Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Multi-posture kinematic calibration technique and parameter identification algorithm for articulated arm coordinate measuring machines

The different accuracy and repeatability requirements of articulated arm coordinate measuring machines (AACMM) and robot make it necessary to consider different identification techniques covering the characteristic operational parameters in each case. This paper presents a new data capture technique for subsequent identification of an AACMM kinematic model parameters, using nominal data reached by a ball bar and a kinematic coupling. Also this paper addresses the performance evaluation of the algorithm and objective functions used, based on a new approach, including terms regarding measurement accuracy and repeatability. Based on the kinematic parameters identification technique presented, it is possible to develop techniques for detecting other AACMM error sources and error correction of not geometric sources, such as assembly error, joints eccentricity or errors due to temperature changes. A Sterling series FARO arm with 1.5 m long and 6 degrees of freedom (dof) was used to carry out experimental tests in order to evaluate the efficiency of the techniques presented, showing improved accuracy and repeatability performance.
Matched filter analysis of burst waveform injections

Hardware injections provide us with a crucial tool for proving that we understand the response and performance of the LIGO detectors. Since we have complete knowledge of the injected waveform and detailed measurements of the detector response function, we are able to predict and confirm the instrument response. During the S5 science run of LIGO, various burst-type waveforms are being injected. We have analyzed the first seven months of these injections, using optimal matched filters derived from the injection waveforms. We have confirmed that most of the responses follow the predictions and have measured the accuracy of the estimated arrival time. In addition, we examined transients identified by the KleineWelle algorithm in auxiliary data channels at the time of hardware injections. Through this study, we could recognize couplings between auxiliary channels and the gravitational wave channels and assess the safety of the use of auxiliary channels as vetoes for gravitation wave candidates.
Neuromarketing in Market Research

Neuromarketing is a fairly new discipline that combines behavioural psychology, economics and consumer neuroscience. With the help of different techniques, such as functional magnetic resonance, electroencephalography, positron emission tomography, eye tracker etc., it measures respondent's reaction to different stimuli. It allows the researchers to gain insight into unconscious drivers of choice and preference which they would not be able to discover with traditional methods (focus groups, in depth interviews and questionnaires). In market research, most widely used neuromarketing technique is eye tracker. Me and my associates conducted a typical market research study of a TV commercial with a help of a stationary eye tracker and "Gazepoint" software. 21 respondents participated in the study. The study discovered that one scene in the commercial drew attention much more than the others. As neuromarketing raises ethical issues I reviewed the literature related to these issues and presented an overview of neuromarketing and neuromarketing techniques as well.
Dynamic Response of Satellite-Derived Vegetation Growth to Climate Change in the Three North Shelter Forest Region in China

Since the late 1970s, the Chinese government has initiated ecological restoration programs in the Three North Shelter Forest System Project (TNSFSP) area. Whether accelerated climate change will help or hinder these efforts is still poorly understood. Using the updated and extended AVHRR NDVI3g dataset from 1982 to 2011 and corresponding climatic data, we investigated vegetation variations in response to climate change. The results showed that the overall state of vegetation in the study region has improved over the past three decades. Vegetation cover significantly decreased in 23.1% and significantly increased in 21.8% of the study area. An increase in all three main vegetation types (forest, grassland, and cropland) was observed, but the trend was only statistically significant in cropland. In addition, bare and sparsely vegetated areas, mainly located in the western part of the study area, have significantly expanded since the early 2000s. A moisture condition analysis indicated that the study area experienced significant climate variations, with warm-wet conditions in the western region and warm-dry conditions in the eastern region. Correlation analysis showed that variations in the Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) were positively correlated with precipitation and negatively correlated with temperature. Ultimately, climate change influenced vegetation growth by controlling the availability of soil moisture. Further investigation suggested that the positive impacts of precipitation on NDVI have weakened in the study region, whereas the negative impacts from temperature have been enhanced in the eastern study area. However, over recent years, the negative temperature impacts have been converted to positive impacts in the western region. Considering the variations in the relationship between NDVI and climatic variables, the warm–dry climate in the eastern region is likely harmful to vegetation growth, whereas the warm–wet conditions in the western region may promote vegetation growth.
Rethinking Democratic Accountability

