Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and modeling of linearly-constrained compliant spines for human-scale locomotion on rocky surfaces

We present a new spine solution for the locomotion of human-scale robots on steep, rocky surfaces, known as linearly-constrained spines. The spine stiffness is low in the normal direction but high with respect to lateral and bending loads. The solution differs from previous spine arrays used for small robots in having a much higher spine density and less spine scraping over asperities. We present theoretical and empirical results to demonstrate that this solution is capable of shear stresses of over 200kPa, enabling human-scale robots to apply forces parallel to steep rock surfaces for climbing, bracing, etc. The analysis includes the effects of spine geometry, stiffness, backlash and three-dimensional loading angle to predict the overall forces possible in three dimensions of both single and opposed configurations of spine arrays. Demonstrated applications include a gripper for a “smart staff” aimed at helping humanoid robots to negotiate steep terrain and a palm that provides over 700N in shear for the RoboSimian quadruped.
A cross-layer design to improve quality of service in online multiplayer wireless gaming networks

In this paper, we propose an adaptive forward error correction (FEC) and rate control technique to improve service quality in a wireless gaming environment. In particular, we concentrate on a centralized server gaming architecture (our results can be extended to peer-to-peer architectures as well), where wireless users can also connect to the gaming service. Our models are well-suited for last-hop wireless link users, but can also guarantee service improvement for other wireless scenarios through small modifications. It is assumed that the game server and clients (mobile devices) can switch between different prediction levels having different data rates. We introduce a new scheme for estimating the packet loss rates due to congestion and wireless channel conditions and use this information in a cross-layer design to improve the overall service quality. The congestion packet loss probability is used to devise a simple TCP-friendly rate control algorithm for sending downlink data packets from the game server. We also propose a novel adaptive FEC and dynamic packetization algorithm to alleviate the effects of wireless channel packet losses based on this chosen data rate. The simulation results show the efficacy of our scheme in achieving higher throughput
INDEXING IMAGES IN IDGH-DIMENSIONAL AND DYNAMIC-WEIGHTED FEATURE SPACES

As information retrieval systems evolve to deal with multimedia content. we see the dimensions of content feature space increasing. and relevance feedback being employed to provide more accurate query results. In this paper. we propose using Tree-structured Vector Quantization (TSVQ) to index high-dimensional data for supporting efficient similarity searches and effective relevance feedback. To support efficient similarity searches. we first use TSVQ to cluster data and store each cluster in a sequential file. We then model a similarity search as a classification problem similar objects are much more likely to be found in the clusters into which the query object is classified. When relevance feedback is considered, and thereby features are weighted differently, we show that our approach remains very effective. Our empirical study on both a 51K and a one-million-image dataset shows that tackling indexing as a classification problem and solving the problem with TSVQ is efficient, effective. and scalable with respect to both data dimensions and dataset size.
New Algorithm for Ordered Tree-to-Tree Correction Problem

The ordered tree-to-tree correction problem is to compute the minimum edit cost of transforming one ordered tree to another one. This paper presents a new algorithm for this problem. Given two ordered trees S and T, our algorithm runs in O(|S||T|+min{L2S|T|+L2.5SLT,L2T|S|+L2.5TLS) time, where LS denotes the number of leaves of S and DS denotes the depth of S. The previous best algorithms for this problem run in O(|S||T|min{LS,DS}min{LT,DT}) time (K. Zhang and D. Shasha, SIAM J. Comput.18, No. 6 (1989), 1245? 1262) and in O(min{|S|2|T|log2|T|,|T|2|S|log2|S|}) time (P. N. Klein, in “Algorithms? ESA'98, 6th Annual European Symposium” (G. Bilardi, G. F. Italiano, A. Pietracaprina, and G. Pucci, Eds.), Lecture Notes in Computer Science, Vol. 1461, pp. 91? 102, Springer-Verlag, Berlin/New York, 1998). As a comparison, our algorithm is asymptotically faster for certain kind of trees.
The consequences of polyandry for population viability, extinction risk and conservation

