Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Be the robot: Human embodiment in tele-operation driving tasks

This paper proposes a new interaction mechanism for tele-operating a mobile robot. The approach explores the notion of telepresence and physical embodiment to create what may be called tele-embodiment. Its principle is that the operator will see himself at the remote site and this will enable him/her to better operate the robot. Four interaction styles were experimentally compared, from the traditional joystick approaches to more innovative based on natural body posture intentions. The environment perception is provided by the visual feedback, according to head pose behaviour. The results show that the gesture and body based methods improves the user dexterity performing this kind of task. Moreover, the present study suggests that, when a person is focused on the task, achieving the ownership illusion towards remote body, there are autonomic responses that correspond to what would be expected in events that take place in reality (like avoiding collisions).
Risk factors for mortality in severe multiply injury patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the risk factors related to mortality in severe polytrauma patients with acute hypoxemic respiratory failure (AHRF). PATIENTS AND METHODS From December 2011 to December 2014, we identified and intubated 524 traumatic AHRF patients in a level 1 trauma centers. Amongst those, we enrolled seventy-six severe traumatic AHRF patients with an injury severity score (ISS) over 16 and need for over 24 hour intra-tracheal mechanical ventilation for our study. Patients were followed daily to collect data about demographics, injury characteristic, diagnostic, treatment, respiratory parameters, major complications, duration of mechanical ventilation, length of stay, prevalence of major complications and 28-days mortality. RESULTS Of the 76 patients in our study, 61 patients were male. Patients' ages were from 15 to 78 years old (43±17) and the predominant source of trauma was road traffic accidents. Before ventilation, patients had a mean PaO2/FiO2 ratio of 108±63, pH of 7.1±0.3, PaCO2 of 54±24 mmHg, respectively. The PaO2/FiO22 ratios were significantly improved by ventilation and the average duration of ventilation was 9.63±8.74 days. There were two peak dying times and the 28-days ICU mortality rate was 28.9%. Logistic regression analysis revealed the mortality rate to be significantly higher in patients with higher APACHE II scores (odds ratio: 1.60, p=0.002), shorter intervals between injury and admission (odds ratio: -0.91, p=0.03) and between admission and ventilation (odds ratio: -1.85, p=0.012), and lower pH (odds ratio: -0.692, p=0.044). The receiver operating characteristic (ROC) curves showed that best cut off points for mortality predictors were APACHE II scores greater than 25, time interval between injury and admission less than 2h, time interval between admission and ventilation less than 0.5h, and pH <7.16. CONCLUSIONS Traumatic AHRF patients requiring ventilation support show a high rate of early mortality. Greater vigilance for high APACHE II score, short time interval between injury and ventilation, low pH in traumatic AHRF patients is required.
Semliki Forest Virus Nonstructural Protein 2 Is Involved in Suppression of the Type I Interferon Response

ABSTRACT The type I interferons (IFNs) are potent mediators of antiviral immunity, and many viruses have developed means to block their expression or their effects. Semliki Forest virus (SFV) infection induces rapid and profound silencing of host cell gene expression, a process believed to be important for the inhibition of the IFN response. In SFV-infected cells, a large proportion of the nonstructural protein nsp2 is found in the nucleus, but a role for this localization has not been described. In this work we demonstrate that a viral mutant, SFV4-RDR, in which the nuclear localization sequence of nsp2 has been rendered inactive, induces a significantly more robust IFN response in infected cells. This mutant virus replicates at a rate similar to that of the parental SFV4 strain and also shuts off host cell gene expression to similar levels, indicating that the general cellular shutoff is not responsible for the inhibition of IFN expression. Further, the rate of virus-induced nuclear translocation of early IFN transcription factors was not found to differ between the wild-type and mutant viruses, indicating that the effect of nsp2 is at a later stage. These results provide novel information about the mode of action of this viral IFN antagonist.
Diagnosis of pancreas rejection: cystoscopic transduodenal versus percutaneous computed tomography scan-guided biopsy.

