in unit power factor condition, the dc bus can be reduced further. The detailed control strategies for optimum dc bus converter are proposed. The simulation results has verified the validation of dc bus current optimization control strategy.
Which States Matter? An Application of an Intelligent Discretization Method to Solve a Continuous POMDP in Conservation Biology

When managing populations of threatened species, conservation managers seek to make the best conservation decisions to avoid extinction. Making the best decision is difficult because the true population size and the effects of management are uncertain. Managers must allocate limited resources between actively protecting the species and monitoring. Resources spent on monitoring reduce expenditure on management that could be used to directly improve species persistence. However monitoring may prevent sub-optimal management actions being taken as a result of observation error. Partially observable Markov decision processes (POMDPs) can optimize management for populations with partial detectability, but the solution methods can only be applied when there are few discrete states. We use the Continuous U-Tree (CU-Tree) algorithm to discretely represent a continuous state space by using only the states that are necessary to maintain an optimal management policy. We exploit the compact discretization created by CU-Tree to solve a POMDP on the original continuous state space. We apply our method to a population of sea otters and explore the trade-off between allocating resources to management and monitoring. We show that accurately discovering the population size is less important than management for the long term survival of our otter population.
Maternal distress during pregnancy and language development in preschool age: A population-based cohort study

Recent studies have emphasized the importance of the prenatal period for children's cognitive development. Prenatal exposure to psychological distress has been identified as one potential agent affecting neurodevelopment, although research in this area has been marked by some contradictory findings and methodological limitations. This study aimed to investigate the effect of maternal distress during pregnancy on language development of preschool children. This study was based on the Norwegian Mother and Child Cohort Study conducted at the Norwegian Institute of Public Health. The sample was composed of 34,089 women and their children. We assessed the role of maternal prenatal distress on child language over and above that of premature low birth weight (PLBW) status and postnatal maternal distress. Fear of giving birth had a negative impact on language outcome at age three over and above the effect of PLBW status and postnatal maternal distress. However, this effect was of minimal magnitude. Moreover, when examining whether differences in language skills between siblings were associated with differences in experienced levels of prenatal stress across pregnancies (sibling fixed-effects models), no significant effects were found. Our study suggests that prenatal distress within moderate limits does not seem to have an independent impact on child language performance in the preschool years and emphasizes the importance of considering the contextual role played by more stable maternal and family characteristics.
Emerging social awareness: Exploring intrinsic motivation in multiagent learning

Recently, a novel framework has been proposed for intrinsically motivated reinforcement learning (IMRL) in which a learning agent is driven by rewards that include not only information about what the agent must accomplish in order to “survive”, but also additional reward signals that drive the agent to engage in other activities, such as playing or exploring, because they are “inherently enjoyable”. In this paper, we investigate the impact of intrinsic motivation mechanisms in multiagent learning scenarios, by considering how such motivational system may drive an agent to engage in behaviors that are “socially aware”. We show that, using this approach, it is possible for agents to learn individually to acquire socially aware behaviors that tradeoff individual well-fare for social acknowledgment, leading to a more successful performance of the population as a whole.
Enhancing Patching Performance Through Double Patching

Patching is an efficient bandwidth-sharing technique for video-on-demand systems. Its performance, however, has limitation: as the time distance to the last regular multicast enlarges, the patching cost for new requests increases and eventually, a new regular multicast must be scheduled to balance the cost. In this paper, we address this problem by proposing a new technique called Double Patching. Our research is based on the observation that a patching stream can be shared by the video requests arriving in the next wp time units if it delivers an additional 2 ·wp time units of video data. With these additional data, the patching cost for these requests can be significantly reduced. Our performance study shows that the new technique can dramatically improve, in many workloads double, the performance of the original Patching. While the performance gain is significant, the new technique inherits the same simplicity from the original Patching. In particular, it does not impose any additional requirement on client download bandwidth the same as the original Patching, the new scheme allows a client to receive data from no more than two video streams at any one time.