Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Haptic tele-manipulation for robotic-assisted Minimally Invasive Surgery with explicit posture control

This paper discusses the design of a control system for robotic-assisted Minimal Invasive Surgery. Adaptive control, feedback linearization and operational space techniques are used to develop a tele-manipulation system with haptic force feedback. The operational space control has a position-position tele-operation architecture with a haptic device in the loop. The medical instrument end point position is controlled by the surgeon while the robot posture is automatically adjusted to fulfill both instrument end point and trocar positions. Force feedback is felt by the surgeon through a virtual coupling. Explicit posture control techniques are used to deal with trocar constraints. Simulation results were carried out using the WAM™ robot simulator and the Phantom Desktop haptic device.
Web System for Biometric Verification of Facial Portraits

The purpose of this paper is to propose a concept and a prototype of a web-based computer system that allows to verify a conformance of the facial image with chosen set of characteristics included in the ISO/ICAO norms. The employed algorithms involve several pattern recognition procedures such as template matching, morphological operators, filtering and calculating several color and intensity characteristics. As a result, the level of conformance is presented to the user, allowing him to make all the necessary corrections in order to produce an image acceptable by the document issuing organization. The experiments showed that chosen approach gives satisfactory results and high level of certainty. Proposed system is implemented as a web service providing simple yet usable graphical front-end (WWW page) connected with server-side processing unit.
A simple model for the influence of push-morainal banks on the calving and stability of glacial tidewater termini

Abstract Push-morainal banks at the grounding lines of tidewater termini of temperate glaciers are the source of two types of restraining forces operating at the glacier terminus. Horizontal normal forces derive from the lateral support and transport of the bank of sediment at the terminus, whereas a horizontal shear force operates along the base of a bank pushed in front of an advancing glacier. The simple model we present suggests that bank-related restraining forces are significantly larger than the restraining force derived from the hydrostatic pressure of water adjacent to the submerged terminus of a glacier. During glacier advance, restraining forces continually increase, resulting in decreasing flow rates, glacier thickening and the eventual cessation of advance. During retreat, restraining forces continually decrease, resulting in increasing flow rates, glacier thinning and the potential for unstable, rapid, sustained retreat. The normal, seasonal, oscillatory advance retreat cycle of a glacier is moderated by restraining forces associated with push moraines. Unstable retreat is likely initiated when bank-related restraining forces fall below some threshold value during the seasonal retreat cycle. Calving is not a primary cause of glacier retreat, but is more likely a short-term response to increased flow rates. Increased flow rates result in glacier thinning and an approach toward buoyancy, both of which fluctuate seasonally in accordance with bank-related restraining forces.
An HDR Pixel With Over 60-dB Dynamic Range Enhancement Using In-Pixel Parametric Amplification

This paper discusses a method to enhance the dynamic range (DR) of a conventional CMOS image sensor in low- and high-light environment using in-pixel parametric amplification. The parametric amplification gives a linear and noiseless gain. The source follower in a conventional 4T pixel is used as a capacitor for charge amplification by varying its capacitance periodically. This reconfiguration helps in signal amplification without affecting the pixel fill factor drastically. The simulation results show that over 60-dB DR extension in the low and high illuminations can be achieved enhancing the total DR of the pixel to 120 dB.
Implementation of fast Huffman decoding algorithm

An efficient Huffman decoding method is presented in this paper. This new method first partitions a Huffman tree into subtrees. Then some look-up tables are used to represent these subtrees and the symbols of some subtrees are decoded by direct combinational logic. It is shown that by employing this technique decoding operations become significantly faster, and the memory consumption also becomes much smaller compared to the normal Huffman decoding.
Revealing Nonlinear Couplings between Oscillators from Time Series

Quantitative characterization of nonlinear directional couplings between stochastic oscillators from data is considered. We suggest coupling characteristics readily interpreted from a physical viewpoint and their estimators. An expression for a statistical significance level is derived analytically that allows reliable coupling detection from a relatively short time series. Performance of the technique is demonstrated in numerical experiments. Keywords—Nonlinear time series analysis, directional couplings, coupled oscillators.
Impact of Thermal Cycling in Humid Environments on Power Electronic Modules

The reliable operation of power electronic modules operating at high voltage is essential. The dielectric system within the power electronic module is reasonably simple, but must be worked as hard as possible to achieve the highest module power densities. It is well known that a critical location in a power electronic module in terms of high voltage performance is the edge of the substrate metallization where high electric fields can give rise to partial discharge within power electronic modules and can lead to eventual failure. This paper focuses on two particular issues. First, the performance of the gap between the substrate metallization on which the collector and emitter of the device sit is examined. Second, the performance of the substrate-gel interface is examined once samples have been thermally aged in a humid environment.
Different Effects of Fibronectin on the Phagocytosis of Staphylococcus aureus and Coagulase‐Negative Staphylococci by Murine Peritoneal Macrophages