BACKGROUND The most common cause of graft failure after technically successful pancreas transplants is rejection. Laboratory parameters for detecting pancreas graft rejection are not consistently reliable and can lead to unnecessary antirejection treatment. Histopathologic evaluation is the gold standard in the differential diagnosis of pancreas graft dysfunction. Four biopsy techniques have been described: cystoscopic transduodenal (CB), percutaneous computed tomography scan-guided (PB), open, and laparoscopic biopsy. METHODS We studied the two most common techniques, CB and PB, in pancreas transplant recipients with presumed rejection. Group 1 comprised 103 attempts at CB in 82 recipients (53 men, 29 women) with bladder-drained (BD) pancreas transplants, at 1 to 80 (median, 14) months after transplant. Group 2 comprised 93 attempts at PB in 68 recipients (41 men, 27 women), at 0.5 to 64 (median, 14) months after transplant. RESULTS In group 1, of 103 attempts at CB, adequate tissue was obtained in 90 (87%): pancreas alone in 23 (22%), pancreas + duodenum in 35 (34%), duodenum alone in 32 (31%). Of the 58 pancreas biopsies, 23 (40%) showed acute rejection. Of the 67 duodenal biopsies, 16 (24%) showed acute rejection. Complications of CB included macrohematuria in 4 recipients (4%) and microhematuria in 32 (31%). We noted no biopsy-related pancreatitis. The mean cost of CB was $2561+/-246. In group 2, of 93 attempts at PB, adequate tissue (all pancreas) was obtained in 67 (72%); of these, 29 (43%) showed acute rejection. Of 23 inaccessible pancreases, 9 (39%) underwent CB; pancreatic tissue was obtained in four (45%), and results were consistent with rejection in all four. Complications of PB included biopsy-related pancreatitis (serum amylase > or = 25%) in five (7%) recipients, macrohematuria in one (1%), and abdominal hemorrhage in two (3%). The mean cost of PB was $1038+/-78. (1) CB and PB prevented unnecessary antirejection treatment in 44% of our recipients with successful biopsies; (2) CB had a higher success rate for obtaining tissue (including duodenal specimens) and a lower rate of major complications; (3) PB was easier and cheaper, did not require general anesthesia, and was performed as an outpatient procedure. CONCLUSIONS We conclude that PB should become the biopsy technique of choice in recipients with presumed pancreas graft rejection. If PB fails, recipients with bladder-drained pancreas transplants should undergo CB. If CB fails, or in recipients with enteric-drained or duct-injected pancreas transplants, a laparoscopic or open biopsy should be considered.
Economic growth and unemployment issue: Panel data analysis in Eastern European Countries

The concepts of economic growth and unemployment are at the beginning of the most important variables in the sense that all economies are choosing and implementing economic policies. The purpose of this study to investigate the relation between economic growth and unemployment in Eastern European Countries for the period of 1992-2014 within panel data framework. In this paper this relationship has been examined in the context of Okun’s Law. Panel Unit Root, Pooled Panel OLS and Panel Johansen Co-integration tests are applied respectively. The results show that the economic growth and unemployment series are stationary at first level, unemployment affected positively by economic growth, in other words 1% rise in GDP will fall the unemployment rate by 0.08% because of Okun’s coefficient for Eastern European Countries and there is a co-integration between these important macroeconomic variables.
Carbon nanotube-clamped metal atomic chain

Metal atomic chain (MAC) is an ultimate one-dimensional structure with unique physical properties, such as quantized conductance, colossal magnetic anisotropy, and quantized magnetoresistance. Therefore, MACs show great potential as possible components of nanoscale electronic and spintronic devices. However, MACs are usually suspended between two macroscale metallic electrodes; hence obvious technical barriers exist in the interconnection and integration of MACs. Here we report a carbon nanotube (CNT)-clamped MAC, where CNTs play the roles of both nanoconnector and electrodes. This nanostructure is prepared by in situ machining a metal-filled CNT, including peeling off carbon shells by spatially and elementally selective electron beam irradiation and further elongating the exposed metal nanorod. The microstructure and formation process of this CNT-clamped MAC are explored by both transmission electron microscopy observations and theoretical simulations. First-principles calculations indicate that strong covalent bonds are formed between the CNT and MAC. The electrical transport property of the CNT-clamped MAC was experimentally measured, and quantized conductance was observed.
HIV-related lung cancer in the era of highly active antiretroviral therapy

