Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hybrid force/motion control and internal dynamics of quadrotors for tool operation

This paper presents a hybrid force/motion control framework for quadrotors with a rigid/light tool attached on it. By transforming the quadrotor dynamics into that of the tool-tip position y and applying the passive decomposition to decompose its dynamics into tangential and normal components w.r. t. a contact surface, we design hybrid position/force control. We also elucidate the internal dynamics (i.e., the dynamics hidden from the tool-tip position and yaw angle output and not directly affected by the control action due to the quadro-tor's underactuation), reveal a (seemingly counter-intuitive) necessary condition for internal stability (i.e., tool above the quadrotor, not beneath it), and propose a stabilizing control action to ensure the angular rates still be bounded while preventing the finite-time escape. Simulations are performed to support the theory.
Barrier plus PI control model for the immune system

I use simple ideas, endowed from mathematical control theory and from qualitative theory of differential equations, in order to analyze in general grounds the human immune system. The simplest model, in which the response is proportional to the pathogen load, leads to the condition that the annihilation rate of pathogens in any tissue should be greater than the pathogen's average rate of growth. When nonlinearities are added, a reference value for the number of pathogens and a stability condition, relating strength of regular threats, barrier height and annihilation rate, emerge. The stability condition allows a qualitative comparison between tissues. On the other hand, in cancer immunity, the linear model leads to an expression for the lifetime risk, which accounts for both the effects of carcinogens (endogenous or external) and the immune response. Finally, an integral term is added to the model in order to simulate the process of recruitment of immune cells from blood circulation.
Antibody-Free Magnetic Cell Sorting of Genetically Modified Primary Human CD4+ T Cells by One-Step Streptavidin Affinity Purification

Existing methods for phenotypic selection of genetically modified mammalian cells suffer disadvantages of time, cost and scalability and, where antibodies are used to bind exogenous cell surface markers for magnetic selection, typically yield cells coated with antibody-antigen complexes and beads. To overcome these limitations we have developed a method termed Antibody-Free Magnetic Cell Sorting in which the 38 amino acid Streptavidin Binding Peptide (SBP) is displayed at the cell surface by the truncated Low Affinity Nerve Growth Receptor (LNGFRF) and used as an affinity tag for one-step selection with streptavidin-conjugated magnetic beads. Cells are released through competition with the naturally occurring vitamin biotin, free of either beads or antibody-antigen complexes and ready for culture or use in downstream applications. Antibody-Free Magnetic Cell Sorting is a rapid, cost-effective, scalable method of magnetic selection applicable to either viral transduction or transient transfection of cell lines or primary cells. We have optimised the system for enrichment of primary human CD4+ T cells expressing shRNAs and exogenous genes of interest to purities of >99%, and used it to isolate cells following Clustered Regularly Interspaced Short Palindromic Repeats (CRISPR)/Cas9 genome editing.
Perspectives of Small Retailers in the Organic Market: Customer Satisfaction and Customer Enthusiasm

This article discusses the impact of customer satisfaction and enthusiasm on the performance of small retailers in the organic food market. The analysis of customer satisfaction and shop data confirm essential economic effects. The study is based on 948 customer interviews and an analysis of management ratios of 12 organic food shops in Germany. A structural equation modelling approach shows that customer service and product quality are the main determinants of customer satisfaction. The results demonstrate that customer enthusiasm is a more accurate factor in the recommendation of shops than customer satisfaction. The article ends with managerial and scientific implications.
A Fourier-Based Valuation Method for Bermudan and Barrier Options under Heston's Model

We develop an efficient Fourier-based numerical method for pricing Bermudan and discretely monitored barrier options under the Heston stochastic volatility model. The two-dimensional pricing problem is dealt with by a combination of a Fourier cosine series expansion, as in [F. Fang and C. W. Oosterlee, SIAM J. Sci. Comput. , 31 (2008), pp. 826-848, F. Fang and C. W. Oosterlee, Numer. Math., 114 (2009), pp. 27-62], and high-order quadrature rules in the other dimension. Error analysis and experiments confirm a fast error convergence.
The efficiency of utilization of metabolizable energy and apparent absorption of amino acids in sheep given spring- and autumn-harvested dried grass

