Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Is Bohmian Mechanics an empirically adequate theory

Bohmian mechanics (BM) draws a picture of nature, which is completely different from that drawn by standard quantum mechanics (SQM): Particles are at any time at a definite position, and the universe evolves deterministically. Astonishingly, according to a proof by Bohm the empirical predictions of these two very different theories coincide. From the very beginning, BM has faced all kinds of criticism, most of which are either technical or philosophical. There is, however, a criticism first raised by Correggi et al. (2002) and recently strengthened by Kiukas and Werner (2010), which holds that, in spite of Bohm's proof, the predictions of BM do not agree with those of SQM in the case of local position measurements on entangled particles in a stationary state. Hence, given that SQM has been proven to be tremendously successful in the past, BM could most likely not be considered an empirically adequate theory. My aim is to resolve the conflict by showing that 1) it relies on hidden differences in the conceptual thinking, and that 2) the predictions of both theories approximately coincide if the process of measurement is adequately accounted for. My analysis makes no use of any sort of wavefunction collapse, refuting a widespread belief that an "effective collapse" is needed to reconcile BM with the predictions of SQM.
An exploratory analysis of the Ignatian examen: Impact on self-transcendent positive emotions and eudaimonic motivation

ABSTRACT Though research on mindfulness has increased, other contemplative practices have been understudied. This study provided an initial empirical examination of one contemplative exercise rooted in Catholic tradition, the Ignatian examen, and its impact on self-transcendent positive emotions (STPE) and eudaimonic motivation. It also examined the moderating effects of autonomous interpersonal style on the effects of the examen on STPE. Practicing the examen increased in-the-moment experience of STPE and valuation of STPE. Autonomy did not moderate this effect, but those who valued autonomy more experienced STPE less. There were no significant changes in eudaimonic motivation. This study highlights the utility of studying a variety of contemplative practices drawn from ancient traditions that have cultivated contemplation based on their varied understandings of human flourishing.
Fully Planar 2-D Multibeam Millimeter-Wave Antenna With Via-Based Phase Shifters

For fifth-generation (5G) millimeter-wave (mmWave) beamforming, a fully planar 2 × 2 2-D multibeam antenna operating at 24–28 GHz is proposed. The proposed antenna is fed by a compact dual-layer 4 × 4 Butler matrix in substrate-integrated waveguide (SIW). In this fully planar and compact configuration, SIW coupling slot is used to facilitate the output ports of the Butler matrix on the same planar layer, and the via-based phase shifters are designed to generate wideband phase performance with compact size. The measured impedance bandwidth is 15.4%, and the measured maximum beam pointing angle is 55°. These results are in good agreement with simulation. The proposed configuration can be extended with more radiating elements for higher gain, and it is promising for beamforming scenarios, including communications.
Early Diagnosis for Dengue Disease Prediction Using Efficient Machine Learning Techniques Based on Clinical Data

Dengue fever is a worldwide issue, especially in Yemen. Although early detection is critical to reducing dengue disease deaths, accurate dengue diagnosis requires a long time due to the numerous clinical examinations. Thus, this issue necessitates the development of a new diagnostic schema. The objective of this work is to develop a diagnostic model for the earlier diagnosis of dengue disease using Efficient Machine Learning Techniques (EMLT). This paper proposed prediction models for dengue disease based on EMLT. Five different efficient machine learning models, including K-Nearest Neighbor (KNN), Gradient Boosting Classifier (GBC), Extra Tree Classifier (ETC), eXtreme Gradient Boosting (XGB), and Light Gradient Boosting Machine (LightGBM). All classifiers are trained and tested on the dataset using 10-Fold Cross-Validation and Holdout Cross-Validation approaches. On a test set, all models were evaluated using different metrics: accuracy, F1-sore, Recall, Precision, AUC, and operating time. Based on the findings, the ETC model achieved the highest accuracy in Hold-out and 10-fold cross-validation, with 99.12 % and 99.03 %, respectively. In the Holdout cross-validation approach, we conclude that the best classifier with high accuracy is ETC, which achieved 99.12 %. Finally, the experimental results indicate that classifier performance in holdout cross-validation outperforms 10-fold cross-validation. Accordingly, the proposed dengue prediction system demonstrates its efficacy and effectiveness in assisting doctors in accurately predicting dengue disease.
Dorsal harmony in Squliq Atayal: An Acoustic and Ultrasound Study

