Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Grasp planning in complex scenes

This paper combines grasp analysis and manipulation planning techniques to perform fast grasp planning in complex scenes. In much previous work on grasping, the object being grasped is assumed to be the only object in the environment. Hence the grasp quality metrics and grasping strategies developed do not perform well when the object is close to obstacles and many good grasps are infeasible. We introduce a framework for finding valid grasps in cluttered environments that combines a grasp quality metric for the object with information about the local environment around the object and information about the robot's kinematics. We encode these factors in a grasp-scoring function which we use to rank a precomputed set of grasps in terms of their appropriateness for a given scene. We show that this ranking is essential for efficient grasp selection and present experiments in simulation and on the HRP2 robot.
European Christianities at the turn of the millennium: an introduction

Despite the recent theses on the “southernisation” of global Christianity (Jenkins 2002), the secularisation of our age (Taylor 2007) or the media fears towards “political Islam”, Christianity is still a major definer or European identity in both historical and demographical terms. The recent discussions on the Europe’s “Christian heritage” (regarding the content of the common treaty text) are but one example of the public and political recognition of this fact. As Paul Gifford suggested, it .
Pioneering Mobilities: New Patterns of Movement and Motility in a Mobile World

The paper presents empirical data from a research project on mobility pioneers. It shows new mobility patterns and constellations of mobility and immobility, movement and motility (mobility potential). The author raises the question as to whether the reported subject-oriented strategies for coping with the modern ‘mobility imperative’ open up a perspective on a structural change in the modern concept of mobility and mobility practice. The theory of reflexive modernization is used to discuss this question and to help to understand the relevance of the empirical findings. In concluding, the paper focuses on further mobility research and introduces a distinction between ‘transit spaces’ and ‘connectivity spaces’ as relevant issues for research on new configurations of spatial, social, and virtual mobility.
Spike timing‐dependent plasticity at GABAergic synapses in the ventral tegmental area

• GABAergic synapses onto ventral tegmental area (VTA) dopamine neurons express a bidirectional spike timing‐dependent plasticity (STDP; both long‐term potentiation and long‐term depression). • GABAergic synapses in the VTA obey the classical Hebbian learning rules of STDP. • GABAergic STDP in VTA dopamine neurons is expressed postsynaptically. • GABAergic STDP is heterosynaptic and NMDA receptor dependent. • Pairing of pre‐ and postsynaptic spiking is necessary for induction of GABAergic STDP.
Psychometric Properties and Item-Keying Direction Effects for the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory-High School Version with Norwegian Students

The purpose of this study was to examine whether the Learning and Study Strategies Inventory-High School Version (LASSI-HS) would yield reliable and valid scores when using a Norwegian translation with a sample of Norwegian high school students. In addition, the author examined possible response biases associated with item-keying directions within the LASSI-HS. Three alternative factor models proposed in prior research were evaluated, with results yielding support for the model suggested by Olaussen and Bråten. However, method effects associated with item wording were found, and positively worded items were characterized by more response biases than negatively worded items for the Norwegian students.
All research is interpretive

This article advocates recognition of interpretive elements in business research and the need for improvement of the researcher’s interpretive skills. The scientific tradition specifically concerned with interpretation is called hermeneutics. However, interpretation exists in all types of scientific studies, be they quantitative or qualitative. The article presents lessons from hermeneutics and spells out the interpretive content of research in general and with specific focus on business‐to‐business marketing. Interpretive methods, when applied to business, are characterized by efforts to understand the complexity of the business world and its products, services and markets, and to add meaning to strategies, actions and events. A set of methods designated interactive research is discussed. These are more inspired by the humanities, sociology, anthropology and modern natural sciences than by the social sciences research paradigm as it is currently applied in most mainstream research in marketing.
Phenylmethimazole Blocks dsRNA-Induced IRF3 Nuclear Translocation and Homodimerization

