Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Sensor system of a small biped entertainment robot

SDR-4X II is the latest prototype model of a small biped entertainment robot. It is the improved model of SDR-4X. In this paper we report on the sensing system of this robot, which is important and essential for a small biped entertainment robot which will be used in the home environment. One technology is the design of the motion sensing system, i.e. the inclination sensor system and the force sensor system which obtains the inclination of the trunk and the foot with force. Another technology is the real-world sensing system. One aspect is the touch sensing system. The robot is used in a normal home environment, so we should strongly consider the safety aspects for human. Another is the vision sensor system. The configuration and the distance image acquisition are explained. Next is the audio sensor system which obtains the sound and the voice information. The hardware system and the direction recognition are explained. These sensing systems are the key to making the biped robot walking and dynamic motion highly stable, and understanding the real-world around the robot.
Crosstalk in SOI Microring Resonator-Based Filters

We experimentally investigate the interchannel and intrachannel crosstalk of first- and second-order microring resonator (MRR) filters fabricated on a silicon-on-insulator platform. We find that there is an MRR radius that maximizes the wavelength division multiplexing channel count given a waveguide geometry, a maximum tolerable insertion loss, and a minimum permissible adjacent channel isolation. The measured power penalties due to interchannel crosstalk of two-channel demultiplexers based on first-order and series-coupled MRR filters are presented as functions of channel spacing and adjacent channel isolation. Next, we compare the intrachannel crosstalk of first-order, cascaded, and series-coupled MRR add-drop filters. Our results show that first-order MRR devices are unsuitable for simultaneous add-drop operation at high data rates and small channel spacings. Intrachannel crosstalk of cascaded and series-coupled designs are measured as functions of the data rate and the level of detuning between the MRRs. Low intrachannel crosstalk power penalties are demonstrated for cascaded and series-coupled MRR filters for data rates up to 20 Gb/s. Based on the measured results, we present requirements for the input-to-through response of add-drop filters that will ensure low intrachannel crosstalk.
Vegetable Grafting: The Implications of a Growing Agronomic Imperative for Vegetable Fruit Quality and Nutritive Value

Grafting has become an imperative for intensive vegetable production since chlorofluorocarbon-based soil fumigants were banned from use on grounds of environmental protection. Compelled by this development, research into rootstock–scion interaction has broadened the potential applications of grafting in the vegetable industry beyond aspects of soil phytopathology. Grafting has been increasingly tapped for cultivation under adverse environs posing abiotic and biotic stresses to vegetable crops, thus enabling expansion of commercial production onto otherwise under-exploited land. Vigorous rootstocks have been employed not only in the open field but also under protected cultivation where increase in productivity improves distribution of infrastructural and energy costs. Applications of grafting have expanded mainly in two families: the Cucurbitaceae and the Solanaceae, both of which comprise major vegetable crops. As the main drives behind the expansion of vegetable grafting have been the resistance to soilborne pathogens, tolerance to abiotic stresses and increase in yields, rootstock selection and breeding have accordingly conformed to the prevailing demand for improving productivity, arguably at the expense of fruit quality. It is, however, compelling to assess the qualitative implications of this growing agronomic practice for human nutrition. Problems of impaired vegetable fruit quality have not infrequently been associated with the practice of grafting. Accordingly, the aim of the current review is to reassess how the practice of grafting and the prevalence of particular types of commercial rootstocks influence vegetable fruit quality and, partly, storability. Physical, sensorial and bioactive aspects of quality are examined with respect to grafting for watermelon, melon, cucumber, tomato, eggplant, and pepper. The physiological mechanisms at play which mediate rootstock effects on scion performance are discussed in interpreting the implications of grafting for the configuration of vegetable fruit physicochemical quality and nutritive value.
Accountability of Australian local government authorities for national waste data from outsourced services

