Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Full-Body Postural Control of a Humanoid Robot with Both Imitation Learning and Skill Innovation

In this paper, we present a novel methodology to obtain imitative and innovative postural movements in a humanoid based on human demonstrations in a different kinematic scale. We collected motion data from a group of human participants standing up from a chair. Modeling the human as an actuated 3-link kinematic chain, and by defining a multi-objective reward function of zero moment point and joint torques to represent the stability and effort, we computed reward profiles for each demonstration. Since individual reward profiles show variability across demonstrating trials, the underlying state transition probabilities were modeled using a Markov chain. Based on the argument that the reward profiles of the robot should show the same temporal structure of those of the human, we used differential evolution to compute a trajectory that fits all humanoid constraints and minimizes the difference between the robot reward profile and the predicted profile if the robot imitates the human. Therefore, robotic imitation involves developing a policy that results in a temporal reward structure, matching that of a group of human demonstrators across an array of demonstrations. Skill innovation was achieved by optimizing a signed reward error after imitation was achieved. Experimental results using the humanoid HOAP-3 are shown.
Towards a Medical Question-Answering System: a Feasibility Study

Question-answering (QA) systems, as have been presented and evaluated in several TREC conferences, are the next generation of search engines. They combine 'traditional' Information Retrieval (IR) with Natural Language Processing (NLP) and Knowledge Engineering techniques to provide shorter, more precise answers to natural language questions. We study here the feasibility of such a system for French in the health care domain. In this purpose, we collected a corpus of student questions in oral surgery. We examined two enabling conditions: on the IR side, how to select the right keywords in a question to identify relevant material on the Web for answering this question, a prerequisite for success; and on the NLP side, whether the contents of the questions fit the conceptual model of an existing QA prototype, a favorable condition for rapid implementation. A manual Web search enabled us to devise automatable principles for building IR queries for these questions. Besides, we could design a semantic model, using UMLS Semantic Network relations, which is consistent with our prototype and covers 90% of the questions. However, the high specialization of the domain and the clinical orientation of the questions, joined with the more limited resources online in the French language, may restrain the quantity of Web material available for answering these questions.
Role of molecular architecture in interfacial self-adhesion of polyethylene films

The influence of molecular architecture on interfacial self-adhesion above polyethylene film melt temperature was examined in this study. The investigated molecular structures include molecular weight (Mw), molecular weight distribution, long chain branch amount and distribution and short chain branch among and along polyethylene chains. The long chain branches concentration was quantified using gel permeation chromatography and short branches concentration using nuclear magnetic resonance techniques. The adhesion strength was measured immediately after melt bonding using a T-Peel test. The results showed that increasing Mw resulted in higher adhesion strength in linear metallocene ethylene α-olefins. Low long chain branch concentrations hinder reptation motion and diffusion, and result in lower adhesion strength. Low density polyethylene with highly branched chains yielded very low self-adhesion. A drastic difference in adhesion strength between metallocene and conventional linear low density polyethylene is attributed to homogeneity versus heterogeneity of composition distribution. The low interfacial self-adhesion in conventional polyethylene was concluded to be due to enrichment of highly branched low molecular weight chains at the film surface. These segregated chains at the interface diffuse before the high molecular weight chains located in the bulk.
Improved Cooling in the End Region of a Strip-Wound Totally Enclosed Fan-Cooled Induction Electric Machine

Computational fluid-dynamics modeling has been used to investigate the cooling of the end region of a two-pole strip-wound totally enclosed fan-cooled induction motor. The modeling is validated by experimental measurements. The changes in airflow and heat transfer that each configuration gives are discussed, and recommendations are made of features that can be used to achieve lower convective thermal resistance in the end region.
Evaluation of Delayed Neuronal and Axonal Damage Secondary to Moderate and Severe Traumatic Brain Injury Using Quantitative MR Imaging Techniques

