Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Communication Architecture in Mixed-Reality Simulations of Unmanned Systems

Verification of the correct functionality of multi-vehicle systems in high-fidelity scenarios is required before any deployment of such a complex system, e.g., in missions of remote sensing or in mobile sensor networks. Mixed-reality simulations where both virtual and physical entities can coexist and interact have been shown to be beneficial for development, testing, and verification of such systems. This paper deals with the problems of designing a certain communication subsystem for such highly desirable realistic simulations. Requirements of this communication subsystem, including proper addressing, transparent routing, visibility modeling, or message management, are specified prior to designing an appropriate solution. Then, a suitable architecture of this communication subsystem is proposed together with solutions to the challenges that arise when simultaneous virtual and physical message transmissions occur. The proposed architecture can be utilized as a high-fidelity network simulator for vehicular systems with implicit mobility models that are given by real trajectories of the vehicles. The architecture has been utilized within multiple projects dealing with the development and practical deployment of multi-UAV systems, which support the architecture’s viability and advantages. The provided experimental results show the achieved similarity of the communication characteristics of the fully deployed hardware setup to the setup utilizing the proposed mixed-reality architecture.
Changes in Cytokines, Sensory Tests, and Self-reported Pain Levels After Manual Treatment of Low Back Pain

Study Design: Unbalanced 3-factor design with repeated measures on 1 factor. Objective: To determine the effect of manual treatment (MT) on cytokine and pain sensations in those with and without low back pain (LBP). Summary of Background Data: Evidence suggests that MT reduces LBP but by unknown mechanisms. Certain cytokines have been elevated in patients with LBP and may be affected by MT. Methods: Participants aged 20–60 years with chronic LBP or without LBP were recruited and randomly assigned to MT, sham ultrasound treatment, or no treatment groups. Venous blood samples were collected and pain levels assessed at baseline, 1 hour later, and 24 hours later. Blood was analyzed for interleukin (IL)-1&bgr;, IL-6, tumor necrosis factor-&agr;, and C-reactive protein. Pain levels were measured by pressure pain threshold (PPT), mechanical detection threshold (MDT), dynamic mechanical allodynia, and self-report. Results: Forty (30 women, age 36±11 y) participants completed the study, 33 with LBP (13 MT, 13 sham ultrasound treatment, and 7 no treatment) and 7 without LBP. Participants with or without LBP could not be differentiated on the basis of serum cytokine levels, PPT, or MDT (P≥0.08). There were no significant differences between the groups at 1 hour or 24 hours on serum cytokines, PPT, or MDT (P≥0.07). There was a significant decrease from baseline in IL-6 for the no treatment (LBP) group (P=0.04), in C-reactive protein for the sham ultrasound treatment group (P=0.03), in MDT for all 3 LBP groups (P⩽0.02), and in self-reported pain for the MT and sham ultrasound treatment groups (P=0.03 and 0.01). Conclusions: Self-reported pain was reduced with MT and sham ultrasound treatment 24 hours after treatment, but inflammatory markers within venous circulation and quantitative sensory tests were unable to differentiate between study groups. Therefore, we were unable to characterize mechanisms underlying chronic LBP.
Assessment Fidelity in Aphasia Research.

Purpose In aphasia treatment literature, scarce attention is paid to factors that may reduce a study's validity, including adherence to assessment and treatment procedures (i.e., fidelity). Although guidelines have been established for evaluating and reporting treatment fidelity, none exist for assessment fidelity. Method We reviewed treatment fidelity guidelines and related literature to identify assessment fidelity components. We then examined 88 aphasia treatment studies published between 2010 and 2015 and report the frequency with which researchers provide information regarding the following assessment fidelity components: assessment instruments, assessor qualifications, assessor or rater training, assessment delivery, assessor or rater reliability, and assessor blinding. Results We found that 4.5% of studies reported information regarding assessment instruments, 35.2% reported information regarding assessor qualifications, 6.85% reported information regarding assessor or rater training, 37.5% reported information regarding assessor or rater reliability, 27.3% reported on assessor blinding, and no studies reported information regarding assessment delivery. Conclusions There is a paucity of assessment fidelity information reported in aphasia treatment research. The authors propose a set of guidelines to ensure readers will be able to evaluate assessment fidelity, and thus study validity.
Microwave-Assisted Fabrication of γ-Fe2O3 Nanoparticles from Tris (acetylacetonato) Iron (III)

