Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
StarLight: Exploring Embodied Interactions with Media Architecture and Public Audiences

Interactions with Media Architecture such as lighting systems or façades can provoke rich experiences by both active users and spectators (see Figure 1). However, prototyping, studying and finding an appropriate method to investigate these systems is challenging. Till today there is little guidance literature on how to design such systems from scratch and the large amount of evaluation methods does not provide any cues which method to select. We present our system StarLight, our investigations during the event of a live music festival and reveal insights from a filed study in the wild. Our work includes a report on preliminary insights on how users perceived the interaction with an interactive lighting system in front of a large, public audience. To evaluate our system we have explored the usage of different UX methods in parallel and provide the lessons we have learned evaluating our system.
Explicit andImplicit LossNotificationfor Error-proneLinks

In certainwirelessenvironmentsthecommon transpor t protocolassumption thatall packet lossesaredueto congestionmaynot hold true.If transport protocols react identically to both congestionandnon-congestionrelatedlosses,performancewill degrade.To avoid this performanceproblem,transpor t protocolsmustbe ableto differentiatebetweenlossesthataredueto congestionandlossesthataredue to wirelesslink errors. Variousloss differentiationtechniquesexist, somebasedon thesendersideandsomeon therecei ver side.If the lossdifferentiationis performed at therecei ver, lossnotificationis neededto inform thesenderof the losscause.The senderusethelossnotification informationto adaptits retransmissionandcongestion avoidancebehavior. Thework in thispaperexaminestheeffectivenessof two different notificationschemesthatareto beusedin conjunctionwith recei verbasedlossdifferentiation.Thefirst schemeusesa TCPoptionto explicitly convey thea losscounter andthe sequenc e number of the last corruptedpacket. The secondschemeusesthe generation of additional dup-acksasa way to implicitly influencetheretransmission andcongestionbehavior of thesender . Theadvantageof thesecondschemeis that it requiresno changesat thesendersideTCPimplementation.However, sincethesecondschemecannotchangethebasiclossbehavior of halving thecongestionwindow of TCP, its performanceis reducedin relationto thefirst scheme. Thispaperprovides a descriptionof the designof thesetwo loss notificationschemes. Additionally, an experimentalevaluation is presented , basedon a FreeBSDkernel implementationof thetwo notification schemes in conjunctionwith checksumbasedlossdifferentiation.
La préédition avec des règles peu coûteuses, utile pour la TA statistique des forums ?

Cet article s’interesse a la traduction automatique statistique des forums, dans le cadre du projet europeen ACCEPT (« Automated Community Content Editing Portal »). Nous montrons qu’il est possible d’ecrire des regles de preedition peu couteuses sur le plan des ressources linguistiques et applicables sans trop d’effort avec un impact tres significatif sur la traduction automatique (TA) statistique, sans avoir a modifier le systeme de TA. Nous decrivons la methodologie proposee pour ecrire les regles de preedition et les evaluer, ainsi que les resultats obtenus par type de regles.
An adaptive P300-based control system

An adaptive P300 brain–computer interface (BCI) using a 12 × 7 matrix explored new paradigms to improve bit rate and accuracy. During online use, the system adaptively selects the number of flashes to average. Five different flash patterns were tested. The 19-flash paradigm represents the typical row/column presentation (i.e. 12 columns and 7 rows). The 9- and 14-flash A and B paradigms present all items of the 12 × 7 matrix three times using either 9 or 14 flashes (instead of 19), decreasing the amount of time to present stimuli. Compared to 9-flash A, 9-flash B decreased the likelihood that neighboring items would flash when the target was not flashing, thereby reducing the interference from items adjacent to targets. 14-flash A also reduced the adjacent item interference and 14-flash B additionally eliminated successive (double) flashes of the same item. Results showed that the accuracy and bit rate of the adaptive system were higher than those of the non-adaptive system. In addition, 9- and 14-flash B produced significantly higher performance than their respective A conditions. The results also show the trend that the 14-flash B paradigm was better than the 19-flash pattern for naive users.
Computational Design of Rubber Balloons

