Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Using Bayesian filtering to interpret tactile data during flexible materials manipulation

Localizing and manipulating features such as buttons, snaps, or grommets embedded in fabrics and other flexible materials is a difficult robotics problem. Approaches that rely too much on sensing and localization that occurs before touching the material are likely to fail because the flexible material can move when the robot actually makes contact. This paper experimentally explores the possibility of using proprioceptive and load-based tactile information to localize features embedded in flexible materials during robot manipulation. In our experiments, Robonaut 2, a robot with human-like hands and arms, uses particle filtering to localize features based on proprioceptive and tactile measurements. Our main contribution is to propose a method of interacting with flexible materials that reduces the state space of the interaction by forcing the material to comply in repeatable ways. Measurements are matched to a “haptic map”, created during a training phase, that describes expected measurements as a low-dimensional function of state. We evaluate localization performance when using proprioceptive information alone and when tactile data is also available. The two types of measurements are shown to contain complementary information. We find that the tactile measurement model is critical to localization performance and propose a series of models that offer increasingly better accuracy. Finally, the paper explores this localization approach in the context of two flexible materials insertion tasks that are important in manufacturing applications.
The Introduction of ERP systems by Foreign Firms in China: Impact of Cultural Differences

Enterprise resource planning (ERP) systems are central to the Information Systems (IS) strategy of most international companies. With globalization, general managers put pressure on IS departments to implement such applications at a global level, in order to control and manage all the company processes at the different branches. Rolling out a global template in each of the different countries is risky as it does not take the local environment into account. Each country has its own specificities organizational, cultural, political and economic and these can have a real and important influence on the success of any new IS. This research aims to identify, through in-depth case studies, the cultural factors that influence the success of global ERP projects in China.
Brief Interventions with Students with Emotional and Behavioural Difficulties

Summary This paper considers the effectiveness of a sequence of four semi‐structured interviews as short‐term interventions by educational psychologists (EPs) working with secondary‐school students presenting emotional and behavioural difficulties, but who are not in a crisis. The intervention lasted between four and five weeks. Twenty‐three matched pairs of students were compared using pre and post intervention questionnaires. The results show a significant effect for the intervention. The intervention group improved overall in their teacher‐rated behaviour, whilst the overall teacher‐rated behaviour of the matched pair controls showed a tendency to stay the same or deteriorate. In conclusion, the study suggests that using short‐term semi‐structured interview interventions in a preventative way can be effective in reducing schools’ concerns about specific children's behaviour.
Analysis of MIMO channel measurements in urban areas

Multiple-Input Multiple-Output (MIMO) technology is ready for deployment in commercial cellular networks in the very near future. Therefore, the need of incorporating this technology into radio network planning and optimization tools rises dramatically for network operators. In this contribution we show results of the validation of advanced ray tracing simulations with channel sounding measurements in the 2.53 GHz frequency band. These measurements were carried out inside the EASY-C project with the objective to learn more about coordinated multipoint (CoMP) [1] transmission in a real world testbed. We compare simulated and measured eigenvalue characteristics for various MIMO scenarios. As result we can conclude that carefully performed Geometrical Optics based ray-tracing simulations are a suitable prediction model to reflect main characteristics of these scenarios. A further objective of these experiments is to get insight into the physical structure of the radio channel [2].
RIA: An RF Interference Avoidance Algorithm for Heterogeneous Wireless Networks

Devices with multiple wireless interfaces are becoming increasingly popular. We envision that these devices will become the building block for future mesh networks, providing seamless connectivity across a range of heterogeneous devices. Although these devices typically implement frequency sharing, using either direct sequence spread spectrum (DSSS) or frequency hopping spread spectrum (FHSS), they may still interfere with one another. In this paper we provide a novel radio interference avoidance (RIA) algorithm that solves the problem of interference between IEEE 802.11 and Bluetooth. We then extend this algorithm to other types of DSSS and FHSS combinations. Though the algorithm is limited to devices with both of these interfaces, this is a very common case. We analytically derive the expected value of the response time for RIA and run simulations to demonstrate its effectiveness. Our results indicate that RIA is able to eliminate interference with a very short response time. RIA also outperforms adaptive frequency hopping, a solution proposed by the IEEE 802.15 co-existence working group.
Part-based deep network for pedestrian detection in surveillance videos

