Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Divide-and-conquer manipulation planning by lazily searching a weighted two-layer manipulation graph

When people fail to move his or her arms from one configuration to another, they attempt to break the task into smaller tasks and finish them separately. This kind of solution is usually named “divide and conquer”. In this paper, we propose an implementation of “divide and conquer” where the robot attempts to divide one difficult manipulation task into smaller but easier problems according to the results of lazy planning. It leverages the planning of different levels to build a weighted two-layer manipulation graph, and divides and conquer the original task by lazily searching the weighted two-layer manipulation graph. In the lowest level, the planning is motion planning. In the middle level, the planning is grasp planning and placement planning. In the highest level, the planning is manipulation planning. Our implementation uses the grasps and placements computed in the middle level to construct a weighted two-layer manipulation graph for the highest level. It finds a manipulation path through the weighted two-layer manipulation graph in the highest level using lazy searching, and uses motion planning in the lowest level to find the motions that connect the vertices of the weighted two-layer manipulation path. Simulation is developed to demonstrate the the performance of our implementation. The manipulation task in the simulation is divided and separately conquered by leveraging the planning at different levels.
DVB‐S2 modem algorithms design and performance over typical satellite channels

In this paper we propose a design of the main modulation and demodulation units of a modem compliant with the new DVB‐S2 standard (Int. J. Satellite Commun. 2004; 22:249–268). A typical satellite channel model consistent with the targeted applications of the aforementioned standard is assumed. In particular, non‐linear pre‐compensation as well as synchronization techniques are described in detail and their performance assessed by means of analysis and computer simulations. The proposed algorithms are shown to provide a good trade‐off between complexity and performance and they apply to both the broadcast and the unicast profiles, the latter allowing the exploitation of adaptive coding and modulation (ACM) (Proceedings of the 20th AIAA Satellite Communication Systems Conference, Montreal, AIAA‐paper 2002‐1863, May 2002). Finally, end‐to‐end system performances in term of BER versus the signal‐to‐noise ratio are shown as a result of extensive computer simulations. The whole communication chain is modelled in these simulations, including the BCH and LDPC coder, the modulator with the pre‐distortion techniques, the satellite transponder model with its typical impairments, the downlink chain inclusive of the RF‐front‐end phase noise, the demodulator with the synchronization sub‐system units and finally the LDPC and BCH decoders. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Immunomodulatory Activity and Protective Effects of Polysaccharide from Eupatorium adenophorum Leaf Extract on Highly Pathogenic H5N1 Influenza Infection

The development of novel broad-spectrum, antiviral agents against H5N1 infection is urgently needed. In this study, we evaluated the immunomodulatory activities and protective effect of Eupatorium adenophorum polysaccharide (EAP) against the highly pathogenic H5N1 subtype influenza virus. EAP treatment significantly increased the production of IL-6, TNF-α, and IFN-γ both in vivo and in vitro as measured by qPCR and ELISA. In a mouse infection model, intranasal administration of EAP at a dose of 25 mg/kg body weight prior to H5N1 viral challenge efficiently inhibited viral replication, decreased lung lesions, and increased survival rate. We further evaluated the innate immune recognition of EAP, as this process is regulated primarily Dectin-1 and mannose receptor (MR). These results indicate that EAP may have immunomodulatory properties and a potential prophylactic effect against H5N1 influenza infection. Our investigation suggests an alternative strategy for the development of novel antiinfluenza agents and benefits of E. adenophorum products.
Flow simulation on moving boundary‐fitted grids and application to fluid–structure interaction problems

We present a method for the parallel numerical simulation of transient three‐dimensional fluid–structure interaction problems. Here, we consider the interaction of incompressible flow in the fluid domain and linear elastic deformation in the solid domain. The coupled problem is tackled by an approach based on the classical alternating Schwarz method with non‐overlapping subdomains, the subproblems are solved alternatingly and the coupling conditions are realized via the exchange of boundary conditions. The elasticity problem is solved by a standard linear finite element method. A main issue is that the flow solver has to be able to handle time‐dependent domains. To this end, we present a technique to solve the incompressible Navier–Stokes equation in three‐dimensional domains with moving boundaries. This numerical method is a generalization of a finite volume discretization using curvilinear coordinates to time‐dependent coordinate transformations. It corresponds to a discretization of the arbitrary Lagrangian–Eulerian formulation of the Navier–Stokes equations. Here the grid velocity is treated in such a way that the so‐called Geometric Conservation Law is implicitly satisfied. Altogether, our approach results in a scheme which is an extension of the well‐known MAC‐method to a staggered mesh in moving boundary‐fitted coordinates which uses grid‐dependent velocity components as the primary variables.
The approximation power of moving least-squares

A general method for near-best approximations to functionals on R d , using scattered-data information is discussed. The method is actually the moving least-squares method, presented by the Backus-Gilbert approach. It is shown that the method works very well for interpolation, smoothing and derivatives' approximations. For the interpolation problem this approach gives Mclain's method. The method is near-best in the sense that the local error is bounded in terms of the error of a local best polynomial approximation. The interpolation approximation in R d is shown to be a C∞ function, and an approximation order result is proven for quasi-uniform sets of data points.
Triangulation analysis of tele-palliative care implementation in a rural community area in Japan.

