Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kinematics and Dynamics of a New 16 DOF Humanoid Biped Robot with Active Toe Joint

Humanoid biped robots are typically complex in design, having numerous Degrees-of-Freedom (DOF) due to the ambitious goal of mimicking the human gait. The paper proposes a new architecture for a biped robot with seven DOF per each leg and one DOF corresponding to the toe joint. Furthermore, this work presents close equations for the forward and inverse kinematics by dividing the walking gait into the Sagittal and Frontal planes. This paper explains the mathematical model of the dynamics equations for the legs into the Sagittal and Frontal planes by further applying the principle of Lagrangian dynamics. Finally, a control approach using a PD control law with gravity compensation was recurred in order to control the desired trajectories and finding the required torque by the joints. The paper contains several simulations and numerical examples to prove the analytical results, using SimMechanics of MATLAB toolbox and SolidWorks to verify the analytical results.
Discriminating early stage Aβ42 monomer structures using chirality-induced 2DIR spectroscopy in a simulation study

Elucidating the structural features of the Aβ monomer, the peptide constituent of amyloid fibrils found in Alzheimer’s disease, can enable a direct characterization of aggregation pathways. Recent studies support the view that the ensemble of Aβ42 monomers is a mixture of diverse ordered and disordered conformational species, which can be classified according to the formation of a characteristic β-hairpin conformation in a certain region. Despite the disparity in the structural features of these species, commonly used spectroscopic techniques such as NMR may not directly trace the conformational dynamics in the ensemble due to the limited time resolution and the lack of well-resolved spectral features for different comformers. Here we use molecular dynamics simulations combined with simulations of two-dimensional IR (2DIR) spectra to investigate the structure of these species, their interchange kinetics, and their spectral features. We show that while the discrimination efficiency of the ordinary, nonchiral 2DIR signal is limited due to its intrinsic dependence on common order parameters that are dominated by the generally unstructured part of the sequence, signals with carefully designed chirality-sensitive pulse configurations have the high resolution required for differentiating the various monomer structures. Our combined simulation studies indicate the power of the chirality-induced (CI) 2DIR technique in investigating early events in Aβ42 aggregation and open the possibility for their use as a novel experimental tool.
Single-tooth replacement in the anterior arch by means of a cantilevered IPS e.max Press veneer-retained fixed partial denture: case series of 35 patients.

PURPOSE This case series study evaluated the clinical outcomes of cantilevered veneer-retained fixed partial dentures (VRFPDs) fabricated with IPS e.max Press for single-tooth replacement in the anterior arch. MATERIALS AND METHODS A total of 35 patients were treated with VRFPDs, including 17 cases in the maxilla and 18 in the mandible. The patients were evaluated at baseline and annually from October 2005 to July 2011 for the integrity of the VRFPDs, proximal contacts, occulsal relationships, pulp vitality, and tooth mobility. The degree of satisfaction was indicated with a visual analog scale. RESULTS During a mean observation time of 46.57 months, 35 VRFPDs on vital abutment teeth did not exhibit postoperative sensitivity or secondary caries. No fractures or chipping of the restorations occurred within the course of the evaluation. No patient complained of food impaction. One cantilevered pontic needed adjustment on the incisal edge due to premature contacts after the 3-year recall examination. CONCLUSION Cantilevered IPS e.max Press VRFPDs should be considered a minimally invasive, single-tooth restorative strategy in the anterior or first premolar area. Longer observation periods are necessary before this type of restorative design can be recommended as a general conservative procedure.
Protocol for efficient regulation of in vitro morphogenesis in einkorn (Triticum monococcum L.), a recalcitrant diploid wheat species