Maghemite (γ-Fe2O3) nanoparticles which have a wide range of applications were fabricated by microwave heating of acetylacetonato iron (III) precursor. The precursor is very easy to make, and on irradiation by microwave decomposes to maghemite nanoparticles. The as-prepared γ-Fe2O3 nanostructured has been characterized by X-ray powder diffraction, energy dispersive X-ray spectroscopy (EDX), scanning electron microscope (SEM) and transmission electron microscopy (TEM)) techniques. The maghemite nanoparticles were obtained in high yield and purity and the average size of the particles was estimated to be about 13 nm.
A Simple, 10-minute Procedure for Transforaminal Injection under Ultrasonic Guidance to Effect Cervical Selective Nerve Root Block

The aim is to provide a detailed procedure of a simple and 10-minute cervical nerve root block (CNRB) under ultrasonic guidance, and to report the clinical outcomes, disorders, and complications. Records of patients who had undergone CNRB, were reviewed under ultrasonic guidance at the hospital from 2010 through 2012. The procedure is described in detail. Arm and shoulder pain was evaluated by use of the visual analogue scale (VAS). Forty-three patients agreed to undergo CNRB under ultrasonic guidance. Nerve roots from C5 to C8 were affected in 41, and these nerve roots were readily distinguished. Two of the 43 participants did not receive injections because impediments in visualizing the affected nerve root. Of the 41 who received injections, radicular pain immediately disappeared in 39, who continued to feel pain relief 1 month later. However, pain recurred in 15 patients (38%), of whom 11 underwent cervical spine surgery. The rest of 24 patients felt sustained pain relief longer than 3 months after the injection, significantly. Although one patient had recurrent radicular pain 10 months later, the pain could be controlled by medication. At the final follow-up periods, 17.2 (10–24 months), the median VAS score of the patients, 23 (0 to 71 mm), was significantly improvement (P = 0.001) in comparison to before injection 88 (range; 56–100). No complications occurred. The cervical nerve root block under ultrasonic guidance simply, safely, and efficaciously decreased radicular pain for 17.2 months in 62% patients with intolerable radicular pain.
Genetic Evidence for Early Peritoneal Spreading in Pelvic High-Grade Serous Cancer

Background Most pelvic high-grade serous (HGS) carcinomas have been proposed to arise from tubal primaries that progress rapidly to advanced disease. However, the temporal sequence of ovarian and peritoneal metastases is not well characterized. Methods To establish the sequence of metastases, phylogenetic relationships among the ovarian and peritoneal carcinomas were determined from single-nucleotide variations (SNVs) in nine tumor regions from each patient with pelvic HGS carcinomas. Somatic SNVs from each tumor sample were used to reconstruct phylogenies of samples from each patient. Variant allele frequencies were used to reconstruct subclone phylogenies in each tumor sample. Results We show that pelvic HGS carcinomas are highly heterogeneous, only sharing less than 4% of somatic SNVs among all nine carcinoma implants in one patient. TP53 mutations are found in all nine carcinoma implants in each patient. The phylogenetic analyses reveal that peritoneal metastases arose from early branching events that preceded branching events for ovarian carcinomas in some patients. Finally, subclone phylogenies indicate the presence of multiple subclones at each tumor implant and early tumor clones in peritoneal implants. Conclusion The genetic evidence that peritoneal implants arose before or concurrently with ovarian implants is consistent with the emerging concept of the extra-ovarian origin of pelvic HGS cancer. Our results challenge the concept of stepwise spatial progression from the fallopian primary to ovarian carcinomas to peritoneal dissemination and suggest an alternative progression model where peritoneal spreading of early clones occurs before or in parallel with ovarian metastases.
Amino-modified polystyrene nanoparticles affect signalling pathways of the sea urchin (Paracentrotus lividus) embryos