The National Waste Policy Implementation Plan advocates the outsourcing of waste management services by contemplating ‘multi-agency management arrangements’ and ‘active partnerships’ between governments and industry (EPHC 2010a, p. 9). The Tasmanian Waste Strategy reinforces the national outsourcing approach by recommending that local government authorities (LGAs) engage in initiatives such as ‘collaborative partnerships’ with industry (Environmental Protection Authority 2009, pp. 3 & 9). The outsourcing of waste management services by LGAs to external service providers introduces another layer of accountability, resulting in the flow of waste data across organisational and geographical boundaries, which leads to a more complex reporting environment (Ball, Broadbent & Jarvis 2006). This thesis investigates whether the expectations of the federal Australian government with respect to the provision and dissemination of data through the outsourcing of municipal solid waste (MSW) are being fulfilled by posing the question: Are the accountability expectations of the Australian federal government satisfied in the outsourcing of waste management services by LGAs? This study broadly follows the institutional collective action (ICA) framework’s (Feiock 2013) approach to explore the Australian federal government’s accountability expectations, due to the collective action required by multiple LGAs and their service providers in different jurisdictions to provide national waste data (Bel, Fageda & Mur 2014). A multi-method approach combining textual narrative analysis of documents, archival records and direct observation supplemented by semi-structured interviews is followed (Yin 2014). The study found that managers of LGAs and their service providers are only willing to supply waste data through an accountability relationship with higher levels of government based on compliance with minimum legal requirements. The lack of adequate waste data collection tools constrains the collection of outsourced waste data, whilst the collaborative outsourcing practices of LGAs in Tasmania’s Southern Waste Strategy Authority (SWSA) jurisdiction resulted in some complex forms of multi-agency arrangements and partnerships. In the absence of improved communication and consultation between all principals and agents, the accountability expectations of the Australian federal government for improved waste data collection systems will not be met.
A biopsychosocial model for depressive symptoms following acute coronary syndromes

A partial latent structural regression analysis was used to evaluate the influence of perceived stress and coping resources on depression following acute coronary syndromes (ACS) in a sample of 113 participants (25 females and 88 males with a mean age of 57.61 years (SD = 12.63). Out of them, 55 participants were Australian born and 48 were born elsewhere, with 53 of the patients scoring in the mild to high depression range on the Beck Depression Inventory and the Cardiac Depression Scale. Perceived stress and coping resources, after controlling for age and smoking explained 89% of the variance in the latent variable depression. Higher perceived stress levels and fewer coping resources predicted higher levels of depression. Higher levels of perceived stress predicted fewer coping resources and fewer coping resources predicted higher levels of depression. There was a significant direct and indirect effect of perceived stress through coping on depression. Cognitive and physical coping resources were the best predictors of the depression construct. These results have potential implications for the treatment of depression post-ACS. In particular, cognitive and physical coping mechanisms and perceived stress reduction need to be addressed when treating depression post-ACS.
Atmospheric science. The secret lives of roots.

eScholarship provides open access, scholarly publishing services to the University of California and delivers a dynamic research platform to scholars worldwide. Ultrafast time-resolved electron diffraction. A short laser pulse excites the sample by depositing energy in the illuminated area. To monitor the structural changes caused by the laser excitation, a pulsed electron beam is directed onto the excited area, and diffraction patterns are recorded for different delay times between laser pulse and electron pulse.The delay time can be controlled with femtosecond precision.
Practice of Epidemiology Marginal Structural Models for Sufficient Cause Interactions

Sufficient cause interactions concern cases in which there is a particular causal mechanism for some outcome that requires the presence of 2 or more specific causes to operate. Empirical conditions have been derived to test for sufficient cause interactions. However, when regression outcome models are used to control for confounding variables in tests for sufficient cause interactions, the outcome models impose restrictions on the relation between the confounding variables and certain unidentified background causes within the sufficient cause framework; often, these assumptions are implausible. By using marginal structural models, rather than outcome regression models, to test for sufficient cause interactions, modeling assumptions are instead made on the relation between the causes of interest and the confounding variables; these assumptions will often be more plausible. The use of marginal structural models also allows for testing for sufficient cause interactions in the presence of timedependent confounding. Such time-dependent confounding may arise in cases in which one factor of interest affects both the second factor of interest and the outcome. It is furthermore shown that marginal structural models can be used not only to test for sufficient cause interactions but also to give lower bounds on the prevalence of such sufficient cause interactions.
Renal Na-handling defect associated with PER1-dependent nondipping hypertension in male mice.

Many physiological functions have a circadian rhythm, including blood pressure (BP). BP is highest during the active phase, whereas during the rest period, BP dips 10-20%. Patients that do not experience this dip at night are termed "nondippers. " Nondipping hypertension is associated with increased risk of cardiovascular disease. The mechanisms underlying nondipping hypertension are not understood. Without the circadian clock gene Per1, C57BL/6J mice develop nondipping hypertension on a high-salt diet plus mineralocorticoid treatment (HS/DOCP). Our laboratory has shown that PER1 regulates expression of several genes related to sodium (Na) transport in the kidney, including epithelial Na channel (ENaC) and Na chloride cotransporter (NCC). Urinary Na excretion also demonstrates a circadian pattern with a peak during active periods. We hypothesized that PER1 contributes to circadian regulation of BP via a renal Na-handling-dependent mechanism. Na-handling genes from the distal nephron were inappropriately regulated in KO mice on HS/DOCP. Additionally, the night/day ratio of Na urinary excretion by Per1 KO mice is decreased compared with WT (4 × vs. 7×, P < 0.001, n = 6 per group). Distal nephron-specific Per1 KO mice also show an inappropriate increase in expression of Na transporter genes αENaC and NCC. These results support the hypothesis that PER1 mediates control of circadian BP rhythms via the regulation of distal nephron Na transport genes. These findings have implications for the understanding of the etiology of nondipping hypertension and the subsequent development of novel therapies for this dangerous pathophysiological condition.
Contact characterization between multi-walled carbon nanotubes and metal electrodes