Objectives: To address the impact of highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) on the incidence and outcome of patients with HIV-related lung cancer. Design and subjects: Patients with HIV-related lung cancer were identified from a prospective HIV data base of 8400 patients diagnosed between 1986 and 2001. Patients diagnosed with HIV-related lung cancer before 1996 were in the pre-HAART cohort whereas the remainder were in the post-HAART cohort. Methods: The incidence of HIV-related lung cancer in the pre- and post-HAART cohorts was compared with the age and sex-matched population of south east England. Clinicopathological features, treatments and outcomes were also recorded. Results: The incidence of HIV-related lung cancer increased from 0.8 (95% CI 0.2–3.2)/105 patient-years follow-up in the pre-HAART era to 6.7 (95% CI 3.1–13.9)/105 patient-years follow-up in the post-HAART era. The age and sex-matched incidence of lung cancer in south east England was 0.75 (95% CI 0.63–0.87)/105 patient-years, suggesting that HIV-related lung cancer only occurred more frequently in the post-HAART era (relative risk 8.93, 95% CI 4.92–19.98). The patient characteristics and outcomes were similar in the pre- and post-HAART eras, although the time interval between testing HIV positive and developing HIV-related lung cancer was longer in post-HAART patients. Conclusion: In this study HIV-related lung cancer occurred more frequently in the post-HAART era, when compared with the HIV-negative population. Unfortunately, the outcome of these patients remains poor despite HAART.
Engineering defined membrane‐embedded elements of AMPA receptor induces opposing gating modulation by cornichon 3 and stargazin

The AMPA‐type ionotropic glutamate receptors (AMPARs) mediate the majority of excitatory synaptic transmission and their function impacts learning, cognition and behaviour. The gating of AMPARs occurs in milliseconds, precisely controlled by a variety of auxiliary subunits that are expressed differentially in the brain, but the difference in mechanisms underlying AMPAR gating modulation by auxiliary subunits remains elusive and is investigated. The elements of the AMPAR that are functionally recruited by auxiliary subunits, stargazin and cornichon 3, are located not only in the extracellular domains but also in the lipid‐accessible surface of the AMPAR. We reveal that the two auxiliary subunits require a shared surface on the transmembrane domain of the AMPAR for their function, but the gating is influenced by this surface in opposing directions for each auxiliary subunit. Our results provide new insights into the mechanistic difference of AMPAR modulation by auxiliary subunits and a conceptual framework for functional engineering of the complex.
Gene trapping: An antibody-dependent approach for verifying integration in your favorite gene

Gene trapping is used to introduce genome-wide insertional mutations in embryonic stem cells. Determining the integration site is based on highthroughput PCR, which has inevitable possibilities for mistakes, thus necessitating clone verification prior to the generation of mutant mice. Here, we propose a rapid method to validate gene identity based on the fact that many high throughput gene-trapping integrations result in fusion proteins encompassing the N-terminal portion of the gene of interest and LacZ being expressed in embryonic stem cells. Our method utilizes an immunoprecipitation assay using a specific N-terminal-directed antibody to the protein product of the gene of interest followed by a color LacZ assay of the immunoprecipitate, strongly supporting the formation of a fusion protein when the color develops.
Robust Ad Hoc Routing for Lossy Wireless Environment

