Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A MPC Strategy for the Optimal Management of Microgrids Based on Evolutionary Optimization

In this paper, a novel model predictive control strategy, with a 24-h prediction horizon, is proposed to reduce the operational cost of microgrids. To overcome the complexity of the optimization problems arising from the operation of the microgrid at each step, an adaptive evolutionary strategy with a satisfactory trade-off between exploration and exploitation capabilities was added to the model predictive control. The proposed strategy was evaluated using a representative microgrid that includes a wind turbine, a photovoltaic plant, a microturbine, a diesel engine, and an energy storage system. The achieved results demonstrate the validity of the proposed approach, outperforming a global scheduling planner-based on a genetic algorithm by 14.2% in terms of operational cost. In addition, the proposed approach also better manages the use of the energy storage system.
How Do eHMIs Affect Pedestrians' Crossing Behavior? A Study Using a Head-Mounted Display Combined with a Motion Suit

In future trac, automated vehicles may be equipped with external human-machine interfaces (eHMIs) that can communicate with pedestrians. Previous research suggests that, during first encounters, pedestrians regard text-based eHMIs as clearer than light-based eHMIs. However, in much of the previous research, pedestrians were asked to imagine crossing the road, and unable or not allowed to do so. We investigated the effects of eHMIs on participants’ crossing behavior. Twenty-four participants were immersed in a virtual urban environment using a head-mounted display coupled to a motion-tracking suit. We manipulated the approaching vehicles’ behavior (yielding, nonyielding) and eHMI type (None, Text, Front Brake Lights). Participants could cross the road whenever they felt safe enough to do so. The results showed that forward walking velocities, as recorded at the pelvis, were, on average, higher when an eHMI was present compared to no eHMI if the vehicle yielded. In nonyielding conditions, participants showed a slight forward motion and refrained from crossing. An analysis of participants’ thorax angle indicated rotation towards the approaching vehicles and subsequent rotation towards the crossing path. It is concluded that results obtained via a setup in which participants can cross the road are similar to results from survey studies, with eHMIs yielding a higher crossing intention compared to no eHMI. The motion suit allows investigating pedestrian behaviors related to bodily attention and hesitation.
S0033291719001417jra 1..15

Background. In schizophrenia, relative stability in the magnitude of cognitive deficits across age and illness duration is inconsistent with the evidence of accelerated deterioration in brain regions known to support these functions. These discrepant brain–cognition outcomes may be explained by variability in cognitive reserve (CR), which in neurological disorders has been shown to buffer against brain pathology and minimize its impact on cognitive or clinical indicators of illness. Methods. Age-related change in fluid reasoning, working memory and frontal brain volume, area and thickness were mapped using regression analysis in 214 individuals with schizophrenia or schizoaffective disorder and 168 healthy controls. In patients, these changes were modelled as a function of CR. Results. Patients showed exaggerated age-related decline in brain structure, but not fluid reasoning compared to controls. In the patient group, no moderation of age-related brain structural change by CR was evident. However, age-related cognitive change was moderated by CR, such that only patients with low CR showed evidence of exaggerated fluid reasoning decline that paralleled the exaggerated age-related deterioration of underpinning brain structures seen in all patients. Conclusions. In schizophrenia-spectrum illness, CR may negate ageing effects on fluid reasoning by buffering against pathologically exaggerated structural brain deterioration through some form of compensation. CR may represent an important modifier that could explain inconsistencies in brain structure – cognition outcomes in the extant literature.
A Multi-Screen Cyber-Physical Game Based on Body-Area Inertial Sensor Networks and Its Gravity Estimation Problem

