Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
LQG-MP: Optimized path planning for robots with motion uncertainty and imperfect state information

In this paper we present LQG-MP (linear-quadratic Gaussian motion planning), a new approach to robot motion planning that takes into account the sensors and the controller that will be used during the execution of the robot’s path. LQG-MP is based on the linear-quadratic controller with Gaussian models of uncertainty, and explicitly characterizes in advance (i.e. before execution) the a priori probability distributions of the state of the robot along its path. These distributions can be used to assess the quality of the path, for instance by computing the probability of avoiding collisions. Many methods can be used to generate the required ensemble of candidate paths from which the best path is selected; in this paper we report results using rapidly exploring random trees (RRT). We study the performance of LQG-MP with simulation experiments in three scenarios: (A) a kinodynamic car-like robot, (B) multi-robot planning with differential-drive robots, and (C) a 6-DOF serial manipulator. We also present a method that applies Kalman smoothing to make paths Ck-continuous and apply LQG-MP to precomputed roadmaps using a variant of Dijkstra’s algorithm to efficiently find high-quality paths.
Asynchronous consensus of agents with double-integrator dynamics

This paper is concerned with the asynchronous consensus problem of agents with double-integrator dynamics under time-invariant interaction topology. It is assumed that each agent measures its states relative to its neighbors only at discrete times and the discrete times of each agent are independent of the others'. It is shown that the asynchronous consensus is equivalent to the globally asymptotically stability of a time-varying discrete-time system with delays. Moreover, a sufficient condition for asynchronous consensus is established in virtue of the linear matrix inequality technique and the Lyapunov direct approach. Simulations are provided to illustrate the effectiveness of the theoretical results.
Immunoliposomes as an Efficient and Target-specific Carrier for Antitumor Drugs 1

pH-sensitive immunoliposomes composed of dioleoylphosphatidylethanolamine and oleic acid (8:2) significantly enhanced the cytotoxic effect of the entrapped drug 1-0-D-arabinofuranosylcytosine (ara-C) to target L-929 cells, as compared to free drug, drug encapsulated in antibody-free liposomes, or in pH-insensitive immunoliposomes. These pH-sensitive immunoliposomes were ineffective against nontarget A-3I cells. The enhanced cytotoxic effect could be blocked by excess free antibody or excess drug-free immunoliposomes. Pretreatment of target cells with the weak bases chloroquine or M I4( I. which raise the internal pH of cellular acidic organelles such as endosomes and lysosomes, inhibited the cell killing activity of ara-C encapsulated in the pH-sensitive immunoliposomes. Since it is known that ara-C is rapidly inactivated in the lysosomes, our results suggest that the release of ara-C from the pHsensitive immunoliposomes occurs in a prelysosomal compartment, i.e. the endosÃ3me. Parallel experiments using methotrexate as a cytotoxic drug confirm the enhanced ability of the pH-sensitive liposomes for cytoplasmic drug delivery over that of free drug. These results indicate that pH-sensitive immunoliposomes can be used as an efficient and targetspecific carrier for antitumor drugs.
New discrete dislocation algorithms in plastic deformation and its application to rate effect, creep and fracture

Given that thermal activation and climb of dislocation contribute significantly to high temperature plastic behavior, creep and fracture, a thorough understanding of dislocation motion is extremely critical. A new discrete dislocation model is presented to solve the three: (i) the time scale gap between dislocation glide and other thermal process, (ii) plastic deformation when dislocation lines are thermally activated over an obstacle field and (iii) dislocation climb due to the vacancy diffusion at a wide range of time scale. The first problem occurs when current Discrete Dislocation Dynamics model wants to reach experiment-level of strain rate or time scale while keeps tracking the dislocation glide at very small time step. The essential idea is to avoid tracking the dislocation path, instead using energy minimization to determine the equilibrium configuration under given boundary conditions. In our model all other processes exclusive to glide short range effects, thermally activated escape and dislocation climb that change the energy of the system are modeled as discrete events which are defined by constitutive rules or by solving an auxiliary diffusion boundary value problem. This approach allows decoupling of time scales associated with dislocation glide and it enables modeling both rate and temperature effects of interest in practical applications. The second problem arises when overall plastic behavior is controlled by the local dislocation-obstacle interaction at finite temperature. For a system in which the strain
Features of nuclear architecture that influence gene expression in higher eukaryotes: Confronting the enigma of epigenetics

