Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Real Robots Don't Drive Straight

Over last fifteen years, robot technology has become popularinclassroomsacrossourwholeeducationalsystem. BothengineeringandAIeducatorshavedeveloped ways to integrate robots into their teaching. Engineering educators are primarily concerned with engineering science (e.g., feedback control) and process (e.g., design skills). AI educators have different goals—namely, AI educators want students to learn AI concepts. Both agree that students are enthusiastic about working with robots, and in both cases, the pedagogical challenge is to develop robotics technology and provide classroom assignments that highlight key ideas in the respective field. Mobile robots are particularly intriguing because of their dual nature as both deterministic machines and unpredictable entities. This paper explores challenges for both engineering and AI educators as robot toolkits evolve.
Entwicklung und Anwendung eines Computerprogrammes zur numerischen Modellierung von Diffusionsprofilen in Mineralkörnern

Zur Durchfuhrung von numerischen Diffusionsmodellierungen wurde ein neues Modell entwickelt. Dieses beruht auf dem Crank-Nicolson-Algorithmus und simuliert die dreidimensionale isotrope Diffusion beliebiger Elemente in einem kugelformigen Mineral. Fur die Anwendung wurden drei lithologisch unterschiedliche Probensuiten aus verschiedenen tektonischen Szenarien ausgewahlt. Die granatpyroxenitischen und -websteritischen Xenolithe des Marsabit-Schildvulkans dokumentieren eine dreiphasige thermobarische Entwicklung. Die seit dem Miozan stattfindene Abkuhlung mit einer Abkuhlungsrate von -20 bis -60 °C/Ma wurde durch die thermische Subsidenz im Bereich des Anza-Grabens verursacht. Wahrend oder nach der Abkuhlung erfolgte eine Dekompression um ca. 0.3-0.8 GPa entsprechend einer Anhebung um ca. 9-24 km. Dieses Ereignis kann mit sehr jungen Extensionsbewegungen im Bereich des Anza-Grabens in Verbindung gebracht werden. Die sehr junge (16-260 ka) Aufheizung wurde durch die Verlagerung des Vulkanismus vom Kenia-Rift auf die ostliche Grabenschulter verusacht. Die Modellierung von Spurenelement-Zonierungen in den Granaten ergab folgende relative Diffusionskoeffizienten: Fe-Mg > Ni > Ti > Sc a V. Die fur die Granate des Alpe-Arami-Peridotit-Korpers durchgefuhrten Modellierungen belegen sehr hohe Abkuhlungsraten von -120 bis -2600 °C/Ma innerhalb von 0.1-3.2 Ma. Diese Abkuhlung wurde hochst wahrscheinlich durch die Einschuppung des heisen Peridotit-Korpers in die kalte Cima-Lunga-Decke verursacht. Die Zeitdauer der Hochtemperatur-Metamorphose (T = 870-980 °C, P * 1.0-1.5 GPa) der Granulite aus den 'metamorphic soles' des 'Central Dinaric Opiolite Belt' konnte auf < 1 Ma festgelegt werden. Dieser sehr kurze Zeitraum unterstutzt die Annahme einer innerozeanischen Uberschiebung zweier Bereiche von junger ozeanischer Lithosphare und die damit einhergehende Kontaktmetamorphose als Ursache fur die Bildung dieser 'metamorphic soles'.
A Genomic and Proteomic Analysis of Activation of the Human Neutrophil by Lipopolysaccharide and Its Mediation by p38 Mitogen-activated Protein Kinase*

