Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visual Control for Multirobot Organized Rendezvous

This paper addresses the problem of visual control of a set of mobile robots. In our framework, the perception system consists of an uncalibrated flying camera performing an unknown general motion. The robots are assumed to undergo planar motion considering nonholonomic constraints. The goal of the control task is to drive the multirobot system to a desired rendezvous configuration relying solely on visual information given by the flying camera. The desired multirobot configuration is defined with an image of the set of robots in that configuration without any additional information. We propose a homography-based framework relying on the homography induced by the multirobot system that gives a desired homography to be used to define the reference target, and a new image-based control law that drives the robots to the desired configuration by imposing a rigidity constraint. This paper extends our previous work, and the main contributions are that the motion constraints on the flying camera are removed, the control law is improved by reducing the number of required steps, the stability of the new control law is proved, and real experiments are provided to validate the proposal.
News Media Framing of New York City's Sugar-Sweetened Beverage Portion-Size Cap.

OBJECTIVES We assessed news media framing of New York City's proposed regulation to prohibit the sale of sugar-sweetened beverages greater than 16 ounces. METHODS We conducted a quantitative content analysis of print and television news from within and outside New York City media markets. We examined support for and opposition to the portion-size cap in the news coverage from its May 31, 2012, proposal through the appellate court ruling on July 31, 2013. RESULTS News coverage corresponded to key events in the policy's evolution. Although most stories mentioned obesity as a problem, a larger proportion used opposing frames (84%) than pro-policy frames (36%). Mention of pro-policy frames shifted toward the policy's effect on special populations. The debate's most prominent frame was the opposing frame that the policy was beyond the government's role (69%). CONCLUSIONS News coverage within and outside the New York City media market was more likely to mention arguments in opposition to than in support of the portion-size cap. Understanding how the news media framed this issue provides important insights for advocates interested in advancing similar measures in other jurisdictions.
Learning from advocacy: a case of OER policy implementation in the Wawasan Open University

Wawasan Open University has been the pioneer institution in the region to respond to the global advocacy for the OER movement. The OER-Asia initiative in 2010 under the auspices of the University for advocating and disseminating relevant information about OER as well as developing training materials and conducting research in this area. OER-Asia as well as the University made concrete contribution to the drafting the World OER Declaration jointly by the Commonwealth of Learning and the UNESCO. Responding to the advocacy for OER by the OER-Asia Initiative and other global initiatives the Wawasan Open University in spite of being a new organisation took the bold decision to join the OER movement. In the last one and half years the WOU has managed to make substantial progress in this area. This paper attempts to present the major aspects of OER Policy adoption and implementation. Introduction The Council of the Wawasan Open University in its meeting in December 2010 asked the University to consider and develop a proposal for possible adoption of OER and bring out a detailed implementation plan in order to transform the existing course development process with an aim to increase the quality and efficiency of developing course materials. Since then the University engaged itself in deliberating on various pros and cons of OER development. A discussion paper titled 'OER Integration in WOU-Policy Directions, Strategic Outputs and Action Plan' was drafted and this was discussed in several forums including the OER Steering task group which was constituted for the purpose of formulating further plan of action. After long and extensive deliberations a WOUOER Policy was drafted for consideration and approval of all governing bodies of the University. Policy Formulation and Implementation Details Details regarding the OER policy formulation and implementation of related task are presented in the following paragraphs: WOU-OER Policy: An OER Policy for WOU with implementation strategies has been adopted by the OER Steering Committee, Senate, Management Board and endorsed by the Board of Governors of the University. The broad OER Policy declaration is given below: “WOU will promote and implement the creation, reuse, remix, repurpose and redistribution of Open Educational Resources (OER) within an Open Licensing
Pathogenesis and Pharmacology of Epilepsy in the Lithium‐pilocarpine Model

