Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hydraulic running robots: The prospects for fluid power in agile locomotion

The majority of the Earth’s land mass is inaccessible to wheeled vehicles. Legged locomotion is a potential solution to this problem, allowing mobile machines to traverse rough terrain and step over obstacles. Many hundreds of walking machines are in existence, albeit mostly in research laboratories rather than in productive employment. Walking machines are generally slow, and unable to respond sufficiently quickly to external disturbances and foot slippage. Thus machines with a dynamic capability, i.e. with sensing, actuation and control systems which enable operation outside the constraints of static balance, are likely to be much more useful. This paper briefly reviews the history of legged locomotion, focusing on the development of dynamic (running) robots and their associated control algorithms. To deliver sufficient power to many independently controlled actuators, whilst minimising weight and size, hydraulic actuation has normally been chosen for running robots. Comments are included in the paper about power consumption, and the challenge for fluid power researchers to propose more efficient solutions which are still suitable given the constraints (particularly weight) associated with this application.
Synthetic biology: the many facets of T7 RNA polymerase

Split T7 RNA polymerase provides new avenues for creating synthetic gene circuits that are decoupled from host regulatory processes—but how many times can this enzyme be split, yet retain function? New research by Voigt and colleagues (Segall‐Shapiro et al, 2014) indicates that it may be more than you think.
A hybrid BCI for enhanced control of a telepresence robot

Motor-disabled end users have successfully driven a telepresence robot in a complex environment using a Brain-Computer Interface (BCI). However, to facilitate the interaction aspect that underpins the notion of telepresence, users must be able to voluntarily and reliably stop the robot at any moment, not just drive from point to point. In this work, we propose to exploit the user's residual muscular activity to provide a fast and reliable control channel, which can start/stop the telepresence robot at any moment. Our preliminary results show that not only does this hybrid approach increase the accuracy, but it also helps to reduce the workload and was the preferred control paradigm of all the participants.
Reduced Life- and Healthspan in Mice Carrying a Mono-Allelic BubR1 MVA Mutation

Mosaic Variegated Aneuploidy (MVA) syndrome is a rare autosomal recessive disorder characterized by inaccurate chromosome segregation and high rates of near-diploid aneuploidy. Children with MVA syndrome die at an early age, are cancer prone, and have progeroid features like facial dysmorphisms, short stature, and cataracts. The majority of MVA cases are linked to mutations in BUBR1, a mitotic checkpoint gene required for proper chromosome segregation. Affected patients either have bi-allelic BUBR1 mutations, with one allele harboring a missense mutation and the other a nonsense mutation, or mono-allelic BUBR1 mutations combined with allelic variants that yield low amounts of wild-type BubR1 protein. Parents of MVA patients that carry single allele mutations have mild mitotic defects, but whether they are at risk for any of the pathologies associated with MVA syndrome is unknown. To address this, we engineered a mouse model for the nonsense mutation 2211insGTTA (referred to as GTTA) found in MVA patients with bi-allelic BUBR1 mutations. Here we report that both the median and maximum lifespans of the resulting BubR1 +/GTTA mice are significantly reduced. Furthermore, BubR1 +/GTTA mice develop several aging-related phenotypes at an accelerated rate, including cataract formation, lordokyphosis, skeletal muscle wasting, impaired exercise ability, and fat loss. BubR1 +/GTTA mice develop mild aneuploidies and show enhanced growth of carcinogen-induced tumors. Collectively, these data demonstrate that the BUBR1 GTTA mutation compromises longevity and healthspan, raising the interesting possibility that mono-allelic changes in BUBR1 might contribute to differences in aging rates in the general population.
Applying Linked Data Technologies for Online Newspapers