Elected officials and the public alike are demanding more accountability and better performance (results) from the public sector. The problem is that simultaneously enhancing accountability and performance are not necessarily compatible. So argues Robert Behn in Rethinking Democratic Accountability. Traditional efforts to tighten accountability by imposing more rules hinders performance; efforts to enhance performance by giving greater discretion to public managers jeopardizes democratic accountability. Behn examines this performance-accountability trade-off in a thoughtful and innovative analysis. The context for the examination of accountability is "new public management," a set of reforms intended to enhance public sector performance. This conflict between accountability and performance, while it exists in traditional public administration, is brought into sharp focus by the reforms promoted in new public management-defined by Behn "as the entire collection of tactics and strategies that seek to enhance the performance of the public sector" (p. 26). In the new public management, procedural rules of traditional accountability (often interpreted as red tape) are minimized to make way for enhanced performance. Leaders and managers are exhorted to take initiative, to exercise discretion, to behave in entrepreneurial ways rather than simply follow directives and rules. Organizations are encouraged to set goals, then turn managers loose to achieve those goals using their own judgment about means. "Hold managers accountable for performance, not process," say reform advocates. The grant of discretion advocated in new public management raises traditional fears about the abuse of governmental authority. Turning public managers loose to exercise initiative and discretion will enable them to abuse the public trust. Hence the dilemma: a hardcharging, creative manager is likely to step over the line; a manager who worries too much about where the line is drawn will be too timid to accomplish much. In Behn's analysis, accountability refers to three things: finances, fairness , and performance. Accountability for finances and accountability for fairness have a great deal in common. We establish rules , procedures, and standards, require an organization to keep records of what it does, and then audit to determine whether the organization's actions were in compliance with the rules, procedures, and standards. If not, some p'unishment is meted out. Accountability for finances and fairness are essentially process oriented-first set rules and then take steps to make sure the rules have been followed. Thus accountability for finances and fairness is about "how" things are done. It is implemented through a compliance (or process) model. Performance, on the other hand, is results oriented-it is about "what" government does-and is qualitatively different from accountability for finances and fairness . It is necessary to specify the goals to be achieved and hold the agency responsible for those results.
Reduced mortality rate in patients with severe traumatic brain injury treated with brain tissue oxygen monitoring.

OBJECT An intracranial pressure (ICP) monitor, from which cerebral perfusion pressure (CPP) is estimated, is recommended in the care of severe traumatic brain injury (TBI). Nevertheless, optimal ICP and CPP management may not always prevent cerebral ischemia, which adversely influences patient outcome. The authors therefore determined whether the addition of a brain tissue oxygen tension (PO2) monitor in the treatment of TBI was associated with an improved patient outcome. METHODS Patients with severe TBI (Glasgow Coma Scale [GCS] score < 8) who had been admitted to a Level I trauma center were evaluated as part of a prospective observational database. Patients treated with ICP and brain tissue PO2 monitoring were compared with historical controls matched for age, pathological features, admission GCS score, and Injury Severity Score who had undergone ICP monitoring alone. Therapy in both patient groups was aimed at maintaining an ICP less than 20 mm Hg and a CPP greater than 60 mm Hg. Among patients whose brain tissue PO2 was monitored, oxygenation was maintained at levels greater than 25 mm Hg. Twenty-five patients with a mean age of 44 +/- 14 years were treated using an ICP monitor alone. Twenty-eight patients with a mean age of 38 +/- 18 years underwent brain tissue PO2-directed care. The mean daily ICP and CPP levels were similar in each group. The mortality rate in patients treated using conventional ICP and CPP management was 44%. Patients who also underwent brain tissue PO2 monitoring had a significantly reduced mortality rate of 25% (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The use of both ICP and brain tissue PO2 monitors and therapy directed at brain tissue PO2 is associated with reduced patient death following severe TBI.
Impact of Doppler on High Speed UAV OFDM System

To implement the large-capacity data traffic on Unmanned Aerial Vehicle (UAV), sufficient research on UAV communication channel and its effect on OFDM communication system must be performed. This paper analyzed the communication channel models of UAV under several scenarios, and gave the impact of ICI on performance of OFDM system in different scenarios. Moreover, this paper analyzed the relationship between ICI and subcarriers interval, which can help designer to develop new way of channel equalization and eliminating ICI.
Using a beginning history teacher’s consideration of students’ prior knowledge in a single lesson case study to reframe discussion of historical knowledge

Using the philosophy of inferentialism (Brandom, 2000), this article explores teachers’ approach to students’ conceptual development, arguing that asking what it is for a concept to have meaning affords new ways of framing both instructional design and explanations of variation in student learning. Through an inductive research strategy into a single lesson taught by a student-teacher, I show how semantic theory can help educators to discern and harness student knowledge building.
Ontology Mapping Through Tagging

With ontologies increasing in number and becoming more common place, there is an ever increasing need for tools and techniques to cope with diversity and heterogeneity. We believe that the interfaces to ontology management tools will need to be engineered to allow ordinary non technical people to be able to use them effectively. This paper reports upon a mapping process using the dasiataggingpsila paradigm as a means of ontology mapping to support ordinary people.
Phospholipogenic Pharmaceuticals Are Associated with a Higher Incidence of Histological Findings than Nonphospholipogenic Pharmaceuticals in Preclinical Toxicology Studies

