Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Predictive Teleoperation using Laser Rangefinder

Presence of delay in communication channels degrades performance and stability in bilateral teleoperation controllers. One method to remedy this problem is the use of predictive controllers in which the slave and environment dynamics are modelled and rendered locally at master to reproduce the contact information and bypass the delayed feedback loop. A major challenge in these controllers is the agility of local model adaptation to the changes in environment dynamics and its synchronization with slave contact events. In this paper, a novel collision prediction method using laser rangefinder is introduced. The proposed method is employed to synchronize the master local model and slave control events in a force position teleoperation architecture. Moreover, this method speeds up environment identification algorithm. The proposed predictive controller is evaluated experimentally on a one degree of freedom (DOF) master-slave teleoperation setup and its performance is compared to that of a conventional force-position controller
Aspiration Levels and Preference for Skewness in Choice Under Risk

This paper describes an experiment designed to study the effect of aspiration levels on individual choices under risk.We observe preferences for prospects that offer various probabilities of achieving aspiration levels; the resulting choice patterns characterize a heuristic for reducing the complexity of risky decisions.In cases where aspiration levels are not predictive, choices can be explained by preferences for positive skewness. Our results confirm the efficacy of a two-pronged approach that includes both compensatory and simplifying strategies for choosing among risky prospects. Of the former strategies, cumulative prospect theory best fits our experimental data.
Translational and regulatory challenges for exon skipping therapies.

Several translational challenges are currently impeding the therapeutic development of antisense-mediated exon skipping approaches for rare diseases. Some of these are inherent to developing therapies for rare diseases, such as small patient numbers and limited information on natural history and interpretation of appropriate clinical outcome measures. Others are inherent to the antisense oligonucleotide (AON)-mediated exon skipping approach, which employs small modified DNA or RNA molecules to manipulate the splicing process. This is a new approach and only limited information is available on long-term safety and toxicity for most AON chemistries. Furthermore, AONs often act in a mutation-specific manner, in which case multiple AONs have to be developed for a single disease. A workshop focusing on preclinical development, trial design, outcome measures, and different forms of marketing authorization was organized by the regulatory models and biochemical outcome measures working groups of Cooperation of Science and Technology Action: "Networking towards clinical application of antisense-mediated exon skipping for rare diseases. " The workshop included participants from patient organizations, academia, and members of staff from the European Medicine Agency and Medicine Evaluation Board (the Netherlands). This statement article contains the key outcomes of this meeting.
Atom‐by‐Atom Fabrication of Monolayer Molybdenum Membranes

Fabrication of materials in the monolayer regime to acquire fascinating physical properties has attracted enormous interest during the past decade, and remarkable success has been achieved for layered materials adopting weak interlayer van der Waals forces. However, the fabrication of monolayer metal membranes possessing strong intralayer bonding remains elusive. Here, suspended monolayer Mo membranes are fabricated from monolayer MoSe2 films via selective electron beam (e‐beam) ionization of Se atoms by scanning transmission electron microscopy (STEM). The nucleation and subsequent growth of the Mo membranes are triggered by the formation and aggregation of Se vacancies as seen by atomic resolution sequential STEM imaging. Various novel structural defects and intriguing self‐healing characteristics are unveiled during the growth. In addition, the monolayer Mo membrane is highly robust under the e‐beam irradiation. It is likely that other metal membranes can be fabricated in a similar manner, and these pure metal‐based 2D materials add to the diversity of 2D materials and introduce profound novel physical properties.
QSAR models for anti-androgenic effect – a preliminary study

Three modelling systems (MultiCase®, LeadScope® and MDL® QSAR) were used for construction of androgenic receptor antagonist models. There were 923–942 chemicals in the training sets. The models were cross-validated (leave-groups-out) with concordances of 77–81%, specificity of 78–91% and sensitivity of 51–76%. The specificity was highest in the MultiCase® model and the sensitivity was highest in the MDL® QSAR model. A complementary use of the models may be a valuable tool when optimizing the prediction of chemicals for androgenic receptor antagonism. When evaluating the fitness of the model for a particular application, balance of training sets, domain definition, and cut-offs for prediction interpretation should also be taken into account. Different descriptors in the modelling systems are illustrated with hydroxyflutamide and dexamethasone as examples (a non-steroid and a steroid anti-androgen, respectively). More research concerning the mechanism of anti-androgens would increase the possibility for further optimization of the QSAR models. Further expansion of the basis for the models is in progress, including the addition of more drugs.
Warm-based basal sediment entrainment and far-field Pleistocene origin evidenced in central Transantarctic blue ice through stable isotopes and internal structures