Deploying body-area inertial sensor networks on human bodies to capture motions has attracted a lot of interests recently, especially in cyber-physical video games and context aware applications. While video games on the cyber world have been quite popular, enhancing them with more physical inputs, such as those from inertial sensors, is becoming a new trend. Following this trend, we develop a video game integrated with body-area inertial sensor networks deployed on players as inputs and with multiple game screens to broaden players’ views and provide more realistic interaction experiences. Our design simulates a multi-screen game engine by controlling a set of game engines simultaneously. A prototype with a body-area inertial sensor network platform, a cyber-physical game controller, and a set of game engines is demonstrated. The demonstrated game also addresses the interaction between virtual objects and players. Tracking human posture system based on accelerometer. One fundamental issue in such scenarios is how to calculate the gravity, no matter when human body parts are moving or not. Assuming multiple accelerometers being deployed on a rigid part of a human body, a recent work proposes a data fusion method to estimate the gravity on that rigid part. However, how to find the optimal deployment of sensors that minimizes the estimation error of the gravity is still an open problem. In this paper, we formulate the deployment optimization problem, present deployment guidelines, and propose some heuristics, including a virtual-force-based (VF-based) method and a Metropolis-based search method. Experimental results are presented to verify our results.
STUDIES IN ALGEBRAIC THINKING NO 2 SUMS TO ONE: A STUDY IN GENERALISATION AND IN THE USE OF FUNDAMENTAL CONSTRUCTS FROM MATHEMATICS EDUCATION

This is a study of how a simple task developed into a number of more challenging explorations. On the surface therefore it illustrates the thesis that every mathematical task can be seen as but a particular example of a domain or space of related tasks. It is also a study of how various fundamental constructs in mathematics education inform both reflection on experience, and pedagogically effective practices. The task itself began as one of a number of tasks (Mason 1996) designed to reveal to undergraduates that they actually knew spontaneously to specialise (to make use of particular examples in order to get a sense of what might be going on structurally), and then to regeneralise using symbols. Generalisations, extensions and variations of the task developed over a long period of time. In the process, the task itself became useful for other pedagogic aims. Constructs illustrated include dimensions-of-possible-variation which is a development of ideas of Ference Marton (Marton & Booth 1997) which intersect with a major mathematical theme: the study of invariance in the midst of change; the structure of attention (closely allied to the van Hieles’ framework); scaffolding-and-fading (Seeley Brown et al 1989, Bruner 1996); manipulating–getting-a-sense-of–articulating (Floyd et al 1981); and example-spaces (developed by Watson & Mason 2002, 2005) as part of concept-images, among others. The pedagogic assumptions underlying these notes is that to be effective as learners, students need to be active rather than passive, asserting conjectures rather than merely assenting to what is going on, anticipating what is coming rather than dwelling in what has just happened. Furthermore, the most effective way to prompt learners to use and develop their own powers of mathematical thinking is to get them to use those powers spontaneously, and then to draw attention to those powers. Subsequently, if they do not use those powers spontaneously, their attention can be drawn to the possibility by reference to prior experience. It has proved difficult to separate mathematical exploration, commentary on mathematical exploration, and pedagogical remarks, but in order to alert the reader to what to expect, for the most part, mathematical commentary is displayed left and pedagogical commentary is displayed right.
Open-Access fNIRS Dataset for Classification of Unilateral Finger- and Foot-Tapping

Numerous open-access electroencephalography (EEG) datasets have been released and widely employed by EEG researchers. However, not many functional near-infrared spectroscopy (fNIRS) datasets are publicly available. More fNIRS datasets need to be freely accessible in order to facilitate fNIRS studies. Toward this end, we introduce an open-access fNIRS dataset for three-class classification. The concentration changes of oxygenated and reduced hemoglobin were measured, while 30 volunteers repeated each of the three types of overt movements (i.e., left- and right-hand unilateral complex finger-tapping, foot-tapping) for 25 times. The ternary support vector machine (SVM) classification accuracy obtained using leave-one-out cross-validation was estimated at 70.4% ± 18.4% on average. A total of 21 out of 30 volunteers scored a superior binary SVM classification accuracy (left-hand vs. right-hand finger-tapping) of over 80.0%. We believe that the introduced fNIRS dataset can facilitate future fNIRS studies.
Assessment of thoracic auto-contouring using a modified Turing Test