Summary: To try to identify the critical structures during epileptogenesis, we used the lithium‐pilocarpine model that reproduces most clinical and neuropathological features of temporal lobe epilepsy (TLE). We used imaging techniques as well as a disease modifying approach and pharmacological strategy. With [14C]‐2‐deoxyglucose autoradiography, we assessed changes in cerebral glucose utilization. T2‐weighted magnetic resonance imaging (MRI, 4.7 T) allowed follow‐up of structures involved in epileptogenesis. A potential disease‐modifying effect was studied using preconditioning with brief seizures (amygdala kindling, maximal electroshocks) and pharmacological strategies including vigabatrin (250 mg/kg), caffeine (0.3 g/L in drinking water), topiramate (10–60 mg/kg), pregabalin (50 mg/kg followed by 10 mg/kg), or RWJ‐333369 (10–120 mg/kg). In adult and PN21 rats that became epileptic, entorhinal, and piriform cortices were the initial structures exhibiting significant signal changes on MRI scans, from 6 h after status epilepticus (SE) onset, reflecting neuronal death. In PN21 rats that did not become epileptic, no signal occurred in parahippocampal cortices. In hippocampus, MRI signal change appeared 36–48 h after SE, and progressively worsened to sclerosis. During the latent and chronic phases, the metabolic level in the hilus of adult and PN21 epileptic rats was normal although neuronal loss reached 60–75%. Protection limited to CA1 and/or CA3 (caffeine, topiramate, vigabatrin, amygdala kindling) did not affect the latency to spontaneous seizures. Protection limited to the entorhinal and piriform cortices (pregabalin) delayed epileptogenesis. The combined protection of Ammon's horn and parahippocampal cortices (RWJ‐333369) prolonged the latency before the onset of seizures in a dose‐dependent manner or, in some cases, prevented the epilepsy. The entorhinal and piriform cortices are critically involved in the early phase of the epileptogenesis while the hilus may initiate and/or maintain epileptic seizures. Pharmacological protection of the basal cortices is necessary for a beneficial disease‐modifying effect but this must be combined with protection of the hippocampus to prevent epileptogenesis in this model of TLE.
Molecular pathogenesis of colorectal cancer

Colorectal cancer is the third leading cause of cancer‐related death in both men and woman in industrialized countries. Major advances have been made in our understanding of molecular events leading to formation of adenomatous polyps and cancer. Most colorectal cancers are sporadic, but a significant proportion (5–6%) has a clear genetic background. It is now widely accepted that colorectal carcinogenesis is a multistep process involving the inactivation of a variety of tumor‐suppressor and DNA‐repair genes and simultaneous activation of certain oncogenes. In addition, epigenetic alterations through aberrant promoter methylation and histone modification have been found to play a major role in the evolution and progression of a large proportion of sporadic colon cancers. Consequently, it is now apparent that individual colorectal cancers may evolve through diverse molecular pathways. In this article, the authors have summarized the current knowledge of molecular pathogenesis in common hereditary syndromes and sporadic forms of colorectal cancer. Novel molecular diagnostic tools for the early diagnosis and prevention of colorectal cancer that have emerged from these insights are discussed. Cancer 2005. © 2005 American Cancer Society.
Assessment of mutations in ki‐ras and p53 in colon cancers from azoxymethane‐ and dimethylhydrazine‐treated rats