Accurate pedestrian detection in highly crowded surveillance videos is a challenging task, since the regions of pedestrians in the videos may be largely occluded by other pedestrians. In this paper, we propose an effective part-based deep network cascade (HsNet) to solve this problem. In this model, the part-based scheme effectively restrains the appearance variations of pedestrians caused by heavy occlusion. The deep network captures discriminative information of visible body parts. In addition, the cascade architecture enables very fast detection. We make experiments on one of the largest surveillance video dataset, namely TRECVid SED Pedestrian Dataset (SED-PD). It is shown that in highly crowded surveillance videos, our proposed method achieves very competitive performance compared with state-of-the-art methods. More importantly, our method is significantly faster.
Resources as Determinants of Organizational Behavior.

1 I should like to thank Erik Van Hove, whose terse and effective criticism of the field helped me avoid employing anthropomorphic formulations of collective behavior. I am also thankful to Ralph Hingson for his insightful discussions of the issues and to James S. Coleman for his criticism of an earlier version of this paper. I am especially grateful, moreover, to Jo Anne Earp and Linda Gottfredson whose substantive contributions and intensive editing have greatly increased the clarity of the paper. The author, however, bears full responsibility for the ideas as expressed.
Delivering group CBT- competencies and group processes -

Cognitive Behavioural therapy (CBT) is an empirically validated psychotherapy and the most researched therapeutic modality t has shown to be effective in treating a range of psychological disorders. Group therapy a common and powerful modality of treatment is being increased in popularity due to its evidence base and cost effectiveness. CBT group treatment models have been adapted from the individual treatment models unlike traditional psychotherapy modalities that focus on the group process as a medium of change. Current training in CBT and the assessment of CBT competencies using validated measures do not focus on the development of the core competencies for group therapy facilitation as traditionally CBT has been offered as individual based therapy. These core competencies utilities the group processes to modulate change. There are similarities and differences between group therapy and CBT. The combination of group processes and the manulised CBT approach can add benefit to provision of group based CBT. There is a need for development of further training, development of a validated assessment tool on CBT group therapy and supervision for CBT therapist to skill therapist in provision of group therapy focussing on group processes as a medium of change.
OECD Economic Studies

Introduction . 68 Foreign direct investment and international trade . 70 Empirical studies. 71 Trade in services. 72 Econometric approach and data description . 74 Econometric results . 81 Illustrating the heterogeneity issue . 84 Conclusions . 87 Bibliography . 92
Serotonin, Inhibition, and Negative Mood

Pavlovian predictions of future aversive outcomes lead to behavioral inhibition, suppression, and withdrawal. There is considerable evidence for the involvement of serotonin in both the learning of these predictions and the inhibitory consequences that ensue, although less for a causal relationship between the two. In the context of a highly simplified model of chains of affectively charged thoughts, we interpret the combined effects of serotonin in terms of pruning a tree of possible decisions, (i.e., eliminating those choices that have low or negative expected outcomes). We show how a drop in behavioral inhibition, putatively resulting from an experimentally or psychiatrically influenced drop in serotonin, could result in unexpectedly large negative prediction errors and a significant aversive shift in reinforcement statistics. We suggest an interpretation of this finding that helps dissolve the apparent contradiction between the fact that inhibition of serotonin reuptake is the first-line treatment of depression, although serotonin itself is most strongly linked with aversive rather than appetitive outcomes and predictions.
Influence of Hyperinsulinemia and Insulin Resistance on In Vivo β-Cell Function

