Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Terrain based co-operative UAV mapping of complex obstacles using 2-D splinegon

Purpose – This paper aims to describe a recently proposed algorithm in terrain‐based cooperative UAV mapping of the unknown complex obstacle in a stationary environment where the complex obstacles are represented as curved in nature. It also aims to use an extended Kalman filter (EKF) to estimate the fused position of the UAVs and to apply the 2‐D splinegon technique to build the map of the complex shaped obstacles. The path of the UAVs are dictated by the Dubins path planning algorithm. The focus is to achieve a guaranteed performance of sensor based mapping of the uncertain environments using multiple UAVs.Design/methodology/approach – An extended Kalman filter is used to estimate the position of the UAVs, and the 2‐D splinegon technique is used to build the map of the complex obstacle where the path of the UAVs are dictated by the Dubins path planning algorithm.Findings – The guaranteed performance is quantified by explicit bounds of the position estimate of the multiple UAVs for mapping of the complex.
Outcomes associated with a summer handwriting course for elementary students.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to examine the benefits of a summer handwriting instruction course offered to community elementary-age students. METHODS Twenty-six students participated in the study and attended instruction for 1 hour per day for 2 weeks. Pre- and posttesting with the Evaluation Tool of Children's Handwriting (ETCH) were conducted. Parents were also asked to rate their child's handwriting at pretest, posttest, and 3 months posttest. RESULTS Participants made significant improvement in two subtests of the ETCH and in parent ratings between pretest and posttest. Parent ratings remained significantly improved 3 months posttesting. Additional results suggest that children who received special education during the previous school year improved their handwriting scores on the ETCH to a greater degree than those who did not receive special education. CONCLUSION A new service delivery model for handwriting instruction has the potential to benefit students. Occupational therapists should consider offering handwriting training to students in the summer especially if deterioration of performance is anticipated.
Role ambiguity, role efficacy, and role performance: Multidimensional and mediational relationships within interdependent sport teams.

Male secondary school rugby players (N 271) participated in a study examining role ambiguity, role efficacy, and role performance. A multidimensional measure was used to assess 4 manifestations of role ambiguity in offensive and defensive contexts. Multiple role ambiguity dimensions explained variance in efficacy and performance. Consistent with theorizing by A. Bandura (1997) and R. L. Kahn, D. M. Wolfe, R. P. Quinn, J. D. Snoek, and R. A. Rosenthal (1964), negative relationships observed between role ambiguity and role performance were mediated by competence (role efficacy) beliefs. Findings support the multidimensional operationalization of role ambiguity and role efficacy as a generative mechanism through which role ambiguity can affect role performance.
Bayesian Classification of Cork Stoppers Using Class-Conditional Independent Component Analysis

In this paper, a real-time application for visual inspection and classification of cork stoppers is presented. The process of cork inspection and quality grading is based on analyzing a large set of characteristics corresponding to visual features that are related to cork porosity. We have applied a set of nonparametric and parametric classification methods for comparing and evaluating their performance in this real problem. The best results have been achieved using Bayesian classification through probabilistic modeling in a high-dimensional space. In this context, it is well known that high dimensionality represents a serious problem for density estimation. We propose a class-conditional independent component analysis representation of the data that allows an accurate estimation of the data probability density function by factorizing it. The method has achieved a success of 98% of correct classification
Plasma visfatin and adiponectin concentrations in physically active adolescent girls: relationships with insulin sensitivity and body composition variables

Abstract The purpose of this study was to evaluate the associations of visfatin and adiponectin concentrations with insulin resistance and body composition in regularly physically active pubertal girls. In 129 girls, aged 13–15 years (pubertal stages 3–5), visfatin, adiponectin, insulin resistance measured by homeostasis model assessment (HOMA), and body composition measured by dual-energy X-ray absorptiometry were evaluated. Visfatin concentration was related to HOMA and overall adiposity (body mass index, fat mass) markers, whereas adiponectin concentration was related to overall adiposity (fat mass), central adiposity (trunk fat) and fat free mass values. These relationships remained significant (p<0.05) after adjusting for pubertal stage. Visfatin was independently related to body mass index (β=0.936; p=0.0001) and HOMA (β=0.444; p=0.039) indices, whereas adiponectin was independently related to fat free mass (β=0.889; p=0.003) and trunk fat (β=–0.468; p=0.042) values. In conclusion, visfatin could be related to insulin resistance and overall adiposity indices, whereas adiponectin was related to different body composition values in regularly physically active pubertal girls.
Limitations and niches of the active targeting approach for nanoparticle drug delivery

