Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Visual Servoing from Lines

In this paper, we present a new approach to visual servoing using lines. It is based on a theoretical and geometrical study of the main line representations, which allows us to define a new representation, the so-called binormalized Plücker coordinates. These are particularly well suited for visual servoing. Indeed, they allow the definition of an image line alignment concept. Moreover, the control law which realizes such an alignment has several properties: partial decoupling between rotation and translation, analytical inversion of the motion equations and global asymptotic stability conditions. This control law was validated both in simulation and experimentally in the specific case of an orthogonal trihedron.
In Vivo Study of Cross-Sectional Skeletal Muscle Fiber Asymmetry with Diffusion-Weighted MRI

Skeletal muscles are highly organized hierarchical structures characterized by an anisotropic arrangement of muscle fibers (myocytes) in fascicles. Due to its unique non-invasive microstructure probing capabilities, diffusion-weighted Magnetic Resonance Imaging (DW-MRI) constitutes a valuable non-invasive tool in the study of such fibrous biological tissues. We have implemented a DW-MRI sequence with highly sensitive directional encoding to quantify the microarchitectural properties of human calf muscles at rest. We have specifically focused on a composite model-based analysis of diffusion tensor MRI measurements to quantify in vivo the cross-sectional asymmetry of muscle fiber geometry, which is a microstructural feature well documented in prior histological studies.
Therapeutic Effects of PPARα Agonist on Ocular Neovascularization in Models Recapitulating Neovascular Age-Related Macular Degeneration

Purpose This study was designed to evaluate effects of fenofibric acid (Feno-FA), a peroxisome proliferator–activated receptor-alpha (PPARα) agonist, on ocular neovascularization (NV) in models recapitulating neovascular age-related macular degeneration (AMD), and to explore whether the effects are PPARα dependent. Methods Laser-induced choroidal NV (CNV) in rats and very low-density lipoprotein receptor knockout (Vldlr−/−) mice received daily intraperitoneal injections of Feno-FA or vehicle. Vascular leakage was examined by fundus fluorescein angiography and permeability assay using Evans blue as tracer. In CNV rats, severity of CNV was evaluated by CNV areas and CNV volume. In Vldlr−/− mice, subretinal NV (SRNV) and intraretinal NV (IRNV) were quantified in choroid flat mount and retina flat mount, respectively. Inflammatory factors were measured using Western blotting and retinal leukostasis assay. Further, Pparα−/− mice and age-matched wild-type (WT) mice were used for laser-induced CNV and treated with Feno-FA to explore the underlying mechanism. Results Feno-FA significantly reduced vascular leakage in CNV rats and Vldlr−/− mice, reduced CNV volume in laser-induced CNV rats, and suppressed SRNV and IRNV in Vldlr−/− mice. In addition, Feno-FA downregulated the expression of inflammatory factors, including VEGF, TNF-α, and intercellular cell adhesion molecule-1 (ICAM-1), in the eyecups of CNV rats and decreased adherent retinal leukocytes in Vldlr−/− mice. Furthermore, Pparα−/− mice developed more severe CNV compared with WT mice, and PPARα knockout abolished the beneficial effects of Feno-FA on CNV. Conclusions Feno-FA has therapeutic effects on ocular NV in models recapitulating neovascular AMD through a PPARα-dependent mechanism.
Meta‐analyses of object naming: Effect of baseline

The neural systems sustaining object naming were examined using the activation likelihood estimation (ALE) meta‐analysis approach on the results of 16 previously published studies. The activation task in each study required subjects to name pictures of objects or animals, but the baseline tasks varied. Separate meta‐analyses were carried out on studies that used: (1) high‐level baselines to control for speech processing and visual input; and (2) low‐level baselines that did not control for speech or complex visual processing. The results of the two meta‐analyses were then compared directly, revealing a double dissociation in the activation pattern for studies using high and low baselines. To interpret the differential activations, we report two new functional imaging experiments. The aim of the first was to characterize activation differences associated with visual stimuli that are typically used in baseline conditions (complex visual features, simple structures, or fixation). The aim of the second was to classify object‐naming regions in terms of whether they were engaged preferentially by semantic or phonological processes. The results reveal a remarkably precise correspondence between the areas identified by the meta‐analyses as affected differentially by baseline and the areas that are affected differentially by non‐object structure, semantics or phonology. As expected, high‐level baselines reduced object‐naming activation in areas associated with the processing of complex visual features and speech production. In addition, high‐level baselines increased sensitivity to activation in areas associated with semantic processing, visual‐speech integration and response selection. For example, activation in the anterior temporal areas that neuropsychological studies have associated with semantic processing was more strongly activated in the context of high‐level baselines. These results therefore have implications for understanding the convergence of functional imaging and neuropsychological findings. Hum Brain Mapp 25:70–82, 2005. © 2005 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Validation of Functional Fitness Tests as Surrogates for Strength Measurement in Frail, Older Adults with Chronic Obstructive Pulmonary Disease