Einkorn (Triticum monococcum L.) is A-genome diploid wheat that has a potential to become a useful model for understanding the biology and genomics in Triticeae. Unfortunately, the application of modern technologies such as genetic engineering, RNAi-based gene silencing and genome editing is not available for einkorn as there is no efficient in vitro tissue culture and plant regeneration system. In the present study an efficient and simple protocol for plant regeneration via direct or indirect somatic embryogenesis and organogenesis has been developed. Various auxins used as sole inductors in einkorn displayed low effect for morphogenesis (0–8%) and plant regeneration (1–2 shoots per explant). The addition of Daminozide, the inhibitor of biosynthesis of gibberellins, together with auxin significantly improved the formation of morphogenic structures, especially when Dicamba (51.4%) and Picloram (56.6%) were used for combination; furthermore, the simultaneous addition of cytokinin into induction medium significantly promoted in vitro performance. Among the tested cytokinins, the urea-type substances, such as TDZ and CPPU were more effective than the adenine type ones, BA and Zeatin, for the regulation of morphogenesis; especially, TDZ was more effective than CPPU for shoot formation (11.73 vs. 7.04 per regenerating callus). The highest morphogenic response of 90.2% with the production of more than 10 shoots per initial explant was observed when 3.0 mg/L Dicamba, 50.0 mg/L Daminozide and 0.25 mg/L TDZ were combined together. Along with the identification of appropriate induction medium, the optimal developmental stage for einkorn was found as partially transparent immature embryo in size of around 1.0 mm. Although in the present study the critical balance between plant growth regulators was established for einkorn only, we assume that further the proposed strategy could be successfully applied to other recalcitrant cereal species and genotypes.
Drug Induced Autoimmune Hepatitis (DIAIH): pathological and clinical study

Drug-Induced Autoimmune Hepatitis (DIAIH) is a major part of autoimmune hepatitis (AIH). However DIAIH remains poorly characterized, especially how to differentiate DIAIH from AIH in clinical and histology. Moreover, immunosuppression treatment effectiveness has also rarely been discussed so far. In the present study, the clinical data of AIH (n=73) and drug-induced liver injury (DILI) (n=395) in Rizhao People’s Hospital during 2010 to 2014 were retrospective analysed. All AIH patients were diagnosed by simplified diagnosis criteria (2008). DIAIH were drug induced patients with positive autoimmune antibody. The results shown that all 50 AIH cases and 33 DILI cases were identified with available clinical, biochemical and histological data. Eighteen (18/395, 4.55%) of DILI patients were found to be autoimmune antibody positive (named DIAIH). Sex and age at diagnosis of AIH patients were similar to that of DIAIH, ALT, AST and bilirubin levels of DILI and DIAIH patients were significantly higher than those of AIH patients (P<0.05, respectively), and immunoglobulin of AIH patient was significantly higher than that of DIAIH (P<0.05). None of AIH patients could retreat immunosuppression successfully during follow-up, but most DIAIH patients could. AIH is prominent of portal/ portal fibrosis and Rosette formation, interface inflammation and infiltration of plasma cells. With DIAIH, it is mainly consisted by peri-central-venous inflammation and with esophilia cells dominant mixed cells. Conclusion: DIAIH is different from AIH in liver function tests, levels of immunoglobulin and pathological characteristic such as interface hepatitis, plasma cell infiltration, portal fibrosis and Rosette formation. Most DIAIH patients could retreat immunosuppression successfully.
Multimodel CFAR Detection in Foliage Penetrating SAR Images

A multimodel approach for constant false alarm ratio (CFAR) detection of vehicles through foliage in foliage penetrating synthetic aperture radar images is presented. Extreme value distributions and location scale properties are exploited to derive an adaptive CFAR approach that is able to cope with different forest densities. Performance analysis on real data is carried out to estimate the detection and false alarm probabilities in the presence of a ground truth.
Have First-Year Emergency Medicine Residents Achieved Level 1 on Care-Based Milestones?