Dorsal harmony, understood as a process of changing from /*k/ into /q/ when followed by a uvular /q/ or a pharyngeal /ħ/, has been reported as a historical sound change in Atayal dialects, such as Squliq and Skikun. However, it is unattested if the observed dorsal harmony also occurs in those Atayal dialects as a synchronic morpho-phonological process. In the present study, we examined dorsal harmony in Squliq Atayal through ultrasonography and acoustic measurement (onset F3 – F2). Generalized additive mixed models (GAMMs), principal component analysis (PCA) and linear discriminant analysis (LDA) were applied to fit the tongue contours and compare the similarities of tongue images across different conditions. One participant showed that all variants of [k] were deviated from Baseline [k], and the linear discriminant (LD) values of all variants of [k] fell between Baseline [k] and [q]. The other participant exhibited consistent tongue postures in Short distance [k] and Cross-boundary [q]-[k]. The observed results suggest that dorsal harmony occurs in Squliq Atayal as a morpho-phonological process. Moreover, dorsal harmony is physiologically driven and best accounted for by coarticulatory aggressiveness, though with some individual variations. These variations nevertheless may support a coarticulatory path to sound change.
Exploratory Concept Formation and Tool Development in Neuroscience

Abstract Developing tools is a crucial aspect of experimental practice, yet most discussions of scientific change traditionally emphasize theoretical over technological change. To elaborate on the role of tools in scientific change, I offer an account that shows how scientists use tools in exploratory experiments to form novel concepts. I apply this account to two cases in neuroscience and show how tool development and concept formation are often intertwined in episodes of tool-driven change. I support this view by proposing common normative principles that specify when exploratory concept formation and tool development succeed (rather than fail) to initiate scientific change.
Real Time Character Animation: A Trade-off Between Naturalness and Control

Virtual humans are employed in many interactive applications using 3D virtual environments, including (serious) games. The motion of such virtual humans should look realistic (or ’natural’) and allow interaction with the surroundings and other (virtual) humans. Current animation techniques differ in the trade-off they offer between their motion naturalness and the amount of control that can be exerted over the motion. We give an overview of these techniques, focusing on the exact trade-offs made. We show how to parameterize, combine (on different body parts) and concatenate motions to gain control. We discuss several aspects of motion naturalness and show how it can be evaluated. We conclude by showing the promise of combinations of different animation paradigms to enhance both naturalness and control.
The Intersection of Preparation and Practice: School Leadership Learning Through Simulation

Recent reports indicate the national principal attrition rate is at an all-time high. Scholars suggest a lack of responsive professional development as a leading factor in why principals leave the field. Further, the pandemic has exposed daily uncertainties for school leaders as they navigate new territory, bringing forth new considerations in how to best support their immediate needs and continued growth. While research shows that other fields, like healthcare and law enforcement, have utilized live and digital simulations for practitioners in technical skill development and responsive training, educational leadership has predominantly utilized passive simulation practice, like in-basket activities or role-playing during preparation programs. This article explores the current research regarding leadership development, providing context for the potential impact of simulation practice as a targeted professional development method that may extend beyond pre-service preparation and continue as learning pathways for in-service school leaders.
Lobelia chinensis Extract and Its Active Compound, Diosmetin, Improve Atopic Dermatitis by Reinforcing Skin Barrier Function through SPINK5/LEKTI Regulation