Abstract The active targeting approach has been widely employed to improve nanoparticle drug delivery. Contrary to popular conceptions, attachment of a targeting ligand to a nanopaticle does not alter its biodistribution, but only increases its internalization by target cells. Despite its potential, this strategy has drawbacks that can negate efficacy against tumors. Specifically, compared to non-targeted nanoparticles, a number of active targeting nanoparticles have decreased blood circulation time due to non-specific binding or immunogenicity, reduced tumor penetration, and high susceptibility to lysosomal degradation after internalization. In order to maximize the advantages and overcome the disadvantages, the active targeting approach is best suited for delivering membrane impermeable drugs to targets directly exposed to i.v. injected nanoparticles, such as those in circulation or in the luminal site of tumor vasculatures.
Coagulase-negative strains of staphylococcus possessing antigen 51 as agents of urinary infection

A group of strains of Staphylococcus albus is described which produced neither coagulase nor haemolysin, was slightly sensitive or resistant to novobiocin, and sensitive to all other antibiotics, to sulphonamides, and to nitrofurantoin. The agglutinating antigen 51 was isolated from all strains from patients with urinary infections and abundant pyuria. In more than 40 cases studied it was not possible to isolate any other bacterial agent, and the cure of clinical symptoms always coincided with the disappearance of the coagulase-negative staphylococcus strain.
CC Chemokine Ligand 5/RANTES Chemokine Antagonists Aggravate Glomerulonephritis Despite Reduction of Glomerular Leukocyte Infiltration1

The chemokine CC chemokine ligand (CCL)5/RANTES as well as its respective receptor CCR5 mediate leukocyte infiltration during inflammation and are up-regulated early during the course of glomerulonephritis (GN). We tested the effects of the two CCL5/RANTES blocking analogs, Met-RANTES and amino-oxypentane-RANTES, on the course of horse apoferritin (HAF)-induced GN. HAF-injected control mice had proliferative GN with mesangial immune complex deposits of IgG and HAF. Daily i.p. injections of Met-RANTES or amino-oxypentane-RANTES markedly reduced glomerular cell proliferation and glomerular macrophage infiltration, which is usually associated with less glomerular injury and proteinuria in HAF-GN. Surprisingly, however, HAF-GN mice treated with both analogs showed worse disease with mesangiolysis, capillary obstruction, and nephrotic range albuminuria. These findings were associated with an enhancing effect of the CCL5/RANTES analogs on the macrophage activation state, characterized by a distinct morphology and increased inducible NO synthetase expression in vitro and in vivo, but a reduced uptake of apoptotic cells in vivo. The humoral response and the Th1/Th2 balance in HAF-GN and mesangial cell proliferation in vitro were not affected by the CCL5/RANTES analogs. We conclude that, despite blocking local leukocyte recruitment, chemokine analogs can aggravate some specific disease models, most likely due to interactions with systemic immune reactions, including the removal of apoptotic cells and inducible NO synthetase expression.
Quantitative estimation of sodium, potassium and total protein in saliva of diabetic smokers and nonsmokers: A novel study

