Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High fidelity modelling and simulation of inertial sensors commonly used by autonomous mobile robots

Autonomous mobile robot behaviors are notoriously difficult to predict using simulations. Robot behaviors are driven by the robot’s sensor systems, and sensor outputs need to be produced in simulations at near-truth levels. However, in order to achieve real-time or faster performance, most simulation environments use empircal, effects-based sensor models, and these simplified models do not provide sensor outputs at the level of fidelity necessary to develop and test autonomy algorithms. Simulated sensor outputs must accurately reflect not only the sensor’s intrinsic noise and signal processing effects but also the sensor’s interaction with its external environment. To address this need for physics-based sensor models, models of the Global Positioning System (GPS), micro electro-mechanical (MEMS) accelerometer, and MEMS gyroscope sensors were developed using a first-principles, physics-based methodology. These sensor models run in near realtime on high performance computering (HPC) assets. The sensors were simulated for a test site located in Vicksburg, MS, and the simulated sensor outputs were compared to truth data collected using a Garmin hand held GPS unit and low cost 6 DOF commercial inertial measurement unit (IMU) consisting of three orthogonal MEMS accelerometers and 3 orthogonal MEMS gyroscopes. The sensor models were also used as part of a simulated autonomous unmanned ground vehicle reconnaissance mission, and results from this simulation are presented.
Executive Function and Theory of Mind in 2 Year Olds: A Family Affair?

Although numerous studies of preschoolers report robust associations between performance on tests of executive function (EF) and theory of mind (ToM), a lack of developmentally appropriate tasks so far has limited research on these cognitive skills in younger children. Here, we present new batteries of EF and ToM tasks that were administered to 140 two-year-olds from predominantly disadvantaged families, with analyses based on 129 children. Our results showed a strong association between EF and ToM, which remained significant when effects of verbal ability were controlled. Individual differences in EF and ToM were also examined in relation to both distal family factors (social disadvantage, number of siblings) and proximal family factors (quality of child's relationships with parents and siblings). Social disadvantage predicted significant variance in both EF and ToM but did not contribute to the association between these domains. Associations between positive parent-child relationships and both EF and ToM were nonsignificant when verbal ability was controlled. In contrast, positive sibling relationships predicted significant variance in ToM, even controlling for age, verbal ability, EF, social disadvantage, and parent–child relationships.
IMPACT EVALUATION OF TWO MASTER COURSES ATTENDED BY TEACHERS : AN EXPLORATORY RESEARCH IN ANGOLA

The present research aims to evaluate the impact of two master courses offered by one public higher education institution in Angola on the professional development of Angolan teachers and also on the broader educational community. The two courses were attended by 393 teachers. The data of 45 answered questionnaires and six verbatim transcripts of individual semi-structured interviews were analysed. According to the teachers perspective the courses contributed to teachers’ personal growth and changes of practices, as well as improved students’ learning (micro context of impact). Although to a lesser extent, impact on broader contexts was also identified, indicating that changes occurred also within other teachers and elements of the surrounding school community (meso context of impact) as well as the community of educational research (macro context of impact). The results in discussion are of relevance for further investment on post graduation courses (master level) for teachers offered by higher education institutions. Outlined recommendations could potentially contribute to impact enhancement (and understanding) of academic post-graduation courses’ attended by in-service teachers, particularly those integrated in recent higher education systems of post conflict countries, such as the Republic of Angola.
Why Are We Missing Chances to Prevent Diabetes ?

 Of Mice and Men 4 U sing data from a nationally representative sample of the US population 3 years after publication of the Diabetes Prevention Program results (Fourth National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey [NHANES IV]), Karve and Hayward assessed the proportion of 1547 adults who met the criteria for impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or impaired glucose tolerance (IGT) and the proportion of adults with these conditions who (1) reported receiving a formal diagnosis from their physicians, (2) reported having lifestyle modification recommended or were prescribed an oral hypoglycaemic agent (OHA), and (3) were actively modifying their lifestyle or taking an OHA.
Diagnosing and discussing imminent death in the hospital: a secondary analysis of physician interviews.

