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Copyright of Experimental Technology & Management is the property of Experimental Technology & Management Editorial Office and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The use of multiterminal HVdc networks is increasingly relevant in electrical power systems for transporting high powers over long distance. HVdc networks are not free from ground faults that represent the main cause of failures in electrical power systems. Their quick detection and actuation in an accurate and selective way are essential to avoid possible outages. For this reason, in this article, a new protection method that develops a directional evaluation of the ground current is presented. It is based on the measurement of the currents that circulate through the grounded shields at the endings of the HVdc cables, then only low voltage devices are required. Afterward, an analysis of the current polarity is performed. If the current in the shield circulates from the shield to ground, the fault takes place in the protected line and it should be disconnected as soon as possible. On the other hand, if the current goes from ground to the shield, there is a ground fault but not in the protected line. The proposed method has been validated by computer simulations and laboratory tests achieving satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the last decades, seismotectonic analog models have been developed to better understand many aspects of the seismic cycle. Differently from other lab‐quake experiments, seismotectonic models mimic the first order characteristics of the seismic cycle in a scaled fashion. Here we introduce Foamquake: A novel seismotectonic model with a granular frictional interface that as a whole behaves elastoplastically. The model experiences cycles of elastic loading and release via spontaneous nucleation of frictional instabilities at the base of an elastic foam wedge, hereafter called foamquakes. These analog earthquakes show source parameters (i.e., moment‐duration and moment‐rupture area) scaling as great interplate earthquakes and a coseismic displacement of few tens of meters when scaled to nature. Models with two asperities separated by a barrier can be performed with Foamquake given the 3D nature of the setup. Such model configuration generates sequences of full and partial ruptures with different recurrence intervals as well as rupture cascades. By tuning the normal load acting on individual asperities, Foamquake reproduces superimposed cycles rupture patterns such as those observed along natural megathrusts. The physical properties of asperities and barriers affect model seismic behavior. Asperities with similar properties and low yield strength fail preferentially in a simultaneous manner. The combination of all those characteristics suggests that Foamquake is a valuable tool for investigating megathrust seismicity and seismic processes that depend on the 3D nature of the subduction environment. Plain Language Summary: Despite earthquakes rank within the main geohazards, there are still several important open questions about their nature that remain unanswered or require additional investigation. Complementary to observational studies, a strategy often used by scientists to tackle this problem is to safely reproduce earthquakes with computer simulations or with laboratory experiments. Here we introduce a novel experimental model (Foamquake) that reproduces the largest earthquakes on Earth, those that occur at convergent plate boundaries like the Tohoku‐oki earthquake that hit the Japanese Pacific coast in 2011. Our model has the distinctive characteristic of reproducing earthquakes in a scaled fashion; that is, lengths, velocities and forces are smaller but scaled with respect to real ones. Moreover, time is accelerated with regard to nature so that we do not wait hundreds of years to observe a lab‐quake. Indeed, we are able to study the details of hundreds of them in a few minutes long experimental run. We report the details of the experimental model and focus on the arguments bringing us to consider our lab‐quakes similar to real earthquakes. We demonstrate that the experimental setup can afford new insights for understanding the seismic behavior at convergent plate boundaries. Key Points: A novel seismotectonic model that reproduces realistically several characteristics of great subduction megathrust earthquakes is presentedAnalog earthquakes follow similar source parameters scaling as natural interplate earthquakesAlong trench segmentation introduces complexity in space‐time‐rupture history, highlighting the importance of the 3D nature of the setup [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A thermally activated building system (TABS) is the most promising technology for reducing heat gain, cooling demand, and improved indoor comfort inside the built environment. This study investigates the energy consumption and thermal environment performance of the cooling tower-based thermally activated building system (passive system) integrated with a chiller unit (active cooling system). Energy consumption and indoor environment parameters, such as heat flux, indoor air, wall, floor, and the operative temperature, were measured in two computer laboratories of the same size and orientation operated with a chiller unit and chiller-integrated passive system. This strategy involved pre-cooling the building thermal mass during unoccupied hours via TABS and continuously using the system while maintaining zone temperatures at the comfort region during the occupied period. The results show that chiller-integrated TABS has a maximum heat gain of 10 W/m2 and maintains a mean radiant temperature from 24°C to 26°C for 80% of the interval. Furthermore, due to the pre-cooling effects of TABS, chiller-integrated TABS has a peak monthly energy savings of 6% and a CO2 emission reduction of 8% compared to an active cooling system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Jurnal Pendidikan Indonesia is the property of Publikasi Indonesia and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Purpose: The COVID-19 pandemic has stimulated a global movement of open innovation initiatives aimed to provide knowledge and tools to support policy decisions and actions in the emergency scenario. The authors describe an open innovation process aimed to build an information coordination system to reduce the infection diffusion within the population. Design/methodology/approach: The authors use coordination theory principles to elaborate a framework of activities, resources and dependencies among information resources and producers in the COVID-19 emergency. The framework was applied to develop a case study aimed at describing a health emergency system implemented by Dyrecta Lab (a research laboratory on computer science) and CITEL (a medical research center). Findings: The authors describe the existence of relevant "flow," "fit" and "share" dependencies within the activities of infection containment and medical treatment. The authors identify eight key resources and a number of actors involved in those activities, and describe a platform able to gather a multitude of epidemic-related metrics with the purpose to address dependencies and support decision making. Research limitations/implications: The authors provide insights for advancing the academic discussion on process coordination principles in time-constrained, volatile and highly demanding scenarios. Practical implications: The value of the authors' research can be identified for practitioners engaged