Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reactive reaching and grasping on a humanoid: Towards closing the action-perception loop on the iCub

We propose a system incorporating a tight integration between computer vision and robot control modules on a complex, high-DOF humanoid robot. Its functionality is showcased by having our iCub humanoid robot pick-up objects from a table in front of it. An important feature is that the system can avoid obstacles - other objects detected in the visual stream - while reaching for the intended target object. Our integration also allows for non-static environments, i.e. the reaching is adapted on-the-fly from the visual feedback received, e.g. when an obstacle is moved into the trajectory. Furthermore we show that this system can be used both in autonomous and tele-operation scenarios.
Angiogenesis , Metastasis , and the Cellular Microenvironment Relaxin Enhances the Collagenolytic Activity and In Vitro Invasiveness by Upregulating Matrix Metalloproteinases in Human Thyroid Carcinoma Cells

In this study, we identified differential expression of immunoreactive matrix metalloproteinase 2 (MMP2)/ gelatinase A, membrane-anchored MT1-MMP/MMP14, and human relaxin-2 (RLN2) in human benign and malignant thyroid tissues. MMP2 and MT1-MMP were detected in the majority of thyroid cancer tissues and colocalized with RLN2-positive cells. MMP2 was mostly absent in goiter tissues and, similar to RLN2, may serve as a marker for thyroid cancer. MMP2 and MT1-MMP were identified as novel RLN2 targets. RLN2 caused a significant downregulation of tissue inhibitor of MMP (TIMP) 3 protein levels but did not change the expression levels of MMP13, and TIMP1, TIMP2, and TIMP4 in human thyroid carcinoma cells. RLN2 failed to affect the expression of MMP1, 3, 8, and 9 in the thyroid carcinoma cells investigated. Stable RLN2 transfectants secreted enhanced levels of bioactive MMP2 which contributed to the increased collagenolytic activity and in vitro invasiveness into collagen matrix by human thyroid cancer cells. Three-dimensional reconstitution of confocal fluorescent microscopy images revealed larger-sized invadopodia, with intense MT1-MMP accumulation at the leading migrating edge in RLN2 transfectants when compared with enhanced green fluorescent protein clones. In RLN2 transfectants actin stress fibers contributed to pseudopodia formation. In conclusion, enhanced tumor cell invasion by RLN2 involves the formation of MT1-MMP–enriched invadopodia that lead to increased collagenolytic cell invasion by human thyroid cancer cells. Mol Cancer Res; 9(6); 673–87. 2011 AACR.
Effects of dark chocolate and cocoa consumption on endothelial function and arterial stiffness in overweight adults

The consumption of cocoa and dark chocolate is associated with a lower risk of CVD, and improvements in endothelial function may mediate this relationship. Less is known about the effects of cocoa/chocolate on the augmentation index (AI), a measure of vascular stiffness and vascular tone in the peripheral arterioles. We enrolled thirty middle-aged, overweight adults in a randomised, placebo-controlled, 4-week, cross-over study. During the active treatment (cocoa) period, the participants consumed 37 g/d of dark chocolate and a sugar-free cocoa beverage (total cocoa = 22 g/d, total flavanols (TF) = 814 mg/d). Colour-matched controls included a low-flavanol chocolate bar and a cocoa-free beverage with no added sugar (TF = 3 mg/d). Treatments were matched for total fat, saturated fat, carbohydrates and protein. The cocoa treatment significantly increased the basal diameter and peak diameter of the brachial artery by 6 % (+2 mm) and basal blood flow volume by 22 %. Substantial decreases in the AI, a measure of arterial stiffness, were observed in only women. Flow-mediated dilation and the reactive hyperaemia index remained unchanged. The consumption of cocoa had no effect on fasting blood measures, while the control treatment increased fasting insulin concentration and insulin resistance (P= 0·01). Fasting blood pressure (BP) remained unchanged, although the acute consumption of cocoa increased resting BP by 4 mmHg. In summary, the high-flavanol cocoa and dark chocolate treatment was associated with enhanced vasodilation in both conduit and resistance arteries and was accompanied by significant reductions in arterial stiffness in women.
Female labor supply in Chile