Aims: The aim of the study was to evaluate the difference in sodium, potassium, total protein in whole saliva in diabetic smokers, diabetic nonsmokers and healthy controls. Materials and Methods: Nonstimulated saliva samples were collected from a group of diabetic smokers, diabetic nonsmokers, and controls. Supernatant after centrifugation was used to determine the levels of sodium, potassium, and total protein by using semiautomatic analyzer. Results: There exists a statistical difference in the levels of potassium and total protein between diabetic smokers, nondiabetic smokers, and controls. Difference in the levels of sodium is only significant with nondiabetic smokers and controls. Conclusion: Diabetes mellitus is known to alter the composition of saliva. The purpose of this study was to estimate and compare the levels of salivary potassium, sodium, and total protein in smoker diabetic patients and nondiabetic smokers and controls, and to explore potential of salivary electrolytes [Na+, K+] and total proteins as markers. The estimated values of salivary constituents add to the data already recorded in Indian population. However, further studies using large samples are required to evaluate the findings in our study.
Occult and previous hepatitis B virus infection are not associated with hepatocellular carcinoma in United States patients with chronic hepatitis C

Previous studies have suggested that prior exposure to hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection may increase the risk of development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) in patients with chronic hepatitis C. The aim of this study was to compare the prevalence of previous or occult HBV infection in a cohort of hepatitis B surface antigen–negative patients with histologically advanced chronic hepatitis C in the United States who did or did not develop HCC. Stored sera from 91 patients with HCC and 182 matched controls who participated in the Hepatitis C Antiviral Long‐term Treatment against Cirrhosis (HALT‐C) Trial were tested for hepatitis B core antibody (anti‐HBc), hepatitis B surface antibody, and HBV DNA. Frozen liver samples from 28 HCC cases and 55 controls were tested for HBV DNA by way of real‐time polymerase chain reaction. Anti‐HBc (as a marker of previous HBV infection) was present in the serum of 41.8% HCC cases and 45.6% controls (P= 0.54); anti‐HBc alone was present in 16.5% of HCC cases and 24.7% of controls. HBV DNA was detected in the serum of only one control subject and no patients with HCC. HBV DNA (as a marker of occult HBV infection) was detected in the livers of 10.7% of HCC cases and 23.6% of controls (P = 0.18).
The Serological Classification of Gonococci by Comparative Agglutination

It is only recently that serological methods have attained practical significance in the diagnosis of gonococcus types. Torrey (1907) and Teague and Torrey (1907) demonstrated differences of type in different strains of gonococci by agglutination as well as by complement fixation and, in addition, by precipitation in rabbit immune sera. They examined 10 strains, of which 6 could be classified into 3 serological groups. In a later investigation, Torrey and Buckell, (1922) by serological examination, endeavored to obtain data concerning the frequency of the individual types in a large number (77) of strains, some of which were twelve years old. Since they encountered great difficulties in the production of suitable diagnostic sera, they obtained unsatisfactory results both by agglutination and absorption. They assumed that the gonococcus antigen is very unstable as they did not find any sharp differences of types in the 3 serological groups (regular, intermediate, irregular) which they finally established. They found several strains whose sera had a very great range of reaction so that the majority of the different strains of gonococci examined were able to absorb several of these 9 sera for the homologous strains. On the other hand, it was not found that all the strains which furnished the overlapping and apparently very good sera, were identical. They were by no means able to absorb all the antisera of those strains which, on their part, had absorbed these seraa with wide antigenic valency. " These authors, therefore, could not combine all the strains which absorbed exactly the same sera, into one group as the 353
Smoking cessation patterns and predictors of quitting smoking among the Japanese general population: a 1-year follow-up study.