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE: Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a classic model of monophasic neuronal and axonal injury, in which tissue damage mainly occurs at the moment of trauma. There is some evidence of delayed progression of the neuronal and axonal loss. Our purpose was to test the hypothesis that quantitative MR imaging techniques can estimate the biologic changes secondary to delayed neuronal and axonal loss after TBI. MATERIALS AND METHODS: Nine patients (age, 11–28 years; 5 male) who sustained a moderate or severe TBI were evaluated at a mean of 3.1 years after trauma. We applied the following techniques: bicaudate (BCR) and bifrontal (BFR) ventricle-to-brain ratios; T2 relaxometry; magnetization transfer ratio (MTR); apparent diffusion coefficient (ADC); and proton spectroscopy, by using an N-acetylaspartate/creatine (NAA/Cr) ratio measured in normal-appearing white matter (NAWM) and the corpus callosum (CC). The results were compared with those of a control group. RESULTS: BCR and BFR mean values were significantly increased (P ≤ .05) in patients due to secondary subcortical atrophy; increased T2 relaxation time was observed in the NAWM and CC, reflecting an increase in water concentration secondary to axonal loss. Increased ADC mean values and reduced MTR mean values were found in the NAWM and CC, showing damage in the myelinated axonal fibers; and decreased NAA/Cr ratio mean values were found in the CC, indicating axonal loss. CONCLUSIONS: These quantitative MR imaging techniques could noninvasively demonstrate the neuronal and axonal damage in the NAWM and CC of human brains, secondary to moderate or severe TBI.
Transformational Leadership

OB 6382 Transformational Leadership (3 semester credit hours) Executive Education Course. This course explores Transformational Leadership as it relates to workforce dynamics and practices. Students will investigate the history of this theory, including the variety of approaches to Transformational Leadership as well as salient cultural, gender, and business forces influencing its development over time. Course assignments include the applicability of Transformational Leadership to challenges inherent in both present and future workplaces. Case studies in Transformational Leadership will integrate theory with practice. Academic literature will be reviewed introducing relevant issues surrounding the application of this model in a variety of settings. (3-0) Y
Cost-effective single-step carbon nanotube synthesis using microwave oven

This paper reports the characterization of carbon nanotubes (CNTs) synthesised using a conventional microwave oven method, offering several advantages including fast, simple, low cost, and solvent free growth process. The procedure involves flattening of graphite/ferrocene mixture catalyst inside the microwave oven under ambient conditions for a very short duration of 5 s, which inhibits the loss factor of graphite and ferrocene. The effect of graphite/ferrocene mixture ratio for the synthesis of CNTs is investigated by transmission electron microscopy (TEM), field emission scanning electron microscopy (FESEM), x-ray diffraction (XRD), Raman spectroscopy and UV–NIR–Vis measurements. The samples produced using the different ratios contain nanotubes with an average diameter in the range 44–79 nm. The highest yield of CNTs is attained with graphite/ferrocene mixture ratio of 70:30. The lowest ID/IG ratio intensity as identified by Raman spectroscopy for 70:30 ratio indicates the improved crystallinity of CNTs. Due to the capillary effect of CNTs, Fe nanoparticles are found to be encapsulated inside the tubes at different positions along the tube length. The obtained results showed that the smaller the diameter of graphite and ferrocene favors the synthesis of graphene oxide upon microwave radiation.
Analyzing the Impact of CPU Pinning and Partial CPU Loads on Performance and Energy Efficiency

While workload collocation is a necessity to increase energy efficiency of contemporary multi-core hardware, it also increases the risk of performance anomalies due to workload interference. Pinning certain workloads to a subset of CPUs is a simple approach to increasing workload isolation, but its effect depends on workload type and system architecture. Apart from common sense guidelines, the effect of pinning has not been extensively studied so far. In this paper we study the impact of CPU pinning on performance interference and energy efficiency for pairs of collocated workloads. Besides various combinations of workloads, virtualization and resource isolation, we explore the effects of pinning depending on the level of background load. The presented results are based on more than 1000 experiments carried out on an Intel-based NUMA system, with all power management features enabled to reflect real-world settings. We find that less common CPU pinning configurations improve energy efficiency at partial background loads, indicating that systems hosting collocated workloads could benefit from dynamic CPU pinning based on CPU load and workload type.
The Evolution of Income, Consumption, and Leisure Inequality in the Us, 1980-2010