Perhaps the most common approach, with the least clinical burden, is quantitative assessment of the difference between the result and the ground truth contours (as in [1]). Unfortunately, while this approach demonstrates technical improvement, it does not prove clinical benefit. The most direct assessment of the impact of auto-contouring on clinical practice is in the comparison of the time required to adjust the autocontours for clinical use against the time required to create contours in the current clinical practice (as in [2]). However, this approach also has the highest clinical burden. A less time consuming approach is scoring by clinicians of the utility of contours (as in [3]), however this approach remains subjective and qualitative.
Makinoella tosaensis Okada, A New Recorded Genus and Species of Freshwater Trebouxiophycean Algae from China

Two strains of green algae with No. FACHB-1783 and FACHB-1784 were isolated from small ponds in Wuhan, Hubei Province and Xishuangbanna, Yunnan Province, respectively. Their morphology and 18S rDNA sequences were studied. The typical coenobia of two strains are tetragonally arranged in flat, usually 4–16-celled. Cells are broad ellipsoid to irregularly oval, without polar thickenings. Numerous chloroplasts are discoid, each with a pyrenoid. Based on morphological and molecular phylogenetic evidences, the two strains were identified as Makinoella tosaensis Okada, which was considered as a new recorded genus and species of freshwater trebouxiophycean algae from China. The 18S rDNA sequence of the strains showed high similarity (99.6%-99.9%) with those of M. tosaensis Okada from Korea. The phylogenetic analyses based on 18S rDNA sequence showed that all strains of M. tosaensis Okada clustered into a clade with high support values.
Matching Detection of Crane Hook and Ladle Lug before Ladle Hoisting

Reliable matching between the crane hook and ladle lug is a key requirement for the safe hoisting of a ladle in steelmaking. A novel method is proposed to detect the matching between the hook and lug using surface acoustic wave radio frequency identification (SAW RFID) localization. SAW RFID tags are attached to the surface of the lug and the hook. The position of the lug is estimated via a geometric mapping approach with a special position of the tag and the reader’s antenna, and the position of the hook is estimated by a synthetic aperture approach with the hook’s movement pattern. Afterwards, the matching judgement is determined based on the relative position between the hook and lug. The proposed method employs only two SAW tags and two reader antennas, facilitating installation and routine maintenance. Numerical simulation and physical experiments demonstrate that the proposed method works effectively for matching detection.
The potential of homeopathic phenomenon in plant growth

For over two centuries homeopathy has demonstrated its therapeutic properties, thus gaining more and more supporters worldwide. Many researchers opine that due to absence of a medicinal substance in a homeopathic preparation it is not necessary to study its healing effect. However, for the last few years our research was focused not only on understanding the mechanism(s) of homeopathic action in medical and veterinary practices but also on the effect of different homeopathic preparations on plants. The studies aimed to rule out the placebo effect from the homeopathic phenomenon, but also at identification of therapeutic effect on different plants. These studies allowed to extend the boundaries of practical use of homeopathy including its common use in the farming industry. The efficacy of various homeopathic preparations was assessed for their use in plant growth through application techniques such as watering, spraying, soaking and sprinkling etc. Growth dynamics, duration of fruit ripening, crop yield were monitored and compared to reference plants. Homeopathic preparations for agricultural plants were carefully selected on the basis of their effect on the crop yield â€“ the principal criterion for the selection. Based on these criteria it was observed that the homeopathic picture of tomatoes, cucumbers, potatoes is almost same within one variety, in all tested sorts, although, in case of fruit trees such as apple, pear the homeopathic similimum varied depending of the selection method. Our results showed that, in case of trees, one-time application of homeopathic preparation during a season is preferable and sufficient. In case of vegetable cultures, application may not be more frequent than once a month as more frequent application results in diminishing of yield. For root plants single treatment at the time of planting was sufficient. The performed studies showed that the growth and ripening indicators significantly prevailed in the vegetables, which had been treated with homeopathic preparations, as compared to common traditional way of plant handling (controls). Thus the performed studies suggest the following: a) Homeopathic effect on biological structures is not a placebo effect. b) Obtained data are a categorical proof of the homeopathic preparation effect on plants causing higher yield in agricultural crops and therefore, have good potential for their use on the industrial scale in agriculture. c) The potential of the homeopathic phenomenon practical use has not been fully explored yet and needs a follow-up study.
Evaluation of Serum Biomarkers and Other Diagnostic Modalities for Early Diagnosis of Preeclampsia