Abstract Polystyrene nanoparticles have been shown to pose serious risk to marine organisms including sea urchin embryos based on their surface properties and consequently behaviour in natural sea water. The aim of this study is to investigate the toxicity pathways of amino polystyrene nanoparticles (PS-NH2, 50 nm) in Paracentrotus lividus embryos in terms of development and signalling at both protein and gene levels. Two sub-lethal concentrations of 3 and 4 μg/mL of PS-NH2 were used to expose sea urchin embryos in natural sea water (PS-NH2 as aggregates of 143 ± 5 nm). At 24 and 48 h post-fertilisation (hpf) embryonic development was monitored and variations in the levels of key proteins involved in stress response and development (Hsp70, Hsp60, MnSOD, Phospho-p38 Mapk) as well as the modulation of target genes (Pl-Hsp70, Pl-Hsp60, Pl-Cytochrome b, Pl-p38 Mapk, Pl-Caspase 8, Pl-Univin) were measured. At 48 hpf various striking teratogenic effects were observed such as the occurrence of cells/masses randomly distributed, severe skeletal defects and delayed development. At 24 hpf a significant up-regulation of Pl-Hsp70, Pl-p38 Mapk, Pl-Univin and Pl-Cas8 genes was found, while at 48 hpf only for Pl-Univin was observed. Protein profile showed different patterns as a significant increase of Hsp70 and Hsp60 only after 48 hpf compared to controls. Conversely, P-p38 Mapk protein significantly increased at 24 hpf and decreased at 48 hpf. Our findings highlight that PS-NH2 are able to disrupt sea urchin embryos development by modulating protein and gene profile providing new understandings into the signalling pathways involved.
RECENT ADVANCES IN APPLICATIONS OF GRAPHENE

Graphene, a two-dimensional, single-layered sheet o f sp 2 hybridized carbon atoms has attracted much attenti on from researchers due to its interesting mechanical, thermal, electrochemical and electronic properties . These exceptional properties have opened up new opportunities for the application of this nanomaterial in th e future devices and systems. This review article aims to pr esent an overview of the advancement of research in applications of graphene and its derivatives in dif ferent areas such as field emission, sensors, energ y storage, electronics, catalysis, and biomedical field as wel l as a brief discussion on the challenges and persp ectives for future research. Key word: Graphene, field emission, sensors, energy storage, super capacitor, biomedical applications.
Online in-hand object localization

Robotic hands are a key component of humanoids. Initially more fragile and larger than their human counterparts, the technology has evolved and the latest generation is close to the human hand in size and robustness. However, it is still disappointing to see how little robotic hands are able to do once the grasp is acquired due to the difficulty to obtain a reliable pose of the object within the palm. This paper presents a novel method based on a particle filter used to estimate online the object pose. It is shown that the method is robust, accurate and handles many realistic scenario without hand crafted rules. It combines an efficient collision checker with a few very simple ideas, that require only a basic knowledge of the geometry of the objects. It is shown, by experiments and simulations, that the algorithm is able to deal with inaccurate finger position measurements and can integrate tactile measurements. The method greatly enhances the performance of common manipulation operations, such as a pick and place tasks, and boosts the sensing capabilities of the robot.
Optimal Policies for a Multi-Echelon Inventory Problem

In the last several years there have been a number of papers discussing optimal policies for the inventory problem. Almost without exception these papers are devoted to the determination of optimal purchasing quantities at a single installation faced with some pattern of demand. It has been customary to make the assumption that when the installation in question requests a shipment of stock, this shipment will be delivered in a fixed or perhaps random length of time, but at any rate with a time lag which is independent of the size of the order placed. There are, however, a number of situations met in practice in which this assumption is not a tenable one. An important example arises when there are several installations, say 1, 2,. , N, with installation 1 receiving stock from 2, with 2 receiving stock from 3, etc. In this example, if an order is placed by installation 1 for stock from installation 2, the length of time for delivery of this stock is determined not only by the natural lead time between these two sites, but also by the availability of stock at the second installation. In this paper we shall consider the problem of determining optimal purchasing quantities in a multi-installation model of this type.
Spatial Geometries of Self-Assembled Chitohexaose Monolayers Regulate Myoblast Fusion