We conducted a comprehensive evaluation of tele-palliative care by triangulation method. This consisted of qualitative analyses of 2 patients and then performing quantitative analysis of a simulated model for tele-palliative care based on that experience. Semistructured interviews with 2 patients were conducted for qualitative analysis. The recorded conversations were analyzed using traditional categorization and coding techniques, looking for patterns and themes both within and across the interviews. A state-transition process was modeled using a Markov model to compare the costs for three different options for patients requiring palliative care: admission to the palliative care unit, home care only (8 physician visits), and tele-palliative care. The cost data were mainly derived from the reimbursement scale of the Japanese Health Insurance System. Sensitivity analysis was used to assess the influence of particular conditions or costs. The qualitative assessment identified some positive concepts, such as "expectation," "convenience," "reliance," and "communication. " In the cost analysis, the reference case yielded the annual costs as follows: (1) costs for admission to the palliative care unit were 1,137,000 dollars; (2) costs for home care were 521,000 dollars; and (3) costs for telepalliative care were 478,000 dollars. One-way sensitivity analyses showed that home care was the most cost-saving strategy if the care was continued for more than 4 months or the number of physician visits during tele-palliative care could be reduced to less than 6 physician visits per month. The important issues in reducing the cost of tele-palliative care were (1) having adequate patient numbers, (2) reducing the number of physicians' visits, and (3) offsetting the costs of telemedicine against cost savings to the system to sustain the program. In addition, the qualitative analysis demonstrated patients positive views of tele-palliative care.
Automatic Test Program Generation Using Executing-Trace-Based Constraint Extraction for Embedded Processors

Software-based self-testing (SBST) has been a promising method for processor testing, but the complexity of the state-of-art processors still poses great challenges for SBST. This paper utilizes the executing trace collected during executing training programs on the processor under test to simplify mappings and functional constraint extraction for ports of inner components, which facilitate structural test generation with constraints at gate level, and automatic test instruction generation (ATIG) even for hidden control logic (HCL). In addition, for sequential HCL, we present a test routine generation technique on the basis of an extended finite state machine, so that structural patterns for combinational subcircuits in the sequential HCL can be mapped into the test routines to form a test program. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed ATIG method can achieve good structural fault coverage with compact test programs on modern processors.
Improvement of BP-based CDMA multiuser detection by spatial coupling

Kudekar et al. proved that the belief-propagation (BP) threshold for low-density parity-check codes can be boosted up to the maximum-a-posteriori (MAP) threshold by spatial coupling. In this paper, spatial coupling is applied to randomly-spread code-division multiple-access (CDMA) systems in order to improve the performance of BP-based multiuser detection (MUD). Spatially-coupled CDMA systems can be regarded as multi-code CDMA systems with two transmission phases. The large-system analysis shows that spatial coupling can improve the BP performance, while there is a gap between the BP performance and the individually-optimal (IO) performance.
Adaptive Control of Quadrotor UAVs: A Design Trade Study With Flight Evaluations

This brief describes the application of direct and indirect model reference adaptive control to a lightweight low-cost quadrotor unmanned aerial vehicle platform. A baseline trajectory tracking controller is augmented by an adaptive controller. The approach is validated using simulations and flight tested in an indoor test facility. The adaptive controller is found to offer increased robustness to parametric uncertainties. In particular, it is found to be effective in mitigating the effects of a loss-of-thrust anomaly, which may occur due to component failure or physical damage. The design of the adaptive controller is presented, followed by a comparison of flight test results using the existing linear and augmented adaptive controllers.
Pivot-Based Topic Models for Low-Resource Lexicon Extraction

This paper proposes a range of solutions to the challenges of extracting large and highquality bilingual lexicons for low-resource language pairs. In such scenarios there is often no parallel or even comparable data available. We design three effective pivotbased approaches inspired by the state-ofthe-art technique of bilingual topic modelling, extending previous work to take advantage of trilingual data. The proposed models are shown to outperform traditional methods significantly and can be adapted based upon the nature of available training data. We demonstrate the accuracy of these pivot-based approaches in a realistic scenario generating an IcelandicKorean lexicon from Wikipedia.
Altered resting-state functional activity in isolated pontine infarction patients with pathological laughing and crying

