Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modeling the Dynamics of Quadrupedal Running

In this paper, a 2-DOF model for quadrupedal running-in-place is presented, consisting of a rigid body on springy legs. "Energy- pumping " feedback is included to excite the natural dynamics of the system. The model exhibits at least two periodic solutions, which correspond to the bound and pronk gaits of four-legged animals. Approximate return maps are constructed around both trajectories, and these are used to derive explicit expressions for the amplitude and stability of the gaits. The pronk is shown to produce significantly more height than the bound for the same amount of effort. However, the bound has more desirable stability characteristics: simulations and analysis demonstrate that the bound is unstable if a dimension less body inertia is greater than 1, which is an unlikely situation for either a robot or an animal. The pronk's stability, however, exhibits coupling between height and inertia: a given inertia is more likely to cause instability for large heights than for small heights. These results indicate that body inertia is a critical design parameter for running robots, and suggest passive mechanisms for balance and gait transition in legged robots and animals.
Memory-Universal Prediction of Stationary Random Processes

We consider the problem of one-step-ahead prediction of a real-valued, stationary, strongly mixing random process (Xi)/sub i=-/spl infin///sup /spl infin//. The best mean-square predictor of X/sub 0/ is its conditional mean given the entire infinite past (X/sub i/)/sub i=-/spl infin///sup -1/. Given a sequence of observations X/sub 1/, X/sub 2/, X/sub N/, we propose estimators for the conditional mean based on sequences of parametric models of increasing memory and of increasing dimension, for example, neural networks and Legendre polynomials. The proposed estimators select both the model memory and the model dimension, in a data-driven fashion, by minimizing certain complexity regularized least squares criteria. When the underlying predictor function has a finite memory, we establish that the proposed estimators are memory-universal: the proposed estimators, which do not know the true memory, deliver the same statistical performance (rates of integrated mean-squared error) as that delivered by estimators that know the true memory. Furthermore, when the underlying predictor function does not have a finite memory, we establish that the estimator based on Legendre polynomials is consistent.
Social cognitive predictors for undergraduate college student's choice goals in math and science: Understanding the role of coping efficacy

vii CHAPTER ONE: INTRODUCTION 1 Social Cognitive Career Theory 2 SCCT Interest Model 4 SCCT Choice Model 5 Contextual Influences 7 Coping Efficacy 12 Potential SCCT Path Models 14 Coping Efficacy as a Moderator 15 Research Question and Hypotheses 16 CHAPTER TWO: LITERATURE REVIEW 19 Social Cognitive Career Theory 19 SCCT Interest Model 21 SCCT Choice Model 23 SCCT Performance Model 24 Role of Contextual Influences 25 SCCT Research on the Interest Model 28 SCCT Research on the Choice Model 34 SCCT Research on the Performance Model 39 SCCT Research on Contextual Influences 45 Summary 52 CHAPTER THREE: METHODOLOGY 56 Participants 56 Procedures and Instruments 57 Preliminary Analyses 63 Main Analyses 63 CHAPTER FOUR: RESULTS 67 Descriptive Statistics 68 Path Analyses 72 Mediator Analyses for Coping Efficacy 74 Direct and Indirect Paths 76 Moderator Analyses for Coping Efficacy 78 CHAPTER FIVE: DISCUSSION 83 Descriptive Statistics 84 iv Path Analyses 86 Mediation Analyses for Coping Efficacy 86 Direct and Indirect Paths 88 Moderation Analyses for Coping Efficacy 89 Counseling Implications 93 Limitations and Implications for Future Research 95 APPENDIX A: IRB APPROVAL LETTERS 101 APPENDIX B: CONSENT FORM 104 APPENDIX C: DEMOGRAPHIC QUESTIONNAIRE 107 APPENDIX D: MATH/SCIENCE BARRIER AND SUPPORT MEASURE 110 APPENDIX E: COPING WITH BARRIERS SCALE 114 APPENDIX F: MATH/SCIENCE SELF-EFFICACY SCALE 117 APPENDIX G: MATH/SCIENCE OUTCOME EXPECTATIONS SCALE 119 APPENDIX H: MATH/SCIENCE INTEREST SCALE 121 APPENDIX I: INTENTIONS-GOALS SCALE 123 REFERENCE LIST 125 VITA 131
A stochastic maximum-likelihood framework for simplex structured matrix factorization

