Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Smooth Sensor Motion Planning for Robotic Cyber Physical Social Sensing (CPSS)

Although many researchers have begun to study the area of Cyber Physical Social Sensing (CPSS), few are focused on robotic sensors. We successfully utilize robots in CPSS, and propose a sensor trajectory planning method in this paper. Trajectory planning is a fundamental problem in mobile robotics. However, traditional methods are not suited for robotic sensors, because of their low efficiency, instability, and non-smooth-generated paths. This paper adopts an optimizing function to generate several intermediate points and regress these discrete points to a quintic polynomial which can output a smooth trajectory for the robotic sensor. Simulations demonstrate that our approach is robust and efficient, and can be well applied in the CPSS field.
A Corpus-based Approach for Spanish-Chinese Language Learning

Due to the huge population that speaks Spanish and Chinese, these languages occupy an important position in the language learning studies. Although there are some automatic translation systems that benefit the learning of both languages, there is enough space to create resources in order to help language learners. As a quick and effective resource that can give large amount language information, corpus-based learning is becoming more and more popular. In this paper we enrich a Spanish-Chinese parallel corpus automatically with part of-speech (POS) information and manually with discourse segmentation (following the Rhetorical Structure Theory (RST) (Mann and Thompson, 1988)). Two search tools allow the Spanish-Chinese language learners to carry out different queries based on tokens and lemmas. The parallel corpus and the research tools are available to the academic community. We propose some examples to illustrate how learners can use the corpus to learn Spanish and Chinese.
Surgery Guidelines for Barrier Membranes in Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR)

C l i n M e d International Library Citation: Rispoli L, Fontana F, Beretta M, Poggio CE, Maiorana C (2015) Surgery Guidelines for Barrier Membranes in Guided Bone Regeneration (GBR). J Otolaryngol Rhinol 1:008 Received: May 30, 2015: Accepted: November 10, 2015: Published: November 12, 2015 Copyright: © 2015 Rispoli L, et al. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution License, which permits unrestricted use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are credited. Rispoli et al. J Otolaryngol Rhinol 2015, 1:2
Wavelet Based Fingerprint Liveness Detection Prof .

Fingerprint verification is one of the most reliable personal identification methods. It plays a very important role in forensic and civilian applications. In this paper we propose a simple and effective approach for fingerprint liveness detection based on the wavelet analysis of the finger tip surface texture. In present situation, manual fingerprint verification is so tedious, time-consuming, expensive and incapable of meeting today’s increasing performance requirements. Wavelet transform which has wide range of applications such as image compression, denoising noisy data, texture classification, etc., is used for fingerprint verification. Experimental results show that our method can successfully differentiate live finger tips from fake finger tips made of most commonly used material in fingerprint spoofing.
PIEZO2 as the anomalous mechanotransducer channel in auditory hair cells

Throughout postnatal maturation of the mouse inner ear, cochlear hair cells display at least two types of mechanically gated ion channel: normal mechanotransducer (MT) channels at the tips of the stereocilia, activated by tension in interciliary tip links, and anomalous mechanosensitive (MS) channels on the top surface of the cells. The anomalous MS channels are responsible for the reverse‐polarity current that appears in mutants in which normal transduction is lost. They are also seen in wild‐type hair cells around birth, appearing 2 days earlier than normal MT channels, and being down‐regulated with the emergence of the normal channels. We review the evidence that the normal and anomalous channels are distinct channel types, which includes differences in localization, susceptibility to pharmacological agents, single‐channel conductance and Ca2+ permeability. The dichotomy is reinforced by the observation that the anomalous current is absent in cochlear cells of Piezo2‐null mice, even though the normal MT current persists. The anomalous current is suppressed by high intracellular Ca2+, suggesting that influx of the divalent ion via more Ca2+‐permeable normal MT channels inhibits the anomalous channels, thus explaining the temporal relationship between the two. Piezo2‐null mice have largely normal hearing, exhibiting up to 20 dB elevation in threshold in the acoustic brainstem response, so raising questions about the significance of PIEZO2 in the cochlea. Since the anomalous current declines with postnatal age, PIEZO2 may contribute to hair cell development, but it does not underlie the normal MT current. Its role in the development of hearing is not understood.
Morphine- and buprenorphine-induced analgesia and antihyperalgesia in a human inflammatory pain model: a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, five-arm crossover study