Benton MJ, Alexander JL: Validation of functional fitness tests as surrogates for strength measurement in frail, older adults with COPD. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2009;88:579–586. Objective:This study evaluated the relationship of functional field tests to traditional laboratory strength tests in 40 frail, older adults with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Design:Participants completed two trials of upper (chest press) and lower (leg press) body maximal strength (maximal weight lifted one time) testing and one trial of functional fitness testing (Arm Curl, Lift and Reach, Chair Stand, Up and Go). The maximal weight lifted one-time values from both trials were compared with functional fitness test values to identify valid surrogates. Results:Among upper-body functional fitness tests, the Arm Curl had a moderately strong relationship to chest press (trial 1: r = 0.55, P = 0.01; trial 2: r = 0.56, P = 0.01) whereas the Lift and Reach did not. Among lower-body functional fitness tests, the Chair Stand had a fairly strong relationship to leg press (trial 1: r = 0.46, P = 0.01; trial 2: r = 0.38, P = 0.05), but the Up and Go did not. Conclusions:Only the Arm Curl and Chair Stand tests were valid surrogates. Although multiple field tests to measure strength in a clinical setting may be desirable, these data support limiting functional testing to the Arm Curl for upper-body and the Chair Stand for lower-body strength assessment.
Impact of Home Smoking Rules on Smoking Patterns Among Adolescents and Young Adults

Introduction Smoking restrictions in public places have been shown to reduce cigarette consumption and may reduce smoking prevalence. Evidence is emerging that smoke-free policies in nonpublic places may have a similar effect. The purpose of this study was to determine whether an association exists between household smoking rules and smoking patterns among adolescents (aged 15 to 18 years) and young adults (aged 19 to 24 years) living in parental homes (i.e., the homes of their parents, grandparents, or foster parents). Methods Cross-sectional data from the 1998–1999 Tobacco Use Supplement to the Current Population Survey were analyzed for the association between household smoking rules and smoking behaviors among adolescents and young adults. We used a probability sample of noninstitutionalized adolescents (aged 15 to 18 years) and young adults (aged 19 to 24 years) living in the United States and assessed smoking status, attempts to quit, and smoking intensity. Results After controlling for smoking status of others in the household, the odds of ever having smoked, being a current smoker, and smoking more than five cigarettes per day were significantly smaller in households with strict no-smoking policies than in households where smoking was permitted anywhere. These results were relevant for adolescents and young adults. Conclusion Household smoking rules are a type of antitobacco socialization that help deter adolescents from smoking. The influence of household smoking rules seems to extend beyond adolescence into the young adult years among people who continue to live at home with their parents, grandparents, or foster parents.
The New Perilaryngeal Airway (CobraPLA™) Is as Efficient as the Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA™) but Provides Better Airway Sealing Pressures