Objective: Preeclampsia (PE) is a multi-systemic complication of pregnancy often characterised with the onset of hypertension and proteinuria after 20 weeks of gestation. Today, PE is the leading cause of maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality worldwide. An early detection of PE would allow a chance to plan the appropriate monitoring and for clinical management to be immediately done following early detection thus making prophylactic strategies much more effective. Materials and methods: This systematic review aims to evaluate the potential of the various serum biomarkers and diagnostic modalities (uterine artery Doppler, MAP, and maternal history) available for early prediction of PE with articles included and obtained through MEDLINE Full Text, Pubmed, Science Direct, ProQuest, SAGE, Taylor and Francis Online, Google Scholar, HighWire and Elsevier ClinicalKey. Results: Ninety-five articles were found that fulfilled all of our inclusion criteria. Placental growth factor (PlGF), pregnancy associated plasma protein A (PAPP-A), soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase (sFLT) and placental protein 13 (PP-13) were the most commonly studied biomarkers. Whereas uterine Doppler scanning and Mean Arterial Pressure (MAP) were the most commonly studied out of other modalities. Conclusion: Current evidence shows serum biomarkers such as PIGF, PP-13 and sFlt yielded the best results for a single biomarker with others having conflicting results. However, a combination model with other diagnostic modalities performed better than a single biomarker. In the future, new techniques will hopefully provide sets of multiple markers, which will lead to a screening program with clinically relevant performance. However further studies are required to improve current methods.
COLONIZATION OF RICE ROOTS BY DIAZOTROPH BACTERIA

I I Colonization of roots of rice grown in agar, in sand and in soil, by diazotroph bacteria was studied by direct observations (scanning and transmission electron microscopy) and by an indirect method (assessment of location of diazotrophs along the roots through cultural methods together with Acetylene Reduction Activity ARA tests). Since basal rmt segments appeared to show significant ARA and to be inhabited by living diazotrophs, these microorganisms were thought to be protected against deleterious effects from the outside by barriers which are discussed.
PrimeStore MTM and OMNIgene Sputum for the Preservation of Sputum for Xpert MTB/RIF Testing in Nigeria

Background: Xpert MTB/RIF (GX) for tuberculosis (TB) diagnosis is often located in reference laboratories, and sputum needs to be transported using a cold chain. Transport media to preserve sputum are available, but performance data under programmatic conditions are limited. Methods: Sputum samples were collected from patients with presumptive TB in Nigeria. One sputum was transported in a cold chain, tested immediately with GX and cultured. One sputum was swabbed and stored in PrimeStore-Molecular-Transport-Medium (Primestore), and the remainder was stored in OMNIGene-sputum (Omnigene), kept for seven days and tested with GX. Results: Of 248 patients, 63 were fresh-sputum culture-positive and 56 GX-positive (sensitivity 88.9%, 95% CI: 78.4–95.4%). Four of 185 culture-negative patients were GX-positive (specificity 97.8%, 94.6–99.4%). Omnigene GX and Primestore GX were positive in 56/62 (90.3%, 80.1–96.4%) and 49/62 (79.0%, 66.8–88.3%) culture-positive, respectively, and 1/185 (99.5%, 97.0–100.0%) and 3/185 (98.4%, 95.3–99.7%) were culture-negative patients. 14 Human Immunodeficiency Virus (HIV)-infected and 44 HIV-uninfected patients were culture-positive. Omnigene and Primestore detected 12/14 (85.7%, 57.2–98.2%) and 5/14 (35.7%, 12.8–64.9%) HIV-infected and 41/44 (93.2%, 81.3–98.6%) HIV-uninfected culture-positive patients. Interpretation: Omnigene stored and fresh sputum samples had similar GX results. The GX results of Primestore-stored samples were similar to those found in the fresh sputum of non-HIV infected patients, but GX-positivity was lower in HIV-infected patients. This was likely due to the lower amount of bacilli collected by the swab and transferred to PrimeStore.
Prevalence of Helicobacter pylori infection in Argentina: results of a nationwide epidemiologic study.

