Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Noninvasive Biomechanical Assessment of the Rupture Potential of Abdomial Aortic Aneurysm

Abdominal aortic aneurysm (AAA) is a localized dilation of the infrarenal aorta. Ruptured AAA has a mortality rate of 95% and is ranked as the 13th leading cause of death in the US. The ability to reliably evaluate the susceptibility of a particular AAA to rupture could vastly improve the clinical management of AAA patients. Currently, no such reliable evaluation technique exists. The purpose of this work was to develop a noninvasive technique to evaluate the rupture potential of individual AAA.To predict the wall strength distribution, experimentally determined wall strength data were used for construction of a mathematical model using multiple linear regression techniques. The developed model was then validated using data from a different group of specimens. The strength distributions for four different AAA were then generated using the validated model. The finite element method was used to estimate the wall stress distribution for all four AAA based on their realistic geometries (reconstructed from CT images) which included intraluminal thrombus (ILT). The measured systolic blood pressure was applied as the loading condition. Nonlinear hyperelastic constitutive models for AAA and ILT tissue were used, the latter being developed here based on uniaxial tensile testing data. For each patient, a local Rupture Potential Index (RPI) distribution was calculated as local (nodal) wall stress divided by local wall strength. The developed model contains four independent variable parameters: AAA size, patient's age, family history, local ILT thickness, and normalized local AAA diameter (R Squared = 0.86, p = 0.001). The model predicted the actual (measured) strength very accurately (R Squared = 0.81 for model validation). The wall strength values predicted for the four AAA studied ranged from 130 to 306 N/(cm squared), whereas the measured wall strength values ranged from 39 to 324 N/(cm squared). The peak wall stress for the four AAA studied ranged from 19 to 37 N/(cm squared). The peak RPI values ranged from 0.15 to 0.55. This patient-specific, computer-based, noninvasive RPI estimation technique could become an import and reliable diagnostic tool for AAA patient management. However, further clinical studies are needed to validate this technique.
E-Banking 2001: Where Are We Headed?

'Tis the season for musing about where we are and where we're going. Not that anybody really knows for sure. But in this column ABABJ will set aside the usual requirement of objectivity and I'll venture some personal observations about the past and future of e-banking -defined as banking by internet, either exclusively or also banking at physical locations. So where does the e-banking art stand today? Two or three years ago, many predicted that by now the art would be in the "early majority" phase of its marketing life cycle. We're definitely not there yet. Only about 10% of all banks offer e-banking and 90% of banking households are still choosing not to take advantage of handling their financial affairs over the internet. There are about 50 e-banks (e.g., internet-only). Most of them are unprofitable, and many are "compromising" their reason for being by opening physical branches. On the plus side, it's clear that the cost of running an e-bank must always, in principle, be lower than running a paper-based bank.or doing both simultaneously. Over time, that difference should make a difference in their chances of survival. I think that the slow growth of e-banking is mainly due to the fact that banks are slow to offer it. And when they do offer it, they usually don't promote it aggressively. Chalk that up to sound business caution, the rich life that most banks have been living lately, the preoccupation with Y2K, and a traditional reluctance to invest in the possibility of future profits. In sum, it seems to me that the late-adopting banks haven't lost as much ground as we and other Net evangelists thought they would. For one thing, consumer demand just isn't out there. Preference? Definitely, according to every survey. But why haven't consumers rushed to transfer their accounts from traditional to ebanking institutions? (Full disclosure: I've had an account with an internet-only bank since early 1996.) E-banking really does deliver on its advertised promises. It's 24x7 convenient, reliable, and, I'm sure, at least as secure as traditional banking. Online bill payment has immeasurably simplified the management of my finances, with a negligible number of glitches that were promptly resolved. I'm hooked and won't ever go back. However, even enthusiasts can see that the "laggards" in adopting e-banking have good reasons for holding back. Setting up and using an e-banking account isn't rocket science, but it's not a trivial task either. But the convenience and cost differences between writing paper checks and doing it with a few online clicks can be trivial for a family that has only a few regular bills to pay and doesn't have to itemize expenses in its tax return. And there are a growing number of ways to pay regular bills electronically--chiefly, by authorizing regular funds transfers. Similarly, being able to call up our account balance anytime we want to is a significant convenience. …
HUMAN PILOT DYNAMICS IN COMPENSATORY SYSTEMS

Abstract : The description of human pilot dynamic characteristics in mathematical terms compatible with flight control engineering practice is an essential prerequisite to the analytical treatment of manual vehicular control systems. The enormously adaptive nature of the human pilot makes such a description exceedingly difficult to obtain, although a quasi-linear model with parameters which vary with the system task variables had been successfully applied to many flight situations. The primary purposes of the experimental series reported are the validation of the existing quasi-linear pilot model, and the extension of this model in accuracy and detail.
Evaluation of designed IS711 primers and universal primers of B4 and B5 for detection of Brucella spp. in clinical samples