This paper presents an automatic process for fabrication‐oriented design of custom‐shaped rubber balloons. We cast computational balloon design as an inverse problem: given a target shape, we compute an optimal balloon that, when inflated, approximates the target as closely as possible. To solve this problem numerically, we propose a novel physics‐driven shape optimization method, which combines physical simulation of inflatable elastic membranes with a dedicated constrained optimization algorithm. We validate our approach by fabricating balloons designed with our method and comparing their inflated shapes to the results predicted by simulation. An extensive set of manufactured sample balloons demonstrates the shape diversity that can be achieved by our method.
EGCG, a green tea polyphenol, improves endothelial function and insulin sensitivity, reduces blood pressure, and protects against myocardial I/R injury in SHR.

Epigallocatechin gallate (EGCG), a bioactive polyphenol in green tea, may augment metabolic and vascular actions of insulin. Therefore, we investigated effects of EGCG treatment to simultaneously improve cardiovascular and metabolic function in spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHR; model of metabolic syndrome with hypertension, insulin resistance, and overweight). In acute studies, EGCG (1-100 microM) elicited dose-dependent vasodilation in mesenteric vascular beds (MVB) isolated from SHR ex vivo that was inhibitable by N(omega)-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester (L-NAME; nitric oxide synthase antagonist) or wortmannin [phosphatidylinositol (PI) 3-kinase inhibitor]. In chronic studies, 9-wk-old SHR were treated by gavage for 3 wk with EGCG (200 mg.kg(-1). day(-1)), enalapril (30 mg.kg(-1). day(-1)), or vehicle. A separate group of SHR receiving L-NAME (80 mg/l in drinking water) was treated for 3 wk with either EGCG or vehicle. Vasodilator actions of insulin were significantly improved in MVB from EGCG- or enalapril-treated SHR (when compared with vehicle-treated SHR). Both EGCG and enalapril therapy significantly lowered systolic blood pressure (SBP) in SHR. EGCG therapy of SHR significantly reduced infarct size and improved cardiac function in Langendorff-perfused hearts exposed to ischemia-reperfusion (I/R) injury. In SHR given L-NAME, beneficial effects of EGCG on SBP and I/R were not observed. Both enalapril and EGCG treatment of SHR improved insulin sensitivity and raised plasma adiponectin levels. We conclude that acute actions of EGCG to stimulate production of nitric oxide from endothelium using PI 3-kinase-dependent pathways may explain, in part, beneficial effects of EGCG therapy to simultaneously improve metabolic and cardiovascular pathophysiology in SHR. These findings may be relevant to understanding potential benefits of green tea consumption in patients with the metabolic syndrome.
Number Encoding and Matching in Short-Term Memory.

The effects of types of both memorized items and probes (digit, word, and dot pattern), using Sternberg's character-recognition procedure, were studied. Reaction time (RT) was a linear function of the set size of memorized items consistent with a serial search model. Response type (positive or negative) affected the encoding time (intercept of RT function) or probes only, and was explained by a rechecking operation. Finally, probe types had effects on both search rate (slope) and encoding time, but types of memorized items affected neither. These results were discussed in terms of the encoded information and its relttions to search operation. (Author) U.S. DEPARTMENT OF HEALTH. EDUCATIONS. WELFARE NATIONAL INSTITUTE OF EDUCATION THIS DC'UMENT HAS BEEN REPRO DUCED EXACTLY AS RECEIVED FROM THE PERSON OR ORGANIZATION ORIGIN AT1NG IT POINTS OF VIEW OR OPINIONS r-4 STATED 00 NOT NECESSARILY REPRE SENT OFFICIAL Nil iONAL INSTITUTE OF Lr. EDUCATION POSITION OR POI-ICY C\J ! umber encoding and matching ire short-term memory C.7) Leonard Katz and David A. Wicklund r-t In a simple match taak, Posner and Mitchell (1967) presented LLJ pairs of letters, capital or small, to which S responded "same" or "different" as quickly as possible. They found that physical matches (both letters either capital or small) were about 8041mec. faster than name matches when the stimuli were presented simulta. neously. But the advantage of physical matches disappeared when the stimuli were separated by 2 sec. or more (Posner & Keels, 1967; Posner, Boiea, Eiohelman & Taylor, 1969). From these results the nature of storage nodes which follow after the visual presentation was inferred; visual and name components of a visual stimulus overlap within memory. If the second stimulus is visually identical to the first, memorized, stimulus, Ss may respond "same" by using physical identity alone without going to the name level. If the visual representation is no longer active, S must then match at the name level. The efficiency of this visual code for matches decline to that of the same code
Phase I/II study of erlotinib and temsirolimus for patients with recurrent malignant gliomas: North American Brain Tumor Consortium trial 04-02.