1. Three experiments were conducted with sheep given spring-harvested dried grass (SHG) and autumn-harvested dried grass (AHG). The first was a calorimetric trial to determine the metabolizable energy (ME) content of each grass and the efficiency with which sheep utilize their extra ME intakes above the maintenance level of intake. The second examined the relative amounts of extra non-ammonia-nitrogen (NAN) and individual amino acids absorbed from the small intestine per unit extra ME intake as the level of feeding was raised from energy equilibrium (M) to approximately 1.5 M. The third was a further calorimetric trial to investigate the effect of an abomasal infusion of 30 g casein/d on the efficiency of utilization of AHG. 2. The ME content of the SHG (11.8 MJ/kg dry matter (DM)) was higher than that of AHG (10.0 MJ/kg DM). The efficiency of utilization of ME for productive purposes (is. above the M level of intake; kf,) was higher when given SHG (kf 0.54 between M and 2 M) than when given AHG (kf 0.43 between M and 2 M). 3. As the level of intake of each grass was raised from M to 1.5 M there was a greater increment in the amounts of NAN (P < 0.001) and the total amino acid (P < 0.05) absorbed from the small intestines when sheep were given the SHG (NAN absorption, SHG 5.4 g/d, AHG 1.5 g/d, SED 0.54; total amino acid absorption SHG 31.5 g/d, AHG 14.3 g/d, SED 5.24). 4. Infusion of 30 g casein/d per abomasum of sheep given AHG at M and 1.5 M levels of intake increased (P < 0.05) the efficiency of utilization of the herbage from kf 0.45 to kf 0.57. Consideration is given to the possibility that the higher efficiency of utilization of ME in sheep given SHG may be related to the amounts of extra glucogenic amino acids absorbed from the small intestine which provide extra reducing equivalents (NADPH) and glycerol phosphate necessary for the conversion of acetate into fatty acids.
HLA Class I and Class II Alleles and Haplotypes Confirm the Berber Origin of the Present Day Tunisian Population

In view of its distinct geographical location and relatively small area, Tunisia witnessed the presence of many civilizations and ethnic groups throughout history, thereby questioning the origin of present-day Tunisian population. We investigated HLA class I and class II gene profiles in Tunisians, and compared this profile with those of Mediterranean and Sub-Sahara African populations. A total of 376 unrelated Tunisian individuals of both genders were genotyped for HLA class I (A, B) and class II (DRB1, DQB1), using reverse dot-blot hybridization (PCR-SSO) method. Statistical analysis was performed using Arlequin software. Phylogenetic trees were constructed by DISPAN software, and correspondence analysis was carried out by VISTA software. One hundred fifty-three HLA alleles were identified in the studied sample, which comprised 41, 50, 40 and 22 alleles at HLA-A,-B,-DRB1 and -DQB1 loci, respectively. The most frequent alleles were HLA-A*02:01 (16.76%), HLA-B*44:02/03 (17.82%), HLA-DRB1*07:01 (19.02%), and HLA-DQB1*03:01 (17.95%). Four-locus haplotype analysis identified HLA-A*02:01-B*50:01-DRB1*07:01-DQB1*02:02 (2.2%) as the common haplotype in Tunisians. Compared to other nearby populations, Tunisians appear to be genetically related to Western Mediterranean population, in particular North Africans and Berbers. In conclusion, HLA genotype results indicate that Tunisians are related to present-day North Africans, Berbers and to Iberians, but not to Eastern Arabs (Palestinians, Jordanians and Lebanese). This suggests that the genetic contribution of Arab invasion of 7th-11th century A.D. had little impact of the North African gene pool.
Patient Power and Control: A Study of Women with Uncertain Illness Trajectories

The authors interviewed 12 women diagnosed with chronic fatigue syndrome and 13 with fibromyalgia with the aim of determining the strategies they perceive themselves as using to gain control over their situation during the health care process. The results highlight various strategies that the women report applying to find a way of managing the illness and to influence caregivers. They describe, for example, how they try to gain control over their situation by acquiring knowledge about the illness. The women also describe various power strategies they use in their interaction with the caregivers to take command of their situation, namely exiting, noncompliance, confrontation, persuasion/insistence, making demands, and demonstrative distancing.
Quantitative Proteomics of Transporter Expression in Brain Capillary Endothelial Cells Isolated from P-Glycoprotein (P-gp), Breast Cancer Resistance Protein (Bcrp), and P-gp/Bcrp Knockout Mice