While phospholipidosis is thought to be an adaptive response to chemical challenge, many phospholipogenic compounds are known to display adverse effects in preclinical species and humans. To investigate the link between phospholipogenic administration and incidence of preclinical histological signals, an internal AstraZeneca in vivo toxicology report database was searched to identify phospholipogenic and nonphospholipogenic compounds. The datasets assembled comprised 46 phospholipogenic and 62 nonphospholipogenic compounds. The phospholipogenic potential of these compounds was confirmed by a pathologist's interpretation and was supported by well-validated in silico and in vitro models. The phospholipogenic dataset contained 37 bases, 4 neutral compounds, 3 zwitterions, and 1 acid, whereas the nonphospholipogenic dataset contained 9 bases, 34 neutrals, 1 zwitterion, and 18 acids. Histologic findings were tracked for adrenal gland; bone marrow; kidney; liver; lung; lymph node; spleen; thymus; and reproductive organs. On average, plasma exposures were higher in animals dosed with the nonphospholipogenics. Phospholipogenics yielded proportionally more histologic changes (exclusive of phospholipidosis itself) in all organs. Statistically significant higher frequencies of liver necrosis, alveolitis/pneumonitis, as well as lymphocytolysis in the thymus, lymph nodes, and spleen occurred in response to phospholipogenics compared to that for nonphospholipogenics.
Determinants of Farmer Adoption of Improved Peanut Varieties and their Impact on Farm Income: Evidence from Northern Ghana.

This study employed the Heckman Two-stage model to identify the determinants of the adoption of improved peanut varieties and examine their potential impact on farmers’ in Savelugu-Nanton and Tolon-Kumbungu districts in the Northern Region of Ghana. A cross-sectional data of 219 peanut farmers from the two districts were used in the analysis. The estimated results indicate that membership in a farm organization, number of bicycles owned, importance of early maturity as a varietal characteristic, and farm location significantly influence the adoption of improved peanut varieties. Also, the estimated ordinary least squares (OLS) part or the second step of the Heckman model suggest how peanut acreage, number of bicycles owned, and the dependency ratio could influence the income from farming as a result of improved variety adoption.
Neurogenic Potential of the Vestibular Nuclei and Behavioural Recovery Time Course in the Adult Cat Are Governed by the Nature of the Vestibular Damage

Functional and reactive neurogenesis and astrogenesis are observed in deafferented vestibular nuclei after unilateral vestibular nerve section in adult cats. The newborn cells survive up to one month and contribute actively to the successful recovery of posturo-locomotor functions. This study investigates whether the nature of vestibular deafferentation has an incidence on the neurogenic potential of the vestibular nuclei, and on the time course of behavioural recovery. Three animal models that mimic different vestibular pathologies were used: unilateral and permanent suppression of vestibular input by unilateral vestibular neurectomy (UVN), or by unilateral labyrinthectomy (UL, the mechanical destruction of peripheral vestibular receptors), or unilateral and reversible blockade of vestibular nerve input using tetrodotoxin (TTX). Neurogenesis and astrogenesis were revealed in the vestibular nuclei using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) as a newborn cell marker, while glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP) and glutamate decarboxylase 67 (GAD67) were used to identify astrocytes and GABAergic neurons, respectively. Spontaneous nystagmus and posturo-locomotor tests (static and dynamic balance performance) were carried out to quantify the behavioural recovery process. Results showed that the nature of vestibular loss determined the cellular plastic events occurring in the vestibular nuclei and affected the time course of behavioural recovery. Interestingly, the deafferented vestibular nuclei express neurogenic potential after acute and total vestibular loss only (UVN), while non-structural plastic processes are involved when the vestibular deafferentation is less drastic (UL, TTX). This is the first experimental evidence that the vestibular complex in the brainstem can become neurogenic under specific injury. These new data are of interest for understanding the factors favouring the expression of functional neurogenesis in adult mammals in a brain repair perspective, and are of clinical relevance in vestibular pathology.
Online estimation of a time-varying delay based on a univariate cross-ambiguity function analysis

This paper presents a method to estimate a linearly time-varying delay between two continuous signals. The joint estimation of the time delay and Doppler shift by analyzing the cross-ambiguity function is state of the art, however, this method has high computational demands as it relies on a bi-variate search. It is shown that, by using previous estimation results to initialize the analysis, a similar result can already be obtained with a univariate search, as is then sufficient to search for the variation of the delay since the last measurement. Perfect tracking is obtained with proper initialization, and for the case of incorrect initialization, convergence can be guaranteed and even influenced with a tuning parameter. A theoretical analysis and a numerical example illustrate the performance of the proposed method.
Comparison of Clinical Manifestations and Outcomes between Hepatitis B Virus- and Hepatitis C Virus-Related Hepatocellular Carcinoma: Analysis of a Nationwide Cohort

