Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Detecting insertion tasks using convolutional neural networks during robot teaching-by-demonstration

Today, collaborative robots are often taught new tasks through “teaching by demonstration” techniques rather than manual programming. This works well for many tasks; however, some tasks like precise tight-fitting insertions can be hard to recreate through exact position replays because they also involve forces and are highly affected by the robot's repeatability and the position of the object in the hand. As of yet there is no way to automatically detect when procedures to reduce position uncertainty should be used. In this paper, we present a new way to automatically detect insertion tasks during impedance control-based trajectory teaching. This is accomplished by recording the forces and torques applied by the operator and inputting these signals to a convolutional neural network. The convolutional neural network is used to extract important features of the spatio-temporal forces and torque signals for distinguishing insertion tasks. Eventually, this method could help robots understand the tasks they are taught at a higher level. They will not only be capable of a position-time replay of the task, but will also recognize the best strategy to apply in order to accomplish the task (in this case insertion). Our method was tested on data obtained from 886 experiments that were conducted on eight different in-hand objects. Results show that we can distinguish insertion tasks from pick-and-place tasks with an average accuracy of 82%.
Social Capital and Adoption of Alternative Conservation Agricultural Practices in South-Western Nigeria

The major concern of most African countries, including Nigeria, in recent times is how to increase food production because of food insecurity issues, which by extension, is a major contributing factor to the prevalence of poverty. Therefore, adoption of conservation agricultural practices is regarded as a pathway to drive the achievement of food and nutrition security, as well as the needed optimal performance in the agri-food sector. Reportedly, scaling up of the limited adoption of these practices could be facilitated through kinship ties, peer influence, and social networks that govern mutual interactions among individuals; therefore, this motivated the study. Using cross-sectional data obtained from 350 sample units selected from South-Western Nigeria through a multistage sampling technique, this study applied descriptive statistical tools and cross-tabulation techniques to profile the sampled subjects while count outcome models were used to investigate the factors driving counts of conservative agriculture (CA) adoption. Similarly, a marginal treatment effects (MTEs) model (parametric approach) using local IV estimator was applied to examine the effects of CA adoption on the outcome (log of farmers’ farm income). Additionally, appropriate measures of fit tests statistics were used to test the reliabilities of the fitted models. Findings revealed that farmers’ years of farming experience (p < 0.1), frequency of extension visits (p < 0.05), and social capital viz-a-viz density of social group memberships (p < 0.05) significantly determined the count of CA practices adopted with varying degrees by smallholder farmers. Although, social capital expressed in terms of membership of occupational group and diversity of social group members also had a positive influence on the count of CA practices adopted but not significant owing largely to the “information gaps” about agricultural technologies in the study area. However, the statistical tests of the MTEs indicated that the treatment effects differed significantly across the covariates and it also varied significantly with unobserved heterogeneity. The policy relevant treatment effect estimates also revealed that different policy scenarios could increase or decrease CA adoption, depending on which individuals it induces to attract the expected spread and exposure.
Competition‐driven build‐up of habitat isolation and selection favoring modified dispersal patterns in a young avian hybrid zone

Competition‐driven evolution of habitat isolation is an important mechanism of ecological speciation but empirical support for this process is often indirect. We examined how an on‐going displacement of pied flycatchers from their preferred breeding habitat by collared flycatchers in a young secondary contact zone is associated with (a) access to an important food resource (caterpillar larvae), (b) immigration of pied flycatchers in relation to habitat quality, and (c) the risk of hybridization in relation to habitat quality. Over the past 12 years, the estimated access to caterpillar larvae biomass in the habitat surrounding the nests of pied flycatchers has decreased by a fifth due to shifted establishment possibilities, especially for immigrants. However, breeding in the high quality habitat has become associated with such a high risk of hybridization for pied flycatchers that overall selection currently favors pied flycatchers that were forced to immigrate into the poorer habitats (despite lower access to preferred food items). Our results show that competition‐driven habitat segregation can lead to fast habitat isolation, which per se caused an opportunity for selection to act in favor of future “voluntarily” altered immigration patterns and possibly strengthened habitat isolation through reinforcement.
Expression of a cell adhesion protein (VLA beta) in normal and diseased skin.