BACKGROUND Many reports suggest clinicians are often inadequately prepared to "diagnose dying'' or discuss the likelihood of imminent death with patients and families. OBJECTIVE To describe whether and when physicians report recognizing and communicating the imminence of death and identify potential barriers and facilitators to recognition and communication about dying in the hospital. METHODS Secondary exploratory analysis of interviews with 196 physicians on the medical teams caring for 70 patients who died in the hospital. RESULTS Although 38% of physicians were unsure on admission the patient would die during this hospitalization, over the course of hospitalization 86% reported knowing death was imminent. Most reported feeling certain days (57%) or hours (18%) before the patient died. Fewer than half of patients, however, were told of the possibility they might die. Communication was most likely to occur for patients who had at least one member of the medical team who was certain that death was imminent, patients who were lucid during their last days, and younger patients. Only 11% of physicians reported personally speaking with patients about the possibility of dying. Physicians who recognized imminent death early and who spoke with patients about the possibility of dying were more likely to report higher satisfaction with end-of-life care provided to patients. CONCLUSIONS Because more than two thirds of patients were unconscious or in and out of lucidity in the last few days of life, waiting for certainty about prognosis may leave little opportunity to help patients and their families prepare for death. Our results identify opportunities for improvement in communication in the face of uncertainty about the imminence of death. In addition to potential benefits to patients and families, these findings suggest that enhancing communication practices may also benefit physicians through increased satisfaction with care and closer connection with those for whom they provide care.
Warranty and Price as Quality Signals: The effect of Signal Consistency and Unexpectedness on Product Perception

This dissertation investigates the effect of signal consistency/inconsistency and signal unexpectedness on a consumer's evaluation of a product. It consists of two studies. Study One examines the effect of signal consistency/inconsistency on product quality, where consistent signals are those of the same valance. Prior research has found that a positive cue not only was unable to improve product quality perception, but also had a negative effect on perceived quality when a positive cue was combined with a negative one. The results of Study One indicate that when signals are inconsistent, consumers engage in an attribution process to explain inconsistency. If consumers attribute inconsistency to persuasive motive, then perception of quality decreases. If no persuasive motive is perceived, then consumers tend to discount inconsistent signals and perceived product quality is not affected by those signals. Study One contributes to the literature in three ways. First, the study adds to our knowledge of multiple signals as it increases our understanding of the interaction among extrinsic cues, which is an under-researched area (Purohit and Srivastava 2001). Second, current literature provides adequate explanations of the disappearance of signals' effects on product quality perception; however, no explanation is available for the negative effect of signals on product quality perception, an effect documented by Boulding and Kirmani (1993). This study offers such explanation. Third, the study provides the first empirical examination of the effect of
“ Moso Bamboo ” in China

More than 70 bamboo genera with 1,000 species exist throughout the world. The numerous bamboo species are members of the subfamily Bambusoideae of the family Gramineae. The global bamboo forest area extends to about 49.4 million acres (20 million hectares), (Zhu, 1994). Except for Europe and Antarctica, bamboos occur naturally in the tropical, subtropical and temperate regions of all continents, between 46° N and 47°S, from the lowlands up to 13,000 feet (4,000 meters) above sea level (Dransfield, 1992). Fig. 1.1 shows the global distribution of bamboos. “Moso Bamboo” in China Jinhe Fu · Email: jfu@gwdg.de Edited by Gib Cooper · Email: bambugib@mail.harborside. com
A C ] 3 0 A ug 2 01 7 A Short Proof of the Bernstein Inequality for Formal Power Series

Let k be a field of characteristic zero, let R be the ring of formal power series in n variables over k and let D(R, k) be the ring of k−linear differential operators in R. If M is a finitely generated D(R, k)−module then d(M) ≥ n where d(M) is the dimension of M . This inequality is called the Bernstein inequality. We provide a short proof.
RAPPORT DE CAS Diagnosis of a pericardial effusion with a thoracic aortic aneurysm by point-of-care ultrasound