Myoblast fusion into functionally-distinct myotubes to form in vitro skeletal muscle constructs under differentiation serum-free conditions still remains a challenge. Herein, we report that our microtopographical carbohydrate substrates composed of bioactive hexa-N-acetyl-d-glucosamine (GlcNAc6) modulated the efficiency of myoblast fusion without requiring horse serum or any differentiation medium during cell culture. Promotion of the differentiation of dissociated mononucleated skeletal myoblasts (C2C12; a mouse myoblast cell line) into robust myotubes was found only on GlcNAc6 micropatterns, whereas the myoblasts on control, non-patterned GlcNAc6 substrates or GlcNAc6-free patterns exhibited an undifferentiated form. We also examined the possible role of GlcNAc6 micropatterns with various widths in the behavior of C2C12 cells in early and late stages of myogenesis through mRNA expression of myosin heavy chain (MyHC) isoforms. The spontaneous contraction of myotubes was investigated via the regulation of glucose transporter type 4 (GLUT4), which is involved in stimulating glucose uptake during cellular contraction. Narrow patterns demonstrated enhanced glucose uptake rate and generated a fast-twitch muscle fiber type, whereas the slow-twitch muscle fiber type was dominant on wider patterns. Our findings indicated that GlcNAc6-mediated integrin interactions are responsible for guiding myoblast fusion forward along with myotube formation.
Responsive neurostimulation in epilepsy

Various neurostimulation modalities have emerged in the field of epilepsy. Despite the fact that delivery of an electrical current to the hyperexcitable epileptic brain might, at first, seem contradictory, neurostimulation has become an established therapeutic option with a promising efficacy and adverse effects profile. In “responsive” neurostimulation the strategy is to interfere as early as possible with the accumulation of seizure activity to prematurely abort or even prevent an upcoming seizure. The design of technology required for responsive stimulation is more challenging compared with devices for open-loop neurostimulation. The achievement of therapeutic success is dependent on adequate sensing and stimulation algorithms and a fast coupling between both. The benefits of delivering current only at the time of an approaching seizure merit further investigation. Current experience with responsive neurostimulation in epilepsy is still limited, but seems promising.
MARS, a Multi-Agent System for Assessing Rowers' Coordination via Motion-Based Stigmergy

A crucial aspect in rowing is having a synchronized, highly-efficient stroke. This is very difficult to obtain, due to the many interacting factors that each rower of the crew must perceive. Having a system that monitors and represents the crew coordination would be of great help to the coach during training sessions. In the literature, some methods already employ wireless sensors for capturing motion patterns that affect rowing performance. A challenging problem is to support the coach's decisions at his same level of knowledge, using a limited number of sensors and avoiding the complexity of the biomechanical analysis of human movements. In this paper, we present a multi-agent information-processing system for on-water measuring of both the overall crew asynchrony and the individual rower asynchrony towards the crew. More specifically, in the system, the first level of processing is managed by marking agents, which release marks in a sensing space, according to the rowers' motion. The accumulation of marks enables a stigmergic cooperation mechanism, generating collective marks, i.e., short-term memory structures in the sensing space. At the second level of processing, information provided by marks is observed by similarity agents, which associate a similarity degree with respect to optimal marks. Finally, the third level is managed by granulation agents, which extract asynchrony indicators for different purposes. The effectiveness of the system has been experimented on real-world scenarios. The study includes the problem statement and its characterization in the literature, as well as the proposed solving approach and initial experimental setting.
A Fourier transform infrared trace gas and isotope analyser for atmospheric applications

