Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Path planning based on fluid mechanics for mobile robots using unstructured terrain models

Mobile robots using a 360° field of view LIDAR ranging sensor can generate enormous 3D point clouds. To reduce the quantity of data in memory a compression can lead to unstructured environment models such as irregular meshes. This kind of structure can contain deformed cells and the path planning can be cumbersome. This paper presents a path planning method based on fluid mechanics able to deal with unstructured terrain models. The algorithm uses the finite element method to compute a velocity potential function free from local minima. Then, several streamlines are computed as a road map and the optimal path is selected among the candidate paths. The approach is implemented on the Canadian Space Agency (CSA) Mars Robotics Testbed (MRT) rover and tested at the CSA Mars Emulation Terrain (MET). To confirm the feasibility of the method, the path planner has been tested on 284 LIDAR scans collected in a realistic outdoor challenging terrain.
Mathematical Models Based on Transfer Functions to Estimate Tissue Temperature During RF Cardiac Ablation in Real Time

Radiofrequency cardiac ablation (RFCA) has been used to treat certain types of cardiac arrhythmias by producing a thermal lesion. Even though a tissue temperature higher than 50ºC is required to destroy the target, thermal mapping is not currently used during RFCA. Our aim was thus to develop mathematical models capable of estimating tissue temperature from tissue characteristics acquired or estimated at the beginning of the procedure (electrical conductivity, thermal conductivity, specific heat and density) and the applied voltage at any time. Biological tissue was considered as a system with an input (applied voltage) and output (tissue temperature), and so the mathematical models were based on transfer functions relating these variables. We used theoretical models based on finite element method to verify the mathematical models. Firstly, we solved finite element models to identify the transfer functions between the temperature at a depth of 4 mm and a constant applied voltage using a 7Fr and 4 mm electrode. The results showed that the relationships can be expressed as first-order transfer functions. Changes in electrical conductivity only affected the static gain of the system, while specific heat variations produced a change in the dynamic system response. In contrast, variations in thermal conductivity modified both the static gain and the dynamic system response. Finally, to assess the performance of the transfer functions obtained, we conducted a new set of computer simulations using a controlled temperature protocol and considering the temperature dependence of the thermal and electrical conductivities, i.e. conditions closer to those found in clinical use. The results showed that the difference between the values estimated from transfer functions and the temperatures obtained from finite element models was less than 4ºC, which suggests that the proposed method could be used to estimate tissue temperature in real time.
Mass-surveillance without the State: Strongly Undetectable Algorithm-Substitution Attacks

We present new algorithm-substitution attacks (ASAs) on symmetric encryption that improve over prior ones in two ways. First, while prior attacks only broke a sub-class of randomized schemes having a property called coin injectivity, our attacks break ALL randomized schemes. Second, while prior attacks are stateful, ours are stateless, achieving a notion of strong undetectability that we formalize. Together this shows that ASAs are an even more dangerous and powerful mass surveillance method than previously thought. Our work serves to increase awareness about what is possible with ASAs and to spur the search for deterrents and counter-measures.
Short communication Molecular characterization of potentially zoonotic isolates of Giardia duodenalis in horses

Giardia isolates from eight horses from New York State (NY), USA and two horses from Western Australia (WA) were genetically characterized at the SSU-rDNA and triose-phosphate isomerase (TPI) genes. Phylogenetic analysis of the TPI gene provided strong support for the placement of both isolates of Giardia from horses in WA and a single isolate from a horse in NY within the assemblage AI genotype of G. duodenalis. Another two isolates from horses in NY placed within the assemblage AII genotype of G. duodenalis. Phylogenetic analysis of the TPI gene also provided strong bootstrap support for the placement of four G. duodenalis isolates from horses in NY into a potentially host-specific sub-assemblage of assemblage BIV. The results of this study are consistent with previous studies showing that assemblages AI and AII of G. duodenalis provide the greatest potential zoonotic risk to humans. Horses may therefore constitute a potential source for human infection of Giardia either directly or via watersheds. # 2005 Elsevier B.V. All rights reserved.
A slow pushed front in a Lotka–Volterra competition model

