Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Lidar observation of surface wind profiles in Changhua Coastal Industrial Park

The surface wind profiles and wind fluctuations were observed using a Lidar wind profiler in Changhua Coastal Industrial Park. The observation was independently conducted in each season with the measurement period of approximately one week. In the measurement site there were wind turbines. To prevent the contaminated data caused by turbines, the present analysis used four reference wind directions of NE, SSW, SE, and NW direction. The measurement results showed that two types of the profiles were observed. For the strong wind profiles caused by winter or summer monsoon, dominated by the surface friction, the wind speed increased and the turbulence intensity decreased with the increase of the height. In contrast, for the weak wind considerably affected by thermal buoyancy, the wind speed and turbulence profile was complex. Wind speed can decrease with the increase of the height. Turbulence intensity was higher and increased with the increase of height. Conventional curve of empirical power law well fitted all of the profiles of the wind speed and turbulence intensity with the height lower than 110 m. Discrepancy to the power law prediction was observed with the height over 110 m. Key word: Surface boundary layer, atmospheric turbulence, wind power
Designing User Interfaces for the Elderly: A Systematic Literature Review

A globally ageing population is more frequently required to utilize information systems as caregiving agencies and government policies adapt newer technologies to sustain efficiency. This unique user group commonly has difficulty with the solutions presented to them, and recent studies have focused on establishing the causes of these difficulties and possible solutions to them. However, these approaches are spread over a variety of technology domains (e.g., Mobile, Web, Desktop) and there seems to be little alignment between them, despite some obvious overlaps. In this paper, we conducted a systematic literature review to provide a structured overview of the current state of the literature regarding user interface development for elderly users over a variety of domains. Possibilities for future research and significant findings are also discussed.
3D Reconstruction of Indoor Scenes

Recent work in Structure from Motion (SfM) has successfully built 3D models from unordered collections of images. Inspired by their success, we choose one of these as the baseline [55] for implementing our own 3D reconstruction pipeline. We introduce three improvements dealing with detection of a sufficient number of features for high resolution images, speeding up a standard RANSAC for epipolar geometry estimation and focal length estimation for sets of image files with insufficient information about cameras. We show that our pipeline performs just as well as, and in some cases better than, the baseline. To improve reconstruction of indoor scenes, we observe that traditionally employed features do not work well for significant appearance changes of local patches which is typical for large camera transformations. We propose to firstly understand the indoor scene as a whole and then exploit this knowledge to improve image matching. Inspired by recent success of monocular indoor scene reconstruction, we estimate a box-like scene model for every input image and rectify individual faces which are then utilized for matching. We show that using these additional matches brings a dramatic improvement in reconstructing challenging indoor scenes from images.
Robot Skills: Imitation and Exploration Learning Dynamic Movement Primitives and Reinforcement Learning for a Ping Pong playing Robot

Table tennis is a task with a long history as a robotics challenge. In table tennis the existence of complex interactions between the physics of the ball and of the robot makes it hard to create an analytical model that can match the skill of a human player. In addition handcrafted models can be very sensitive to the parametrization of the environment, requiring manual tuning for any alterations. By using a machine learning approach the robot can adapt autonomously, learning the task and model simultaneously. This dissertation can be divided into two parts. First we discuss regression with GPs and follow with Cost Regularized Kernel Regression (CrKR), a state of the art Reinforcement Learning (RL) algorithm. We explore strategies for online sparsification of the collected samples to overcome the regression’s O(n3) computational complexity, allowing the robot to learn beyond a fixed budget of samples. In the second part we address Imitation Learning (IL). Expanding from the stateof-the-art Dynamic Motion Primitives (DMP) framework we developed Quadratic Program Motion Primitives (QPMP), our novel method to imitate trajectories. QPMP takes advantage of the existence of extremely fast solvers for finding the minimum of convex functions and adds increased flexibility to the existing methods with the definition of custom optimisation constraints to the generated trajectory. We present our results in a table tennis simulation and in a robotic platform. By combining demonstrations by an human expert and autonomous learning, we achieve a robot that can easily adapt to its environment and task.
Analysis of distribution and drug resistance of pathogens in ICU newborns with ventilator-associated pneumonia