Purpose Opioid therapy is associated with the development of tolerance and paradoxically increased sensitivity to pain. It has been suggested that buprenorphine is associated with a higher antihyperalgesia/analgesia ratio than μ-opioid receptor agonists. The primary outcome of this study was therefore to investigate relative differences in antihyperalgesia and analgesia effects between morphine and buprenorphine in an inflammatory pain model in volunteers. The secondary outcome was to examine the relationship between pain sensitivity and opioid-induced effects on analgesia, antihyperalgesia, and descending pain modulation. Subjects and methods Twenty-eight healthy subjects were included. The study was a double-blind, randomized, placebo-controlled, five-arm crossover study with a multimodal (electrical, mechanical, and thermal stimuli) testing technique. After baseline assessments, intravenous infusions of morphine (10/20 mg), buprenorphine (0.3/0.6 mg), or placebo (normal saline) were administered over a 210-minute period, during which a cold pressor test, heat injury (47°C, 7 minutes, 12.5 cm2), and the first postburn assessment were done. After completion of the drug infusions, two additional postburn assessments were done. The subjects were monitored during each 8-hour session by an anesthesiologist. Results For nearly all tested variables, significant dose-dependent analgesic effects were demonstrated. The median antihyperalgesia/analgesia ratio (secondary hyperalgesia/heat injury relative to placebo) for low-dose morphine was 0.01 (interquartile range: −6.2; 9.9), 0.00 (−2.4; 2.1) for high-dose morphine, 0.03 (−1.8; 2.1) for low-dose buprenorphine, and 0.00 (−3.2; 1.1) for high-dose buprenorphine (P > 0.466). There were no significant differences in opioid responses between high and low pain-sensitive subjects (P > 0.286). High-dose buprenorphine, compared to placebo, was associated with a significantly enhanced action of the descending inhibitory pain control system (P = 0.004). Conclusion The present study, using multimodal testing technique, could not demonstrate any significant differences between morphine and buprenorphine in the profiles of antihyperalgesia and analgesia. Only high-dose buprenorphine was associated with a significant effect on the descending inhibitory pain control system.
Grammar Induction from Text Using Small Syntactic Prototypes

We present an efficient technique to incorporate a small number of cross-linguistic parameter settings defining default word orders to otherwise unsupervised grammar induction. A syntactic prototype, represented by the integrated model between Categorial Grammar and dependency structure, generated from the language parameters, is used to prune the search space. We also propose heuristics which prefer less complex syntactic categories to more complex ones in parse decoding. The system reduces errors generated by the state-of-the-art baselines for WSJ10 (1% error reduction of F1 score for the model trained on Sections 2‐22 and tested on Section 23), Chinese10 (26% error reduction of F1), German10 (9% error reduction of F1), and Japanese10 (8% error reduction of F1), and is not significantly different from the baseline for Czech10.
Subjective Reasoning - Games with Unawareness

The subjective framework for reasoning is extended to incorporate the representation of unawareness in games. Both unawareness of actions and decision makers are modeled as well as reasoning about others' unawareness. It is shown that a small grain of uncertainty about unawareness with rational decision makers can lead to cooperation in the finitely repeated prisoner's dilemma.
Adaptive Bandwidth Allocation: Impact of Traffic Demand Models for Wide Area Networks