The Laryngeal Mask Airway (LMA) is a frequently used efficient airway device, yet it sometimes seals poorly, thus reducing the efficacy of positive-pressure ventilation. The Perilaryngeal Airway (CobraPLA) is a novel airway device with a larger pharyngeal cuff (when inflated). We tested the hypothesis that the CobraPLA was superior to the LMA with regard to insertion time and airway sealing pressure and comparable to the LMA in airway adequacy and recovery characteristics. After midazolam and fentanyl administration, 81 ASA physical status I–II outpatients having elective surgery were randomized to receive an LMA or CobraPLA. Anesthesia was induced with propofol (2.5 mg/kg IV), and the airway was inserted. We measured 1) insertion time; 2) adequacy of the airway (no leak at 15-cm-H2O peak pressure or tidal volume of 5 mL/kg); 3) airway sealing pressure; 4) number of repositioning attempts; and 5) sealing quality (no leak at tidal volume of 8 mL/kg). At the end of surgery, gastric insufflation, postoperative sore throat, dysphonia, and dysphagia were evaluated. Data were compared with unpaired Student’s t-tests, χ2 tests, or Fisher’s exact tests; P < 0.05 was significant. Patient characteristics, insertion times, airway adequacy, number of repositioning attempts, and recovery were similar in each group. Airway sealing pressure was significantly greater with CobraPLA (23 ± 6 cm H2O) than LMA (18 ± 5 cm H2O, P < 0.001). The CobraPLA has insertion characteristics similar to the LMA but better airway sealing capabilities.
Towards a formal framework for linguistic annotations

‘Linguistic annotation’ is a term covering any transcription, translation or annotation of textual data or recorded linguistic signals. While there are several ongoing efforts to provide formats and tools for such annotations and to publish annotated linguistic databases, the lack of widely accepted standards is becoming a critical problem. Proposed standards, to the extent they exist, have focussed on file formats. This paper focuses instead on the logical structure of linguistic annotations. We survey a wide variety of annotation formats and demonstrate a common conceptual core. This provides the foundation for an algebraic framework which encompasses the representation, archiving and query of linguistic annotations, while remaining consistent with many alternative file formats.
Tribological behaviors of dialkyldithiophosphate-encapsulated Ni nanoparticles prepared by microwave-assisted reaction

We applied the microwave-assisted heating method to prepare the pyridine dialkyldithiophosphate-encapsulated Ni (Ni-DDP) nanoparticles. The surface-encapsulated Ni particles were characterized by Fourier transform infrared spectrometer, thermogravimetric analysis, X-ray diffraction, and transmission electron microscopy. Their tribological behavior in lubricate base oil was investigated on four-ball machines. The results show that uniform Ni-DDP nanoparticles about 12 nm can be obtained using microwave heating device and also they exhibit good tribological behaviors dispersed in liquid paraffin.
Fabrication of Superhydrophobic Surfaces on Engineering Materials by a Solution‐Immersion Process

Superhydrophobic surfaces on engineering materials are prepared via a convenient solution‐immersion method. The binary geometric structures at the micro‐ and nanometer scale bestow superhydrophobic properties on the surfaces. The surfaces show stable superhydrophobicity even in many corrosive solutions, such as acidic or basic solutions over a wide pH range, and also in salt solutions. The procedure is time‐saving, inexpensive, and fairly facile to carry out. It is expected that this facile technique will accelerate the large‐scale production of superhydrophobic engineering materials with new industrial applications.
The EcoKI Type I Restriction-Modification System in Escherichia coli Affects but Is Not an Absolute Barrier for Conjugation

ABSTRACT The rapid evolution of bacteria is crucial to their survival and is caused by exchange, transfer, and uptake of DNA, among other things. Conjugation is one of the main mechanisms by which bacteria share their DNA, and it is thought to be controlled by varied bacterial immune systems. Contradictory results about restriction-modification systems based on phenotypic studies have been presented as reasons for a barrier to conjugation with and other means of uptake of exogenous DNA. In this study, we show that inactivation of the R.EcoKI restriction enzyme in strain Escherichia coli K-12 strain MG1655 increases the conjugational transfer of plasmid pOLA52, which carriers two EcoKI recognition sites. Interestingly, the results were not absolute, and uptake of unmethylated pOLA52 was still observed in the wild-type strain (with an intact hsdR gene) but at a reduction of 85% compared to the uptake of the mutant recipient with a disrupted hsdR gene. This leads to the conclusion that EcoKI restriction-modification affects the uptake of DNA by conjugation but is not a major barrier to plasmid transfer.
Multi-science applications with single codebase — GAMER — For massively parallel architectures