BACKGROUND Inhibition of epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) and the mechanistic target of rapamycin (mTOR) may have synergistic antitumor effects in high-grade glioma patients. METHODS We conducted a phase I/II study of the EGFR inhibitor erlotinib (150 mg/day) and the mTOR inhibitor temsirolimus. Patients initially received temsirolimus 50 mg weekly, and the dose adjusted based on toxicities. In the phase II component, the primary endpoint was 6-month progression-free survival (PFS6) among glioblastoma patients. RESULTS Twenty-two patients enrolled in phase I, 47 in phase II. Twelve phase I patients treated at the maximum tolerated dosage were included in the phase II cohort for analysis. The maximum tolerated dosage was 15 mg temsirolimus weekly with erlotinib 150 mg daily. Dose-limiting toxicities were rash and mucositis. Among 42 evaluable glioblastoma patients, 12 (29%) achieved stable disease, but there were no responses, and PFS6 was 13%. Among 16 anaplastic glioma patients, 1 (6%) achieved complete response, 1 (6%) partial response, and 2 (12.5%) stable disease, with PFS6 of 8%. Tumor levels of both drugs were low, and posttreatment tissue in 3 patients showed no reduction in the mTOR target phosphorylated (phospho-)S6(S235/236) but possible compensatory increase in phospho-Akt(S473). Presence of EGFR variant III, phospho-EGFR, and EGFR amplification did not correlate with survival, but patients with elevated phospho-extracellular signal-regulated kinase or reduced phosphatase and tensin homolog protein expression had decreased progression-free survival at 4 months. CONCLUSION Because of increased toxicity, the maximum tolerated dosage of temsirolimus in combination with erlotinib proved lower than expected. Insufficient tumor drug levels and redundant signaling pathways may partly explain the minimal antitumor activity noted.
The adherence and illness perception of patients diagnosed with asthma or chronic obstructive pulmonary disease treated with polytherapy using new generation Cyclohaler

Introduction The factors influencing adherence of patients diagnosed with asthma and chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) include the complexity of the therapy, fear of side effects of drugs, method of taking the drug, dosage regimen, polypharmacy, adverse events, knowledge about the essence of the disease and its complications, illness perception and priorities in life, training on the use of the inhaler, the duration of treatment, social support, and drug availability. Aim To assess the adherence of patients diagnosed with asthma and COPD treated with polytherapy with fluticasone propionate and formoterol fumarate using the Fantasmino inhaler in relation to primary diagnosis and illness perception as well as patients’ and doctors’ opinion about this form of therapy. Material and methods A questionnaire survey covering adherence, illness perception and opinion about polytherapy using new generation Cyclohaler performed by pulmonologists, allergologists and general practitioners in 3,618 patients with asthma and 2,602 with COPD. Results On visit 1, a lower adherence rate was observed in COPD than in the asthma group (72.0% vs. 61.5%; p < 0.01). During the observation, the adherence rate increased significantly in the COPD group, only (61.5% vs. 73.0%; p < 0.01). A negative correlation between total MMAS-8 and BIPQ scores was observed in both study groups (R = –0.15; p < 0.001 and R = –0.24; p < 0.001, respectively). During the observation, a percentage of patients who believed that the administration of the two drugs in a single inhaler considerably facilitates their use increased significantly in both study groups. In addition, an increased percentage of doctors believed that this therapeutic option facilitated education of patients and decreased the number of errors made by the patients. Conclusions The illness perception, younger age, disease duration and severity are predictors of adherence to treatment with fluticasone propionate and formoterol fumarate using the Fantasmino inhaler among patients with asthma and COPD. The positive opinion of patients and doctors about administration of fluticasone propionate and formoterol fumarate using the Fantasmino inhaler increased during observation.
Cognitive Decision Threshold Modulation in the Human Brain