Objective: The goal of this study was to analyze the distribution and drug resistance of main pathogens in ventilator-associated pneumonia in ICU newborns. Methods: A total of 55 newborns with ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP) and another 60 newborns without VAP were selected. The secretions at the end of endotracheal tube were acquired for pathogen culture and drug sensitivity test. Moreover, serum levels of tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and interleukin-6 (IL-6) were also measured. Results: 1) The average weight and gestational age in the VAP group were smaller than those in the non-VAP group, and times of tracheal intubation, duration of mechanical ventilation and duration of hospital stays in the VAP group were significantly longer than those in the non-VAP group (P < 0.05). 2) In the VAP group, Gram-positive cocci was 36.36%, with Staphylococcus aureus, Staphylococcus hemolyticus and Enterococcus fecalis being prevalent. Gram-negative bacilli occupied 54.55%, with Escherichia coli and Stenotrophomonas maltophilia as the main pathogens. In the non-VAP group, Gram-positive cocci accounted for 48.33%, with Staphylococcus aureus and Staphylococcus epidermidis predominant. Gram-negative bacilli occupied 41.67%, with Escherichia coli as the common one. The constituent ratios of fungi in both VAP and non-VAP groups were relatively low. 3) The Gram-positive cocci showed resistance to penicillin sodium and erythromycin with low resistance rate to vancomycin, linezolid and clindamycin. 4) Gram-negative bacilli were completely resistant to piperacillin without resistance to cefoperazone/tazobactam and meropenem. 5) The differences in serum levels of TNF-α and IL-6 levels between the VAP and non-VAP groups before mechanical ventilation were not significant, while they were significantly higher than those in the non-VAP group at 1, 3, 5, and 7 days after mechanical ventilation (P < 0.05). Conclusion: Gram-negative bacilli are dominated in the infection in newborns with VAP in ICU.
Prosody in Turkish learners of German as a Foreign Language

Results of a pilot study are presented which investigates the prosodic realization of information structure by six learners of German as a Foreign Language (GFL) with Turkish as first language. Question-answer pairs were read out loud, which systematically varied the position of narrow focus in the response by means of a preceding wh -question. A qualitative analysis of the results shows deaccentuation of postfocal constituents in the case of subject focus for 4/6 GFL-speakers but no consistent pitch increase on focused constituents. Two speakers did not change prosody due to information structure. The results are discussed in connection with the acquisition of prosody as a marker of information structure. Deaccentuation has been reported to cause problems in L2 prosody. In Turkish, deaccentuation occurs postfocally. The claim will be motivated that the occurrence of deaccentuation in the L1 is a necessary but not sufficient condition for early acquisition of deaccentuation in a foreign language.
Paliatyviųjų onkologinėmis ligomis ir lėtiniu širdies nepakankamumu IV st. sergančių pacientų fizinės problemos