Mutations in the Ki‐ras oncogene and the p53 tumor suppressor gene are known to occur at high frequencies in human colon cancers. We measured the frequency of mutations in these two genes in colon adenocarcinomas obtained from a widely used experimental model of human colon carcinogenesis: F344 rats treated with the carcinogens azoxymethane (AOM) or dimethylhydrazine (DMH). We detected codon 12 mutations in Ki‐ras in approximately 60% of colon adenocarcinomas induced by either carcinogen. We characterized the rat p53 intron‐exon junctions to construct primers for polymerase chain reaction amplification of this gene. We discovered that the rat p53 gene was structurally different from the human p53 gene, as the rat gene was missing one intron between exons 6 and 7. Both single‐stranded DNA conformational polymorphism analysis and direct DNA sequencing of the highly conserved regions of rat exons 5–7 were conducted because the corresponding human regions (exons 5–8) have been reported as being mutated most frequently in human colon cancers. Using these methods, we were unable to identify any p53 mutations in the highly conserved regions of exons 5–7 in either AOM‐ or DMH‐induced colon adenocarcinomas. These data confirm that Ki‐ras was mutated in most colon cancers in AOM‐ or DMH‐treated rats but indicate that molecular alterations in the p53 gene, if they occur in this animal model, are different from most p53 mutations in human colon cancers. Mol. Carcinog. 19:137–144, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Paraneoplastic polymyositis presenting as a clinically occult breast cancer

ABSTRACT Paraneoplastic syndrome affects less than 1% of cancer patients. Diagnosis of paraneoplastic syndrome with neurological presentation requires screening for an underlying malignancy, including a complete history, physical examination and imaging studies. Treatment often results in symptom stability, rather than improvement. Paraneoplastic polymyositis can precede or instantaneously occur at diagnosis or treatment of a primary tumour, while neurological symptoms can persist even following cancer treatment. We report a rare case of metaplastic breast carcinoma with an unusual presentation of paraneoplastic polymyositis.
Power and the material arrangements of a river basin management plan: the case of the Archipelago Sea

ABSTRACT The drive towards collaborative governance has raised critical questions about the hidden forms of power practised in consensual planning processes. In the field of water governance, the issue has been analysed in terms that treat power as an intrinsic property of actors or planning settings. Alternatively power is located in the discursive means mobilized by the human participants. Drawing from actor-network theory, this paper calls attention to the material arrangements constitutive for the practicing of power in target-driven, consensus-seeking planning. It sets focus on the obligatory passage points and factual closures through which a planning task links, for example, to ecosystems, policy principles and trajectories of governance. In the meantime, some other entities and issues may lose their planning-steering potentiality. As shown by the analysis of a river-basin planning process, the arrangements that end up steering consensus-seeking cannot be treated as merely discursive outputs operating upon a passive non-human reality. Materialities and living processes contribute to the outcome. However, the link is not deterministic. With different means of arrangement, the planning reality can – and, in the studied case, could have – end up different.
Functional Capacity of Children with Leukemia

The purpose of this study was to determine if the functional capacity and quality of life of children receiving treatment against acute lymphoblastic leukemia (ALL) is decreased compared to healthy age and gender-matched children. Functional capacity was assessed with a number of measurements as the peak oxygen uptake (VO2peak) and ventilatory threshold determined during a ramp treadmill test, functional mobility (Timed Up and Down Stairs test [TUDS]) and ankle dorsiflexion passive and active range of motion (passive and active DF-ROM, respectively). Quality of life (QOL) was determined with the Spanish version of the Child Report Form of the Child Health and Illness Profile-Child Edition (CHIP-CE/CRF). Fifteen children (9 boys, 6 girls; mean [SD] age: 6.8 +/- 3.1 years) receiving maintenance therapy against ALL were studied and fifteen, nonathletic healthy children (9 boys, 6 girls; 6.9 +/- 3.3 years) were selected as controls. The mean values of VO2peak and active DF-ROM were significantly (p < 0.05) lower in patients (25.3 +/- 6.5 ml . kg (-1) . min (-1) vs. 31.9 +/- 6.8 ml . kg (-1) . min (-1) in controls and 19.6 +/- 8.0 degrees vs. 24.1 +/- 5.0 degrees , respectively). Children's self report of satisfaction (with self and health) (p < 0.05), comfort (concerning emotional and physical symptoms and limitations) (p < 0.01) and resilience (positive activities that promote health) (p < 0.01) were significantly decreased in patients with ALL. In summary, children receiving treatment against ALL have overall lower functional capacity and QOL than healthy children. However, their physical condition and health status are sufficiently high to allow them to participate in physical activities and supervised exercise programs.
A Ricardian-Demand Explanation for Changing Pharmaceutical R&D Productivity