ABSTRACT Stable isotopes of water (δ18O and δ2H) were measured in the debris-laden ice underlying an Antarctic blue ice moraine, and in adjoining Law Glacier in the central Transantarctic Mountains. Air bubble content and morphology were assessed in shallow ice core samples. Stable isotope measurements plot either on the meteoric waterline or are enriched from it. The data cluster in two groups: the ice underlying the moraine has a δ2H:δ18O slope of 5.35 ± 0.92; ice from adjoining portions of Law Glacier has a slope of 6.69 ± 1.39. This enrichment pattern suggests the moraine's underlying blue ice entrained sediment through refreezing processes acting in an open system. Glaciological conditions favorable to warm-based sediment entrainment occur 30–50 km upstream. Basal melting and refreezing are further evidenced by abundant vapor figures formed from internal melting of the ice crystals. Both the moraine ice and Law Glacier are sufficiently depleted of heavy isotopes that their ice cannot be sourced locally, but instead must be derived from far-field interior regions of the higher polar plateau. Modeled ice flow speeds suggest the ice must be at least 80 ka old, with Law Glacier's ice possibly dating to OIS 5 and moraine ice older still.
Joint Localization of Multiple Vehicles Based on Range Difference Measurements

—This paper aggregates some contributions for the development of a localization method for autonomous vehicles based on pairwise distance measures. The challenges have been proposed under the European project MORPH, short for Marine System of Self Organizing Logically Linked Physical Nodes, although the results are of general applicability. The contributions of this thesis can be summarized in four major topics. a ) Reﬁnement of the experimental results of the MORPH’12 trials. b ) Suggestion of an alternative interrogation scheme that allows a reduction on the communications burden during the ranging process. c ) Performance evaluation of three convex formulations under noisy and incomplete measurements, namely the classical EDM with squared ranges (EDM-SR), the EDM with plain ranges (EDM-R) [1] and the novel Lower bound EDM with plain ranges (EDM-RLB). d ) Development of an optimization algorithm prior to the semideﬁnite relaxation where the goal is to ﬁnd the set of missing distances that minimizes the embedding dimension of the problem. Results indicate that EDM-RLB achieves a lower positioning error although the classical EDM-SR remains as the most robust method. Plus, numerical simulations show that the proposed completion algorithm can achieve a signiﬁcant reduction on the positioning error. Unfortunately, this is gained at the expense of a larger computational effort.
Coordination of Land-use Based on the Set Pair Analysis in Jiangsu Province

Based on the study of the current research of coordination,we find that the uncertainty is not described accurately,groundwork of research is lacking,and the definition of coordination is limited due to the idea of "balanced development". Therefore,using Jiangsu Province as the study area,we validate the correlation between the subsystem of land-use change and other subsystems of land-use efficiency by using the canonical correlation analysis,evaluate the coordination of land-use efficiency and the coordination of land-consumption based on the Set Pair analysis.The results indicate that land-use change and land-use efficiency subsystems show more significant correlation;coordination degree of land-use efficiency is most in a coordinated condition,and its internal structure shows that although recently the government has paid more attention to the protection of ecological environment,the conflict between economic development and the degradation of ecological environment has not been resolved fundamentally;coordination degree of land-consumption goes modestly,the development trend between land-use change and land-use efficiency takes on a "balanced development" situation,and the internal structure of the degree indicates that the government has gradually realized the negative impacts of excessive expansion of construction land,and improving the efficiency of land-use is becoming the main line of development.Different from the previous studies,coordination degree of land-use efficiency and land-consumption are both not showing an upward trend.
hTERT-Immortalized Bone Mesenchymal Stromal Cells Expressing Rat Galanin via a Single Tetracycline-Inducible Lentivirus System

The use of human telomerase reverse transcriptase-immortalized bone marrow mesenchymal stromal cells (hTERT-BMSCs) as vehicles to deliver antinociceptive galanin (GAL) molecules into pain-processing centers represents a novel cell therapy strategy for pain management. Here, an hTERT-BMSCs/Tet-on/GAL cell line was constructed using a single Tet-on-inducible lentivirus system, and subsequent experiments demonstrated that the secretion of rat GAL from hTERT-BMSCs/Tet-on/GAL was switched on and off under the control of an inducer in a dose-dependent manner. The construction of this cell line is the first promising step in the regulation of GAL secretion from hTERT-immortalized BMSCs, and the potential application of this system may provide a stem cell-based research platform for pain.
The association between home care visits and same-day emergency department use: a case–crossover study