to develop innovative development projects for public utility. The authors provide a contribution also for first responders and health operators involved in management of the current and future emergencies. Originality/value: The adoption of process coordination principles is a relatively new and powerful approach to analyze and optimize the processes that characterize the management of emergency scenarios. Besides, the study and application of open innovation in healthcare are partially limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Universities faced a variety of options regarding COVID-19 preparations and enforcement rules in the fall 2020 and spring 2021 semesters. Libraries were on the front line as they provided computer labs, wi-fi, study spaces, and academic resources. The Angelo and Jennette Volpe Library at Tennessee Tech University made major changes as part of a campus-wide mobilization to provide face to face classes and services during the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff installed dozens of signs, stored away hundreds of chairs, and recorded new public address announcements. Students started the semester wearing masks, but as a group they steadily moved in the direction of masklessness. During the final week of the semester only 38% were wearing masks over their noses and mouths. Between semesters the university administration asked the library dean to strictly enforce mask wearing in the library. Volunteer library staff strictly en- forced mask wearing, including removing students from the library without a warning for not wearing a mask. As a result of the new enforcement students wore masks at a 95% rate with another 4% wearing their masks below their noses. The latter were asked to raise their masks. The tale of the two semesters shows that strict enforcement can generate a high compliance rate despite students' inclination toward not wearing masks. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Metro lines, which have become one of the most important transportation routes for today's cities, require long design and implementation processes. Their design load is mostly due to detailed engineering calculations, have to expand to meet the needs of the ever-increasing population. The behavior of slime moulds to find the shortest path they use to reach the food source has inspired models created specifically to test the accuracy of highway routes. The hypothesis of this study is that the swarm behavior of slime moulds and the routes they follow may produce the same or similar results as the existing metro lines. In this research, an answer was sought to the question of whether a metro line designed with an approach based on swarm intelligence could be compatible with the existing line. The paper aims to develop a model that guides the design processes of metro lines by using swarm intelligence and shortest path finding strategies of slime moulds in a computational model. In the model, slime moulds were represented by multi-agent systems. The metro route was produced by the model using the station locations on an existing metro line selected as the study area. The agent-based simulation model was developed in the Grasshopper Physarealm plug-in environment. In the first stage of the model, a numerical model was created using the data and parameters of an existing metro line. In the second stage, the simulation was carried out to create a new route by preserving only the station locations of the existing metro line. Finally, the existing metro route and the route developed with the simulation model based on the intelligent agent behaviour in the digital environment were compared by overlapping. The results show that the route created by slime moulds only to reach the food is almost the same as the currently designed metro line. Topography data is ignored in the model. It is seen that the model developed by using metro design criteria is an important decision support aid for designers in determining metro routes. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The aim of this study is to improve the quality of mathematics curriculum in Ethiopian Public Universities by investigating the required changes in mathematics curricula to satisfy the demands of the STEM vision. The researchers used a case study research design of qualitative research approach to answer the research questions. Moreover, respondents from undergraduate Mechanical Engineering students was a selected through simple random sampling technique. We found that the current mathematics curriculum in Ethiopian Public Universities lacks important ingredients' technology supported learning, to meet STEM vision. Furthermore, it is better to have Mathematics Computer Laboratory as a part of the curriculum. Finally, we end with further research about the implementation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Although physical hands-on laboratory experiments are commonly used in schools, virtual laboratory environments are also being used in science classrooms. Their possibilities and impact on students' achievement, conceptual understanding, and inquiry skills have been investigated by other researchers. Yet, it is difficult to find studies about the effect of virtual learning environments on written argumentation in science classrooms. In the current study, the influence of hands-on and virtual laboratories on pre-service science teachers' scientific writing was investigated using the science writing heuristic. The participants were 52 pre-service science teachers who were assigned to two conditions. One group used the hands-on laboratory to design and implement experiments and used a paper-based worksheet to write their arguments; the other group did their investigations through a computer-based virtual-tool laboratory and wrote their arguments on the online learning platform. Pre-service science teachers' written arguments were evaluated using content analysis. The findings revealed that the overall quality of written arguments created by pre-service science teachers in both laboratory environments was at an intermediate level. Furthermore, pre-service science teachers who learned in the virtual laboratory posed better testable questions, presented strong and valid evidence, and used multiple representations better than their counterparts in the hands-on laboratory. An important conclusion of the current study is that the science writing heuristic can be used effectively in both virtual and hands-on laboratory environments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A Chabot is a software program for humans to interact with natural-language computers. It has numerous applications in business, service, education, and healthcare, among others. Arabic Chabot's, on the other hand, fight to generate and display Arabic characters correctly because of linguistic problems. In this paper, we propose a new method for the development of effective Arabic Chabot's, which is improved by the use of the Internet of things (IOT). An experiment was performed utilizing Google Colab and the Python Chatterbot library to build and deploy an Arabic Chabot for a computer center based on IOT. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The article presents the discussion on sudden shift from traditional contact classes to remote learning as a result of the Covid-19 pandemic. Topics include students sitting in front of the screens of the computers or the mobile devices for the academic work from home; and accessing computer labs, library study spaces, and other infrastructures for learning.