Previous studies revealed that phenylmethimazole (C10) inhibits IRF3 signaling, preventing dsRNA-induction of type 1 interferon gene expression, production, and downstream signaling. In the present study, we investigated the molecular basis for C10 inhibition of dsRNA-stimulated IRF3 signaling. IRF-3 Trans-AM assays were used to measure C10 effects on dsRNA induction of IRF3 DNA binding. Green fluorescent protein-labeled IRF3 was used to measure C10 effects on dsRNA-induced IRF3 nuclear translocation. Native PAGE, SDS PAGE, and western blotting were used to identify effects of C10 on IRF3 homodimer formation and phosphorylation, respectively. There was a significant impairment of dsRNA-induced IRF3 DNA binding activity in human embryonic kidney and pancreatic cancer cells with C10 treatment. C10 also blocked dsRNA-induced IRF3 nuclear translocation and homodimer formation without blocking serine 396 phosphorylation of IRF3. Together, these results indicate that C10 interferes with IRF3 signaling by blocking dsRNA-induced IRF3 homodimer formation, a prerequisite for nuclear translocation and DNA binding activities.
Dolphin Watch Tourism: Two Differing Examples of Sustainable Practices and Proenvironmental Outcomes

This study compares the management practices and content of the education/interpretation commentaries of two differing commercial dolphin watch operators in Nelson Bay, New South Wales, which is promoted as the “Dolphin Capital of Australia. ” The major objective of the study was to measure and evaluate the postexperience effectiveness of the education/interpretation components on the self-reported proenvironmental attitudes, beliefs, intended behaviors, and intended actions of participants. A questionnaire was administered to participants immediately after their half-day dolphin watch cruises. The most important feature of the experience for all participants was the opportunity to see wild dolphins behaving naturally in their natural habitat. Although the management practices and content of the education and interpretation messages differed aboard the two vessels, no significant differences occurred between the two differing samples for impacts on visitors’ intended proenvironmental actions. Significant differences did occur between samples for the self-reported impacts on participants’ strength of support for conservation of marine wildlife and for conservation of dolphins. The effectiveness and influence of the dolphin watch cruises on proenvironmental attitudes, beliefs, intended behaviors, and actions of participants appears to be related to two factors: the quality and content of the education/interpretive message, and the intensity level of the dolphin watching experience. ; ;
Youth Narratives on Community Experiences and Sense of Community and Their Relation to Participation in an Early Childhood Development Program

This comparative study examined how participation in an early childhood development (ECD) program, Better Beginnings, Better Futures, for children (ages 4-8) relates to sense of community (SOC) in later adolescence (ages 18-19). Youths’ stories (N = 96) about community experiences, collected by semistructured, open-ended interviews, were quantitatively coded for several narrative dimensions (specificity, positivity, prosocial content, and meaning-making) and for elements of SOC (membership, influence, needs fulfillment, and shared emotional connection). Findings show a significant positive relationship between all narrative dimensions and the total SOC score. Better Beginnings youths’ stories (n = 64) were significantly higher on specificity and shared emotional connection than comparison youth (n = 32). Findings have implications for community-based ECD programs to impact later adolescence SOC and for using narratives to study these effects.
Styles of engagement with learning: multidimensional assessment of their relationship with strategy use and school achievement