Perceptual decisions are made when sensory evidence accumulated over time reaches a decision threshold. Because decisions are also guided by prior information, one important factor that is likely to shape how a decision is adaptively tuned to its context is the predictability of forthcoming events. However, little is known about the mechanisms underlying this contextual regulation of the perceptual decision-making process. Mathematical models of decision making predict two possible mechanisms supporting this regulation: an adjustment of the distance to the decision threshold, which leads to a change in the amount of accumulated evidence required to make a decision, or a gain control of the sensory evidence, leading to a change in the slope of the sensory evidence accumulation. Here, we show that predictability of the forthcoming event reduces the distance to the threshold of the decision. Then, combining model-driven fMRI and the framework of information theory, we show that the anterior cingulate cortex (ACC) adjusts the distance to the decision threshold in proportion to the current amount of predictive information and that the dorsolateral cortex (DLPFC) codes the accumulation of sensory evidence. Moreover, the information flow from the ACC to the DLPFC region that accumulates sensory evidence increases when optimal adjustment of the distance to the threshold requires more complex computations, reflecting the increased weight of ACC’s regulation signals in the decision process. Our results characterize the respective contributions of the ACC and the DLPFC to contextually optimized decision making.
Not all wireless sensor networks are created equal: A comparative study on tunnels

Wireless sensor networks (WSNs) are envisioned for a number of application scenarios. Nevertheless, the few in-the-field experiences typically focus on the features of a specific system, and rarely report about the characteristics of the target environment, especially with respect to the behavior and performance of low-power wireless communication. The TRITon project, funded by our local administration, aims to improve safety and reduce maintenance costs of road tunnels, using a WSN-based control infrastructure. The access to real tunnels within TRITon gives us the opportunity to experimentally assess the peculiarities of this environment, hitherto not investigated in the WSN field. We report about three deployments: (i) an operational road tunnel, enabling us to assess the impact of vehicular traffic; (ii) a nonoperational tunnel, providing insights into analogous scenarios (e.g., underground mines) without vehicles; (iii) a vineyard, serving as a baseline representative of the existing literature. Our setup, replicated in each deployment, uses mainstream WSN hardware, and popular MAC and routing protocols. We analyze and compare the deployments with respect to reliability, stability, and asymmetry of links, the accuracy of link quality estimators, and the impact of these aspects on MAC and routing layers. Our analysis shows that a number of criteria commonly used in the design of WSN protocols do not hold in tunnels. Therefore, our results are useful for designing networking solutions operating efficiently in similar environments.
Isokinetic Characteristics of Knee Flexors and Extensors in Male Dancers, Olympic Oarsmen, Olympic Bobsleighers, and Non-Athletes

Quadriceps (PTQUAD) and hamstring (PTHAM) concentric peak torques — measured in Nm and Nm·kg-1 body weight — and hamstring/quadriceps peak torque ratios (PTHAM/QUAD) were studied in males engaged in different physical activities and having different levels of physical fitness. Both dominant and non-dominant legs of 20 professional dancers, 14 Olympic oarsmen, 11 Olympic bobsleighers, and 10 non-athletes were isokinetically assessed at 1.04, 3.14, and 4.19 rad·sec-1. The main findings were: 1. torque levels decreased with increasing angular velocity in all four groups of subjects; 2. with few exceptions, dancers and non-athletes demonstrated significantly lower PTQUAD and PTHAM (p < 0.01 to p < 0.005) at the three velocities than bobsleighers and rowers; 3. most of the differences between groups described above, disappeared (p > 0.05) when PTQUAD and PTHAM were standardized for body weight (Nm·kg-1); and 4. although PTHAM/QUAD for dancers and non-athletes were significantly lower than that of the two sports groups at 1.04 and 3.14 rad·sec-1, no such differences were noted at the relatively higher velocity of 4.19 rad·sec-1. We conclude that dissimilar physical training, modes of exercise, and/or different fitness levels have the same effect on muscle contractile characteristics.
Biphasic Sarcomatoid Porocarcinoma