: In this paper, we consider conﬁgurable capacity tunnels. Static bandwidth allocation (SBA) assigns the network capacity to the tunnels according to the busy hours of their traﬃc aggregates. At secondary times, their capacity is underutilized and can not be used to accommodate excess traﬃc of other tunnels. The contribution of this paper is twofold. Firstly, we propose two mechanisms for adaptive bandwidth allocation (ABA) for the tunnels: complete capacity reassignment (CCR) and selective capacity reassignment (SCR). They both adapt the tunnel capacities to the current traﬃc demands but diﬀer in their implementation, signaling, and conﬁguration complexity. Secondly, we asses the bandwidth savings of ABA vs. SBA in wide area networks where the transfer rates of traﬃc aggregates ﬂuctuate over time according to busy hours. Our results show that the capacity savings strongly depend on the traﬃc model and that they may be increased by time-aware routing.
Carbon Material Optimized Biocathode for Improving Microbial Fuel Cell Performance

To improve the performance of microbial fuel cells (MFCs), the biocathode electrode material of double-chamber was optimized. Alongside the basic carbon fiber brush, three carbon materials namely graphite granules, activated carbon granules (ACG) and activated carbon powder, were added to the cathode-chambers to improve power generation. The result shows that the addition of carbon materials increased the amount of available electroactive microbes on the electrode surface and thus promote oxygen reduction rate, which improved the generation performance of the MFCs. The Output current (external resistance = 1000 Ω) greatly increased after addition of the three carbon materials and maximum power densities in current stable phase increased by 47.4, 166.1, and 33.5%, respectively. Additionally, coulombic efficiencies of the MFC increased by 16.3, 64.3, and 20.1%, respectively. These results show that MFC when optimized with ACG show better power generation, higher chemical oxygen demands removal rate and coulombic efficiency.
Susceptibility of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus to Vancomycin using Liposomal Drug Delivery System

Staphylococcus aureus responsible for nosocomial infections is a significant threat to the public health. The increasing resistance of S.aureus to various antibiotics has drawn it to a prime focus for research on designing an appropriate drug delivery system. Emergence of Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA) in 1961, necessitated the use of vancomycin "the drug of last resort" to treat these infections. Unfortunately, S.aureus has already started gaining resistances to vancomycin. Liposome encapsulation of drugs have been earlier shown to provide an efficient method of microbial inhibition in many cases. We have studied the effect of liposome encapsulated vancomycin on MRSA and evaluated the antibacterial activity of the liposome-entrapped drug in comparison to that of the free drug based on the minimum inhibitory concentration (MIC) of the drug. The MIC for liposomal vancomycin was found to be about half of that of free vancomycin. The growth response of MRSA showed that the liposomal vancomycin induced the culture to go into bacteriostatic state and phagocytic killing was enhanced. Administration of the antibiotic encapsulated in liposome thus was shown to greatly improve the drug delivery as well as the drug resistance caused by MRSA.
ATHENA: the analysis tool for heritable and environmental network associations

MOTIVATION Advancements in high-throughput technology have allowed researchers to examine the genetic etiology of complex human traits in a robust fashion. Although genome-wide association studies have identified many novel variants associated with hundreds of traits, a large proportion of the estimated trait heritability remains unexplained. One hypothesis is that the commonly used statistical techniques and study designs are not robust to the complex etiology that may underlie these human traits. This etiology could include non-linear gene × gene or gene × environment interactions. Additionally, other levels of biological regulation may play a large role in trait variability. RESULTS To address the need for computational tools that can explore enormous datasets to detect complex susceptibility models, we have developed a software package called the Analysis Tool for Heritable and Environmental Network Associations (ATHENA). ATHENA combines various variable filtering methods with machine learning techniques to analyze high-throughput categorical (i.e. single nucleotide polymorphisms) and quantitative (i.e. gene expression levels) predictor variables to generate multivariable models that predict either a categorical (i.e. disease status) or quantitative (i.e. cholesterol levels) outcomes. The goal of this article is to demonstrate the utility of ATHENA using simulated and biological datasets that consist of both single nucleotide polymorphisms and gene expression variables to identify complex prediction models. Importantly, this method is flexible and can be expanded to include other types of high-throughput data (i.e. RNA-seq data and biomarker measurements). AVAILABILITY ATHENA is freely available for download. The software, user manual and tutorial can be downloaded from http://ritchielab.psu. edu/ritchielab/software.
The Critical Role of embC in Mycobacterium tuberculosis

