Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Quality Framework to check the applicability of engineering and statistical assumptions for automated gauges

In high-volume part manufacturing, interactions between program data and program flow can depart significantly from the initial statistical assumptions used during software development. This is a particular challenge for industrial gauging systems used in automotive part production where the applicability of statistical models affects system correctness. This paper uses a Quality Framework to track high-level engineering and statistical assumptions during development. Statistical Process Control (SPC) metrics define an “in-control” region where the statistical assumptions apply, and an outlier region where they do not apply. The gauge is monitored on-line to verify that production corresponds to the area of the operation where the gauge algorithms are known to work. If outliers are detected in the on-line manufacturing process, then parts can be quarantined, improved gauging algorithms selected, and/or process improvement activities can be initiated.
Targeting Rho-GTPases in immune cell migration and inflammation

Leukocytes are unmatched migrators capable of traversing barriers and tissues of remarkably varied structural composition. An effective immune response relies on the ability of its constituent cells to infiltrate target sites. Yet, unwarranted mobilization of immune cells can lead to inflammatory diseases and tissue damage ranging in severity from mild to life‐threatening. The efficacy and plasticity of leukocyte migration is driven by the precise spatiotemporal regulation of the actin cytoskeleton. The small GTPases of the Rho family (Rho‐GTPases), and their immediate downstream effector kinases, are key regulators of cellular actomyosin dynamics and are therefore considered prime pharmacological targets for stemming leukocyte motility in inflammatory disorders. This review describes advances in the development of small‐molecule inhibitors aimed at modulating the Rho‐GTPase‐centric regulatory pathways governing motility, many of which stem from studies of cancer invasiveness. These inhibitors promise the advent of novel treatment options with high selectivity and potency against immune‐mediated pathologies.
Separation of instrumental and astrophysical foregrounds for mapping cosmic microwave background anisotropies

ABSTRA C T For the most sensitive present and future experiments dedicated to cosmic microwave background (CMB) anisotropy observations, the identification and separation of signals coming from different sources is an important step in the data analysis. This problem of the restitution of signals from the observation of their mixture is classically called ‘component separation’ in CMB mapping. In this paper, we address the general problem of separating, for millimetre-wave sky-mapping applications, components which include not only astrophysical emissions in two-dimensional maps, but also one-dimensional instrumental effects in the data streams. We show that component separation methods can be adapted to separate simultaneously both astrophysical emissions and components coming from time-dependent foreground signals which originate from the instrument itself. Such general methods can be used for the optimal processing of low-redundancy observations where multi-channel observations are a precious tool to remove systematic effects, as may be the case for the Planck mission.
Combinatorial auction design

Combinatorial auctions allow for more expressive bidding in which participants can submit package bids with logical constraints that limit allowable outcomes. This type of auction can be useful when participants' values are complementary or when participants have production and financial constraints. However, combinatorial auctions are currently rare in practice. The main problems confronted in implementing these auctions are that they have computational uncertainty (i.e., there is no guarantee that the winning bids for such an auction can be found in a “reasonable” amount of time when the number of bidders and items becomes larger) and that the auction is cognitively complex and can lead participants to pursue perverse bidding strategies. This article describes a type of combinatorial auction that, during laboratory testing, eliminated these problems and produced extremely efficient outcomes.
Remote sensing method for estimating green and blue water footprint

In this paper we propose an approach to decompose the water footprint (WF) using remote sensing data on a global scale. The WF of a crop is defined as the volume of water consumed for its production, where green and blue WF stand for rain and irrigation water usage, respectively. A method has been developed to separate WF into its green and blue components by analysing time series of earth observation data and model simulations on precipitation, soil moisture, evapotranspiration, runoff and water storage. The model takes into account the typical timescale of soil moisture depletion. Soil moisture estimates are retrieved from the Advanced Microwave Scanning Radiometer-Earth Observing System (AMSR-E), and the Global Land Data Assimilation System (GLDAS) are employed as a test dataset. The results show the identification of irrigation events and preliminary green and blue water calculations allowing us to assess the potential of the method.
A mucoadhesive, thermoreversible in situ nasal gel of geniposide for neurodegenerative diseases