Recent research has documented that income inequality in the United States has increased dramatically over the prior three decades. There has been less of a consensus, however, on whether the increase in income inequality was matched by an equally large increase in consumption inequality. Most researchers have studied this question using data from the Consumer Expenditure Survey (CE) and some studies have suggested that the increase in consumption inequality has been modest. Unfortunately ,there is now mounting evidence that the CE is plagued by serious non-classical measurement error, which hinders the extent to which definitive conclusions can be made about the extent to which consumption inequality has evolved over the last three decades.In this paper, we use a variety of different techniques to overcome the measurement error problems with the CE. First, we use data from the diary component of the CE, focusing on categories where measurement error has been found to be less of an issue. Second, we explore inequality measures within the CE using the value of vehicles owned, a consumption component that is considered to be measured well. Third, we try to account directly for the non-classical measurement error of the CE by comparing the spending on luxuries (entertainment) relative to necessities (food). This is similar to the recent approach taken by Browning and Crossley (2009) and Aguiar and Bils (2011). Finally, we use expenditure data from the Panel Study of Income Dynamics to explore the dynamics of alternative measures of consumption inequality. All of our different methods yield similar results. We find that consumption inequality within the U.S. between 1980 and 2010 has increased by nearly the same amount as income inequality.
Wide inter-individual variability of bispectral index and spectral entropy at loss of consciousness during increasing concentrations of dexmedetomidine, propofol, and sevoflurane.

BACKGROUND The bispectral index (BIS) and the spectral entropy (state entropy, SE, and response entropy, RE) are depth-of-anaesthesia monitors derived from EEG and have been developed to measure the effects of anaesthetics on the cerebral cortex. We studied whether they can differentiate consciousness from unconsciousness during increasing doses of three different anaesthetic agents. METHODS Thirty healthy male volunteers aged 19-30 yr were recruited and divided into three 10-volunteer groups to receive either dexmedetomidine, propofol, or sevoflurane in escalating concentrations at 10 min intervals until loss of consciousness (LOC) was reached. Consciousness was tested at 5 min intervals and after drug discontinuation at 1 min intervals by requesting the subjects to open their eyes. LOC was defined as unresponsiveness to the request and pre-LOC as the last meaningful response. The first meaningful response to the request after drug discontinuation was defined as regaining of consciousness (ROC). For the statistical analysis, pre-LOC and ROC values were pooled to represent the responsive state while LOC values represented the unresponsive state. Prediction probability (P(K)) was estimated with the jack-knife method. RESULTS The lowest mean values for BIS, SE, and RE were recorded at LOC with all three drugs. The P(K) values were low for dexmedetomidine (BIS 0.62, SE 0.58, RE 0.59), propofol (BIS 0.73, SE 0.72, RE 0.72), and sevoflurane (BIS 0.70, SE 0.52, RE 0.62). CONCLUSIONS Because of wide inter-individual variability, BIS and entropy were not able to reliably differentiate consciousness from unconsciousness during and after stepwise increasing concentrations of dexmedetomidine, propofol, and sevoflurane.
A developmental study of the acquisition of colour terms in Setswana

