Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Learning from Interventions: Human-robot interaction as both explicit and implicit feedback

—Scalable robot learning from seamless human-robot interaction is critical if robots are to solve a multitude of tasks in the real world. Current approaches to imitation learning suffer from one of two drawbacks. On the one hand, they rely solely on off-policy human demonstration, which in some cases leads to a mismatch in train-test distribution. On the other, they burden the human to label every state the learner visits, rendering it impractical in many applications. We argue that learning interactively from expert interventions enjoys the best of both worlds. Our key insight is that any amount of expert feedback, whether by intervention or non-intervention, provides information about the quality of the current state, the optimality of the action, or both. We formalize this as a constraint on the learner’s value function, which we can efﬁciently learn using no regret, online learning techniques. We call our approach Expert Intervention Learning (EIL), and evaluate it on a real and simulated driving task with a human expert, where it learns collision avoidance from scratch with just a few hundred samples (about one minute) of expert control.
36-48 Hasidah MS.pmd

Increased susceptibility of diabetics to melioidosis, a disease caused by the Burkholderia pseudomallei bacterium is believed to be attributed to dysfunction of the innate immune system. However, the underlying mechanism of the innate susceptibility is not well-understood. Glycogen synthase kinase-3β (GSK3β) plays an important role in the innate inflammatory response caused by bacterial pathogens. The present study was conducted to investigate the effects of GSK3β inhibition by LiCl on levels of proand anti-inflammatory cytokines; and the activity of transcription factor NF-κB in B. pseudomallei-infected peripheral blood mononuclear cells (PBMC) derived from diabetic-induced and normal Sprague Dawley rats. In addition, the effects of LiCl on intracellular bacterial counts were also investigated. Infection of PBMC from diabetic and normal rats with B. pseudomallei resulted in elevated levels of cytokines (TNF-α, IL-12 and IL-10) and phosphorylation of NF-κB in both cell types. Intracellular bacterial counts decreased with time in both cell types during infection. However bacterial clearance was less prominent in diabetic PBMC. Burkholderia pseudomallei infection also caused inactivation (Ser9 phosphorylation) of GSK3β in normal PBMC, an effect absent in infected diabetic PBMC. Inhibition of GSK3β by LiCl lowered the levels of pro-inflammatory cytokines (TNF-α and IL-12) in both normal and diabetic PBMC. Similarly, phosphorylated NFκB (pNF-κB) levels in both cell types were decreased with LiCl treatment. Also, LiCl was able to significantly decrease the intracellular bacterial count in normal as well as diabetic PBMC. Interestingly, the levels of anti-inflammatory cytokine IL-10 in both normal and diabetic PBMC were further elevated with GSK3β inhibition. More importantly, GSK3β in infected diabetic PBMC was inactivated as in their non-diabetic counterparts upon LiCl treatment. Taken together, our results suggest that inhibition of dysregulated GSK3β in diabetic PBMC resulted in the inactivation of NF-κB and modulation of inflammatory cytokine levels. This is evidence that dysregulation of GSK3β is a contributing factor in the molecular basis of innate dysfunction and susceptibility of diabetic host to melioidosis infection.
Endogenous Information Acquisition with Sequential Trade

I study how endogenous information acquisition affects financial markets by modelling potentially informed traders who optimally acquire variable information at increasing cost. With a competitive market maker, my model can explain the dynamic behaviour of informed trading and transaction volume. Three proxies for informed trading derived under the exogenous information assumption (spreads, Easley O’Hara’s PIN and blockholder interest) may not agree with each other. With a monopolistic market maker, results also deviate from the exogenous benchmark. He can set narrower spreads than a competitive market maker in early periods. On average, spreads can widen over time.
Predation on ciliates by freshwater calanoid copepods: rates of predation and relative vulnerabilities of prey