We study invasion speeds in the Lotka–Volterra competition model when the rate of diffusion of one species is small. Our main result is the construction of the selected front and a rigorous asymptotic approximation of its propagation speed, valid to second order. We use techniques from geometric singular perturbation theory and geometric desingularization. The main challenge arises from the slow passage through a saddle-node bifurcation. From a perspective of linear versus nonlinear speed selection, this front provides an interesting example as the propagation speed is slower than the linear spreading speed. However, our front shares many characteristics with pushed fronts that arise when the influence of nonlinearity leads to faster than linear speeds of propagation. We show that this is a result of the linear spreading speed arising as a simple pole of the resolvent instead of as a branch pole. Using the pointwise Green's function, we show that this pole poses no a priori obstacle to marginal stability of the nonlinear travelling front, thus explaining how nonlinear systems can exhibit slower spreading that their linearization in a robust fashion.
Second-hand tobacco smoke in public places in urban and rural China

Objective: To assess airborne nicotine concentrations as an indicator of second-hand smoke (SHS) exposure in public places in both urban and rural areas of China. Design: Measurement of vapour-phase nicotine concentration using a common protocol in all locations. A total of 273 samplers were placed for 7 days in urban and rural areas of China, including Beijing and the capital city, and a county (rural) area of the following provinces: Sichuan (Chengdu/Mianzhu), Jiangxi (Nanchang/Anyi) and Henan (Zhengzhou/Xin’an). Setting: Samplers were placed in hospitals, secondary schools, city government buildings, train stations, restaurants and entertainment establishments (internet cafes, mahjong parlours and karaoke bars) in each location. Main outcome measure: The time-weighted average airborne concentration of nicotine (μg/m3) was measured by gas chromatography. Results: Airborne nicotine was detected in 91% of the locations sampled. Beijing had the highest nicotine concentrations in most indoor environments (median 3.01 μg/m3) and Chengdu had the lowest concentrations (median 0.11 μg/m3). Overall, restaurants and entertainment establishments had the highest nicotine concentrations (median 2.17 and 7.48 μg/m3, respectively). High nicotine concentrations were also found in government buildings and in train stations. Conclusions: The data collected in this study provide evidence that SHS exposure is frequent in public places in China. Environmental nicotine concentrations in China provide evidence for implementation and enforcement of smoke-free initiatives in public places in China and indicate the need for protecting the public from exposure to SHS.
Examples of Riemannian Manifolds with non-negative sectional curvature

Manifolds with non-negative sectional curvature have been of interest since the beginning of global Riemannian geometry, as illustrated by the theorems of Bonnet-Myers, Synge, and the sphere theorem. Some of the oldest conjectures in global Riemannian geometry, as for example the Hopf conjecture on S × S, also fit into this subject. For non-negatively curved manifolds, there are a number of obstruction theorems known, see Section 1 below and the survey by Burkhard Wilking in this volume. It is somewhat surprising that the only further obstructions to positive curvature are given by the classical Bonnet-Myers and Synge theorems on the fundamental group. Although there are many examples with non-negative curvature, they all come from two basic constructions, apart from taking products. One is taking an isometric quotient of a compact Lie group equipped with a biinvariant metric and another a gluing procedure due to Cheeger and recently significantly generalized by Grove-Ziller. The latter examples include a rich class of manifolds, and give rise to non-negative curvature on many exotic 7-spheres. On the other hand, known manifolds with positive sectional curvature are very rare, and are all given by quotients of compact Lie groups, and, apart from the classical rank one symmetric spaces, only exist in dimension below 25. Due to this lack of knowledge, it is therefore of importance to discuss and understand known examples and find new ones. In this survey we will concentrate on the description of known examples, although the last section also contains suggestions where to look for new ones. The techniques used to construct them are fairly simple. In addition to the above, the main tool is a deformation described by Cheeger that, when applied to nonnegatively curved manifolds, tends to increase curvature. Such Cheeger deformations can be considered as the unifying theme of this survey. We can thus be fairly explicit in the proof of the existence of all known examples which should make the basic material understandable at an advanced graduate student level. It is the hope of this author that it will thus encourage others to study this beautiful subject. This survey originated in the Rudolph Lipschitz lecture series the author gave at the University of Bonn in 2001 and various courses taught at the University of Pennsylvania.
An experimental evaluation of continuous cardiotomy reservoir ultrafiltration.