Abstract. Concern in recent decades about human impacts on Earth's climate has led to the need for improved and expanded measurement capabilities of greenhouse gases in the atmosphere. In this paper we describe in detail an in situ trace gas analyser based on Fourier Transform Infrared (FTIR) spectroscopy that is capable of simultaneous and continuous measurements of carbon dioxide (CO2), methane (CH4), carbon monoxide (CO), nitrous oxide (N2O) and 13C in CO2 in air with high precision. High accuracy is established by reference to measurements of standard reference gases. Stable water isotopes can also be measured in undried airstreams. The analyser is automated and allows unattended operation with minimal operator intervention. Precision and accuracy meet and exceed the compatibility targets set by the World Meteorological Organisation – Global Atmosphere Watch for baseline measurements in the unpolluted troposphere for all species except 13C in CO2. The analyser is mobile and well suited to fixed sites, tower measurements, mobile platforms and campaign-based measurements. The isotopic specificity of the optically-based technique and analysis allows its application in isotopic tracer experiments, for example in tracing variations of 13C in CO2 and 15N in N2O. We review a number of applications illustrating use of the analyser in clean air monitoring, micrometeorological flux and tower measurements, mobile measurements on a train, and soil flux chamber measurements.
Immune-inspired Web Service Composition Framework

This paper presents a new Web service composition method which combines the AI planning graph technique with an immune-inspired algorithm to find the optimal composition solution. Simultaneously with the planning graph onstruction, a matrix of semantic links is built to storethe semantic links established between the services on different layers of the graph. The planning graph and the matrix of semantic links represent the main building blocks of our immune-inspired technique for finding the optimal composition solution. We use a multi-criteria function which evaluates the composition solution in terms of its QoS attributes and the quality of the semantic match between the services involved in the solution. In order to validate our approach to automatically compose Web services, we have developed an experimental framework that integrates the planning graph composition approach and the immune-inspired selection technique. We have performed our experiments on a set of Web services from two domains.
Molecular Cloning and Functional Analysis of UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 (PeUVR8) from Populus euphratica

Ultraviolet-B (UV-B; 280–315 nm) light, which is an integral part of the solar radiation reaching the surface of the Earth, induces a broad range of physiological responses in plants. The UV RESISTANCE LOCUS 8 (UVR8) protein is the first and only light photoreceptor characterized to date that is specific for UV-B light and it regulates various aspects of plant growth and development in response to UV-B light. Despite its involvement in the control of important plant traits, most studies on UV-B photoreceptors have focused on Arabidopsis and no data on UVR8 function are available for forest trees. In this study, we isolated a homologue of the UV receptor UVR8 of Arabidopsis, PeUVR8, from Populus euphratica (Euphrates poplar) and analyzed its structure and function in detail. The deduced PeUVR8 amino acid sequence contained nine well-conserved regulator of chromosome condensation 1 (RCC1) repeats and the region 27 amino acids from the C terminus (C27) that interact with COP1 (CONSTITUTIVELY PHOTOMORPHOGENIC1). Secondary and tertiary structure analysis showed that PeUVR8 shares high similarity with the AtUVR8 protein from Arabidopsis thaliana. Using heterologous expression in Arabidopsis, we showed that PeUVR8 overexpression rescued the uvr8 mutant phenotype. In addition, PeUVR8 overexpression in wild-type background seedlings grown under UV-B light inhibited hypocotyl elongation and enhanced anthocyanin accumulation. Furthermore, we examined the interaction between PeUVR8 and AtCOP1 using a bimolecular fluorescence complementation (BiFC) assay. Our data provide evidence that PeUVR8 plays important roles in the control of photomorphogenesis in planta.
The Moderating Role of Close versus Distal Peer Injunctive Norms and Interdependent Self-Construal in the Effects of Descriptive Norms on College Drinking

ABSTRACT Based on the theory of normative social behavior (Rimal & Real, 2005), this study examined the effects of descriptive norms, close versus distal peer injunctive norms, and interdependent self-construal on college students’ intentions to consume alcohol. Results of a cross-sectional study conducted among U.S. college students (N = 581) found that descriptive norms, close, and distal peer injunctive norms had independent effects on college students’ intentions to consume alcohol. Furthermore, close peer injunctive norms moderated the effects of descriptive norms on college students’ intentions to consume alcohol and the interaction showed different patterns among students with a strong and weak interdependent self-construal. High levels of close peer injunctive norms weakened the relationship between descriptive norms and intentions to consume alcohol among students with a strong interdependent self-construal but strengthened the relationship between descriptive norms and intentions to consume alcohol among students with a weak interdependent self-construal. Implications of the findings for norms-based research and college drinking interventions are discussed.