AIM To examine the percentage of Japanese adult smokers who make quit attempts and succeed in smoking cessation over a 1-year period, and to identify predictors of attempts to stop and successful smoking cessation. DESIGN AND SETTING This study used Ipsos JSR Company's access panel, whose sampling framework is based on the Basic Resident Register in Japan. We tracked and monitored a selected sample of smokers who were at least 20 years of age through a baseline postal questionnaire survey in 2005 and a follow-up survey 1 year later. PARTICIPANTS The original response rate was 72.1% (1874 of 2600 smokers). There were 1627 current smokers in the baseline survey, and of those, 1358 were followed-up 1 year later. FINDINGS Among the current smokers, 23.0% reported that they had attempted to quit smoking at least once in the past year. Of those who made quit attempts, 25.6% had achieved 1-week abstinence successfully and 13.5% reported having achieved sustained 6-month abstinence successfully at the time of the follow-up survey. The predictors associated with quit attempts were non-daily smoker, higher motivation to quit and previous attempts to stop smoking. Among smokers who made quit attempts, only 13.5% used nicotine replacement therapy. Higher nicotine dependence was associated with lower probability of success in quitting. CONCLUSIONS Japanese smokers attempt to quit at a lower rate than smokers in the United Kingdom and United States, but factors that predict attempts (primarily markers of motivation) and success of attempts (primarily dependence) are similar to those found in western samples.
Kinetics and mechanisms of Pb(II) sorption and desorption at the aluminum oxide : Water interface

The fate of Pb in the environment is highly dependent on sorption and desorption reactions on solid surfaces. In this study Pb sorption and desorption kinetics on γ-Al2O3 at pH 6.50, I = 0.1 M, and [Pb]initial = 2 mM were investigated using both macroscopic and spectroscopic measurements. X-ray absorption fine structure (XAFS) spectroscopy revealed a Pb−Al bond distance of 3.40 A, consistent with an inner-sphere bidentate bonding mechanism. XAFS results show no change with time in the average local atomic structure surrounding the Pb and no indication of the formation of Pb surface precipitates. Adsorption kinetics were initially fast, resulting in 76% of the total sorption occurring within 15 min, followed by a slow continuous sorption reaction likely resulting from diffusion through micropores. Desorption at I = 0.1 M and pH 6.50 was studied using a cation-exchange resin as a sink for Pb(aq). Under these conditions, Pb desorption was 98% reversible within 3 days of incubation time. Furthermore, desorpti.
A Middleware Framework for Mashing Device and Telecom Features with the Web

Evolution of Web browser functionality on mobile devices is the driving force for ‘mobile mashups’, whereby content rendered on a device is amalgamated from multiple Web sources. From richness perspective, such mashups can be enhanced to incorporate features that are unique to a mobile setting (1) native device features, such as location and calendar information, camera, Bluetooth, etc. available on a smart mobile platform, and (2) core Telecom network functionality, such as SMS and Third Party Call Control, exposed as services in a converged IP/Web network setup. Although numerous techniques exist in the Web domain for creating mashups, these are insufficient to utilize a three-dimensional setting present in the mobile domain comprising of the Web, native device features and Telecom services. In this paper, we first establish that middleware support is required for this purpose, both on the server side dealing with processing and integration of content, as well as on the device side dealing with rendering, device integration, Web service invocation, and execution. Moreover, we characterize how various components in this middleware ensure portability and adaptation of mashups across different devices. Based on our approach, we implement a mobile mashup framework for three popular platforms iPhone, Android and Nokia S60, and evaluate it against several software engineering principles and performance metrics.
Affiliative preferences are stable and predict mate choices in both sexes of Japanese quail, Coturnix japonica


Most laboratory studies of mate choice use affiliation as a surrogate measure for actual choice of a partner for copulation. In a series of recent studies using affiliation as a dependent variable, we showed that the tendency of both male and female Japanese quail to affiliate with members of the opposite sex is profoundly affected by seeing them mate with others: female quails show an increased tendency to affiliate with males that they have seen mating; and male quails show a decreased tendency to affiliate with females that they have seen mating. In the present experiments, we examined: (1) the consistency of affiliative preferences of male and female quail for individuals of both the same and opposite sex; and (2) the validity of measures of affiliation as predictors of choice of an individual with whom to mate. We found that: (1) both male and female quail display consistency from trial to trial in their affiliative preferences for members of the opposite but not the same sex, and (2) affiliative preference is a powerful predictor of choice of a partner for copulation in both male and female quail. In Japanese quail, affiliative behaviour is consistent over time and predicts mate choice. Copyright 1999 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Zinc transferred through breast milk does not differ between appropriate- and small-for-gestational-age, predominantly breast-fed Bangladeshi infants.

