Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A bio-inspired filtering framework for the EMG-based control of robots

There is a great effort during the last decade towards building control interfaces for robots that are based on signals measured directly from the human body. In particular electromyographic (EMG) signals from skeletal muscles have proved to be very informative regarding human motion. However, this kind of interface demands an accurate decoding technique for the translation of EMG signals to human motion. This paper presents a methodology for estimating human arm motion using EMG signals from muscles of the upper limb, using a decoding method and an additional filtering technique based on a probabilistic model for arm motion. The decoding method can estimate, in real-time, arm motion in 3-dimensional (3D) space using only EMG recordings from 11 muscles of the upper limb. Then, the probabilistic model realized through a Bayesian Network, filters the decoder's result in order to tackle the problem of the uncertainty in the motion estimates. The proposed methodology is assessed through real-time experiments in controlling a remote robot arm in random 3D movements using only EMG signals recorded from ablebodied subjects.
Surface Aging by Impacts

We present a novel aging technique that simulates the deformation of an object caused by repetitive impacts over long periods of time. Our semi-automatic system deteriorates the surface of an object by hitting it with another object. An empirical simulation modifies the object surface to represent the small depressions caused by each impact. This is done by updating the vertices of an adaptively refined object mesh. The simulation is efficient, applying hundreds of impacts in a few seconds. The user controls the simulation through intuitive parameters. Because the simulation is rapid, the user can easily adjust the parameters and see the effect of impacts interactively. The models processed by our system exhibit the cumulative aging effects of repetitive impacts, significantly increasing their realism.
Generate frequent queries for Views in a Data Warehouse using Data Mining Techniques

Data warehouse is a repository of legacy data and information which progressively changes with time. The SQL queries posed on data warehouse are useful for decision making. These queries are elongated, examining and quite multifaceted. Since, the size of data warehouse grows exponentially the queries posed on data warehouse takes long time in processing. This increases the response time of queries. To reduce the response time of frequently posed queries on data warehouse, Materialized views are constructed. These views occupies less memory and faster in nature. In this paper, the attempt is made to construct a view using data mining Optics and association rule mining techniques to generate frequently posed queries. The resulting queries would help in providing response to future posed queries in less time. This would result in better decision making.
Endocrine cells in the female genital tract

Endocrine cells are normal inhabitants of the para‐urethral, Bartholin's and endocervical glands and of mesonephric rests. All these cells were characterized as serotonin‐storing cells. In the para‐urethral and Bartholin's glands, serotonin‐containing cells were most often found in the transitional epithelium of excretory ducts. Endocrine cells participated in some pathological conditions. Abundant argentaffin cells were observed among the terminal ductules in chronic bartholinitis and serotonin‐storing cells were identified in a peculiar ectocervical epithelium. Numerous serotonin‐storing cells were detected in a well‐differentiated adenocarcinoma of cervix occurring in a patient with the Peutz‐Jeghers syndrome. Argyrophilic cells were present in cases of endometrial carcinomas; a striking feature was the demonstration of gut peptide hormones in an unusual type of endometrial adenocarcinoma. Finally, serotonin‐storing cells were a constituent of Brenner tumours. It is suggested that a similar endocrine pattern may be shared by tissues originating from both Müllerian ducts and the urogenital sinus.
A new biologically plausible supervised learning method for spiking neurons

STDP is believed to play an important role in learning and memory. Additionally, experimental evidence shows that a few strong neural inputs can drive a neuron response and subsequently affect the learning of other inputs. Furthermore, recent studies have shown that local dendritic depolarization can impact STDP induction. This paper integrates these three biological concepts to devise a new biologically plausible supervised learning method for spiking neurons. Experimental results show that the proposed method can effectively map a random spatiotemporal input pattern to a random target output spike train with a much faster learning speed than ReSuMe.
Adaptive demosaicking

the . ; ac Abstract. Digital still color cameras sample the visible spectrum using an array of color filters overlaid on a CCD, such that each pixel samples only one color band. The resulting mosaic of color samples is processed to produce a high-resolution color image, such that a value of a color band not sampled at a certain location is estimated from its neighbors. This is often referred to as ‘‘demosaicking. ’’ The human retina has a similar structure, although the distribution of cones is not as regular. Motivated by the human visual system, we propose an adaptive demosaicking technique in the framework of bilateral filtering. This approach provides us with a means to denoise, sharpen, and demosaic the image simultaneously. The proposed method, along with a variety of existing demosaicking strategies, are run on synthetic images and real-world images for comparative purposes. A recently proposed image comparison measure geared specifically toward demosaicking has also been applied to these images to provide a performance measure. © 2003 SPIE and IS&T. [DOI: 10.1117/1.1606459]
Genome-Wide Profiling of DNA Methylation Reveals a Class of Normally Methylated CpG Island Promoters

