Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Soft Robots Modeling: a Literature Unwinding

—The robotics community has seen an exponential growth in the level of complexity of the theoretical tools presented for the modeling of soft robotics devices. Different solutions have been presented to overcome the difﬁculties related to the modeling of soft robots, often leveraging on other scientiﬁc disciplines, such as continuum mechanics and computer graphics. These theoretical foundations are often taken for granted and this lead to an intricate literature that, consequently, has never been the subject of a complete review. Withing this scenario, the objective of the presented paper is twofold. The common theoretical roots that relate the different families of modeling techniques are highlighted, employing a unifying language that ease the analysis of their main connections and differences. Thus, the listing of the approaches naturally follows and a complete, untangled, review of the main works on the ﬁeld is ﬁnally provided.
Three-dimensional $O(N)$-invariant $\phi^4$ models at criticality for $N\ge 4$

We study the O ( N )-invariant φ 4 model on the simple cubic lattice by using Monte Carlo simulations. By using a ﬁnite size scaling analysis, we obtain accurate estimates for the critical exponents ν and η for N = 4, 5, 6, 8, 10, and 12. We study the model for each N for at least three diﬀerent values of the parameter λ to control leading corrections to scaling. We compare our results with those obtained by other theoretical methods.
Student Awareness of the Risks Associated with the Use of Mobile and Wireless Technologies and Applications

This study looks at the online behavior of a hundred business management students and attempts to determine the respondents’ awareness of the risks associated with the use of mobile technologies. Three questions were formulated for this study. First, when the respondents use mobile technologies, with whom do they communicate and for what purpose? The results showed that the respondents were comfortable with mobile computing and that mobile technologies were easily accessible to them. Mobile applications allowed them to complete tasks, to coordinate curricular and extra-curricular activities, and to communicate with teachers, both on a personal and a professional level. Second, what information do the respondents send or receive? Seventy-five or more of the respondents sent files and website links by email and by instant messaging. Third, are the respondents aware of the risks associated with the use of mobile technologies? Over half of the respondents were aware that using chat/IM or email without adequate safeguards could expose the school network to viruses, spyware or malware. Surprisingly, the respondents showed a lack of awareness of the potential risks that open, unsecured Bluetooth cellphone connections pose to the university’s data and files. Some general recommendations are offered to help protect the institution’s networks and IT infrastructure.
Hypergraph Ego-networks and Their Temporal Evolution

Interactions involving multiple objects simultaneously are ubiquitous across many domains. The systems these interactions inhabit can be modelled using hypergraphs, a generalization of traditional graphs in which each edge can connect any number of nodes. Analyzing the global and static properties of these hypergraphs has led to a plethora of novel findings regarding how these modelled system are structured. However, less is known about the localized structure of these systems and how they evolve over time. In this paper, we propose the study of hypergraph ego-networks, a structure that can be used to model higher-order interactions involving a single node. We also propose the temporal reconstruction of hypergraph ego-networks as a benchmark problem for models that aim to predict the local temporal structure of hypergraphs. By combining a deep learning binary classifier with a hill-climbing algorithm, we will present a model for reconstructing hypergraph ego-networks by incorporating structural patterns found across multiple domains.
MS-TCT: Multi-Scale Temporal ConvTransformer for Action Detection

Action detection is a significant and challenging task, especially in densely-labelled datasets of untrimmed videos. Such data consist of complex temporal relations including composite or co-occurring actions. To detect actions in these complex settings, it is critical to capture both shortterm and long-term temporal information efficiently. To this end, we propose a novel ‘ConvTransformer’ network for action detection: MS-TCT11Code/Models: https://github.com/dairui01/MS-TCT. This network comprises of three main components: (1) a Temporal Encoder module which explores global and local temporal relations at multiple temporal resolutions, (2) a Temporal Scale Mixer module which effectively fuses multi-scale features, creating a unified feature representation, and (3) a Classification module which learns a center-relative position of each action instance in time, and predicts frame-level classification scores. Our experimental results on multiple challenging datasets such as Charades, TSU and MultiTHUMOS, validate the effectiveness of the proposed method, which outperforms the state-of-the-art methods on all three datasets.
Cross-domain User Preference Learning for Cold-start Recommendation