Complex mechanisms that influence gene expression in mammalian cells have been studied intensively over recent years. Genetic elements that control both the tissue specific patterns and levels of gene expression together with the proteins they bind have been characterised in detail and are clearly pivotal in activating pathways of gene expression. But it is also clear that the behaviour of these genetic elements is complicated by epigenetic factors, so that their introduction into cells with the necessary developmental history—and hence appropriate global concentrations of essential transcription factors—will not guarantee the desired levels of transcription. Recent experiments have reinforced this view and confirmed that apparently critical functions performed by defined genetic elements at certain chromosomal sites are not inevitably recapitulated at other chromosomal locations. Hence, a re‐evaluation of the function of critical control elements is required using experimental systems that simplify the range of factors arising from local chromatin organisation. In this way, it should be possible to reveal the intricacies of gene expression that might eventually allow us to reproduce natural levels of expression from artificial gene constructs in human cells. J. Cell. Biochem. Suppl. 35:69–77, 2000. © 2001 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Women's health: do common symptoms in women mirror general distress or specific disease entities?

The purpose of this study was to determine aspects of validity of a short self-report inventory, based on physical and psychological symptoms that, according to other studies, are most prevalent in women. It was hypothesized that such symptoms form a single entity, which would be consistent with the view that they represent a proxy for general distress in women. Method: One hundred and one women were approached, all of whom filled in the ``common symptoms in the general population of women'' (CSGP) instrument and the multidimensional self-report inventory Symptom Check List 90 (SCL90) for external comparison. The results indicate that the CSGP scale has high internal consistency (alpha=0.80). The strongest correlations were found between the CSGP scale and the SCL90 subscales assessing ``somatization'', ``depression'' and ``anxiety''. In the factor analysis, the items on the CSGP scale were widely dispersed among the factors represented by the main SCL90 subscales, and therefore could not be considered to represent any particular subscale. Our conclusion is that the CSGP scale seems to assess a single entity. Other researchers suggest that such an entity represent a proxy for general distress in women. This will have implications for the interpretation of the common symptoms represented by the scale, which women report in clinical settings.
Distributed Energy Efficient Spectrum Sharing Strategy Selection with Limited Feedback in MIMO Interference Channels

In this paper, we study the distributed energy efficient spectrum sharing strategy selection (i.e., joint discrete power control and multimode precoding strategy selection) with limited feedback in MIMO interference channels. We assume that the users are selfish and noncooperative. The goal of each user is to maximize its individual energy efficiency under the constraints of the minimum data rate and the interference temperature. Game theory is used to model the spectrum sharing strategy selection. We design a payoff function to guarantee the feasibility of the pure Nash equilibrium of the game without knowing the infeasible strategy profiles in advance. Then we propose a distributed game-theoretic spectrum strategy selection algorithm and prove that this algorithm always attains the feasible strategy profiles. Numerical results show that the proposed algorithm can enhance the energy efficiency of the users and significantly outperforms the random selection algorithm.
Consensus and comprehensive linkage maps of the bovine sex chromosomes.

ory were 627, 2343, 972, 4577 and 1149, respectively. The number of marker loci submitted by each laboratory were 3, 5, 8, 23 and 10, respectively. A total of 9668 informative meioses from 30 microsatellite loci were represented in the combined data containing a total of 15 757 marker genotypes. Each data set was analysed independently using the TWOPOINT, FLIPS and CHROMPIC options. Genotypic data were then combined into a single data set using the MERGE option. The consensus linkage group was constructed using the BUILD option (LOD  3.0) followed by FLIPS5 analysis to test alternative marker orders. For the comprehensive map, markers were added using the BUILD option (LOD  1.0) again followed by FLIPS5 analysis. Markers not positioned by this criteria were added to the linkage group using the ALL option. The FLIPS5 was repeated until the best marker order was obtained. Map ®gures, number of meioses per marker (*.loc ®les), TWOPOINT and FIXED output ®les can be accessed at the http://aipl. arsusda.gov/maps.
The organization of the conceptual system: The case of the “object versus action” dimension