The constantly growing data volume at the companies along with the necessity for finding information for the shortest possible time span involves methods of information search different from the ones conventionally used. The semantic technologies, developed in the late 90s and the beginning of the new century, are viewed as a new generation of databases and as text analyzing technologies. The present paper deals with researching the opportunities and examining the advantages of applying the semantic web technologies and the linked data for online newspapers. Besides, a RDF-based ontology for the purposes of a system for study and evaluation of online editions of regional daily newspapers is proposed. SPARQL endpoint is implemented to access the RDF data.
Data as processes: introducing measurement data into CARMA models

Measurement data provides a precise and detailed description of components within a complex system but it is rarely used directly as a component of a system model. In this paper we introduce a model-based representation of measurement data and use it together with modeller-defined components expressed in the CARMA modelling language. We assess both liveness and safety properties of these models with embedded data.
Appraisal of the Sustainability of Compressed Stabilized Earthen Masonry

Advisor: Ece Erdogmus Compressed stabilized earthen block (CSEB) masonry presents an environmentally and economically sustainable alternative to conventional residential construction materials such as clay brick masonry or concrete masonry (CMU). Earthen masonry is locally sourced and manufactured on site, thus minimizing costs associated with raw material extraction and transportation. Furthermore, CSEB requires very little use of electricity and water during both the manufacture and construction processes and it has excellent thermal resistivity while in use, allowing for additional cost and energy savings during most phases of its life cycle. Analyzing the life cycle trade-offs in a comparative study between CSEB and clay brick masonry supplements the existing recent research on earthen masonry and encourages a wider adoption of the technology around the world. In this study, a comparative Life Cycle Analysis (LCA) is conducted between an exterior residential wall constructed of CSEB and one of clay brick for a proposed single family dwelling on the Winnebago Native American Reservation in Nebraska, USA. The scope of this LCA is narrowed to the impacts associated with choosing one construction material over the other, and the system boundary includes the raw material extraction, manufacturing, and transportation phases of construction. iii Thermal conductivity is an important aspect of the energy efficiency of a building envelope during the use phase of a building's life cycle. As part of this study, an experimental program was conducted using a modified hotbox apparatus in order to obtain a thermal conductivity value for the CSEB blocks under investigation. After analysis, the thermal conductivity of the CSEB analyzed in this study is determined to be 0.361 W/(m·K) ± 20.0% compared to 1.024 W/(m·K) for clay brick. The three indicators for measuring the environmental or economic impacts of each material in this study are: 1) Energy, measured in kWh, 2) Global Warming Potential (GWP), measured in kg CO2 eq., and 3) Cost, measured in US Dollars. The results of this Life Cycle analysis indicate that CSEB is the more economic and environmentally sustainable option, with the transportation phase of the life cycle of highest impact on cost. This research would not have been possible without the motivation and guidance, provided to me by my mentor, Dr. Ece Erdogmus. Thank you for allowing me a path to pursue my passion for promoting a more sustainable future of the built environment through the use of environmentally optimal structural materials. Your drive for excellence …
Visual and olfactory responses of haematophagous Diptera to host stimuli

Key biotic and environmental constraints on the host‐orientated behaviour of haematophagous Diptera are summarized. For each major group of biting Diptera, responses to host stimuli are reviewed, including activation and ranging behaviour, long‐range and short‐range olfactory responses and visual responses. Limitations to the comparison of results between groups of species, and the practical problems of experimental method and equipment are discussed.
Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas Globalization and Monetary Policy Institute Evolving Comparative Advantage, Sectoral Linkages, and Structural Change

I quantitatively examine the effects of location-and sector-specific productivity growth on structural change across countries from 1970-2011. The results shed new light on the " hump shape" in industry's share in GDP across levels of development. There are two key features. First, otherwise identical changes in the composition of final demand translate differently into changes in the composition of value added because of systematic differences in sectoral linkages. Second, the mapping between sector-specific productivity and the composition of final demand systematically differs because of the relative importance of two components within final demand: final domestic expenditures and net exports. Parasrampuria provided excellent research assistance. All errors are my own. The views in this paper are those of the author and do not necessarily reflect the views of the Federal Reserve Bank of Dallas or the Federal Reserve System.
On the advantages of elastic optical networks for provisioning of cloud computing traffic