The role of CpG island methylation in normal development and cell differentiation is of keen interest, but remains poorly understood. We performed comprehensive DNA methylation profiling of promoter regions in normal peripheral blood by methylated CpG island amplification in combination with microarrays. This technique allowed us to simultaneously determine the methylation status of 6,177 genes, 92% of which include dense CpG islands. Among these 5,549 autosomal genes with dense CpG island promoters, we have identified 4.0% genes that are nearly completely methylated in normal blood, providing another exception to the general rule that CpG island methylation in normal tissue is limited to X inactivation and imprinted genes. We examined seven genes in detail, including ANKRD30A, FLJ40201, INSL6, SOHLH2, FTMT, C12orf12, and DPPA5. Dense promoter CpG island methylation and gene silencing were found in normal tissues studied except testis and sperm. In both tissues, bisulfite cloning and sequencing identified cells carrying unmethylated alleles. Interestingly, hypomethylation of several genes was associated with gene activation in cancer. Furthermore, reactivation of silenced genes could be induced after treatment with a DNA demethylating agent or in a cell line lacking DNMT1 and/or DNMT3b. Sequence analysis identified five motifs significantly enriched in this class of genes, suggesting that cis-regulatory elements may facilitate preferential methylation at these promoter CpG islands. We have identified a group of non-X–linked bona fide promoter CpG islands that are densely methylated in normal somatic tissues, escape methylation in germline cells, and for which DNA methylation is a primary mechanism of tissue-specific gene silencing.
Balancing Mystery and Identification: Dolores Huerta's Shifting Transcendent Persona

The present analysis explores Dolores Huerta's use of a shifting transcendent persona to balance the sense of mystery surrounding her accomplishments with a performance of normalcy and audience identification. We find, first, that Huerta leveraged her borderland experiences and ideology as rhetorical resources that functioned to facilitate the amalgamation of personae exemplifying her advocacy, and, second, that her shifting transcendent persona's balance of mystery and identification hinged as much upon the manner in which she positioned audience members to perceive themselves as it did upon the manner in which she positioned them to perceive her own exceptional normalcy.
Trajectory Based Autonomous Vehicle Following using a Robotic Driver

An autonomous vehicle following system including control approaches is presented in this paper. An existing robotic driver is used to control a standard passenger vehicle such that no modications to the car are necessary. Only information about the relative position of the lead vehicle and the motion of the following vehicle is required, and methods are presented to construct a reference trajectory to enable accurate following. A laser scanner is used to detect the lead vehicle and the following vehicle’s ego-motion is sensed using an IMU and wheel encoder. An algorithm was developed and tested to locate the lead vehicle with RMS position and orientation errors of 65mm and 5:8 respectively. Several trajectory-based lateral controllers were tested in simulation and then experimentally, with the best controller having an RMS lateral deviation of 37cm from the path of the lead vehicle. A new trajectorybased spacing controller was tested in simulation which allows the following vehicle to reproduce the velocity of the lead vehicle.
Kinetics of Neutrophils in Mice Exposed to Radiation and/or Granulocyte Colony-Stimulating Factor Treatment

Astronauts have the potential to develop the hematopoietic syndrome as a result of exposure to radiation from a solar particle event (SPE) during exploration class missions. This syndrome is characterized by a reduction in the number of circulating blood cells (cytopenias). In the present study the effects of SPE-like proton and γ radiation on the kinetics of circulating neutrophils were evaluated during a one-month time period using mice as a model system. The results revealed that exposure to a 2 Gy dose of either SPE-like proton or γ radiation significantly decreased the number of circulating neutrophils, with two nadirs observed on day 4 and day 16 postirradiation. Low circulating neutrophil count (neutropenia) is particularly important because it can increase the risk of astronauts developing infections, which can compromise the success of the mission. Thus, two granulocyte colony-stimulating factors (G-CSFs), filgrastim and pegfilgrastim were evaluated as countermeasures for this endpoint. Both forms of G-CSF significantly increased neutrophil counts in irradiated mice, however, the effect of pegfilgrastim was more potent and lasted longer than filgrastim. Using the expression of CD11b, CD18 and the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS) as markers of neutrophil activation, it was determined that the neutrophils in the irradiated mice treated with pegfilgrastim were physiologically active. Thus, these results suggest that pegfilgrastim could be a potential countermeasure for the reduced number of circulating neutrophils in irradiated animals.
A Double-lined Spectroscopic Orbit for the Young Star HD 34700