There are very numerous reports in the neuropsychological literature of patients showing, in naming and/or comprehension tasks, a disproportionate deficit for nouns in comparison with verbs or a disproportionate deficit for verbs in comparison with nouns. A number of authors advanced that, in at least some or even in every of these reported cases, the noun/verb dissociation in fact reflected an underlying conceptual deficit disproportionately affecting either object or action concepts. These patterns thus would put an additional constraint on theories of conceptual knowledge organization, which should be able to explain how brain damage could selectively disrupt the concepts of objects or the concepts of actions. We have reviewed 69 papers (published from 1984 to 2009) that reported a pattern of a noun or a verb disproportionate deficit in a single-case, multiple-case, or group study of brain-damaged patients with various aetiologies. From this review, we concluded that none of these studies provided compelling evidence in favour of the interpretation that the observed noun or verb disproportionate deficit arose at the conceptual processing level and, accordingly, that this level may be organized according to the “object/action” dimension. Furthermore, we argue that investigating conceptual impairments in brain-damaged patients according to the “object/action” dichotomy is not empirically fruitful if the purpose is to inform theories of conceptual knowledge organization. In order to provide evidence relevant to these theories, one needs to consider finer grained distinctions within both the object and the action category when investigating the scope of the patients' conceptual impairment.
Tooth supported overdenture: A concept overshadowed but not yet forgotten!

The concept of conventional tooth-retained overdentures is a simple and cost effective treatment than the implant overdentures. When few firm teeth are present in an otherwise compromised dentition, they can be retained and used as abutments for overdenture fabrication. This helps improve the retention and stability of the final prosthesis significantly. Bone is a dynamic tissue. The extraction of teeth results in the initiation of the bone resorption pattern. However, when tensile stress is received by bone, additional bone formation takes place. Such stresses occur when occlusal forces are transmitted to the alveolar bone by the periodontal ligament. This principle helps preserve bone. The concept of overdentures may not be the elixir, but it is a positive means for delaying the process of complete endentulism and helps in the preservation of bone. To top it all, it gives the patient the satisfaction of having prosthesis with his natural teeth still present. In this article, case reports with three different types of Overdentures are discussed: Overdenture with cast copings with short dowels, O-ring attachments, and a customized bar supported overdenture with copings.
The feasibility of capturing learner interactions based on logs informed by eye-tracking and remote observation studies

Two small studies, one an eye-tracking study and the other a remote observation study, have been conducted to investigate ways to identify two kinds of online learner interactions: users flicking through the web pages in "browsing" action, and users engaging with the content of a page in "learning" action. The video data from four participants of the two small studies using the OpenLearn open educational resource materials offers some evidence for differentiating between 'browsing' and 'learning'. Further analysis of the data has considered possible ways of identifying similar browsing and learning actions based on automatic user logs. This research provides a specification for researching the pedagogical value of capturing and transforming logs of user interactions into external forms of representations. The paper examines the feasibility and challenge of capturing learner interactions giving examples of external representations such as sequence flow charts, timelines, and table of logs. The objective users information these represent offer potential for understanding user interactions both to aid design and improve feedback means that they should be given greater consideration alongside other more subjective ways to research user experience. Editors: Doug Clow and Alexandra Okada (Open University, UK). Reviewers: Ann Jones (Open University, UK) and Alexandra Okada (Open University, UK). Interactive Demonstration: Readers are encouraged to go through some of the learning units available at OpenLearn. The website may require some computer applications (e.g. pdf viewer, video player, Flash player, etc.) in order to go through some of the materials within OpenLearn such as documents, files, videos, audio, etc.
Factors affecting polarization and depolarization current measurements on insulation of transformers

Polarization and depolarization current measurements are promising on-site, off-line, non-destructive, non-invasive diagnostic tool for condition assessment of paper-oil insulation of transformers. Interpretation of the results of polarization and depolarization current is complex and hence not practiced as a routine diagnostic method for condition monitoring of transformers. This paper discusses various factors affecting polarization and depolarization current measurements with a deeper insight into the theoretical and practical aspects of this technique. Some of the concerns of PDC measurement are explained with support from simulation and experimental studies on paper oil insulation of a laboratory model transformer. Few case studies are discussed to highlight the difficulties in interpretation of results.
An Effective Distributed Space-Time Code for Two-Path Successive Relay Network

Two-path successive relaying has recently been proposed as a mechanism for recovering the multiplexing loss of conventional relay networks; however, the full diversity cannot be guaranteed with this method. In this paper, distributed space-time block coding (STBC) is proposed for a two-path successive decode-and-forward relay network that can achieve both full rate and full diversity when perfect decoding is enabled at the relays. For the case of imperfect decoding, selection relaying is proposed with the distributed STBC to recover the full diversity. For the practical scenario in which the inter-relay channel is subject to fading, the two-path successive relaying transmission may not always be successful; for such cases an adaptive relaying scheme is proposed that can select a proper transmission mode between two-phase relaying transmission and two-path successive relaying transmission based on the channel quality of the relay network. Analytical results show that the proposed distributed STBC can offer both full diversity and a large symbol rate gain.
Concurrent partnerships and the spread of HIV