We present a rare case of a young patient with chest pain whose ascending thoracic aortic aneurysm (TAA) was detected by point-of-care ultrasound (POCUS) leading to a successful surgical repair. POCUS identified a moderate pericardial effusion and an associated severely dilated ascending aorta. In this context, it is important to rule out aortic rupture and aortic dissection. We also discuss the epidemiology, complications, and management of TAAs as well as the role of cardiac POCUS in the diagnosis of thoracic aneurysmal disease.
AFLATOXINS : FINDING SOLUTIONS FOR IMPROVED FOOD SAFETY

Though having steadily fallen over the last decades, linear growth retardation remains a serious problem, with an estimated 170 million children under five years of age being stunted. (A stunted child is too short for its age, having a height below -2 standard deviations of the World Health Organization’s reference height for his or her age and sex.) Growth retardation in young children is associated with delays in cognitive development, lower school achievement, and both lower earnings and a higher probability of non-communicable chronic diseases at adulthood. Key then is to make universal improvements to maternal and child health and nutrition in the first 1,000 days (that is, the period from conception to when the child reaches 24 months of life). Providing multiple micronutrient supplementation during pregnancy, improved complementary feeding, and better hygiene would reduce the prevalence of stunting by only an estimated 20.3 percent (Bhutta et al. 2013). Research efforts are therefore focusing on identifying presently unknown causes of growth retardation. Evidence from human and animal studies and current knowledge of the biological mechanisms of action of aflatoxins suggest that chronic exposure to aflatoxins might lead to stunted growth. This brief summarizes the existing evidence and reviews possible solutions that could be applied if future research confirms the causal relationship between aflatoxin exposure and growth retardation. It begins with an overview of the criteria that must be met to conclude that aflatoxins cause stunting.
Chapter 2 : Antimicrobial Drug Resistance 7 Contact Hours

Educational Review Systems is accredited by the Accreditation Council of Pharmacy Education (ACPE) as a provider of continuing pharmaceutical education. This program is approved for 7 hours (0.7 CEUs) of continuing pharmacy education credit. Proof of participation will be posted to your NABP CPE profile within 4 to 6 weeks to participants who have successfully completed the post-test. Participants must participate in the entire presentation and complete the course evaluation to receive continuing pharmacy education credit.
The reconstituted isolated uncoupling protein is a membrane potential driven H+ translocator.

The isolated uncoupling protein (UCP) from brown fat adipose tissue mitochondria has been reconstituted into artificial phospholipid vesicles. Because of the high lability of H+ transport, several new steps have been introduced in the reconstitution; the detergent octyl‐POE, the addition of phospholipids to mitochondria prior to solubilization and purification, the vesicle formation by rapid removal of detergent with polystyrene beads and of external salts by a mixed ion exchange. In the K+‐loaded proteoliposomes, H+ influx can be induced by a diffusion potential on addition of valinomycin. H+ influx is inhibited to more than 90% by GTP addition, in the assay for UCP activity. By reversing delta psi with external K+, H+ efflux is measured, however, at a four times lower rate. In vesicles loaded with internal GTP, H+ influx is fully inhibited but can be activated by Dowex‐OH treatment to an even higher rate than that found in the GTP‐free vesicles. Binding studies with GTP show that most of the active UCP are oriented with the binding site outside as in mitochondria, and that in GTP‐loaded vesicles GTP is also bound at the outside. The rate of H+ transport is linearly dependent on the membrane potential. Despite the ordered orientation, there is no ‘valve’ mechanism, since there is H+ efflux with a reversed potential. pH dependency is only small between pH 6.5 and 7.5, indicating that the H+‐translocating site differs from the highly pH‐dependent nucleotide‐binding site. The turnover number of reconstituted UCP is commensurate with mitochondrial function and indicates a carrier instead of a channel‐type H+ transport. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Nurses' Experiences Caring for Immigrant Patients in Psychiatric Units