Background: Brucellosis as a global concern is a zoonotic infectious disease which affects a large number of individuals in developing countries. Microbiological, serological and molecular approaches are useful for detection and identification of Brucella spp. A confirmed diagnosis requires isolation of Brucella from clinical specimens that is the most sensitive method in the acute and sub-acute phases of the diseases. On the other hand, molecular diagnostic techniques are more sensitive and more specific than serological techniques, especially in chronic localized cases because of antigenic cross-reactions or antibody titers lower than 160. Until now different Brucella specific sequences like BCSP 31, IS711 and 16SrRNA have been amplified for detection of Brucella spp. In this study, the sensitivity and specificity of The B4-B5 primers and IS711 designed primers were evaluated for detection of of Brucella Spp. in the clinical samples. Results : Amplification of extracted DNA from serum of 49 suspected patients were tested with two sets of specific primers. The BCSP31 amplicon was 223 bp and all the 49 (100%) serum specimens were positive by B4-B5 primers, including 4 cases with negative 2ME test result. The designed IS711 primers amplified the IS711 product with 448 bp length and 46 of 49 (93.87%) cases were positive. The sensitivity of the applied primers (B4-B5 and IS711) was evaluated by using the serial dilutions of extracted purified DNA molecules of B. melitensis and B. abortus . The B4-B5 primers can detect the least number of both B. melitensis and B. abortus , 0.1 CFU/reaction. However, the designed IS711 set is able to detect 10 CFU/reaction. The B4-B5 primer and IS711 designed primer recognized 100% (49/49) and 94% (46/49) of the cases, respectively. Conclusion: This study indicated that the sensitivity of B4-B5 primer is 100%, while the sensitivity of the designed primer of IS711 is 94%. The laboratory experiment revealed that designed IS711 set is 1×10 2 times more sensitive than sensitivity of the other experiments for detection of IS711 target sequence in the specimens.
ENERGY MANAGEMENT FOR DEVICES SUPPORTING DEMENTIA PATIENTS

The advances in medicine and the improvements in healthcare have provided treatment and cure for many pathologies and awarded a larger expectancy of life. It represents a considerable improvement in ensuring treatment for diseases otherwise mortal and thus becoming, in some cases, chronic disorders that a person can live with for many years. This evolution has a tremendous impact in the overall healthcare environment and thus promoting longer life expectancy especially in developed countries. It is necessary, however, to consider that by increasing the width of the top level of the aging pyramid, it is therefore expected an increased incidence of the ageing related disorders. In that matter, the raising prevalence of Dementia cases is noticeable and is among the most prominent worries for the health community, as expressed in the World Health Organization reports. It is therefore of major relevance to provide assistance to citizens with dementia, especially in what concerns with losing cognitive functions such as the notion of self, awareness of current location and identifying the need to return home or to known places. The present research work is bases on the usage of smartphones to track people and has a specific target, in this matter, in extending battery life and for that matter the time a person can be located and assisted. The strategy, applicable to smartphones or other devices, relies on ensuring that energy is wisely managed so that batteries have an extended duration, increasing the chances that devices are still connected and accessible when most needed, such as while a person is experiencing a wandering episode. The aim of the present work is to focus on energy consumption to increase the chances to locate a person that is lost, with limited cognitive functions and most likely at risk for health or when even survival could be endangered.
Entrepreneurship and the PhD : A case study of a doctoral mobility program

In the university context we see an intensified co-operation with industry which includesmobility aspects e.g. PhDs increasingly working in the private sector. This is a desirabledevelopment since it encourages network formation, knowledge transfer and innovation. Dueto that we have devoted our interest to the formation of PhD students’ professional networksthrough mobility as part of doctoral education. The following questions are addressed in thispaper: 1) How could a mobility program for PhD students be designed and implemented? 2)How are mobility aspects of PhD studies affected by career plans and existing networks in thestudents’ research teams? The data used in this study comes from a novel Swedish approachto PhD education in life science technologies - a program called AgoraLink (ALP). The resultsshow that ALP is in many cases used to develop existing links with industry in the participants’home country and research organisations abroad. Furthermore, the PhD students admitted toextramural activities tend to have well articulated career plans and use the program to realizetheir ambitions. Finally, ALP seems to catalyse mobility and development of previouslyestablished contacts by providing a framework and legitimacy.
Software Cost and Schedule Estimating: A Process Improvement Initiative

Abstract : This report describes efforts that have been initiated by the Software Engineering Institute to improve the practice of software cost and schedule estimating. These efforts involve support and participation from both industry and government. They are motivated by the Capability Maturity Model, which identifies the key roles estimating and cost management play in establishing repeatable software processes. Products from the initiative will include templates, criteria, and guidelines for establishing defined estimating processes, training materials, and examples for teaching good estimating practice, and evaluations of the abilities of contemporary cost models to meet today's estimating needs.
Direktavkastning och direktavkastningskrav för fastigheter

