Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Measurable Augmented Reality for Prototyping Cyberphysical Systems: A Robotics Platform to Aid the Hardware Prototyping and Performance Testing of Algorithms

Planning, control, perception, and learning are current research challenges in multirobot systems. The transition dynamics of the robots may be unknown or stochastic, making it difficult to select the best action each robot must take at a given time. The observation model, a function of the robots' sensor systems, may be noisy or partial, meaning that deterministic knowledge of the team's state is often impossible to attain. Moreover, the actions each robot can take may have an associated success rate and/or a probabilistic completion time. Robots designed for real-world applications require careful consideration of such sources of uncertainty, regardless of the control scheme or planning or learning algorithms used for a specific problem. Understanding the underlying mechanisms of planning algorithms can be challenging due to the latent variables they often operate on. When performance testing such algorithms on hardware, the simultaneous use of the debugging and visualization tools available on a workstation can be difficult. This transition from experimentation to implementation becomes especially challenging when the experiments need to replicate some feature of the software tool set in hardware, such as simulation of visually complex environments. This article details a robotics prototyping platform, called measurable augmented reality for prototyping cyberphysical systems (MAR-CPS), that directly addresses this problem, allowing for the real-time visualization of latent state information to aid hardware prototyping and performance testing of algorithms.
Columbia University's semantic video search engine

We briefly describe "CuVid," Columbia University's video search engine, a system that enables semantic multimodal search over video broadcast news collections. The system was developed and first evaluated for the NIST TRECVID 2005 benchmark and later expanded to include a large number (374) of visual concept detectors. Our focus is on comparative studies of pros and cons of search methods built on various individual modalities (keyword, image, near-duplicate, and semantic concept) and combinations, without requiring advanced tools and interfaces for interactive search.
Theranostic Hyaluronic Acid–Iron Micellar Nanoparticles for Magnetic‐Field‐Enhanced in vivo Cancer Chemotherapy

The delivery of therapeutic cancer agents using nanomaterials has recently attracted much attention. Although encouraging progress with chemotherapeutics has been made, tumor treatment response remains unsatisfactory. To address this concern, we constructed a new micellar nanocomplex by covalently conjugating hyaluronic acid (HA) with an iron oxide nanoparticle (IONP). When an external magnetic field was applied to the tumor area, HA–IONP specifically accumulated in the tumor, due to the strong IONP magnetism. In addition, HA was shown to bind to cluster determinant 44 (CD44), which is overexpressed on tumor cells. With combined magnetic, CD44, and enhanced permeability retention (EPR) targeting, the efficient delivery of HA–IONP to the tumor is expected to enhance cancer treatment efficiency. After encapsulation of the chemotherapy drug homocamptothecin (HCPT), the theranostic potency of HA–IONP/HCPT (HIH) was investigated both in vitro and in vivo. The improved tumor homing behavior of HIH was observed by magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) when an external magnetic field was used. Moreover, HIH showed remarkable tumor ablation efficiency, with magnetic targeting after 3 mg kg−1 intravenous administration (equivalent dose of free HCPT), and the tumors almost disappeared after treatment. No obvious systemic toxicity was detected. This excellent biocompatibility and tumor targetability suggests that HIH is a promising theranostic nanocomplex with great translational potency. Application of the HA–IONP platform could also be extended to delivery of other hydrophobic chemotherapy drugs or phototherapy agents.
Monetary Policy Decisions in Selected Organization of Petroleum Exporting Countries Economies: Does Taylor's Principle Matter?

