Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visual Tracking of Deformation and Classification of Non-Rigid Objects with Robot Hand Probing

Performing tasks with a robot hand often requires a complete knowledge of the manipulated object, including its properties (shape, rigidity, surface texture) and its location in the environment, in order to ensure safe and efficient manipulation. While well-established procedures exist for the manipulation of rigid objects, as well as several approaches for the manipulation of linear or planar deformable objects such as ropes or fabric, research addressing the characterization of deformable objects occupying a volume remains relatively limited. The paper proposes an approach for tracking the deformation of non-rigid objects under robot hand manipulation using RGB-D data. The purpose is to automatically classify deformable objects as rigid, elastic, plastic, or elasto-plastic, based on the material they are made of, and to support recognition of the category of such objects through a robotic probing process in order to enhance manipulation capabilities. The proposed approach combines advantageously classical color and depth image processing techniques and proposes a novel combination of the fast level set method with a log-polar mapping of the visual data to robustly detect and track the contour of a deformable object in a RGB-D data stream. Dynamic time warping is employed to characterize the object properties independently from the varying length of the tracked contour as the object deforms. The proposed solution achieves a classification rate over all categories of material of up to 98.3%. When integrated in the control loop of a robot hand, it can contribute to ensure stable grasp, and safe manipulation capability that will preserve the physical integrity of the object.
NWA 10989 – A New Lunar Meteorite with Equal Proportions of Feldspathic and VLT Material Conference or Workshop Item

NWA 10989 – A New Lunar Meteorite with Equal Proportions of Feldspathic and VLT Material Conference or Workshop Item How to cite: Ashcroft, H. O. ; Anand, M. ; Korotev, R. L. ; Greenwood, R. C. ; Franchi, I. A. and Strekopytov, S. (2017). NWA 10989 – A New Lunar Meteorite with Equal Proportions of Feldspathic and VLT Material. In: 48th Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, 20-24 Mar 2017, The Woodlands, Houston, Texas.
Prolonged outbreak of giardiasis with two modes of transmission

Large outbreaks of giardiasis caused by person-to-person transmission, or a combination of transmission routes, have not previously been reported. A large, prolonged giardiasis outbreak affected families belonging to a country club in a suburb of Boston, Massachusetts, during June–December 2003. We conducted a retrospective cohort study to determine the source of this outbreak. Giardiasis-compatible illness was experienced by 149 (25%) respondents to a questionnaire, and was laboratory confirmed in 97 (65%) of these cases. Of the 30 primary cases, exposure to the children's pool at the country club was significantly associated with illness (risk ratio 3·3, 95% confidence interval 1·7–6·5). In addition, 105 secondary cases probably resulted from person-to-person spread; 14 cases did not report an onset date. This outbreak illustrates the potential for Giardia to spread through multiple modes of transmission, with a common-source outbreak caused by exposure to a contaminated water source resulting in subsequent prolonged propagation through person-to-person transmission in the community. This capacity for a common-source outbreak to continue propagation through secondary person-to-person spread has been reported with Shigella and Cryptosporidium and may also be a feature of other enteric pathogens having low infectious doses.
In vivo detection of brain glycine with echo‐time‐averaged 1H magnetic resonance spectroscopy at 4.0 T

A single‐voxel proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H‐MRS) method is described that enables the in vivo measurement of endogenous brain glycine (Gly) levels in human subjects. At 4.0 T, TE‐averaging 1H‐MRS dramatically attenuates the overlapping myo‐inositol (mI) resonances at 3.52 ppm, permitting a more reliable measure of the Gly singlet peak. This methodology initially is described and tested in phantoms. The phantom data infers that the 3.55‐ppm peak predominantly is Gly with a smaller contribution from mI. The composite resonance thus is differentiated from pure Gly and mI and is labeled Gly*. The mI contribution was calculated as <2% of the total Gly* signal for a 1:1 mI/Gly mixture. The technique subsequently was used to acquire TE‐averaged 1H‐MRS data from the occipital cortex of healthy control subjects. The resultant spectra closely resembled experimental phantom data. LC‐model analysis provided a means for quantifying TE‐averaged 1H‐MRS spectra and a mean test–retest variability measure of 15% was established for brain Gly* levels in studies of six healthy subjects. Magn Reson Med, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Innovation and the micro-enterprise

Small and medium sized enterprises (SMEs) have increasingly been placed under the scholarly microscope, particularly with respect to their capacity for innovation. But how small is small? This paper is concerned with micro-enterprises (those employing fewer than 20 people) which, although they exist in tremendous numbers worldwide, remain largely unexplored by organisational scholars. Using New Zealand micro-enterprises as an illustration, this paper advocates a cognitive approach to developing a greater understanding of innovation in this important class of organisations.
Choice Blindness in Consumer Decision-Making