We used resting-state functional magnetic resonance imaging to investigate the global spontaneous neural activity involved in pathological laughing and crying after stroke. Twelve pathological laughing and crying patients with isolated pontine infarction were included, along with 12 age- and gender-matched acute isolated pontine infarction patients without pathological laughing and crying, and 12 age- and gender-matched healthy controls. We examined both the amplitude of low-frequency fluctuation and the regional homogeneity in order to comprehensively evaluate the intrinsic activity in patients with post-stroke pathological laughing and crying. In the post-stroke pathological laughing and crying group, changes in these measures were observed mainly in components of the default mode network (medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex, middle temporal gyrus, inferior temporal gyrus, superior frontal gyrus, middle frontal gyrus and inferior parietal lobule), sensorimotor network (supplementary motor area, precentral gyrus and paracentral lobule), affective network (medial prefrontal cortex/anterior cingulate cortex, parahippocampal gyrus, middle temporal gyrus and inferior temporal gyrus) and cerebellar lobes (cerebellum posterior lobe). We therefore speculate that when disinhibition of the volitional system is lost, increased activation of the emotional system causes pathological laughing and crying.
Handbook of qualitative research methods for international business

Foreword by Peter Buckley - Vignette: Observations from a Lifetime of Interviewing Foreword - Vignette: Interviews: A Key Data Source in International Business Research Part I: Trends and Prospects in International Business Research Part II: Case Study Research Part III: Interviewing in International Business Research Part IV: Alternative Methods and Methodologies Part V: Researching Outside the Triad Part VI: From Analysis to Publication Index
PREDICTABLE MODIFICATION OF BODY SIZE AND COMPETITIVE ABILITY FOLLOWING A HOST SHIFT BY A SEED BEETLE

Abstract Interfertile populations of the seed beetle Callosobruchus maculatus differ genetically in several behavioral, morphological, and life-history traits, including traits that affect the intensity of larval competition within seeds. Previous studies have suggested that this variation depends on differences in host size. I performed a selection experiment in which replicate beetle lines were either maintained on a small, ancestral host (mung bean) or switched to a larger, novel host (cowpea). After 40 generations, I estimated survival, development time, and adult mass on each host, both in the presence and absence of larval competition. The shift to cowpea substantially reduced body size; irrespective of rearing host, adults from the cowpea lines were more than 10% lighter than those from the mung bean lines. Switching to cowpea also improved survival and reduced development time on this host, but without decreasing performance on the ancestral host. The most striking effect of the shift to a larger host was a reduction in larval competitiveness. When two even-aged larvae co-existed within a seed, the probability that both survived to adult emergence was ≥65% if larvae were from the cowpea lines but ≤12% if they were from the mung bean lines. The adverse effects of competition on development time and adult mass were also less severe in the cowpea lines than in the mung bean lines. By rapidly evolving smaller size and reduced competitiveness, the cowpea lines converged toward populations chronically associated with cowpea. These results suggest that evolutionary trajectories can be predictable, and that host-specific selection can play a major role in the diversification of insect life histories. Because host shifts by small, endophagous insects are comparable to the colonization of new habitats, adaptive responses may often include traits (such as larval competitiveness) that are not directly related to host use.
Color in the Classroom: How American Schools Taught Race, 1900-1954

Introduction: The Social Construction of Race in American Schools Chapter 1. Race as Nation, 1900-1938 Chapter 2. Franz Boas: Reforming "Race" in American Schools Chapter 3. Ruth Benedict and Margaret Mead: Teaching Teachers Race and Culture Chapter 4. Race as Color, 1939-1945 Chapter 5. Race as Culture, 1946-1954 Conclusion Race and Educational Equality after Brown v. Board of Education Notes Bibliography Index
Psychosocial effects of screening for disease prevention and detection

Introduction PART I: REVIEWS OF THE LITERATURE 1. Psychological impact of genetic testing 2. Psychosocial impact of cholesterol screening 3. Psychosocial impact of cancer screening 4. Changes in psychological distress and HIV risk-associated behavior: Consequences of HIV antibody testing? 5. The psychosocial and behavioral impact of health risk appraisals 6. Understanding the impact of risk factor test results: Insights from a basic research program PART II: COMMENTARIES 7-8 Commentary
Role of hemolysin for the intracellular growth of Listeria monocytogenes

Listeria monocytogenes insertion mutants defective in hemolysin production were generated using the conjugative transposons Tn916 and Tn1545. All of the nonhemolytic mutants (hly-) lacked a secreted 58-kD polypeptide, presumedly hemolysin, and were avirulent in a mouse model. An intracellular multiplication assay was established in monolayers of mouse bone marrow-derived macrophages, the J774 macrophage-like cell line, the CL.7 embryonic mouse fibroblast cell line, and the Henle 407 human epithelial cell line. The hly+ strain grew intracellularly in all of the tissue culture cells with a doubling time of approximately 60 min. In contrast, the hly- mutants failed to grow in the murine-derived tissue culture cells, but retained the ability to grow in the human tissue culture cells examined. Hemolytic-positive revertants were selected after passage of the hly- mutants through monolayers of J774 cells. In each case, the hemolytic revertants possessed the 58-kD polypeptide, were capable of intracellular growth in tissue culture monolayers and were virulent for mice.
Using Task-Oriented Spoken Dialogue Systems for Language Learning: Potential, Practical Applications and Challenges

