Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The morph node

We discuss potential and limitations of a Morph Node, inspired by the corresponding construct in Java3D. A Morph Node in Java3D interpolates vertex attributes among several homeomorphic geometries. This node is a promising candidate for the delivery of 3D animation in a very compact form. We review the state-of-the-art in Web 3D techniques with respect to the possibility of interpolating among several geometries. This review leads to a simple extension for VRML-97 as well as a recommendation for necessary changes in Java3D. Furthermore, we discuss various optimization issues for Morph Nodes.
Dp-rp Algorithm Input

L; U Lower and upper cluster size bounds k Number of clusters Output: P k Restricted k-way partitioning solution Vars: k 0 Index denoting current partitioning size l + 1 Beginning index of possible new cluster 1. 8i; j with L j ? i + 1 U compute w(C i;j]) using Cluster Costs 2. for k 0 = 2 to k do 3. for j = 1 to n do 4.
Credibility-based product ranking for C2C transactions

A fundamental issue for C2C transactions is how to rank the products based on the reviews written by the previous customers. In this paper, we present an approach to improve products ranking by tackling the noisy ratings that exist in the practical systems. The first problem is the credibility of the customers. We design an iterative algorithm to measure the customer credibility. In the algorithm, we use a feedback strategy to increase or decrease the customer credibility. We increase the credibility for a customer if the customer gives a high (low) score to a good (bad) product and decrease the value if the customer gives a low (high) score to a good (bad) product. The second problem is the inconsistency between the review comments and scores. To deal with it, we train a classifier on a training data that is constructed automatically. The trained classifier is used to predict the scores of the comments. Finally, we calculate the scores of products by considering the customer credibility and the predicted scores. The experimental results show that our proposed approach provides better products ranking than the baseline systems.
Angiotensin II blockers in obstructive pulmonary disease: a randomised controlled trial

In chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD), the sympathetic nervous system, as well as the renin–angiotensin system, is activated with possible negative systemic effects on skeletal muscles. Angiotensin II type-1 receptor blockers inhibit the sympathetic and renin–angiotensin systems and might improve skeletal and respiratory muscle strength in patients in whom these systems are activated. The effects of the angiotensin receptor blocker irbesartan given over 4 months was evaluated in 60 patients with COPD and a forced expiratory volume in one second of <50% of the predicted value and without obvious cardiovascular disease that would necessitate the administration of an angiotensin-converting enzyme inhibitor or an angiotensin receptor blocker. Irbesartan was well tolerated, but did not exert a significant effect on the primary end-point maximum inspiratory pressure. Spirometric results were not affected, but total lung capacity was reduced. Irbesartan led to a significant decrease in haematocrit (46.4±3.6 to 43.9±4.3% versus 47.5±2.4 to 48.7±3.0% with placebo). In conclusion, respiratory muscle strength in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients was not influenced by angiotensin II receptor blockade. However, the changes in haematocrit and total lung capacity following irbesartan raise the possibility that well-known cardiovascular drugs can produce unanticipated beneficial effects in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease patients.
Telepresence with no Strings Attached : An Architecture for a Shared Reality Environment

The Shared Reality Environment is an ongoing project that explores the use of virtual reality technologies to achieve realistic computer-mediated human-human interaction. The project integrates immersive displays, spatialized audio, haptics, and gesture recognition, through a minimal latency network architecture. As our primary goal is to provide distributed participants with a convincing sense of co-presence without inhibiting natural, spontaneous interaction, the environment must employ unobtrusive technology wherever possible.
Electric Vehicle Traction Based on Synchronous Reluctance Motors

It was recently demonstrated that the synchronous reluctance motor is well suited for electric as well as for hybrid electric vehicles. This paper deeply investigates the capabilities of a synchronous reluctance motor and compares them with those of a permanent-magnet-assisted synchronous reluctance motor, according to the typical requirement of a traction application. A proper rotor design is necessary. The average torque is due to the rotor anisotropy. The permeance difference between the direct- and the quadrature-axis is achieved by means of a high number of flux barriers. The position of the flux barrier ends and proper rotor asymmetries are chosen so as to reduce the torque ripple, mainly due to the slot harmonics. The impact of the rotor design on the motor performance is presented deeply, showing several simulation and experimental results, carried out on synchronous reluctance motors with different rotor geometries. Permanent magnets can be inset in the flux barriers to assist the synchronous reluctance motor improving its capabilities, but avoiding to use rare-earth permanent magnets. The main advantages of the permanent magnet assistance is an increase of the main torque density and of the power factor. They are evaluated experimentally. However, the drawback of adopting permanent magnets is the possible demagnetization of the magnets themselves. This can greatly limit the maximum overload capability of the motor, which is a salient requirement of a traction motor.
An automatic version of a reading disorder test