This investigation examined ways in which student beliefs and goals distinguish different styles of engagement with learning and how such styles are associated with both the strategies students report using when preparing for exams and school achievement. Cluster analysis was used to identify groups of students with similar patterns of beliefs about their own learning. Within a cohort of 137 female llth-grade students, 6 styles of engagement were identified. Analysis of the influence of these styles on strategies adopted for exam preparation indicated differences in the strategies reported. Styles of engagement were also significantly related to school achievement. Findings are discussed in terms of insights achieved through adopting methods of analysis that preserve the multidimensional character of student engagement with learning. This investigation is concerned with examination of the relationship between an individual's general motivational orientation and some features of learning behavior. It emphasizes the interdependence of the sets of goals that guide learning. Students bring to the learning context a personal construction of the purposes of their learning and a set of beliefs about themselves as learners. These beliefs are thought to exert a powerful influence on learning (Paris & Newman, 1990). Typically, variables representing students' beliefs and goals in learning have been studied as separate variables, and their influence on learning has been assessed as independent effects. An important complementary view involves considering these variables as interdependent sets (Corno & Snow, 1986; Iran-Nejad, McKeachie, & Berliner, 1990). This investigation is concerned with a number of general student goals and beliefs about learning and with the ways in which combinations of those goals and beliefs, referred to here as styles of engagement, are associated with learning strategies and academic achievement. Groups of llth-grade students with similar patterns of goals and beliefs about learning were identified, and differences in their learning strategies and learning outcomes were examined. The learning strategy measures were based on strategies students reported using when preparing for midyear exams, and school achievement measures consisted of final grades awarded at the end of the students' 11th- and 12th-grade school years. The model of motivation in learning that informs the current investigation assumes that characteristics that the individual learner brings to the learning context shape and combine with the learner's construction of the task and its I wish to thank the students who cooperated in the collection of these data and acknowledge the helpful comments of Robert Reeve, Suzanne Hidi, Krystyna Gilowska, and two anonymous reviewers. The data analysis was supported by a Special Initiatives
Properties of maximal seizures, and their alteration by anticonvulant drugs and other agents.

DESPITE the high incidence of convulsive disorders and widespread use of shock therapy in the major psychoses, relatively few investigations have dealt with the physiological properties of experimental seizures (1, 2, 3, 10, 12, 14, 16, 17). Convulsive threshold has received considerable attention, particularly in the testing of anticonvulsant drugs (11, 13, 15, 18, 21, and others), but threshold is only one of many properties which might be examined in any excitable system. Furthermore, measurements of threshold are of but limited value in the detection of antiepileptic potency (5, 6, 7, 8, 19, 20). For example, diphenylhydantoin, which has been found superior to phenobarbital in the treatment of psychomotor epilepsy and of comparable value in grand mal, is relatively ineffective in raising the threshold either for metrazol or electroshock seizures in laboratory animals. Therefore we have undertaken a series of studies on other properties of experimental seizures (7, 8, 19, 20, 23). Several new techniques for the testing of anticonvulsant drugs have already evolved from these studies (7, 8, 20, 22). The technique which to date has shown the best correlation with clinical antiepileptic efficacy is based upon the ability of certain drugs to alter the character of major seizures produced by supramaximal electroshock stimulation. The present report deals with some elementary properties of maximal seizures in normal animals, and with the effects of anticonvulsant drugs upon these properties.
Solving Nonlinear Constrained Optimization Problems by the ε Constrained Differential Evolution

The ε constrained method is an algorithm transformation method, which can convert algorithms for unconstrained problems to algorithms for constrained problems using the ε level comparison that compares search points based on the constraint violation of them. We propose the ε constrained differential evolution εDE, which is the combination of the ε constrained method and differential evolution (DE). DE is a simple, fast and stable search algorithm that is robust to multi-modal problems. It is expected that the εDE is robust to multi-modal problems, can run very fast and can find very high quality solutions. The effectiveness of the εDE is shown by comparing it with various methods on well known nonlinear constrained problems.
The role of the sympathetic nervous system in postasphyxial intestinal hypoperfusion in the pre‐term sheep fetus

