Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interception of a moving object with a specified approach angle by a wheeled robot: Theory and experiment

This paper presents a vision-based wheeled-robot navigation technique, termed circular navigation guidance (CNG), for the interception of a moving target from a specific angle. The guidance law is not split into path-planning and path-following stages, but is continuously updated based on immediately available information, making it useful even against a manoeuvring target, or where only incomplete information is available to the robot. This is achieved by converting a finite-time navigation problem into one of maintaining a certain geometric condition at all times. Detailed theoretical analysis provides a closed-form solution for the shape of the path the robot takes against a moving target. Experimental results are presented which show that CNG is robust and accurate under real-world conditions against a manoeuvring target.
Trends in Cardiovascular Disease Risk Factor Prevalence and Estimated 10-Year Cardiovascular Risk Scores in a Large Untreated French Urban Population: The CARVAR 92 Study

Background Surveys measuring effectiveness of public awareness campaigns in reducing cardiovascular disease (CVD) incidence have yielded equivocal findings. The aim of this study was to describe cardiovascular risk factors (CVRFs) changes over the years in an untreated population-based study. Methods Between 2007 and 2012, we conducted a screening campaign for CVRFs in men aged 40 to 65 yrs and women aged 50 to 70 yrs in the western suburbs of Paris. Data were complete for 20,324 participants of which 14,709 were untreated. Results The prevalence trend over six years was statistically significant for hypertension in men from 25.9% in 2007 to 21.1% in 2012 (p=0.002) and from 23% in 2007 to 12.7% in 2012 in women (p<0.0001). The prevalence trend of tobacco smoking decreased from 38.6% to 27.7% in men (p=0.0001) and from 22.6% to 16.8% in women (p=0.113). The Framingham 10-year risk for CVD decreased from 13.3 ± 8.2 % in 2007 to 11.7 ± 9.0 % in 2012 in men and from 8.0 ± 4.1 % to 5.9 ± 3.4 % in women. The 10-year risk of fatal CVD based on the European Systematic COronary Risk Evaluation (SCORE) decreased in men and in women (p <0.0001). Conclusions Over a 6-year period, several CVRFs have decreased in our screening campaign, leading to decrease in the 10-year risk for CVD and the 10-year risk of fatal CVD. Cardiologists should recognize the importance of community prevention programs and communication policies, particularly tobacco control and healthier diets to decrease the CVRFs in the general population.
The T Body, a New Cytoplasmic RNA Granule in Saccharomyces cerevisiae

ABSTRACT A large share of mRNA processing and packaging events occurs cotranscriptionally. To explore the hypothesis that transcription defects may affect mRNA fate, we analyzed poly(A)+ RNA distribution in Saccharomyces cerevisiae strains harboring mutations in Rpb1p, the largest subunit of RNA polymerase II. In certain rpb1 mutants, a poly(A)+ RNA granule, distinct from any known structure, strongly accumulated in a confined space of the cytoplasm. RNA and protein expressed from Ty1 retrovirus-like elements colocalized with this new granule, which we have consequently named the T body. A visual screen revealed that the deletion of most genes with proposed functions in Ty1 biology unexpectedly does not alter T-body levels. In contrast, the deletion of genes encoding the Mediator transcription initiation factor subunits Srb2p and Srb5p as well as the Ty1 transcriptional regulator Spt21p greatly enhances T-body formation. Our data disclose a new cellular body putatively involved in the assembly of Ty1 particles and suggest that the cytoplasmic fate of mRNA can be affected by transcription initiation events.
Linear required-arrival-time trees and their construction

Interconnects are dominating VLSI circuit design in deep sub-micron regime. Construction of global routing trees based on required arrival times (RAT) has gained importance over the traditional problem of finding minimum-cost trees. Moreover, recent investigations on the fidelity of delay estimators indicate that the RAT trees with Manhattan distance delay, known as linear RAT trees, are likely to be a viable alternative to buffered trees with Elmore delay model. This paper introduces the linear RAT trees, discusses some related analysis, and proposes a heuristic method for constructing such trees.
Contraction of fibroblast-containing collagen gels: Initial collagen concentration regulates the degree of contraction and cell survival