Biopsies from normal skin (n = 17) and various cutaneous disorders (n = 83) were examined immunohistologically for reactivity with an antibody (CD29) against the common beta chain of the VLA integrin family. In normal skin, CD29 recognized a number of cell types, i.e. endothelial cells, fibroblasts, T lymphocytes and basal keratinocytes. Similar cells were positive in diseased skin, but the expression of VLA beta was upregulated on keratinocytes. The phenotype of the VLA beta-positive T cells was examined in more detail by staining with anti-T-cell antibodies, i.e. CD3, CD4, CD8, CD45RO (UCHL1) and CD45R (2H4). These studies showed that most of the T cells in normal skin, benign cutaneous conditions and early cutaneous T-cell lymphomas (CTCL) expressed a similar phenotype and resembled antigen committed 'memory' (helper/inducer) cells (CD4+, CD29+, CD45RO+, CD45R-). In advanced CTCL, expression of these antigens was more variable, and many of these infiltrates showed aberrant (or unusual) expression of CD29, CD45RO, CD45R and other T-cell antigens. It is concluded that several cells involved in cutaneous immune reactions express a molecule (VLA beta) which acts as a receptor for extracellular matrix components. This molecule is important for the attachment of cells to connective tissue constituents and may act to facilitate the migration of lymphocytes (and other cells) during immune reactions in normal and diseased cutaneous conditions. Advanced CTCL differ from the early lesions and it is possible that there is a progressive accumulation of increasingly malignant (or transformed) cells in these conditions.
Sonographic assessment of predictors of depth of the corner pocket for ultrasound-guided supraclavicular brachial plexus block

Background and Aims: There is wide variation in depth of brachial plexus in patient population at supraclavicular region. We plan to find the depth of the corner pocket and correlate it with age, weight, height and body mass index (BMI). Material and Methods: After approval from Ethics Committee, right-sided supraclavicular region of volunteers was scanned. Once an optimal image, which included subclavian artery, pleura, first rib and nerve bundles, was obtained, the corner pocket was kept in the middle of the screen and the image was frozen. Depth of the corner pocket from the skin was measured. Thereafter longest distance (LD) approximating needle trajectory was calculated. The Pearson correlation was used to calculate the relation between these two distances and various predictors such as weight, height, and BMI. Results: Mean shortest distance that is, vertical distance from skin to corner pocket for all volunteers was found to be 1.7 ± 0.8 cm and the mean LD that is, distance traveled by needle entering 1 cm from the edge of foot process to the corner pocket in an in-plane approach was 3.7 ± 0.2 cm. We did not find any significant correlation between age, height versus measured distances. However, significant correlation (0.11) was found between weights, BMI versus two lengths. Conclusion: Prescanning of supraclavicular region for estimating depth of corner pocket should be done before choosing an appropriate size needle. Furthermore, the needle should not be advanced more than the predicted corner pocket depth.
What motivates lay volunteers in high burden but resource-limited tuberculosis control programmes? Perceptions from the Northern Cape province, South Africa.

SETTING The Northern Cape province, Republic of South Africa. OBJECTIVES To explore factors that motivate lay volunteers to join tuberculosis (TB) control programmes in high burden but resource-limited settings. DESIGN A qualitative study consisting of three focus group discussions and a documentary review of the records of 347 lay volunteers involved in the tuberculosis programme in the Northern Cape province of South Africa. Additional data were also collected in a cross-sectional study that involved questionnaire interviews with 135 lay volunteers. SUBJECTS Lay volunteers in the TB programme. One focus group discussion was also carried out with youth not involved in the TB programme. RESULTS Volunteers do not receive any monetary incentives in the TB programme in the Northern Cape province, but due to the high level of unemployment in this setting, hope for eventual remuneration was found to be the strongest factor motivating youth to join the programme. The study found attrition rates among volunteers to be high (22% had dropped out of the programme within one year of joining); 75% of the dropouts gave loss of interest and a desire for paid work as the reasons for leaving the TB programme. Other motivating factors identified included altruism, a need to find something to do with one's spare time, gaining work experience, and the novelty of the community-based TB programme. CONCLUSION In the absence of monetary incentives, attrition rates of lay volunteers may be high and this can threaten the effectiveness of community-based TB programmes. In resource-limited settings, it is important to identify and implement appropriate alternative incentives that could motivate lay persons in order to sustain community participation in high TB burden areas.
The Impacts of Solomo Services Technostress on Anxiety

Any technology service is not always positive but might accompany with something negative. Past studies have documented the dark side of technology such as technostress. Current technostress research reveals that individuals may experience technostress as a result of their use of information and communication technologies (ICTs), and consequently may have symptoms of anxiety and tension. At the level of individuals, this study tries to understand anxiety caused by modern ICT technostress such as SoLoMo (social-local-mobile) services in daily life. Accordingly, we propose the SoLoMo services stress as a specific technostress of SoLoMo services and identify five stressors including information overload, social message overload, social support overload, perceived surveillance, and services usage cost. The results reveal that three stressors, information overload, social message overload, and perceived surveillance have significant impacts on users’ anxiety, but social support overload and services usage cost have no significant impacts. Meanwhile, it is interesting to find that users of different features have different influential stressors of anxiety.
Rate of Cognitive Change Measured by Neuropsychologic Test Performance in 3 Distinct Dementia Syndromes