Many OPEC countries heavily rely on the hydrocarbon sector as the lifeblood of their economies. The uncertainty of crude oil price environment makes them vulnerable to external shocks. Therefore, knowledge about drivers of economic policies especially monetary policy designed to accommodate shocks calls for empirical research with the recent global oil environment. This study examines the drivers of monetary policy rate in selected OPEC economies and tests whether these factors follow Taylor's rule using monthly time series data from 1990 to 2015. Its finding reveals that inflation gap and output gap are effective in influencing policy rate in Indonesia, whereas only inflation gap influences the policy rate in Nigeria. In addition, the level of policy rate in Saudi Arabia and Venezuela is determined by the level of output gap in the baseline Taylor model. The outcome of the augmented Taylor model supports the smoothing behaviour of the monetary authorities in the economies. In conclusion, none of these economies follow Taylor's principle in their monetary policy decisions.
RETRACTED: Effect of sublethal dose of mercury toxicity on liver cells and tissue of yellowfin seabream

The aim of the present study was to provide baseline data on the prevalence of histopathological liver lesions in Acanthopagrus latus under experimental mercury exposure. Experimental study was at seawater recirculatory tanks. Mercury concentrations were determined using a standard cold vapour atomic absorption. Histopathological analyses were done in tissue processor and the slides were stained with haematoxylin and counterstained with eosin. There were many liver lesions including enlarged and lateral nuclei, nuclear degeneration and vacuolation; oncotic, apoptic, focal, massive, centrilobular and periportal necrosis; atrophy, lipidosis, hydropic and cloudy swelling, oval cell proliferation; bile stagnation, dilation of sinusoid, intracellular oedema and dark granules in both field and laboratory conditions. In conclusion the present investigation indicated that mercury is a toxic substance in yellowfin seabream and the sublethal concentrations of mercury may cause several changes in the histological indices of the studied fish, and we can use these changes as biomarkers of mercury detection.
State of Information Technology Adoption by Internal Audit Department in Malaysian Public Sector

The objective of this paper is to discuss the level of information technology (IT) adoption by internal audit unit (IAU) in Malaysian public sector, the types of the IT applications implemented and the purposes of its implementation. In recent years, internal auditors have begun to realize the important of IT to perform their audit tasks. Specifically, the use of Computer Assisted Auditing Tools and Techniques (CAATTs) can help in terms of audit efficiency and effectiveness. This research employed an online and mail survey methods to gather data from 266 head of internal auditors in Malaysian public sector. The results show that the level of IT adoption by IAU in Malaysian public sector is high. However, with regards to the usage of IT specifically in auditing, it is considerably low despite the huge benefits that have been offered by the technology. Due to the nature of the data collection method, the study might reflects the perfection of the respondents which may not translate into actual practice. Further research should consider a field study to examine the real issue regarding the IT implementation in public sector.
Patterns of alcohol consumption and related behaviour in Great Britain: a latent class analysis of the alcohol use disorder identification test (AUDIT).

AIMS Attempts have been made to develop typologies to classify different types of alcoholism. However, limited research has focused on classifications to describe general patterns of alcohol use in general population samples. METHODS Latent class analysis was used to create empirically derived behaviour clusters of alcohol consumption and related problems from the Alcohol Use Disorder Identification Test (AUDIT) based on data from a large stratified multi-stage random sample of the population of Great Britain. Multinomial logistic regression was performed to describe these resultant classes using both demographic variables and mental health outcomes. RESULTS Six classes best described responses in the sample data. Three were heavy consumption groups, one with multiple negative consequences, one experiencing alcohol-related injury and social pressures to cut down and an additional class with memory loss. There was one moderate class with few negative consequences, and finally two mild consumption groups, one with alcohol-related injury and social pressure to cut down and one with no associated problems. CONCLUSIONS Alcohol use in Great Britain can be hypothesized as reflecting six distinct classes, four of which follow a continuum of increased consumption leading to increased dependence and related problems and two that do not. Differences between alcohol use classes are apparent with reduced risk of depressive episode in moderate classes and an increased risk of anxiety disorders for the highest consumers of alcohol.
Detection of Viral, Bacterial, and Parasitological RNA or DNA of Nine Intestinal Pathogens in Fecal Samples Archived as Part of the English Infectious Intestinal Disease Study: Assessment of the Stability of Target Nucleic Acid