Polyandry, by elevating sexual conflict and selecting for reduced male care relative to monandry, may exacerbate the cost of sex and thereby seriously impact population fitness. On the other hand, polyandry has a number of possible population-level benefits over monandry, such as increased sexual selection leading to faster adaptation and a reduced mutation load. Here, we review existing information on how female fitness evolves under polyandry and how this influences population dynamics. In balance, it is far from clear whether polyandry has a net positive or negative effect on female fitness, but we also stress that its effects on individuals may not have visible demographic consequences. In populations that produce many more offspring than can possibly survive and breed, offspring gained or lost as a result of polyandry may not affect population size. Such ecological ‘masking’ of changes in population fitness could hide a response that only manifests under adverse environmental conditions (e.g. anthropogenic change). Surprisingly few studies have attempted to link mating system variation to population dynamics, and in general we urge researchers to consider the ecological consequences of evolutionary processes.
Long Term Care and Family Decision Making

The goal of this project is to develop and estimate realistic models of family decision making concerning long-term care of elderly parents. My theoretical and empirical models are rich in the sense that family members face a wide range of options including nursing home care, formal care provided in the elderly individuals home (home health care), informal care, and no care. Despite the rich set of outcomes, my theoretical models are not mathematically complex. Each family member simply maximizes utility, which may depend on the welfare of the parent, subject to a budget constraint. Once I have estimated my models, I will use my results to address the following questions: a) How do characteristics of family members affect decisions about long-term care such as time spent caring for the parent and Þnancial transfers to the parent? b) What secular changes in family structure explain secular changes in long-term care? c) How do government funding rules associated with home health care and nursing home care such as Medicaid funding and tax credits affect family decisions and social efficiency? d) How do families share the incidence of costs associated with caring for elderly parents? e) How much of the variation in informal care provided by children may be attributed to variation in opportunity cost (wages), quality of care variation, variation in burden, and variation in other characteristics? With a little more work, this project will be put in an NIH R01 grant proposal. The extra work will involve working through most of the details of the second and third waves of the HRS data.
Speed of propagation of classical waves in strongly scattering media.

We present results of optical experiments which demonstrate that in a strongly scattering medium containing resonant scatterers the velocity for electromagnetic energy may differ by an order of magnitude from the phase velocity. We derive a microscopic theory that yields an expression for this velocity. Discrepancies are removed, and excellent agreement is found between experiment and theory
Hybrid Atlas based Tissue Segmentation for Neonatal Brain MRI Acquired Using a Dedicated Phased Array Coil

F. Shi, Y. Fan, J-Z. Cheng, L. L. Wald, G. Gerig, W. Lin, and D. Shen Department of Radiology and BRIC, University of North Carolina, Chapel Hill, NC, United States, A.A. Martinos Center for Biomedical Imaging, Department of Radiology, Massachusetts General Hospital, United States, Harvard-MIT Division of Health Sciences and Technology, United States, Scientific Computing and Imaging Institute, University of Utah, United States
The Molecular Pathogenesis of Aflatoxin with Hepatitis B Virus-Infection in Hepatocellular Carcinoma

Hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) is the fifth most common cancer worldwide and represents the third cause of mortality among deaths from cancer (Semela & Heim, 2011; EI-Serag & Rudolph, 2007; Yuen et al, 2009; Lodato et al, 2006; Hainaut & Boyle, 2008). There are upwards of 600, 000 new cases each year in Asia and sub-Saharan Africa, where populations suffer both from a high prevalence of hepatitis B virus (HBV) infection and largely uncontrolled aflatoxin exposure in food, and more than 200, 000 HCC-related deaths annually in the People’s Republic of China alone (Kew, 2002; Wang et al, 2002). Aflatoxins may play a causative role in 5%-28% of all global HCC cases (Liu & Wu, 2010). Aflatoxin is a kind of mycotoxins produced by the mold Aspergillus flavus, which can be found in legumes, corns, soybeans, rice, milk, and cheese throughout their lives. Aflatoxin B1 (AFB1) is regarded as a class I carcinogen by the World Health Organization (Henry et al, 2001; Lopez et al, 2002). Aflatoxin B1, the most commonly occurring and potent of the aflatoxins is associated with a specific AGG to AGT transversion mutation at codon 249 of the p53 gene in human HCC, providing mechanistic support to a causal link between exposure and disease (Goldman & Shields, 2003; Sugimura, 2000; Wild & Montesano, 2009). Prospective epidemiological studies have shown a more than multiplicative interaction between HBV and aflatoxins in terms of HCC risk. In this chapter, the available evidence for the mechanism of aflatoxin with HBV-infection in HCC will be reviewed.
Reinforcement Learning Performance Evaluation: An Evolutionary Approach