This paper examines trends in the aggregate productivity of the pharmaceutical sector over the past three decades. We incorporate Ricardo’s insight about demand-driven productivity in settings of variable scarce resources, and estimate the industry’s responsiveness to changes in demand over this timeframe using therapeutic class-specific data. In contrast to many analyses, our empirical estimates indicate that the industry has “met demand” with remarkable consistency since the late-1980s. The growth in total R&D spending, and therefore R&D costs per new drug, appear to have been profitable and productive investments. While we identify a significant increase in the industry’s fixed costs - the intercept of the production function - we find no decline in the marginal productivity of industry investments that might suggest significant supply-side frictions. While we cannot diagnose in detail why average, but not marginal, productivity declined, the data suggests that firms have finally begun to compete down returns from the supranormal levels of decades past.
Chemical characteristics of long-range-transported fine particulate matter at Gosan, Jeju Island, in the spring and fall of 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012

Carbonaceous species (organic carbon [OC] and elemental carbon [EC]) and inorganic ions of particulate matter less than 2.5 μm (PM2.5) were measured to investigate the chemical characteristics of long-range-transported (LTP) PM2.5 at Gosan, Jeju Island, in Korea in the spring and fall of 2008–2012 (excluding 2010). On average, the non-sea-salt (nss) sulfate (4.2 µg/m3) was the most dominant species in the spring, followed by OC (2.6 µg/m3), nitrate (2.1 µg/m3), ammonium (1.7 µg/m3), and EC (0.6 µg/m3). In the fall, the nss-sulfate (4.7 µg/m3) was also the most dominant species, followed by OC (4.0 µg/m3), ammonium (1.7 µg/m3), nitrate (1.1 µg/m3), and EC (0.7 µg/m3). Both sulfate and OC were higher in the fall than in the spring, possibly due to more common northwest air masses (i.e., coming from China and Korea polluted areas) and more frequent biomass burnings in the fall. There was no clear difference in the EC between the spring and fall. The correlation between OC and EC was not strong; thus, the OC measured at Gosan was likely transported across a long distance and was not necessarily produced in a manner similar to the EC. Distinct types of LTP events (i.e., sulfate-dominant LTP versus OC-dominant LTP) were observed. In the sulfate-dominant LTP events, air masses directly arrived at Gosan without passing over the Korean Peninsula from the industrial area of China within 48 hr. During these events, the aerosol optical depth (AOD) increased to 1.63. Ionic balance data suggest that the long-range transported aerosols are acidic. In the OC-dominant LTP event, a higher residence time of air masses in Korea was observed (the air masses departing from the mainland of China arrived at the sampling site after passing Korea within 60–80 hr). Implications: In Northeast Asia, various natural and anthropogenic sources contribute to the complex chemical components and affect local/regional air quality and climate change. Chemical characteristics of long-range-transported (LTP) PM2.5 were investigated during spring and fall of 2008, 2009, 2011, and 2012. Based on air mass types, sulfate-dominant LTP and OC-dominant LTP were observed. A long-term variation and chemical characteristics of PM2.5 along with air mass and satellite data are required to better understand long-range-transported aerosols.
Thermoelectric property of vertically aligned carbon nanotube carpets

This work is to consider the thermoelectric effect based on the vertically aligned carbon nanotube carpets (VACNTs) and vertically aligned iron-filled CNTs (Fe-filled VacNts) have been grown using a chemical vapor deposition (CVD) method. The results show the Seebeck coefficient can be improved by controlling the layer number of Fe-filled VACNTs. It found the Seebeck coefficient of the single layer Fe-filled VACNTs is approximately -65 μV/K at 120 °C, which is two times higher than that of non Fe-filled VACNTs. Briefly, this work presented a simple method for producing thermoelectric materials with well Seebeck coefficient performance.
The Role of Jumps and Leverage in Forecasting Volatility in International Equity Markets