Neurodegenerative diseases are becoming prevalent as the population ages. Geniposide could inhibit oxidative stress, reduce apoptosis, protect neuron, and has been used for therapy of the neurodegenerative diseases. The bioavailability of geniposide by nasal route is greater than that by oral administration. However, mucociliary clearance is a rate-limiting factor for nasal route administration. The objective of this study was to develop and evaluate a mucoadhesive, thermoreversible in situ nasal gel of geniposide. The poloxamers (P407, P188) and the hydroxypropyl methylcellulose were used as thermoreversible and mucoadhesive polymers, respectively. Borneol was used as a permeation enhancer. The hydrogel was prepared with the cold method and optimized by the response surface methodology-central composite design. Gelation temperature, pH, clarity, gel strength, mucoadhesive strength, in vitro and ex vivo release kinetics of formulations were evaluated. The optimized amounts of poloxamer407 (P407), poloxamer188 (P188) and hydroxypropyl methylcellulose were determined to be 19.4–20.5%, 1.1–4.0% and 0.3–0.6% respectively. The second-order polynomial equation in terms of actual factors indicated a satisfactory correlation between the independent variables and the response (R2 = 0.9760). An ANOVA of the empirical second-order polynomial model indicated the model was significant (P<0.01). P407, P188, P407×P188, P4072 and P1882 were significant model terms. The effects of P407 on gelation temperature were greater than those of other independent variables. The pH values of all the formulations were found to be within 6.3–6.5 which was in the nasal physiological pH range 4.5–6.5. The drug content, gel strength, mucoadhesive strength of the optimized formulations were 97–101%, 25–50 sec and 4000–6000 dyn/cm2 respectively. The in vitro release kinetics of cumulative release of geniposide was fitted to the zero-order model. The ex vivo cumulative release kinetics of geniposide was fitted to the Weibull model. This study concludes that the release of geniposide is controlled by gel corrosion, and that the permeation of geniposide is time-dependent. The more residence time, mucoadhesive, thermoreversible in situ nasal gel of geniposide for neurodegenerative diseases is of compliance and potential application.
High accuracy calibration for vehicle-based laser scanning and urban panoramic imaging and surveying system

The coordinate systems related to the vehicle-based mobile laser scanning system and the relationships between them are firstly demonstrated in this paper, then the positioning principals of vehicle-based mobile laser scanning system are well established. Factors that influence the system positioning precision are analyzed briefly, including the misalignment angle and lever arm between Scanner Owned Coordinate System (SOCS) and IMU System. To calibrate the misalignment angle and lever arm between SOCS and IMU Coordinate System, a calibration field, which uses the building corners as reference points, is established. Based on the calibration field established, a calibration method is proposed and utilized in the calibration of our vehicle-based mobile laser scanning and urban panoramic imaging and surveying system, the verification experiment show that, under good GPS conditions and with the system well calibrated, the elevation accuracy is better than 4cm and the planimetric accuracy is better than 6cm.
Mechanostimulation, electrostimulation and force measurement in an in vitro model of the isolated rat diaphragm

In an in vitro model of the entire rat diaphragm, diaphragmatic contraction forces at defined preload levels were investigated. A total of 24 excised rat diaphragms were electrically stimulated inside a two-chamber strain-applicator. The resulting contraction forces were determined on eight adjusted preload levels via measuring the elicited pressure in the chamber below the diaphragm. Subsequently, diaphragms were exposed for 6 h to one of four treatments: (1) control, (2) cyclic mechanical stretch, (3) intermittent electrical stimulation or (4) combination of cyclic mechanical stretch and electrical stimulation. Diaphragmatic contraction force increased from 116 ± 21 mN at the lowest preload level to 775 ± 85 mN at the maximal preload level. After 6 h maximal muscle contraction forces were smallest after non-electrostimulated treatment (control: 81 ± 15 mN, mechanical deflection: 94 ± 12 mN) and largest after electrostimulation treatment (mere electrostimulation: 165 ± 20 mN, combined mechano- and electro-stimulation: 164 ± 14 mN). We conclude that our model allows force measurements on isolated rat diaphragms. Furthermore, we conclude that by intermediate electrical stimulation diaphragmatic force generation was better preserved than by mechanical stimulation.
Genetic, Ecological and Morphological Distinctness of the Blue Mussels Mytilus trossulus Gould and M. edulis L. in the White Sea