The aim of this study is to analyze female labor supply in Chile and explain its peculiarities: the difference between female and male participation, and the pattern of female participation rates according to household income levels. To analyze the factors that affect the behavior of the female labor participation rate, we first estimate a labor supply function for men and women, and then a female labor supply equation with additional variables that might explain the differences in behavior between women from different socioeconomic levels.
Design and simulation analysis of a soft manipulator based on honeycomb pneumatic networks

In this paper, we introduce a systematic process of design, simulation and experimental validation of a manipulator based on the honeycomb pneumatic network (HPN) structure. The HPN structure shows potential in achieving balance between flexibility and load bearing capacity, which overcomes the shortcoming of pneumatic networks in strength. To reach the best performance of both features above, we establish explicit evaluation criteria and conduct specific simulation experiments employing nonlinear finite element method (FEM). Finally, the manipulator prototype is validated to have decent load bearing capacities as well as flexibility in experimental tests.
Location-sensitive resources recommendation in social tagging systems

In social tagging systems, resources such as images and videos are annotated with descriptive words called tags. It has been shown that tag-based resource searching and retrieval is much more effective than content-based retrieval. With the advances in mobile technology, many resources are also geo-tagged with location information. We observe that a traditional tag (word) can carry different semantics at different locations. We study how location information can be used to help distinguish the different semantics of a resource's tags and thus to improve retrieval accuracy. Given a search query, we propose a location-partitioning method that partitions all locations into regions such that the user query carries distinguishing semantics in each region. Based on the identified regions, we utilize location information in estimating the ranking scores of resources for the given query. These ranking scores are learned using the Bayesian Personalized Ranking (BPR) framework. Two algorithms, namely, LTD and LPITF, which apply Tucker Decomposition and Pairwise Interaction Tensor Factorization, respectively for modeling the ranking score tensor are proposed. Through experiments on real datasets, we show that LTD and LPITF outperform other tag-based resource retrieval methods.
Recurrent Network-based Deterministic Policy Gradient for Solving Bipedal Walking Challenge on Rugged Terrains

This paper presents the learning algorithm based on the Recurrent Network-based Deterministic Policy Gradient (RDPG). The Long-Short Term Memory (LSTM) is utilized to enable the Partially Observed Markov Decision Process (POMDP) framework. The novelty are improvements of LSTM networks: update of multi-step temporal difference, removal of backpropagation through time on actor, initialisation of hidden state using past trajectory scanning, and injection of external experiences learned by other agents. Our methods benefit the reinforcement learning agent on inferring the desirable action by referring the trajectories of both past observations and actions. The proposed algorithm was implemented to solve the Bipedal-Walker challenge in OpenAI’s virtual environment where only partial state information is available. The validation on the extremely rugged terrain demonstrates the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm by achieving a new record of highest rewards in the challenge. The autonomous behaviors generated by the RDPG agent are highly adaptive to a variety of obstacles as shown in the simulation results.
Automatic image captioning from the web for GPS photographs

Increasing quantities of images are indexed by GPS coordinates. However, it is difficult to search within such pictures. In this paper, we propose a solution to automatically generate captions (including place name, keywords and summary) from the web content based on image location information. The richer descriptions have great potential to help image organisation, indexing and search. The solution is realised through the synergetic techniques from Geographic Information System, Web IR and multi-document summarisation.
Lithium treatment — moderate dose use study (LiTMUS) for bipolar disorder: rationale and design