BACKGROUND Residents in Accreditation Council for Graduate Medical Education accredited emergency medicine (EM) residencies were assessed on 23 educational milestones to capture their progression from medical student level (Level 1) to that of an EM attending physician (Level 5). Level 1 was conceptualized to be at the level of an incoming postgraduate year (PGY)-1 resident; however, this has not been confirmed. OBJECTIVES Our primary objective in this study was to assess incoming PGY-1 residents to determine what percentage achieved Level 1 for the 8 emergency department (ED) patient care-based milestones (PC 1-8), as assessed by faculty. Secondary objectives involved assessing what percentage of residents had achieved Level 1 as assessed by themselves, and finally, we calculated the absolute differences between self- and faculty assessments. METHODS Incoming PGY-1 residents at 4 EM residencies were assessed by faculty and themselves during their first month of residency. Performance anchors were adapted from ACGME milestones. RESULTS Forty-one residents from 4 programs were included. The percentage of residents who achieved Level 1 for each subcompetency on faculty assessment ranged from 20% to 73%, and on self-assessment from 34% to 92%. The majority did not achieve Level 1 on faculty assessment of milestones PC-2, PC-3, PC-5a, and PC-6, and on self-assessment of PC-3 and PC-5a. Self-assessment was higher than faculty assessment for PC-2, PC-5b, and PC-6. CONCLUSIONS Less than 75% of PGY-1 residents achieved Level 1 for ED care-based milestones. The majority did not achieve Level 1 on 4 milestones. Self-assessments were higher than faculty assessments for several milestones.
The type, but not the amount, of information available influences toddlers' fast mapping and retention of new words.

PURPOSE The authors of this study examined whether the type and number of word-learning cues affect how children infer and retain word-meaning mappings and whether the use of these cues changes with age. METHOD Forty-eight 18- to 36-month-old children with typical language participated in a fast-mapping task in which 6 novel words were presented with 3 types of cues to the words' referents, either singly or in pairs. One day later, children were tested for retention of the novel words. RESULTS By 24 months of age, children correctly inferred the referents of the novel words at a significant level. Children retained the meanings of words at a significant rate by 30 months of age. Children retained the first 3 of the 6 word-meaning mappings by 24 months of age. For both fast mapping and retention, the efficacy of different cue types changed with development, but children were equally successful whether the novel words were presented with 1 or 2 cues. CONCLUSION The type of information available to children at fast mapping affects their ability to both form and retain word-meaning associations. Providing children with more information in the form of paired cues had no effect on either fast mapping or retention.
Are All Analysts Created Equal? Industry Expertise and Monitoring Effectiveness of Financial Analysts

We examine whether analysts’ prior industry experience influences their ability to serve as effective external firm monitors. Our analyses of firms’ financial disclosure quality, executive compensation and CEO turnover decisions portray a consistent picture that related pre-analyst industry experience is of critical importance for analysts to play an effective monitoring role. Coverage by analysts with such experience is associated with reduced earnings management, lower probability of committing financial misrepresentation, less CEO excess compensation, and higher performance sensitivity of CEO turnover. We also provide evidence on several plausible mechanisms through which industry expert analysts exert monitoring efforts and limit managerial opportunism.
Perceptual decomposition of virtual haptic surfaces

The analysis and construction of virtual haptic surfaces are considered from a perceptual point of view rather than from the dynamics and controls approach of prior work. The authors developed a perceptual decomposition of surface contact sensation by examining three qualities associated with the different stages of interaction with a haptic wall simulation. These qualities are the crispness of initial contact, the hardness of surface rigidity, and the cleanness of final release from the virtual wall's surface. These qualities, plus an overall rating of wall quality, were employed consistently by seven subjects to evaluate a set of six simple haptic wall simulations. Three of the wall models consisted of single linear springs; the remainder, single viscous dampers. Highest rankings of subjective hardness were associated with the spring models; damper models received the highest crispness rankings. Subjects favored the simple spring models as having, overall, the more wall-like perceptual character. <<ETX>>
Learning Convex Bodies is Hard

We show that learning a convex body in $\RR^d$, given random samples from the body, requires $2^{\Omega(\sqrt{d/\eps})}$ samples. By learning a convex body we mean finding a set having at most $\eps$ relative symmetric difference with the input body. To prove the lower bound we construct a hard to learn family of convex bodies. Our construction of this family is very simple and based on error correcting codes.
Development and Subunit Composition of Synaptic NMDA Receptors in the Amygdala: NR2B Synapses in the Adult Central Amygdala