The objective of this study was to quantitatively examine the protein expression of relevant transporters and other proteins in the brain capillary endothelial cells isolated from wild-type mice and P-glycoprotein (P-gp), breast cancer resistance protein (Bcrp), and P-gp/Bcrp knockout mice. After the isolation of brain capillary endothelial cells, a highly sensitive liquid chromatography-tandem mass spectrometry method with multiple reaction monitoring was used to determine the quantitative expression of membrane transporters at the blood-brain barrier (BBB) of the various mouse genotypes. Quantitative expression of 29 protein molecules, including 12 ATP-binding cassette transporters, 10 solute carrier transporters, five receptors, and two housekeeping proteins, was examined by quantitative proteomics in the four mouse genotypes. There was no significant difference in the expression of P-gp between the wild-type and Bcrp1(−/−) mice. Likewise, Bcrp expression was not significantly different between the wild-type and Mdr1a/b(−/−) mice. There was no significant difference in the expression of any of the measured proteins in the brain capillary endothelial cells across the genotypes, except for the lack of expression of the corresponding protein in the mice that had a genetic deletion of P-gp or Bcrp. In conclusion, using a quantitative proteomic approach, we have shown that there are no changes in the expression of several relevant transporters in brain capillary endothelial cells isolated from single and combination knockout mice. These data suggest that the mechanism behind the functional compensation between P-gp and Bcrp at the BBB is not related to compensatory changes in transporter expression.
Effect of surface capping of quantum dots (CdTe) on proteomics.

RATIONALE Investigation of nanoparticles for laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (LDI-MS) is routinely reported. However, the effect of surface capping of nanomaterials for LDI-MS is not well studied. METHODS Different capping agents of quantum dots (CdTe) affect the spectra quality and sensitivity of protein analysis and protein digestion using trypsin enzyme assisted by microwave. Surface modification of CdTe quantum dots with different capping agents, namely 3-mercaptopropionic acid (3-MPA), 4-aminothiophenol (4-ATP), 4-mercaptobenzoic acid (4-MBA), 11-mercaptoundecanoic acid (11-MUA), cysteine (Cys) and thioglycolic acid (TG), were investigated for quantum dots (QDs)-assisted trypsin protease followed by analysis using mass spectrometry. RESULTS CdTe QDs were used as a surface to assist trypsin protease and laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry (surface-assisted laser desorption/ionization mass spectrometry, SALDI-MS). The MS profiles for the investigated analytes (bovine serum albumin (BSA), lysozyme, cytochrome c, α-casein, transferrin and myoglobin) revealed almost the absence of degradation that implies the softness of the present technique. QDs-assisted LDI-MS offered high sensitivity and high resolution. QDs showed significant enhancement of microwave-assisted trypsin digestion of the investigated proteins and these improvements boosted the identifications of fragments with a database. CONCLUSIONS A capping agent of quantum dots affects the analysis of proteins and peptides using LDI-MS. CdTe QDs offer sensitive, high-resolution and simple analysis of proteins. QDs improved the protein digestion using the microwave-assisted trypsin digestion. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Actions of cholinergic agonists and antagonists on sensory nerve endings in rat skin, in vitro