Background Recent data indicate that lithium use for bipolar disorder has declined over the last decade and that lithium largely has been replaced with alternate, commercially promoted medications that may or may not result in better outcomes. Purpose This article describes the rationale and study design of LiTMUS, a multi-site, prospective, randomized clinical trial of outpatients with bipolar disorder. LiTMUS seeks to address whether initiating therapy at lower doses of lithium as part of optimized treatment (OPT, guideline-informed, evidence-based, and personalized pharmacotherapy) improves outcomes and decreases the need for other medication changes across 6 months of therapy. Methods LiTMUS will randomize 284 adults with bipolar disorder (Type I or II) across 6 study sites. The co-primary outcomes are overall illness severity on clinical global improvement scale for bipolar disorder and a novel measure, necessary clinical adjustments. This metric provides a composite that reflects both clinical response and tolerability. Other relevant outcomes include full symptomatic recovery, quality of life, suicidal behaviors, and moderators of suicidality. Results As of August 28th, 2009, we have consented 338 patients and randomized 281 for this study. Limitations The potential limitations of the study include an arbitrary definition of ‘low, but effective’ doses of lithium, lack of a placebo-controlled group, open treatment, and use of a new outcome measure (i.e., necessary clinical adjustments). Conclusion We expect that this study will inform our understanding of the effectiveness of low to moderate doses of lithium therapy for individuals with bipolar disorder. Clinical Trials 2009; 6: 637—648. http://ctj.sagepub. com
Context-Aware Mechanisms for Reducing Interactive Delays of Energy Management in Disks

Aggressive energy conserving mechanisms can maximize energy efficiency, but often have the negative trade-off of simultaneously reducing system responsiveness due to the switching of component power modes. This side-effect is especially prominent in hard disk drives, where the time required to switch power modes is dictated by the latency of the mechanical elements of the drive. Existing disk activity prediction schemes provide solutions for eliminating transition delays in the presence of non-interactive applications and processes, but perform poorly on systems dominated by interactive applications. The key idea in eliminating transition delays exposed to users in interactive applications is that the users are responsible for placing energy and performance demand on the systems through interactions with applications. Therefore, monitoring user interactions with applications provides an opportunity for predicting upcoming power mode transitions and, as a result, eliminating the delays associated with these transitions. In this paper, we propose a set of user behavior monitoring and prediction mechanisms that significantly reduce delays in interactive applications while minimizing energy consumption.
Impaired expression of Toll-like receptor 2 in nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease

The aims of the present study were to investigate the expression of Toll-like receptor (TLR)2 on the peripheral blood monocytes of patients with nontuberculous mycobacterial (NTM) lung disease and healthy controls, and to assess the responses of these monocytes to TLR2 agonists such as Mycobacterium avium and lipoteichoic acid (LTA). Reverse transcriptase–PCR was used to analyse TLR2 mRNA expression in peripheral blood monocytes from 17 NTM patients and 10 healthy controls. mRNA and protein secretion levels were also determined for the cytokines interleukin (IL)-12 p40 and tumour necrosis factor (TNF)-α. Expression of TLR2 mRNA by peripheral blood monocytes after stimulation with M. avium or LTA was lower in NTM patients than in healthy controls. IL-12 p40 and TNF-α mRNA and cytokine secretion levels were also lower in patients than in healthy controls. Treatment with anti-TLR antibody decreased M. avium- and LTA-induced IL-12 p40 and TNF-α production in healthy controls, but not in NTM patients. The present results suggest that the downregulation of Toll-like receptor 2 and the resulting decreased production of interleukin-12 p40 and tumour necrosis factor-α following Mycobacterium avium or lipoteichoic acid stimulation may contribute to host susceptibility to nontuberculous mycobacterial lung disease.
Practical Issues in Developing a Culturally Tailored Physical Activity Promotion Program for Chinese and Korean American Midlife Women: A Pilot Study

Background With advances in computer technologies, Web-based interventions are widely accepted and welcomed by health care providers and researchers. Although the benefits of Web-based interventions on physical activity promotion have been documented, the programs have rarely targeted Asian Americans, including Asian American midlife women. Subsequently, culturally competent Web-based physical activity programs for Asian Americans may be necessary. Objective The purpose of our study was to explore practical issues in developing and implementing a culturally competent Web-based physical activity promotion program for 2 groups of Asian American women—Chinese American and Korean American midlife women—and to provide implications for future research. Methods While conducting the study, the research team members wrote individual memos on issues and their inferences on plausible reasons for the issues. The team had group discussions each week and kept the minutes of the discussions. Then, the memos and minutes were analyzed using a content analysis method. Results We identified practical issues in 4 major idea categories: (1) bilingual translators’ language orientations, (2) cultural sensitivity requirement, (3) low response rate, interest, and retention, and (4) issues in implementation logistics. Conclusions Based on the issues, we make several suggestions for the use of bilingual translators, motivational strategies, and implementation logistics.
Translation Model Size Reduction for Hierarchical Phrase-based Statistical Machine Translation