The present experiment used the choice blindness methodology to examine introspection, selfknowledge, and the instability of preferences within the domain of consumer choice. The sample consisted of 60 participants between the ages of 18 and 23. Participants completed a consumer goods questionnaire that contained the choice blindness manipulation of either the price or the other attributes of the laptop item and a demographic questionnaire. A strong choice blindness effect was established and over 70% of participants failed to detect the manipulation of the laptop item. Participants were also significantly more likely to detect the manipulation of the laptop’s price than the other choice attributes. While participants who originally chose the cheaper laptop were more likely to detect the manipulation, this difference was not significant. Interestingly, out of the participants who did not detect the manipulation, many people gave verbal justification and reasoning for the choice they did not originally pick. Most of these justifications were self-contradictory, in which participants rated either the price or the other specific attribute(s) that they justified to be very important in their initial decision prior to the switch. The results demonstrated that preferences are not only constructed to make a particular choice, but are also shaped by the outcome of a decision. Practical implications for choice blindness in consumer decision-making and directions for future research are discussed.
The role of glycogen synthase kinase-3 in insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes

Glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) is a ubiquitous cytosolic serine/threonine protein kinase that has been implicated in multiple receptor-mediated intracellular processes. Its unique feature, which distinguishes it from other protein kinases, is that it is constitutively active in resting conditions and acts as a suppressor of signalling pathways. The fact that the function of two key targets of insulin action, glycogen synthase and insulin receptor substrate-1, are suppressed by GSK-3, as well as the fact that GSK-3 activity is higher in diabetic tissues, makes it a promising drug discovery target for insulin resistance and Type 2 diabetes. Thus, the development of GSK-3 inhibitors has received attention as an attempt to control both the spread of the disease and its severity.
Histological evaluation of tissue damage caused by rotational needle insertion

Needles used in percutaneous insertion must be as thin as possible to minimize invasiveness. However, using extra-thin needles with a diameter less than 25G (0.53 mm diameter) can cause needle deflection. Needle deflection can be minimized by insertion with axial rotation along the needle shaft; this rotation is also useful for steering the insertion direction of the needle tip. However, although high rotation speeds may decrease needle deflection, this may increase tissue damage. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to histologically evaluate tissue damage caused by the rotational needle-insertion method, and to verify the needle-tip deflection caused by tissue damage. In this paper, we evaluated tissue damage and needle deflection caused by needle insertion with no rotation, unidirectional rotation, and bidirectional rotation. The results suggest that percutaneous needle insertion under unidirectional rotation is potentially risky in humans, as this causes wound-up tissue and expansion of the area of the hole created by the needle path. In contrast, needle insertion under bidirectional rotation appeared to minimize deflection, and prevented winding of tissue and expansion of the hole created by the needle path.
Virtual Reality Job Interview Training for Individuals With Psychiatric Disabilities

Abstract Services are available to help support existing employment for individuals with psychiatric disabilities; however, there is a gap in services targeting job interview skills that can help obtain employment. We assessed the feasibility and efficacy of Virtual Reality Job Interview Training (VR-JIT) in a randomized controlled trial. Participants were randomized to VR-JIT (n = 25) or treatment-as-usual (TAU) (n = 12) groups. VR-JIT consisted of 10 hours of simulated job interviews with a virtual character and didactic online training. The participants attended 95% of laboratory-based training sessions and found VR-JIT easy to use and felt prepared for future interviews. The VR-JIT group improved their job interview role-play performance (p ⩽ 0.05) and self-confidence (p ⩽ 0.05) between baseline and follow-up as compared with the TAU group. VR-JIT performance scores increased over time (R2 = 0.65). VR-JIT demonstrated initial feasibility and efficacy at improving job interview skills and self-confidence. Future research may help clarify whether this intervention is efficacious in community-based settings.
Early Sikh tradition: a study of the Janam-Sākhīs . By. W. H. McLeod. pp. xiv, 317. Oxford, Clarendon Press, 1980. £17.50.