Bacterial lipopolysaccharide (LPS) evokes several functional responses in the neutrophil that contribute to innate immunity. Although certain responses, such as adhesion and synthesis of tumor necrosis factor-α, are inhibited by pretreatment with an inhibitor of p38 mitogen-activated protein kinase, others, such as actin assembly, are unaffected. The aim of the present study was to investigate the changes in neutrophil gene transcription and protein expression following lipopolysaccharide exposure and to establish their dependence on p38 signaling. Microarray analysis indicated expression of 13% of the 7070 Affymetrix gene set in nonstimulated neutrophils, and LPS up-regulation of 100 distinct genes, including cytokines and chemokines, signaling molecules, and regulators of transcription. Proteomic analysis yielded a separate list of up-regulated modulators of inflammation, signaling molecules, and cytoskeletal proteins. Poor concordance between mRNA transcript and protein expression changes was noted. Pretreatment with the p38 inhibitor SB203580 attenuated 23% of LPS-regulated genes and 18% of LPS-regulated proteins by ≥40%. This study indicates that p38 plays a selective role in regulation of neutrophil transcripts and proteins following lipopolysaccharide exposure, clarifies that several of the effects of lipopolysaccharide are post-transcriptional and post-translational, and identifies several proteins not previously reported to be involved in the innate immune response.
Effective Predicate Abstraction for Program Verification

The paper presents a new approach to computing the abstract state and a maximum weight heuristic method for finding the shortest counter-example in verification of imperative programs. The strategy is incorporated in a verification system based on the counterexample-guided abstraction refinement method. The proposed method slashes both the size of the abstract state space and the number of invokes of a decision procedure. A number of benchmarks are employed to evaluate the effectiveness of the approach.
Gene-Expression Patterns of Tumor and Peritumor Tissues of Smoking and Non-Smoking HPV-Negative Patients with Head and Neck Squamous Cell Carcinoma

We studied the gene-expression patterns in specimens of tumor and peritumor tissue biopsies of 26 patients with head and neck carcinomas depending on smoking status. Histological and immunohistochemical examinations verified that all tumors belonged to the “classical” subgroup of head and neck carcinomas, and the HPV-negative tumor status was confirmed. The expression of 28 tumor-associated genes determined by RT-PCR was independent of patients’ sex or age, TNM status, degree of differentiation, or tissue localization. Moreover, in peritumor tissue, none of the 28 genes were differentially expressed between the groups of smoking and nonsmoking patients. During oncotransformation in both studied groups, there were similar processes typical for HNSCC progression: the expression levels of paired keratins 4 and 13 were reduced, while the expression levels of keratin 17 and CD44 were significantly increased. However, further investigation revealed some distinctive features: the expression of the genes EGFR and TP63 increased significantly only in the nonsmoking group, and the expression of IL6, CDKN2A, EGF, and PITX1 genes changed only in the smoking group. In addition, correlation analysis identified several clusters within which genes displayed correlations in their expression levels. The largest group included 10 genes: TIMP1, TIMP2, WEE1, YAP, HIF1A, PI3KCA, UTP14A, APIP, PTEN, and SLC26A6. The genetic signatures associated with smoking habits that we have found may serve as a prerequisite for the development of diagnostic panels/tests predicting responses to different therapeutic strategies for HNSCC.
A random channel access scheme for massive machine devices in LTE cellular networks

Machine to machine (M2M) communication has raised significant interests. However, due to the massive number of machine type communication (MTC) devices that are anticipated to communicate using cellular networks, there is a major problem on efficient accommodation of the heavy Random Access (RA) loads from the MTC devices. Use of small cells has been specified to provide network densification by 3GPP. In this paper we investigate the use of small cells to support RA and the allocation of Zadoff-Chu sequences to the small cells, which are used to generate preambles for the RA procedure. Small cells can be deployed on demand to handle mainly RA loads from MTC devices, which may generate much less data traffic compared to human devices. It is demonstrated that, with small cell support, more random channel access opportunities are provided and this can effectively support a massive number of machine devices. Using both simulations and analytical model the proposed implementation is evaluated and compared to two existing random access schemes without small cell support (the basic random access scheme and the access class barring (ACB) scheme). It is observed that the capacity of the networks in terms of the number of supported machine devices with small cell support can be increased significantly. The proposed implementation shows large potential to handle random channel access for massive machine devices.
Critical Factors Influencing E-Government Adoption in India: An Investigation of the Citizens' Perspectives