Abstract:Sarcomatoid carcinomas are rare malignant tumors, which usually demonstrate a well-differentiated epithelial component in association with a poorly differentiated spindle-cell component. Several different subtypes have been reported and categorized primarily under the differentiated epithelial component, with the majority of cutaneous sarcomatoid carcinomas arising in the setting of a basal cell or squamous cell carcinoma. To date, only 4 cases of sarcomatoid porocarcinoma have been reported in the literature. The authors present a case of an 84-year-old woman with an ulcerated papule on her scalp for several months. Histopathology revealed an exophytic and endophytic epidermal proliferation with multiple mitoses and ductal differentiation overlying a poorly differentiated, infiltrative spindle-cell proliferation in the dermis. Ductal and cystic structures were scattered throughout the malignancy. Immunohistochemistry was notable for strong and diffuse pancytokeratin positivity, p63 positivity, focally positive carcinoembryonic antigen within the ductal lumina, and periodic acid-schiff-positive, diastase-resistant intracellular deposits. They present the findings of this rare case of primary cutaneous sarcomatoid porocarcinoma.
Minimalist approach: functional mapping.

The ability to accurately map functional cortex both preoperatively and intraoperatively is an important neurosurgical challenge for the next decade. The central concept of preoperative mapping is to superimpose blood flow and electrical activation data on a three-dimensional matrix created by MR imaging and image processing. The gold standard, at present, is direct cortical stimulation, which can identify primary motor, sensory, speech, and visual cortices. Cortical mapping can be performed intraoperatively or through implanted subdural electrodes at the bedside. The tasks for the next decade include the validation of these preoperative techniques (fMRI, MEG, TMS, EP): 1. Correlation of direct cortical stimulation with advanced perioperative stimulation/monitoring systems, in a wide variety of cases. In addition, extension of these applications into intraoperative imaging systems like the GE Signa unit should also be envisaged. 2. Evaluation of how various pathologies such as AVMs, well-circumscribed tumors, and infiltrative tumors affect the data obtained by these techniques. 3. Expansion of mapping to areas outside the primary motor and sensory cortices, including those referred to as "associative" and to higher functions collectively termed as "cognition. "
Sizing optimization of PV-FC-Battery system with hybrid PSO-EO algorithm

One of the most important issue in designing of renewable hybrid energy systems is to size the system components optimally to meet load requirement with minimum annualized cost of system and maximum reliability of power supply. This paper presents comparison of two approaches for calculating optimal size of hybrid energy system components with minimum annualized cost considering reliability constraint. In this paper an extremal optimization based particle swarm optimization algorithm has been proposed to determine optimal size of system components. To demonstrate the validity of proposed approach and to evaluate relative merit of this approach, a comparative study has been done with simple particle swarm optimization algorithm considering identical system configuration. The simulation results show that the optimal system components can deliver energy in a stand -alone installation with minimum system cost and maximum reliability.
Posttraining Sleep Enhances Automaticity in Perceptual Discrimination

Perceptual learning can develop over extended periods, with slow, at times sleep-dependent, improvement seen several days after training. As a result, performance can become more automatic, that is, less dependent on voluntary attention. This study investigates whether the brain correlates of this enhancement of automaticity are sleep-dependent. Event-related potentials produced in response to complex auditory stimuli were recorded while subjects' attention was focused elsewhere. We report here that following training on an auditory discrimination task, performance continued to improve, without significant further training, for 72 hr. At the same time, several event-related potential components became evident 4872 hr after training. Posttraining sleep deprivation prevented neither the continued performance improvement nor the slow development of cortical dynamics related to an enhanced familiarity with the task. However, those brain responses associated with the automatic shift of attention to unexpected stimuli failed to develop. Thus, in this auditory learning paradigm, posttraining sleep appears to reduce the voluntary attentional effort required for successful perceptual discrimination by facilitating the intrusion of a potentially meaningful stimulus into one's focus of attention for further evaluation.