Fecal samples were collected from cases and controls as part of the Infectious Intestinal Disease (IID) study in England and were stored as frozen suspensions for 8 to 12 years. The purpose of this study was to apply PCR-based procedures to assess the stability of pathogen-specific nucleic acid sequences present in this archive. Samples from which Cryptosporidium, Giardia, Salmonella, Campylobacter, enteroaggregative Escherichia coli (EAggEC), enterotoxigenic Clostridium perfringens, rotaviruses, noroviruses, or sapoviruses had been previously detected during the IID study using conventional methods were selected from the archive. A generic nucleic acid extraction method to recover RNA or DNA was used. Complementary DNA was generated from RNA by reverse transcription with random priming. Block-based and real-time PCR assays were used to amplify and detect gene fragments from each of these pathogens. The percentage reconfirmation of target was as follows: Giardia duodenalis 68%, Cryptosporidium 96%, Campylobacter 98%, Salmonella 98%, enterotoxigenic C perfringens 34%, EAggEC 93.3%, rotavirus 95%, norovirus 73%, and sapovirus 85%. This study has shown that nucleic acid can be extracted and specific sequences amplified and detected from archived fecal samples. The IID archive therefore represents a valuable resource for further studies, especially the investigation of the samples from which no pathogens had previously been detected.
Multiple extra‐synaptic spillover mechanisms regulate prolonged activity in cerebellar Golgi cell–granule cell loops

Non‐technical summary The cerebellar cortex contains complex neural circuits related to information processing for the learning and control of movements. We show that the interaction between the main input neurones, the granule cells and their inhibitory counterparts, the Golgi cells, is far more complex than previously thought. Traditionally, granule cells are considered to excite Golgi cells, thereby forming a negative feedback loop. In contrast, our study reveals that granule cell input to Golgi cells is predominantly inhibitory, through the action of specialised glutamate receptors expressed in Golgi cells. These results force a re‐evaluation of our current best theories of how the cerebellar circuitry processes information.
Helping in 36 U.S. cities

A series of experiments examined the relationship of urbanism to helping. Six types of hclping behaviors were studied in a cross -sample of 36 small. medium. and large cities across the United States. The relationship of helping to a series of statistics reflecting the demographic. social. environ mental. and economic characteristics of these communities was then examined. The strongest and most consistent predictor of overall helping was population density. There were significant corre lations between economic indicators and helping in three situations. Helping in some situations also tended to be negatively related to violent crime rates and to environmental problems. Thomas Wolfe (1940) wrote that city people “have no manners, no courtesy, no consideration for the rights of others, and no humanity. ” Several studies offer evidence that this urban ste reotype is widely shared in the United States. K rupat and Guild (1980), for example, reported that a sample of university stu dents perceived cities as anonymous, impersonal, and unsafe and the “typical urbanite” as untrusting and uninvolved with others. Schneider and Mockus (1974) reported that 79% of a sample of university students believed that help from a stranger was more likely to be received in a small town than in a large city. Many urban theorists have offered similarly unflattering de scriptions of the “urban personality. ” Theorists rangi ng from Wirth (1938) and Simmel (1950) to Milgram (1970) have described the urban dweller as alienated, unresponsive, and un helpful Each hypothesized that the size of a community is neg atively related to the likelihood of receiving help from a stranger. This hypothesis has generated a large number of studies in the helping literature. In a review of that research. Steblay (1987) found qualified support for the hypothesis of greater ru ral helpfulness. In a total of 65 studies. 46 reported greate r helpfulness in smaller areas, 9 found greater helpfulness in larger areas, and the remaining 10 reported no significant differences. A subsequent meta-analysis indicated a modest negative rela tionship between population size and helping. The effect was stronger for studies that defined population size as a context variable (i.e., whether helping occurred in a city or rural area) than for studies that defined population as a subject variable (i.e., the population of the city where the subject was raised).
Remedial Education Programs and Student Success: Perceptions of Faculty and Administrators at HBCUs