Ultrafiltration has been suggested as a means to reduce the morbidity associated with blood activation. However, the application of ultrafiltration to the highly activated blood of the cardiotomy suction subcircuit has not been investigated. The purpose of this study was to determine whether cardiotomy reservoir ultrafiltration (CRUF) would be effective in altering cytokine levels. Six swine, undergoing 90 min of cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB), were divided into two groups; one group was assigned to receive CRUF (N = 3), the other was to serve as controls and did not receive ultrafiltration (N = 3). Blood samples were analyzed for hematocrit, plasma-free hemoglobin, total protein, interleukin-8 (IL-8), and tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha). Samples were taken pre-bypass, postheparinization, every 30 min during CPB, post-CPB and postprotamine. All data were analyzed using a one-way analysis of variance (ANOVA), with significance accepted at p < . 05. There were no significant differences found between treatment and control groups for plasma-free hemoglobin levels (22.4 +/- 22.2 vs. 14.6 +/- 14.4; 40.1 +/- 26.1 vs. 40.0 +/- 19.3). After 90 min of ultrafiltration, there was a significant decrease in TNF-alpha (261.6 +/- 119.6 vs. 71.8 +/- 11.4; p = .02). Although IL-8 levels decreased from throughout the experiment, concentrations did not reach statistical significance. In conclusion, CRUF can be used without increasing cellular destruction, and can decrease certain cytokine levels. Our results suggest that further clinical studies should be undertaken utilizing this technique with a larger sample size.
PPMF: A Patient-based Predictive Modeling Framework for Early ICU Mortality Prediction

To date, developing a good model for early intensive care unit (ICU) mortality prediction is still challenging. This paper presents a patient based predictive modeling framework (PPMF) to improve the performance of ICU mortality prediction using data collected during the first 48 hours of ICU admission. PPMF consists of three main components verifying three related research hypotheses. The first component captures dynamic changes of patients status in the ICU using their time series data (e.g., vital signs and laboratory tests). The second component is a local approximation algorithm that classifies patients based on their similarities. The third component is a Gradient Decent wrapper that updates feature weights according to the classification feedback. Experiments using data from MIMICIII show that PPMF significantly outperforms: (1) the severity score systems, namely SASP III, APACHE IV, and MPM0III, (2) the aggregation based classifiers that utilize summarized time series, and (3) baseline feature selection methods.
Mortality of workers exposed to toluene diisocyanate in the polyurethane foam industry.

OBJECTIVE: To evaluate cancer mortality among United States workers exposed to toluene diisocyanate (TDI) in the manufacture of polyurethane foam. METHODS: This cohort mortality study included 4611 men and women employed in four polyurethane foam plants for at least three months between the late 1950s and 1987. The mortality experience of the cohort was then compared with that of the general United States population. RESULTS: Current and past industrial hygiene data indicated that air concentrations in 1984-5 were below the current United States standard of 0.04 mg/m3 but exceeded the standard before 1980. Mortality ratio (SMR) 2.78, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.57-8.13) and non-Hodgkin's lymphoma (SMR 1.54, 95% CI 0.42-3.95) were increased, but not significantly. There was one male breast cancer. However, breast cancer was not increased in women (SMR 0.74). No other cancer category had an increased number of deaths compared with the general population. Only non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and Hodgkin's disease showed a possible relation with time since first employment and no cancer death category showed a strong relation with duration of employment. Mortality from non-malignant respiratory disease was not increased (SMR 0.86). CONCLUSIONS: This young cohort has few deaths and short follow up. The findings are therefore not conclusive. Further years of follow up will enable better evaluation of mortality.
NiCo2O4-Based Supercapacitor Nanomaterials