ABSTRACT We report a study of the acquisition of colour terms by speakers of Setswana, the language of Botswana in Southern Africa. This was carried out as a test of Berlin & Kay's theory of colour term universals, on a language with less than the maximum complement of eleven basic colour terms, and in order to document changes in Setswana under the impact of economic development. Seventy-seven five- to nine-year-olds were studied on two colour tasks: elicited lists and colour naming. In general the data were consistent with Berlin & Kay's theory: the rank order of frequency of correct use of colour terms was similar to the order of the Berlin & Kay hierarchy; and primary colour terms were offered more frequently and were more likely to be used correctly than secondary colour terms. The use of English colour terms was prevalent, especially amongst the younger groups, but they functioned as substitutes for Setswana terms, rather than as a means to fill the vacant basic colour term slots.
Whole Genomic Analysis of Human G1P[8] Rotavirus Strains From Different Age Groups in China

G1P[8] rotaviruses are an important cause of diarrhea in humans in China. To date, there are no reports on the whole genomic analysis of the Chinese G1P[8] rotaviruses. To determine the origin and overall genetic makeup of the recent Chinese G1P[8] strains, the whole genomes of three strains, RVA/Human-wt/CHN/E1911/2009/G1P[8], RVA/Human-tc/CHN/R588/2005/G1P[8] and RVA/Human-tc/CHN/Y128/2004/G1P[8], detected in an infant, a child and an adult, respectively, were analyzed. Strains E1911, R588 and Y128 exhibited a typical Wa-like genotype constellation. Except for the NSP3 gene of E1911, the whole genomes of strains E1911, R588 and Y128 were found to be more closely related to those of the recent Wa-like common human strains from different countries than those of the prototype G1P[8] strain, or other old strains. On the other hand, the NSP3 gene of E1911 was genetically distinct from those of Y128, R588, or other Wa-like common human strains, and appeared to share a common origin with those of the porcine-like human G9 strains, providing evidence for intergenotype reassortment events. Comparisons of the amino acid residues defining the VP7 and VP4 antigenic domains revealed several mismatches between these Chinese G1P[8] strains and the G1 and P[8] strains contained in the currently licensed rotavirus vaccines RotarixTM and RotaTeqTM.
Design and implementation of generics for the .NET Common language runtime

The Microsoft.NET Common Language Runtime provides a shared type system, intermediate language and dynamic execution environment for the implementation and inter-operation of multiple source languages. In this paper we extend it with direct support for parametric polymorphism (also known as generics), describing the design through examples written in an extended version of the C# programming language, and explaining aspects of implementation by reference to a prototype extension to the runtime. Our design is very expressive, supporting parameterized types, polymorphic static, instance and virtual methods, “F-bounded” type parameters, instantiation at pointer and value types, polymorphic recursion, and exact run-time types. The implementation takes advantage of the dynamic nature of the runtime, performing just-in-time type specialization, representation-based code sharing and novel techniques for efficient creation and use of run-time types. Early performance results are encouraging and suggest that programmers will not need to pay an overhead for using generics, achieving performance almost matching hand-specialized code.
Approaching optimal compression with fast update for large scale routing tables

With the fast development of Internet, the size of routing tables in the backbone routers keeps a rapid growth in recent years. An effective solution to control the memory occupation of the ever-increased huge routing table is the Forwarding Information Base (FIB) compression. Existing optimal FIB compression algorithm ORTC suffers from high computational complexity and poor update performance, due to the loss of essential structure information during its compression process. To address this problem, we present two suboptimal FIB compression algorithms - EAR-fast and EAR-slow, respectively, based on our proposed Election and Representative (EAR) algorithm which is an optimal FIB compression algorithm. The two suboptimal algorithms preserve the structure information, and support fast incremental updates while reducing computational complexity. Experiments on an 18-month real data set show that compared with ORTC, the proposed EAR-fast algorithm requires only 9.8% compression time and 37.7% memory space, but supports faster update while prolonging the recompression interval remarkably. All these performance advantages come at a cost of merely a 1.5% loss in compression ratio compared with the theoretical optimal ratio.
Unreliable Block Span Reveals Simulated Intellectual Disability on the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales-Fifth Edition