Denna rapport tar upp:1. Inneborden i begreppet direktavkastning. Den grundlaggande definitionen av direktavkastning ar driftnetto dividerat med marknadsvarde. Det ar dock viktigt att skilja mellan .
Optimized Landing of Autonomous Unmanned Aerial Vehicle Swarms

Abstract : This research explores a future concept requiring the efficient and safe, landing and recovery of a swarm of unmanned aerial vehicles (UAVs). The presented work involves the use of an overarching (centralized) airspace optimization model, formulated analytically as a network-based model with side constraints describing a time-expanded network model of the terminal airspace in which the UAVs navigate to one or more (possibly moving) landing zones. This model generates optimal paths in a centralized manner such that the UAVs are properly sequenced into the landing areas. The network-based model is grown using agent based simulation with simple flocking rules. The resulting solution is compared to another agent-based model which uses similar avoidance rules for the landing of these UAVs, exploring the benefit of distributed computation and decision-making characteristic of swarming models. Relevant measures of performance include, e.g., the total time necessary to land the swarm. Extensive simulation studies and sensitivity analyses are conducted to demonstrate the relative effectiveness of the proposed approaches.
Geolocation of source interference from a single satellite with multiple antennas

Abstract : Interference of satellite communications is a frequent and ongoing concern for both DoD and civilian enterprises. Geolocation of the interfering source is an essential step in mitigating or eliminating the interference and restoring operation of the communications service. Existing techniques to locate sources of such interference are not applicable to newer satellite communications systems. This thesis offers an innovative method for locating interference that takes advantage of modern multi-antenna satellites. The location of a source of radio frequency interference can be determined by comparing the received signal strength across multiple antennas on the same satellite. The difference between signal strength as received by the satellite antennas can be computed and plotted as lines of position on the surface of the Earth. The intersection of two or more lines of position represents the location of the interfering transmitter. An advantage of this method is that it is completely passive and can be done in real time. The size and accuracy of the resultant geolocation area are a function of a number of different factors, including terrestrial latitude of the interfering transmitter, the accuracy of the signal strength measurement, and the geometry of the intersecting lines of position.
Web-Based Mesoscale Model Execution and Evaluation Tool: A Prototype

Abstract : U.S. Army personnel are highly dependent on receiving the highest quality meteorological data possible, either for missions or for training. This data may be input to a tactical decision aid ((TDA) a software component intended to assist military personnel in formulating plans), the basis on which troop movements are made, a determining factor on how armaments are employed, etc. Thus, when the required data is derived from models, the models must be thoroughly evaluated for the accuracy of the output prior to integration into training scenarios and the battlefield. To provide a more streamlined method by which U. S. Army Research Laboratory researchers can both execute and evaluate mesoscale models, a prototype Java Server Pages-based Web site has been developed.
The efficacy of surface haptics and force feedback in education

This dissertation bridges the fields of haptics, engineering, and education to realize some of the potential benefits haptic devices may have in Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education. Specifically, this dissertation demonstrates the development, implementation, and assessment of two haptic devices in engineering and math education and then describes the modeling of a new class of tactile touchscreens. These force feedback and tactile devices provide robust, engaging interfaces to enhance student learning in the classroom. First, we explore the potential of a force feedback device in teaching a core mechanical engineering undergraduate course. The haptic paddle, a one degree of freedom force feedback joystick, has been adopted at several universities for teaching system dynamics and controls in engineering education. Through design, hardware, and software improvements, we have enhanced the ease of use of the haptic paddle and have lowered its cost to less than $100 including all components but a laptop. We have performed the first formal assessment of the learning benefits of the haptic paddle laboratories in System Dynamics through a multi-year study evaluating both what concepts students are learning and when they are learning them. Our results show significant increases in student learning after having completed the haptic paddle laboratories. Next, we explore the potential of commercially available tactile touchscreens for teaching graphical mathematics to blind students. Tactile (vibratory) touchscreens are specifically designed for portability and robustness, are commercially available, and share a small number of common software platforms, providing a unique opportunity for quick adoption
A Study on the Relationship Between Smoking Reasons Evaluation and Smoking Cessation Attempt of Smokers -- Based on a Cross-sectional Survey in Beijing's Community