Random loss in wireless ad hoc networks derives from two main causes: lossy wireless links and node mobility. Packet loss and link breakage can dramatically degrade the performance of any network protocol thus making routing in mobile ad hoc networks extremely challenging. In this study we focus on applications that exhibit mobility and random packet loss. Possible scenarios include search and rescue, urban homeland defense, small unit battlefield operations, and car to car network gaming. We explore the robustness of the routing solutions in regards to speed (up to vehicular ranges), random packet loss, and traffic load. Traditional routing protocol candidates are proactive, reactive and location-assisted (i.e., geographic) such as OLSR, AODV and GPSR. However, the performances of each protocol varies significantly with mobility and random loss shown in the paper. In our approach we seek to a hybrid solution AODV-DFR (AODV with Directional Forward Routing) that combines the positive aspects of previously proposed schemes. AODV-DFR utilizes the positive features of both proactive and reactive routing schemes, in addition, it borrows the greedy forwarding concept found in geo-routing. This allows for AODV-DFR to automatically find good candidates for packet forwarding in case of route breakage. Greedy forwarding here takes the form of "directional forwarding". Each node keeps a gradient direction toward the destination. This direction is dynamically refreshed based on periodic, proactive updates issued by the destination. Simulation studies show that AODV-DFR outperforms conventional protocols and previous hybrid routing solutions across a wide range of network characteristics.
A Novel High-Gain Printed Antenna Configuration Based on $\text{T}{\text{M}_{12}}$ Mode of Circular Disc

The fundamental (TM11) mode of a circular patch antenna is generally used for broadside gain applications. However, other TM1m modes (m = 2,3⋯) also radiate in the broadside direction with high directivities, but are avoided due to the occurrence of sidelobes in the radiation pattern. Here, a simple high-gain disc antenna configuration, using high dielectric constant substrates, operating in the TM12 mode, is presented. At first, through an analytical study, it is shown that by selecting an appropriate value of the dielectric constant, both high directivity and low sidelobe level (SLL) can be attained. Next, it is demonstrated that the excitation of adjacent modes can be reduced significantly by a proper selection of feed location. For a practical antenna design, it is also shown that the SLL can be further reduced using a finite ground plane size.
Improved Assessment of Significant Activation in Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging (fMRI): Use of a Cluster‐Size Threshold

The typical functional magnetic resonance (fMRI) study presents a formidable problem of multiple statistical comparisons (i.e, > 10,000 in a 128 x 128 image). To protect against false positives, investigators have typically relied on decreasing the per pixel false positive probability. This approach incurs an inevitable loss of power to detect statistically significant activity. An alternative approach, which relies on the assumption that areas of true neural activity will tend to stimulate signal changes over contiguous pixels, is presented. If one knows the probability distribution of such cluster sizes as a function of per pixel false positive probability, one can use cluster‐size thresholds independently to reject false positives. Both Monte Carlo simulations and fMRI studies of human subjects have been used to verify that this approach can improve statistical power by as much as fivefold over techniques that rely solely on adjusting per pixel false positive probabilities.
Exogenous and Endogenous Growth Models: a Critical Review

Abstract The main divisions of the theoretical economic growth literature that we study today include exogenous and endogenous growth models that have transitioned through a number of notions and criticisms. Proponents of exogenous growth models argue that technological progress is the key determinant of long-run economic growth as well as international productivity differences. Within the endogenous growth models, there are two notions that are propagated. The first postulates that capital used for innovative purposes can exhibit increasing returns to scale and thus account for the international productivity differences we observe today. The key determinants include knowledge, human capital, and research and development. The second argues that factors that affect the efficiency of capital, and hence cause capital flight, can also explain international productivity differences. These factors that affect the efficiency of capital include government spending, inflation, real exchange rates, and real interest rates. Our study results reveal that there is still no agreement on the dominant theoretical economic growth model amongst economists that can fully account for international productivity differences. We conclude that the future of theoretical economic growth is far from over and more work needs to be done to develop more practical structural economic growth models.
Privacy-Preserving Secret Shared Computations Using MapReduce