Copyright of Journal of Harbin University of Science & Technology is the property of Journal of Harbin University of Science & Technology and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

Attention maps, a popular heatmap-based explanation method for Visual Question Answering, are supposed to help users understand the model by highlighting portions of the image/question used by the model to infer answers. However, we see that users are often misled by current attention map visualizations that point to relevant regions despite the model producing an incorrect answer. Hence, we propose Error Maps that clarify the error by highlighting image regions where the model is prone to err. Error maps can indicate when a correctly attended region may be processed incorrectly leading to an incorrect answer, and hence, improve users' understanding of those cases. To evaluate our new explanations, we further introduce a metric that simulates users' interpretation of explanations to evaluate their potential helpfulness to understand model correctness. We finally conduct user studies to see that our new explanations help users understand model correctness better than baselines by an expected 30% and that our proxy helpfulness metrics correlate strongly (1>0:97) with how well users can predict model correctness. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Explainable artificial intelligence (XAI) systems aim to provide users with information to help them better understand computational models and reason about why outputs were generated. However, there are many different ways an XAI interface might present explanations, which makes designing an appropriate and effective interface an important and challenging task. Our work investigates how different types and amounts of explanatory information affect user ability to utilize explanations to understand system behavior and improve task performance. The presented research employs a system for detecting the truthfulness of news statements. In a controlled experiment, participants were tasked with using the system to assess news statements as well as to learn to predict the output of the AI. Our experiment compares various levels of explanatory information to contribute empirical data about how explanation detail can influence utility. The results show that more explanation information improves participant understanding of AI models, but the benefits come at the cost of time and attention needed to make sense of the explanation. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of STICEF is the property of Sciences et Techniques de l'Information et de la Communication pour l'Education et la Formation and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

In this work, a revised formulation of chance‐constrained (CC) model predictive control (MPC) is presented. The focus of this work is on the mathematical formulation of the revised CC‐MPC, and the reason behind the need for its revision. The revised formulation is given in the context of sewer systems, and their weir overflow structures. A linear sewer model of the Astlingen benchmark sewer model is utilized to illustrate the application of the formulation, both mathematically and performance‐wise through simulations. Based on the simulations, a comparison of performance is done between the revised CC‐MPC and a comparable deterministic MPC, with a focus on overflow avoidance, computation time, and operational behavior. The simulations show similar performance for overflow avoidance for both types of MPC, while the computation time increases slightly for the CC‐MPC, together with operational behaviors getting limited. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The 24th annual conference of the German Initiative for Networked Information (DINI) took place on October 4th and 5th, 2023, at the University Library Stuttgart. The conference focused on the challenges of collaborations in the field of information infrastructures of scientific libraries, IT centers, and media institutions at universities and non-university research institutions. Various cooperation projects were discussed, including the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). As part of the conference, the student DINI competition 2023-2024 was also launched, which deals with the topic "Learning with AI: Intelligent Education for an Intelligent Future". Further information about this competition can be found on the DINI website. DINI is a nationwide association of scientific libraries, media institutions, computer centers, and professional societies in Germany that supports the development of information infrastructures. [Extracted from the article]

The major failure mode of long floating stone columns (FSCs) is lateral bulging. Geosynthetic encasement may be a solution to provide additional confinement to stone column materials and reduce their lateral bulging. However, encasing FSCs may lead to a punching failure mode with no significant additional bearing capacity achieved. In this paper, a new reinforcing method is proposed for increased enhancement of the load–settlement behaviour of FSCs. In this method, a set of ring-type reinforcement is used around the periphery of the FSC, called spaced reinforcing rings (SRRs) method. These rings are located along the whole or a part of the FSC length at specified spacing intervals. Laboratory experiments and numerical analyses were performed to investigate the proposed method and contributing parameters on the performance of SRR-reinforced FSCs (SRR-FSCs). The results showed that the use of SRRs is more beneficial than full or partial encasement of FSCs in most situations. This finding, together with the use of lower amounts of reinforcement materials may be of practical interest. In addition, the best configuration for such discrete reinforcement and guidelines for practice are presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This descriptive study explored campus resources used by transfer students to understand ways institutions can better help them persist to graduation. Completed surveys from 257 transfer students indicated a number of programs and services that met this aim. The top three programs and services used at the current institution were the Computer Support Center, Career Services, and University Health Services. Recommended services included transfer