Progressive decline in cognition is a hallmark feature of dementia, and the rate and profile of cognitive decline has been well characterized in Alzheimer disease (AD). Less is known about decline in cognition over time in other forms of dementia such as the behavioral variant of frontotemporal dementia (FTD) and primary progressive aphasia (PPA). The present study examined rate of cognitive decline across domains of memory, language, and executive function measured by neuropsychologic tests, in AD (n=84), FTD (n=66), and PPA (n=44). Patients were in the mild stages of dementia, with comparable duration of illness at the baseline evaluation. A best linear unbiased predictor (BLUP) analysis was used in which the slope of the relationship between a cognitive measure and time was estimated for each person. AD subjects demonstrated a floor effect on measures of memory at baseline and a decline on measures of language and executive functioning over time. FTD showed the greatest decline over time on the Mini-Mental State Examination, executive functioning, and naming. PPA patients demonstrated prominent decline on language measures, verbal memory measures, and attention. Results suggest that the profile of rate of change over time has unique features on the basis of the type of dementia syndrome. However, there is overlap in the profiles of decline likely influenced by the overlap in cognitive constructs measured by neuropsychologic tests. The comparison of the rate of decline in FTD and PPA may also reflect the neuroanatomic overlap in these syndromes over time.
Optic Disc Size and Other Parameters From Optical Coherence Tomography in Vietnamese-Americans

PurposeTo investigate the optic disc parameters by optical coherence tomography (OCT) in Vietnamese with various types of glaucoma. Patients and MethodsMedical charts of Vietnamese and White patients within a single practice were reviewed. Disc and rim areas by OCT were compared among nonglaucoma controls, different types of glaucoma, and glaucoma suspect. The association of these parameters with demographic and ocular features was evaluated. ResultsData from 1416 Vietnamese and 57 White patients were included. A larger mean disc area was observed in eyes with primary angle-closure glaucoma than in eyes with primary angle-closure and primary angle-closure suspect (both P<0.001). There was no association between disc size with central corneal thickness (P=0.051) and sex (P=0.155). Vietnamese patients with glaucoma and glaucoma suspicion had larger discs than diagnosis-matched Whites (P=0.043 and 0.021, respectively). ConclusionsVietnamese patients with glaucoma seem to have larger optic discs than White patients. Central corneal thickness had no association with disc area in this study population.
Cognitive performance in patients with burnout, in relation to diurnal salivary cortisol

This study investigated cognitive performance in patients with burnout, in relation to the flexibility of the hypothalamic–pituitary–adrenal (HPA) axis. Clinical cases with work stress-induced burnout (n = 65), and demographically matched, healthy reference subjects (n = 65), were given six neuropsychological tests and a self-rating scale for cognitive problems. Diurnal salivary cortisol was measured among burnout cases and an external reference group (n = 174), including a dexamethasone suppression test (DST) among burnout cases. Compared with referents, the burnout group under-performed in a cognitive speed test (Wechsler Adult Intelligence Scale-Revised (WAIS-R) Digit Symbol), but not in any other test of sustained attention, episodic memory, or vocabulary. Burnout cases had considerably more subjective cognitive problems, but ratings were unrelated to test performance. Compared with referents, burnout cases had similar morning salivary cortisol levels and similar awakening response, but lower evening cortisol. Among burnout cases, lower diurnal cortisol variability was related to slower performance in several tests. The DST response showed no consistent relationship with any cognitive parameter. Hence, despite considerable subjective cognitive problems, the burnout group showed only a partial, mild deviation in cognitive performance. A flatter diurnal cortisol profile was related to lower cognitive processing speed, but diurnal cortisol pattern and DST response were normal, suggesting a maintained HPA axis flexibility.
Effects of nefopam on early postoperative hyperalgesia after cardiac surgery.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this randomized, double-blind placebo-controlled study was to evaluate the effect of nefopam, a centrally acting antinociceptive compound, on the development of hyperalgesia after sternotomy. Preventive strategy giving nefopam from the early stage of anesthesia was compared with a postoperative strategy only and placebo. DESIGN This study was double-blinded and randomized. SETTING It was conducted in a single university hospital. PARTICIPANTS Ninety American Society of Anesthesiologists II to III patients scheduled for elective cardiac surgery. INTERVENTIONS Patients were assigned randomly to receive a 0.3-mg/kg bolus of nefopam at the induction of anesthesia followed by a continuous infusion of 0.065 mg/kg/h for 48 hours (G1), a 0.3-mg/kg bolus of nefopam at the end of surgery followed by a continuous infusion of 0.065 mg/kg/h for 48 hours (G2), or a placebo (G3). Postoperative analgesia was based on morphine patient-controlled analgesia and rescue analgesia when necessary. Postoperative hyperalgesia, pain scores, morphine consumption, and postoperative cognitive dysfunction were assessed for the first 48 hours and thereafter on postoperative days 4 and 7. MEASUREMENTS AND MAIN RESULTS The postoperative extent of dynamic hyperalgesia and the decrease of the nociceptive threshold evaluated by von Frey filaments at the sternal midline were smaller in group 1 and group 2 compared with the placebo group at the 24th hour. The primary objective was the extent of hyperalgesia at the midline given as the mean (standard deviation [SD]) (4.4 [2.5] cm for G1, 4.1 [2.7] for G2, and 6.1 [2.7] cm for G3. The punctuate is given as mean (SD) (64 [43] g for G1, 68 [40.8] g for G2, and 32 [27] g for G3; with p < 0.05 for the comparisons of extent and punctuate hyperalgesia between G1 and G3 and G2 and G3). The extent of hyperalgesia was not significantly different among the 3 groups on days 2, 4, and 7 after surgery. There were no significant differences in pain scores, morphine consumption, or postoperative cognitive dysfunctions. CONCLUSIONS Nefopam administered during the perioperative period slightly reduced acute hyperalgesia after cardiac surgery, but this was not associated with improved analgesic efficacy.
Knee Arthrodesis with the Wichita Fusion Nail: An Outcome Comparision