Information is needed on breast milk zinc concentration and amount of zinc transferred to the infant in relation to the time since birth for both appropriate-for-gestational-age (AGA) and small-for-gestational-age (SGA) infants. Breast milk zinc concentration and total milk volume were measured among mothers of AGA and SGA infants, using deuterium oxide "dose-to-mother" tracer technique and plasma zinc concentrations of mothers and infants. Forty-six mother-infant pairs (20 AGA and 26 SGA infants) were recruited from a low-income community in Bangladesh. Each mother-infant pair was studied 3 times: at 4, 12, and 24 wk postpartum. During each round, 2-wk studies of breast milk transfer were performed, using deuterium oxide dose-to-mother tracer technique. Breast milk samples were collected on days 1 and 5 of each round to determine milk zinc concentration. Mean ± SD birth weight and length were 3.02 ± 0.2 kg and 0.482 ± 0.012 m, respectively, for AGA and 2.34 ± 0.20 kg and 0.462 ± 0.011 m, respectively, for SGA infants, and both variables were different between groups (birth weight, P < 0.001; length, P < 0.001). Breast milk intake increased gradually with time postpartum in both groups. Breast milk zinc concentration decreased with increasing infant age (P < 0.001) but did not differ for mothers of AGA and SGA infants. Breast milk zinc transfer decreased significantly with age in both groups (P < 0.001) but did not differ by birth-weight category. Breast milk zinc concentration among Bangladeshi mothers and patterns of change at 24 wk were similar to those of wealthier countries, and there was no relation between infant birth-weight category and milk zinc concentration or transfer. This trial was registered at www.clinicaltrials. gov as NCT01728766.
Reliability of isokinetic knee extension and flexion strength testing in elderly women.

BACKGROUND Intertrial and test-retest reliability of isokinetic knee extension and flexion strength measurements was studied in eighteen elderly women (mean age 68 +/- 5 yrs), using increasing and decreasing angular velocity testing procedures. METHODS EXPERIMENTAL DESIGN five reciprocal knee extensions and flexions at three different angular velocities (90, 120, and 180 deg/sec) were performed by means of a MERAC apparatus on two occasions fifteen days apart. MEASURES Data relative to torque, power and work were considered. RESULTS Statistically significant differences were found often among the five trials and intraclass correlation coefficients, ranging from 0.03 to 0.90 for extensor muscles; ranging from 0.44 to 0.89 for flexor muscles, were shown among the best three outputs. Peak values were reached within the first three repetitions, though a 20% chance to produce peak outputs was shown in the last two repetitions. Increasing and decreasing test velocity procedures did not consistently show statistically significance for peak outputs. Generally, for each isokinetic parameter higher and more frequently significant correlation coefficients between test and retest experimental sessions were found for peak values (ranging from 0.36 to 0.80) with respect to mean values (ranging from 0.22 to 0.74). CONCLUSIONS These data suggest that a test procedure including five trials tends to increase the chance of producing the best peak outputs. Furthermore, considering the best peak and mean performances could be more appropriate when studying elderly women.
Interaction of the Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Vpr Protein with the Nuclear Pore Complex

ABSTRACT The Vpr protein of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) performs a number of functions that are associated with the nucleus. Vpr enhances the nuclear import of postentry viral nucleoprotein complexes, arrests proliferating cells in the G2phase of the cell cycle, and acts as a modest transcriptional activator. For this paper, we have investigated the nuclear import of Vpr. Although Vpr does not encode a sequence that is recognizable as a nuclear localization signal (NLS), Vpr functions as a transferable NLS both in somatic cells and inXenopus laevis oocytes. In certain contexts, Vpr also mediates substantial accumulation at the nuclear envelope and, in particular, at nuclear pore complexes (NPCs). Consistent with this, Vpr is shown to interact specifically with nucleoporin phenylalanine-glycine (FG)-repeat regions. These findings not only demonstrate that Vpr harbors a bona fide NLS but also raise the possibility that one (or more) of Vpr’s functions may take place at the NPC.