programs, child care on campus, help with the transfer process, and advising. Themes students indicated that could help them graduate related to scheduling classes, personal life situations, enrolling in more credit hours, acceptance of more transfer credits, financial resources, advising, and offering transfer programs or workshops or support or activities. Implications and recommendation for institutions are also discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Since the pandemic has led towards a new norm in our daily lives, there is an urge to implement more technologybased teaching aids in school teaching and learning management. This is especially so for subjects that involve hands-on, like laboratory (lab) work. For this reason, among all the technology applications, Virtual Reality (VR) seems potentially an emerging tool. A virtual world is described as a digital world intended to look and experience just like the real world. VR is a technology that enables users to interact with their settings. Since learning institutions must adapt to the rapidly changing educational environment to use integrated technology in their lessons, they need to create effective learning methods. To ensure students can continue their studies in these new norms, the education system in Malaysia has to adapt to accommodate the way the millennials learn. New elearning programmes in classrooms, more computer laboratories would help teachers to experiment with new ways of teaching. To better understand scientific concepts, a group of novice science teachers will be investigating the use of VR in the science lab. The study employs a Design and Development research (DDR) design. This paper serves as the initial phase that identifies early perceptions from these novice science teachers towards applying a VR learning tool for science lab activities during their pre-practicum teaching programme. One hundred and seven (107) respondents from each of the three Science Education programmes responded to a series of questionnaires in a survey posted to them. This was followed by an interview session on five (5) science novice teachers and three (3) science instructors. The survey responses were studied, and their data were compared and verified. The initial findings showed that VR was seen positively as a need in a hazardous and complex situation. It is also recommended that types of VR applications should be low cost and low maintenance. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Every object has its characteristic shape, appearance and responses to physical interactions. Computer graphics center on those three components of an object to bring them onto the computer display. With the rapid development of three dimensional (3D) printing technology, the accuracy of the focused object's geometry was put forward. Point-based graphing is a way to taking the role in rendering the huge 3D sampled data. Based on the digital geometry processing of point-sampled model, various algorithms were reviewed, and some related key techniques were compared with the potential perspective of the future work in this area was also presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In the near-term, hybrid quantum-classical algorithms hold great potential for outperforming classical approaches. Understanding how these two computing paradigms work in tandem is critical for identifying areas where such hybrid algorithms could provide a quantum advantage. In this work, we study a QAOA-based quantum optimization approach by implementing the Variational Quantum Factoring (VQF) algorithm. We execute experimental demonstrations using a superconducting quantum processor, and investigate the trade off between quantum resources (number of qubits and circuit depth) and the probability that a given biprime is successfully factored. In our experiments, the integers 1099551473989, 3127, and 6557 are factored with 3, 4, and 5 qubits, respectively, using a QAOA ansatz with up to 8 layers and we are able to identify the optimal number of circuit layers for a given instance to maximize success probability. Furthermore, we demonstrate the impact of different noise sources on the performance of QAOA, and reveal the coherent error caused by the residual ZZ-coupling between qubits as a dominant source of error in a near-term superconducting quantum processor. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Estimation of the mechanical responses of a sample of rock is a critical characteristic to estimate the responses of rock strata under stress. In this paper, laboratory tests analysis and numerical modelling are used to analyse and replicate intact rock materials. Laboratory and petrographical analyses were undertaken to characterise the brittle response to the uniaxial loading of selected sedimentary samples. Complementary numerical modelling of virtual uniaxial compression tests is carried out using 3DEC software. These models were developed through a Grain Based Model capable of reproducing brittle failure of rocks, for which Voronoi 3D tessellation was generated. Failure mechanisms observed in laboratory and non-linear behaviour due to fracture propagation have been reproduced. Virtual modelling of intact rock with Discrete Element Code would allow, in combination with Discrete Fracture Networks, the numerical analysis of rock mass scale effects and anisotropy through Synthetic Rock Mass (SRM) modelling. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

High speed trains supply is, nowadays, performed by 2 × 25 kV power systems. If a ground fault occurs, its location and correction are crucial to minimize downtime. One of the methods for locating ground faults in power systems is the impedance method. This was a good solution for 1 × 25 kV railways power systems, as the ratio between reactance and fault distance is linear. However, the use of autotransformers between the catenary, feeder and rails makes this ratio non-linear in 2 × 25 kV configuration. This work presents a novel ground fault location method for 2 × 25 kV power systems. The new method is based on the ratio of the currents of the autotransformers and the substation transformer. The main contribution, compared to previous methods developed, is that this new method is insensitive to the fault current variations produced by the network voltage fluctuations or by the main transformer tap changer position, among others for 2 × 25 kV power systems. The novel approach has been corroborated by numerous experimental tests in the laboratory and computer simulations, with satisfactory results. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