Although a variety of carbon nanotube field-effect transistors (CNTFETs) have been successfully fabricated, the contact property between multi-walled carbon nanotubes (MWCNTs) and electrodes is still elusive. In this study, we aims at further characterizing the contact properties among MWCNTs, Au electrode (gold coated glass substrate) and tungsten deposit. First, an atomic force microscope (AFM) cantilever actuated by a nanorobotic manipulation system was used to move the MWCNTs to directly contact Au electrode or tungsten deposit. With the adjustment of contact length, the contact resistance could be derived by a theoretical model using two-lead method. We measured the resistance between the AFM cantilever and Au electrode or tungsten deposit before and after fixing MWCNTs with electron beam induced deposition (EBID). The results imply that the contact resistance decreased ~11%after being fixed with EBID. Moreover, EBID is confirmed to be able to strengthen the contact between MWCNT and tungsten deposit.
Chondroitin Sulfate Accelerates Trans‐Golgi‐to‐Surface Transport of Proteoglycan Amyloid Precursor Protein

The amyloid precursor protein (APP) is a membrane protein implicated in the pathogenesis of Alzheimer's disease. APP is a part‐time proteoglycan, as splice variants lacking exon 15 are modified by a chondroitin sulfate glycosaminoglycan (GAG) chain. Investigating the effect of the GAG chain on the trafficking of APP in non‐polarized cells, we found it to increase the steady‐state surface‐to‐intracellular distribution, to reduce the rate of endocytosis and to accelerate transport kinetics from the trans‐Golgi network (TGN) to the plasma membrane. Deletion of the cytosolic domain resulted in delayed surface arrival of GAG‐free APP, but did not affect the rapid export kinetics of the proteoglycan form. Protein‐free GAG chains showed the same TGN‐to‐cell surface transport kinetics as proteoglycan APP. Endosome ablation experiments were performed to distinguish between indirect endosomal and direct pathways to the cell surface. Surprisingly, TGN‐to‐cell surface transport of both GAG‐free and proteoglycan APP was found to be indirect via transferrin‐positive endosomes. Our results show that GAGs act as alternative sorting determinants in cellular APP transport that are dominant over cytoplasmic signals and involve distinct sorting mechanisms.
Performance of Multi-City Land Use Regression Models for Nitrogen Dioxide and Fine Particles

Background: Land use regression (LUR) models have been developed mostly to explain intraurban variations in air pollution based on often small local monitoring campaigns. Transferability of LUR models from city to city has been investigated, but little is known about the performance of models based on large numbers of monitoring sites covering a large area. Objectives: We aimed to develop European and regional LUR models and to examine their transferability to areas not used for model development. Methods: We evaluated LUR models for nitrogen dioxide (NO2) and particulate matter (PM; PM2.5, PM2.5 absorbance) by combining standardized measurement data from 17 (PM) and 23 (NO2) ESCAPE (European Study of Cohorts for Air Pollution Effects) study areas across 14 European countries for PM and NO2. Models were evaluated with cross-validation (CV) and hold-out validation (HV). We investigated the transferability of the models by successively excluding each study area from model building. Results: The European model explained 56% of the concentration variability across all sites for NO2, 86% for PM2.5, and 70% for PM2.5 absorbance. The HV R2s were only slightly lower than the model R2 (NO2, 54%; PM2.5, 80%; PM2.5 absorbance, 70%). The European NO2, PM2.5, and PM2.5 absorbance models explained a median of 59%, 48%, and 70% of within-area variability in individual areas. The transferred models predicted a modest-to-large fraction of variability in areas that were excluded from model building (median R2: NO2, 59%; PM2.5, 42%; PM2.5 absorbance, 67%). Conclusions: Using a large data set from 23 European study areas, we were able to develop LUR models for NO2 and PM metrics that predicted measurements made at independent sites and areas reasonably well. This finding is useful for assessing exposure in health studies conducted in areas where no measurements were conducted. Citation: Wang M, Beelen R, Bellander T, Birk M, Cesaroni G, Cirach M, Cyrys J, de Hoogh K, Declercq C, Dimakopoulou K, Eeftens M, Eriksen KT, Forastiere F, Galassi C, Grivas G, Heinrich J, Hoffmann B, Ineichen A, Korek M, Lanki T, Lindley S, Modig L, Mölter A, Nafstad P, Nieuwenhuijsen MJ, Nystad W, Olsson D, Raaschou-Nielsen O, Ragettli M, Ranzi A, Stempfelet M, Sugiri D, Tsai MY, Udvardy O, Varró MJ, Vienneau D, Weinmayr G, Wolf K, Yli-Tuomi T, Hoek G, Brunekreef B. 2014. Performance of multi-city land use regression models for nitrogen dioxide and fine particles. Environ Health Perspect 122:843–849; http://dx.doi. org/10.1289/ehp.1307271
Cytogenetics and Occupational Exposure to Solvents: A Pilot Study on Leukemias and Myelodysplastic Disorders