Asphyxia in utero in pre‐term fetuses is associated with evolving hypoperfusion of the gut after the insult. We examined the role of the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) in mediating this secondary hypoperfusion. Gut blood flow changes were also assessed during postasphyxial seizures. Preterm fetal sheep at 70% of gestation (103–104 days, term is 147 days) underwent sham asphyxia or asphyxia induced by 25 min of complete cord occlusion and fetuses were studied for 3 days afterwards. Phentolamine (10 mg bolus plus 10 mg h−1i.v.) or saline was infused for 8 h starting 15 min after the end of asphyxia or sham asphyxia. Phentolamine blocked the fall in superior mesenteric artery blood flow (SMABF) after asphyxia and there was a significant decrease in MAP for the first 3 h of infusion (33 ± 1.6 mmHg versus vehicle 36.7 ± 0.8 mmHg, P < 0.005). During seizures SMABF fell significantly (8.3 ± 2.3 versus 11.4 ± 2.7 ml min−1, P < 0.005), and SMABF was more than 10% below baseline for 13.0 ± 1.7 min per seizure (versus seizure duration of 78.1 ± 7.2 s). Phentolamine was associated with earlier onset of seizures (5.0 ± 0.4 versus 7.1 ± 0.7 h, P < 0.05), but no change in amplitude or duration, and prevented the fall in SMABF. In conclusion, the present study confirms the hypothesis that postasphyxial hypoperfusion of the gut is strongly mediated by the SNS. The data highlight the importance of sympathetic activity in the initial elevation of blood pressure after asphyxia and are consistent with a role for the mesenteric system as a key resistance bed that helps to maintain perfusion in other, more vulnerable systems.
A Submaximal Running Test With Postexercise Cardiac Autonomic and Neuromuscular Function in Monitoring Endurance Training Adaptation

Abstract Vesterinen, V, Nummela, A, Laine, T, Hynynen, E, Mikkola, J, and Häkkinen, K. A submaximal running test with postexercise cardiac autonomic and neuromuscular function in monitoring endurance training adaptation. J Strength Cond Res 31(1): 233–243, 2017—The aim of this study was to investigate whether a submaximal running test (SRT) with postexercise heart rate recovery (HRR), heart rate variability (HRV), and countermovement jump (CMJ) measurements could be used to monitor endurance training adaptation. Thirty-five endurance-trained men and women completed an 18-week endurance training. Maximal endurance performance and maximal oxygen uptake were measured every 8 weeks. In addition, SRTs with postexercise HRR, HRV, and CMJ measurements were carried out every 4 weeks. Submaximal running test consisted of two 6-minute stages at 70 and 80% of maximum heart rate (HRmax) and a 3-minute stage at 90% HRmax, followed by a 2-minute recovery stage for measuring postexercise HRR, HRV, and CMJ test. The highest responders according to the change of maximal endurance performance showed a significant improvement in running speeds during stages 2 and 3 in SRT, whereas no changes were observed in the lowest responders. The strongest correlation was found between the change of maximal endurance performance and running speed during stage 3, whereas no significant relationships were found between the change of maximal endurance performance and the changes of postexercise HRR, HRV, and CMJ. Running speed at 90% HRmax intensity was the most sensitive variable to monitor adaptation to endurance training. The present submaximal test showed potential to monitor endurance training adaptation. Furthermore, it may serve as a practical tool for athletes and coaches to evaluate weekly the effectiveness of training program without interfering in the normal training habits.
Hamming metric decoding of alternant codes over Galois rings

The standard decoding procedure for alternant codes over fields centers on solving a key equation which relates an error locator polynomial and an error evaluator polynomial by a syndrome sequence. We extend this technique to decode alternant codes over Galois rings. We consider the module M={(a, b): as/spl equiv/b mod x/sup r/} of all solutions to the key equation where s is the syndrome polynomial and r, is the number of rows in a parity-check matrix for the code. In decoding we seek a particular solution (/spl Sigma/, /spl Omega/)/spl isin/M which we prove can be found in a Grobner basis for M. We present an iterative algorithm which generates a Grobner basis modulo x/sup k+1/ from a given basis modulo x/sup k/. At the rth step, a Grobner basis for M is found, and the required solution recovered.
Note on non‐orthogonality of local curvilinear co‐ordinates in a three‐dimensional boundary element method