bankatis (deforestation) occurred, followed by the south-westward expansion of the city. One may question where the temple of Avimukteshvara Shiva, the presiding deity of the city, stood in the Gupta period, and whether its present locality behind the Aurangzeb mosque at Gyanvapi corresponds with the ancient description. For even when the holy concept of the great Matsyodari deluge was created, the township of Kashi, taking the form of a "Matsyodara" or "fish-belly" represented the same old plateau of the GuptaGahadavala period corresponding to the "Omkar Khand" of Banaras (see the map on p. 357). The worship of Vishnu rivalled that of Shiva. Even as late as in the present century, some of the older generation believed in the division of the city between Shiva and Vishnu Kashis (parallel to Shiva and Vishnu Kanchis of Tamilnadu). According to that tradition the tract stretching from Adi Keshav to the Chowkhambha area was the Vishnu Kashi, with Vindu-Madhav as its presiding deity. The Gopal Mandir complex of the Vallabhacharyas was built in this section at a later date. The Vindu-Mahadeva Temple was considered very important, since Aurangzeb clearly preferred this to the Vishvanath site. Both were demolished by his orders, but the Jami' (principal) mosque of the time was built on the site of the Vindu-Mahadeva Temple. Another point on which Diana Eck gives no information is that all the Vaishnavite festivals are celebrated in Shaivite temples the Vishvanath Temple included and similarly all the Shaivite festivals are observed in the Vaishnavite temples. Perhaps in each case a new overtone is attributed in these celebrations, following the local myth. Banaras is a small island in the vast ocean of Hindu India. We are grateful to Diana Eck for sharing the pleasure of her researches in this exciting work.
Delivery mode shapes the acquisition and structure of the initial microbiota across multiple body habitats in newborns

Upon delivery, the neonate is exposed for the first time to a wide array of microbes from a variety of sources, including maternal bacteria. Although prior studies have suggested that delivery mode shapes the microbiota's establishment and, subsequently, its role in child health, most researchers have focused on specific bacterial taxa or on a single body habitat, the gut. Thus, the initiation stage of human microbiome development remains obscure. The goal of the present study was to obtain a community-wide perspective on the influence of delivery mode and body habitat on the neonate's first microbiota. We used multiplexed 16S rRNA gene pyrosequencing to characterize bacterial communities from mothers and their newborn babies, four born vaginally and six born via Cesarean section. Mothers’ skin, oral mucosa, and vagina were sampled 1 h before delivery, and neonates’ skin, oral mucosa, and nasopharyngeal aspirate were sampled <5 min, and meconium <24 h, after delivery. We found that in direct contrast to the highly differentiated communities of their mothers, neonates harbored bacterial communities that were undifferentiated across multiple body habitats, regardless of delivery mode. Our results also show that vaginally delivered infants acquired bacterial communities resembling their own mother's vaginal microbiota, dominated by Lactobacillus, Prevotella, or Sneathia spp. , and C-section infants harbored bacterial communities similar to those found on the skin surface, dominated by Staphylococcus, Corynebacterium, and Propionibacterium spp. These findings establish an important baseline for studies tracking the human microbiome's successional development in different body habitats following different delivery modes, and their associated effects on infant health.
Linear accelerator radiosurgery for meningiomas in and around the cavernous sinus.

OBJECTIVE A retrospective study to evaluate the efficacy and side effects of linear accelerator radiosurgery in the treatment of cavernous sinus meningiomas. METHODS Between 1993 and 2001, 42 patients with meningiomas involving the cavernous sinus underwent linear accelerator radiosurgery at our institution. A mean radiation dose of 14 Gy was delivered to the tumor margin. The median tumor volume was 8.2 cm3 (mean, 8.4 cm3). Median follow-up was 36 months (mean, 38 mo). RESULTS Control of tumor growth was achieved in 97.5% of the patients. There was no mortality or permanent extraocular motor or pituitary dysfunction. Treatment-related complications included new trigeminal neuropathy in 4.7% and a new visual field defect in 2.8%. Two patients required shunt placement after developing hydrocephalus. One patient with symptomatic temporal lobe edema underwent partial excision of the tumor. Improvement of existing cranial neuropathies was noted in 29% of affected trigeminal nerves, in 22% of oculomotor nerves, and in 13% of Cranial Nerves IV and VI. CONCLUSION This study indicates that linear accelerator radiosurgery can achieve a high control rate of meningiomas involving the cavernous sinus with no mortality and a low incidence of morbidity.
Multiple Intelligence Styles in Relation to Improved Academic Performance in Kuwaiti Middle School Reading

Research was conducted with middle-school Kuwaiti children to assess the effectiveness of student multiple intelligence styles in predicting students' improved reading skills through academic performance. A group of middle school students who had received first quarter grades and enrolled in an after-school tutoring program were studied, with half of the students in a traditional tutoring program and the other half in a Gardner multiple intelligence style-tutoring program. Results show that the students in the experimental group (mean = 48.99), whose multiple intelligence was applied to learning, performed better overall for the academic year than the students in the control group (mean = 45.30) who studied using traditional teaching methodology. Gender, school type, and residential living area were all analyzed within the experimental group. The experimental group results show that, with regards to grades during each quarter period, female students attending private institutions living in suburban areas had greater reading improvement.
Turks, Moors, and Englishmen in the Age of Discovery

1. Turks and Moors in England2. Soldiers Pirates, Traders, and Captives: Britons Among the Muslims3. The Renaissance Triangle: Britons Muslims, and American Indians4. Sodomy and Conquest5. Holy Land, Holy WarConclusion: Britons, Muslims, and the Shadow of the America IndiansAppendixesNotesBibliographyIndex
Changes in platelet function with inflammation in patients undergoing vascular surgery