Fibronectin is known to be an important factor in colonization by Staphylococcus aureus of host tissues as well as other extracellular matrix proteins such as collagen and laminin. We investigated the effect of fibronectin on the phagocytosis of the S. aureus Cowan I strain by macrophages and of coagulase‐negative staphylococci (CNS) strains for comparison. Fibronectin‐reduced serum in place of normal serum lowered the phagocytic activity of the macrophages on the Cowan I strain. Purified fibronectin enhanced the phagocytic activity of the strain in a dose‐dependent manner. On the other hand, fibronectin did not show any opsonic effect on the ingestion of CNS strains, though the binding of fibronectin occurred equally well in CNS strains and the Cowan I strain. Fibronectin‐binding protein (FnBP), the specific fibronectin receptor on the surface on S. aureus, was detected in both the Cowan I strain and CNS strains. Polymerase chain reaction confirmed that not only the Cowan I strain, but also CNS strains possessed the FnBP gene. These results indicate that fibronectin shows an opsonic effect on the S. aureus, Cowan I strain but not on CNS strains, and suggest that the binding of fibronectin to FnBP is not sufficient for efficient phagocytosis of the staphylococci strains by macrophages.
A design framework for pervasive computing systems

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Loss of the arginine methyltranserase PRMT7 causes syndromic intellectual disability with microcephaly and brachydactyly

Post‐translational protein modifications exponentially expand the functional complement of proteins encoded by the human genome. One such modification is the covalent addition of a methyl group to arginine or lysine residues, which is used to regulate a substantial proportion of the proteome. Arginine and lysine methylation are catalyzed by protein arginine methyltransferase (PRMTs) and protein lysine methyltransferase proteins (PKMTs), respectively; each methyltransferase has a specific set of target substrates. Here, we report a male with severe intellectual disability, facial dysmorphism, microcephaly, short stature, brachydactyly, cryptorchidism and seizures who was found to have a homozygous 15,309 bp deletion encompassing the transcription start site of PRMT7, which we confirmed is functionally a null allele. We show that the patient's cells have decreased levels of protein arginine methylation, and that affected proteins include the essential histones, H2B and H4. Finally, we demonstrate that patient cells have altered Wnt signaling, which may have contributed to the skeletal abnormalities. Our findings confirm the recent disease association of PRMT7, expand the phenotypic manifestations of this disorder and provide insight into the molecular pathogenesis of this new condition.
Boundaries of ULC Sets in Euclidean n-Space.

In this note an example is given of an (n 1)-manifold with nonvanishing fundamental group, embedded rectilienarly in Euclidean n-space, Rs, antd bounding there a domain with all its homotopy groups zero (including Tra). This leads to an example of an open set in Rn which is ULC Tr, but whose boundary is not 1 LC, thus settling in the negative a question raised by Eilenberg and Wilder.1 1. Let A and B be oriented circles with one common point, o, and let a space Z be formed by identifying the boundaries of two circular discs with the loops A -3(BA)2 and B-5(BA)2, respectively. More precisely, the boundary of disc 1 is divided into 7 equal arcs which are mapped onto A-1, A-1, A-1, B, A, B, A, respectively, topologically save that both end-points of each arc are mapped onto o; and similarly for disc 2. All boundary points of the discs are then identified with their images. This 2-dimensional space is familiar as an example of a polyhedron which is acyclic2 but has 7r, $ 0. That ri(Z) $ 0 is clear, since the only relations connecting its generators A and B are
Physician performance pay: Evidence from a laboratory experiment

We present causal evidence from a controlled experiment on the effect of pay for performance on physicians' behavior and patients' health benefits. At a within-subject level, we introduce performance pay to complement either fee-for-service or capitation. Performance pay is granted if a health care quality threshold is reached, and varies with the patients' severity of illness. We find that performance pay significantly reduces overprovision of medical services due to fee-for-service incentives, and underprovision due to capitation; on average, it increases the patients' health benefit. The magnitude of these effects depends, however, on the patients' characteristics. We also find evidence for a crowding-out of patient-regarding behavior due to performance pay. Health policy implications are discussed.
Maximal Compounded Wealth for Portfolios of Stocks and Options