In this paper, we propose a novel method of reducing the size of translation model for hierarchical phrase-based machine translation systems. Previous approaches try to prune infrequent entries or unreliable entries based on statistics, but cause a problem of reducing the translation coverage. On the contrary, the proposed method try to prune only ineffective entries based on the estimation of the information redundancy encoded in phrase pairs and hierarchical rules, and thus preserve the search space of SMT decoders as much as possible. Experimental results on Chinese-to-English machine translation tasks show that our method is able to reduce almost the half size of the translation model with very tiny degradation of translation performance.
Texture Analysis-Based Image Spam Filtering

Filtering image email spam is considered to be a challenging problem because spammers keep modifying the images being used in their campaigns by employing different obfuscation techniques. Therefore, preventing text recognition using Optical Character Recognition (OCR) tools and imposing additional challenges in filtering such type of spam. In this paper, we propose an image spam filtering technique, called Image Texture Analysis-Based Image Spam Filtering (ITA-ISF), that makes use of low-level image features for image characterization. We evaluate the performance of several machine learning-based classifiers and compare their performance in filtering image spam based on low-level image texture features. These classifiers are: C4.5 Decision Tree (DT), Support Vector Machine (SVM), Multilayer Perception (MP), Nave Bays (NB), Bayesian Network (BN), and Random Forest (RF). Our experimental studies based on two publicly available datasets show that the RF classifier outperforms all other classifiers with an average precision, recall, accuracy, and F-measure of 98.6%.
An Iterative Method for the Least-squares Symmetric Solution of AXB+CYD=F and its Application

Based on the classical algorithm LSQR for solving (unconstrained) LS problem, an iterative method is proposed for the least-squares like-minimum-norm symmetric solution of AXB+CY D=E. As the application of this algorithm, an iterative method for the least-squares like-minimum-norm biymmetric solution of AXB=E is also obtained. Numerical results are reported that show the efficiency of the proposed methods. Keywords—Matrix equation, bisymmetric matrix, Least squares problem, like-minimum norm, Iterative algorithm.
Anthroposophic vs. conventional therapy for chronic low back pain: a prospective comparative study.

OBJECTIVE To compare anthroposophic treatment (eurythmy, rhythmical massage or art therapy; counselling, anthroposophic medication) and conventional treatment for low back pain (LBP) under routine conditions. METHODS 62 consecutive outpatients from 38 medical practices in Germany, consulting an anthroposophic (A-) or conventional (C-) physician with LBP of >or= 6 weeks duration participated in a prospective non-randomised comparative study. Main outcomes were Hanover Functional Ability Questionnaire (HFAQ), LBP Rating Scale Pain Score (LBPRS), Symptom Score, and SF-36 after 6 and 12 months. RESULTS At baseline, LBP duration was > 6 months in 85% (29/34) of A-patients and 54% (15/28) of C-patients (p = 0.004). Unadjusted analysis showed significant improvements in both groups of HFAQ, LBPRS, Symptom Score, SF-36 Physical Component Summary, and three SF-36 scales (Physical Function, Pain, Vitality), and improvements in A-patients of three further SF-36 scales (Role Physical, General Health, Mental Health). After adjustment for age, gender, LBP duration, and education, improvements were still significant in both groups for Symptom Score (p = 0.030), SF-36 Physical Component Summary (p = 0.004), and three SF-36-scales (Physical Function, p = 0.025; Role Physical, p = 0.014; Pain, p = 0.003), and in A-patients for SF-36-Vitality (p = 0.032). Compared to C-patients, A-patients had significantly more pronounced improvements of three SF-36 scales (Mental Health: p = 0.045; General Health: p = 0.006; Vitality: p = 0.005); other improvements did not differ significantly between the two groups. CONCLUSION Compared to conventional therapy, anthroposophic therapy for chronic LBP was associated with at least comparable improvements.
Identification of Antigenic Proteins in Trichomonas vaginalis