We analyze the importance of jumps and the leverage effect on forecasts of realized volatility in a large cross-section of 18 international equity markets, using daily realized measures data from the Oxford-Man Realized Library, and two widely employed empirical models for realized volatility that allow for jumps and leverage. Our out-of-sample forecast evaluation results show that the separation of realized volatility into a continuous and a discontinuous (jump) component is important for the S&P 500, but of rather limited value for the remaining 17 international equity markets that we analyze. Only for 6 equity markets are significant and sizable forecast improvements realized at the one-step-ahead horizon, which, nevertheless, deteriorate quickly and abruptly as the prediction horizon increases. The inclusion of the leverage effect, on the other hand, has a much larger impact on all 18 international equity markets. Forecast gains are not only highly significant, but also sizeable, with gains remaining significant for forecast horizons of up to one month ahead.
Money or Fun? Why Students Want to Pursue Further Education

We study students' motives for educational attainment in a unique survey of 885 secondary school students in the UK. As expected, students who perceive the monetary returns to education to be higher are more likely to intend to continue in full-time education. However, the main driver is the perceived consumption value, which alone explains around half of the variation of the intention to pursue higher education. Moreover, the perceived consumption value can account for a substantial part of both the socio-economic gap and the gender gap in intentions to continue in full-time education.
Structure specific ds/ss-RNase activity in the extreme halophile Halobacterium salinarium.

A ds/ss-RNA processing activity involved in antisense-RNA mediated gene regulation in the extremely halophilic archaebacterium Halobacterium salinarium was investigated in vivo. H.salinarium cells were transformed with DNA encoding an RNA species complementary to a part of the major lytic transcript, termed T4, of the H.salinarium phage phi H. The transformants transcribing this construct, when infected by phage were able to process T4 in a similar way to the processing of the lytic transcript denoted T1, in the natural sense-antisense system. Processing of T4 was not observed under normal phage growth on wild-type cells. Thus the antisense-RNA mediated processing activity earlier reported is dependent on the presence of an RNA duplex and is not sequence specific.
Interactions of Drugs and Electroshock Treatment on Cerebral Monoaminergic Systems a

The interaction of EST and drugs on the CSF levels of several monoamine metabolites was studied with four drugs that have been used in the treatment of psychiatric disorders, namely, lithium, carbamazepine, imipramine, and haloperidol. EST-drug interactions were observed with each of these drugs on one or more monoaminergic systems. All interactions were antagonistic in nature. Changes in the CSF levels of monoamine metabolites did not always reflect corresponding changes in the monoamine turnover; the increase in 5HIAA seen after chronic Li was due to slower removal of this metabolite from the CSF. However, the changes in the CSF levels of DA and 5HT metabolites following chronic HLDL reflected changes in the turnover of the parent amine in the brain. The effects of both HLDL and EST on DA metabolism in the intact brain could be related to alterations by these treatments of the responsiveness of DA presynaptic receptors. Similarly, the effect of HLDL on 5HT turnover and the antagonistic interaction of EST on this HLDL-induced effect were associated with changes in 3H-IMI binding sites that label the 5HT transporter in serotonergic presynaptic terminals. The results are discussed with the aid of a model that depicts possible relationships between pre- and postsynaptic variables and their influence on each other. According to this model an increase in the neurotransmitter turnover is associated with "down regulation" of both pre- and postsynaptic receptors whereas a decrease in turnover is associated with receptor "up regulation. " However, "up regulation" of receptors is not necessarily associated with augmented postsynaptic response. Analysis of the model variables by the "binding equation" which obeys the Clark occupancy principle revealed that receptor "up regulation" which is associated with decreased turnover may result in either an augmented or a depressed postsynaptic response (related to the number of occupied receptors). The direction of the response depends on the ratio between the rate of receptor "up regulation" and the rate of decrease in neurotransmitter turnover.