Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Towards a spatial ear trainer.

The development of a spatial audio ear trainer has been proposed and investigated. A review of the relevant literature has shown that although numerous researchers have simulated spatial characteristics of sound, the devised simulation algorithms were not (properly) verified with respect to their intended subjective effects, thus making them unsuitable for training purposes. Additionally, whilst various timbral ear-training systems have been set up, there is none for spatial quality. To address these shortcomings four spatial attributes of reproduced sound have been considered: source distance, source width, ensemble width and ensemble depth. For each attribute a processing algorithm was developed that allowed highly controlled changes in the respective percept. Using these algorithms four sets of stimuli were carefully generated with the aim of achieving unidimensional variation in terms of the qualities of interest. In order to allow detailed and reliable validation of the simulations' auditory effects, a sensory evaluation strategy was devised that relies on Multidimensional Scaling techniques and the elicitation of supplementary qualitative data as a means of obtaining a complete sensory profile of a group of stimuli. With the help of this methodology as well as critical listening panels the psychological structures of the sound excerpts were measured. Results showed that the envisaged unidimensionality of the source distance, ensemble width and ensemble depth samples was accomplished. As to the source width simulation, results were not as clear-cut, which was attributed to listener unfamiliarity with this perceptual construct and greater stimulus uncertainty. Nevertheless, the analyses unfolded only one major dimension, which is why all four attribute simulations were deemed suitable for the proposed training purposes.
Multi-partitioned Bytecode Wrapping Scheme for Minimizing Code Exposure on Android

To date, the Android has an overwhelming share of the global smartphone market and an immense number of users. However, owing to their structural problems, Android applications are more vulnerable to reverse engineering attacks compared to other mobile applications. Attacks on Android applications not only infringe on the intellectual property rights of application developers, but they can lead to the theft of private user data and financial damage. Developers have applied several techniques to protect Android applications from these attacks. One method is the packing technique. However, because the packing technique is a protection technology for the entire code, the core code is continually exposed in dynamic memory until the process terminates. In other words, if the attacker succeeds in dynamic memory analysis, the attacker may easily obtain the logic of the core code. Therefore, in this paper, we propose a scheme that makes reverse engineering analysis difficult. This is achieved by wrapping and dropping the original bytecode after separating the original bytecode, thereby resolving the problem of exposing all the original bytecodes. The proposed scheme was applied to a sample application, and the security and performance were compared with those of existing techniques.
Image Segmentation Using 4 Direction Line-processes

In early vision, Markov Random Field (MRF) modelization has received a great deal of attention in the last few years. lJsually two fields are coupled to represent the image [5] : one is dedicated to the intensity values, the other one is used to model the discontinuities through the line-processes. This type of modelization has been widely used for edge detection [8],[9],[11],[12], image restorahion [5],[6], surface reconstruction [2],[4], and so on. The problem is posed as one of minimizing a cost function which is derived from the negative logarithm of an appropriate posterior probablity density function, which can be tought as the length of encoding. The cost function obtained is non-convex due to the lineprocesses . and several relaxation techniques have been proposed to reach the global minimum. The first group of methods deals with stochastic relaxation and is based on simulated annealing [5],[6],[7]. These algorithms converge asymptotically towards the global minimum but require a great deal of computation. The second group of methods is related to deterministic relaxation. These techniques are suboptimal but require less computational time than the previous ones. This is why so many deterministic relaxation algorithms have been recently investigated (Graduated Non Corivexity (GNC) [2],[8],[9], Iterated Conditional Mode (ICM) [ 11 ,[6], Mean Field Annealing (MIFA) [3] ,[4] ,[ 111 ,[ 121. Herein, we present a new model using line-processes in 4 directions in order to have a better detection of diagonal lines and curves. A deterministic irelaxation algorithm using MFA is derived which gives the mean values of the intensity fields and the 4 direction lineprocesses. Finally, a winner-take-all scheme is proposed to se1ec.t the edges. Furthermore, lThe authors would like to thank F. Ployette for his help in testing the algorithms.
HBase-based storage system for large-scale data in wireless sensor network

Wireless Sensor Network(WSN) spreads widely,and with the expansion of WSNs there will be a large number of sensors which produce massive sensor data.To store the data from large-scale WSNs,this paper proposed a two-tier storage architecture based on HBase storing sensor data from different regions and global data management directory,which achieved a near real-time storage system.The experimental results show that this system with high scalability,storage and query efficiency can solve the massive sensor data storage.
Emergency Room Nurses Knowledge of and Experience with Health Literacy and their Patient Teaching Methods