In this paper, the authors present an integrated model based on Unified Theory of Acceptance and Use of Technology UTAUT, trust and citizen satisfaction, to explore the factors which influence the adoption of e-government services in Delhi India. The findings indicate that effort expectancy, performance expectancy, and trust in technology followed by trust in government, citizen satisfaction, and facilitating conditions are significant predictors of citizen adoption of e-government. The findings also reveal that facilitating conditions can be divided into two factors: 'Available Facilitating Conditions' AFC which are concerned with the facilitating conditions available at the user's end and 'Provided Facilitating Conditions' PFC which refer to the facilitating conditions provided by the government. According to the findings of the study, AFC has a greater impact on e-government adoption, as compared to PFC.
A multilingual prosodic database

We present a prosodic corpus in five languages (French, English, Italian, German and Spanish) comprising 4 hours and 20 minutes of speech and involving 50 different speakers (5 male and 5 female per language). The recordings on which the corpus is based are extracted from the EUROM 1 speech database and consists of passages of about five sentences. The corpus was stylized automatically by an algorithm which factors out microprosodic effects and represents the intonation contour of utterances by a series of target points. Once interpolated by a smooth curve (spline), these points produce a contour undistinguishable from the original when re-synthesized, apart from a few detection errors. A symbolic coding of the 50000 pitch movements of the corpus is also provided, along with the time-alignment of orthographic transcription to signal at wordlevel. The entire corpus was verified and manually corrected by experts for each language. It will be made available at production cost for research through the European Language Resource Association (ELRA).
The Long-Term Care System in Spain: Characterization and Responses to COVID-19

The present paper aims to reveal the main problems that the long-term care system in Spain faced during COVID-19, outline its main challenges, and reflect on how the response to the pandemic has been tackled to provide a basis, in terms of prevention, for future similar scenarios. For this purpose, two scoping reviews were conducted. The first identified the main socio cultural characteristics of the care system in Spain, described the multi-level model regarding the institutional architectures, and exposed the consequences of the development of the Dependence Act and the impact of the 2008 crisis. The second established the main emergent topics in scientific production regarding long-term care and older people that have emerged due to COVID-19. The contrast in the results shows the structural deficiencies of the long-term care system and the need for profound changes, such as the restructuring of the retirement home system to adapt it to pandemic scenarios and the prioritization of the path of deinstitutionalization, as long as this is carried out with the reinforcement of social assistance mechanisms and appropriate community assistance resources.
A RNA Interference Screen Identifies the Protein Phosphatase 2A Subunit PR55γ as a Stress-Sensitive Inhibitor of c-SRC

Protein Phosphatase type 2A (PP2A) represents a family of holoenzyme complexes with diverse biological activities. Specific holoenzyme complexes are thought to be deregulated during oncogenic transformation and oncogene-induced signaling. Since most studies on the role of this phosphatase family have relied on the use of generic PP2A inhibitors, the contribution of individual PP2A holoenzyme complexes in PP2A-controlled signaling pathways is largely unclear. To gain insight into this, we have constructed a set of shRNA vectors targeting the individual PP2A regulatory subunits for suppression by RNA interference. Here, we identify PR55γ and PR55δ as inhibitors of c-Jun NH2-terminal kinase (JNK) activation by UV irradiation. We show that PR55γ binds c-SRC and modulates the phosphorylation of serine 12 of c-SRC, a residue we demonstrate to be required for JNK activation by c-SRC. We also find that the physical interaction between PR55γ and c-SRC is sensitive to UV irradiation. Our data reveal a novel mechanism of c-SRC regulation whereby in response to stress c-SRC activity is regulated, at least in part, through loss of the interaction with its inhibitor, PR55γ.
Brain-computer communication and slow cortical potentials

A thought translation device (TTD) has been designed to enable direct brain-computer communication using self-regulation of slow cortical potentials (SCPs). However, accuracy of SCP control reveals high intersubject variability. To guarantee the highest possible communication speed, some important aspects of training SCPs are discussed. A baseline correction of SCPs can increase performance. Multichannel recordings show that SCPs are of highest amplitude around the vertex electrode used for feedback, but in some subjects more global distributions were observed. A new method for control of eye movement is presented. Sequential effects of trial-to-trial interaction may also cause difficulties for the user. Finally, psychophysiological factors determining SCP communication are discussed.
Using cuckoo optimization algorithm and imperialist competitive algorithm to solve inverse kinematics problem for numerical control of robotic manipulators