SummaryRemodeling of extracellular matrix involves a number of steps including the recruitment, accumulation, and eventual apoptosis of parenchymal cells as well as the production, organization, and rearrangement of extracellular matrix produced by these cells. The culture of fibroblasts in three-dimensional gels made of type I collagen has been used as a model of tissue contraction which characterizes both wound repair and fibrosis. The current study was designed to determine the effect of initial collagen concentration on the ability of fibroblasts to contract collagen gels and on cell survival. Native type I collagen was extracted from rat tail tendons and used to prepare collagen gels with varying collagen concentration (0.75–2.0 mg/ml). Human lung fibroblasts (HFL-1) were cast into the gels and cultured in Dulbecco modified Eagle medium with 0.1% fetal calf serum for 2 wk. The gel size, collagen content, and deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) content were determined. Gels prepared with an initial concentration of 0.75 mg/ml contracted more rapidly and to a smaller final size than gels prepared from 2 mg/ml initial collagen concentration (final size 7.1 versus 36.4% of initial size, P <0.01). There was no significant degradation of the collagen in the gels under either condition. Hence, the dramatically increased contraction of the lower density gels resulted in a higher final density (P<0.01). Cell density was estimated from DNA content. In low initial density gels, the final DNA content was significantly less than that in higher initial density gels (0.73 versus 1.88 μg/gel, P<0.05). This was accompanied by an increased percentage of apoptotic cells at day 14 (43.3 versus 34.1%, P<0.05). If the gels were maintained in the attached state which largely prevents contraction, apoptosis was significantly reduced, suggesting that contraction rather than matrix composition was a requirement for the increased apoptosis. In summary, these findings indicate that the initial matrix composition can lead to differing outcomes during fibroblast-mediated wound contraction.
Role of Tie Points in Integrated Sensor Orientation for Photogrammetric Map Compilation

Direct measurement of exterior orientation parameters has been a challenge in photogrammetry for many years. Direct sensor orientation using a calibrated GPS/INS system can potentially eliminate the need for ground control points and aerial tiiangulation, and consequently, result in a great reduction in the cost and time of aerial photogrammetry. Previous studies have shown that, compared to conventional aerial tiiangulation, direct sensor orientation yields larger errors in the image and object space. It has also been shown that including a number of tie points within an integrated orientation approach can result in a reduction of errors in the image space. In this paper, the influence of the number and distribution of tie points on integrated orientation is investigated. Experiments with various numbers of tie points regularly as well as randomly distributed are presented. Results indicate that an increase in the number of tie points up to one point per model results in a considerable reduc¬tion of the errors in the image space.
Edge preserving orientation adaptive filtering

In this paper we describe a new stragegy for combining orientation adaptive filtering and edge preserving filtering. The filter adapts to the local orientation and avoids filtering across borders. The local orientation for steering the filter will be estimated in a fixed sized window which never contains two orientation fields. This can be achieved using generalized Kuwahara filtering. This filter selects from a set of fixed sized windows that contain the current pixel, the orientation of the window with the highest anisotropy. We compare out filter strategy with a multi-scale approach. We found that our filter strategy has a lower complexity and yields a constant improvement of the SNR.
Ocean Heat Transport and Its Projected Change in CanESM2

AbstractThe meridional ocean heat transport (MOHT), its seasonal variability, and projected changes simulated by the second generation Canadian Earth System Model (CanESM2) are presented. The global mean MOHT is within the uncertainty of the observational estimates. However, a correct simulation of the MOHT for individual ocean basins is more challenging, and the Atlantic MOHT south of 30°N is underestimated. The partitioning of the MOHT into the overturning and gyre components is generally consistent with such partitioning in an observationally optimized ocean model. At low latitudes, the time-mean MOHT is dominated by its overturning component, whereas in the Southern Ocean and, especially, in the subpolar North Atlantic, it is the gyre component that plays a more important role. In the projected warmer climates, CanESM2 simulates a weakening of the poleward MOHT essentially in both hemispheres. The projected MOHT changes are largely determined by the overturning component, except in the subpolar Atlant.
Towards an ISO Standard for Dialogue Act Annotation