Health literacy (HL) is the ability one has to understand health information and navigate within the health system. Health literacy is linked to health knowledge and acute and chronic health outcomes. The conceptual model of health literacy outlines the contextual factors related to individual health literacy throughout the health system and the mitigating influence on outcomes. Education is a key factor to health knowledge and behavior changes. Nurses are the primary educators for providing patient teaching and yet research indicates nurses are lacking in knowledge regarding this. One area in the health system where health literacy has a strong effect on patient outcomes is the emergency department (ED). Identifying the association between emergency department nurses knowledge of, and experience with health literacy, and their use of patient education strategies is important for future patient outcomes. This descriptive, exploratory, correlational study examined the HL knowledge, experience and most frequently used teaching methods of ED nurses as well as relationships between and among emergency department nurses’ health literacy knowledge, health literacy experience and their patient teaching methods. Results of this study indicated that ED nurse participants knew less basic facts about HL than about evaluating HL interventions and the consequences associated with low HL. Overall the participants answered 62% of the knowledge questions correctly. There were correlations found between HL knowledge and age, years as a licensed registered nurse (RN) and years worked in the ED with the strongest predictor of HL knowledge being nurses level of education (β = .21, p = .012). A
On the complexity of routing concurrent traffic in capacitated multistage networks

This paper examines the complexity of a fundamental traffic routing problem that arises in the design of routing algorithms based on packing a given set of traffic requirements into a few number of passes through a given multistage interconnection network. Two classes of networks are considered: 3-stage networks, and a generalized class of extra-stage indirect binary n-cube networks. For the former class, it is shown that the problem is NP-complete even if the network has exactly three secondary switches, and all links have unit capacity. In contrast, a sufficient and necessary condition for the existence of a solution is shown when the network has at most two secondary switches. For the latter class, the problem is shown to be NP-complete even if the network has 6 stages, and each link has a capacity /spl les/3. The latter result implies that the problem is hard on conventional extra-stage indirect binary cube networks. The above results motivate further search for finding efficient heuristic algorithms to deal with practical cases of the problem.
Urban Water Management Paradigms in Chinese Cities

Three paradigms used in China to deal with urban water issues are compared. The analysis focuses on their definition and objectives, the role of different stakeholders, the issues they deal with and the possible solutions suggested. The use of these paradigms in Chinese cities is compared on different dimensions to conclude when and where they can be used for which purpose. The paradigms differ substantially in their scope (from the narrow focus of the sponge city paradigm to the broad goals of eco-city paradigms) and in terms of the governance mechanisms used to coordinate between different actors. The resilient and sponge paradigms mainly use government structures to achieve their objectives, while the idea is to also involve the private sector (certainly in case of the sponge city paradigm). This has not happened most of the times because project money had to be spent in time. In the eco-cities approach the citizens want to be involved through newly created governance structures. In resilient cities potential victims may be involved. Resilient and eco-city initiatives emphasize the involvement of stakeholders, while in the sponge cities approach the initiative is often taken by local government. Finally, in terms of expected solutions, the paradigms want to avoid disaster, create an eco-city or improve water management. Only in the case of eco-cities there is more space for different water management practices and using alternative technologies. Water-related technologies are available, generating energy from wastewater or underground water and diminishing the dependence on fossil fuels.
A methodological morass? How we can improve quantitative research in distance education

This article is about the quantitative research practices and methodologies that are used in distance education (DE). It begins with an analysis and assessment of a segment of the DE research literature, DE/classroom comparison studies, based on a recently completed meta-analysis of that literature from 1985 to 2002. Overall, the 232 studies reviewed were judged to be of poor methodological quality and severely lacking in critical information about research practices. Studies of synchronous and asynchronous DE are discussed separately and recommendations are made for improving designs and measures within these patterns. Suggestions for future quantitative research areas are provided. In discussing these findings, we recognize that high-quality research is being conducted in the field and that qualitative forms of research contribute greatly to the mosaic of evidence that is the base of available knowledge about DE. Finally, three organizations, the What Works Clearinghouse (USA), EPPI-Centre (UK), and the Campbell Collaboration (international), all devoted to improving the quality of research and research synthesis in education, are described briefly; suggestions are made as to how their philosophies and approaches for judging the worthiness of research evidence can be used to improve DE research.
"Some reckoning of gains is made" : a historical inquiry into assessment in child-centred curricula

ion through the years, curbing anti-social tendencies in the child through controlled schooling (Kliebard, 1995, pp. 81-93). These reformers worked out a carefully graduated articulation of school grade levels using what they called a scientific approach. This approach focused on analyzing societal structures into their components,
The Development of Mast Cells in the Vascularized Cornea