We give a more general derivation of the particle velocity and acceleration used in the numerical wave model of Grilli et al. (Int. J. Numer. Meth. Fluids 2001; 35:829–867), by expressing these quantities in a local orthogonal co‐ordinate system. Computations of solitary waves propagating and breaking over a sloping bottom show that the new formulation gives better results than the former one in the latest stages of overturning. Nevertheless, both formulations are found to be as suitable for the simulation of non‐overturning waves. Results on wave profiles as well as on surface and internal kinematics are presented. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Evaluating the Role of Postconstruction Support in Sustaining Drinking Water Projects Evidence from Peru

This article assesses the impact of postconstruction support (PCS) on the sustainability of participatory, demand-driven rural water projects in the Cuzco region of Peru. This study evaluates ninety-nine villages from two water supply schemes— projects built under a social investment fund program and those built under a nongovernmental program funded by the Swiss government. Overall, the study finds that the projects are performing very well. Multivariate regression analysis suggests that household- and village-level PCS is linked with financial performance, overall household satisfaction, and attitudes toward long-term future performance after controlling for project and community determinants of sustainability.
The Energy Content and Composition of Meals Consumed after an Overnight Fast and Their Effects on Diet Induced Thermogenesis: A Systematic Review, Meta-Analyses and Meta-Regressions

This systematic review investigated the effects of differing energy intakes, macronutrient compositions, and eating patterns of meals consumed after an overnight fast on Diet Induced Thermogenesis (DIT). The initial search identified 2482 records; 26 papers remained once duplicates were removed and inclusion criteria were applied. Studies (n = 27) in the analyses were randomized crossover designs comparing the effects of two or more eating events on DIT. Higher energy intake increased DIT; in a mixed model meta-regression, for every 100 kJ increase in energy intake, DIT increased by 1.1 kJ/h (p < 0.001). Meals with a high protein or carbohydrate content had a higher DIT than high fat, although this effect was not always significant. Meals with medium chain triglycerides had a significantly higher DIT than long chain triglycerides (meta-analysis, p = 0.002). Consuming the same meal as a single bolus eating event compared to multiple small meals or snacks was associated with a significantly higher DIT (meta-analysis, p = 0.02). Unclear or inconsistent findings were found by comparing the consumption of meals quickly or slowly, and palatability was not significantly associated with DIT. These findings indicate that the magnitude of the increase in DIT is influenced by the energy intake, macronutrient composition, and eating pattern of the meal.
Constructing Word Meanings: Strategies and Perceptions of Four Middle School Learners

Using verbal protocols as the major methodological tool, this qualitative inquiry investigated word meaning constructions of four middle school learners during self-selected reading events where learners targeted unfamiliar words. Interviews were also used to explore learner perceptions about vocabulary acquisition. Individual case study analyses and cross-case analyses unveiled similarities and differences in how focal learners constructed meanings for self-targeted words when forced to examine context. Focal learners used multiple strategies in single encounters with new words, were not inhibited by inaccurate word meaning constructions, focused on key words and phrases as they explored content, and relied on syntax to articulate definitions. Results indicate that these middle school learners were at least aware of ways to figure out unfamiliar words. Some readers in the study processed word meanings in flexible and diverse ways, whereas others exhibited a narrow band of strategies. Perceptions about word learning and attitude toward learning new words are important considerations for understanding vocabulary learning through independent reading.
Race, Skin Tone, and Educational Achievement

Research on skin-tone bias has focused primarily on intraracial inequality with little attention to skin-tone inequality across ethnoracial groups. We engage the debate over the color line by considering the independent, simultaneous, and interactive impacts of skin tone and self-identified race on educational performance. Analyses of National Longitudinal Study of Adolescent Health (Add Health) and Adolescent Health and Academic Achievement (AHAA) data show significant skin-tone differences in grade point average (GPA) both across and within racial groups, with darker skinned tone individuals receiving significantly lower grades than their lighter skinned tone counterparts. Net of controls, skin-tone differences in GPA are essentially flat among African Americans but are notably stronger among other race/ethnic groups. These findings highlight the interplay between racial categorization and colorism by revealing the categorical disadvantage of racial stigma versus the more fluid colorism boundaries of nonblack groups.