In recent years, the research on supercapacitors has ushered in an explosive growth, which mainly focuses on seeking nano-/micro-materials with high energy and power densities. Herein, this review will be arranged from three aspects. We will summarize the controllable architectures of spinel NiCo2O4 fabricated by various approaches. Then, we introduce their performances as supercapacitors due to their excellent electrochemical performance, including superior electronic conductivity and electrochemical activity, together with the low cost and environmental friendliness. Finally, the review will be concluded with the perspectives on the future development of spinel NiCo2O4 utilized as the supercapacitor electrodes.
Metal ion levels and lymphocyte counts: ASR hip resurfacing prosthesis vs. standard THA

Background and purpose Wear particles from metal–on–metal arthroplasties are under suspicion for adverse effects both locally and systemically, and the DePuy ASR Hip Resurfacing System (RHA) has above–average failure rates. We compared lymphocyte counts in RHA and total hip arthroplasty (THA) and investigated whether cobalt and chromium ions affected the lymphocyte counts. Method In a randomized controlled trial, we followed 19 RHA patients and 19 THA patients. Lymphocyte subsets and chromium and cobalt ion concentrations were measured at baseline, at 8 weeks, at 6 months, and at 1 and 2 years. Results The T–lymphocyte counts for both implant types declined over the 2–year period. This decline was statistically significant for CD3+CD8+ in the THA group, with a regression coefficient of –0.04 × 109cells/year (95% CI: –0.08 to –0.01). Regression analysis indicated a depressive effect of cobalt ions in particular on T–cells with 2–year whole–blood cobalt regression coefficients for CD3+ of –0.10 (95% CI: –0.16 to –0.04) × 109 cells/parts per billion (ppb), for CD3+CD4+ of –0.06 (–0.09 to –0.03) × 109 cells/ppb, and for CD3+CD8+ of –0.02 (–0.03 to –0.00) × 109 cells/ppb. Interpretation Circulating T–lymphocyte levels may decline after surgery, regardless of implant type. Metal ions—particularly cobalt—may have a general depressive effect on T– and B–lymphocyte levels. Registered with ClinicalTrials.gov under # NCT01113762
Indentation size effects in polymers and related rotation gradients

Similar to metals, the hardness of many polymers increases with decreasing indentation depths at depth ranges from several microns down to several nanometers. While for metals such phenomena are commonly attributed to geometrically necessary dislocation densities, such an explanation cannot be applied to polymers. To provide a micromechanically motivated model for the indentation size effect in polymers, here we propose an elasto-plastic extension of the higher order elasticity model recently developed by the authors. In this model, size effects in polymers (as well as in nematic liquid crystals) are related to Frank elasticity arising from bending distortions of the polymer chains and their interactions. On the basis of this theory, we derive a simple model for indentation size effects in polymers. Unlike other models, our model includes only elastic size effects due to rotational gradients. It is shown that the proposed model can explain the experimentally observed size effects in polymers. Together with the existing experimental data mentioned here, new experimental data for silicon rubber are also presented and discussed.
Investigating the Psychometric Properties of the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale for South African Residents of Greater Pretoria

Interviewers administered the Rosenberg Self-Esteem scale (RSES) to five groups of Black (formal township and informal settlement), White, Indian, and mixed race adult residents of Greater Pretoria. The results demonstrated that the RSES was psychometrically sound for the five groups. The minimal effects of sociodemographic characteristics on global self-esteem showed that the RSES and its two dimensions, self-competence (SC) and self-liking (SL), were suitable in this setting. All five groups scored above the theoretical midpoint of the RSES, indicating that generally positive self-evaluations appear to be universal. The relationships between positively and negatively worded items, SC, and SL attested to the following: internal structure reliability, congruence between positive and negative items, no negative biases in response, and concordance between SC and SL dimensions. The significant differences between informal settlement residents and the other four groups on global self-esteem, positively and negatively worded items, and SC and SL were possibly due to physiological needs taking precedence over higher order needs.
THE IMMUNOLOGICALLY SPECIFIC RETENTION OF RECIRCULATING LONG-LIVED LYMPHOCYTES IN LYMPH NODES STIMULATED BY XENOGENEIC ERYTHROCYTES