Background We analyzed whether difference exist in the clinical manifestations and outcomes of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) according to the two major etiologies of HCC from a nationwide, population-based, random HCC registry. Methods Of the 31,521 new HCC cases registered at the Korea Central Cancer Registry between 2003 and 2005, 4,630 (14.7%) were randomly abstracted, and followed up until December 2011. Of those, 2,785 hepatitis B virus (HBV)-related and 447 hepatitis C virus (HCV)-related HCC patients were compared. Results The mean annual incidence rates of HBV- and HCV-related HCC incidence per 100,000 persons were 20.8 and 4.9, respectively. The annual incidence rate of HBV-related HCC peaked at 50–59 age group (46.5 per 100,000 persons), while the annual incidence rate of HCV-related HCC increased gradually to the ≥70 year age group (13.2 per 100,000 persons). Large tumors (≥5 cm) and portal vein invasion at initial diagnosis were more frequent in HBV-related HCC, while multiple tumors were more frequent in HCV-related HCC. In outcome analysis, HBV-related HCC showed poorer survival than HCV-related HCC [median survival: 1.34 vs. 2.17 years, adjusted hazard ratio (95% confidence interval): 0.88 (0.78–0.98), P = 0.03, adjusted for age, gender, Child-Pugh class, AJCC/mUICC stage, and initial treatment modality]. However, when divided according to the AJCC/mUICC stage, survival difference was observed only for those with AJCC/mUICC stage IV tumor, but not for AJCC/mUICC stage I, II or III tumors. The treatment outcome of each modality (resection, ablation, and transartherial chemoeombolization) was comparable between the two etiologies. Conclusion HBV-related and HCV-related HCC have clear differences in clinical manifestation, requiring different screening strategy according to etiology to optimize HCC surveillance in HBV-endemic area. However, etiology did not affect treatment outcomes and long-term survival within the same stage except for far advanced tumors.
New planetary nebulae in the Galactic bulge region with l > 0° − I. Discovery method and first results

We present the first results of an [0 III] 5007 A interference filter survey for planetary nebulae (PNe) in the Galactic bulge. Covering (at first) the 66 per cent of the survey area, we detected a total of 90 objects, including 25 new PNe, 57 known PNe and eight known PNe candidates. Deep Hα+[N II] CCD images have been obtained as well as low-resolution spectra for the newly discovered PNe. Their spectral signature suggests that the detected emission originates from a photoionized nebula. In addition, absolute line fluxes have been measured and the electron densities are given. Accurate optical positions and optical diameters have also been determined.
J ul 2 00 1 Chapter 1 TRANSPORT IN SINGLE CHANNEL QUANTUM WIRES

This tutorial article gives an introduction to the methods needed to treat interacting electrons in a quantum wire with a single occupied band. Since one–dimensional Fermions cannot be described in terms of noninteracting quasiparticles, the Tomonaga–Luttinger model is presented in some detail with an emphasis on transport properties. To achieve a self–contained presentation, the Bosonization technique for one–dimensional Fermions is developed, accentuating features relevant for nonequilibrium systems. The screening of an impurity in the wire is discussed, and the insight gained on the electrostatics of a quantum wire is used to describe the coupling to Fermi–liquid reservoirs. These parts of the article should be readily accessible to students with a background in quantum mechanics including second quantization. To illustrate the usefulness of the methods presented, the current–voltage relation is determined exactly for a spin–polarized quantum wire with a particular value of the interaction parameter. This part requires familiarity with path integral techniques and connects with the current literature.
Pixel lensing observations towards globular clusters

It has been suggested that a monitoring program employing the pixel lensing method to search for microlensing events towards galactic globular clusters may increase the statistics and discriminate among different halo models. Stimulated by this proposal, we evaluate an upper limit to the pixel lensing event rate for such a survey. Four different dark halo models have been considered changing both the flattening and the slope of the mass density profile. The lens mass function has been modelled as a homogenous power - law for µ ∈ (µl ,µ u) and both the mass limits and the slope of the mass function have been varied to investigate their effect on the rate. The target globular clusters have been selected in order to minimize the disk contribution to the event rate. We find that a pixel lensing survey towards globular clusters is unable to discriminate among different halo models since the number of detectable events is too small to allow any reliable statistical analysis.
Schema mappings and annotations in semantic integration of XML data in P2P data integration systems

The key problem in data integration systems is creating and maintaining mappings between schemas of heterogeneously structured data sources. The problem becomes increasingly important in P2P environment when new partners enter the system and their schemas evolve. In this work we focus on deriving mappings between XML schemas using their annotations in a common domain ontology. A special attention is paid to conditional annotations, which are used when an XML schema models specialization. The presented approach underlies the implementation of SixP2P (Semantic Integration of XML data in P2P environment) system.