Santrauka Onkologinės ligos buvo ir išlieka svarbi visuomenės sveikatos problema visose pasaulio šalyse. Pasaulyje kasmet apie 9 milijonai žmonių suserga onkologinėmis ligomis [1]. Lietuvoje kasmet registruojama iki 14 tūkst. naujų vėžio atvejų. Net apie 50 proc. pacientų, susirgusių vėžiu, pagydoma, tačiau ši liga vis dar baugina viso pasaulio gyventojus. Gydytojams kelia nerimą didėjantis sergamumas vėžiu. Pagal sergamumą ir mirtingumą tarp visų onkologinių ligų vėžys užima trečią vietą. Tačiau piktybinių navikų diagnostika yra sunki, liga dažnai nustatoma pavėluotai. Problemos aktualumas yra tas, kad pirmą kartą besikreipiantiems pacientams nustatoma 25% užleisto vėžio. Todėl daugumai ligonių reikalinga paliatyvioji pagalba. Sergamumas širdies ir kraujagyslių ligomis Lietuvoje išlieka aukštas. Lietuvoje 2009 m. sergančių širdies nepakankamumu buvo 23 822 pacientų. Lietuvos sveikatos apsaugos ministerijos Statistikos departamento duomenimis, pirmoje mirtingumo vietoje yra širdies ligos. Širdies ir kraujagyslių ligos sudaro ir vieną trečdalį neįgalumo priežasčių [2]. Tyrimas buvo vykdomas 2010 metų balandžio 1 d. 2011 metų balandžio mėnesio 30 d. Tyrimas vyko 5 palaikomojo gydymo ir slaugos ligoninėse. Rezultatai parodė, paliatyvieji onkologiniai pacientai jautė labai stiprų skausmą, skausmas trukdė bendrai veiklai, nuotaikai, miegui ir gebėjimui vaikščioti. Onkologiniai pacientai teigia, kad ligoninėje efektyviai kovojama su skausmu. Jie nurodė: stipriai jaučia fizinį silpnumą, vargina bendras organizmo išsekimas ir jaučia ryškų nuovargį. Onkologiniams pacientams labiau išryškėjęs vėmimas, pykinimas. Lėtiniu širdies nepakankamu sergantys pacientai teigia, kad labiau jaučia dusulį, nemigą, ženklesnis kojų tinimas ir skausmas krūtinėje. PALIATYVIŲJŲ ONKOLOGINĖMIS LIGOMIS IR LĖTINIU ŠIRDIES NEPAKANKAMUMU IV ST. SERGANČIŲ PACIENTŲ FIZINĖS PROBLEMOS
Building Ontologies for Reuse: Lessons Learned from Unit Ontologies

Reusability is a key advantage promised by ontologies. But in practice, the reuse is oftentimes impeded or even prevented by bad ontology designs. In this case study, we report on experiences when trying to utilize existing ontologies for measurement units in a scientiﬁc data management system. For this well deﬁned domain, there is a wide range of ontologies and modeling approaches available. However, the models lend themselves differently to reuse. We want to draw ontology engineers’ attention to encountered examples of good and bad design decisions to be considered in future developments.
Potential feedbacks between loss of biosphere integrity and climate change

Non-technical abstract Individual organisms on land and in the ocean sequester massive amounts of the carbon emitted into the atmosphere by humans. Yet the role of ecosystems as a whole in modulating this uptake of carbon is less clear. Here, we study several different mechanisms by which climate change and ecosystems could interact. We show that climate change could cause changes in ecosystems that reduce their capacity to take up carbon, further accelerating climate change. More research on – and better governance of – interactions between climate change and ecosystems is urgently required. Technical abstract Individual responses of terrestrial and marine species to future climate change will affect the capacity of the land and ocean to store carbon. How system-level changes in the integrity of the biosphere interact with climate change is more uncertain. Here, we explore the consequences of different hypotheses on the interactions between the climate–carbon system and the integrity of the terrestrial and marine biospheres. We investigate mechanisms including impairment of terrestrial ecosystem functioning due to lagged ecosystem responses, permafrost thaw, terrestrial biodiversity loss and impacts of changes in marine biodiversity on the marine biological pump. To investigate climate–biosphere interactions involving complex concepts such as biosphere integrity, we designed and implemented conceptual representations of these climate–biosphere interactions in a stylized climate–carbon model. We find that all four classes of interactions amplify climate change, potentially contributing up to an additional 0.4°C warming across all representative concentration pathway scenarios by the year 2100 and potentially turning the terrestrial biosphere into a net carbon source, although uncertainties are large. The results of this preliminary quantitative study call for more research on – and better integrated governance of – the interactions between climate change and biosphere integrity, the two core ‘planetary boundaries’.
Seizure Detection using Common Spatial Patterns and Classification Techniques

This paper investigates the effectiveness of Common Spatial Patterns (CSP) analysis of EEG signals on the automatic detection of focal epileptic seizures. Focal seizures are characterized by unilaterally triggered abnormal brain activity. CSP analysis has been frequently used in literature for multichannel EEG signal separation between two states. In the present study, EEG recordings from 10 subjects aged 7.7±4.4 years, including 63 seizures, were analyzed with respect to seizure detection and discrimination between interictal and ictal periods. Machine learning techniques of feature selection and classification were used in the analysis, resulting in a best achieved classification accuracy of 91.1%.
Toward universal testing of dynamic network models