BACKGROUND: The extent to which home care visits contribute to the delay or avoidance of emergency department use is poorly characterized. We examined the association between home care visits and same-day emergency department use among patients receiving publicly funded home care. METHODS: We conducted a population-based case–crossover study among patients receiving publicly funded home care in the Hamilton–Niagara–Haldimand–Brant region of Ontario between January and December 2015. Within individuals, all days with emergency department visits after 5 pm were selected as cases and matched with control days from the previous week. The cohort was stratified according to whether patients had ongoing home care needs (“long stay”) or short-term home care needs (“short stay”). We used conditional logistical regression to estimate the association between receiving a home care visit during the day and visiting the emergency department after 5 pm on the same day. RESULTS: A total of 4429 long-stay patients contributed 5893 emergency department visits, and 2836 short-stay patients contributed 3476 visits. Receiving a home care nursing visit was associated with an increased likelihood of visiting the emergency department after 5 pm on the same day in both long-stay (odds ratio [OR] 1.32, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.17–1.48) and short-stay patients (OR 1.22, 95% CI 1.07–1.39). Stronger associations were observed for less acute visits to the emergency department. No associations were observed for other types of home care visits. INTERPRETATION: Patients receiving home care were more likely to visit the emergency department during the evening on days they received a nursing visit. The mechanism of the association between home care visits and same-day emergency department use and the extent to which same-day emergency department visits could be prevented or diverted require additional investigation.
A Phenotypic Screening Assay for Modulators of Huntingtin-Induced Transcriptional Dysregulation

Huntington’s Disease is a rare neurodegenerative disease caused by an abnormal expansion of CAG repeats encoding polyglutamine in the first exon of the huntingtin gene. N-terminal fragments containing polyglutamine (polyQ) sequences aggregate and can bind to cellular proteins, resulting in several pathophysiological consequences for affected neurons such as changes in gene transcription. One transcriptional pathway that has been implicated in HD pathogenesis is the CREB binding protein (CBP)/cAMP responsive element binding (CREB) pathway. We developed a phenotypic assay to screen for compounds that can reverse the transcriptional dysregulation of the pathway caused by induced mutated huntingtin protein (µHtt). 293/T-REx cells were stably co-transfected with an inducible full-length mutated huntingtin gene containing 138 glutamine repeats and with a reporter gene under control of the cAMP responsive element (CRE). One clone, which showed reversible inhibition of µHtt-induced reporter activity upon treatment with the neuroprotective Rho kinase inhibitor Y27632, was used for the development of a high-throughput phenotypic assay suitable for a primary screening campaign, which was performed on a library of 24,000 compounds. Several hit compounds were identified and validated further in a cell viability adenosine triphosphate assay. The assay has the potential for finding new drug candidates for the treatment of HD.
Structures of Rhodopsin Kinase in Different Ligand States Reveal Key Elements Involved in G Protein-coupled Receptor Kinase Activation*

G protein-coupled receptor (GPCR) kinases (GRKs) phosphorylate activated heptahelical receptors, leading to their uncoupling from G proteins. Here we report six crystal structures of rhodopsin kinase (GRK1), revealing not only three distinct nucleotide-binding states of a GRK but also two key structural elements believed to be involved in the recognition of activated GPCRs. The first is the C-terminal extension of the kinase domain, which was observed in all nucleotide-bound GRK1 structures. The second is residues 5-30 of the N terminus, observed in one of the GRK1·(Mg2+)2·ATP structures. The N terminus was also clearly phosphorylated, leading to the identification of two novel phosphorylation sites by mass spectral analysis. Co-localization of the N terminus and the C-terminal extension near the hinge of the kinase domain suggests that activated GPCRs stimulate kinase activity by binding to this region to facilitate full closure of the kinase domain.
Novel nano-cellulose excipient for generating non-Newtonian droplets for targeted nasal drug delivery

Abstract Purpose: Thickening polymers have been used as excipients in nasal formulations to avoid nasal run-off (nasal drip) post-administration. However, increasing the viscosity of the formulation can have a negative impact on the quality of the aerosols generated. Therefore, the study aims to investigate the use of a novel smart nano-cellulose excipient to generate suitable droplets for nasal drug delivery that simultaneously has only marginally increased viscosity while still reducing nasal drips. Methods: Nasal sprays containing nano-cellulose at different concentrations were investigated for the additive’s potential as an excipient. The formulations were characterized for their rheological and aerosol properties. This was then compared to conventional nasal spray formulation containing the single-component hydroxyl-propyl methyl cellulose (HPMC) viscosity enhancing excipient. Results: The HPMC-containing nasal formulations behave in a Newtonian manner while the nano-cellulose formulations have a yield stress and shear-thinning properties. At higher excipient concentrations and shear rates, the nano-cellulose solutions have significantly lower viscosities compared to the HPMC solution, resulting in improved droplet formation when actuated through conventional nasal spray. Conclusions: Nano-cellulose materials could potentially be used as a suitable excipient for nasal drug delivery, producing consistent aerosol droplet size, and enhanced residence time within the nasal cavity with reduced run-offs compared to conventional polymer thickeners.
L'analyse automatisée du ton médiatique : construction et utilisation de la version française du Lexicoder Sentiment Dictionary