Data outsourcing allows data owners to keep their data at untrusted clouds that do not ensure the privacy of data and/or computations. One useful framework for fault-tolerant data processing in a distributed fashion is MapReduce, which was developed for trusted private clouds. This paper presents algorithms for data outsourcing based on Shamir’s secret-sharing scheme and for executing privacy-preserving SQL queries such as count, selection including range selection, projection, and join while using MapReduce as an underlying programming model. Our proposed algorithms prevent an adversary from knowing the database or the query while also preventing output-size and access-pattern attacks. Interestingly, our algorithms do not involve the database owner, which only creates and distributes secret-shares once, in answering any query, and hence, the database owner also cannot learn the query. Logically and experimentally, we evaluate the efficiency of the algorithms on the following parameters: (i) the number of communication rounds (between a user and a server), (ii) the total amount of bit flow (between a user and a server), and (iii) the computational load at the user and the server.
Multiple early transcripts and splicing of the Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus IE-1 gene

The immediate-early IE-1 gene of Autographa californica nuclear polyhedrosis virus was cloned, and its nucleotide sequence was determined. Sequence analysis indicated that this gene would encode a protein of 582 amino acids with a predicted molecular weight of 66,822. Analysis of IE-1 gene expression during baculovirus infection identified two transcripts. One, 1.9 kilobases (kb), was expressed at constant steady-state levels throughout infection, whereas the other, 2.1 kb, was expressed only early in infection. Analysis of IE-1 cDNA clones demonstrated that the 2.1-kb transcript contained the entire 1.9-kb transcript (exon 1) plus an additional 5' end (exon 0). Genomic Southern analysis placed the exon 0 sequences on the EcoRI B fragment, 4 kilobase pairs upstream of exon 1. Sequencing of the upstream region identified an open reading frame whose 5' end was identical to the exon 0 sequences in the cDNAs. Examination of the genomic DNA sequences around the exon-exon junction revealed sequences similar to published consensus splice acceptor and donor sequences. This is the first example of splicing of any viral transcript during baculovirus infection.
Pitfalls of Coordination

I argue that the rather unfavorable conclusions of the three papers in the session on “Coordination and Tradeoffs” might not be as bad as they seem. In particular, I dwell on challenges facing the central bank using an interest rate that is different from the risk-free rate in its Taylor rule, and show that proper redefinition of the intercept and the slope of the rule allows avoidance of inflationary bias and preserves the stability of equilibrium.
Malonyl coenzyme A affects insulin-stimulated glucose transport in myotubes

Abstract There seems to be an association between increased concentrations of malonyl coenzyme A (malonyl CoA) in skeletal muscle and diabetes and/or insulin resistance. The purpose of the current study was to test the hypothesis that treatments designed to manipulate malonyl CoA concentrations would affect insulin-stimulated glucose transport in cultured C2C12 myotubes. We assessed glucose transport after polyamine-mediated delivery of malonyl CoA to myotubes, after incubation with dichloroacetate (which reportedly increases malonyl CoA levels), or after exposure of myotubes to 2-bromopalmitate, a carnitine palmitoyl transferase I inhibitor. All three of these treatments prevented stimulation of glucose transport by insulin. We also assayed glucose transport after 30 min of inhibition of acetyl coenzyme A carboxylase (ACC), the enzyme which catalyzes the production of malonyl CoA. Three unrelated ACC inhibitors (diclofop, clethodim, and Pfizer CP-640186) all enhanced insulin-stimulated glucose transport. However, none of the treatments designed to manipulate malonyl CoA concentrations altered markers of proximal insulin signaling through Akt. The findings support the hypothesis that acute changes in malonyl CoA concentrations affect insulin action in muscle cells but suggest that the effects do not involve alterations in proximal insulin signaling.
A novel load balancing method for multi-core with non-uniform memory architecture

As the number of cores in a processor increases, asymmetrically distributed memory architecture is expected to become widely adopted. Running an application program effectively in a distributed fashion on asymmetric memory architecture is a challenging task. In this paper, we propose a novel load balancing technique for multi-core systems with asymmetric memory architectures. The proposed method uses probabilistic information on the expected execution time of the child processes for each parent process. Also, to maximize the load balancing effect with low cost, the proposed method groups processes, and treats each group as a load balancing unit. The trade-off between load balancing effect of each load balancing unit and the cost is taken into account. To show the effectiveness of this paper, we present test cases in which the proposed method show better performance than that of existing load balancing methods.