We report high-resolution spectroscopic observations of the young star HD 34700, which confirm it to be a double-lined spectroscopic binary. We derive an accurate orbital solution with a period of 23.4877 ± 0.0013 days and an eccentricity of e = 0.2501 ± 0.0068. The stars are found to be of similar mass (M2/M1 = 0.987 ± 0.014) and luminosity. We derive also the effective temperatures (5900 and 5800 K) and projected rotational velocities (28 and 22 km s-1) of the components. These values of v sin i are much higher than expected for main-sequence stars of similar spectral type (G0) and are not due to tidal synchronization. We also discuss the indicators of youth available for the object. Although there is considerable evidence that the system is young—strong infrared excess, X-ray emission, Li I λ6708 absorption (0.17 Å equivalent width), Hα emission (∼0.6 Å), rapid rotation—the precise age cannot yet be established because the distance is unknown.
Privacy-preserving remote diagnostics

We present an efficient protocol for privacy-preserving evaluation of diagnostic programs, represented as binary decision trees or branching programs. The protocol applies a branching diagnostic program with classification labels in the leaves to the user's attribute vector. The user learns only the label assigned by the program to his vector; the diagnostic program itself remains secret. The program's owner does not learn anything. Our construction is significantly more efficient than those obtained by direct application of generic secure multi-party computation techniques. We use our protocol to implement a privacy-preserving version of the Clarify system for software fault diagnosis, and demonstrate that its performance is acceptable for many practical scenarios.
Notice of RetractionImpact Factors and Its Spatio-Temporal Disparity Analysis of the Industrial SO2 Emissions Using the STIRPAT Model

Using the STIRPAT model, this paper analyzes the impact of population, affluence and technology on industrial sulfur dioxide (SO2) effusions in China, and the spatio-temporal disparity of the effects for coastal and inland regions over the period 1995-2005. Our main results show, from the year of 1995 to 2005, the importance of effects on industrial SO2 emissions of the percentage of population aged older than 60 and population has increased, and that of urbanization and GDP per capita has decreased in the coastal/inland area. The percentage of population aged older than 60 has the greatest impact on industrial SO2 emissions, followed by energy intensity, population, urbanization and GDP per capita in China in 2005. For the past 11 years, accumulative effects on industrial SO2 emissions of population, energy intensity and the percentage of population aged older than 60 in the coastal area is obviously significantly greater than that in the inland area, and that of GDP per capita in the coastal area is significantly less than that in the inland area. Meanwhile, there is no significant difference between the effect of urbanization on emissions for the coastal and inland area. For China, energy intensity has the greatest accumulative impact on industrial SO2 emissions for the past 11 years, followed by urbanization, GDP per capita, population, and the percentage of the population aged older than 60. Therefore, these empirical results indicate that the impact of population, affluence and technology on industrial SO2 emissions varies in different spatio-temporal scales. Thus, policy-makers should consider these matters fully when they construct their long-term strategies of industrial SO2 abatement.
Secreted frizzled-related proteins are required for Wnt/β-catenin signalling activation in the vertebrate optic cup

Secreted frizzled-related proteins (Sfrps) are considered Wnt signalling antagonists but recent studies have shown that specific family members enhance Wnt diffusion and thus positively modulate Wnt signalling. Whether this is a general and physiological property of all Sfrps remains unexplored. It is equally unclear whether disruption of Sfrp expression interferes with developmental events mediated by Wnt signalling activation. Here, we have addressed these questions by investigating the functional consequences of Sfrp disruption in the canonical Wnt signalling-dependent specification of the mouse optic cup periphery. We show that compound genetic inactivation of Sfrp1 and Sfrp2 prevents Wnt/β-catenin signalling activation in this structure, which fails to be specified and acquires neural retina characteristics. Consistent with a positive role of Sfrps in signalling activation, Wnt spreading is impaired in the retina of Sfrp1–/–;Sfrp2–/– mice. Conversely, forced expression of Sfrp1 in the wing imaginal disc of Drosophila, the only species in which the endogenous Wnt distribution can be detected, flattens the Wg gradient, suppresses the expression of high-Wg target genes but expands those typically activated by low Wg concentrations. Collectively, these data demonstrate that, in vivo, the levels of Wnt signalling activation strongly depend on the tissue distribution of Sfrps, which should be viewed as multifunctional regulators of Wnt signalling.
An Õ(n2) algorithm for minimum cuts

A minimum cut is a set of edges of minimum weight whose removal disconnects a given graph. Minimum cut algorithms historically applied duality with maximum flows and thus had the same 0 (inn) running time as maximum flow algorithms. More recent algorithms which are not based on maximum flows also require fl (inn) time. In this paper, we present the first algorithm that breaks the tl(mn) “max-flow barrier” for finding minimum cuts in weighted undirected graphs. We give a strongly polynomial randomized algorithm which finds a minimum cut with high probability in 0(n2 log3 n) time. This suggests that the rein-cut problem might be fundamentally easier to solve than the maximum flow problem. Our algorithm can be implemented in 72JUC using only nz processors—this is the first efficient 7UfC algorithm for the rein-cut problem. Our algorithm is simple and uses no complicated data structures.
Novel Fold and Carbohydrate Specificity of the Potent Anti-HIV Cyanobacterial Lectin from Oscillatoria agardhii*