SUMMARY 1 The susceptibility of ciliates in a mesotrophic lake to predation by Epischura lacustris, Diaptomus minutus and D. pygmaeus was assessed during summer. Oligotrichs, particularly Strobilidium velox (c. 43 μm), were removed efficiently by adult copepods and contributed substantially to the diet of female D. minutus. The presence of approximately 1,6 adult Epischura 1-−1, or sixteen adult female Diaptomus 1-−1, could halt the growth of S. vechx populations in summer. 2 Factors affecting the rate at which copepods prey on ciliates were examined in experiments with D. pygmaeus and cultured ciliates. Rate of predation on S. velox, the preferred species, became saturated at 5 S. velox ml−1 (45ngCml−1) and did not change with a 10-fold increase in alternative algal food. 3 Behavioural differences among ciliates, and the presence of other ciliates, contributed to differences in ciliate susceptibility to predation and suggest reasons why rates of removal of ciliates are not related to ciliate size. 4 By feeding selectively, at high rates, calanoids may suppress populations of some ciliates and thereby influence microzooplankton community structure.
Erythrocyte Sedimentation Rate in COVID-19 Infections

Objectives To compare the clinical characteristics between the rapid cohort and the normal cohort of erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR) in COVID-19 infections, analyze the variables with significant differences, and explore the influencing factors of rapid ESR. Methods Selected a total of 80 patients with ESR detection during hospitalization were measured in 146 patients who received medical observation in concentrated isolation hospital in Guizhou province in China , collected and compared demographic information, epidemiological data, clinical symptoms, laboratory test data and CT image data during the observation between rapid cohort and normal group of ESR. Results By comparison, the proportion of male in the rapid cohort was higher than female. The average age was more than 35 years old, with a large age gap. The proportion of severe and critical patients was more than 26.53% (13/49). However, in the normal cohort the proportion of female was more than male, and the average age was about 8 years lower than the rapid cohort, and the age gap was smaller. The proportion of severe and critical patients was 12.90%, which was less than half of the rapid group. In the two groups, the proportion of clustered cases accounted for more than 50%, and the average number of patients in one family was more than 3. The most common clinical symptoms were cough, sputum, fever, sore throat and weakness of limbs. There were significant differences in ALT, {gamma}-GT and C-reactive protein between the rapid and normal cohort (P<0.05), but no statistically significant in other indicators. Hemoglobin and C-reactive protein have a significant effect on erythrocyte sedimentation rate. Conclusions In this study, we found that ESR is related to Hemoglobin and C-reactive protein.
Uncertainty stress, and its impact on disease fear and prevention behaviors during the COVID-19 epidemic in China: A panel study

Objective To examine changing trends of uncertainty stress, and its impact on disease fear and prevention behaviors during the Chinese COVID-19 epidemic using a prospective observational study. Methods The study employed a longitudinal design. Participants were recruited for an online panel survey from chat groups on social media platforms. There were 5 waves of interviews. Information on uncertainty stress and related variables were collected via the online survey. Descriptive statistics and the GIM program were used for data analysis. Results Participants numbered 150 for the linkable baseline survey and 102 (68%) for the final survey. Uncertainty stress({beta}: -0.047, S.E: 0.118, p>0.05) did not show a statistically significant temporal change trend over the observation period. Disease fear manifested a statistically significant downwards trend ({beta}: -0.342, S.E: 0.157, p<0.05), and prevention behaviors indicated an upwards trend ({beta}: 0.048, S.E: 0.021, p<0.05) during the observation period. Uncertainty stress was positively associated with disease fear ({beta}: 0.45046, S.E: 0.05964, p<0.0001), and negatively associated with self-efficacy ({beta}: -0.6698, S.E: 0.01035, p<0.0001), and prevention behaviors ({beta}: -0.02029, S.E: 0.00876, p: 0.0209). Conclusion This study yielded new information about uncertainty stress among Chinese people during the COVID-19 epidemic. Policy changes and public education are essential for minimizing the negative effects of uncertainty stress in disease prevention.
Growth Characteristics, Sex Inversion and Mortality Rates of Striped Sea Bream, Lithognathus mormyrus L., in İskenderun Bay