Consider a structured matrix factorizaton (SMF) whose coefficient vectors are constrained to lie in the unit simplex. This kind of simplex SMF (SSMF) has received growing attention and has found many applications such as hyperspectral unmixing in remote sensing, text mining in machine learning, and blind source separation in signal processing. The aim of this paper is to establish a maximum-likelihood (ML) estimation framework for SSMF in the presence of Gaussian noise and outliers, and to demonstrate its potential. Our ML formulation has the coefficient vectors marginalized in accordance with a prescribed probabilistic model, and this leads to a likelihood function that contains multi-dimensional integrals. Unfortunately these integrals do not appear to have analytically tractable solutions, and this makes the ML problem challenging. We tackle the problem by using sample average approximation in stochastic optimization and majorization-minimization. Simulation results show that the resulting ML algorithm significantly outperforms several existing methods when noise and outliers are present.
Protein folding estimation using Paired-Bacteria Optimizer

Protein folding estimation attracts a large attention in the area of computational biology, due to its benefits on medical research and the challenge of NP-hard objective functions. In order to simulate the protein folding procedure and estimate the structure of the protein after folding, this paper adopts a Paired-Bacteria Optimizer (PBO), which is a biologically-inspired optimization algorithm. Compared with most Evolutionary Algorithms (EAs), the computational complexity of PBO is much less. Therefore, it is suitable to be applied to solve NP-hard problem. The experimental studies is performed on several benchmark lattice protein combination. The experimental results demonstrated that PBO is able to estimate the folded protein structure with a superior convergence.
Efficacy and safety of benzalkonium chloride-free fixed-dose combination of latanoprost and timolol in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension

Background Benzalkonium chloride (BAK) is a common preservative in topical ocular preparations; however, prolonged use may lead to deleterious effects on the ocular surface, affecting quality of life and reducing adherence to treatment and overall outcomes. This study compared the intraocular pressure (IOP)-lowering efficacy and safety of a novel once-daily, BAK-free, fixed-dose combination of latanoprost plus timolol with latanoprost or timolol administered as monotherapy or concomitantly. Methods This was a 6-week, randomized, open-label, parallel-group, active-controlled study in patients aged ≥18 years with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension. A total of 227 patients were randomized to either a once-daily, BAK-free, fixed-dose combination of latanoprost 0.005%/timolol 0.5% ophthalmic solution or concomitant administration of once-daily latanoprost 0.005% plus twice-daily timolol 0.5% or once-daily latanoprost 0.005% monotherapy, or twice-daily timolol 0.5% monotherapy. Efficacy end points were assessed at three time points on visits at weeks 1, 2, 4, and 6 versus baseline. Results The IOP-lowering efficacy of the fixed-dose combination of latanoprost/timolol was similar to that of latanoprost plus timolol administered concomitantly at all time points (mean IOP difference and 95% confidence interval within ±1.5 mmHg; P=0.4223 to P=0.9981). The fixed-dose combination of latanoprost/timolol demonstrated significantly better IOP-lowering efficacy than timolol monotherapy at all time points (P=0.001 to P<0.0001) and significantly better IOP-lowering efficacy than latanoprost monotherapy at all time points. Responder rates on at least one time point and on at least two time points with fixed-dose combination latanoprost/timolol were similar to those with concomitant latanoprost plus timolol (85.5% versus 82.1%, P=0.6360; 78.2% versus 75%, P=0.6923), but significantly better than either latanoprost or timolol monotherapy (68.5%, P=0.0355; 55.4%, P=0.0005; 57.4%, P=0.0202; and 46.4%, P=0.0006, respectively). No significant differences in ocular and nonocular treatment-emergent adverse events were found between the treatment groups. Conclusion A BAK-free, fixed-dose combination of latanoprost 0.005%/timolol 0.5% was as effective and well tolerated as concomitant latanoprost and timolol for treatment of elevated IOP in patients with open-angle glaucoma or ocular hypertension.
Achieving Memetic Adaptability by Means of Agent-Based Machine Learning