1. Cholinergic effects on primary sensory afferents were investigated in a superfused skin-saphenous nerve preparation of the rat that allows the application of chemicals topically to the corium side of identified receptive fields. 2. The acetylcholine analogue carbachol (carbamoylcholine) selectively excited cutaneous C-fibers of nociceptive character; in proportion, almost half of the mechanoheat sensitive ("polymodal," C-MH, n = 27), and a third of the mechanocold sensitive (C-MC, n = 10), and high-threshold mechanosensitive (C-HTM, n = 6) C-fibers were activated. 3. None of slowly and rapidly adapting A beta fibers, low and high threshold mechanoreceptive A delta fibers (n = 19) gave a response to high concentrations (< or = 10(-4) M) of carbachol. 4. The carbachol threshold concentrations of C-nociceptors ranged between 10(-7) and 10(-4) M; 10(-6) M was most frequently encountered. 5. The carbachol-induced discharges showed a dose-response relationship without obvious "ceiling" from 10(-6) to 10(-4) M. Tachyphylaxis was not prominent; the fibers mostly developed ongoing activity after exposure to carbachol. 6. Repeated carbachol treatment of C-MH units left with a marked and sustained desensitization to mechanical (von Frey) stimulation, while the heat responsiveness remained unchanged. 7. In a group of carbachol-sensitive C-nociceptors (n = 4), two units could also be excited with muscarine (10(-6) M), one with nicotine (10(-6) M), and one unit with both substances. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
NvAssign: protein NMR spectral assignment with NMRView

MOTIVATION Nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) protein studies rely on the accurate assignment of resonances. The general procedure is to (1) pick peaks, (2) cluster data from various experiments or spectra, (3) assign peaks to the sequence and (4) verify the assignments with the spectra. Many algorithms already exist for automating the assignment process (step 3). What is lacking is a flexible interface to help a spectroscopist easily move from clustering (step 2) to assignment algorithms (step 3) and back to verification of the algorithm output with spectral analysis (step 4). RESULTS A software module, NvAssign, was written for use with NMRView. It is a significant extension of the previous CBCA module. The module provides a flexible interface to cluster data and interact with the existing assignment algorithms. Further, the software module is able to read the results of other algorithms so that the data can be easily verified by spectral analysis. The generalized interface is demonstrated by connecting the clustered data with the assignment algorithms PACES and MONTE using previously assigned data for the lyase domain of DNA polymerase lambda. The spectral analysis program NMRView is now able to read the output of these programs for simplified analysis and verification. AVAILABILITY NvAssign is available from http://dir.niehs. nih.gov/dirnmr/nvassign
SIFT-based indoor localization for older adults using wearable camera

This paper presents an image-based indoor localization system for tracking older individuals' movement at home. In this system, images are acquired at a low frame rate by a miniature camera worn conveniently at the chest position. The correspondence between adjacent frames is first established by matching the SIFT (scale-invariant feature transform) based key points in a pair of images. The location changes of these points are then used to estimate the position of the wearer based on use of the pinhole camera model. A preliminary study conducted in an indoor environment indicates that the location of the wearer can be estimated with an adequate accuracy.
Dynamic Programming for POMDPs Using a Factored State Representation

Contingent planning - constructing a plan in which action selection is contingent, on imperfect information received during plan execution - can be formalized as the problem of solving a partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP). Traditional dynamic programming algorithms for POMDPs use a flat state representation that enumerates all possible stales and state transitions. By contrast, AI planning algorithms use a factored state representation that supports state abstraction and allows problems with large state spaces to be represented and solved more efficiently. Boutilier and Poole (1996) have recently described how a factored state representation can be exploited by a dynamic programming algorithm for POMDPs. We extend their framework, describe an implementation of it, test its performance, and assess how much this approach improves the computational efficiency of dynamic programming for POMDPs.
Cross-cultural adaptation and validation of Bahasa Malaysiaversion of the Eating Disorder Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q)

Introduction: As eating disorders such as anorexia nervosa and others are generally becoming more prevalent, it is essential to have a culturally accepted and locally validated questionnaire that is able to detect abnormal eating habits. Objective: To translate the Eating Disorders Examination Questionnaire (EDE-Q) into Bahasa Malaysia (BM) and to determine the construct validity, reliability and other psychometric properties of the BM version. Method: Two parallel forward and backward translations were done in BM in accordance to guideline. Its validation was determined by using confirmatory factor analysis among 298 secondary school children. Results: The BM EDE-Q had very good internal consistency with global Cronbachâ€™s alpha value of 0.879. For construct validity, majority of the items managed to produce values of more than 0.4 for confirmatory factor analysis with four unforced distinct factors detected. Conclusions: Analyses of reliability and validity of this BM version of EDE-Q yielded satisfactory results. The BM version produced in this study had good psychometric properties and it is applicable to the Malaysian population. Findings indicated that cultural factors in eating habits certainly influences the effort to adapt the questionnaire within a Malaysian setting.
Spectral methods for image clustering Final project : CS 281 B