Numerous networks in the real world change over time, in the sense that nodes and edges enter and leave the networks. Various dynamic random graph models have been proposed to explain the macroscopic properties of these systems and to provide a foundation for statistical inferences and predictions. It is of interest to have a rigorous way to determine how well these models match observed networks. We thus ask the following goodness of fit question: given a sequence of observations/snapshots of a growing random graph, along with a candidate model M, can we determine whether the snapshots came from M or from some arbitrary alternative model that is well-separated from M in some natural metric? We formulate this problem precisely and boil it down to goodness of fit testing for graph-valued, infinite-state Markov processes and exhibit and analyze a universal test based on non-stationary sampling for a natural class of models.
Numerical Calculations on the Unsteady Aerodynamic Force of the Tilt-Rotor Aircraft in Conversion Mode

A computational method is developed in order to predict the unsteady aerodynamic characteristics of the tilt-rotor aircraft in conversion mode. In this approach, the rotor is modeled as an actuator disk so that the effect of individual blades can be ignored. A novel predictor-corrector-based dynamic mesh method is presented for dealing with extremely large mesh deformation during a conversion process. The dual time-stepping approach and the finite volume scheme are applied to solve the unsteady N-S equation. A parallel algorithm is utilized in this work to improve the computational efficiency. By using the present method, quantitative and qualitative comparisons are made between the aerodynamic coefficients obtained in the quasi-steady fixed conversion mode and the time-accurate continuous transition flight condition. Both two-dimensional (2D) and three-dimensional (3D) computations are carried out. The influence of the tilt modes and the tilt period time on the unsteady aerodynamic forces are also studied. Numerical results demonstrate that the developed method is effective in simulating the aerodynamic characteristics of the tilt-rotor aircraft in conversion mode.
Research on the Innovation Efficiency of Listed Companies Under the Influence of Equity Structure in China

This paper selected listed companies in China before 2010 as the research sample, using the data of 2010-2015 to analyze the influence of equity structure on the enterprise innovation efficiency from the equity nature, ownership concentration, ownership balance degree aspects in China. The study found that the innovation efficiency of state-owned enterprises in China is higher than that in non-state-owned companies. There is a nonlinear relationship between the ownership concentration and enterprise innovation efficiency; as the ownership balance degree increase, enterprise innovation efficiency increase at the same time. And there is an inverted U shape relationship between the proportion of the managerial ownership and enterprise innovation efficiency. Keywords—innovation efficiency; equity nature; ownership concentration; ownership balance degree
Petrography and geochemistry of Pila Spi Formation (Middle- Late Eocene) in Selected Sections / Northern Iraq

The Pila Spi Formation (middle – late Eocene) was studied in terms of field character, Petrography and geochemistry from two outcrops (Bakhar and Bani bawy) sections, Northern Iraq. The field studies showing massive, lithified limestone to marly limestone high effected by dolomitization. The petrography studies shows that most of the skeletal grains was destroyed due to digenetic processes specifically the dolomitization, and the vast majority of carbonate rocks are mudstone and few beds of wackestone. The geochemical study reveals low CaO% and high MgO% content due to the intense effect of dolomitization, and the carbonate rocks was classified as impure limestone generally of slightly calcareous dolomite. Ca/Mg and Sr/Ca ratios have been used to evaluate the depositional environment and indicate near shore and shallow depth environment and the basin become shallower upward in both sections.
Seabed terrain and fauna associations based on acoustic sampling. ICES CM 2004/T:11