Two blue mussel lineages of Pliocene origin, Mytilus edulis (ME) and M. trossulus (MT), co-occur and hybridize in several regions on the shores of the North Atlantic. The two species were distinguished from each other by molecular methods in the 1980s, and a large amount of comparative data on them has been accumulated since that time. However, while ME and MT are now routinely distinguished by various genetic markers, they tend to be overlooked in ecological studies since morphological characters for taxonomic identification have been lacking, and no consistent habitat differences between lineages have been reported. Surveying a recently discovered area of ME and MT co-occurrence in the White Sea and employing a set of allozyme markers for identification, we address the issue whether ME and MT are true biological species with distinct ecological characteristics or just virtual genetic entities with no matching morphological and ecological identities. We find that: (1) in the White Sea, the occurrence of MT is largely concentrated in harbors, in line with observations from other subarctic regions of Europe; (2) mixed populations of ME and MT are always dominated by purebred individuals, animals classified as hybrids constituting only ca. 18%; (3) in terms of shell morphology, 80% of MT bear a distinct uninterrupted dark prismatic strip under the ligament while 97% of ME lack this character; (4) at sites of sympatry MT is more common on algal substrates while ME mostly lives directly on the bottom. This segregation by the substrate may contribute to maintaining reproductive isolation and decreasing competition between taxa. We conclude that while ME and MT are not fully reproductively isolated, they do represent clearly distinguishable biological, ecological and morphological entities in the White Sea. It remains to be documented whether the observed morphological and ecological differences are of a local character, or whether they have simply been overlooked in other contact zones.
The efficacy of HER 2-targeted agents in metastatic breast cancer : a meta-analysis

Background: The addition of HER2-targeted agents to standard treatment has been shown to improve outcomes for HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer patients. We undertook a meta-analysis to evaluate the efficacy of HER2targeted therapy in addition to standard treatment in metastatic breast cancer patients. Patients and methods: Eligible trials were randomised controlled trials (RCTs) comparing the addition of HER2 therapy to standard treatment (hormone or chemotherapy) reporting overall survival (OS), time to progression (TTP), progression-free survival (PFS) and/or response rates. Results: Eight trials comprising 1848 patients were eligible for inclusion. HER2-targeted agents were trastuzumab and lapatinib and therapeutic partners were taxanes (4 RCTs), anthracyclines (1), capecitabine (2), anastrozole (1) and letrozole (1). The addition of HER2-targeted agents improved OS [hazard ratios (HR) 0.78; 95% confidence interval (CI) 0.67–0.91], TTP (HR 0.56; 95% CI 0.48–0.64), PFS (HR 0.63; 95% CI 0.53–0.74) and overall response rate (relative risk 1.67; 95% CI 1.46–1.90). Conclusions: Our meta-analysis confirms the benefit of adding HER2-targeted therapy to standard treatment in HER2 positive metastatic breast cancer. Compared with OS, TTP, PFS and ORR overestimate treatment benefit. Trials in our meta-analysis differed in terms of partner drug or HER2 agents, yet delivered comparable outcomes.
Joint Radio Resource Management for HSDPA and WiMAX Networks