The skin acts as a mechanical barrier that protects the body from the exterior environment, and skin barrier function is attributed to the stratum corneum (SC), which is composed of keratinocytes and skin lipids. Skin barrier homeostasis is maintained by a delicate balance between the differentiation and exfoliation of keratinocytes, and keratinocyte desquamation is regulated by members of the serine protease kalikrein (KLK) family and their endogenous inhibitor SPINK5/LEKTI (serine protease inhibitor Kazal type 5/lympho-epithelial Kazal-type-related inhibitor). Furthermore, SPINK5/LEKTI deficiency is involved in impaired skin barrier function caused by KLK over-activation. We sought to determine whether increased SPINK5/LEKTI expression ameliorates atopic dermatitis (AD) by strengthening skin barrier function using the ethanol extract of Lobelia chinensis (LCE) and its active compound, diosmetin, by treating human keratinocytes with UVB and using a DNCB-induced murine model of atopic dermatitis. LCE or diosmetin dose-dependently increased the transcriptional activation of SPINK5 promoter and prevented DNCB-induced skin barrier damage by modulating events downstream of SPINK5, that is, KLK, PAR2 (protease activated receptor 2), and TSLP (thymic stromal lymphopoietin). LCE or diosmetin normalized immune response in DNCB treated SKH-1 hairless mice as determined by reductions in serum immunoglobulin E and interleukin-4 levels and numbers of lesion-infiltrating mast cells. Our results suggest that LCE and diosmetin are good candidates for the treatment of skin barrier-disrupting diseases such as Netherton syndrome or AD, and that they do so by regulating SPINK5/LEKTI.
Influence of Starch on the Structure–Properties Relationship in Polyethylene Glycol/Polycaprolactone Diol Polyurethanes

Improvements in the antithrombogenicity activity of biomaterials for cardiovascular applications are necessary to meet the demand for vascular grafts in the world. Zwitterionic compounds tend to be used due to their anti-fouling properties, which reduce platelet adhesions and protein absorptions. Therefore, in this research, potato starch (AL-N) and zwitterionic starch (AL-Z) (obtained by Williamson etherification) were included as fillers in polyurethane (PU) matrices from polycaprolactone diol (PCL), polyethylene glycol (PEG), pentaerythritol (PE) and isophorone diisocyanate (IPDI) in order to study their effect in terms of their physicochemical, mechanical and thermal properties. We conducted our evaluation using attenuated total reflectance Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (ATR-FTIR), contact angle analysis, swelling behavior, thermogravimetric analysis (TGA), tensile/strain analysis, scanning electron microscopy equipped with energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (SEM-EDS), dynamic mechanic analysis (DMA), differential scanning calorimetry (DSC), and X-ray diffraction (XRD). The results showed that AL-N and AL-Z modified these properties, where AL-N improved tensile strength, and AL-Z increased the hydrophilicity of polyurethanes matrices; additionally, AL-N had interactions with the soft segments, and AL-Z had interactions with the hard segments. Finally, both fillers reduced the degree of crystallinity and did not affect the thermal stability of polyurethanes.
XBLQPS: An Extended Bengali Language Query Processing System for e-Healthcare Domain