This study aimed to investigate the difference between the prophylaxis made with only one or two dose first-generation cephalosporin and at least 3 days first-generation cephalosporin use in the emergence of surgical site infections in patients with vertical abdominal incision. This study was completed retrospectively by examining the file, computer and laboratory results of 91 postoperative patients with median incision who showed a high risk for infection in Haseki Training and Research Hospital Department of Obstetrics and Gynecology between August 2014-May 2015. In our study, surgical site infection in the short-term perioperative prophylaxis group is 57,1 percent of patients, while in long-term perioperative prophylaxis group this rate is 15,4 percent. In short-term perioperative prophylaxis group, surgical site infections rate were detected significantly higher p (<0,001) than long-term perioperative prophylaxis group. In our study, perioperative prophylaxis with only one or two doses of Cefazolin Na in gynecological or gyneco-oncological operations with median incision, contrary to what was suggested by the guide, were found to be significantly inadequate p (<0,001) versus to the at least three days prophylaxis with Cefazolin Na in the prevention of surgical site infections. However, it was found that perioperative prophylaxis of at least 3 days was sufficient. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Research on learning environments at the higher-education level has been quite sparse compared with studies at other educational levels. Because statistics is perceived as a difficult subject across disciplines, it suffers from low passing rates in many universities. This study involved validating questionnaires for assessing the psychosocial environment and student attitudes associated with learning business statistics in computing laboratory workshops. The Business Statistics Computer Learning Environment Inventory (BSCLEI) and Attitude to Business Analytics instrument were validated with 275 students enrolled across various business degree programs in the United Kingdom over two academic years. Various data analyses (including exploratory and confirmatory factor analyses) supported the validity of these two questionnaires, thereby paving the way for their future use in research and practical applications relevant to learning environments in higher-education statistics workshop classrooms. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Problematic soil (soft soil), generally require a soil improvement techniques. One of the concepts of soil reinforcement is to utilize timber as a material for raft-pile foundation. In this study, a circular containers were used as testing medium for the various model of reinforcement techniques (i.e. pile with different length embedded, raft and raft-pile foundation) including unreinforced model sample. The small-scale model tests were carried out in the laboratory and the numerical analysis conducted by using Plaxis 3D. The raft and pile material using a locally available timber. The results show that the raft-pile foundation shows the smallest vertical deformation (settlement) compared to other types of foundations. The highest settlement reduction was observed in the raft-pile foundation which is almost 65% compared to unreinforced soil. Good agreement results were found between small-scale laboratory model test and numerical modelling, thus indicating the potential used of this foundation type by using local timber. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Today, cloud systems provide many key services to development and production environments; reliable storage services are crucial for a multitude of applications ranging from commercial manufacturing, distribution and sales up to scientific research, which is often at the forefront of computing resource demands. In large-scale computer centers, the storage system requires particular attention and investment; usually, a large number of diverse storage devices need to be deployed in order to match the varying performance and volume requirements of changing user applications. As of today, magnetic drives still play a dominant role in terms of deployed storage volume and of service outages due to device failure. In this paper, we study methods to facilitate automated proactive disk replacement. We propose a method to identify disks with media failures in a production environment and describe an application of supervised machine learning to predict disk failures. In particular, a proper stage to automatically label (healthy/at-risk) the disks during the training and validation stage is presented along with tuning strategy to optimize the hyperparameters of the associated machine learning classifier. The approach is trained and validated against a large set of 65,000 hard drives in the CERN computer center, and the achieved results are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Patients with a lower limb amputation rely more on visual feedback to maintain balance than able-bodied individuals. Altering this sensory modality in amputees thus results in a disrupted postural control. However, little is known about how lower limb amputees cope with augmented visual information during balance tasks. In this study, we investigated how unilateral transfemoral amputees incorporate visual feedback of their center of pressure (CoP) position during quiet standing. Ten transfemoral amputees and ten age-matched able-bodied participants were provided with real-time visual feedback of the position of their CoP while standing on a pressure platform. Their task was to keep their CoP within a small circle in the center of a computer screen placed at eye level, which could be achieved by minimizing their postural sway. The visual feedback was then delayed by 250 and 500 ms and was combined with a two- and five-fold amplification of the CoP displacements. Trials with eyes open without augmented visual feedback as well as with eyes closed were further performed. The overall performance was measured by computing the sway area. We further quantified the dynamics