We present a novel system to automatically diagnose reading disorders. The system is based on a speech recognition engine with a module for prosodic analysis. The reading disorder test is based on eight different subtests. In each of the subtests, the system achieves a recognition accuracy of at least 95%. As in the perceptual version of the test, the results of the subtests are then joined into a final test result to determine whether the child has a reading disorder. In the final classification stage, the system identifies 98.3% of the 120 children correctly. In the future, our system will facilitate the clinical evaluation of reading disorders.
Agile adoption and improvement model

Agile software development methods focus on the rapid and iterative delivery of a software product in small increments. Over the last decade, the software industry has shown a substantial interest in agile practices but there is no standard guiding vision model or framework to adopt and then use to assess or improve the agile method in a software development organization; indeed, the absence of a guiding vision model could result in the failure of the agile implementation. The purpose of this paper is to present an Agile Adoption and Improvement Model (AAIM) for the adoption, assessment and improvement of an agile software development process. We have analysed the results of several agile software process assessments, industrial case studies on the adoption of an agile approach and feedback from both researchers and the software industry for the construction of the AAIM. The AAIM can be used as a gradual road map for the adoption of an agile approach so that the required agile level can be achieved and improved over a period of time. The AAIM has been organized in three agile blocks, six agile stages (AS) and an embedded agility measurement model (to quantitatively measure the degree of agility). In AAIM, each stage specifies goals that must be achieved to attain a particular business value through the use of an agile software development approach.
Automatic fitting and tracking of facial features in head-and-shoulders sequences

Model-based video coding requires the application of both image processing and machine vision techniques for proper fitting of the semantic model and its subsequent tracking throughout the rest of the sequence of a certain type (e.g. 'head-and-shoulders' or 'head-only'). A method of automatic semantic wire-frame fitting and tracking based on principal component analysis using an independent reference data-base of facial images is presented. The method has been tested on widely used 'head-and-shoulders' video sequences with very good results. It was possible to accurately retrieve the position of the desired facial features in all cases. The position of the facial features in initial frames was subsequently used in automatic tracking. Experimental results are also presented.
Factors Affecting Intensive Care Units Nursing Workload

Background: The nursing workload has a close and strong association with the quality of services provided for the patients. Therefore, paying careful attention to the factors affecting nursing workload, especially those working in the intensive care units (ICUs), is very important. Objectives: This study aimed to determine the factors affecting nursing workload in the ICUs of the hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences. Materials and Methods: This was a cross-sectional and analytical-descriptive study that has done in Iran. All nurses (n = 400) who was working in the ICUs of the hospitals affiliated to Tehran University of Medical Sciences in 2014 were selected and studied using census method. The required data were collected using a researcher–made questionnaire which its validity and reliability were confirmed through getting the opinions of experts and using composite reliability and internal consistency (α = 0.89). The collected data were analyzed through exploratory factor analysis (EFA), confirmatory factor analysis (CFA) and using SPSS 18.0 and AMOS 18.0. Results: Twenty-five factors were divided into three major categories through EFA, including structure, process, and activity. The following factors among the structure, process and activity components had the greatest importance: lack of clear responsibilities and authorities and performing unnecessary tasks (by a coefficient of 0.709), mismatch between the capacity of wards and the number of patients (by a coefficient of 0.639), and helping the students and newly employed staff (by a coefficient of 0.589). Conclusions: The nursing workload is influenced by many factors. The clear responsibilities and authorities of nurses, patients' admission according to the capacity of wards, use of the new technologies and equipment, and providing basic training for new nurses can decrease the workload of nurses.
The individual regulation of granule protein mRNA levels during neutrophil maturation explains the heterogeneity of neutrophil granules

The in vivo mRNA levels for 16 granule proteins during neutrophil differentiation were determined to address the question of whether the synthesis of granule proteins is regulated individually or blockwise. RNA was extracted from peripheral blood granulocytes and three different populations of neutrophil precursors isolated from human bone marrow by Percoll density centrifugation. The mRNA levels in relation to the maturation of the cells were determined by Northern blot for the 12 matrix proteins myeloperoxidase, proteinase‐3, elastase, defensin, lactoferrin, NGAL, hCAP‐18, transcobalamin‐I, SGP28, gelatinase, lysozyme, and serglycin and the 4 membrane proteins CD68, CD11b, N‐formyl‐methionyl‐leucyl‐phenylalanine receptor, and CD35. This panel of transcripts ensured that markers for all exocytosable organelles of the neutrophil were included in the study. A highly differentiated distribution of mRNAs for granule proteins was demonstrated that can explain the heterogeneity of the intracellular storage granules and secretory vesicles of the neutrophil. Furthermore, the individual distribution of these transcripts provides the basis for a more detailed assessment of neutrophil maturation than that obtained by morphological studies or the use of a single marker protein for azurophil, specific, and gelatinase granules. J. Leukoc. Biol. 66: 989–995; 1999.
Confronting context effects in intelligence analysis: How can mathematics help?