This article provides motivation for the elastic optical network (EON) approach, an efficient and cost-effective solution for provisioning of cloud computing traffic. As opposed to wavelength switched optical networks (WSONs), the capabilities of which are limited by the use of rigid frequency grids, EON architectures allow for both scalable bandwidth provisioning and flexible resource allocation. The deployment cost, energy consumption, and bandwidth usage for both EON and classical WSON transport networks are compared in pan-European and U.S. backbone networks for 2012-2020 using Cisco traffic predictions. Results show that the EON concept significantly outperforms WSON in all examined criteria, and the gap between the two architectures increases in subsequent years. Moreover, potential advantages of anycast routing in transport networks with data center traffic are demonstrated.
Benefits of Selected Physical Exercise Programs in Detention: A Randomized Controlled Study

The aim of the study was to determine which kind of physical activity could be useful to inmate populations to improve their health status and fitness levels. A repeated measure design was used to evaluate the effects of two different training protocols on subjects in a state of detention, tested pre- and post-experimental protocol.Seventy-five male subjects were enrolled in the studyand randomly allocated to three groups: the cardiovascular plus resistance training protocol group (CRT) (n = 25; mean age 30.9 ± 8.9 years),the high-intensity strength training protocol group (HIST) (n = 25; mean age 33.9 ± 6.8 years), and a control group (C) (n = 25; mean age 32.9 ± 8.9 years) receiving no treatment. All subjects underwent a clinical assessmentandfitness tests. MANOVA revealed significant multivariate effects on group (p < 0.01) and group-training interaction (p < 0.05). CRT protocol resulted the most effective protocol to reach the best outcome in fitness tests. Both CRT and HIST protocols produced significant gains in the functional capacity (cardio-respiratory capacity and cardiovascular disease risk decrease) of incarcerated males. The significant gains obtained in functional capacity reflect the great potential of supervised exercise interventions for improving the health status of incarcerated people.
The Analysis and Optimum Design on Compliant Micro-Gripper with Micro-Force Sensor

Force sensing and control plays an important role in manipulation control especially in MEMS when the contact force exerted on the object should be carefully monitored. Strain gauges are widely used and often placed at the maximum stress point according to static analysis to enable higher sensitivity. However, the vibration induced by the external force will cause a distortion in the sensor signal that it can no longer reflect the contact force, in other words, it loses the capacity of invertibility, therefore dynamic analysis should be introduced. An optimum sensor arrangement regarding the micro-gripper with uneven section is presented in the paper.
The long-term evaluation of Fisherman in a partial-attention environment

Ambient display is a specific subfield of information visualization that only uses partial visual and cognitive attention of its users. Conducting an evaluation while drawing partial user attention is a challenging problem. Many normal information visualization evaluation methods (full attention) may not suit the evaluation of ambient displays. Inspired by concepts in the social and behavioral science, we categorize the evaluation of ambient displays into two methodologies: intrusive and non-intrusive. The major difference between these two approaches is the level of user involvement, as an intrusive evaluation requires a higher user involvement than a non-intrusive evaluation. Based on our long-term (5 months) non-intrusive evaluation of Fisherman presented in [16], this paper provides a detailed discussion of the actual technical and experimental setup of unobtrusively measurement of user gaze over a long period by using a face-tracking camera and IR sensors. In addition, this paper also demonstrates a solution to the ethical problem of using video cameras to collect data in a semi-public place. Finally, a quantitative term of "interest" measurement with three remarks is also addressed.
Escherichia coli radD (yejH) gene: a novel function involved in radiation resistance and double‐strand break repair