The growing need for power efficient extreme-scale high-performance computing (HPC) coupled with plateauing clock-speeds is driving the emergence of massively parallel compute architectures. Tens to many hundreds of cores are increasingly made available as compute units, either as the integral part of the main processor or as coprocessors designed for handling massively parallel workloads. In the case of many-core graphics processing units (GPUs) hundreds of SIMD cores primarily designed for image and video rendering are used for high-performance scientific computations. The new architectures typically offer ANSI standard programming models such as CUDA (NVIDIA) and OpenCL. However, the wide-ranging adoption of these parallel architectures is steeped in difficult learning curve and requires reengineering of existing applications that mostly leads to expensive and error prone code rewrites without prior guarantee and knowledge of any speedups. Broad range of complex scientific applications across many domains use common algorithms and techniques, such as adaptive mesh refinements (AMR), advanced hydrodynamics partial differential equation (PDE) solvers, Poisson-Gravity solvers etc, that have demonstrably performed highly efficiently on GPU based systems. Taking advantage of the commonalities, we use GPU-aware AMR code, GAMER [1], to examine the unique approach of solving multi-science problems in astrophysics, hydrodynamics and particle physics with single codebase. We demonstrate significant speedups in disparate class of scientific applications on 3 separate clusters, viz., Dirac, Laohu and Mole 8.5. By extensively reusing the extendable single codebase we mitigate the impediments of significant code rewrites. We also collect performance and energy consumption benchmark metrics on 50-nodes NVIDIA C2050 GPU and Intel 8-core Nehalem CPU on Dirac cluster at the National Energy Research Supercomputing Center (NERSC). In addition, we propose a strategy and framework for legacy and new applications to successfully leverage the evolving GAMER codebase on massively parallel architectures. The framework and the benchmarks are aimed to help quantify the adoption strategies for legacy and new scientific applications.
Probability Timing Constraint WF-Nets and Their Application to Timing Schedulability Analysis of Workflow Management Systems

For obtaining timely responses in workflow management systems, we must design a schedule of task executions in a timely manner with respect to imposed timing constraints. We call the procedure of verifying that a schedule satisfies the timing constraints as timing schedulability analysis. Traditional work proposed for schedulability analysis only give definite analysis results of timing constraints satisfaction or violation, which are too rigorous in practice. In this paper, we define Probability Timing Constraint WF-nets (PTCWF-nets) and their corresponding timing schedulability analysis approach, which extends the analysis result into probability of satisfaction. By means of this analysis result, process designer can flexibly evaluate timing constraints and proactively take suitable measures to deal with possible timing constraint violations.
Learning Fine-Grained Expressions to Solve Math Word Problems

This paper presents a novel template-based method to solve math word problems. This method learns the mappings between math concept phrases in math word problems and their math expressions from training data. For each equation template, we automatically construct a rich template sketch by aggregating information from various problems with the same template. Our approach is implemented in a two-stage system. It first retrieves a few relevant equation system templates and aligns numbers in math word problems to those templates for candidate equation generation. It then does a fine-grained inference to obtain the final answer. Experiment results show that our method achieves an accuracy of 28.4% on the linear Dolphin18K benchmark, which is 10% (54% relative) higher than previous state-of-the-art systems while achieving an accuracy increase of 12% (59% relative) on the TS6 benchmark subset.
Dementia Revealed: Novel Chromosome 6 Locus for Late-Onset Alzheimer Disease Provides Genetic Evidence for Folate-Pathway Abnormalities