We use the interpretation of a key piece of information in the 2002 U.S. decision to invade Iraq to motivate a study of the role of context in decision making. Although our primary focus is intelligence analysis, our study seeks to adopt a mathematical approach. This should make it applicable in a wide variety of application domains. In particular, the level of abstraction at which we work enables us to make useful comparisons between data gathering for intelligence analysis and Internet commerce, both of which depend on making crucial estimates of trust. The initial examination of the way context influences reasoning and decision making, together with the results of studies carried out by others (some of which we mention), leads us to conclude that the role played by mathematics in improving intelligence analysis will necessarily be different from the role it plays in engineering or the natural sciences. Whereas some aspects of our study may find their way into the design of computer support tools for intelligence analysis — for instance the logical formalism we described in our earlier paper [16] — we believe that the most significant benefits to intelligence analysis from this work are likely to be: • better appreciation of the way context influences reasoning and decision making; • sharper insight into the human problems inherent in intelligence analysis; • improved analysis protocols to guide the intelligence analysis community. In this respect, our study may be viewed as a mathematical analog of Richards J Heuer’s Psychology of Intelligence Analysis [26], a work on which we draw.
Solving complex high-dimensional problems with the multi-objective neural estimation of distribution algorithm

The multi-objective optimization neural estimation of distribution algorithm (MONEDA) was devised with the purpose of dealing with the model-building issues of MOEDAs and, therefore address their scalability. In this paper we put forward a comprehensive set of experiments that intends to compare MONEDA with similar approaches when solving complex community accepted MOPs. In particular, we deal with the Walking Fish Group scalable test problem set (WFG). These tests aim to establish the optimizing capacity of MONEDA and the consistency as an optimization method. The fundamental conclusion of these assessment is that we provide strong evidences of the viability of MONEDA for handling hard and complex high-dimensional problems and its superior performance when compared to similar approaches. In spite of the fact that obviously further studies are necessary, these extensive experiments have provided solid ground for the use of MONEDA in more ambitious real-world applications.
Performance Analysis of the Parallel Optical All-Pass Filter Equalizer for Chromatic Dispersion Compensation at 10 Gb/s

Optical fiber is capable of providing the solution to the need of high bandwidth communication. The main degradation to the optical signal integrity in single mode fibers (SMFs) is chromatic dispersion (CD). The effect of CD is pulse spreading which in turn leads to inter-symbol interference (ISI), thus increasing the bit error rate (BER) of the system. This paper presents a CD compensation technique that utilizes a parallel optical all pass filter (p-OAPF), where the design is based on the inverse phase response of the SMF. The p-OAPF is based on a class of all-pass filter. Simulation results of the proposed technique show an increase in the repeater-less length of a point-to-point optical communication system by 3 times with Gaussian pulses at 10 Gb/s and BER of 10-9. A passive infinite impulse response filter structure is proposed for the implementation of the p-OAPF.
Construction of an HPSG grammar for the Arabic language and its specification in TDL

— The construction of an HPSG grammar (Head-driven Phrase Structure Grammar) treating Arabic specificities is not an easy task. In fact, several syntactic phenomena must be taken into account. Thus, the main objective of this work is to construct an Arabic HPSG grammar based on a proposed type hierarchy that categorizes Arabic words. In fact, some adaptations were introduced to HPSG, at the level of features and ID schemata. All linguistic resources (e.g., lexicon, type hierarchy, syntactic rules) are specified in the Type Description Language (TDL). The experimentation of the constructed grammar was done using the Linguistic Knowledge Building (LKB) platform containing generation tools. Indeed, the choice of TDL language is justified. It has syntax similar to HPSG representation and it is considered as the principal input to the LKB platform.
Movement Models from Sports Provide Representative Task Constraints for Studying Adaptive Behavior in Human Movement Systems

Researchers studying adaptive behavior in human movement systems have traditionally employed simplified, laboratory-based movement models in an effort to conserve experimental rigor. Brunswikian psychology raises questions over the representativeness of many of these popular experimental models for studying how movements are coordinated with events, objects, and surfaces of dynamic environments. In this article we argue that sports provide rich ecological constraints for representative task design in modeling the complex interactions of human performers with their environments. Adopting a functionalist perspective enriched by ideas from ecological psychology and nonlinear dynamics, we consider data from exemplar movement models in basketball and boxing to support this contention. We show that this preference for movement models from sports, although not completely novel, has accelerated over recent years, mainly due to the theoretical re-emphasis on studying the interaction of individual and task constraints. The implications of using such applied models of move ment behavior in studying the design of natural and artificial systems are also discussed.
NeuroChip: A Microfluidic Electrophysiological Device for Genetic and Chemical Biology Screening of Caenorhabditis elegans Adult and Larvae