Over recent years, there has been increasing interest of the research community towards evolutionary algorithms, i.e., algorithms that exploit computational models of natural processes to solve complex optimization problems. In spite of their ability to explore promising regions of the search space, they present two major drawbacks: 1) they can take a relatively long time to locate the exact optimum and 2) may sometimes not find the optimum with sufficient precision. Memetic Algorithms are evolutionary algorithms inspired by both Darwinian principles and Dawkins' notion of a meme, able not only to converge to high-quality solutions, but also search more efficiently than their conventional evolutionary counterparts. However, memetic approaches are affected by several design issues related to the different choices that can be made to implement them. This paper introduces a multiagent-based memetic algorithm which executes in a parallel way different cooperating optimization strategies in order to solve a given problem's instance in an efficient way. The algorithm adaptation is performed by jointly exploiting a knowledge extraction process together with a decision making framework based on fuzzy methodologies. The effectiveness of our approach is tested in several experiments in which our results are compared with those obtained by nonadaptive memetic algorithms. The superiority of the proposed strategy is manifest in the majority of cases.
Improving the solubility of anti‐LINGO‐1 monoclonal antibody Li33 by isotype switching and targeted mutagenesis

Monoclonal antibodies (Mabs) are a favorite drug platform of the biopharmaceutical industry. Currently, over 20 Mabs have been approved and several hundred others are in clinical trials. The anti‐LINGO‐1 Mab Li33 was selected from a large panel of antibodies by Fab phage display technology based on its extraordinary biological activity in promoting oligodendrocyte differentiation and myelination in vitro and in animal models of remyelination. However, the Li33 Fab had poor solubility when converted into a full antibody in an immunoglobulin G1 framework. A detailed analysis of the biochemical and structural features of the antibody revealed several possible reasons for its propensity to aggregate. Here, we successfully applied three molecular approaches (isotype switching, targeted mutagenesis of complementarity determining region residues, and glycosylation site insertion mutagenesis) to address the solubility problem. Through these efforts we were able to improve the solubility of the Li33 Mab from 0.3 mg/mL to >50 mg/mL and reduce aggregation to an acceptable level. These strategies can be readily applied to other proteins with solubility issues.
Looking back on the language and hardware revolutions: measured power, performance, and scaling

This paper reports and analyzes measured chip power and performance on five process technology generations executing 61 diverse benchmarks with a rigorous methodology. We measure representative Intel IA32 processors with technologies ranging from 130nm to 32nm while they execute sequential and parallel benchmarks written in native and managed languages. During this period, hardware and software changed substantially: (1) hardware vendors delivered chip multiprocessors instead of uniprocessors, and independently (2) software developers increasingly chose managed languages instead of native languages. This quantitative data reveals the extent of some known and previously unobserved hardware and software trends. Two themes emerge. (I) Workload: The power, performance, and energy trends of native workloads do not approximate managed workloads. For example, (a) the SPEC CPU2006 native benchmarks on the i7 (45) and i5 (32) draw significantly less power than managed or scalable native benchmarks; and (b) managed runtimes exploit parallelism even when running single-threaded applications. The results recommend architects always include native and managed workloads when designing and evaluating energy efficient hardware. (II) Architecture: Clock scaling, microarchitecture, simultaneous multithreading, and chip multiprocessors each elicit a huge variety of power, performance, and energy responses. This variety and the difficulty of obtaining power measurements recommends exposing on-chip power meters and when possible structure specific power meters for cores, caches, and other structures. Just as hardware event counters provide a quantitative grounding for performance innovations, power meters are necessary for optimizing energy.
Differing effects of endogenous and synthetic inhibitors of metalloproteinases on intestinal tumorigenesis