The Wichita Fusion Nail® (WFN®) is a knee arthrodesis stabilization system that employs compression via an intramedullary rod. It was designed for use in the salvage of the irretrievably failed total knee arthroplasty and other severe knee pathologies. Questionnaires covering the fusion success rate, fusion time, and complication rate were obtained from 33 surgeons who were among the first to use the device. Data from these questionnaires were analyzed to determine if the rate of successful fusion was close to 100%, which was the primary hypothesis of this study. The average time required to achieve fusion and the rate of complications were also calculated and compared to similar results available in the literature. The results for 44 selected patients were included and it was determined that all achieved fusion for a success rate of 100%. This compared favorably with reported success rates in the range of 54% to 96%. The average fusion time was 15.5 weeks. Complications included: six delayed unions, three deep infections, and two periimplant fractures for a major complications rate of 20.4%. Both the fusion times and complication rate compared favorably with other reported results. Surgeons using the device for the first time had outcomes equal to those of more experienced users. Our results demonstrated that a rate of successful arthrodesis close to 100% could be consistently achieved with the WFN. ® Overall, the WFN® facilitated an improved outcome for a previously difficult procedure.Level of Evidence: Therapeutic study, level IV (case series). See the Guidelines for Authors for a complete description of level of evidence.
Coping strategies among the long‐term mentally ill: categorization and clinical determinants

The aim of this study was to explore strategies for coping with symptoms in 98 long‐term mentally ill patients. The following characteristics of the strategies were investigated: level, effectiveness, target symptom and problem orientation. In addition, we studied the association between measures of coping and psychopathology. An average of 3.8 coping strategies per patient was reported, and strategies involving behavioural change were most common (48%), followed by changes in socialization (24%) and in cognitive control (15%). Coping efforts were most commonly directed towards non‐psychotic symptoms. A high load of general and affective symptoms, few negative symptoms and a high level of illness awareness predicted the total number of coping strategies. Separate analysis of active and passive strategies, including increased and decreased socialization, respectively, revealed very different patterns of clinical predictors. These results are discussed with reference to community‐care programmes.
Art therapy as an adjuvant treatment for depression in elderly women: a randomized controlled trial

Objective: There are few quantitative studies on art therapy for the treatment of depression. The objective of this study was to evaluate if art therapy is beneficial as an adjuvant treatment for depression in the elderly. Methods: A randomized, controlled, single-blind study was carried out in a sample of elderly women with major depressive disorder (MDD) stable on pharmacotherapy. The experimental group (EG) was assigned to 20 weekly art therapy sessions (90 min/session). The control group (CG) was not subjected to any adjuvant intervention. Patients were evaluated at baseline and after 20 weeks, using the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS), Beck Depression Inventory (BDI), Beck Anxiety Inventory (BAI), and cognitive measures. Results: Logistic regression analysis adjusted for age revealed that women in EG (n=31) had significant improvement in GDS (p = 0.007), BDI (p = 0.025), and BAI (p = 0.032) scores as compared with controls (n=25). No difference was found in the cognitive measures. Conclusion: Art therapy as an adjunctive treatment for MDD in the elderly can improve depressive and anxiety symptoms. Clinical trial registration: RBR-2YXY7Z