This paper describes an ISO project which aims at developing a standard for annotating spoken and multimodal dialogue with semantic information concerning the communicative functions of utterances, the kind of semantic content they address, and their relations with what was said and done earlier in the dialogue. The project, ISO 24617-2 ""Semantic annotation framework, Part 2: Dialogue acts"", is currently at DIS stage. The proposed annotation schema distinguishes 9 orthogonal dimensions, allowing each functional segment in dialogue to have a function in each of these dimensions, thus accounting for the multifunctionality that utterances in dialogue often have. A number of core communicative functions is defined in the form of ISO data categories, available at http://semantic-annotation.uvt. nl/dialogue-acts/iso-datcats.pdf; they are divided into ""dimension-specific"" functions, which can be used only in a particular dimension, such as Turn Accept in the Turn Management dimension, and ""general-purpose"" functions, which can be used in any dimension, such as Inform and Request. An XML-based annotation language, ""DiAML"" is defined, with an abstract syntax, a semantics, and a concrete syntax.
Coordinate Representations for Interference Reduction in Motor Learning

When opposing force fields are presented alternately or randomly across trials for identical reaching movements, subjects learn neither force field, a behavior termed ‘interference’. Studies have shown that a small difference in the endpoint posture of the limb reduces this interference. However, any difference in the limb’s endpoint location typically changes the hand position, joint angles and the hand orientation making it ambiguous as to which of these changes underlies the ability to learn dynamics that normally interfere. Here we examine the extent to which each of these three possible coordinate systems—Cartesian hand position, shoulder and elbow joint angles, or hand orientation—underlies the reduction in interference. Subjects performed goal-directed reaching movements in five different limb configurations designed so that different pairs of these configurations involved a change in only one coordinate system. By specifically assigning clockwise and counter-clockwise force fields to the configurations we could create three different conditions in which the direction of the force field could only be uniquely distinguished in one of the three coordinate systems. We examined the ability to learn the two fields based on each of the coordinate systems. The largest reduction of interference was observed when the field direction was linked to the hand orientation with smaller reductions in the other two conditions. This result demonstrates that the strongest reduction in interference occurred with changes in the hand orientation, suggesting that hand orientation may have a privileged role in reducing motor interference for changes in the endpoint posture of the limb.
Latent Membrane Protein 1 Is Dispensable for Epstein-Barr Virus Replication in Human Embryonic Kidney 293 cells

Epstein Barr Virus (EBV) replicates in oral epithelial cells and gains entry to B-lymphocytes. In B-lymphocytes, EBV expresses a restricted subset of genes, the Latency III program, which converts B-lymphocytes to proliferating lymphoblasts. Latent Membrane Protein 1 (LMP1) and the other Latency III associated proteins are also expressed during virus replication. LMP1 is essential for virus replication and egress from Akata Burkitt Lymphoma cells, but a role in epithelial cell replication has not been established. Therefore, we have investigated whether LMP1 enhances EBV replication and egress from HEK293 cells, a model epithelial cell line used for EBV recombinant molecular genetics. We compared wild type (wt) and LMP1-deleted (LMP1Δ) EBV bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) based virus replication and egress from HEK293. Following EBV immediate early Zta protein induction of EBV replication in HEK293 cells, similar levels of EBV proteins were expressed in wt- and LMP1Δ-infected HEK293 cells. LMP1 deletion did not impair EBV replication associated DNA replication, DNA encapsidation, or mature virus release. Indeed, virus from LMP1Δ-infected HEK293 cells was as infectious as EBV from wt EBV infected HEK cells. Trans-complementation with LMP1 reduced Rta expression and subsequent virus production. These data indicate that LMP1 is not required for EBV replication and egress from HEK293 cells.
Listening to music and physiological and psychological functioning: The mediating role of emotion regulation and stress reactivity