Trichomoniasis is a sexually transmitted disease due to infection with Trichomonas vaginalis, and it can cause serious consequences for women's health. To study the virulence factors of this pathogen, T. vaginalis surface proteins were investigated using polyclonal antibodies specific to the membrane fractions of T. vaginalis. The T. vaginalis expression library was constructed by cloning the cDNA derived from mRNA of T. vaginalis into a phage λ Uni-ZAP XR vector, and then used for immunoscreening with the anti-membrane proteins of T. vaginalis antibodies. The immunoreactive proteins identified included adhesion protein AP65-1, α-actinin, kinesin-associated protein, teneurin, and 2 independent hypothetical proteins. Immunofluorescence assays showed that AP65-1, one of the identified immunogenic clones, is prevalent in the whole body of T. vaginalis. This study led us to identify T. vaginalis proteins which may stimulate immune responses by human cells.
Modelling detention performance of green roofs in cold climates

Green roofs (GRs) have become a popular sustainable drainage system (SuDS) technology in urban areas. As many countries and regions experience political encouragement and substitution schemes in implementing GRs, there is a need for reliant models that can support designing purposes. The stormwater management model’s (SWMM) Low Impact Development Green Roof (LIDGR) control is used to simulate the hydrological detention performance of two GRs, GR1 and GR2, with different drainage properties located in Oslo, Norway. This study uses event-based data to replicate GR runoff. Accordingly, four event-models were calibrated using the Shuffled Complex Evolution algorithm with the Nash-Sutcliffe criteria (NSE) as the objective function. Eight events were used for model validation. In addition, sensitivity to the model parameters was analysed in relation to model input (precipitation characteristics and roof initial saturation levels). Simulation results revealed that SWMM’s LID module can capture response of the GRs even though the adequacy varies among events. Parameter sensitivity analysis exhibited significant correlation between conductivity slope and maximum precipitation intensity. During calibration two GR1 (0.55 and 0.72) and three GR2 (0.73, 0.88 and 0.51) event-models yielded NSE>0.5. However, only parameter sets of two GR2 event-models yielded NSE>0.5 when applied to the validation events. The study shows potential of SWMM as a design tool if supplemented with a calibration algorithm. However, calibration is required and some adjustments to the LID-GR module should be made in the future. This concerns particularly the module’s drainage layer.
Affect as Information about Users' Attitudes to Conversational Agents

This paper presents a novel method for automatic evaluation of conversational agents. In the method, information about userspsila attitudes and sentiments to conversational agents and their performance are achieved by analyzing their general emotional engagement in the conversation and specific affective states, and interpreting them using psychological reasoning of affect-as-information. In the evaluation experiment the userspsila attitudes to two Japanese-speaking conversational agents were checked simultaneously in a survey and using a system constructed on the proposed method. The results returned by the system revealed similar tendencies as the survey. Therefore the method is applicable as a mean of evaluation for Japanese-speaking conversational agents.
Management traffic in emerging remote configuration mechanisms for residential gateways and home devices

XML technology is penetrating the network management in the IETF, UPnP, and DSL forum suite of standards and protocols. The advantages of XML are offered at the cost of long byte streams due to XML's inherently verbose nature. The increase in packet size for remote configuration and management can pose problems, if executed in a point-to-multipoint arrangement comprising one automatic configuration server and thousands of home gateways and multimedia devices. We investigate and exploit the repetitive nature of text patterns in typical XML documents as produced by the configuration and management tasks and as coded in SOAP RPCs. The solution mainly comes from application of the Lempel-Ziv compression algorithm, with minimal additions in the proposed DSL Forum standard. Numerical and experimental results support the applicability and advantages of the proposed approach and provide insight on how these are attributable to different layers of the employed protocol stack.