NMDA receptors are well known to play an important role in synaptic development and plasticity. Functional NMDA receptors are heteromultimers thought to contain two NR1 subunits and two or three NR2 subunits. In central neurons, NMDA receptors at immature glutamatergic synapses contain NR2B subunits and are largely replaced by NR2A subunits with development. At mature synapses, NMDA receptors are thought to be multimers that contain either NR1/NR2A or NR1/NR2A/NR2B subunits, whereas receptors that contain only NR1/NR2B subunits are extrasynaptic. Here, we have studied the properties of NMDA receptors at glutamatergic synapses in the lateral and central amygdala. We find that NMDA receptor-mediated synaptic currents in the central amygdala in both immature and mature synapses have slow kinetics and are substantially blocked by the NR2B-selective antagonists (1S, 2S)-1-(4-hydroxyphenyl)-2-(4-hydroxy-4-phenylpiperidino)-1-propano and ifenprodil, indicating that there is no developmental change in subunit composition. In contrast, at synapses on pyramidal neurons in the lateral amygdala, whereas NMDA EPSCs at immature synapses are slow and blocked by NR2B-selective antagonists, at mature synapses their kinetics are faster and markedly less sensitive to NR2B-selective antagonists, consistent with a change from NR2B to NR2A subunits. Using real-time PCR and Western blotting, we show that in adults the ratio of levels of NR2B to NR2A subunits is greater in the central amygdala than in the lateral amygdala. These results show that the subunit composition synaptic NMDA receptors in the lateral and central amygdala undergo distinct developmental changes.
Current plate motion across the Dead Sea Fault from three years of continuous GPS monitoring

The Dead Sea Fault (DSF) is a transform plate boundary between the Arabian plate and the Sinai sub‐plate. The rate of displacement across the fault has been estimated as 1–10 mm/yr. In this study we present a new estimate of the current displacement across the DSF, which is based on three years of continuous Global Positioning System measurements (July 1996 to July 1999). Our analysis of these data shows that relative northward velocity, which is the fault parallel component, on the baseline between Tel Aviv and Katzerin (Golan Heights) and Katzerin and Elat is 1.4 ± 0.3 mm/yr and −1.0 ± 0.5 mm/yr, respectively, assuming a colored noise (white noise plus flicker noise) model for the daily position estimates. By using a simple locked fault model, we estimate that during the three‐year observation period the relative plate motion across the DSF was 2.6 ± 1.1 mm/yr.
Convergent, Discriminant, and Incremental Validity of Competing Measures of Emotional Intelligence

This study investigated the convergent, discriminant, and incremental validity of one ability test of emotional intelligence (EI)—the Mayer-Salovey-Caruso-Emotional Intelligence Test (MSCEIT)—and two self-report measures of EI—the Emotional Quotient Inventory (EQ-i) and the self-report EI test (SREIT). The MSCEIT showed minimal relations to the EQ-i and SREIT, whereas the latter two measures were moderately interrelated. Among EI measures, the MSCEIT was discriminable from well-studied personality and well-being measures, whereas the EQ-i and SREIT shared considerable variance with these measures. After personality and verbal intelligence were held constant, the MSCEIT was predictive of social deviance, the EQ-i was predictive of alcohol use, and the SREIT was inversely related to academic achievement. In general, results showed that ability EI and self-report EI are weakly related and yield different measurements of the same person.
Faecal enzymes: in vivo human skin irritation