Cross-domain cold-start recommendation is an increasingly emerging issue for recommender systems. Existing works mainly focus on solving either cross-domain user recommendation or cold-start content recommendation. However, when a new domain evolves at its early stage, it has potential users similar to the source domain but with much fewer interactions. It is critical to learn a user's preference from the source domain and transfer it into the target domain, especially on the newly arriving contents with limited user feedback. To bridge this gap, we propose a self-trained Cross-dOmain User Preference LEarning (COUPLE) framework, targeting cold-start recommendation with various semantic tags, such as attributes of items or genres of videos. More specifically, we consider three levels of preferences, including user history, user content and user group to provide reliable recommendation. With user history represented by a domain-aware sequential model, a frequency encoder is applied to the underlying tags for user content preference learning. Then, a hierarchical memory tree with orthogonal node representation is proposed to further generalize user group preference across domains. The whole framework updates in a contrastive way with a First-In-First-Out (FIFO) queue to obtain more distinctive representations. Extensive experiments on two datasets demonstrate the efficiency of COUPLE in both user and content cold-start situations. By deploying an online A/B test for a week, we show that the Click-Through-Rate (CTR) of COUPLE is superior to other baselines used on Taobao APP. Now the method is serving online for the cross-domain cold micro-video recommendation.
Entanglement generation in 
(1+1)D
 QED scattering processes

We study real-time meson-meson scattering processes in $(1+1)$-dimensional QED by means of Tensor Networks. We prepare initial meson wave packets with given momentum and position introducing an approximation based on the free fermions model. Then, we compute the dynamics of two initially separated colliding mesons, observing a rich phenomenology as the interaction strength and the initial states are varied in the weak and intermediate coupling regimes. Finally, we consider elastic collisions and measure some scattering amplitudes as well as the entanglement generated by the process. Remarkably, we identify two different regimes for the asymptotic entanglement between the outgoing mesons: it is perturbatively small below a threshold coupling, past which its growth as a function of the coupling abruptly accelerates.
Effect of Operational Parameters on Dehusking Cum-Shelling Efficiency and Broken Grain Percentage of Maize Dehusker-Cum-Sheller

Maize (Zea mays L.) is one of the most important cereal crop in the global agricultural economy. In India, maize is grown across all the states and it is one of the important staple foods. The conventional method of dehusking and shelling operations are time consuming and involves drudgery and exposure of crop over a times to natural hazards and animals, birds and insects damage leading to losses in quantity and quality of grains. In order to overcome these problems, the maize dehusker cum sheller of 600 kg h-1 capacity suitable for marginal, small and medium size farming community was developed by considering engineering properties of maize. The length of axial flow sheller cylinder was designed as one meter along with 8 row beaters. The solid lugs were provided as threshing element. The blade type blower with converging casing section were developed to separate grains from non-grain material. The V-belt power transmission system was used with an electric motor as prime mover. The numerical optimization technique was fallowed to optimize the operational parameters viz., cylinder peripheral speed (4 levels), concave clearance (4 levels) and feed rate (3 levels). The 7.1 m s-1 of peripheral speed with 25 mm of concave clearance of cylinder at 600 kg h-1 feed rate was found to be optimum and which were having dehusking efficiency, shelling efficiency and broken grain percentage were achieved 98.88, 99.12 and 1.23 per cent, respectively.
Evaluation of a Novel Zonular Tension Restoring Accommodating Silicone IOL Design: Pilocarpine and Cyclopentolate-Induced Effect 20 Months after Implantation