The purpose of this study was to examine factors that contributed to student success in remedial education as perceived by faculty members and administrators at one public HBCU in the University System of Georgia. The five specific areas that contributed to student success and were identified for review were administrative factors, curricula and instructional models, academic support services, importance of placement tests, and the impact of financial issues. Each of these areas was represented in literature regarding the histories of remedial education programs and HBCUs, recent federal and state admissions and fiscal changes, and instructional best practices of remedial education programs. Literature from these areas and interviews were conducted to examine the impressions of faculty members and program administrators who worked to teach, lead, advise, and test remedial education students at one public HBCU in
Clinical spectrum and diagnostic yields of Mycoplasma pneumoniae as a causative agent of community-acquired pneumonia

INTRODUCTION: Infection with Mycoplasma pneumoniae (M. pneumonia) occurs worldwide which accounts for 15%–20% of cases of community-acquired pneumonia and indistinguishable clinically from other infectious causes of pneumonia. AIM: The aim of this study was to evaluate the real-time polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and to correlate it with other diagnostic methods such as culture, serology (ELISA), and conventional PCR along with the clinical signs and symptoms produced by M. pneumonia. MATERIALS AND METHODS: A total of 130 patients of all age groups presenting with clinical features of lower respiratory tract infections were enrolled over a period of 1 year and 2 months in a tertiary care hospital in Delhi. M. pneumoni ae in throat swab samples was detected by real-time PCR, compared with culture, serology, conventional PCR, and clinical signs and symptoms. Univariate analyses were conducted to determine the association of M. pneumoniae infection among different categories of patients. RESULTS: Out of a total of 130 patients, 18 patients (14%) were positive for M. pneumoniae by any test; culture was positive in nine patients (50%), serology (IgM) in eight patients (44.4%), PCR in five patients (27.7%), and real-time PCR was positive in six patients (33.3%). Clinical signs and symptoms were higher in incidence in M. pneumoniae-positive patients. Age-matched healthy controls (30) were included in the study, and all were negative for any diagnostic test performed (P = 0.026). CONCLUSION: It was concluded that combination of M. pneumoniae- specific testing modalities is required for the diagnosis of this etiological agent rather than a single diagnostic method.
Detection and Analysis of Probable Earnings Manipulation by Firms in a Developing Country

Manuscript type: Research paperResearch aims: This empirical work is to investigate the signs ofmanipulation of earnings in non-financial firms in Bangladesh.Design/ Methodology/ Approach: The financial data of 102publicly listed and non-financial firms from the years 2010 to 2013were collected. Using the Beneish model (1999) as an approach,data were analysed so as to obtain the M-Scores of these firms.Based on the M-Scores, they were then classified into two groups:likely manipulator firms and non-likely manipulator firms. Anindependent t-test was used to detect the signs of manipulation.Research findings: The outcome of the M-Scores reveals that theproportion of likely manipulator firms had declined over the years.The result of the independent t-test shows that inflating revenues,capitalising expenses, and overstating intangibles could serve assignals of earnings manipulation in firms in Bangladesh.Theoretical contribution/ Originality: The work of this studycontributes to current literature through the identification of thesigns of manipulation that is detected by the independent t-test.The results can thus help the country to distinguish between likelymanipulator and non-likely manipulator firms.Practitioner/ Policy implications: The findings of this study canbe used by investors for better investment decision-making. Basedon the findings, it appears that regulators should ensure a morestringent monitoring policy on firms so as to decrease the likelihoodof manipulation. Research implications/ Limitations: This study only highlights thepattern of the manipulation of earnings in non-financial firms inBangladesh. Further studies need to be conducted in order to detectthe effect of changes in government regulations on manipulationof earnings in Bangladesh.Key Words: Accounting Red Flag, Bangladesh, Beneish M-Score,Earnings ManipulationJEL Classification: G30, M40
Ustekinumab for the treatment of Crohn’s disease