The origin and physiological functions of the connective tissue mast cells have been the source of considerable speculation and experimentation since they were first described by Ehrlich. In recent years many workers have helped to clarify a few of the biochemical potentialities of these cells.3,14,17,19,20The role of mast cells in wound healing as well as the production of connective tissue ground substance via the manufacture of sulphated mucopolysaccharides still remains in doubt. Asboe-Hansen1has noted that the number of mast cells varies, in general, with the quantity of metachromatic ground substance present. Specific examples cited include myxedematous skin and the synovial membrane. However, if mast cells do contribute to the formation of ground substance, the property is not exclusively theirs. No mast cells appear in regenerating rat tendon25; they are similarly absent in the aortic media, which is rich in metachromatic material.5In studies of
Elderly Patients in the Acute Care Hospital

Elderly patients can remain in acute care hospitals for protracted periods of time waiting for transfer to long-term care facilities. Because such patients no longer require acute care services, hospitals often fail to provide programs for them and staff may experience them as inappropriate. This study provides a descriptive understanding of these patients and examines factors associated with length of stay. Although differences were found between patients who were discharged in 6 months or less and those who remained in hospitals longer than 6 months, no significant differences were found among patients who remained for varying lengths of time beyond 6 months. Impact of long stay on patients and families is explored and implications for social work practice and discharge planning are examined.
Esophageal cancer N staging study with endoscopic ultrasonography

Esophageal cancer staging is important for the treatment of esophageal cancer. Endoscopic ultrasonography (EUS) is a common diagnostic tool for esophageal cancer prior to surgery. However, EUS is unable to accurately discriminate the N-staging of lymph nodes. In order to distinguish an optimized standard for malignant lymph node diagnosis, the present study compared lymph nodes detected by EUS and surgery. A total of 112 patients were preoperatively examined with EUS and staged according to the 7th Edition of the American Joint Committee on Cancer Staging Manual. The results of EUS were compared with surgical findings. The critical values of long diameter, short diameter and lymph node number detected by EUS were >7.5, >5.5 mm and >2, respectively; indexes, including long diameter >7.5 mm, short diameter >5.5 mm, round, low echo, edge smooth, near lesion and detected lymph node number (>2) and T3/4 staging, met significance in the EUS group compared with the surgical group (P<0.05). Furthermore, the area under curve (AUC) value of the EUS (0.801) was superior to the conventional, surgical method (0.779). Although EUS improved the diagnostic accuracy of esophageal N staging, it was not able to satisfactorily distinguish between N2 and N3 staging. Advancements in EUS may enhance its detection ability, further improving the diagnostic accuracy of lymph node metastasis.
Switched Time-Delay Systems: Stability and Control

Mathematical Tools. - Mathematical Foundations. - System Stability. - Time-Delay Systems: Recent Progress. - Switched Systems. - Switched Time-Delay Systems. - Switched Stabilization and Control. - Three-Term Stabilization Schemes. - Delay-Dependent Switched Control. - Switched Filtering. - Delay-Dependent Switched Filtering. - Switched Kalman Filtering. - Switched Decentralized Control. - Switched Decentralized Control. - Applications. - Applications to Water-Quality Control. - Applications to Mutli-Rate Control.
Task reallocation for fault tolerance in multiprocessor systems

A simple, yet effective, method to improve multicomputer/multiprocessor system reliability via redundant allocation of tasks to computers (processors) is described. Given any known (nonredundant) scheduling strategy, tasks are allocated to processors statically and redundantly using the k-circular shifting algorithm, so that if some processors fail during the execution all tasks can be completed on the remaining processors (but in a longer time). Due to static preallocation of tasks this method is simpler and thus more practical than well-known dynamic reconfiguration and roll-back recovery techniques in multiprocessor systems. The authors discuss in detail the redundant allocation of independent tasks to identical processors, subject to real-time constraints on total execution time, and derive analytic reliability estimates for this case. The longest processing time (LPT) scheduling is given as an example of nonredundant deterministic scheduling for independent tasks. The authors discuss processor utilization for redundant task allocation, and compare it with the standby redundancy technique. This comparison shows that the proposed method achieves much higher processor utilization than standby redundancy. <<ETX>>
Using predictive distributions to estimate uncertainty in classifying landmine targets