Purpose To investigate a novel zonular-stress restoring accommodating 1-piece silicone IOL. Setting. Angeles City, Philippines. Design Prospective randomized bilateral study. Methods Each patient received a study IOL (ActaLens™, Emmetrope, La Canada, CA) in one eye and a control IOL (CrystaLens® AO, B&L, USA, or an AcrySof IQ®, Alcon, USA) in the contralateral eye to allow for intraindividual comparison. At the 20-month follow-up, two measurement days were set to measure all eyes before and after instilling 2% pilocarpine on the first day and 1% cyclopentolate on the second measurement day using an optical biometry device (Lenstar, Haag-Streit AG, Switzerland), respectively. PCO was graded by two examiners independently at the slit lamp. Results In total, 16 eyes of 8 patients were included. In the study group and the control group, the pilocarpine-induced ACD shift was 0.32 mm (SD: 0.12) (p=0.014) and 0.04 mm (SD: 0.16) (p=0.854), respectively. In the study group and the control group, the mean cyclopentolate-induced ACD shift was 0.14 (SD: 0.06) (p=0.014) and 0.03 mm (SD: 0.03) (p=0.181), respectively. PCO and Nd : YAG rates were higher in the study group, but differences were not found to be significant (AcrySof vs. ActaLens p=0.100 and CrystaLens vs. ActaLens p=0.174). Conclusion The investigated IOL is a novel concept for an accommodating IOL, and results showed a moderate pilocarpine-induced forward shift of the IOL 20 months following implantation. For all patients, the investigated IOL seems to have a higher PCO rate compared to standard monofocal IOLs.
Enzymatic deamination of the epigenetic nucleoside N6-methyladenosine regulates gene expression

Abstract N6-methyladenosine (m6A) modification is the most extensively studied epigenetic modification due to its crucial role in regulating an array of biological processes. Herein, Bsu06560, formerly annotated as an adenine deaminase derived from Bacillus subtilis 168, was recognized as the first enzyme capable of metabolizing the epigenetic nucleoside N6-methyladenosine. A model of Bsu06560 was constructed, and several critical residues were putatively identified via mutational screening. Two mutants, F91L and Q150W, provided a superiorly enhanced conversion ratio of adenosine and N6-methyladenosine. The CRISPR-Cas9 system generated Bsu06560-knockout, F91L, and Q150W mutations from the B. subtilis 168 genome. Transcriptional profiling revealed a higher global gene expression level in BS-F91L and BS-Q150W strains with enhanced N6-methyladenosine deaminase activity. The differentially expressed genes were categorized using GO, COG, KEGG and verified through RT-qPCR. This study assessed the crucial roles of Bsu06560 in regulating adenosine and N6-methyladenosine metabolism, which influence a myriad of biological processes. This is the first systematic research to identify and functionally annotate an enzyme capable of metabolizing N6-methyladenosine and highlight its significant roles in regulation of bacterial metabolism. Besides, this study provides a novel method for controlling gene expression through the mutations of critical residues.
The safety and efficacy of Ezetimibe Plus Statins on ASVD and Related Diseases

It is well known that atherosclerotic vascular disease (ASVD) in the elderly is a global disease with high morbidity, mortality and disability, and plasma LDL-C correction is the most important strategy for ASVD control. However, a large proportion of patients failed to achieve their ideal LDL-C goals after statins use. Ezetimibe, a newly non-statin lipid-lowering agent, is an inhibitor of exogenous cholesterol absorption. Whereby, ezetimibe plus statins may reduce LDL-C more strongly than statins alone. Differed from any other papers published previously, which only involved ezetimibe plus statins for coronary heart disease, the highlight of this paper is to summarize the efficacy and safety of ezetimibe plus statins in all kinds of ASVD subtypes and their related diseases, mainly included aortic atherosclerosis, coronary artery disease, cerebrovascular and peripheral artery diseases. Obviously, this paper is inimitable, which will provide the readers an important reference, especially in treating the elderly with multi-organs atherosclerosis.
Phenotypic effects from the expression of a deregulated AtGAD1 transgene and GABA pathway suppression mutants in maize