OBJECTIVE Recent work has shown that insulin stimulates its own secretion in insulin-sensitive humans, suggesting that insulin resistance in the β-cell could cause β-cell dysfunction. We have tested whether insulin exposure and insulin sensitivity modulate β-cell function in subjects with normal glucose tolerance (NGT) and whether they contribute to dysglycemia in impaired glucose regulation (IGR). RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS Insulin sensitivity (by euglycemic clamp), insulin-induced secretory response at isoglycemia (IISR) (as C-peptide percent change from basal during the clamp), glucose-induced secretory response (GISR) to an intravenous glucose bolus, and β-cell glucose sensitivity (β-GS) (by oral glucose tolerance test [OGTT] modeling) were measured in 1,151 NGT and 163 IGR subjects from the RISC (Relationship between Insulin Sensitivity and Cardiovascular Disease) study. RESULTS In NGT, IISR was related to both insulin sensitivity and antecedent insulin exposure; GISR was related to insulin exposure. IISR was positively, if weakly, related to β-GS (r= 0.16, P < 0.0001). Both IISR (−23 [39] vs. −9 [2]%, median [interquartile range], P < 0.03) and β-GS (69 [47] vs. 118 [83] pmol ⋅ min–1 ⋅ m–2 ⋅ mmol–1 ⋅ L, P < 0.0001) were decreased in IGR compared with NGT. Insulin sensitivity and β-GS were the major determinants of mean OGTT glucose in both NGT and IGR, with a minor role for IISR. In a multivariate logistic model, IGR was predicted by β-GS (odds ratio 4.84 [95% CI 2.89–8.09]) and insulin sensitivity (3.06 [2.19–4.27]) but not by IISR (1.11 [0.77–1.61]). CONCLUSIONS Pre-exposure to physiological hyperinsulinemia stimulates insulin secretion to a degree that depends on insulin sensitivity. However, this phenomenon has limited impact on β-cell dysfunction and dysglycemia.
Second-Union Fertility in France: Partners' Age and Other Factors

In France, as in the rest of Europe, family trajectories have become increasingly diversified. How does childbearing fit into these more complex conjugal patterns? More specifically, what is the impact of repartnering on men's and women's fertility? This article attempts to answer these questions, drawing on data yielded by the French version of the Generations and Gender Survey (Étude des relations familiales et intergénérationnelles, ERFI, INED-INSEE), conducted in 2005. Although births in reconstituted families have been extensively studied in Europe, scant attention has been paid to differences in the constraints encountered by men and women when they form a second union. We found that the woman's age at repartnering accounts for the difference in the crude ratios of previously childless men to fathers, and previously childless women to mothers, who have a child in their second union. After controlling for woman's age, we also noted that a couple is least likely to have a child after repartnering if both partners are already parents. If only one of them is a parent, the probability of having a child does not differ significantly from that of a childless couple.
Local, national and global citizenship

This paper puts local, national and global citizenship into context post 11.9. 01 and pre Johannesburg Earth Summit 2002. It contextualises the strands of the Crick report (1998) and how these integrate with the national curriculum. It argues for a school ethos of citizenship which permeates the whole curriculum rather than a taught citizenship curriculum. The whole notion of citizenship is related to Agenda 21 and Local Agenda 21 and strong bonds are made with Education for Sustainability and Environmental Education.
Hepatic Cytochrome P450 Enzyme Imprinting in Adult Rat by Neonatal Benzo[a]pyrene Administration