Objective:To examine how concurrent partnerships amplify the rate of HIV spread, using methods that can be supported by feasible data collection. Methods:A fully stochastic simulation is used to represent a population of individuals, the sexual partnerships that they form and dissolve over time, and the spread of an infectious disease. Sequential monogamy is compared with various levels of concurrency, holding all other features of the infection process constant. Effective summary measures of concurrency are developed that can be estimated on the basis of simple local network data. Results:Concurrent partnerships exponentially increase the number of infected individuals and the growth rate of the epidemic during its initial phase. For example, when one-half of the partnerships in a population are concurrent, the size of the epidemic after 5 years is 10 times as large as under sequential monogamy. The primary cause of this amplification is the growth in the number of people connected in the network at any point in time: the size of the largest ‘component’. Concurrency increases the size of this component, and the result is that the infectious agent is no longer trapped in a monogamous partnership after transmission occurs, but can spread immediately beyond this partnership to infect others. The summary measure of concurrency developed here does a good job in predicting the size of the amplification effect, and may therefore be a useful and practical tool for evaluation and intervention at the beginning of an epidemic. Conclusion:Concurrent partnerships may be as important as multiple partners or cofactor infections in amplifying the spread of HIV. The public health implications are that data must be collected properly to measure the levels of concurrency in a population, and that messages promoting ‘one partner at a time’ are as important as messages promoting fewer partners.
On the design of RF spiral inductors on silicon

This review of design principles for implementation of a spiral inductor in a silicon integrated circuit fabrication process summarizes prior art in this field. In addition, a fast and physics-based inductor model is exploited to put the results contributed by many different groups in various technologies and achieved over the past eight years into perspective. Inductors are compared not only by their maximum quality factors (Q/sub max/), but also by taking the frequency at Q/sub max/, the inductance value (L), the self-resonance frequency (f/sub SR/), and the coil area into account. It is further explained that the spiral coil structure on a lossy silicon substrate can operate in three different modes, depending at first order on the silicon doping concentration. Ranging from high to low substrate resistivity, inductor-mode, resonator-mode, and eddy-current regimes are defined by characteristic changes of Q/sub max/, L, and f/sub SR/. The advantages and disadvantages of patterned or blanket resistive ground shields between the inductor coil and substrate and the effect of a substrate contact on the inductor are also addressed in this paper. Exploring optimum inductor designs under various constraints leverages the speed of the model. Finally, in view of the continuously increasing operating frequencies in advancing to new generations of RF systems, the range of feasible inductance values for given quality factors are predicted on the basis of optimum technological features.
Bis{2-[(E)-benzyliminomethyl]-4-methylphenolato-κ2 N,O}nickel(II)

In the title complex, [Ni(C15H14NO)2], the NiII atom is located on an inversion centre and is coordinated by two O and two N atoms from two symmetry-related bidentate Schiff base ligands in a slightly distorted square-planar geometry. The phenyl and benzene rings in the ligand molecule form a dihedral angle of 72.79 (8)°.
Prediction-Based Power-Performance Adaptation of Multithreaded Scientific Codes

Computing has recently reached an inflection point with the introduction of multi-core processors. On-chip thread-level parallelism is doubling approximately every other year. Concurrency lends itself naturally to allowing a program to trade performance for power savings by regulating the number of active cores, however in several domains users are unwilling to sacrifice performance to save power. We present a prediction model for identifying energy-efficient operating points of concurrency in well-tuned multithreaded scientific applications, and a runtime system which uses live program analysis to optimize applications dynamically. We describe a dynamic, phase-aware performance prediction model that combines multivariate regression techniques with runtime analysis of data collected from hardware event counters to locate optimal operating points of concurrency. Using our model, we develop a prediction-driven, phase-aware runtime optimization scheme that throttles concurrency so that power consumption can be reduced and performance can be set at the knee of the scalability curve of each program phase. The use of prediction reduces the overhead of searching the optimization space while achieving near-optimal performance and power savings. A thorough evaluation of our approach shows a reduction in power consumption of 10.8% simultaneous with an improvement in performance of 17.9%, resulting in energy savings of 26.7%.