Mapping the form and nature of the seabed is a necessary requirement for understanding its ecological role for biological communities. We are developing a surrogate-based methodology in response to the need to manage Australia’s deep offshore (50 m to 1500 m) seabed under Australia’s Oceans Policy. Remotely sensed surrogates of seafloor biotopes using optical and acoustic devices are attractive due to their collective properties: large sampling coverage per unit cost, non-destructive sampling and high spatial resolution. The necessary targeted physical sampling varies in quantity and quality depending on the taxonomic resolution required (Kloser et al. 2002b).
ENHANCING DELIBERATION FOR THE FORMULATION AND APPLICATION OF PUBLIC POLICY ON THE ENVIRONMENT AND ENERGY USING FEDERATED CONTENT, ONTOLOGIES AND MAPS

The problems of formulation and application of various kinds of public policy concerning energy and environment are wicked’ and highly complex ones, with multiple and conflicting objectives and many stakeholders with different views, values and concerns. For this reason a deliberation among stakeholders and argumentation approach using advanced information and communication technologies (ICT) is the best way for addressing such problems. The use of eparticipation technologies and methods can be very useful for this purpose. This paper describes an advanced ICT platform that has been developed for supporting and facilitating such deliberation and argumentation approaches, as part of the FEED (Federated e-Participation Systems for Cross-Societal Deliberation on Environmental and Energy Issues) project. This platform aims to support and enhance deliberation among all stakeholders and argumentation for the formulation and application of public policy concerning environment and energy, by providing i) federated content from various sources, ii) efficient mechanisms for accessing it based on ontologies and maps, and ii) stakeholders’ interaction capabilities through forum and petition functionalities. Also, a usage scenario of this platform is described.
Influence of semiconductor laser irradiation on the rate of orthodontic tooth movement

Objective: To explore the influence of semiconductor laser on tooth movement and the mechanism. Methods: A total of 10 g of orthodontic force was applied to rat molars to cause experimental tooth movement. A semiconductor laser was used to irradiate the area around the moved tooth, and after 3, 7 and 14 days, the amount of tooth movement and root length were measured. Alveolar bone structure parameters were also measured. The parameters included alveolar bone density (BMD), bone volume fraction (BV/TV) and TbSp. Results: On 14 days after laser irradiation, the distance of tooth movement and root length in irradiation group were much higher than the control group. BMD and BV/TV in the compression side in the irradiation group was significantly lower than the control group, while TbSp was obviously higher. The number of osteoblasts and osteoclasts in irradiation group were observably higher than the control. Conclusion: Semiconductor laser irradiation can accelerate the speed of tooth movement, reduce root resorption during tooth movement and accelerate the reconstruction of alveolar bone.
Towards Jumpy Planning

Model-free reinforcement learning (RL) is a powerful paradigm for learning complex tasks but suffers from high sample inefficiency as well as ignorance of the environment dynamics. On the other hand, a model-based RL agent learns dynamical causal models of the environment and uses them to plan. However, using a model at the scale of time-steps (usually tens of milliseconds) is mostly unfeasible in practice due to compounding prediction errors and computational requirements for making vast numbers of model queries during the planning process. We propose to use a modelbased planner together with a goal-conditioned policy trained with model-free learning. We use a model-based planner that operates at higher levels of abstraction i.e., decision states and use modelfree RL between the decision states. We validate our approach in terms of transfer and generalization performance and show that it leads to improvement over model-based planner that jumps to states that are fixed timesteps ahead.
Electronic Structure and Topological Disorder in sp Phases of Carbon

Carbon has shown itself to be the most flexible of atoms, crystallizing in divergent phases such as diamond and graphite, and being the constituent of the entire zoo of (locally) graphitic balls, tubes, capsules and possibly negative curvature analogs of fullerenes, the Schwartzites. We compare the various sp-bonded forms of carbon, and describe conditions which open or close the optical gap. We also explore topological disorder in three-coordinated networks including odd-membered rings in amorphous graphene, as seen in some experimental studies. We start with the Wooten-WeaireWiner models due to Kumar and Thorpe, and then carry out ab-initio studies of the topological disorder. The structural, electronic and vibrational characteristics are explored. We show that topological disorder qualitatively changes the electronic structure near the Fermi level. The existence of pentagonal rings also leads to substantial puckering in an accurate density functional simulation. The vibrational modes and spectra have proven to be interesting, and we present evidence that one might detect the presence of amorphous graphene from a vibrational signature.