The total length of examined samples of striped sea bream in Iskenderun Bay ranged from 9.1 to 27.7 cm. The length-weight relationship constants for males (a = 0.0112, b = 3.042) and females (a = 0.0105, b = 3.069), showed no significant difference from isometric growth (P < 0.05). Von Bertalanffy growth parameters in length were L\infinity = 26.55 cm, K = 0.203 y-1 and to = -1.81 y for males and L\infinity = 32.64 cm, K = 0.136 y-1 and to = -2.12 y for females. Sex inversion occurred at lengths between 11.2 and 22.9 cm in age groups I-VI. Males were observed up to a length of 22.8 cm. Total, natural and fishing mortality rates were Z = 1.15 y-1, M = 0.48 y-1 and F = 0.67 y-1 respectively. The exploitation rate of E = 0.60 indicates that the population is being heavily exploited. Reproductive activity of striped sea bream in Iskenderun Bay took place between the second half of April and early August, with the greatest intensity in May. Lengths at first maturity were 13.4 cm for males and 13.9 cm for females.
A Global Quasi-Dynamic Model for Contact-Trajectory Optimization in Manipulation

—Given a desired object trajectory, how should a robot make contact to achieve it? This paper proposes a global optimization model for this problem with alternated-sticking contact, referred to as Contact-Trajectory Optimization. We achieve this by reasoning on simpliﬁed geometric environments with a quasi-dynamic relaxation of the physics. These relaxations are the result of approximating bilinear torque effects and deprecating high-order forces and impacts. Moreover, we apply convex approximations that retain the fundamental properties of rigid multi-contact interaction. As result, we derive a mixed-integer convex model that provides global optimality, infeasibility detection and convergence guarantees. This approach does not require seeding and accounts for the shapes of the object and environment. We validate this approach with extensive simulated and real-robot experiments, demonstrating its ability to quickly and reliably optimize multi-contact manipulation behaviors.
The effect of salinity on growth and amino acid composition in the marine diatom Nitzschia pungens

Nitzschia pungens f. multiseries and N. pungens f. pungens, isolated from two estuaries in Maritime Canada, were grown at various salinities (6–48‰) and their growth rates and free amino acid compositions were determined. The optimal salinity range for growth of f. multiseries was 30–45‰, whereas that of f. pungens was 15–30‰. At higher salinities there was increased production of a ninhydrin-positive compound, which was identified as the amino acid taurine. When f. multiseries was grown at a salinity of 48‰ and rapidly exposed to 15‰, the concentration of taurine decreased markedly (from 61 to 7% of the total amino acids). The evidence indicates that taurine may serve to regulate the osmotic pressure of N. pungens f. multiseries, a role not previously assigned to taurine in a marine diatom. Key words: Nitzschia pungens, salinity, osmotic pressure, amino acids, taurine.
Rates of Weed Spread in Spatially Heterogeneous Environments

Communities subject to disturbance are apparently vulnerable to invasion in that they contain a large fraction of the introduced plant species persisting in any given area. Still, ecologists have a poor understanding of how details of the disturbance regime influence the success with which invaders spread through a community. In this paper, we report results from an experiment that investigates how the spatial distribution of bare ground influences the rate at which offspring of an introduced invader spread through a perennial ryegrass community. Artificially created gaps of three sizes were positioned along linear transects according to one of two spatial distributions. These six transects (one for each treatment combination) were positioned as spokes on a wheel and Senecio vulgaris was introduced into the center. After controlling for the total amount of gap area, we monitored the number and position of Senecio vulgaris establishing for two subsequent generations. Our results showed that the rate of spread of Senecio vulgaris was sensitive to both the gap size and the gap distribution; plants moved a greater distance when the gaps were large and underdispersed. Simulation models confirm that this pattern follows from the way in which gaps sample from seed shadows. We derive an analytical expression to explain why the mean seed dispersal distance does not predict the spread of Senecio vulgaris adults, and show how rates of spatial spread will change under different spatial patterns of disturbance. Finally, a model of spatial point processes confirms that the dis? tribution of gaps mediates the rate of weed spread in two dimensions as well.
A direct RT-qPCR approach to test large numbers of individuals for SARS-CoV-2

SARS-CoV-2 causes substantial morbidity and mortality in elderly and immunocompromised individuals, particularly in retirement homes, where transmission from asymptomatic staff and visitors may introduce the infection. Here we present a cheap and fast approach to detect SARS-CoV-2 in single or pooled gargle lavages ('mouthwashes'). With this approach, we test all staff at a nursing home daily over a period of three weeks in order to reduce the risk that the infection penetrates the facility. This or similar approaches could be implemented to protect hospitals, nursing homes and other institutions in this and future viral epidemics.
Dispensable, Tweakable, and Tangible Components