In this paper, we analyze the effect of metaparameters on the performance of actor-critic reinforcement learning. The considered two different applications: first the pole-balancing benchmark task and then a surviving behavior where the Cyber Rodent robot has to capture the battery packs and increase its own energy level. The results show that metaparameters highly influence the learning time. In addition, optimal metaparameters generated by evolutionary algorithms have mutual relation with each other.
A Detection Method of Stock Event Source

Due to the development of Web technology, the research on Internet big data become more and more popular. Source tracing of event is a practical problem, however, research on event source from multi-source event data is rare. The incompleteness and incredibility of Internet data are challenging issues for detecting event source. In this paper, event is mapped into Network Public Opinion Data Space (OS) and Actual Behavior Data Space (BS) to describe event by multi-viewer. We propose Event Model (EM) and Event Convergent Scope Detection Algorithm (ECSDA) to detect the event source. The experimental results prove that the EM is more effective, and the ECSEA is more comprehensive and accurate.
Association of Remodeling With Endothelial Shear Stress, Plaque Elasticity, and Volume in Coronary Arteries

We sought to noninvasively assess the relationship between arterial remodeling, endothelial shear stress (ESS), and wall stiffness in coronary arteries. We studied 28 coronary arteries from 22 patients undergoing coronary computed tomography angiography (CCTA). The ESS was calculated in 2-mm long segments using computational fluid dynamics. Local remodeling, plaque dimensions, and local wall stiffness were assessed in each segment. The ESS was lower in the regions of excessive expansive remodeling versus compensatory expansive versus inadequate expansive versus constrictive remodeling. Areas of decreased wall stiffness more frequently exhibited excessive expansive remodeling. Plaque volume was higher in segments showing excessive expansive and inadequate remodeling than segments with constrictive remodeling. In conclusion, CCTA enables the noninvasive assessment of coronary hemodynamics and arterial/plaque morphology. Excessive expansive remodeling is associated with high-risk plaque features, such as low ESS, decreased plaque stiffness, and increased plaque volume. This methodology may be useful in the risk assessment of individual coronary lesions.
T‐box gene products are required for mesenchymal induction of epithelial branching in the embryonic mouse lung

The regulation of signaling pathways is a prerequisite for coordinating the induction between mesenchymal and epithelial tissues during morphogenesis. Mesenchymal FGF10 is known to be an important paracrine factor regulating the branching morphogenesis of the bronchial epithelium. By using antisense oligonucleotides (AS ODNs) and in vitro culture of embryonic lungs, we demonstrate that the transcription factors Tbx4 and Tbx5 are critical for the expression of mesenchymal FGF10. Treatment of embryonic lung cultures with AS ODNs to Tbx4 and Tbx5 reduces the level of these transcripts, suppresses Fgf10 expression in the mesenchyme, and completely eliminates the formation of new lung branches. If FGF10 is locally replaced in these AS ODN‐treated lungs, epithelial branching is restored. These studies provide evidence that the production of branching signals by the lung mesenchyme is mediated by T‐box genes. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
ERK1/2 activation in heart is controlled by melusin, focal adhesion kinase and the scaffold protein IQGAP1