In a pilot study, 57 patients affected by leukemias or myelodysplastic syndromes were interviewed to identify potential exposure to organic solvents. Cytogenetic analyses were performed in 40 of the 57 patients. Unlike previous investigations, no association was found between the occurrence of chromosomal abnormalities and exposure to organic solvents. An original finding was a strong association between solvent exposure and myelodysplastic disorders (4 certainly exposed and 1 possibly exposed out of 11 patients). Such an observation warrants confirmation from case-control studies.
Circular economy and new ways of doing business in the tourism sector

In alternative to the current linear economic model of extraction use and disposal, the emerging concept of circular economy stresses the importance of maintaining the value of products, materials and resources inside the economy thus reducing waste generation and improving sustainability. The opportunity of switching to a circular model of production and consumption is currently explored in different economic sectors, including tourism. This paper investigates the transition towards circular economy in the area of tourism. After a review of the most relevant literature on the subject, some concrete examples of circular economy applied to tourism destinations and companies are examined and compared. The implications of the transition towards circular economy in the area of tourism, mainly in terms of new business models and practices, are then analysed and discussed. Further research on the topic and the investigation of additional case studies is finally suggested.
CORPORATE STRATEGY AND INDUSTRY 4.0: BIBLIOMETRIC ANALYSIS ON FACTORS OF MODERNIZATION

The fourth industrial revolution has produced several new ﬁelds of research, yet the areas of management and business are lagging behind. The aim of the present paper is to show connections and common thoughts within various literature areas, identify the main theoretical inﬂuxes into the ﬁeld, and make informed suggestions for its future development. The analysis is conducted through the use of bibliometric methods, speciﬁcally co-citation analysis (Small, 1973) and bibliographic coupling (Kessler, 1963). Co-citation is deﬁned as the frequency with which two units are cited together while bibliographic coupling uses the number of references shared by two documents as a measure of the similarity between them (Zupic & Čater, 2015). This enables us to identify relevant clusters that will show which scientiﬁc areas are most commonly connected with our chosen keywords. Furthermore, we will elaborate the advantages, dis-advantages, eﬀects and possible implications of the new robotization era processes on companies’ business model transformation and changes in organizational structures, with an emphasis on the strategy of ﬁrms and the management behind it.
Do exurban communities want more development?

ABSTRACT Most land-use surveys of exurban residents focus on eliciting preferences for residential development and open space conservation. This article, in contrast, reports on a stated preference study of exurban residents that assesses the relative attractiveness of a variety of commercial and recreational land uses. Focus group participants and town planners proclaimed a demand for certain commercial services such as modern grocery stores and fine-dining restaurants, but survey respondents generally exhibit a strong preference for no additional development beyond the current rate of development. Results show that if additional development is to occur, then recreational services are generally preferred over more traditional commercial development. Combining two commercial services in a single development project are strongly preferred to stand-alone developments. Our approach illustrates how planners may uncover misconceptions about and priorities for land conversion through examining residents’ preferences.
Sequential Mergers and Competition Policy under Partial Privatization

This study assesses the conditions under which sequential mergers can emerge in a partially privatized oligopoly with differentiated goods. In particular, it examines: (i) the optimal merger strategies by potential merging firms, (ii) optimal merger policy, and (iii) privatization policy of policymakers. First, under the subgame perfect Nash equilibrium, sequential mergers either completely emerge or do not emerge at all. The parameter range that leads to complete sequential mergers becomes larger as the market is more privatized. Second, policymakers can halt privatization, diminishing the private incentive for further sequential mergers and thus leading to higher welfare. Furthermore, given that some mergers have already taken place, further mergers may actually improve welfare. These welfare-improving mergers may not be privately profitable, however, implying that there may be room for merger-friendly policies. Third, policymakers are better off partially privatizing the public firm unless the goods are perfect substitutes or independent. Our results are applicable to the Japanese life insurance industry and the partial privatization of Japan Posting Insurance.