Abstract The role of platelets in ischaemic events is well established. Aspirin represents the default antiplatelet and blocks the metabolism of arachidonic acid (AA) at the cyclo-oxygenase enzyme (COX). AA is commonly used as a test of response to aspirin, but recent data raise uncertainty about the validity of this approach. Specifically, in some patients AA-induced clotting is not suppressed, but the level of COX-dependent AA metabolite, thromboxane B2 (TXB2) is negligible. Furthermore, AA-induced whole blood clotting varies dynamically in individuals, who are aspirin responsive according to TXB2 levels. The aim of this study was to assess the level of AA-, ADP- and thrombin-mediated platelet reactivity in patients on aspirin before, during, and after major vascular surgery, which represents a model of on/off vascular inflammation. Firstly, we hypothesized, that in association with this inflammatory episode AA-, ADP- and thrombin-induced clotting would change in a dynamic manner. Secondly, that AA-induced clotting will be modified despite complete suppression of platelet TXB2 production by aspirin throughout the periprocedural period, possibly via a lipoxygenase-mediated mechanism. Fourty patients underwent major vascular surgery (open abdominal aortic aneurysm operation, infrainguinal bypass for subcritical limb ischaemia or peripheral aneurysm repair with bypass). They were all on 75 mg of aspirin prior to and throughout the perioperative period and received 5000 units of unfractionated heparin intraoperatively. AA-, ADP-, and thrombin-induced clotting, AA metabolites (TXB2 and 12-Hyroxyeicosatetraenoic acid (12-HETE)) and inflammatory markers (CRP, IL-6, TNF-α and CD40) were measured pre-procedure and at 2, 24, 48 hours, 3 to 5 days and 3 months after surgery. AA-, ADP- and thrombin-induced platelet reactivity was assessed using thrombelastography. TXB2, 12-HETE, IL-6, TNF-α, CD40 were determined using the sequential competitive binding Enzyme-Linked ImmunoAssay technique and CRP was determined using an immune-turbidimetric test on human serum. There was a transient rise in inflammatory markers in the early perioperative period (CRP at 24, 48 hours and 3 to 5 days p < 0.001 and IL-6 at 2, 24, 48 hours and 3 to 5 days p < 0.001 as compared to baseline). Patients had negligible levels of TXB2 throughout, confirming a consistent therapeutic response to aspirin. There was a transient rise in thrombin-mediated clotting (MAThrombin at 48 hours p = 0.001 and 3 to 5 days p < 0.001) and a fall in AA- and ADP-induced clotting in the early post op period (both MAAA and MAADP p = 0.001 at 2 hours). At 3 months, the level of AA- and ADP-induced clotting was significantly higher than at baseline (p = 0.008 for MAAA and p = 0.002 for MAADP), hence demonstrating a rebound effect. These data demonstrate a novel dynamic variation in platelet aggregation with acute vascular inflammation, including AA-induced whole blood clotting which is apparently COX-1 independent.
Characterization of Chemical Pulp Fines

This study presents a number of new methods for characterizing chemical pulp fines. The methods are used to measure the dewatering rate, settling rate, and viscosity of a fines suspension, which are closely related to the specific surface area of fines. The dewatering rate of the fines suspension measured with a gravimetric water retention meter that used pressure filtration coincided with the results obtained with a conventional method for measuring the drainage time in a sheet mold. The settling rate measured with a Turbiscan device, which is equipped with an optical head for scanning the sample automatically, correlated with the results of conventional visual observation. The Brookfield viscosity of the fines suspension may be dependent on the degree of hydration of the fines network. All of these new methods were found to be simple, fast, and accurate for measurement.The finer the fines fractions, the more it contributed to slowing down the settling and increasing the viscosity of the fines suspension.
Solid lubricant behavior of MoS2 and WSe2-based nanocomposite coatings

Abstract Tribological coatings made of MoS2 and WSe2 phases and their corresponding combinations with tungsten carbide (WC) were prepared by non-reactive magnetron sputtering of individual targets of similar composition. A comparative tribological analysis of these multiphase coatings was done in both ambient air (30–40% relative humidity, RH) and dry nitrogen (RH<7%) environments using the same tribometer and testing conditions. A nanostructural study using advanced transmission electron microscopy of the initial coatings and examination of the counterfaces after the friction test using different analytical tools helped to elucidate what governs the tribological behavior for each type of environment. This allowed conclusions to be made about the influence of the coating microstructure and composition on the tribological response. The best performance obtained with a WSex film (specific wear rate of 2 × 10−8 mm3 N–1m–1 and a friction coefficient of 0.03–0.05) was compared with that of the well-established MoS2 lubricant material.