ABSTRACT: The effect of neonatal exposure to benzo[a]pyrene (BaP) on the hepatic cytochrome P450 of male and female adult rats has been examined. Newborn rats (<24 h old) were injected with a single dose of BaP (1 mg/rat, s.c.) and killed after 110 days. In both sexes, body and liver weight, microsomal protein content, and total cytochrome P450 were unchanged. Cytochrome P450 1A2 protein content and 7-ethoxyresorufin O-deethylase activity were significantly decreased (p < 0.05) in males, whereas these were unaltered in females. Male-specific cytochrome P450 2C11 of male rats was significantly increased as shown by Western blot and increased testosterone 2α- and 16α-hydroxylase activities by 29% (p < 0.01) and 22% (p < 0.05), respectively. Female-specific cytochrome P450 2C12 protein content was unaltered in females. In addition, the level of free hepatic glucocorticoid receptor in adult males was elevated by 35% after BaP exposure, whereas it was unchanged in adult females. These results indicate, for the first time, that neonatal BaP exposure results in gender-specific lasting effects on hepatic cytochrome P450 1A2, cytochrome P450 2C11, and glucocorticoid receptors in adult male rats, whereas these parameters are unchanged in adult female rats. ,
Natural transformation and availability of transforming DNA to Acinetobacter calcoaceticus in soil microcosms

A small microcosm, based on optimized in vitro transformation conditions, was used to study the ecological factors affecting the transformation of Acinetobacter calcoaceticus BD413 in soil. The transforming DNA used was A. calcoaceticus homologous chromosomal DNA with an inserted gene cassette containing a kanamycin resistance gene, nptII. The effects of soil type (silt loam or loamy sand), bacterial cell density, time of residence of A. calcoaceticus or of DNA in soil before transformation, transformation period, and nutrient input were investigated. There were clear inhibitory effects of the soil matrix on transformation and DNA availability. A. calcoaceticus cells reached stationary phase and lost the ability to be transformed shortly after introduction into sterile soil. The use of an initially small number of A. calcoaceticus cells and nutrients, resulting in bacterial growth, enhanced transformation frequencies within a limited period. The availability of introduced DNA for transformation of A. calcoaceticus cells disappeared within a few hours in soil. Differences in transformation frequencies between soils were found; A. calcoaceticus cells were transformed at a higher rate and for a longer period in a silt loam than in a loamy sand. Physical separation of DNA and A. calcoaceticus cells had a negative effect on transformation. Transformation was also detected in nonsterile soil microcosms, albeit only in the presence of added nutrients and at a reduced frequency. These results suggest that chromosomal DNA released into soil rapidly becomes unavailable for transformation of A. calcoaceticus. In addition, strain BD413 quickly loses the ability to receive, stabilize, and/or express exogenous DNA after introduction into soil.
HRM Practices and Organizational Commitment: Test of a Mediation Model

Abstract This study was conducted to examine the mechanisms involved in observed relations between human resource management (HRM) practices and employee commitment. Employees (N = 281) from several organizations completed a survey that included measures of (a) the quality of HRM practices pertaining to performance appraisal, benefits, training, and career development used in their organizations, (b) procedural justice and organizational support, and (c) affective, continuance, and normative commitment to the organization. Structural equation modeling analyses revealed that relations between employees' evaluations of HRM practices and their affective and normative commitment were largely mediated by perceptions of organizational support and procedural justice. These findings support previous claims that, although HRM practices can be valuable tools in the establishment and maintenance of employee commitment, their effects are neither direct nor unconditional. Resume Cette etude avait pour but d'examiner certains mecan-ismes intervenant dans le lien entre les pratiques de ges-tion des ressources humaines et l'engagement des employes. Des employes (N=281) de plusieurs organisations ont rempli un questionnaire incluant des mesures de: (a) qualite des pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines en matiere d'evaluation du rendement, de compensation, deformation et de developpement profes-sionnel, (b) justice en matiere de procedure et soutien organisationnel, et (c) engagement organisationnel affectif, continuation, et normatif. Des analyses basees sur la modelisation d'equations structurelles ont revele que les liens entre l'evaluation par les employes des pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines et leur engagement affectif et normatif etaient en grande partie mediatises par leur perception du soutien organisationnel et de justice en matiere de procedure. Ces resultats corroborent le fait que malgre l'importance des pratiques de gestion des ressources humaines dans l'etab-lissement et le maintien de l'engagement des employes, leurs effets ne sont ni directs ni inconditionnels.
Ribosomal Alterations Contribute to Bacterial Resistance against the Dipeptide Antibiotic TAN 1057