Digestive enzymes in faeces have been reported to posses skin irritation potential. The present study was designed to investigate the in vivo irritant potentials of faecal concentrations of proteolytic and lipolytic digestive enzymes in bile salt mixtures. In a 21‐day cumulative irritation assay, clinical evaluation and noninvasive bioengineering techniques were used. 5 days occlusive exposure to phosphate buffer (pH = 8) caused no visual skin damage but reflectance spectroscopy demonstrated significant vasodilation (p < 0.01) and increases in transepidermal water loss (TEWL) and skin pH were also observed (p < 0.01). These increases were still present at days 12 and 19. Occlusive exposure to physiologic concentrations of faecal enzymes resulted in significant visual and objective scores at day 5, 12, and 19, with increased readings as a function of exposure time (p < 0.01). The enzyme mixture containing lipase caused delayed onset of skin erythema and epidermal barrier disruption compared to elastase and chymotrypsin containing solutions. Prolonged occlusive exposure to digestive enzymes in faecal concentrations caused severe skin erythema and epidermal barrier disruption in a human model, suggesting a possible etiologic role of digestive enzymes in perianal, circumstomal or diaper dermatitis.
Chaperone activation of the hepadnaviral reverse transcriptase for template RNA binding is established by the Hsp70 and stimulated by the Hsp90 system

Hepadnaviruses are DNA viruses that replicate by protein-primed reverse transcription, employing a specialized reverse transcriptase (RT), P protein. DNA synthesis from the pregenomic RNA is initiated by binding of P to the ε signal. Using ε as template and a Tyr-residue for initiation, the RT synthesizes a DNA oligo (priming) as primer for full-length DNA. Priming strictly requires prior RT activation by chaperones. Active P–ε complexes have been reconstituted in vitro, but whether in addition to the heat-shock protein 70 (Hsp70) system the Hsp90 system is essential has been controversial. Here we quantitatively compared Hsp70 versus Hsp70 plus Hsp90 RT activation, and corroborated that the Hsp70 system alone is sufficient; however, Hsp90 as well the Hsp70 nucleotide exchange factor Bag-1 markedly stimulated activation by increasing the steady-state concentration of the activated metastable RT form P*, though by different mechanisms. Hsp90 inhibition in intact cells by geldanamycin analogs blocked hepadnavirus replication, however not completely and only at severely cytotoxic inhibitor concentrations. While compatible with a basal level of Hsp90 independent in vivo replication, unambiguous statements are precluded by the simultaneous massive upregulation of Hsp70 and Hsp90.
Suppression of Numerical Oscillations in the EMTP

When compared to other possible integration schemes for the EMTP, the trapezoidal rule of integration presents very good overall characteristics in terms of accuracy, efficiency, and run-off stability. During certain system conditions, however, the solution with trapezoidal may present sustained numerical oscillations (Fig. 1(a)). These oscillations are related to the behaviour of trapezoidal as a differentiator after a discontinuity is encountered (e.g., after a switching operation). To solve this problem, two kinds of approaches have been proposed in the past. One approach has been to add artificial damping to the system either through the integration rule itself, using for instance backward Euler instead of trapezoidal, or by adding external resistances to provide damping. The main drawback of this approach is that distortion through damping is introduced not only on the discontinuity but also on the rest of the simulation. The other approach has been to use interpolation to correct the initial conditions after the disturbance. These type of techniques, however, are relatively complicated to implement. The technique presented in this paper solves the problem of trapezoidal as a differentiator by neutralizing the overshoot at the discontinuity (for instance, in the voltage ¿ = L di/dt after switching) within one time step.
A Genetic-Programming-Based Method for Hyperspectral Data Information Extraction: Agricultural Applications

A new method, called genetic programming-spectral vegetation index (GP-SVI), for the extraction of information from hyperspectral data is presented. This method is introduced in the context of precision farming. GP-SVI derives a regression model describing a specific crop biophysical variable from hyperspectral images (verified with in situ observations). GP-SVI performed better than other methods [multiple regression, tree-based modeling, and genetic algorithm-partial least squares (GA-PLS)] on the task of correlating canopy nitrogen content in a cornfield with pixel reflectance. It is also shown that the band selection performed by GP-SVI is comparable with the selection performed by GA-PLS, a method that is specifically designed to deal with hyperspectral data.