—The digital India program encourages Indian citizens to become conversant with e-services which are primarily English language-based services. However, the vast majority of the Indian population is comfortable with vernacular languages like Bengali, Assamese, Hindi, etc. The rural villagers are not able to interact with the Relational Database Management system in their native language. Therefore, create a system that produces SQL queries from natural language queries in Bengali, containing ambiguous words. This paper proposes a Bengali Query Processor named Extended Bengali language Query Processing System (XBLQPS) to handle queries containing ambiguous words posted to a Healthcare Information database in the electronic domain. The Healthcare Information database contains doctor, hospital and department details in the Bengali language. The proposed system provides support for the Bengali-speaking Indian rural population to efficiently fetch required information from the database. The proposed system extracts the Bengali root word by removing the inflectional part and categorizing them to a specific part of speech (POS) using modified Bengali WordNet. The proposed system uses manually annotated parts of speech detection of a word based on Bengali WordNet. Patterns of noun phrases are generated to detect the correct noun phrase as well as entity and attribute(s). Entity and attributes are used to prepare the semantic table which is utilized to create the Structured Query Language (SQL). The simplified LESK method is utilized to resolve ambiguous Bengali phrases in this query processing system. The accuracy, precision, recall and F1 score of the system is measured as 70%, 74%, 73%, and 73% respectively.
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As various computing devices, such as smartphones, IoT devices, smart speakers etc, becomes omnipresent in our daily lives, interest in ubiquitous computing interfaces is increasing. In response to this, various studies have introduced on-surface input techniques that leverage the surface of surrounding objects as touch interfaces. However, most of them struggle to support ubiquitous interaction due to their dependency on specific hardware or environments. In this work, we propose <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\sf S \text{-}UbiTap}}$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="sans-serif">S</mml:mi><mml:mtext mathvariant="sans-serif">-</mml:mtext><mml:mi mathvariant="sans-serif">UbiTap</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="byanjankar-ieq2-3195226.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula>, an input method that turns any flat solid surface into a touch input space by listening to sound (i.e., with microphones already present in the commodity devices). More specifically, we develop a novel touch localization technique that leverages the physical phenomenon, called <italic>dispersion</italic>, which is the characteristic of sound as it travels through solid surfaces, and address the challenges that limit existing acoustic-based solutions in terms of portability, accuracy, usability, robustness, scalability, and responsiveness. Our extensive experiments with a prototype of <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\sf S \text{-}UbiTap}}$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="sans-serif">S</mml:mi><mml:mtext mathvariant="sans-serif">-</mml:mtext><mml:mi mathvariant="sans-serif">UbiTap</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="byanjankar-ieq3-3195226.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> show that we can support sub-centimeter accuracy on various types of surfaces with minor user calibration effort. In addition, the accuracy is maintained even when the size of the touch input space increases. In our experience with real-world users, <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">${{\sf S \text{-}UbiTap}}$</tex-math><alternatives><mml:math><mml:mrow><mml:mi mathvariant="sans-serif">S</mml:mi><mml:mtext mathvariant="sans-serif">-</mml:mtext><mml:mi mathvariant="sans-serif">UbiTap</mml:mi></mml:mrow></mml:math><inline-graphic xlink:href="byanjankar-ieq4-3195226.gif"/></alternatives></inline-formula> significantly improves usability and robustness, thus enabling the emergence of more exciting applications.
Energy Harvesting for Electronic Systems

Energy harvesting enables products to become more self-sufficient of power and offers the possibility to avoid battery exchange and power cables. The performance and applicability of the most promising or popular small scale energy harvesting technologies are investigated in this thesis. The focus lies on the amount of potential energy that can be harvested and how limited the technology is to a specific environment. Different power management and energy storage methods are also examined. Two prototypes demonstrating different energy harvesting phenomena are presented. The first prototype is able to harvest an average of 152 μW at 302-346 lux using 4 AM-1417 photovoltaic cells with an area of 19.46 cm2. The 302-346 lux span is measured in indoor fluorescent office lighting. The second prototype uses a DC motor to harvest the energy from the motion of opening a door. It is possible to harvest more than 470 μJ from a single door opening with the prototype. This requires a minimum average revolving speed of 7.5 rpm during the door opening. The thesis concludes that photovoltaic cells are relatively easy to use in practice and that an environment with sufficient energy is not difficult to find. Piezoelectricity and vibration based electromagnetism has a low applicability due to the fact that the transducers only gain a useful power output at their resonance frequency. However, electromagnetic pushbuttons or rotation generators are proven to be useful. Thermoelectric elements are highly dependent on specific thermal conditions, making them applicable in some cases but hard to use as an all-round energy harvesting device. Radiofrequency energy harvesting is also investigated but it is concluded that this technology is not yet developed for practical use.
Analytical treatment of long-term observations of the day-night asymmetry for solar neutrinos