The technology developed for task-based spoken dialogue systems (SDS) has a significant potential for Computer-Assisted Language Learning. Based on the CMU Let’s Go SDS, we describe two areas in which we investigated adaptations of the technology to non-native speakers: speech recognition and correction prompt generation. Although difficulties remain, particularly towards robust understanding, results prove that this technology can be used to provide realistic, involved environment for language learning.
Regression From Prediabetes to Normal Glucose Regulation Is Associated With Reduction in Cardiovascular Risk: Results From the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study

OBJECTIVE Restoration of normal glucose regulation (NGR) in people with prediabetes significantly decreases the risk of future diabetes. We sought to examine whether regression to NGR is also associated with a long-term decrease in cardiovascular disease (CVD) risk. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS The Framingham (2008) score (as an estimate of the global 10-year CVD risk) and individual CVD risk factors were calculated annually for the Diabetes Prevention Program Outcomes Study years 1–10 among those patients who returned to NGR at least once during the Diabetes Prevention Program (DPP) compared with those who remained with prediabetes or those in whom diabetes developed during DPP (N = 2,775). RESULTS The Framingham scores by glycemic exposure did not differ among the treatment groups; therefore, pooled estimates were stratified by glycemic status and were adjusted for differences in risk factors at DPP baseline and in the treatment arm. During 10 years of follow-up, the mean Framingham 10-year CVD risk scores were highest in the prediabetes group (16.2%), intermediate in the NGR group (15.5%), and 14.4% in people with diabetes (all pairwise comparisons P < 0.05), but scores decreased over time for those people with prediabetes (18.6% in year 1 vs. 15.9% in year 10, P < 0.01). The lower score in the diabetes group versus other groups, a declining score in the prediabetes group, and favorable changes in each individual risk factor in all groups were explained, in part, by higher or increasing medication use for lipids and blood pressure. CONCLUSIONS Prediabetes represents a high-risk state for CVD. Restoration of NGR and/or medical treatment of CVD risk factors can significantly reduce the estimated CVD risk in people with prediabetes.
Multi‐layer Lattice Model for Real‐Time Dynamic Character Deformation

Due to the recent advancement of computer graphics hardware and software algorithms, deformable characters have become more and more popular in real‐time applications such as computer games. While there are mature techniques to generate primary deformation from skeletal movement, simulating realistic and stable secondary deformation such as jiggling of fats remains challenging. On one hand, traditional volumetric approaches such as the finite element method require higher computational cost and are infeasible for limited hardware such as game consoles. On the other hand, while shape matching based simulations can produce plausible deformation in real‐time, they suffer from a stiffness problem in which particles either show unrealistic deformation due to high gains, or cannot catch up with the body movement. In this paper, we propose a unified multi‐layer lattice model to simulate the primary and secondary deformation of skeleton‐driven characters. The core idea is to voxelize the input character mesh into multiple anatomical layers including the bone, muscle, fat and skin. Primary deformation is applied on the bone voxels with lattice‐based skinning. The movement of these voxels is propagated to other voxel layers using lattice shape matching simulation, creating a natural secondary deformation. Our multi‐layer lattice framework can produce simulation quality comparable to those from other volumetric approaches with a significantly smaller computational cost. It is best to be applied in real‐time applications such as console games or interactive animation creation.
Automated Construction of Node Software Using Attributes in a Ubiquitous Sensor Network Environment

In sensor networks, nodes must often operate in a demanding environment facing restrictions such as restricted computing resources, unreliable wireless communication and power shortages. Such factors make the development of ubiquitous sensor network (USN) applications challenging. To help developers construct a large amount of node software for sensor network applications easily and rapidly, this paper proposes an approach to the automated construction of node software for USN applications using attributes. In the proposed technique, application construction proceeds by first developing a model for the sensor network and then designing node software by setting the values of the predefined attributes. After that, the sensor network model and the design of node software are verified. The final source codes of the node software are automatically generated from the sensor network model. We illustrate the efficiency of the proposed technique by using a gas/light monitoring application through a case study of a Gas and Light Monitoring System based on the Nano-Qplus operating system. We evaluate the technique using a quantitative metric—the memory size of execution code for node software. Using the proposed approach, developers are able to easily construct sensor network applications and rapidly generate a large number of node softwares at a time in a ubiquitous sensor network environment.