Genetic and chemical biology screens of C. elegans have been of enormous benefit in providing fundamental insight into neural function and neuroactive drugs. Recently the exploitation of microfluidic devices has added greater power to this experimental approach providing more discrete and higher throughput phenotypic analysis of neural systems. Here we make a significant addition to this repertoire through the design of a semi-automated microfluidic device, NeuroChip, which has been optimised for selecting worms based on the electrophysiological features of the pharyngeal neural network. We demonstrate this device has the capability to sort mutant from wild-type worms based on high definition extracellular electrophysiological recordings. NeuroChip resolves discrete differences in excitatory, inhibitory and neuromodulatory components of the neural network from individual animals. Worms may be fed into the device consecutively from a reservoir and recovered unharmed. It combines microfluidics with integrated electrode recording for sequential trapping, restraining, recording, releasing and recovering of C. elegans. Thus mutant worms may be selected, recovered and propagated enabling mutagenesis screens based on an electrophysiological phenotype. Drugs may be rapidly applied during the recording thus permitting compound screening. For toxicology, this analysis can provide a precise description of sub-lethal effects on neural function. The chamber has been modified to accommodate L2 larval stages showing applicability for small size nematodes including parasitic species which otherwise are not tractable to this experimental approach. We also combine NeuroChip with optogenetics for targeted interrogation of the function of the neural circuit. NeuroChip thus adds a new tool for exploitation of C. elegans and has applications in neurogenetics, drug discovery and neurotoxicology.
Motion Insensitive Detection of Cuts and Gradual Transitions in Digital Videos

This paper concerns shot boundary detection in digital video. Automatic video segmentation is a first step towards video indexing. An efficient yet robust algorithm is needed to separate video sequences into smaller segments called shots. Although many researchers have tackled the problem of finding shot boundaries, few have been able to accurately detect gradual transition boundaries such as fades and dissolves. Because shot boundaries correspond to discontinuities in the time domain, we present an algorithm based on the video’s first-order partial derivatives. By only considering areas with low apparent motion, our method is insensitive to object or camera motion. Our algorithm can accurately detect cuts as well as fades, dissolves, wipes and other gradual transitions. Experimental results show that our method outperforms other popular methods on our sample videos.
Acute Schistosomiasis in Brazilian Traveler: The Importance of Tourism in The Epidemiology of Neglected Parasitic Diseases

Parasitic infectious diseases acquired in tourist areas may pose a challenge to physicians and to travel medicine practitioners. Acute schistosomiasis may be seen in returning travelers and migrants after primary infection. This form of schistosomiasis is frequently misdiagnosed due to its temporal delay and its nonspecific presentation and might occur even in countries where the disease is endemic, such as in Brazil. The patient developed the acute phase of schistosomiasis with severe clinical manifestations. The quantitative analysis revealed the presence of 240 eggs per gram of stool. The treatment was administered with oxamniquine, and the control of cure of the patient was monitored and was favorable. The present paper aims to emphasize the importance of a detailed clinical history including information regarding travel history.
Design of dc link current observer for a 3-phase active rectifier with feedforward control

This paper describes a high performance current controlled three-phase unity power factor active rectifier. A second order current observer measures the dc link current drawn, which is then fed forward to a current regulator. A fast feedforward control scheme has been implemented without requiring actual dc link current sensors or communication channels, and is a control solution for common dc bus systems with multiple inverter driven loads. In addition, a novel method to estimate the value of the dc link capacitance is described in this paper. Both simulation and experiment have been conducted to investigate the performance of the active rectifier control, and excellent results show the validity of the proposed control model.
An exploration of the interaction between global education policy orthodoxies and national education practices in Cambodia, illuminated through the voices of local teacher educators

Abstract This research is based on a multi-disciplinary and multi-levelled analysis of evidence to present the case that education reform needs to be contextualised far more widely than is currently practised. It focuses on the voices of Cambodian local teacher trainers through interviews over a five-year period. Interview data is triangulated against academic sources, national policy documents and classroom observations. The research reveals how notions of globalisation and knowledge economy have led to education being driven by measurable outcomes resulting in simplified educational policies that have a negative impact on teacher development. By allowing the Khmer teacher trainers to articulate their opinions on a wide range of themes, the interviews provide evidence to support historical and cultural theories proposed by academics working in the social sciences in Cambodia. This approach identifies that a deeper contextual analysis should enable teacher development programmes to be more closely aligned to national contexts.