Matrix metalloproteinase (MMP) activity has been associated with tumor invasion and metastasis in many different tumor types, but recent studies also support a role for these enzymes in earlier stages of the tumor progression continuum. Specifically, the expression pattern of MMPs in benign human and mouse gastrointestinal tumors suggests that they may function in the development or growth of non‐invasive tumors. To address the contribution of MMP activity to the development of intestinal adenomas, we administered the synthetic MMP inhibitor batimastat and expressed the tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinases‐1 (TIMP‐1) in the gastrointestinal tract of Min mice, which spontaneously develop pre‐malignant small and large intestinal tumors. Batimastat administration resulted in a 48% decrease in the number of Min tumors. This reduction in tumor number is similar to that observed in mice lacking the metalloproteinase matrilysin, and demonstrates the therapeutic and chemopreventive potential of MMP inhibitors for pre‐malignant intestinal tumors. In contrast, forced TIMP‐1 expression in transgenic mice had no effect or, in one line, unexpectedly augmented Min tumor multiplicity by 32%. This observation supports an in vivo tumor‐promoting activity of TIMP‐1 that could be related to the growth stimulatory effects of TIMP that have been documented in vitro. Taken together, these 2 approaches of modulating MMP activity in Min mice support a critical function of MMPs in Min tumorigenesis, underscore the importance of an MMP/ inhibitor balance in maintaining tissue homeostasis and demonstrate that endogenous MMP inhibitors can have complex effects in particular cellular contexts.Int. J. Cancer 78:629–635, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Initial testing of JNJ‐26854165 (Serdemetan) by the pediatric preclinical testing program

JNJ‐26854165 was originally developed as an activator of p53 capable of inducing apoptosis in cancer cell lines. In vitro, JNJ‐26854165 demonstrated cytotoxic activity. The ALL cell line panel had a significantly lower median IC50 (0.85 µM) than the remaining cell lines. In vivo JNJ‐26854165 induced significant differences in EFS distribution compared to control in 18 of 37 solid tumors and in 5 of 7 of the evaluable ALL xenografts. Objective responses were observed in 4 of 37 solid tumor xenografts, and 2 of 7 ALL xenografts achieved PR or CR. Responses were noted in xenografts with both mutant and wild‐type p53. Pediatr Blood Cancer 2012;59:329–332. © 2011 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Narrative connections : promoting the moral economy of fair trade : a thesis presented in partial fulfilment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Philosophy in Sociology at Massey University, Palmerston North, New Zealand

Fair trade is an alternative approach to international trade. It is both a social movement and an economic approach that aims to make trade fair for the many small scale producers disadvantaged in international trade. This thesis explores the discursive devices used by fair trade organisations to promote fair trade. These devices have two roles: to promote an ethical connection from consumer to producer and to involve the consumer in the work of fair trade through purchasing behaviour and political action. This second role refers to the politicisation of consumption whereby shopping becomes an act of political solidarity with disadvantaged producers. I explore these devices through narrative analysis, focusing on a thematic analysis of Trade Aid’s publication,
The irruption of AirBNB and its effects on hotels' profitability: An analysis of Barcelona's hotel sector

Purpose: The aim of this study is to analyze the existence of a relationship between the presence of nearby substitute products, mainly Airbnb flats or rooms, and the effect on the revenue and profitability of hotels. Design/methodology/approach: The empirical study is based on the analysis of financial information provided in the annual reports of a sample consisting of 43 hotels (11.78% of the population). As an explanatory variable for profitability, we have considered the presence of apartments listed in Airbnb that are no farther than one kilometer from each hotel. Considering that most of the variables used do not follow a normal distribution, the existence of a relationship between profitability and the explanatory variables has been tested using non-parametric tests, namely, the Spearman correlation coefficient and Kruskall-Wallis test. Findings: We found a positive correlation between presence of Airbnb apartments and return on equity. This fact can be explained by considering the presence of Airbnb apartments as a variable that measures the attractiveness of the location from a tourist’s point of view. Hotels located near the city center or main tourist areas of the city have a higher level of profitability. We also found no evidence of any relationship between profitability and star category; 4- and 3-star hotels have experienced, on average, a lower drop in revenues between 2008 and 2013 and they also obtained a higher average level of profitability in 2013 as compared to the upper segment of 5-star hotels. Research limitations/implications: This research has been conducted in the city of Barcelona. Future research using the same methodology should be applied to other cities with an important hospitality sector to reinforce our findings. The main implications of this research refer to the importance of location as a key strategic variable in hospitality, and to the change in the system customers use to evaluate the quality of a hotel, according to which the traditional star category system has been partially replaced by new sources of information available through the new communication technologies. Originality/value: This paper is one of the first contributions that scholars have made to obtain a deeper understanding of the effects of the new forms of the sharing economy, focusing on the hospitality industry.
Prospective long-term study of patency and outcomes of 505 arteriovenous fistulas in patients with chronic renal failure: Authors experience and review of literature