A transposon insertion screen implicated the yejH gene in the repair of ionizing radiation‐induced damage. The yejH gene, which exhibits significant homology to the human transcription‐coupled DNA repair gene XPB, is involved in the repair of double‐strand DNA breaks. Deletion of yejH significantly sensitized cells to agents that cause double‐strand breaks (ionizing radiation, UV radiation, ciprofloxacin). In addition, deletion of both yejH and radA hypersensitized the cells to ionizing radiation, UV and ciprofloxacin damage, indicating that these two genes have complementary repair functions. The ΔyejH ΔradA double deletion also showed a substantial decline in viability following an induced double‐strand DNA break, of a magnitude comparable with the defect measured when the recA, recB, recG or priA genes are deleted. The ATPase activity and C‐terminal zinc finger motif of yejH play an important role in its repair function, as targeted mutant alleles of yejH did not rescue sensitivity. We propose that yejH be renamed radD, reflecting its role in the DNA repair of radiation damage.
The Economic Role of Jumps and Recovery Rates in the Market for Corporate Default Risk

Abstract Using an extensive cross section of U.S. corporate credit default swaps (CDSs), this paper offers an economic understanding of implied loss given default (LGD) and jumps in default risk. We formulate and underpin empirical stylized facts about CDS spreads, which are then reproduced in our affine intensity-based jump-diffusion model. Implied LGD is well identified, with obligors possessing substantial tangible assets expected to recover more. Sudden increases in the default risk of investment-grade obligors are higher relative to speculative grade. The probability of structural migration to default is low for investment-grade and heavily regulated obligors because investors fear distress rather through rare but devastating events.
Explaining the Latino Asthma Advantage: The Role of Neighborhood Social Context*

The relative advantage of Foreign-born Latinos with respect to health has been observed across age groups, outcomes, and, in some cases, country of origin (Abraido-Lanza et al., 1999; Elo et al., 2004; Markides & Coreil, 1986). The explanation of this paradox has remained elusive. We examine the extent to which the Latino paradox exists for asthma prevalence. We then explore the role of neighborhood social context in understanding any observed Latino advantage. The Latino, Hispanic, or what is sometimes described as the Epidemiologic Paradox is meant to refer to the relatively good health and longer life span of Foreign-born Latinos, when expectations (in most analyses, based primarily on socioeconomic status) point to a morbidity or mortality experience far below that observed. The paradox has been documented for a number of health outcomes, including all-cause mortality, infant mortality, and functional status (Cobas et al., 1996; Markides & Coreil, 1986; Patel et al., 2004). Recent work indicates that the mortality paradox may be due to return migration effects, at least for those of Mexican origin (Palloni & Arias, 2004). Evidence related to morbidity, however, continues to indicate a health advantage for Foreign-born Latinos as compared to their U.S.-born counterparts (Morales et al., 2002). To date, our knowledge of asthma prevalence in the Latino population is limited (Homa, Mannino, & Lara, 2000), as is our understanding of the role of community context in shaping asthma rates. Previous research indicates that neighborhood-level characteristics contribute to asthma prevalence, beyond individual-level risk factors (Cagney & Browning, 2004). In addition to data artifact and migration effects, social and cultural capital explanations (Palloni & Arias, 2004) have been offered as hypotheses for the beneficial health trajectories of Latino immigrants—these are viewed as mechanisms by which health and lifestyle behaviors are influenced (LeClere, Rogers, & Peters, 1997). The potential of a community to encourage positive health habits or sanction negative ones is salient, but it does not speak to larger forces operating at the neighborhood level such as the availability of social support or the accessibility of public parks—this form of neighborhood-level influence might have an independent effect on asthma. Moreover, these community characteristics may condition the Latino advantage—foreign-born Latinos may benefit from embeddedness in immigrant-dominated and potentially more supportive contexts. In contrast, foreign-born Latinos living in communities without a strong immigrant presence may then be at a comparative
A Novel Hybrid Algorithm for Dynamic Multicast Routing in Optical WDM Networks with Sparse Light Splitting