Résumé Cet article introduit un nouveau dictionnaire permettant l'analyse automatisée du ton des médias francophones, que nous avons appelé Lexicoder Sentiment Dictionnaire Français (LSDFr) en référence au lexique anglophone de Young et Soroka (2012), Lexicoder Sentiment Dictionary (LSD) à partir duquel le LSDFr a été construit. Une fois construit, nous comparons le LSDFr au seul autre dictionnaire francophone existant de ce genre, Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). Nous testons ensuite la validité interne du LSDFr en le comparant avec un corpus de textes codés manuellement. Nous testons enfin la validité externe du LSDFr en mesurant jusqu'où le ton médiatique, calculé à l'aide de notre dictionnaire, prédit les intentions de vote des Québécois lors des quatre dernières campagnes électorales. En développant cet outil, notre objectif est de permettre à d'autres chercheurs d'effectuer des analyses médiatiques dans un corpus de textes comparables en français. Abstract This article introduces a new dictionary for the automated analysis of the tone of French media. We named it the French Lexicoder Sentiment Dictionary (LSDFr) in reference to the English lexicon developed by Young and Soroka (2012), the Lexicoder Sentiment Dictionary (LSD), from which the LSDFr was built. We compare the LSDFr to the only other French sentiment lexicon, Linguistic Inquiry and Word Count (LIWC). First, we detail the construction of the dictionary. We then test the internal validity of the LSDFr comparing it with a corpus of manually coded texts. Finally, we test the external validity of LSDFr by measuring how the media tone, calculated using our dictionary, predicts voting intentions in the last four Quebec elections. Our goal is to enable other researchers to conduct media analyses with a comparable corpus of texts in French.
Celebrity traumatic deaths: are gangster rappers really "gangsta"?

BACKGROUND Celebrity injury-related deaths are a common topic of conversation and receive wide media coverage. Despite stereotypes and broad generalizations, it is unclear if the mechanisms of demise echo those of the general population. The objective of this study was to evaluate the epidemiology underlying celebrity traumatic deaths. METHODS We evaluated all known injury-related deaths in celebrities (musicians, athletes, actors, politicians and celebrity socialites) that occurred between Jan. 1, 2000, and Sept. 1, 2011. Exclusion criteria were drug/alcohol overdoses and suicides. We used standard statistical methodology. RESULTS Among 389 celebrities who died because of their injuries, motor vehicle collisions remained the most common mechanism overall. Rappers and politicians had a higher proportion of deaths due to interpersonal violence than all other celebrities. Gunshot wounds were most common in these cohorts (83% and 63%, respectively). Rappers and athletes also died at a younger mean age than other celebrities. Sport-related deaths were most common in boxing and mixed martial arts. Additional mechanisms included airplane crashes, animal interactions and recreational activities. CONCLUSION Despite occasionally exotic scenarios, most celebrities die of injury mechanisms similar to those of the general population. It is also apparent that rappers and politicians die by violent means at young and middle ages, respectively, more commonly than all other celebrities.
Financial Institutions Externalities and Systemic Risk: Tales of Tails Symmetry

We investigate the contribution of banks to the systemic risk based on the asymmetry of the right and left tails of the loss distribution. The basic idea is that a bank should create as much risk as it undertakes. Any imbalance in the distribution of profit and losses is a sign of the bank’s failure to internalize its externalities or the social costs associated to its activities. In this paper we develop a theoretical background to show the importance of tail symmetry on the sustainability of the financial system. We also propose a mathematical definition and a measure of tail imbalance based on extreme value theory. This measure could help regulators and policy makers to have an insight on the contribution of each bank to the overall risk hidden in the financial system and waiting to burst in the context of a crisis.
Periodate Inhibition of Transformation and Competence Development in Haemophilus influenzae

Ranhand, Jon M. (University of Cincinnati, Cincinnati, Ohio), and Herman C. Lichstein. Periodate inhibition of transformation and competence development in Haemophilus influenzae. J. Bacteriol. 92:956–959. 1966. —Periodate treatment of competent cells reduced the frequency of transformation to streptomycin resistance about 90% while reducing cell viability about 30% or less. Moreover, when periodate was added to cells early in the competence-development phase, these, too, were unable to develop maximal competence. Periodate inhibition was dependent on time and concentration as well as on the composition of the suspending menstruum. Periodate had no effect on transforming deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA), nor did it prevent transformation when added to competent cells which had already reacted with DNA. Furthermore, the progeny from cells inactivated 90% could be made fully competent, showing that the inhibition was not genetic. It was concluded that the periodate-sensitive substrate may involve the DNA binding site(s).