A vision of future wireless networks is the coexistence of multiple access network technologies. Different access networks will coexist and the Internet Protocol will be the joint layer. Controlling the resources of these networks is very challenging. This paper deals with two data oriented access networks, the worldwide interoperability for microwave access (WiMAX) and the high speed downlink packet access (HSDPA). A new scheduling algorithm to work with large FTP file downloads is suggested, then a queueing model is analytically developed; this model can be used in developing an efficient joint radio resource management (JRRM) protocol to be used by the joint admission controller that controls the access to the two networks. The developed model can also be used to obtain many important performance measurements such as blocking probability, mean sojourn time and the optimum loads of the two networks.
HOSERLab: A New Planetary Spectrophotometer Facility

Introduction: We have recently completed the establishment of the Hyperspectral Optical Sensing for Extraterrestrial Reconaissance Laboratory (HOSER-Lab) at the University of Winnipeg. This facility is designed to enable analysis of planetary materials and terrestrial analogues from the micro to the macro (field) scale. This facility was established with funding from the Canada Foundation for Innovation (CF), the Manitoba Research and Innovation Fund (MRIF), and the Canadian Space Agency (CSA). Initial results from the infrastructure already deployed is described in a series of companion abstracts [1-3]. Here we provide descriptions of the infrastructure and related facilities. Briefly, HOSERLab consists of a suite of spectropho-tometers and two environment chambers designed to simulate Martian surface conditions and capable of being interfaced with some of the spectrometers. Spectrometer Facilities: The spectrometers designed for micro to macro spectroscopic investigations of planetary and terrestrial analogue materials have been grouped into micro-capable, fixed lab instruments , and field-portable units. Microspectrometry. The workhorse of the lab's microspectroscopy capabilities is an integrated and modified system from Bruker Optics. It consists of a Vertex 70 FT spectrometer (for macro point spectros-copy) coupled to a Hyperion 2000 infrared microscope (for micro point spectroscopy). The system has been modified and enhanced to provide coverage of the spectral range from 25,000 to 50 cm-1 (0.4-200 µm) with the Vertex and 25,000-370 cm-1 (0.4-27 µm) for the Hyperion system (through the use of interchangeable optics and detectors), with a nominal resolution of 0.5 cm-1. The system allows for acquisition of reflec-tance, transmittance and ATR spectral data. Through the use of motorized stages and a large working distance , planetary materials contained in controlled environments can be spectrally characterized on a grain-by-grain basis or in 2 spatial dimensions (to simulate an imaging system). Swappable sample containers allow for macro-spectroscopy with the Vertex system in either reflectance or transmittance mode. Laboratory Point Spectrometers. HOSERLab includes a number of instruments for acquisition of point spectra at the few microns to few centimeters scale. Two of these are intended solely for use in the laboratory. The first is a Jasco Model 570 spectrometer. This instrument is a dispersive double beam instrument, and covers the wavelength range from 190 to 2500 nm
The Pneumococcal Serine-Rich Repeat Protein Is an Intra-Species Bacterial Adhesin That Promotes Bacterial Aggregation In Vivo and in Biofilms

The Pneumococcal serine-rich repeat protein (PsrP) is a pathogenicity island encoded adhesin that has been positively correlated with the ability of Streptococcus pneumoniae to cause invasive disease. Previous studies have shown that PsrP mediates bacterial attachment to Keratin 10 (K10) on the surface of lung cells through amino acids 273-341 located in the Basic Region (BR) domain. In this study we determined that the BR domain of PsrP also mediates an intra-species interaction that promotes the formation of large bacterial aggregates in the nasopharynx and lungs of infected mice as well as in continuous flow-through models of mature biofilms. Using numerous methods, including complementation of mutants with BR domain deficient constructs, fluorescent microscopy with Cy3-labeled recombinant (r)BR, Far Western blotting of bacterial lysates, co-immunoprecipitation with rBR, and growth of biofilms in the presence of antibodies and competitive peptides, we determined that the BR domain, in particular amino acids 122-166 of PsrP, promoted bacterial aggregation and that antibodies against the BR domain were neutralizing. Using similar methodologies, we also determined that SraP and GspB, the Serine-rich repeat proteins (SRRPs) of Staphylococcus aureus and Streptococcus gordonii, respectively, also promoted bacterial aggregation and that their Non-repeat domains bound to their respective SRRPs. This is the first report to show the presence of biofilm-like structures in the lungs of animals infected with S. pneumoniae and show that SRRPs have dual roles as host and bacterial adhesins. These studies suggest that recombinant Non-repeat domains of SRRPs (i.e. BR for S. pneumoniae) may be useful as vaccine antigens to protect against Gram-positive bacteria that cause infection.
Fully-Automatic Landmark detection in Skull X-Ray images