This study was conducted for the purpose of describ ing nurses’ experiences caring for immigrant patien ts i psychiatric units. The topics investigated include how nurses describe the reasons for their immigrant p tients’ illnesses, how nurses experience caring for immigra nt p tients and what kind of impact cultural factor s have on nursing. Especially refugees face complex barriers in accessing the health care system, and challenges exist when it comes to delivering high-quality care to th is vulnerable population. Qualitative research meth ods were used in the study, and the main emphasis was on foc used ethnography research methods. The informants w ere nurses (N = 5) working in adult psychiatry wards of the study’s hospitals. Data were collected by mean s of indepth interviews, observation, field notes and docu mentation of care by nursing staff of immigrant pat ients (N=9). Nurses’ experiences caring for immigrant pat ients formed four stages: admission, the beginning of care, collaboration and the finishing stage. Suspicions a bout the asylum process and cultural conflicts add to the workload in nursing. It was not common to use trans cultural nursing methods or an interpreter. Familyoriented nursing and use of interpreter services by nurses s hould be increased in the care of immigrant patient s. By becoming aware of the existing challenges, their ma nifestations and by supporting the professional wel being of psychiatric nurses, enables them to concentrate to the essence of compassionate nursing as well as to ensure the rights of the patients.
N ov 2 01 7 Stabilizing Weighted Graphs

An edge-weighted graph G = (V,E) is called stable if the value of a maximum-weight matching equals the value of a maximum-weight fractional matching. Stable graphs play an important role in some interesting game theory problems, such as network bargaining games and cooperative matching games, because they characterize instances which admit stable outcomes. Motivated by this, in the last few years many researchers have investigated the algorithmic problem of turning a given graph into a stable one, via edgeand vertex-removal operations. However, all the algorithmic results developed in the literature so far only hold for unweighted instances, i.e., assuming unit weights on the edges of G. We give the first polynomial-time algorithm to find a minimum cardinality subset of vertices whose removal from G yields a stable graph, for any weighted graph G. The algorithm is combinatorial and exploits new structural properties of basic fractional matchings, which are of independent interest. In particular, one of the main ingredients of our result is the development of a polynomial-time algorithm to compute a basic maximum-weight fractional matching with minimum number of odd cycles in its support. This generalizes a fundamental and classical result on unweighted matchings given by Balas more than 30 years ago, which we expect to prove useful beyond this particular application. In contrast, we show that the problem of finding a minimum cardinality subset of edges whose removal from a weighted graph G yields a stable graph, does not admit any constant-factor approximation algorithm, unless P = NP . In this setting, we develop an O(∆)-approximation algorithm for the problem, where ∆ is the maximum degree of a node in G.
Habitat complexity and management intensity positively influence fledging success in the endangered hihi ( Notiomystis cincta )

Age and structure of local vegetation (habitat complexity) are commonly assumed to be indicators of habitat quality for breeding birds, but for many species these relationships are poorly understood. The hihi (stitchbird Notiomystis cincta), an endangered New Zealand cavity-nesting passerine that only survives on mammalian predator-free islands or within fenced areas, has been the focus of intensive conservation management and research. Between 1992 and 2004 we examined the fledging success of 347 nests from four island populations. Habitat quality was improved at the two scrub/regenerating sites and one of the two mature/ climax sites through management using supplementary feeding, nest-box parasite control or both. At two sites (one mature, one regenerating) management was stopped during the study allowing us to measure fledgling success with and without habitat quality improvement through management. At the population level, the number of chicks fledged per nest increased as management intensity increased and habitat quality increased. The positive effect of management was greatest for populations in lower quality habitats. To assess the relationship between fledging success and local habitat variables around the nesting site we used a height-frequency vegetation survey method sensitive to changes in vertical structural complexity at the two mature/climax sites. For 36 natural nests, a cross-validated regression-tree analysis (R2 = 0.69) predicted that as habitat complexity increased, so did fledging success, which was generally higher for nests in trees with larger diameters (present in older forests). Because these habitats are free from nest predators, our results suggest that habitat age and complexity are proxies for habitat quality through effects on nestling food availability and/or nest-chamber characteristics. Our results support the current management approach of providing supplementary food to translocated hihi populations and suggest that supplementary food can be used to overcome resource deficiencies for this species in poorer quality habitats.
EVALUATION OF MUNGBEAN GERMPLASM FOR RESISTANCE AGAINST MUNGBEAN YELLOW MOSAIC BEGOMOVIRUS