Our article examines a flexible approach to designing general game components inspired by traditional game components. Our goal is to design digital game systems that offer the players greater choice in dictating the rules, pacing, and sociability of a game session—we describe this as supporting socially negotiated gameplay. We introduce five design principles of flexibility: dispensability, live tweakability, tangibility, mobility, and value. Our work demonstrates this approach with the design of an augmented game system composed of playing cards instrumented with near field communication chips and a mobile device with three digital game components: a Card Viewer, a Score Board, and a Turn Keeper. We report on initial user sessions and articulate two emerging challenges for supporting socially negotiated play: (a) solving interaction costs to enable greater flexibility and (b) managing user expectations for the automatic part of a manual–automatic system.
Identifying Pollen Incompatibility Groups in California Almond Cultivars

Six cross-incompatibility groups, which contain most of commercially important California almond cultivars (Prunus dulcis (Mill.) D.A. Webb, syn. Prunus amygdalus Batch), and their self-incompatibility (S) allele genotypes are identified. Incompatibility groups include 'Mission' (S aSb), 'Nonpareil' (ScSd), and the four groups resulting from the 'Mission' x 'Nonpareil' cross: (SaSc), (SaSd), (SbSc), and (SbSd), as represented by 'Thompson', 'Carmel', 'Merced' and 'Monterey', respectively. All seedlings from the 'Mission' x 'Nonpareil' cross were compatible with both parents, a result indicating that these two cultivars have no alleles in common. Crossing studies support a full-sib relationship for these progeny groups and the origin of both parents from common germplasm. Cultivars in these six groups account for ≈ 93% of present California production, a result demonstrating a limited genetic base for this vegetatively propagated tree crop. About 65% of the world almond production is in California, with >166,500 ha in production in 1990 (California Agricultural Statistics Service, 1990). The interplanting of cross-compati ble pollinizer cultivars in what previously were often single-cultivar orchards led to dramatic improvements in productivity and production consis- tency (Tufts, 1919; Tufts and Philp, 1922). Self-incompatibility in almond, a diploid tree crop (2n = 16), seems to be of the monogenic, gametophytic type (Socias i Company, 1991 ) as are other self-incompatible crops in the Rosaceae (Crane and Brown, 1937; Crowe, 1964). The self-incompatibility (S) locus controls self- and intra-specific cross-incompatibility (CI), and a series of many distinct alleles seems to exist (Socias i Company, 1991). Crossa-Raynaud and Grasselly (1985) have assigned the genotypes (S 1S2), (S3S4), and (S7S8) to 'Cristomorto', ' Ai', and 'Tardy Nonpareil', respectively. Tufts and Philp (1922), in their analysis of 23 early almond cultivars, established two CI groups (CIGs): a) 'Nonpareil' and 'I.X.L. ' and b) 'Mission' (also known as 'Texas Prolific'), the main pollinizer for 'Nonpareil' at that time, and 'Languedoc' (different from the French cultivar of the same name). 'Long I.X.L. ' and 'Profuse' have been added to the 'Nonpareil' CIG and 'Ballico' has been added to the 'Mission' CIG (Kester, 1963). Other early cultivars proposed by Kester and Asay, (1975) to be cross-incompatible include 'Jordanolo' and 'Harpareil', produced from a 'Nonpareil' × 'Harriott' cross; 'Reams' and 'Jubilee'; 'Kutsch', 'Rivers Nonpareil', 'Sultana', and 'Bigelow'; and 'Smith X.L. ' and 'Drake', although crossing data no longer are available. Of these cultivars, only 'Mission' and 'Nonpareil' remain exten- sively planted. Newer cultivars, selected for improved horticul- tural performance and pollinizer efficacy, are being planted in- creasingly. Most of these new cultivars seem to be chance seed- lings from 'Nonpareil' × 'Mission' crosses (Hauagge et al., 1987). Four CIGs would be expected in the progeny of a 'Nonpareil' × 'Mission' cross if parents shared no common S alleles.
Common ragweed interference in peanut