The clustering problem is to assign labels to points in order to group them in a structurally meaningful way. This is often accomplished by defining cluster centroids in the vector space and assigning points to the cluster with the nearest centroid, as the k-means algorithm does. But this approach does not work for clusters that have unusual shapes, particularly if the clusters are interwoven or nested. Spectral clustering is a clustering method based on Kernel PCA (Principal Component Analysis). PCA computes eigenvectors of the covariance matrix of data to find the directions along which the variance is greatest; Kernel PCA computes eigenvectors of the kernel matrix, essentially performing PCA in the feature space defined by the kernel. This can overcome the problems faced by direct centroid-based clustering methods because a suitable kernel can be chosen to project the data into a feature space in which the clusters are spatially distinct. This is essentially the approach taken by spectral clustering algorithms. We use the spectral clustering algorithm given by Ng, Jordan, and Weiss [3]:
Artificial Cell Systems Based in Gene Expression Protein Effects

The artificial embryogeny term overlaps all the models that try to adapt cellular properties into artificial models. This chapter presents a new model for artificial embryogeny that mimics the behaviour of biological cells, whose characteristics can be applied to solution of computational problems. The paper contains the theoretical development of the model and some test executed in an implementation of that model. The presented tests apply the model to simple structure generation and provide promising results with regard to its behaviour and applicability to more complex problems. The objective of the chapters is to be an introduction of the artificial embryogeny and shows an example of a model of these techniques.
A Throughput-Based Adaptive MIMO-BICM Approach for Spatially-Correlated Channels

This paper considers low complexity transmission for MIMO bit-interleaved coded modulation (BICM) in spatially-correlated Rayleigh channels. We consider both statistical beam-forming (SB) and spatial-multiplexing with a zero-forcing (ZF) receiver. We derive tight closed-form bit error rate (BER) expressions based on a saddlepoint approximation. We then propose a practical adaptive algorithm which selects, based on the analytical results, the combination of code-rate, modulation format, and MIMO transmission scheme (SB or ZF) that maximizes throughput whilst maintaining a pre-defined BER.
Focussing Attention on Oneself Increases the Perception of Being Observed by Others

Patients with Social Anxiety Disorder (SAD) often report elevated levels of self-focussed evaluative attention (SFEA), and seem excessively concerned with being observed by others. This study tested whether SFEA increases the perception of being observed by others. A sample of 52 high and 52 low socially anxious participants estimated the percentage of people ‘looking at you’ in several matrices of faces. A control task used matrices of clocks. SFEA was manipulated. As predicted, increasing SFEA led to significantly higher estimates of people ‘looking at you’ in both groups. Estimates on the control task were not affected by SFEA, thus the effects appear specific to social stimuli. These findings suggest that the increased levels of SFEA that characterise patients with SAD could contribute to their enhanced perception of being observed by others. The findings have implications for the role of attention training in the treatment of SAD.
Antidepressant-Like Activity of 10-Hydroxy-Trans-2-Decenoic Acid, a Unique Unsaturated Fatty Acid of Royal Jelly, in Stress-Inducible Depression-Like Mouse Model

Symptoms of depression and anxiety appeared in mice after they had been subjected to a combination of forced swimming for 15 min followed by being kept in cages that were sequentially subjected to leaning, drenching, and rotation within 1-2 days for a total of 3 weeks. The animals were then evaluated by the tail-suspension test, elevated plus-maze test, and open-field test at 1 day after the end of stress exposure. Using these experimental systems, we found that 10-hydroxy-trans-2-decenoic acid (HDEA), an unsaturated fatty acid unique to royal jelly (RJ), protected against the depression and anxiety when intraperitoneally administered once a day for 3 weeks simultaneously with the stress loading. Intraperitoneally administered RJ, a rich source of HDEA, was also protective against the depression, but RJ given by the oral route was less effective. Our present results demonstrate that HDEA and RJ, a natural source of it, were effective in ameliorating the stress-inducible symptoms of depression and anxiety.