Mungbean (Vigna radiata) germplasm consisting of 254 lines was evaluated against mungbean yellow mosaic begomovirus (MYMV) under natural field conditions conducive for the development of disease and whitefly virus vector population. Majority of the lines were infected within 2-3 weeks and the disease increments monitored over a period of six weeks were 2.36, 18, 48, 74, 83 and 95%. Disease severity followed the similar trend i.e., 0.48, 1.85, 3.82, 4.74, 4.94 and 4.99, respectively. Whitefly population ranged between 1.5-8 adults/plant with an average of 4 adults. MYMV occurred over a wide range of climatic conditions in summer. None of the lines appeared to resistant of any category; 7 lines were classified as susceptible and 247 as highly susceptible indicating that resistance was scarce in mungbean germplasm. Some lines in spite of high disease pressure produced significantly good yield, indicating tolerant reaction to MYMV and selected for breeding purposes.
Construction of Real Augmented Reality System with switching of RGB video Signal

We suggest the use of video switching for constructing a real-time augmented reality system, in order to display correct occlusion between real and virtual worlds. In this system, the depth information for each environment is calculated or measured. All of the color and depth images are converted into synchronized video signal from the RGB signal relative to each image. The color image and depth image signals corresponding to every environment are processed as pairs. Merging of the real and virtual scenes is done in the video switching circuit by comparing the depth image signal along a scanline. Closer objects with bright shades of gray in depth map are represented while further objects with darker shades of gray are hidden. In the research, we acquired the depth information of real environment in a laser range finder. This approach is demonstrated with both pseudo-NTSC and hardware circuitry.
The Aggro Club : Metagaming as Agency and Performance

INTRODUCTION The notion of competition has always been central to the activity of playing, especially in the sense in which it welcomes or encourages growth through technical expertise, seeking to transcend the idea of randomness. This tension between forms of play was enough for Caillois (1961) to articulate them into distinct categories alea and agôn implying a distinction between luck and technique. Taking this categorization as a basis, it is important to realize that it is only valid in a context where the addressed games are designed as a reflection of a modern society, based on rigid dichotomies and impervious to the logic of the Cultural Industry.
DIVERSITY PATTERNS OF NEOTROPICAL PLANT PARASITIC MICROFUNGI

Species richness in different groups of microfungi causing disease symptoms on above-ground plant organs is analyzed based on checklists and databases of five tropical regions in the Americas and two regions outside the tropics in North America. In addition, primary data on plant parasitic microfungi collected in natural habitats in western Panama are considered. According to these data, Asterinaceae, Meliolales, Phyllachorales, and rust fungi are highly species rich groups in the Neotropics, while smut fungi appear to be less diverse in the tropics than in extratropical regions. Species of Albuginales, Erysiphales, Peronosporales, and Taphrinales are rarely found in the tropics, and are especially scarce in tropical forests. Morphologically, many tropical plant parasitic microfungi are characterized by melanized walls of fruiting bodies and spores, apparently an adaptation to tropical conditions with strong solar radiation. Gelatinous substances may slow down the process of drying out. The absence of a winter season in the tropics is probably the reason for the lack of spore dormancy and the dominance of asexual developmental stages in the Erysiphales and rust fungi. Accepted 9 December 2010.