of the CoP adjustments using the entropic half-life (EnHL) to study possible physiological mechanisms behind postural control. Amputees showed an increased sway area compared to the control group. The EnHL values of the amputated leg were significantly higher than those of the intact leg and the dominant and non-dominant leg of controls. This indicates lower dynamics in the CoP adjustments of the amputated leg, which was compensated by increasing the dynamics of the CoP adjustments of the intact leg. Receiving real-time visual feedback of the CoP position did not significantly reduce the sway area neither in amputees nor in controls when comparing with the eyes open condition without visual feedback of the CoP position. Further, with increasing delay and amplification, both groups were able to compensate for small visual perturbations, yet their dynamics were significantly lower when additional information was not received in a physiologically relevant time frame. These findings may be used for future design of neurorehabilitation programs to restore sensory feedback in lower limb amputees. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

In this audio/video authenticity research project, 44 original MOV files were produced on an Apple iPhone 12 Pro Max mobile device, running the iOS 14.2.1 operating system, in all available video formats and at four different nominal recording lengths. Each of the original files was then trimmed, using the Apple Photos app, in three different ways: deleting a portion of the beginning, a portion of the end, and portions of both the beginning and end. These 176 original and trimmed files were transferred to a laboratory computer and the footer and other metadata were analyzed with a hex editor. This analysis revealed that the trimmed recordings could be differentiated from the originals; that the iPhone model and the iOS operating system version could be identified; that important recording dates and times can be determined; and that the type of trimming, in some cases, could be determined. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Copyright of Paradigma is the property of Universidad Pedagogica Experimental Libertador and its content may not be copied or emailed to multiple sites or posted to a listserv without the copyright holder's express written permission. However, users may print, download, or email articles for individual use. This abstract may be abridged. No warranty is given about the accuracy of the copy. Users should refer to the original published version of the material for the full abstract. (Copyright applies to all Abstracts.)

The use of information in sports and technology is a vital sign to measure the development management of your sport and sporting strength. Artificial Intelligence is cutting-edge in mathematical technology and computer research that is growing and conducting the necessary research. Assessed the essence of PE training and teaching, assembled an applicable version of VR technology in this field. Those options that come with VR technology include awareness, attendance, interactivity, freedom, etc. It will be broadly used in PE instruction and will play a substantial role. This computer understands the center of computer mathematics, and applying these to primary education and education is essential. This paper's objective isn't to design and examine computer applications in the sports business except to concentrate on a single component of sports instruction with computer calculations. It's a fundamental technology for analyzing the trajectories of study objects. By way of instance, this paper assesses image processing in sports and puts forward a few suggestions. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Visual programming environments are popular instruments in teaching Computational Thinking (CT) in schools today. Applying Sense-Reason-Act (SRA) programming can influence the development of computational thinking when forcing pupils to anticipate the unforeseen in their computer programs. SRA-programming originates from the programming of tangible robots, but can also be of equal value in visual programming with on-screen output. The underlying rationale is that programming in a visual programming environment using SRA leads to more understanding of the computational concepts addressed, resulting in a higher level of computational skill compared to visual programming without the application of SRA. Furthermore, it has been hypothesised that if pupils in a visual programming environment can anticipate unforeseen events and solve programming tasks by applying SRA, they will be better able to solve complex computational thinking tasks. To establish if characteristic differences in the development of computational thinking can be measured when SRA-programming is applied in a visual programming environment with an on-screen output, we assessed the applicability of SRA-programming with visual output as the main component of the execution of developed code. This research uses a pre-test post-test design that reveals significant differences in the development of computational thinking in two treatment conditions. To assess CT, the Computational Thinking Test (CTt) was used. Results show that when using SRA-programming in a visual programming environment it leads to an increased understanding of complex computational concepts, which results in a significant increase in the development of computational thinking. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