Genome-wide association studies (GWAS) of late-onset Alzheimer disease (LOAD) have consistently observed strong evidence of association with polymorphisms in APOE. However, until recently, variants at few other loci with statistically significant associations have replicated across studies. The present study combines data on 483,399 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) from a previously reported GWAS of 492 LOAD cases and 496 controls and from an independent set of 439 LOAD cases and 608 controls to strengthen power to identify novel genetic association signals. Associations exceeding the experiment-wide significance threshold () were replicated in an additional 1,338 cases and 2,003 controls. As expected, these analyses unequivocally confirmed APOE's risk effect (rs2075650, ). Additionally, the SNP rs11754661 at 151.2 Mb of chromosome 6q25.1 in the gene MTHFD1L (which encodes the methylenetetrahydrofolate dehydrogenase (NADP+ dependent) 1-like protein) was significantly associated with LOAD (; Bonferroni-corrected P = 0.022). Subsequent genotyping of SNPs in high linkage disequilibrium () with rs11754661 identified statistically significant associations in multiple SNPs (rs803424, P = 0.016; rs2073067, P = 0.03; rs2072064, P = 0.035), reducing the likelihood of association due to genotyping error. In the replication case-control set, we observed an association of rs11754661 in the same direction as the previous association at P = 0.002 ( in combined analysis of discovery and replication sets), with associations of similar statistical significance at several adjacent SNPs (rs17349743, P = 0.005; rs803422, P = 0.004). In summary, we observed and replicated a novel statistically significant association in MTHFD1L, a gene involved in the tetrahydrofolate synthesis pathway. This finding is noteworthy, as MTHFD1L may play a role in the generation of methionine from homocysteine and influence homocysteine-related pathways and as levels of homocysteine are a significant risk factor for LOAD development.
Characterization of Geometric Leakage Current of $ \hbox{GeO}_{2}$ Isolation and Effect of Forming Gas Annealing in Germanium p-n Junctions

In this letter, we have analyzed the area, perimeter, and corner leakage current components of lateral p+/n-Ge-based diodes with a GeO2 isolation layer, which were fabricated at temperatures below 500 °C. In addition, the effects of forming gas anneal are included, which was done to further reduce the leakage current. It was found that corner leakage was the most dominant source of surface leakage. Perimeter leakage is the next major source of leakage, and it is mostly affected by the quality of the passivation layer. Forming gas annealing of 350 °C gave the most beneficial results in overall leakage current reduction.
Preclinical Antitumor Activity of 2-Chloro-9-(2-deoxy-2-fluoro-β-D-arabinofuranosyl)adenine (C1-F-Ara-A)

Abstract Cl-F-ara-A, an analog of fludarabine, was evaluated against a spectrum of tumor systems in culture and in mice. The compound exhibited significant cytotoxicity against a variety of human tumor cell lines. More importantly, the compound showed selectivity in vivo, with excellent activity being demonstrated against human colon and renal tumors. Human nonsmall cell lung and prostate tumors were also sensitive in vivo to the compound, albeit at a reduced level.
New Algorithms for the Simple Temporal Problem

This thesis focuses on algorithms for solving the Simple Temporal Problem (STP). It includes a theoretical analysis of the STP’s complexity; discussion and comparisons of known methods for solving the STP, including the current state-of-the-art algorithm 4STP and incremental methods; an exploration into the chordal graph theory underlying 4STP; and an extension of this theory to the directed case. Its main contribution is the proposal of new algorithms for solving the STP by enforcing partial path consistency. The new algorithms are shown to outperform the best existing algorithms; this is done by a theoretical analysis and by empirical research on a variety of test cases, in which an improvement over the older algorithms by up to an order of magnitude is demonstrated.
BCG Revaccination Does Not Protect Against Leprosy in the Brazilian Amazon: A Cluster Randomised Trial

Background Although BCG has been found to impart protection against leprosy in many populations, the utility of repeat or booster BCG vaccinations is still unclear. When a policy of giving a second BCG dose to school children in Brazil was introduced, a trial was conducted to assess its impact against tuberculosis, and a leprosy component was then undertaken in parallel. Objective: to estimate the protection against leprosy imparted by a second dose of BCG given to schoolchildren. Methods and Findings This is a cluster randomised community trial, with 6 years and 8 months of follow-up. Study site: City of Manaus, Amazon region, a leprosy-endemic area in Brazil. Participants: 99,770 school children with neonatal BCG (aged 7–14 years at baseline), of whom 42,662 were in the intervention arm (revaccination). Intervention: BCG given by intradermal injection. Main outcome: Leprosy (all clinical forms). Results: The incidence rate ratio of leprosy in the intervention over the control arm within the follow-up, in schoolchildren with neonatal BCG, controlled for potential confounders and adjusted for clustering, was 0.99 (95% confidence interval: 0.68 to 1.45). Conclusions/Significance There was no evidence of protection conferred by the second dose of BCG vaccination in school children against leprosy during the trial follow-up. These results point to a need to consider the effectiveness of the current policy of BCG vaccination of contacts of leprosy cases in Brazilian Amazon region.