In this paper, we present our new method for fully-automatic landmark detection on X-ray images. To detect landmarks, we estimate the displacements from some randomly sampled image patches to the (unknown) landmark positions, and then we integrate these predictions via a voting scheme. Different from other methods, we jointly estimate the displacements from all patches together in a data driven way, by considering not only the training data but also geometric constraints on the test image. The displacements estimation is formulated as a convex optimization problem that can be solved efficiently. We validate our method on a dataset of skull X-ray image containing 100 training images and 100 test images. We get an average detection error of 2.8 mm.
Validity and reliability of the Fitbit Zip as a measure of preschool children’s step count

Objectives Validation of physical activity measurement tools is essential to determine the relationship between physical activity and health in preschool children, but research to date has not focused on this priority. The aims of this study were to ascertain inter-rater reliability of observer step count, and interdevice reliability and validity of Fitbit Zip accelerometer step counts in preschool children. Methods Fifty-six children aged 3–4 years (29 girls) recruited from 10 nurseries in North Wales, UK, wore two Fitbit Zip accelerometers while performing a timed walking task in their childcare settings. Accelerometers were worn in secure pockets inside a custom-made tabard. Video recordings enabled two observers to independently code the number of steps performed in 3 min by each child during the walking task. Intraclass correlations (ICCs), concordance correlation coefficients, Bland-Altman plots and absolute per cent error were calculated to assess the reliability and validity of the consumer-grade device. Results An excellent ICC was found between the two observer codings (ICC=1.00) and the two Fitbit Zips (ICC=0.91). Concordance between the Fitbit Zips and observer counts was also high (r=0.77), with an acceptable absolute per cent error (6%–7%). Bland-Altman analyses identified a bias for Fitbit 1 of 22.8±19.1 steps with limits of agreement between −14.7 and 60.2 steps, and a bias for Fitbit 2 of 25.2±23.2 steps with limits of agreement between −20.2 and 70.5 steps. Conclusions Fitbit Zip accelerometers are a reliable and valid method of recording preschool children’s step count in a childcare setting.
TRESSA: Teamed robots for exploration and science on steep areas

Long‐duration robotic missions on lunar and planetary surfaces (for example, the Mars Exploration Rovers have operated continuously on the Martian surface for close to 3 years) provide the opportunity to acquire scientifically interesting information from a diverse set of surface and subsurface sites and to explore multiple sites in greater detail. Exploring a wide range of terrain types, including plains, cliffs, sand dunes, and lava tubes, requires the development of robotic systems with mobility enhanced beyond that which is currently fielded. These systems include single as well as teams of robots. TRESSA (Teamed Robots for Exploration and Science on Steep Areas) is a closely coupled three‐robot team developed at the Jet Propulsion Laboratory (JPL) that previously demonstrated the ability to drive on soil‐covered slopes up to 70 deg. In this paper, we present results from field demonstrations of the TRESSA system in even more challenging terrain: rough rocky slopes of up to 85 deg. In addition, the integration of a robotic arm and instrument suite has allowed TRESSA to demonstrate semi‐autonomous science investigation of the cliffs and science sample collection. TRESSA successfully traversed cliffs and collected samples at three Mars analog sites in Svalbard, Norway as part of a recent geological and astrobiological field investigation called AMASE: Arctic Mars Analog Svalbard Expedition under the NASA ASTEP (Astrobiology Science and Technology for Exploring Planets) program. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.