Inverse kinematics is one of the most important and complicated problems in robotics, and there is almost no exact analytical solution for this problem. Alternatively, with significant growth in machine learning techniques in recent decades, numerical methods are widely being used to solve this problem. This article aims to present a novel application of two powerful meta-heuristic optimization algorithms including cuckoo optimization algorithm and imperialist competitive algorithm to solve robotic manipulators’ inverse kinematics problem for the first time. Recently, these two algorithms have been used to solve several problems in different majors more efficiently in comparison with other well-known algorithms. To validate the efficiency of proposed approaches and suggest them as the preferred numerical methods to solve this problem, a comprehensive study has been done on performance of almost all recently used numerical methods to solve the same problem including genetic algorithm, particle swarm optimization, harmony search and differential evolution algorithms as well as adaptive neuro-fuzzy inference system and two artificial neural networks (multilayer perceptron and radial basis function). Simulations have been performed on an anthropomorphic arm with spherical wrist manipulator case study because of its complex model and degree of freedom. Proposed approach can be included in computer-aided manufacturing packages to increase robotic manipulators’ efficiencies.
Network-Coded Interference Alignment in K-Pair Bidirectional Relaying Channels

In this paper, we propose a distributed interference alignment which employs physical-layer network coding and superposition coding for successive-cancelling multiuser detection (MUD) receivers in K-pair bidirectional relaying networks. The proposed scheme enables the transmitter to align only partial interference while strong interference is cancelled by MUD, and the transmitter can have more degrees of freedom in controlling the filter designs. Simulation results demonstrate that our proposed scheme significantly improves sum-rate performance in multiuser bidirectional relaying systems.
Visual Exploration of Time‐Series Data with Shape Space Projections

Time‐series data is a common target for visual analytics, as they appear in a wide range of application domains. Typical tasks in analyzing time‐series data include identifying cyclic behavior, outliers, trends, and periods of time that share distinctive shape characteristics. Many methods for visualizing time series data exist, generally mapping the data values to positions or colors. While each can be used to perform a subset of the above tasks, none to date is a complete solution. In this paper we present a novel approach to time‐series data visualization, namely creating multivariate data records out of short subsequences of the data and then using multivariate visualization methods to display and explore the data in the resulting shape space. We borrow ideas from text analysis, where the use of N‐grams is a common approach to decomposing and processing unstructured text. By mapping each temporal N‐gram to a glyph, and then positioning the glyphs via PCA (basically a projection in shape space), many different kinds of patterns in the sequence can be readily identified. Interactive selection via brushing, in conjunction with linking to other visualizations, provides a wide range of tools for exploring the data. We validate the usefulness of this approach with examples from several application domains and tasks, comparing our methods with traditional time‐series visualizations.
Cdx2 is required for correct cell fate specification and differentiation of trophectoderm in the mouse blastocyst

Blastocyst formation marks the segregation of the first two cell lineages in the mammalian preimplantation embryo: the inner cell mass (ICM) that will form the embryo proper and the trophectoderm (TE) that gives rise to the trophoblast lineage. Commitment to ICM lineage is attributed to the function of the two transcription factors, Oct4 (encoded by Pou5f1) and Nanog. However, a positive regulator of TE cell fate has not been described. The T-box protein eomesodermin (Eomes) and the caudal-type homeodomain protein Cdx2 are expressed in the TE, and both Eomes and Cdx2 homozygous mutant embryos die around the time of implantation. A block in early TE differentiation occurs in Eomes mutant blastocysts. However, Eomes mutant blastocysts implant, and Cdx2 and Oct4 expression are correctly restricted to the ICM TE. Blastocoel formation initiates in Cdx2 mutants but epithelial integrity is not maintained and embryos fail to implant. Loss of Cdx2 results in failure to downregulate Oct4 and Nanog in outer cells of the blastocyst and subsequent death of those cells. Thus, Cdx2 is essential for segregation of the ICM and TE lineages at the blastocyst stage by ensuring repression of Oct4 and Nanog in the TE.
THE EVOLUTION OF OILFIELD TESTING: INTEGRATING SUSTAINABILITY INTO OPERATIONS MANAGEMENT