In this paper, we study the dynamic multicast routing problem for WDM networks with sparse light splitting. We propose a hybrid multicast algorithm based on the combination of mobile agent technique and genetic algorithm. Simulation results based upon the ns-2 network simulator indicate that the proposed algorithm significantly outperforms the available algorithms in terms of blocking probability.
Kernel principal component analysis network for image classification

In order to classify the nonlinear feature with linear classifier and improve the classification accuracy, a deep learning network named kernel principal component analysis network (KPCANet) is proposed. First, mapping the data into higher space with kernel principal component analysis to make the data linearly separable. Then building a two-layer KPCANet to obtain the principal components of image. Finally, classifying the principal components with linearly classifier. Experimental results show that the proposed KPCANet is effective in face recognition, object recognition and hand-writing digits recognition, it also outperforms principal component analysis network (PCANet) generally as well. Besides, KPCANet is invariant to illumination and stable to occlusion and slight deformation.
Comparative evaluation of multi layer perceptrons, to hybrid multi layer perceptrons, with multicriteria hierarchical discrimination and logistic regression in corporate financial analysis

The net present value of corporations is reflected in the stock price, leading portfolio mangers to maximize their assets, securing stockholders interests. Extended accounting data produced by accounting reports, and financial markets include lucrative hidden information. Econometrics, Neural Networks and Multicriteria Analysis classify companies describing their economic robustness. In a detailed comparison Multi Layer Perceptron classification is compared to neuro-genetic hybrid of Multi Layer Perceptron, Logistic Regressions and Multigroup Hierarchical Discrimination classifications to determine efficient methods in Financial Analysis. Simple Logistic and Logistic Model Trees methods had a fine performance.
Gravitational Collapse and Star Formation in Logotropic and Nonisothermal Spheres

We present semianalytical similarity solutions for the inside out, expansion-wave collapse of initially virialized gas clouds with nonisothermal equations of state. Results are given for the family of negative-index polytropes (P ∝ ργ, γ ≤ 1), but we focus especially on the so-called logotrope, P/Pc = 1 + Aln(ρ/ρc). In a separate paper, we have shown this to be the best available phenomenological description of the internal structure and average properties of molecular clouds, as well as dense clumps of both high and low mass. The formalism and interpretation of the present theory are extensions of those in Shu's standard model for accretion in self-gravitating isothermal spheres: a collapse front moves outward into a cloud at rest, and the gas behind it falls back to a collapsed core, or protostar. The infalling material eventually enters free-fall, so that the density profiles and velocity fields have the same shape (ρ ∝ r-3/2 and -u ∝ r-1/2) at both small radii in logotropic and isothermal spheres. However, several differences arise from the introduction of a new equation of state. The accretion rate onto a protostar is not constant in a logotrope, but grows as Ṁ∝t3 during the expansion wave. Thus, the formation time for a star of mass M scales as M1/4; low-mass stars are accreted over longer times, and high-mass stars over shorter times, than expected in isothermal clouds. This result has implications for the form and origin of the stellar initial mass function. In addition, the gas density behind an expansion wave increases with time in our theory, but it would decrease in an isothermal sphere. The infall velocities also grow, but at an initially much slower rate than that found in an isothermal collapse. These results apply to low- and high-mass star formation alike. We briefly discuss how they lead to older inferred collapse ages for Class 0 protostars in general and for the Bok globule B335 in particular.
NDN-Hippo: A streaming media system over named data networking

In order to demonstrate the NDN network's suitability in streaming media applications, we design and implement a streaming media system called NDN-Hippo in NDN. It is based on a similar streaming media application in IP network, named Hippo. NDN-Hippo, taking advantages of a few features of NDN network, is implemented on a simulation platform called ndnSIM, which is a module in NS-3 and frequently used as a test platform for NDN applications. This paper introduces the design of modules in our system, including the detailed description of three servers, PreServer, SourceServer, DirServer and a client. For experiments, we implement NDN-Hippo and compare the performance with another media system BitTorrentVideo, which is also implemented in NS-3. The result demonstrates the capability of NDN to support streaming media.