ABSTRACT Arabinan polymers are major components of the cell wall in Mycobacterium tuberculosis and are involved in maintaining its structure, as well as playing a role in host-pathogen interactions. In particular, lipoarabinomannan (LAM) has multiple immunomodulatory effects. In the nonpathogenic species Mycobacterium smegmatis, EmbC has been identified as a key arabinosyltransferase involved in the incorporation of arabinose into LAM, and an embC mutant is viable but lacks LAM. In contrast, we demonstrate here that in M. tuberculosis, embC is an essential gene under normal growth conditions, suggesting a more crucial role for LAM in the pathogenic mycobacteria. M. tuberculosis EmbC has an activity similar to that of M. smegmatis EmbC, since we were able to complement an embC mutant of M. smegmatis with embCMtb , confirming that it encodes a functional arabinosyltransferase. In addition, we observed that the size of LAM produced in M. smegmatis was dependent on the level of expression of embCMtb . Northern analysis revealed that embC is expressed as part of a polycistronic message encompassing embC and three upstream genes. The promoter region for this transcript was identified and found to be up-regulated in stationary phase but down-regulated during hypoxia-induced nonreplicating persistence. In conclusion, we have identified one of the key genes involved in LAM biosynthesis in M. tuberculosis and confirmed its essential role in this species.
Effect and efficiency of rejuvenators on aged asphalt binder – German experiences

Due to aging process of bitumen and its corresponding increase in viscosity, the stiffness of asphalt pavement increases during its lifetime. Therefore, high addition rates of Reclaimed Asphalt Pavement (RAP) in asphalt mixtures may negatively influence a mixture’s quality. As a consequence, asphalt recycling is predominantly used in the asphalt’s base layers (asphalt and unbound). Yet, with regards to the current importance of sustainability and protection of resources, it is becoming increasingly desirable to raise the addition rates of RAP in top layers. Rejuvenating agents can assist in this process by decreasing the aged bitumen’s viscosity and restoring its original properties. Chemically, the relation between solid asphaltenes and liquid maltenes in the bitumen shifts towards a higher maltene content. The german research project “Use of Rejuvenators for Asphalt Recycling” concerns itself with the efficiency of rejuvenators as well as with the effect such additives have on aged bitumen properties. To this end, all rejuvenators available worldwide (21) have been acquired and then mixed with extracted bitumen of asphalts of differing ages. Furthermore, the rheological and physical properties of the mixtures were investigated before and after laboratory aging. Finally, selected mixes of the rejuvenators and the extracted bitumen were subjected to performance tests. This project’s goal is to provide a technology for the use of rejuvenators in Germany by defining the properties of rejuvenators that are necessary to enable the efficient recycling of existing asphalt pavements.
Assortative mating in mixed swarms of the mosquito Anopheles gambiae s.s. M and S molecular forms, in Burkina Faso, West Africa

The molecular form composition of Anopheles gambiae Giles s.s. (Diptera: Culicidae) mating swarms and the associated mating pairs (copulae) were investigated during two rainy seasons (July to October, 2005 and July to November, 2006) in the villages of Soumousso and Vallée du Kou (VK7). Although the habitats of these villages differ markedly, sympatric populations of M and S molecular forms of An. gambiae s.s. occur in both places periodically. The main aim was to assess the degree to which these molecular forms mate assortatively. In Soumousso, a wooded savannah habitat, the majority of swarm samples consisted of only S‐form males (21/28), although a few M‐form males were found in mixed M‐ and S‐form swarms. In VK7, a rice growing area, the majority of swarm samples consisted of only M‐form males (38/62), until October and November 2006, when there were nearly as many mixed‐form as single‐form swarms. Overall, ∼60% of M‐ and S‐form swarms were temporally or spatially segregated; the two forms were effectively prevented from encountering each other. Of the remaining 40% of swarms, however, only about half were single‐form and the rest were mixed‐form. Of the 33 copulae collected from mixed‐form swarms, only four were mixed‐form pairs, significantly fewer than expected by random pairing between forms (χ2 = 10.34, d.f. = 2, P < 0.01). Finally, all specimens of inseminated females were of the same form as the sperm contained within their spermatheca (n = 91), even for the four mixed‐form copulae. These findings indicate that assortative mating occurs within mixed‐form swarms, mediated most probably by close‐range mate recognition cues.
Copy-and-paste between overlapping windows