ABSTRACT Introduction: Ustekinumab is a human monoclonal antibody directed against the shared p40 subunit of interleukins 12 and 23. Ustekinumab is currently approved for the treatment of psoriatic arthritis (PsA) and moderate to severe plaque psoriasis, and is being evaluated in Crohn’s disease (CD). Areas covered: The first evidence supporting the efficacy of ustekinumab in the treatment of moderate to severe CD was published in 2008. Results from subsequent phase II and phase III randomized controlled trials (RCTs) have shown promising data on the clinical efficacy of induction and remission of moderate to severe CD. These data and the safety profile of ustekinumab will be reviewed. Expert commentary: As a significant proportion of individuals with CD have ongoing symptoms and inflammation despite existing therapies, there is a clinical need for new agents like ustekinumab directed at different targets on the inflammatory pathway. Looking forward, more studies are needed to evaluate dosing escalation or de-escalation in addition to timing of therapy switches. In addition, further data is required to gauge the comparative effectiveness of ustekinumab to the biologic agents that are currently used in the treatment of CD.
Do green policies build green reputations

Purpose Today, we are witnessing a wave of multinational corporations who seek to be recognized for being environmentally conscious, which can become a source of competitive advantage. But how many of them actually have the policies in place to achieve this? Drawing from the strategy literature, this paper aims to argue that firms who seek to achieve green reputation must align their policies in a way to achieve this goal. Design/methodology/approach This paper presents a framework that discusses the key elements of the corporate environmental management process, and then empirically examines the impact of green policy on green reputation among Fortune 500 US firms. Findings The findings support a positive significant relationship between green policy and green reputation, with environmental performance to partially mediate this relationship. Insights from this study highlight the importance of focusing on company-level green policy for building green reputation as well as for discriminating across the flux of corporations that all claim to be environmentally conscious or green. Research limitations/implications First, the study is limited by the unavailability of environmental performance data at the subsidiary level, which, if incorporated, would yield a better specified model. Second, to strengthen the causal relationships examined in the models, time-series analyses would likely be useful. Third, other informal measures that could be incorporated can include other forms of corporate verbal communications, which include 10K reports as well as shareholder letters. Practical implications Given the increased flux of firms that are racing to be known as environmentally conscious firms, one can benefit from the use of an internal mechanism that can discriminate between rhetoric and action. Therefore, when differentiating between firms’ environmental consciousness, investors and key stakeholders should investigate more internal environmental firm policies, because they are likely to be more indicative of their actions. Originality/value This study uses a quantified assessment of companies’ actual environmental footprints, drawing from a cross-sector sample within the manufacturing industry. The secondary data used in this study are combined from a number of prominent data sources in corporate social responsibility/environmental management literature.
QRPos: Indoor positioning system for self-balancing robots based on QR codes

Localization systems for mobile robots are a trade-off between accuracy, robustness and costs. Current solutions for landmark based indoor localization are either expensive or inaccurate and unreliable. Accurate solutions for instance require costly infrastructure and/or high computational power. Additionally, self-balancing robots have particular challenges due to the unstable nature of the system. In this work, we design and develop an accurate landmark-based positioning system (QRPos) with low computational requirements that is based on QR codes mounted on the ceiling. Extended QR codes are recorded with a standard low-cost camera and are extracted and decoded with low computational requirements. Self-localization is implemented with 3D pose estimation based solely on camera data to allow for inexpensive positioning with arbitrary camera orientations. We evaluate QRPos by simulation and experiments with a low-end embedded camera against a baseline approach that is not capable of handling arbitrary camera orientations. We find that QRPos estimates pose with satisfactory accuracy and achieves positioning accuracy and robustness suitable for self-balancing robots.