The Earth’s density distribution can be approximately considered piecewise continuous at the scale of two-flavor oscillations of neutrinos with energies about 1 MeV. This quite general assumption appears to be enough to analytically calculate the day-night asymmetry factor. Using the explicit time averaging procedure, we show that, within the leadingorder approximation, this factor is determined by the electron density immediately before the detector, i.e. in the Earth’s crust. Within the approximation chosen, the resulting asymmetry factor does not depend either on the properties of the inner Earth’s layers or on the substance and the dimensions of the detector. For beryllium neutrinos, we arrive at the asymmetry factor estimation of about −4 × 10 4 , which is at least one order of magnitude beyond the present experimental resolution, including that of the Borexino experiment.
In Vitro Cytotoxicity of D18 and Y6 as Potential Organic Photovoltaic Materials for Retinal Prostheses

Millions of people worldwide are diagnosed with retinal dystrophies such as retinitis pigmentosa and age-related macular degeneration. A retinal prosthesis using organic photovoltaic (OPV) semiconductors is a promising therapeutic device to restore vision to patients at the late onset of the disease. However, an appropriate cytotoxicity approach has to be employed on the OPV materials before using them as retinal implants. In this study, we followed ISO standards to assess the cytotoxicity of D18, Y6, PFN-Br and PDIN individually, and as mixtures of D18/Y6, D18/Y6/PFN-Br and D18/Y6/PDIN. These materials were proven for their high performance as organic solar cells. Human RPE cells were put in direct and indirect contact with these materials to analyze their cytotoxicity by the MTT assay, apoptosis by flow cytometry, and measurements of cell morphology and proliferation by immunofluorescence. We also assessed electrophysiological recordings on mouse retinal explants via microelectrode arrays (MEAs) coated with D18/Y6. In contrast to PFN-Br and PDIN, all in vitro experiments show no cytotoxicity of D18 and Y6 alone or as a D18/Y6 mixture. We conclude that D18/Y6 is safe to be subsequently investigated as a retinal prosthesis.
REMOTE MAPPING OF SOIL EROSION RISK IN ICELAND

Abstract. The use of remote-sensing based methods for soil erosion assessment has been increasing in recent years thanks to the availability of free access satellite data, and it has repeatedly proven to be successful. Its application to the Arctic presents a number of challenges, due to its peculiar soils with short growing periods, winter storms, wind, and frequent cloud and snow cover. However, the benefits of applying these techniques would be especially valuable in arctic areas, where ground local information can be hard to obtain due to hardly accessible roads and lands. Here we propose a solution which uses a Support Vector machine classification model and ground truth samples to calibrate the processed remote images over a specific area, in order to then automate the analysis for larger, less accessible areas. This solution is being developed for soil erosion studies of Iceland specifically, using Sentinel 2 satellite data combined with local assessment data from Iceland’s Soil Conservation Services department.
MAARSY: The new MST radar on Andøya—System description and first results

The Middle Atmosphere Alomar Radar System (MAARSY) on the North‐Norwegian island Andøya is a 53.5 MHz monostatic radar with an active phased array antenna consisting of 433 Yagi antennas. The 3‐element Yagi antennas are arranged in an equilateral triangle grid forming a circular aperture of approximately 6300 m2. Each individual antenna is connected to its own transceiver with independent phase control and a scalable power output up to 2 kW. This arrangement provides a very high flexibility of beam forming and beam steering with a symmetric radar beam of a minimum beam width of 3.6° allowing classical beam swinging operation as well as experiments with simultaneous multiple beams and the use of interferometric applications for improved studies of the Arctic atmosphere from the troposphere up to the lower thermosphere with high spatio‐temporal resolution. The installation of the antenna array was completed in August 2009. The radar control and data acquisition hardware as well as an initial expansion stage of 196 transceiver modules was installed in spring 2010 and upgraded to 343 transceiver modules in November 2010. The final extension to 433 transceiver modules has recently been completed in May 2011. Beside standard observations of tropospheric winds and Polar Mesosphere Summer Echoes, the first multi‐beam experiments using up to 97 quasi‐simultaneous beams in the mesosphere have been carried out in 2010 and 2011. These results provide a first insight into the horizontal variability of polar mesosphere summer and winter echoes with time resolutions between 3 and 9 minutes. In addition, first meteor head echo observations were conducted during the Geminid meteor shower in December 2010.