Typical classification models used for detection of buried landmines estimate a singular discriminative output. This classification is based on a model or technique trained with a given set of training data available during system development. Regardless of how well the technique performs when classifying objects that are 'similar' to the training set, most models produce undesirable (and many times unpredictable) responses when presented with object classes different from the training data. This can cause mines or other explosive objects to be misclassified as clutter, or false alarms. Bayesian regression and classification models produce distributions as output, called the predictive distribution. This paper will discuss predictive distributions and their application to characterizing uncertainty in the classification decision, from the context of landmine detection. Specifically, experiments comparing the predictive variance produced by relevance vector machines and Gaussian processes will be described. We demonstrate that predictive variance can be used to determine the uncertainty of the model in classifying an object (i.e., the classifier will know when it's unable to reliably classify an object). The experimental results suggest that degenerate covariance models (such as the relevance vector machine) are not reliable in estimating the predictive variance. This necessitates the use of the Gaussian Process in creating the predictive distribution.
Dolor postoperatorio en mujeres sometidas a cesárea

Objective: To estimate the incidence, intensity and quality for pain post-cesarean section. Methods: Cross-sectional study. A total of 1062 post-cesarean section women were interviewed in immediates pre- and post-operative. Pain intensity and quality were evaluated through the Numerical Rating Scale (0-10) and McGill Pain Questionnaire-SF. The variables were explored by descriptive measures and the incidence of postoperative pain calculated with a 95% confidence interval. Results: The incidence of pain was 92,7% (IC 95%: 90,9 - 94,2). The average level of pain intensity at the time of worst pain was 6,6 (dp=2,2). The descriptors more frequently chosen were “aching” (91.6%) “tender” (70.0%) and “throbbing” (56.1%). Conclusions: High-intensity postoperative pain is a reality for post-cesarean section women, showing the importance of pain assessment for implementation of curative and preventive actions to reduce losses in the recovery of women.
Assumptions, Trust, and Names in Computer Security Protocols

A major goal of using any security protocol is to create certain beliefs in the participants. A security protocol will use techniques like cryptography to guarantee some things, but it will still require a participant to make assumptions about other things that the protocol cannot guarantee; such assumptions often constitute trust in other participants. In this thesis, we attempt to precisely identify the required assumptions of some example protocols. In the process, we find that we must consider the names that participants use to reason about each other. It turns out that naming is a complex topic with a rich body of philosophical work, and we apply some ideas from this work to the problem of identifying security protocols’ required assumptions. Finally, we begin work on a mathematical model of protocols and beliefs to which a formal logic of belief could be applied. The model is left incomplete because of some unresolved problems with modeling belief caused by the design requirement that the model’s elements have clear operational meanings. The solution of these problems is left as future work.
Analyzing and Improving the TCP Flow Fairness in Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

The TCP(transmission control protocol) flow fairness problem in wireless multi-hop ad hoc networks is investigated. It is identified that the IEEE 802.11 DCF protocol can lead to severe unfairness, i.e., some nodes seize the whole channel capacity while others are starved. The TCP flow unfairness problem is first analyzed by simulation and it is found that the main reason lies in the unfairness of MAC(media access and control) protocol, while the TCP timeout mechanism makes the unfairness more severe. Then a probability model is used to quantitatively analyze the relation between the TCP unfairness and MAC parameters, which shows that the TCP flow fairness heavily correlates with the TCP packet length, and increasing the initial contention window of the MAC protocol can improve the fairness effectively. Based on these observations, a novel adaptive backoff algorithm is proposed, which dynamically adjusts the initial contention window according to the TCP packet length. Both theoretic analysis and simulation results show that the proposed algorithm can relieve the fairness problem to a
Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni’s Palace of Illusions : A feminist perspective

Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni is one of the most significant literary voices of contemporary times. She is gifted with rare capacity of critically looking at social and cultural issues in her creative works. She has championed the cause of feminist rights in her own way in her celebrated novel Palace of Illusions. The events of Mahabharata are narrated by Panchaali and so they derive a new significance and value. Panchaali presents a feminist perspective. It enables the readers to reacess reinterpret and revalue many of issues of mythological time of Mahabharata. It is to be appreciated the problems and marginalisations that women suffered at the time of Mahabharata has noy been much altered even today. Therefore Panchaalis voice aquires universal significance. She emerges as spokesperson for millions and millions of women all over the world who despite their capacity and talent have been relegated to secondary position and are forced to live a life of subservient by men. The present paper critically analyses Palace of Illusions by Chitra Banerjee Divakaruni from feminist perspective. Keywords— Mahabharata, suppression, feminist, equality, feminism .