Music listening has been suggested to have short-term beneficial effects. The aim of this study was to investigate the association and potential mediating mechanisms between various aspects of habitual music-listening behaviour and physiological and psychological functioning. An internet-based survey was conducted in university students, measuring habitual music-listening behaviour, emotion regulation, stress reactivity, as well as physiological and psychological functioning. A total of 1230 individuals (mean = 24.89 ± 5.34 years, 55.3% women) completed the questionnaire. Quantitative aspects of habitual music-listening behaviour, i.e. average duration of music listening and subjective relevance of music, were not associated with physiological and psychological functioning. In contrast, qualitative aspects, i.e. reasons for listening (especially ‘reducing loneliness and aggression’, and ‘arousing or intensifying specific emotions’) were significantly related to physiological and psychological functioning (all p = 0.001). These direct effects were mediated by distress-augmenting emotion regulation and individual stress reactivity. The habitual music-listening behaviour appears to be a multifaceted behaviour that is further influenced by dispositions that are usually not related to music listening. Consequently, habitual music-listening behaviour is not obviously linked to physiological and psychological functioning.
Recent advances in blood flow vector velocity imaging

A number of methods for ultrasound vector velocity imaging are presented in the paper. The transverse oscillation (TO) method can estimate the velocity transverse to the ultrasound beam by introducing a lateral oscillation in the received ultrasound field. The approach has been thoroughly investigated using both simulations, flow rig measurements, and in-vivo validation against MR scans. The TO method obtains a relative accuracy of 10% for a fully transverse flow in both simulations and flow rig experiments. In-vivo studies performed on 11 healthy volunteers comparing the TO method with magnetic resonance phase contrast angiography (MRA) revealed a correlation between the stroke volume estimated by TO and MRA of 0.91 (p<;0.01) with an equation for the line of regression given as: MRA = 1.1 · TO-0.4 ml. Several clinical examples of complex flow in e.g. bifurcations and around valves have been acquired using a commercial implementation of the method (BK Medical ProFocus Ultraview scanner). A range of other methods are also presented. This includes synthetic aperture imaging using either spherical or plane waves with velocity estimation performed with directional beamforming or speckle tracking. The key advantages of these techniques are very fast imaging that can attain an order of magnitude higher precision than conventional methods. SA flow imaging was implemented on the experimental scanner RASMUS using an 8-emission spherical emission sequence and reception of 64 channels on a BK Medical 8804 transducer. This resulted in a relative standard deviation of 1.2% for a fully transverse flow. Plane wave imaging was also implemented on the RASMUS scanner and a 100 Hz frame rate was attained. Several vector velocity image sequences of complex flow were acquired, which demonstrates the benefits of fast vector flow imaging. A method for extending the 2D TO method to 3D vector velocity estimation is presented and the implications for future vector velocity imaging is indicated.
Learning price-elasticity of smart consumers in power distribution systems

Demand Response is an emerging technology which will transform the power grid of tomorrow. It is revolutionary, not only because it will enable peak load shaving and will add resources to manage large distribution systems, but mainly because it will tap into an almost unexplored and extremely powerful pool of resources comprised of many small individual consumers on distribution grids. However, to utilize these resources effectively, the methods used to engage these resources must yield accurate and reliable control. A diversity of methods have been proposed to engage these new resources. As opposed to direct load control, many methods rely on consumers and/or loads responding to exogenous signals, typically in the form of energy pricing, originating from the utility or system operator. Here, we propose an open loop communication-lite method for estimating the price elasticity of many customers comprising a distribution system. We utilize a sparse linear regression method that relies on operator-controlled, inhomogeneous minor price variations, which will be fair to all the consumers. Our numerical experiments show that reliable estimation of individual and thus aggregated instantaneous elasticities is possible. We describe the limits of the reliable reconstruction as functions of the three key parameters of the system: (i) ratio of the number of communication slots (time units) per number of engaged consumers; (ii) level of sparsity (in consumer response); and (iii) signal-to-noise ratio.
Clinical usefulness of high resolution computed tomography in cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis

Despite recent technological advances, agreement amongst clinicians on an algorithm for the optimal management of cryptogenic fibrosing alveolitis (CFA) has proved to be elusive. The non-invasive diagnosis of CFA is often uncertain as the clinical features may mimic those of other interstitial lung diseases. Even when the diagnosis is secure, therapeutic decisions are not straightforward. Reversible inflammatory disease requires aggressive treatment, but side effects from an over-vigorous approach to irreversible fibrotic disease need to be avoided. The extent of disease may influence the approach to treatment, but the optimal means of staging initial severity remains contentious. Furthermore, precision in monitoring changes in disease severity at follow up is unattainable in some cases and this complicates therapeutic decisions. This review explores the impact of high resolution computed tomographic (CT) scanning on the diagnosis and management of CFA. The integration of a new test into routine management is the product of rigorous initial assessment and subsequent accumulated clinical experience. Enduring changes in clinical practice seldom result solely from “landmark” series. For example, early reports suggested that bronchoalveolar lavage (BAL) might offer invaluable additional diagnostic and prognostic information in diffuse lung disease.1 2 However, subsequent clinical experience has shown that diagnostic and prognostic trends obtained fron BAL in groups of patients are not sufficiently robust to change management substantially in most cases.3 In the same way, although disease activity defined by 67-gallium scanning was shown to correlate with inflammatory cell content on open lung biopsy material,4 it transpired that 67-gallium scanning did not predict responsiveness to treatment.5 Initial enthusiasm generated by early studies of diagnostic tests followed by disappointment is a familiar cycle for clinicians managing patients with interstitial lung disease. Will this sequence of events apply equally to the use of CT scanning in the management of CFA? …
Botanical diversity in the tropical rain forest of Guyana.

This paper describes and analyses the composition of the flora of the Mabura Hill area, Guyana, South America. In total a number of 1433 different vascular plant species were collected in the vicinity of Mabura Hill. This flora is compared with the flora of other Neotropical sires, and in particular with the flora of other sires from the Guayana Shield. Using a Monte Carlo simulation technique, we evaluated the pattern of occurrences of plant families. Species (and consequently families) occurring in the Mabura Hill area are nor a taxonomically random assemblage from rhe available total flora of the Guianas. Over-represented plant families contain mainly primary forest elements, while the under-represented families indicate the paucity of undergrowth species (herbs, shrubs, and small palms) and epiphytic species, especially when compared to nvo French Guianan sires. The comparison shows that the Mabura Hill area is well representative of lowland Guianan rain forest, with little large-scale natural disturbance.
Seasonal Variation in Growth, Morphology, and Reproduction of Eelgrass Zostera marina on the Eastern Coast of the Shandong Peninsula, China

ABSTRACT Zhang, P.D. ; Liu, Y.S. ; Guo, D. ; Li, W.T. , and Zhang, Q. , 2016. Seasonal variation in growth, morphology, and reproduction of eelgrass Zostera marina on the eastern coast of the Shandong Peninsula, China. Seasonal dynamics of Zostera marina were monitored monthly in Swan Lake of Shandong Peninsula, China, by examining plant density, morphology, weight, and environmental factors from February 2009 to January 2010. The greatest values for shoot size and weight were obtained in summer and the smallest values in winter and early spring. Reproductive shoots appeared in late March and developed into fruits in mid-June. Fruits were fully developed into mature seeds in mid-July. Reproductive shoot size and weight exhibited clear seasonal patterns with maximum values in May for leaf length, inflorescence length, and leaf width and in June for shoot length and shoot weight. The density of reproductive shoots ranged from 4 to 40 shoots m−2 with an average of 22.4 ± 12.8 shoots m−2 (mean ± 95% confidence interval) in July 2009. The average number of spathes per reproductive shoot was 18.9 ± 3.3, with 7.8 ± 0.7 seeds per spathe, and the mean seed dry weight was 3.2 ± 0.4 mg. Seasonal variations in shoot density and aboveground tissue dimensions correlated positively with water temperature. This study presents the first quantitative data on the seasonal dynamics of Z. marina in China.