In the context of multi-period stock market investment with options, we provide characterization of the wealth of constantly rebalanced portfolios of stocks and options. This characterization takes advantage of a correspondence between certain combinations of options and pure gambling opportunities. Through this equivalence, prices to be set for the options correspond to payoff odds on the gambles. Portfolios of a sufficiently complete set of options correspond to betting fraction in gambles on state securities. We use this correspondence to examine the compounded wealth and to show it has a decomposition into a product of three easily interpretable factors. The best portfolio and price strategies with hindsight are identified. We provide universal portfolio strategies that yield the minimax drop in wealth from the maximal compounded wealth for portfolios of stock options.
Tracing the LINEs of human evolution

The amplification of DNA by LINE-1 (L1) retrotransposons has created a large fraction of the human genome. To better understand their role in human evolution we endeavored to delineate the L1 elements that have amplified since the emergence of the hominid lineage. We used an approach based on shared sequence variants to trace backwards from the currently amplifying Ta subfamily. The newly identified groups of insertions account for much of the molecular evolution of human L1s. We report the identification of a L1 subfamily that amplified both before and after the divergence of humans from our closest extant relatives. Progressively more modern groups of L1s include greater numbers of insertions. Our data are consistent with the hypothesis that the rate of L1 amplification has been increasing during recent human evolution.
Signed Distance Fields: A Natural Representation for Both Mapping and Planning

How to represent a map of the environment is a key question of robotics. In this paper, we focus on suggesting a representation well-suited for online map building from vision-based data and online planning in 3D. We propose to combine a commonly-used representation in computer graphics and surface reconstruction, projective Truncated Signed Distance Field (TSDF), with a representation frequently used for collision checking and collision costs in planning, Euclidean Signed Distance Field (ESDF), and validate this combined approach in simulation. We argue that this type of map is better-suited for robotic applications than existing representations.
Evaluating effectiveness in virtual environments with MR simulation

Both virtual reality (VR) and augmented reality (AR) systems have achieved some success and offer further potential to be used in military training. However, the use of high-end VR and AR remains costly and cumbersome, and the most advanced technologies are not widely deployed in actual training systems. Decision makers need evidence for the effectiveness of such systems in order to justify their use. In particular, it is important to know which display systems (e.g., head-mounted display, CAVE) will provide the best cost/benefit ratio for training, and what display characteristics (e.g., field of view, stereoscopy) are most critical in determining the effectiveness of a VR or AR training system. The answers to these questions depend on an understanding of the effects of display parameters on task performance and training transfer. Obtaining this knowledge requires empirical studies, but such studies pose significant challenges. Direct comparisons of different displays do not produce generalizable results because the displays differ in many ways. AR studies face the additional issues of unreliable hardware that lacks desirable features and a lack of control of the real-world environment. Our research addressing these issues is based on two key insights. First, systematically studying the effects of display fidelity using a display simulator, rather than studying actual display technologies, results in more useful and general knowledge. Second, a single simulator, based on a high-end VR system, can be used for displays spanning the mixed reality (MR) continuum, including both VR and AR. In this paper, we discuss the concept of MR simulation, an innovative evaluation methodology that allows for controlled experiments and allows the evaluation of individual components of display fidelity rather than whole systems. We describe our work to validate this methodology and illustrate the use of MR simulation through a number of example experiments.
Spherical video player implementation using FFmpeg and SDL program support

The purpose of this paper is to demonstrate an implementation model of the spherical video player. The first part refers to the transformation of the equirectangular projection create cubemap projection. Transformations are implemented using OpenCV library. The second part refers to the implementation of the video player. Processing video package is implemented using FFmpeg library. The user interface is implemented using SDL library.
The influence of hippocampal atrophy on the cognitive phenotype of dementia with Lewy bodies

The level of hippocampal atrophy in dementia with Lewy bodies (DLB) is typically less than that observed in Alzheimer's disease (AD). However, it is not known how the cognitive phenotype of DLB is influenced by hippocampal atrophy or the atrophy of adjacent medial temporal lobe structures.
Changes in Pain-related Beliefs, Coping, and Catastrophizing Predict Changes in Pain Intensity, Pain Interference, and Psychological Functioning in Individuals With Myotonic Muscular Dystrophy and Facioscapulohumeral Dystrophy