A substantial increase in the number of surveillance camera systems has not delivered the promised deterrent effects or investigative case evidence and their usefulness has been underwhelming. A potential solution to practical camera monitor needs is computer vision (CV)-enhanced camera networks that can provide automated real-time video analysis, quick processing of monitor query-based searches, and accurate summaries of archived video files. The development and testing of four CV algorithms in computer vision laboratories is presented and implications from their possible adoption by security agencies on society are discussed. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, one of the most well-known methods for accurate simulation of the fast-transient phenomenon as well as the study and location of partial discharge (PD) in transformer windings is the method based on winding modeling. In this regard, the circular multi-conductor transmission line (CMTL) model, which is an improved model of the MTL model, has been proposed as the finest solution since it is acceptable in an extensive frequency range and it can investigate the effect of winding rotation by considering the radius and angle variables. However, one of the fundamental problems of using the CMTL model is that a set of large equations, known as complete admittance matrices, must be solved for all winding turns, which typically contain thousands of turns. To overcome this problem, we presented an improved RLC model, which has the same accuracy as the CMTL model in terms of frequency validity range and less computational complexity. In this model, the variables of length and curvature of the turns are also considered in the formulations. Although this method is theoretically accurate, its reliability method must also be determined in practice and how the PD signal propagation must be carefully considered due to the problems in high-frequency modeling of the winding. Numerical analyses and laboratory measurements resulting from the use of PD pulses on a 20 kV winding of a distribution transformer, as well as a 63 kV, 30 MV winding, revealed that a valid frequency range is extendable up to 5 MHz for the proposed improved model without a significant increase in computational complexity. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Ising machines based on nonlinear analog systems are a promising method to accelerate computation of NP-hard optimization problems. Yet, their analog nature is also causing amplitude inhomogeneity which can deteriorate the ability to find optimal solutions. Here, we investigate how the system's nonlinear transfer function can mitigate amplitude inhomogeneity and improve computational performance. By simulating Ising machines with polynomial, periodic, sigmoid and clipped transfer functions and benchmarking them with MaxCut optimization problems, we find the choice of transfer function to have a significant influence on the calculation time and solution quality. For periodic, sigmoid and clipped transfer functions, we report order-of-magnitude improvements in the time-to-solution compared to conventional polynomial models, which we link to the suppression of amplitude inhomogeneity induced by saturation of the transfer function. This provides insights into the suitability of nonlinear systems for building Ising machines and presents an efficient way for overcoming performance limitations. Analog Ising machines are promising fast computing schemes for some difficult optimization problems, yet their analog nature is known to cause errors and inhibit computational performance. Here, the authors investigate how the choice of nonlinear transfer functions partly suppresses errors caused by analog amplitude inhomogeneity, which leads to order-of-magnitude differences in the computation time. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Introduction: Informatics is a discipline that uses several sciences to apply automated techniques in data processing and the Computer Laboratory is the classroom with novelty and technological innovation in equal conditions of computer services for learning and teaching in the hospital. Objective: to describe the usefulness of Informatics and Computer Laboratories for the teaching-assistance-research management of the professionals of the "Arnaldo Milián Castro" Hospital of Villa Clara. Method: a descriptive study was carried out with 135 professionals of some medical specialty as users of the Computer Laboratories in January 2019. Results: the Hospital has two Computer Laboratories on the third and fourth floors of the first tower that provide personalized attention to teaching; the greatest frequency of users corresponds to the Surgery, Nursing, Orthopedics and Anesthesia Services and the Informatics Specialists carry out training courses for undergraduate and postgraduate medical specialties in the institution. Conclusions: the incorporation of Informatics in the Hospital's services guarantees the management of automated products and applications that speed up the processes of diagnosis, treatment and rehabilitation of diseases. The Computer Laboratory is a physical space with educational means and innovative technological resources that activates the production of knowledge on equal terms, optimizes medical practice with the integration and exchange of information and makes science visible as an added value of the scientific research carried out at the Hospital. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Cold-in-Place Recycling (CIR) asphalt material is gaining increased popularity due to its innovative properties, performance and recycling values. However, detailed material properties of this material are required to design pavement using the CIR materials. This study finds out an equivalent conventional Hot-Mix Asphalt (HMA) which behaves very similar to the CIR material. As a first step, detailed properties of the CIR materials used in Colorado has been measured in the laboratory. Then, the performances of ten pavements which are built using the CIR are predicted using the AASHTOWare Pavement Mechanistic-Empirical (ME) Design (PMED) software. Then, different HMA mixes are used to run the PMED software and are compared with the performance of the CIR material. Results show that the PMED software analysis showed the PMED-predicted IRI and rutting values are close to the values measured in the field. However, the PMED-predicted fatigue cracking values are less than values measured in the field. CIR material behaves very similar to the HMA SX (75) PG 58-28 mix and thus may be used in place of CIR while analyzing a pavement using the PMED software. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Blended learning (BL) is a recent trend among many options that can best fit learners' needs, regardless of time and place. This study aimed to discover students' perceptions of BL and the challenges faced by them while using technology. This quantitative study used data gathered from 300 students enrolled in four public universities in the Sindh province of Pakistan. The findings show that students were comfortable with the use of technology, and it has a positive effect on their academic experience. The study also showed that the use of technology encourages peer collaboration. The challenges found include: neither teacher support nor a training programme was provided to the students for the courses which needed to shift from a traditional face to face paradigm to a blended format, a lack of specialised skills in laboratory assistants for the courses with a blended format and a shortage of hi-tech computer laboratories/computer units to run these courses. Therefore, it is recommended that authorities must develop and incorporate a comprehensive mechanism for the effective implementation of BL in the teaching-learning process. Heads of departments should also provide additional computing infrastructure to their departments. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Nowadays, general type-2 fuzzy systems are an attractive alternative for non-linear control problems because they provide good robustness in real-world environments, where there exist many noise sources. This kind of fuzzy systems can have better performance in comparison to type-1 fuzzy systems as they offer uncertainty handling capabilities. However, one of the main problems in implementing general type-2 fuzzy systems is their elevated computational cost. The computational cost of a general type-2 fuzzy system depends on the representation that is used, for example, the α-planes representation consists on a discretization of general type-2 fuzzy systems into several horizontal slices called α-planes, then solving every α-plane as an interval type-2 fuzzy system and after that the integration of the results to approximate a general type-2 fuzzy system. The main contribution of this work is the proposed computational cost reduction of the α-planes representation by optimizing the α-planes integration process based on the composite Newton–Cotes rules. In this way, the number of α-planes required for a good approximation is reduced, and the computational cost is also reduced by introducing new equations for the α-planes aggregation. Finally, a systematic comparative analysis of the improvement offered by the proposed method with respect to the conventional approach is presented. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The paper will give an example and an overview of how we can set up and maintain web applications using a Docker. We will define what Docker is, what containers are and how to use them. Developers often find themselves in a situation where their program works properly on a computer in the laboratory environment in which the application was developed, but after installing the program on the production server, the program does not work as expected. In such circumstances, it is difficult for a programmer to determine why a program is not working. Docker solves this problem by placing applications and virtual containers that run on the same operating system. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

The brown marmorated stink bug, Halyomorpha halys (Stål) (Hemiptera: Pentatomidae), is an invasive species to North America and has spread throughout most of the territory. Understanding flight in H. halys is crucial to understanding the dispersal capacity and developing forecasting models for this pest. The purpose of this research was to assess the effects of starvation, age, mating status, sex, and preflight weight on flight parameters of laboratory-reared H. halys using computer-monitored flight mills. The mean flight distance observed over a 24-h period was 266 m and the maximum distance was 7.3 km. Overall, the flight capacity of males and females was similar, even though females weighed more than males. The proportion of H. halys that initiated flight was not affected by starvation, age, or mating status. The number of bouts of individual flights and velocity significantly increased with longer durations of starvation. The number of bouts significantly decreased with increasing age. The total distance flew and total flight time was not affected by starvation, age, or mating status. Although some statistical differences were seen across the experiments, these differences likely represent minimal ecological significance. Therefore, these results suggest that H. halys are remarkably resilient, which may contribute to their success as an invasive species. The findings of this study could help better predict the dispersal potential of H. halys in Minnesota. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]

Operational Modal Analysis (OMA) is a powerful approach to be used in structural performance assessment of historical masonry buildings during their service life. OMA is effective for detecting global damage to masonry buildings, although in some conditions it may exhibit poor sensitivity in detecting local/slight structural damage. Additionally, establishing robust correlations between changes in modal features and the residual load-bearing capacity of monitored buildings is an unresolved task in most of real-world applications. To deepen into these aspects, this paper presents an experimental and numerical program involving two full-scale masonry wall specimens tested under controlled laboratory conditions. Progressive damage was induced in diverse structural settings, and OMA was used to identify the modal features of the wall systems at increasing damage levels. Damage-induced decays in modal features were correlated with performance limit states related to the structures' residual load-bearing capacity, while non-linear Finite Element (FE) models were defined to replicate the tests. The obtained results contribute to filling current research gaps by demonstrating that natural frequencies and mode shapes can be sensitive to local and slight structural damage, also proposing correlations between damage-induced decays in modal features and performance limit states, hence corroborating the use of FE models for replicating damage-induced decays in both vibration frequencies and mode shapes. • Full-scale masonry walls are progressively damaged in diverse structural settings. • OMA is used to detect localized/small damage to the tested masonry buildings. • Modal features are found to be sensitive to the increasing damage entity. • Correlations are made between structures' modal features and load-bearing capacity. • FE models can accurately replicate damage-induced modifications in modal features. [ABSTRACT FROM AUTHOR]