Previously developed validity measures are largely lacking in their ability to accurately distinguish malingerers from individuals with genuine intellectual disabilities (ID). The purpose of the present study was to develop a validity index for the Stanford-Binet Intelligence Scales-Fifth Edition (SB-5) aimed at detecting malingered ID. Fifty-four college students were instructed to feign impairment consistent with mental retardation while completing the SB-5. Simulated malingerers performed significantly poorer on the Block Span task of the SB-5 than did individuals with genuine impairment. A Block Span Validity Index (BSVI) cutoff score of less than 10 showed perfect specificity by correctly identifying all persons with true ID and demonstrated 52% sensitivity in identifying persons feigning impairment. For the detection of malingered ID, the BSVI yielded favorable results, although more research is needed to validate the BSVI using a known-groups study design.
Prevalence of Peri-implantitis in Medically Compromised Patients and Smokers: A Systematic Review.

PURPOSE To verify whether the diversity of systemic medical conditions and smoking act as biologic associated factors for peri-implantitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS The PICO question was: "In patients with osseointegrated dental implants, does the presence of smoking habits or a compromised medical status influence the occurrence of peri-implantitis compared with the presence of good general health? " Smoking and systemic conditions such as type 2 diabetes mellitus, cardiovascular diseases, rheumatoid arthritis, lung diseases, obesity, cancer, deep depression, and osteoporosis were screened. Selection criteria included at least 10 patients per condition, 1 year of follow-up after implant loading, and strict cutoff levels (probing pocket depth [PPD], bleeding on probing [BOP] and/or pus, marginal bone loss) to define peri-implantitis. RESULTS From the 1,136 records initially retrieved, 57 were selected after title and abstract analyses. However, only six papers were considered for qualitative evaluation. No randomized controlled clinical trial was found. Smoking was associated with peri-implantitis in only one out of four studies. Poorly controlled type 2 diabetes accentuated only PPD and radiographic marginal bone level prevalence rates in peri-implant patients (one study). Cardiovascular disease was considered a risk (one out of two studies). The chance of peri-implant patients harboring the Epstein-Barr virus was threefold in one report. No associations were found for rheumatoid arthritis. CONCLUSION Data from existing studies point to smoking and diabetes as biologic associated factors for peri-implantitis. However, the body of evidence is still immature, and the specific contribution of general health problems to peri-implantitis requires additional robust epidemiologic and clinical investigations.
Protein kinase C in porcine retinal arteries and neuroretina following retinal ischemia-reperfusion

Purpose Identification of the intracellular signal-transduction pathways activated in retinal ischemia may be important in revealing novel pharmacological targets. To date, most studies have focused on identifying neuroprotective agents. The retinal blood vessels are key organs in circulatory failure, and this study was therefore designed to examine the retinal vasculature separately from the neuroretina. Methods Retinal ischemia was induced by elevating the intraocular pressure in porcine eyes, followed by 5, 12, or 20 h of reperfusion. Protein kinase C (PKC)α, PKCβ1, and PKCβ2 mRNA levels, and protein expression were determined using real-time PCR, western blot, and immunofluorescence staining techniques. Results The retinal arteries could easily be dissected free and studied separately from the neuroretina in this porcine model. The PKCα, PKCβ1, and PKCβ2 mRNA levels tended to be lower in ischemia-reperfused than in sham-operated eyes in both the retinal arteries and the neuroretina. This was most prominent after 5 h, and less pronounced after 12 h and 20 h of reperfusion. Likewise, the protein levels of PKCα, PKCβ1, and PKCβ2 were slightly lower following ischemia-reperfusion when compared to sham-operated eyes. PKCα, PKCβ1, and PKCβ2 immunostaining were observed in bipolar cells of the neuroretina and in endothelial cells, and to a low extent in the smooth muscle layer, of the retinal arteries. Conclusions Retinal ischemia followed by reperfusion results in lower levels of PKC in both the neuroretina and retinal arteries. New targets for pharmacological treatment may be found by studying the retinal vasculature so as to identify the intracellular signal-transduction pathways involved in the development of injury following retinal circulatory failure.