ObjectivesThe primary aim of this study was to test hypothesized associations between changes in psychological variables (ie, pain beliefs, catastrophizing, and coping strategies) and changes in pain intensity and related adjustment (ie, pain interference and psychological functioning) in individuals with myotonic muscular dystrophy (MMD) and facioscapulohumeral muscular dystrophy (FSHD). MethodsA sample of 107 adults with a diagnosis of MMD or FSHD, reporting pain in the past 3 months, completed assessments at 2 time points, separated by approximately 24 months. ResultsResults showed that changes in pain-related psychological variables were significantly associated with changes in psychological functioning, pain intensity, and pain interference. Specifically, increases in the belief that emotion influences pain, and catastrophizing were associated with decreases in psychological functioning. Increases in the coping strategies of asking for assistance and resting, and the increases of catastrophizing were associated with increases in pain intensity. Finally, increases in pain intensity and asking for assistance were associated with increases in pain interference. DiscussionThe results support the use of the biopsychosocial model of pain for understanding pain and its impact in individuals with MMD or FSHD. These findings may inform the design and implementation of psychosocial pain treatments for people with muscular dystrophy and chronic pain.
Grain size limits derived from 3.6 {\mu}m and 4.5 {\mu}m coreshine

Recently discovered scattered light from molecular cloud cores in the wavelength range 3-5 {\mu}m (called "coreshine") seems to indicate the presence of grains with sizes above 0.5 {\mu}m. We aim to analyze 3.6 and 4.5 {\mu}m coreshine from molecular cloud cores to probe the largest grains in the size distribution. We analyzed dedicated deep Cycle 9 Spitzer IRAC observations in the 3.6 and 4.5 {\mu}m bands for a sample of 10 low-mass cores. We used a new modeling approach based on a combination of ratios of the two background- and foreground-subtracted surface brightnesses and observed limits of the optical depth. The dust grains were modeled as ice-coated silicate and carbonaceous spheres. We discuss the impact of local radiation fields with a spectral slope differing from what is seen in the DIRBE allsky maps. For the cores L260, ecc806, L1262, L1517A, L1512, and L1544, the model reproduces the data with maximum grain sizes around 0.9, 0.5, 0.65, 1.5, 0.6, and > 1.5 {\mu}m, respectively. The maximum coreshine intensities of L1506C, L1439, and L1498 in the individual bands require smaller maximum grain sizes than derived from the observed distribution of band ratios. Additional isotropic local radiation fields with a spectral shape differing from the DIRBE map shape do not remove this discrepancy. In the case of Rho Oph 9, we were unable to reliably disentangle the coreshine emission from background variations and the strong local PAH emission. Considering surface brightness ratios in the 3.6 and 4.5 {\mu}m bands across a molecular cloud core is an effective method of disentangling the complex interplay of structure and opacities when used in combination with observed limits of the optical depth.
Reconfiguration of field programmable logic in embedded systems

This thesis presents a set of techniques for evaluating and exploiting the programmability of a reconfigurable computing fabric in embedded systems. It concen¬ trates specifically on the Field-Programmable Gate Array. Reconfigurable logic promises a flexible computing fabric well suited to the low cost, low power, high performance and fast time to market now demanded of today's computing devices. Today, most reconfigurable systems are constructed using ad hoc techniques, making little use of previous designs and intellectual property (IP). This thesis proposes a systematic approach to reconfigurable real-time system de¬ sign. It exploits static and medium frequency reconfiguration by exploiting inter-task mutually exclusive resource usage. It exploits high frequency reconfiguration through data-folding specialisation techniques. A procedure for creating paramctcriscd designs that approach minimal coverage of all possible system requirements is described. A runtime framework based upon a regularly occurring system-wide pause of execution is described. A large case study of the design approach and runtime framework is presented and compared with the static equivalent. The case study system is a commercial Uni¬ versal Mobile Telecommunications System (UMTS) physical layer processing engine. Equations describing the logic gate and memory requirements of the commercial ASIC design are extracted and used to estimate resource requirements of a low-medium fre¬ quency reconfigurable solution. A detailed investigation of very rapid reconfiguration is carried out on a large circuit block. Good logic and memory resource requirement reduction is shown to be possible. A complementary FPGA reconfiguration architecture is presented. It provides the ability to tradeoff time and space according to the reconfiguration speed requirements of an application domain. A number of configuration compression schemes are in¬ vestigated. In addition to an excellent compression ratio they are shown to be highly parallelisable and scalable, unlike previous approaches.
DVB-C2 — A standard for improved robustness in cable networks

DVB's second generation cable transmission standard DVB-C2 introduces OFDM (Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplex) to cable networks. Whilst its advantages are well-known in various transmission media, such as in terrestrial transmission, OFDM offers benefits also for cable transmission. Examples are the capability of becoming completely independent of an existing channel raster by a scalable signal bandwidth and the high robustness of the DVB-C2 system with respect to various kinds of distortions occurring in today's cable channels. Such features emphasize the role of DVB-C2 as a potential successor for digital transmissions in cable systems. This document focuses on the impact of interferers on the system performance of DVB-C2. The presented results can be used to optimize the parameter set of DVB-C2 for highest robustness in future applications.