: Our aim was to assess the prevalence of Helicobacter pylori (Hp) infection in Argentina, in the general population and by age groups, and to determine the value of various epidemiologic variables as predictors of Hp infection. The study comprised 754 subjects (443 women 158.7%], 311 men [41.3%]) from both genders, consecutively recruited from health centers where patients were undergoing routine medical analyses. Average age was 32 +/- 22 years. The pediatric group included subjects < or =18 years of age (n = 261). Stratification was based primarily on climatic factors and secondarily on sanitary and demographic considerations. Hp infection status was assessed through a quick serologic test. The overall Hp infection prevalence in Argentina was 35.7 +/- 3.8%. The age was statistically significant using a multiple regression test (p < 0.01). Furthermore, the socioeconomic (p < 0.05) and educational level (0 < 0.01) in the adults and the water sources (p < 0.01) in the pediatric group were all statistically significant according the multiple regression test. The overall Hp infection prevalence in Argentina was 35.7 +/- 3.8%. Age was a predictor of Hp infection status. There is evidence of low infection prevalence in children. a higher prevalence in adolescents, and a more noticeable increase at 40 years of age. Furthermore, the socioeconomic and educational level in adults and the water sources in the pediatric group explained, in part, the occurrence of Hp infection.
3.2: The Cognitive Self-The Self-Concept

1. Define and describe the self-concept, its influence on information processing, and its diversity across social groups. 2. Describe the concepts of self-complexity and self-concept clarity, and explain how they influence social cognition and behavior. 3. Differentiate the various types of self-awareness and self-consciousness. 4. Describe self-awareness, self-discrepancy, and self-affirmation theories, and their interrelationships. 5. Explore how we sometimes overestimate the accuracy with which other people view us.
Neural Net-Based Approach to EEG Signal Acquisition and Classification in BCI Applications

The following contribution describes a neural net-based, noninvasive methodology for electroencephalographic (EEG) signal classification. The application concerns a brain–computer interface (BCI) allowing disabled people to interact with their environment using only brain activity. It consists of classifying user’s thoughts in order to translate them into commands, such as controlling wheelchairs, cursor movement, or spelling. The proposed method follows a functional model, as is the case for any BCI, and can be achieved through three main phases: data acquisition and preprocessing, feature extraction, and classification of brains activities. For this purpose, we propose an interpretation model implementing a quantization method using both fast Fourier transform with root mean square error for feature extraction and a self-organizing-map-based neural network to generate classifiers, allowing better interpretation of brain activities. In order to show the effectiveness of the proposed methodology, an experimental study was conducted by exploiting five mental activities acquired by a G.tec BCI system containing 16 simultaneously sampled bio-signal channels with 24 bits, with experiments performed on 10 randomly chosen subjects.
Hyperspectral Image Super-Resolution via Adaptive Dictionary Learning and Double l1 Constraint

Hyperspectral image (HSI) super-resolution (SR) is an important technique for improving the spatial resolution of HSI. Recently, a method based on sparse representation improved the performance of HSI SR significantly. However, the spectral dictionary was learned under a fixed size, empirically, without considering the training data. Moreover, most of the existing methods fail to explore the relationship among the sparse coefficients. To address these crucial issues, an effective method for HSI SR is proposed in this paper. First, a spectral dictionary is learned, which can adaptively estimate a suitable size according to the input HSI without any prior information. Then, the proposed method exploits the nonlocal correlation of the sparse coefficients. Doubleregularized sparse representation is then introduced to achieve better reconstructions for HSI SR. Finally, a high spatial resolution HSI is generated by the obtained coefficients matrix and the learned adaptive size spectral dictionary. To evaluate the performance of the proposed method, we conduct experiments on two famous datasets. The experimental results demonstrate that it can outperform some relatively state-of-the-art methods in terms of the popular universal quality evaluation indexes.