Background: This study describes our experience of arteriovenous fistula (AVF) creation as vascular access for haemodialysis. Materials and Methods: This study has been carried out in our hospital from January 2004 to December 2012. A total of 505 AVFs were created in 443 patients. Maximum follow-up was 8 years, and minimum was 6 months. Observations and Results: In this study of 505 cases of AVFs, primary patency rates by Kaplan — Meier analysis showed 78.81% patency of fistulas at the end of 1 year and patency dropped to 14.81% at the end of 5 years. Our primary failure rate was 21.2%. Basilic vein was used in 26.35% cases, cephalic vein in 63.5%, and antecubital vein in 9.75% cases. On table, bruit was present in 459 (90.9%) and thrill in 451 (89.3%) cases. During dialysis, flow rate >250 ml/min was obtained in 150 (29.9%) cases. In complications, 2 (0.4%) patients developed distal oedema, 33 (6.5%) developed steal phenomenon. Conclusions: Presence of on table thrill and bruit are indicators of successful AVF. If vein diameter is <2 mm, chances of AVF failure are high. Flow rates in patients with vein diam. >2 mm were significantly higher as compared with patients with vein diam. <2 mm (P < 0.001). Flow rates are higher in non-diabetic patients as compared to diabetic patients (P < 0.001). Average blood urea and serum creatinine values are significantly lesser in patients undergoing dialysis through successful fistulas as compared to patients with failed fistulas. Correspondingly, incidence of deaths is significantly lesser in patients with successful fistulas. During proximal side-to-side fistula between antecubital/basilic vein and brachial artery, dilating of the first valve toward wrist helps to develop distal veins in the forearm by retrograde flow. This technique avoids requirement of superficialization of basilic vein in the arm.
Elastic properties of the ascending aorta in healthy children and adolescents. Age-related reference values for aortic wall stiffness and distensibility obtained on M-mode echocardiography.

BACKGROUND Compliance of the aorta is important in maintaining normal cardiovascular physiology. Pathological conditions can induce changes in elastic properties, having profound effects on their prognosis. The aim of this study was to establish age-related reference values for distensibility and wall stiffness index of the ascending aorta. METHODS AND RESULTS A total of 165 normal subjects (mean age, 11.92±4.0 years) were investigated on transthoracic echocardiography. Ascending aortic diameter was recorded in M-mode above the sinotubular junction. Blood pressure was measured simultaneously at the right arm. Aortic pulse pressure, distensibility and aortic wall stiffness index were calculated offline. Distensibility decreased significantly with age (r=-0.462, P<0.001); the regression line indicated an average decrease of 5.1 10(-3)kPa(-1) (95% confidence interval [CI]: 3.9-6.8 10(-3)kPa(-1)) per year. Significant correlations could be found between distensibility and weight, height, body surface area (BSA) and body mass index (BMI) (P<0.001). Stiffness index increased significantly with age (r=0.399, P<0.001); the regression line indicated an average increase of 0.066 (95% CI: 0.047-0.085) per year; significant correlations could be found between wall stiffness index and weight, height, BSA and BMI (P<0.001). The 2.5th and 97.5th percentiles of the distribution of distensibility and stiffness index related to age, weight, height, BSA and BMI were calculated. CONCLUSIONS Normal values of arterial elastic properties throughout childhood and adolescence have been provided, and might serve as a reference for individuals with cardiovascular and metabolic disease.