The lymph nodes of mice actively or adoptively immunized to sheep RBC and/or chicken RBC selectively retain long-lived lymphocytes after challenge with the appropriate antigen. This retention is demonstrable within 8 hr of the time of stimulation, though it probably begins even before this, and it is essentially complete within the first 24 hr. A similar selective retention is seen in nodes regional to the injection of some nonimmunogenic substances such as turpentine, but not others such as colloidal carbon or syngeneic RBC. In animals adoptively immunized to sheep and chicken RBC simultaneously, there is a preferential accumulation of the labeled long-lived lymphocytes of donors immunized to sheep RBC in lymph nodes challenged with sheep RBC, and a preferential accumulation of lymphocytes (labeled with a different radioisotope) from donors immunized to chicken RBC in lymph nodes challenged with this antigen. This immunologically specific component is demonstrable whether the antigen is given before or after adoptive immunization, suggesting that the only labeled cells capable of specific localization in this system are those cells that normally remain in the recirculating pool. In the present experiments, 31 out of 31 sets of antigenically stimulated lymph nodes have shown radiochemical evidence of immunological specificity in the distribution of donor lymphocytes between them, while corresponding sets of nonstimulated lymph nodes have shown only small random variations in the distribution of donor cells. Two different mechanisms are postulated whereby antigenic stimulation can alter the traffic of recirculating long-lived lymphocytes through stimulated lymph nodes. One affects recirculating cells of a particular immunological specificity, while the other affects recirculating cells without regard to their immunological specificity.
Capillary-discharge 46.9-nm laser-induced damage to a-C thin films exposed to multiple laser shots below single-shot damage threshold

High-surface-quality amorphous carbon (a-C) optical coatings with a thickness of 45 nm, deposited by magnetron sputtering on a silicon substrate were irradiated by the focused beam of capillary-discharge Ne-like Ar XUV laser (CDL). Laser wavelength and pulse duration were of 46.9 nm and 1.7 ns, respectively. The laser beam was focused onto the sample surface by a spherical Sc/Si multilayer mirror with a total reflectivity of about 30%. Laser pulse energy was on the sample surface varied from 0.4 &mgr;J to 40 &mgr;J. The irradiation was carried out at five fluence levels between 0.1 J/cm2 and 10 J/cm2, accumulating five different series of shots, i.e., 1, 5, 10, 20, and 40. The damage to a-C thin layer was investigated by atomic force microscopy (AFM) and Nomarski differential interference contrast (DIC) optical microscopy. Obtaining the dependence of single-shot-damaged area on pulse energy makes it possible to determine a beam spot diameter in the focus. Its value was found to be equal to (23.3±3.0) &mgr;m using AFM data and considering the beam to have a gaussian profile. Calculations based on a more realistic assumption about the beam profile are in progress. Such a plot can also be used for a determination of single-shot damage threshold in a-C. Single-shot threshold value of 1.1 J/cm2 was found by plotting the damaged areas determined by means of AFM. Investigating consequences of the multiple-shot exposure it has been found that an accumulation of 10, 20 and 40 shots at a fluence of 0.5 J/cm2, i.e., below the single-shot damage threshold, causes irreversible changes of a-C thin layer which can be registered by both the AFM and the DIC microscopy. In the center of the damaged area, AFM shows a-C removal to a maximum depth of 0.3, 1.2 and 1.5 nm for 10-, 20- and 40-shot exposure, respectively. Raman micro-probe does not indicate any change in the structure of the remaining a-C material. The erosive behavior, reported here, contrasts with the material expansion observed on the a-C sample irradiated by a large number of femtosecond pulses of XUV high-order harmonics (HHs).