Abstract Studies were conducted to evaluate density-dependent effects of common ragweed on weed growth and peanut growth and yield. Common ragweed height was not affected by weed density and peanut canopy diameter. Weed height exceeded peanut height throughout the growing season, indicating that competition for light occurred between the two species. Common ragweed aboveground dry biomass per plant decreased as weed density increased, but total weed dry biomass per meter of crop row increased with weed density. The rectangular hyperbola model described the effect of weed density on percent peanut yield loss. With the asymptote constrained to 100% maximum yield loss, the I coefficient (yield loss per unit density as density approaches zero) was 68.3 ± 12.2%. Common ragweed did not influence the occurrence of tomato spotted wilt virus, early leaf spot (Cercospora arachidicola), southern stem rot (Sclerotium rolfsii), and Cylindrocladium black rot (Cylindrocladium crotalariae). However, as common ragweed density increased, the incidence of late leaf spot (Cercosporidium personatum) increased. Results indicate that common ragweed is one of the more competitive weeds in peanut and a potential economic threat to peanut growers. Nomenclature: Common ragweed, Ambrosia artemisiifolia L. AMBEL; peanut, Arachis hypogaea L. ‘NC 7’.
Identification des espèces fongiques associées à la pourriture du pied du blé et étude de leur répartition selon les étages bioclimatiques en Tunisie

Des prospections ont ete faites durant les mois d'avril et de mai 2000 dans 174 parcelles reparties sur six etages et sous-etages bioclimatiques afin d'identifier les champignons associes a la pourriture du pied du ble en Tunisie. Environ 1600 isolats ont ete obtenus a partir de la base des plantes de ble malades. Les champignons les plus frequemment isoles ont eteFusarium culmorum (70%) et Gibberella zeae (21,5%). Gibberella avenacea et Cochliobolus sativus ont ete isoles a la frequence respective de 5,3% et 4,1%. L'identification moleculaire par PCR a ete utilisee afin de distinguer entre les groupes 1 et 2 de G. zeae. Seuls les membres du groupe 1 ont ete isoles au cours de ces prospections. Les frequences de F. culmorum et G. zeae groupe 1 a varie en fonction des regions climatiques. F. culmorum a ete dominant dans l'humide, tandis que G. zeae groupe 1 a ete absent de cette region et sa frequence a augmente en allant vers les etages semiaride et aride.
Genetics and Evolution of Infectious Diseases

The ability to accurately distinguish between strains of infectious pathogens is crucial for efficient epidemiological and surveillance analysis, studying microbial population structure and dynamics and, ultimately, developing improved public health control strategies. To further such general goals, several molecular typing methods have been proposed that can identify isolates worldwide (global epidemiology) and/or in localized disease outbreaks (local epidemiology); see Foley for a review. Nonetheless, since 1998, the established standard for molecular typing is multilocus sequence typing (MLST). MLST was built on the well-established population genetic concepts and methods of the multilocus enzyme electrophoresis (MLEE) technique, but provides significant advantages over this and other typing approaches (see Section 4 for advantages and caveats). MLST examines nucleotide variation in sequences of internal fragments of usually seven housekeeping genes: that is, those encoding fundamental metabolic functions (see Section 2 for molecular design and development of MLST). For each gene, the different sequences present within a species are assigned as distinct alleles and, for each isolate, the alleles at each of the seven loci define the allelic profile or sequence type (ST). Each isolate is therefore unambiguously characterized by a series of seven integers, which correspond to the alleles at the seven housekeeping loci. Most bacterial species have sufficient variation within housekeeping genes to provide many alleles per locus, allowing billions of distinct allelic profiles to be distinguished using just seven loci. Alternatively, isolate identification and tracking can be performed using the nucleotide data directly, although this approach is more frequently used for population studies (see Section 5 for methods of analyses). MLST is widely used for molecular typing. Numerous examples exist of their use for describing the population structure of pathogens, vaccine studies, tracking transmission of epidemic strains, and identifying species and virulent strains associated with disease (see Section 6 for applications). This was made possible by three