Extracellular signal-regulated kinase 1/2 (ERK1/2) signalling is a key pathway in cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and survival in response to many different stress stimuli. We have previously characterized melusin as a muscle-specific chaperone protein capable of ERK1/2 signalling activation in the heart. Here, we show that in the heart, melusin forms a supramolecular complex with the proto-oncogene c-Raf, MEK1/2 (also known as MAPKK1/2) and ERK1/2 and that melusin-bound mitogen-activated protein kinases (MAPKs) are activated by pressure overload. Moreover, we demonstrate that both focal adhesion kinase (FAK) and IQ motif-containing GTPase activating protein 1 (IQGAP1), a scaffold protein for the ERK1/2 signalling cascade, are part of the melusin complex and are required for ERK1/2 activation in response to pressure overload. Finally, analysis of isolated neonatal cardiomyocytes indicates that both FAK and IQGAP1 regulate melusin-dependent cardiomyocyte hypertrophy and survival through ERK1/2 activation.
Developing Imbrications: A New Lens for Understanding Project Management Practice

As long as project failure rates are high, project management research remains an important research avenue for exploration. After decades of study we may have reached the limits of understanding with our current lenses – while small projects have higher success, larger projects remain extremely vulnerable to failure (Hastie and Wojewoda, 2015). The objective of this paper is to explore a new lens for understanding project management practice: the concept of imbrications as developed in sociomaterial perspective. Re-conceptualizing IT projects as locations for building imbrications allows us to theorize about how imbrications are built during the interplay of social agencies (such as carried out in project tasks and control activities) with material agencies (the developing technology and its features). We hope this theoretical contribution to IT project management research provides richer explanatory mechanisms with which, we can understand how to achieve IT project success.
Polymeric membranes for guided bone regeneration

In this review, different barrier membranes for guided bone regeneration (GBR) are described as a useful surgical technique to enhance bone regeneration in damaged alveolar sites before performing implants and fitting other dental appliances. The GBR procedure encourages bone regeneration through cellular exclusion and avoids the invasion of epithelial and connective tissues that grow at the defective site instead of bone tissue. The barrier membrane should satisfy various properties, such as biocompatibility, non‐immunogenicity, non‐toxicity, and a degradation rate that is long enough to permit mechanical support during bone formation. Other characteristics such as tissue integration, nutrient transfer, space maintenance and manageability are also of interest. In this review, various non‐resorbable and resorbable commercially available membranes are described, based on expanded polytetrafluoroethylene, poly(lactic acid), poly(glycolic acid) and their copolymers. The polyester‐based membranes are biodegradable, permit a single‐stage procedure, and have higher manageability than non‐resorbable membranes; however, they have shown poor biocompatibility. In contrast, membranes based on natural materials, such as collagen, are biocompatible but are characterized by poor mechanical properties and stability due to their early degradation. Moreover, new approaches are described, such as the use of multi‐layered, graft‐copolymer‐based and composite membranes containing osteoconductive ceramic fillers as alternatives to conventional membranes.
Information Resource Planning: Overcoming Difficulties in Identifying Top Management's Objectives

Twenty information resource managers employed by medium to large organizations in diverse industries were interviewed to discover their difficulties in learning top management's objectives and their techniques for overcoming these difficulties. The thirteen difficulties can be viewed as strategic formulation or strategy communication problems. The sixteen techniques can likewise be viewed as facilitating strategy formulation or strategy communication. The research revealed that participants in strategy formulation have no problem understanding top management's objectives while information resource managers who do not participate in strategy formulation do experience that problem.
Interaction between human body and personal radiofrequency dosimeter: Effects of the metal plate presence

The personal radiofrequency dosimeters are increasingly used for the workers exposure estimation to the electromagnetic radiations in terms of reference level of the fields. The presence of the human body at the vicinity of dosimeter compromising its measurement accuracy. In this paper, the study of interaction between personal radiofrequency dosimeter and human body is presented. Firstly, we treat the error introduced by the presence of the body and an approach to reducing this impact by adding elements in the dosimeter structure. Indeed, by introducing a metal ground plane and optimizing the height of antenna-ground plane, we can estimate at 10% close the level of incidental field, that is to say a considerable reduction impact of the body on the dosimeter. We also study the stability of the intrinsic characteristics of dosimeter (isotropy and front to back ratio). Different simulations were performed in the GSM 900 band with the finite integration technique. In the context of the design of worn-body radiofrequency dosimeter it's very useful to master these interaction results.
Hepatitis A surveillance in England – how many cases are not reported and does it really matter?