Glutamate decarboxylase (GAD; EC 4.1.1.15) catalyzes the irreversible decarboxylation of glutamate to produce γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA); a ubiquitous non-protein amino acid involved in the regulation of several aspects of plant metabolism and physiology. To study the function of GAD and GABA in maize, we have; 1) introduced native and deregulated forms of AtGAD1 into maize with the intent of increasing the synthesis of GABA and 2) introduced constructs into maize designed to suppress the activity of several GABA shunt, GABA transport and GABA pathway genes. Maize plants expressing the deregulated AtGAD1 exhibit a severe chlorosis and retarded growth phenotype and have high levels of GABA, and Ca++/CaM-independent GAD activity. Plants expressing the suppression constructs for GABA biosynthetic and transport pathway genes had no observable phenotype whereas a knockout of GABA catabolic pathway genes led to growth and developmental defects under standard growth conditions. The implications of this study to our understanding of the action and function of GABA and GAD in crops are discussed.
Treating older patients with AIDS using Traditional Chinese Medicine Combined with Conventional Western Medicine in China

Acquired immunodeficiency syndrome (AIDS) is a chronic and incurable disease. People with human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) require lifelong care. Traditional Chinese Medicine (TCM) has played an important role in AIDS treatment since the year 2004. TCM offers many advantages including a rich resource of Chinese herbs, lower cost and fewer side effects. In addition to the widespread use of antiviral therapy, TCM offers unique humanistic care and holistic adjustment of the body system. To date, more and more patients are benefiting from TCM not only in China. In this article, we describe the feasibility of treating AIDS with TCM.
New concepts in the development of schizophrenia, autism spectrum disorders, and degenerative brain diseases based on chronic inflammation: A working hypothesis from continued advances in neuroscience research

This paper was written prompted by a poignant film about adolescent girl with schizophrenia who babysits for a younger girl in an isolated cabin. Schizophrenia is an illness that both authors are fascinated with and that they continue to study and investigate. There is now compelling evidence that schizophrenia is a very complex syndrome that involves numerous neural pathways in the brain, far more than just dopaminergic and serotonergic systems. One of the more popular theories in recent literature is that it represents a hypo glutaminergic deficiency of certain pathways, including thalamic ones. After much review of research and study in this area, we have concluded that most such theories contain a number of shortcomings. Most are based on clinical responses to certain drugs, particularly antipsychotic drugs affecting the dopaminergic neurotransmitters; thus, assuming dopamine release was the central cause of the psychotic symptoms of schizophrenia. The theory was limited in that dopamine excess could only explain the positive symptoms of the disorder. Antipsychotic medications have minimal effectiveness for the negative and cognitive symptoms associated with schizophrenia. It has been estimated that 20–30% of patients show either a partial or no response to antipsychotic medications. In addition, the dopamine hypothesis does not explain the neuroanatomic findings in schizophrenia.
Exploring the green development path of the Yangtze River Economic Belt using the entropy weight method and fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis

Green development is an effective way to achieve economic growth and social development in a harmonious, sustainable, and efficient manner. Although the Yangtze River Economic Belt (YREB) plays an important strategic role in China, our understanding of its spatiotemporal characteristics, as well as the multiple factors affecting its green development level (GDL), remains limited. This study used the entropy weight method (EWM) to analyze the temporal evolution and spatial differentiation characteristics of the GDL in the YREB from 2011 to 2019. Further, fuzzy-set qualitative comparative analysis (fsQCA) was used to analyze the influence path of GDL. The results showed that the GDL of the YREB increased from 2015 to 2019, but the overall level was still not high, with high GDL mainly concentrated in the lower reaches. The GDL model changed from being environmentally driven and government supported in 2011 to being environmentally and economically driven since 2014. The core conditions for high GDL changed from economic development level (EDL) to scientific technological innovation level (STIL) and environmental regulation (ER). The path for improving GDL is as follows: In regions with high EDL, effective ER, moderate openness level (OL), and high STIL are the basis, supplemented by a reasonable urbanization scale (US). In areas with low EDL, reasonable industrial structure (IS) and STIL are the core conditions for development; further, EDL should be improved and effective ER and OL implemented. Alternatively, without considering changes to EDL, improvement can be achieved through reasonable OL and US or effective ER. This study provides a new method for exploring the path of GDL and a reference for governments to effectively adjust green development policies.
Efficient DNA interrogation of SpCas9 governed by its electrostatic interaction with DNA beyond the PAM and protospacer