ABSTRACT TAN 1057-resistant Staphylococcus aureus and Escherichia coli strains were selected to elucidate the mechanism of resistance and the mode of action of this dipeptide antibiotic. Cell-free translation with isolated ribosomes and S150 fractions from sensitive and resistant S. aureus strains demonstrated that alterations in the ribosomes contribute to the resistance of the bacteria.
Miscible displacement fronts of shear thinning fluids inside rough fractures

The miscible displacement of a shear‐thinning fluid by another fluid with the same rheological properties is studied experimentally in a transparent fracture by an optical technique that images relative concentration distributions. The fracture walls have complementary self‐affine geometries and are shifted laterally in the direction perpendicular to the mean flow velocity U: The flow field is strongly channelized and macrodispersion controls the front structure for Péclet numbers above a few units. The global front width increases therefore linearly with time and reflects the velocity distribution between the different channels. In contrast, at the local scale, front spreading is similar to Taylor dispersion between plane‐parallel surfaces. Both dispersion mechanisms depend strongly on the fluid rheology, which shifts from Newtonian to shear thinning when the flow rate increases. In the latter domain, increasing the concentration enhances the global front width but reduces both Taylor dispersion (due to the flattening of the velocity profile in the gap of the fracture) and the size of medium scale front structures.
Religion as Moderator of the Sense of Control–Health Connection: Gender Differences

ABSTRACT Objectives. Sense of personal control is a key marker of successful aging, yet little is known about its relation to religiousness and personal adversity among older adults. This study investigated the relation between two different religious orientations, a church-centered religiousness and a non-church-based spiritual seeking, sense of control, physical health, and gender in late adulthood. Methods. The participants consisted of a community sample of men and women (N = 156) in their late sixties and mid-seventies who were born in the San Francisco Bay Area. Three-way ANOVAs were used to test in separate analyses, the effects of religiousness and spiritual seeking on sense of control among men and women who were either in good or poor physical health. Results. Both religiousness and spiritual seeking buffered women, but not men, against loss of sense of control due to poor physical health. The buffering effect of religiousness and spiritual seeking was associated with different psychological characteristics: high life satisfaction for religiousness and engagement in life review for spiritual seeking. For men, the absence of a buffering effect of either religiousness or spiritual seeking was associated with disengagement from involvement in daily activities. Discussion. Our findings highlight (1) the importance of employing multidimensional models of religion in studying its effect on psychosocial functioning in late adulthood and (2) the possibility that men and women who are high in religiousness and spiritual seeking regulate their sense of control using different adaptive strategies.
The evolution of information suppression in communicating robots with conflicting interests

Reliable information is a crucial factor influencing decision-making and, thus, fitness in all animals. A common source of information comes from inadvertent cues produced by the behavior of conspecifics. Here we use a system of experimental evolution with robots foraging in an arena containing a food source to study how communication strategies can evolve to regulate information provided by such cues. The robots could produce information by emitting blue light, which the other robots could perceive with their cameras. Over the first few generations, the robots quickly evolved to successfully locate the food, while emitting light randomly. This behavior resulted in a high intensity of light near food, which provided social information allowing other robots to more rapidly find the food. Because robots were competing for food, they were quickly selected to conceal this information. However, they never completely ceased to produce information. Detailed analyses revealed that this somewhat surprising result was due to the strength of selection on suppressing information declining concomitantly with the reduction in information content. Accordingly, a stable equilibrium with low information and considerable variation in communicative behaviors was attained by mutation selection. Because a similar coevolutionary process should be common in natural systems, this may explain why communicative strategies are so variable in many animal species.