Underreporting of hepatitis A infection in England may be high and a number of outbreaks have occurred undetected by routine surveillance. We evaluated surveillance of hepatitis A cases by employing capture–recapture analysis on data from two distinct outbreaks of hepatitis A. The overall reporting of cases of hepatitis A was 81·7% (95% CI 55·3–95) in the first outbreak in North East England and reporting through Lab Base was 65·7% (95% CI 42·8–76·4). In the second outbreak in the East Midlands the overall reporting of hepatitis A cases was 27·8% (95% CI 19–38·7) and through Lab Base 16·6% (95% CI 11·4–23·1). Underreporting of hepatitis A cases is high. Public health interventions exist to prevent and control outbreaks of hepatitis A. The lack of reliable data on incidence and prevalence hampers effective public health management of this disease.
Transcriptional up-regulation of the mouse cytosolic glutathione peroxidase gene in erythroid cells is due to a tissue-specific 3' enhancer containing functionally important CACC/GT motifs and binding sites for GATA and Ets transcription factors

Nuclear run-on experiments have shown that the high level of expression of the mouse cytosolic glutathione peroxidase mRNA in erythroid cells is due to up-regulation of the gene at the transcriptional level. Studies of the chromatin structure around the cytosolic glutathione peroxidase gene have revealed a series of DNase I hypersensitive sites (DHSS) in the 3' flanking region of the gene in erythroid and other high-expression tissues that are lacking in low-expression cells, in addition to a DHSS over the promoter region in both high- and low-expression tissues. Functional transfection experiments have demonstrated that one of the 3' DHSS regions functions as an enhancer in erythroid cells but not in a low-expression epithelial cell line; and site-directed mutagenesis and footprinting experiments reveal that the activity of the erythroid cell-specific enhancer requires a cluster of binding sites for the CACC/GT box factors and the GATA and Ets families of transcription factors.
CORONARY ARTERY DISEASE Original Studies Long-Term Outcomes Following Fractional Flow Reserve-Guided Treatment of Angiographically Ambiguous Left Main Coronary Artery Disease: A Meta-analysis of Prospective Cohort Studies

Objective: To define the long term outcomes of Fractional Flow Reserve (FFR) guided revascularization of ambiguous left main coronary artery (LMCA) lesions by performing a pooled meta-analysis of all available studies. Background: Prospective studies evaluating the use of fractional flow reserve (FFR) for clinical decision-making in ambiguous unprotected left main coronary artery (LMCA) stenosis suggest the relative safety of that approach, but any final conclusions are limited by small sample size. We performed a pooled meta-analysis of studies to define the long-term outcomes in these patients. Methods: Six prospective cohort studies involving 525 patients met the inclusion criteria. Patients underwent revascularization (revascularization group) or medical therapy (deferred group) based on FFR. The primary outcome was defined as rate of major cardiovascular events (a composite of death from all causes, nonfatal myocardial infarctions and subsequent revascularizations). The secondary outcomes included individual components of the primary end point. Pooled effect sizes were calculated using a fixed effects model. Results: Based on the FFR results, 217 patients (41%) underwent revascularization. There was no statistically significant difference between the groups in the rates of primary end point (P 5 0.15), all-cause mortality (P 5 0.06) or nonfatal myocardial infarctions (P 5 0.76). However, there was a significant increase in the rate of subsequent revascularizations in the deferred patients (P 5 0.002). Conclusion: The long term clinical outcomes in patients with ambiguous LMCA stenosis for whom revascularization is deferred based on FFR are favorable and similar to the revascularized group in terms of overall mortality and subsequent myocardial infarctions. VC 2015 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.