Abstract Streptococcus pyogenes Cas9 (SpCas9), a programmable RNA-guided DNA endonuclease, has been widely repurposed for biological and medical applications. Critical interactions between SpCas9 and DNA confer the high specificity of the enzyme in genome engineering. Here, we unveil that an essential SpCas9–DNA interaction located beyond the protospacer adjacent motif (PAM) is realized through electrostatic forces between four positively charged lysines among SpCas9 residues 1151–1156 and the negatively charged DNA backbone. Modulating this interaction by substituting lysines with amino acids that have distinct charges revealed a strong dependence of DNA target binding and cleavage activities of SpCas9 on the charge. Moreover, the SpCas9 mutants show markedly distinguishable DNA interaction sites beyond the PAM compared with wild-type SpCas9. Functionally, this interaction governs DNA sampling and participates in protospacer DNA unwinding during DNA interrogation. Overall, a mechanistic and functional understanding of this vital interaction explains how SpCas9 carries out efficient DNA interrogation.
Bioinformatics Analysis of Hub Genes and Potential Therapeutic Agents Associated with Gastric Cancer

Purpose The current treatment methods available for advanced gastric cancer are not very promising. Hence, it is important to explore novel biomarkers and potential therapeutic agents to treat gastric cancer (GC). This study aimed to identify hub genes associated with GC prognosis and explore potential drugs for its treatment. Materials and Methods Three gene expression data of GC and normal tissues were downloaded from the Gene Expression Omnibus (GEO) and processed to identify the differentially expressed genes (DEGs). We conducted a comprehensive analysis of DEGs, including functional enrichment analysis, construction of protein–protein interaction (PPI) network, identification of hub genes, survival analysis and expression verification of hub genes. Finally, we constructed the network of miRNA–mRNA, and predicted the drugs that might be effective for GC treatment. Results A total of 340 DEGs, including 94 up-regulated and 246 down-regulated genes, were identified. Among the up-regulated DEGs, the enrichment terms were primarily related to tumorigenesis and tumor progression, extracellular matrix organization, and collagen catabolic process. Additionally, 10 hub genes (FN1, COL3A1, COL1A2, BGN, THBS2, COL5A2, THBS1, COL5A1, SPARC, and COL4A1) were identified, out of which 7 genes were significantly associated with poor overall survival (OS) in GC. The expression levels of these 7 hub genes were verified using real-time PCR, immunohistochemistry, and the GEPIA2 (Gene Expression Profiling Interactive Analysis) server. A regulatory network of miRNA–mRNA was also constructed, and the top 4 interactive miRNAs (hsa-miR-29b-3p, hsa-miR-140-3p, hsa-miR-29a-3p, and hsa-miR-29c-3p) that targeted the most hub genes were identified. Finally, fourteen small molecules were predicted to be effective in treating GC. Conclusion The identification of the hub genes, miRNA–mRNA network, and potential candidate drugs associated with GC provides new insights into the molecular mechanisms and treatment of GC.
Low Sensitivity of Rapid Antigen Tests to Detect Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome Coronavirus 2 Infections Before and on the Day of Symptom Onset in Nursing Home Staff and Residents, Germany, January–March 2021

1. Smith RL, Gibson LL, Martinez PP, et al. Longitudinal assessment of diagnostic test performance over the course of acute SARS-CoV-2 infection. J Infect Dis 2021; 224:976–82. 2. Larremore DB, Wilder B, Lester E, et al. Test sensitivity is secondary to frequency and turnaround time for COVID-19 screening. Sci Adv 2021; 7:eabd5393. 3. Lee J, Kim SY, Huh HJ, et al. Clinical performance of the Standard Q COVID-19 rapid antigen test and simulation of its real-world application in Korea. Ann Lab Med 2021; 41:588–92.