Background：The reason for smoking causes people to smoke in their daily life. It is the main factor hindering the success of quitting smoking. This study analyzed the differences and characteristics of tobacco dependence patients with different smoking causes in their past smoking cessation behaviors, to understand the relationship between smoking cessation behaviors and smoking causes, and provide a reference for the innovation of the tobacco dependence management model.Methods：Based on a cross-sectional epidemiological study, a total of tobacco dependence patients over 18 years old to quit smoking were recruited from various communities in Beijing. The survey included basic demographic information, tobacco use, attempts to quit, reasons for smoking, etc. Analysis of variance and dichotomous Logistic Regression was used to investigate the relationship between smoking causes and smoking cessation behaviors and their duration.Results：A total of 673 participants were recruited, including 611 males (90.8%), 428 smokers (63.6%) and 245 males (36.4%) who tried to quit smoking. ANOVA was used to find that the attempts to quit smoking were statistically correlated with scores of sedation, stimulation, smoking addiction, and automatism (all p<0.05). Sedation (OR=1.111, 95%CI: 1.011-1.220), smoking addiction, (OR=1.152, 95%CI: 1.034-1.282) and automatism (OR=1.119, 95%CI: 1.000~1.251) were found statistically related the attempts to quit smoking by the Logistic regression model. The mean scores of hand and mouth activity, hedonic sedation, stimulation, smoking addiction, and auxiliary factors were statistically significant in different smoking cessation duration groups (all p<0.05), and sedative factors were negatively related factors for smoking cessation duration (OR=0.911, 95%CI: 0.827-1.002). Conclusion：Most residents try to quit smoking only when they are heavily physiologically dependent or even physically unwell. The success or failure of smoking cessation is closely related to social psychology and physical dependence. Most smokers only try to quit by their own will without professional help. Lack of a supportive environment and other people's understanding is a major cause of smoking cessation failure. Creating a smoke-free supportive environment should be an important part of community tobacco control and smoking cessation efforts.Fund program: Supported by the Foundation of National Key R&D Program of China (2017YFC1309400)
Three-dimensional Camera Systems Assistant the Sheath of Prostate Preservation Laparoscopic Radical Prostatectomy: Technique and Initial Experience

Background: To report our refinement of laparoscopic radical prostatectomy by preservation of the sheath of prostate (SPP-LRP) and 1-year follow-up results.Methods: SPP-LRP was performed in 39 consecutive patients diagnosed as clinically localized prostate cancer from January 2016 to December 2018. The inclusion criteria consisted of Gleason score ≤7, tPSA＜10 ng/ml, positive in no more than 3 in 12 needles by systematical puncture biopsy, less than 50% tumor core involvement, clinical stage T1-2, good potency. The oncological results were identified by postoperative pathology test. Functional outcomes, including continence and potency, were followed postoperatively.Results: The mean operation time was 108.3±35.2 min and the mean estimated blood loss was 129.3±46.4 ml with no transfusion. The catheter was removed 7 days after the surgery. There were no relevant postoperative complications requiring intervention. The histopathological results showed 2 cases (6.1%) in pT2 and 1 case (16.7%) in pT3 presented positive resection margins for tumor (R1). Only 1 case (pT3a,Gleason score 8) suffered pelvic lymph node metastasis. No biochemical relapse was observed after 1-year follow-up. The continence rates were 71.8% and 87.2% after 1 and 3 months, and no patients suffered G2 incontinence after 6 months , and 97.4% recovered continence after 12 months. The potency rates were 61.5% and 82.1% after 1 and 3 months, and that was 92.3% after 12 months. Conclusion:SPP-LRP is a practical and worth-promoting technique for RP. The initial results are preferable and promising in technical, oncological and functional aspects.
Location and the Spectral Density Estimation of Multiple Sources

Abstract : A new nonparametric method for estimating the location and power spectral densities of multiple wideband sources from measurements provided by an array of sensors, is described. The proposed method treats with the same case multiple sources and multipath propagation. Direction-of-arrival estimation for wideband sources is obtained as a limiting case of the proposed method.
Effect Of Early Caffeine Therapy On Weight Gain In Very Preterm Infants

Background: Premature infants were observed to have poor weight gain for the first 3 weeks after initiating caffeine therapy. The practical impact of this adverse effect in the era of prophylactic (early) caffeine therapy in very preterm infants have not been analyzed well.Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted including preterm infants born at < 31 weeks gestation between June 2013 and June 2016. Infants were divided into 2 groups based on the timing of caffeine initiation: less than the 48 hours after birth (early) and 48 or more hours after birth (late). The outcome was weight in grams at the end of 3rd week of life. Independent t-test and repeated-measures analysis of covariance (ANCOVA) were used for analysis. Results: Thirty-nine (84.6%) out of 46 infants born < 31 weeks gestation with a birth weight < 1250 grams were included in the study. Of the 39 infants, 22 received early caffeine therapy and 17 received late caffeine therapy. On comparing the weight at 3 weeks of age between the two groups, the early caffeine group had a significantly better weight gain with a mean weight at 3 weeks being 1140 grams vs 985 grams (p=0.03). Conclusion: In very preterm infants, early caffeine therapy was associated with better weight gain in the first 3 weeks of life.