Copy-and-paste, one of the fundamental operations of modern userinterfaces, can be performed through various means (e.g. using the keyboard, mouse-based direct manipulation or menus). When users copy-and-paste between two different windows, the process is complicated by window management tasks. In this paper, we propose two new window management techniques to facilitate these tasks in the particular case of partially overlapping windows. We describe an experiment comparing four commonly-used copy-and-paste techniques under four window management conditions -- non-overlapping windows, partially overlapping windows, and partially overlapping ones with one of our two window management techniques. Results show that our new window management techniques significantly reduce task completion time for all copy-and-paste techniques. They also show that X Window copy-and-paste is faster than the other three techniques under all four window management conditions.
Telnet Protocol Specification

This is the specification of the Telnet protocol used for remote terminal access in the ARPA Internet. The purpose of the TELNET Protocol is to provide a fairly general, bi-directional, eight-bit byte oriented communications facility. Its primary goal is to allow a standard method of interfacing terminal devices and terminal-oriented processes to each other. It is envisioned that the protocol may also be used for terminal-terminal communication ("linking") and process- process communication (distributed computation). This RFC specifies a standard for the ARPA Internet community. Hosts on the ARPA Internet are expected to adopt and implement this standard. Obsoletes NIC 18639.
All-SPEEK flexible supercapacitor exploiting laser-induced graphenization

Flexible supercapacitors have emerged as one of the more promising and efficient space-saving energy storage system for portable and wearable electronics. Laser-induced graphenization has been recently proposed as a powerful and scalable method to directly convert a polymeric substrate into a 3D network of few layer graphene as high-performance supercapacitor electrode. Unfortunately this outstanding process has been reported to be feasible only for few thermoplastic polymers, strongly limiting its future developments. Here we show that laser induced graphenization of sulfonated poly(ether ether ketone) (SPEEK) can be obtained and the mechanism of this novel process is proposed. The resulting material can act at the same time as binder-free electrode and current collector. Moreover SPEEK is also used both as separator and polymeric electrolyte allowing the assembling of an all-SPEEK flexible supercapacitor. Chemico-physical characterization provides deep understanding of the laser-induced graphenization process, reported on this polymer for the first time, while the device performance studied by cyclic voltammetry, charging–discharging, and impedance spectroscopy prove the enormous potential of the proposed approach.
The N-terminal Helix Controls the Transition between the Soluble and Amyloid States of an FF Domain

Background Protein aggregation is linked to the onset of an increasing number of human nonneuropathic (either localized or systemic) and neurodegenerative disorders. In particular, misfolding of native α-helical structures and their self-assembly into nonnative intermolecular β-sheets has been proposed to trigger amyloid fibril formation in Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases. Methods Here, we use a battery of biophysical techniques to elucidate the conformational conversion of native α-helices into amyloid fibrils using an all-α FF domain as a model system. Results We show that under mild denaturing conditions at low pH this FF domain self-assembles into amyloid fibrils. Theoretical and experimental dissection of the secondary structure elements in this domain indicates that the helix 1 at the N-terminus has both the highest α-helical and amyloid propensities, controlling the transition between soluble and aggregated states of the protein. Conclusions The data illustrates the overlap between the propensity to form native α-helices and amyloid structures in protein segments. Significance The results presented contribute to explain why proteins cannot avoid the presence of aggregation-prone regions and indeed use stable α-helices as a strategy to neutralize such potentially deleterious stretches.