The evolution of oilfield testing has been marked by significant technological advancements, reshaping the landscape of the energy sector. This review delves into the transformative journey, emphasizing the criticality of integrating sustainable practices and technologies. Historically, the industry relied heavily on conventional methods, often associated with substantial environmental repercussions. However, the contemporary era, characterized by a global push for sustainability, has witnessed a shift. Advanced sensors, real-time analytics, and state-of-the-art software have revolutionized oilfield testing, enhancing efficiency while minimizing ecological footprints. As the narrative unfolds, it underscores the sector’s challenges, from technical and economic barriers to intricate social dynamics like workforce adaptation and stakeholder expectations. Yet, amidst these challenges lie opportunities. Collaborative efforts with environmental agencies, robust investments in research and development, and a focus on workforce training emerge as pivotal strategies. The review culminates with a forward-looking perspective, highlighting the potential benefits of sustainable practices on the environment, economy, and society, and issues a clarion call for unwavering commitment to innovation and sustainable methodologies in the oil and gas domain.
Polarization and birefringency considerations in rendering

In this work we render non-opaque anisotropic media. A mathematical formalism is described in which polarization effects resulting from light/material interactions are represented as transformation matrices. When applying the matrices a skewing is performed to ensure that like reference coordinates are used. The intensity and direction of an extraordinary ray is computed.
AirPanes: Two-Handed Around-Device Interaction for Pane Switching on Smartphones

In recent years, around device input has emerged as a complement to standard touch input, albeit in limited tasks and contexts, such as for item selection or map navigation. We push the boundaries for around device interactions to facilitate an entire smartphone application: browsing through large information lists to make a decision. To this end, we present AirPanes, a novel technique that allows two-handed in-air interactions, conjointly with touch input to perform analytic tasks, such as making a purchase decision. AirPanes resolves the inefficiencies of having to switch between multiple views or panes in common smartphone applications. We explore the design factors that make AirPanes efficient. In a controlled study, we find that AirPanes is on average 50% more efficient that standard touch input for an analytic task. We offer recommendations for implementing AirPanes in a broad range of applications.
Protein Kinase C Disrupts Cannabinoid Actions by Phosphorylation of the CB1 Cannabinoid Receptor

We have found that phosphorylation of a G-protein-coupled receptor by protein kinase C (PKC) disrupts modulation of ion channels by the receptor. In AtT-20 cells transfected with rat cannabinoid receptor (CB1), the activation of an inwardly rectifying potassium current (Kir current) and depression of P/Q-type calcium channels by cannabinoids were prevented by stimulation of protein kinase C by 100 nm phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (PMA). In contrast, activation of Kir current by somatostatin was unaffected, and inhibition of calcium channels was only modestly attenuated. The possibility that PKC acted by phosphorylating CB1 receptors was confirmed by demonstrating that PKC phosphorylated a single serine (S317) of a fusion protein incorporating the third intracellular loop of CB1. Mutating this serine to alanine did not affect the ability of CB1 to modulate currents, but it eliminated disruption by PMA, demonstrating that PKC can disrupt ion channel modulation by receptor phosphorylation.
A Merged Fuzzy Neural Network and Its Applications in Battery State-of-Charge Estimation

To solve learning problems with vast number of inputs, this paper proposes a novel learning structure merging a number of small fuzzy neural networks (FNNs) into a hierarchical learning structure called a merged-FNN. In this paper, the merged-FNN is proved to be a universal approximator. This computing approach uses a fusion of FNNs using B-spline membership functions (BMFs) with a reduced-form genetic algorithm (RGA). RGA is employed to tune all free parameters of the merged-FNN, including both the control points of the BMFs and the weights of the small FNNs. The merged-FNN can approximate a continuous nonlinear function to any desired degree of accuracy. For a practical application, a battery state-of-charge (BSOC) estimator, which is a twelve input, one output system, in a lithium-ion battery string is proposed to verify the effectiveness of the merged-FNN. From experimental results, the learning ability of the newly proposed merged-FNN with RGA is superior to that of the traditional neural networks with back-propagation learning.