Oscillatoria agardhii agglutinin (OAA) is a recently discovered cyanobacterial lectin that exhibits potent anti-HIV activity. Up to now, only its primary structure and carbohydrate binding data have been available. To elucidate the structural basis for the antiviral mechanism of OAA, we determined the structure of this lectin by x-ray crystallography at 1.2 Å resolution and mapped the specific carbohydrate recognition sites of OAA by NMR spectroscopy. The overall architecture of OAA comprises 10 β-strands that fold into a single, compact, β-barrel-like domain, creating a unique topology compared with all known protein structures in the Protein Data Bank. OAA sugar binding was tested against Man-9 and various disaccharide components of Man-9. Two symmetric carbohydrate-binding sites were located on the protein, and a preference for Manα(1–6)Man-linked sugars was found. Altogether, our structural results explain the antiviral activity OAA and add to the growing body of knowledge about antiviral lectins.
Intercultural Hermeneutics and the Cross-cultural Subject

The paper critically engages with contemporary theories of cross-cultural understanding and cross-cultural subjectivity found in the areas of intercultural hermeneutics, intercultural social theory and the discourse on the stranger. Drawing on Gadamerian hermeneutics the paper takes some preliminary steps in formulating an alternative conception of the in-between subject and cross-cultural interpretation that incorporates the ambivalence of boundaries, the enabling dimension of essentialism and acknowledges the role that fore-meanings and fore-structures have on cross-cultural understanding. In contrast to existing theories I conclude that the cross-cultural subject is situated within the intercultural encounter rather than dwelling above it.
An Iterative Approach for Generating Statistically Realistic Populations of Households

Background Many different simulation frameworks, in different topics, need to treat realistic datasets to initialize and calibrate the system. A precise reproduction of initial states is extremely important to obtain reliable forecast from the model. Methodology/Principal Findings This paper proposes an algorithm to create an artificial population where individuals are described by their age, and are gathered in households respecting a variety of statistical constraints (distribution of household types, sizes, age of household head, difference of age between partners and among parents and children). Such a population is often the initial state of microsimulation or (agent) individual-based models. To get a realistic distribution of households is often very important, because this distribution has an impact on the demographic evolution. Usual techniques from microsimulation approach cross different sources of aggregated data for generating individuals. In our case the number of combinations of different households (types, sizes, age of participants) makes it computationally difficult to use directly such methods. Hence we developed a specific algorithm to make the problem more easily tractable. Conclusions/Significance We generate the populations of two pilot municipalities in Auvergne region (France) to illustrate the approach. The generated populations show a good agreement with the available statistical datasets (not used for the generation) and are obtained in a reasonable computational time.
Women Administrators in Christian Universities: Making Family and Career Co-Central

The purpose of this study was to explore how women in administrative positions in Christian higher education integrate their professional and personal lives. Six women in leadership positions in small, faith-based liberal arts colleges were interviewed. Levinson's (1996) concept of gender-splitting was used as a lens to analyze the data. The women in this study have experienced a number of influences that moderate strict notions of gender-splitting: coming from non-traditional homes with working mothers, husbands who provide substantial support with domestic duties, strong personal motivation to achieve, and mentors who provided support and guidance. The women spoke freely of their work as a ‘calling’ and used their faith in God when meeting a variety of challenges. While gender-splitting was a prevailing influence in the lives of the women in this study there was substantial evidence to show that they were resilient and flexible enough to create pathways to negotiate the commitment to family and the commitment to work in order to manage a successful career in higher education.
Site-directed Mutagenesis of Residues Involved in G Strand DNA Binding by Escherichia coli DNA Topoisomerase I*

Crystal structures of complexes between type IA DNA topoisomerases and single-stranded DNA suggest that the residues Ser-192, Arg-195, and Gln-197 in a conserved region of Escherichia coli topoisomerase I may be important for direct interactions with phosphates on the G strand of DNA, which is the substrate for DNA cleavage and religation (Changela A., DiGate, R. J., and Mondragón, A. (2001) Nature 411, 1077–1081; Perry, K. , and Mondragón, A. (2003) Structure 11, 1349–1358). Site-directed mutagenesis experiments altering these residues to alanines and other amino acids were carried out to probe the relevance of these interactions in the catalytic activities of the enzyme. The results show that the side chains of Arg-195 and Gln-197 are required for DNA cleavage by the enzyme and are likely to be important for positioning of the G strand of DNA at the active site prior to DNA cleavage. Mutation of Ser-192 did not affect DNA binding and cleavage but nevertheless decreased the overall rate of relaxation of supercoiled DNA probably because of its participation in a later step of the reaction pathway.