Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Enhanced frontier-based exploration for indoor environment with multiple robots

In this paper, the exploration and map-building of unknown environment by a team of mobile robots is intensively investigated. A new exploration technique is proposed to increase the exploration efficiency. In particular, the new technique has two main objectives: firstly, it aims at reducing the exploration time and the traveled distance by reducing the overlap which takes place when a certain area in the environment is explored by more than one robot. To achieve this, a new procedure to assign the next target location for each individual robot is proposed. And secondly, it aims at reducing computations complexity required by target selection and path planning tasks. More importantly, the proposed technique obviates the need for environment segmentation complex procedures which is adopted in some previous important research works. The new technique is intensively tested with different environments. The results showed the effectiveness of the proposed technique.
Development and Validation of Algorithms for the Detection of Statin Myopathy Signals From Electronic Medical Records

The purpose of this study was to develop and validate sensitive algorithms to detect hospitalized statin‐induced myopathy (SIM) cases from electronic medical records (EMRs). We developed four algorithms on a training set of 31,211 patient records from a large tertiary hospital. We determined the performance of these algorithms against manually curated records. The best algorithm used a combination of elevated creatine kinase (>4× the upper limit of normal (ULN)), discharge summary, diagnosis, and absence of statin in discharge medications. This algorithm achieved a positive predictive value of 52–71% and a sensitivity of 72–78% on two validation sets of >30,000 records each. Using this algorithm, the incidence of SIM was estimated at 0.18%. This algorithm captured three times more rhabdomyolysis cases than spontaneous reports (95% vs. 30% of manually curated gold standard cases). Our results show the potential power of utilizing data and text mining of EMRs to enhance pharmacovigilance activities.
Trellis Decoding: From Algorithm to Flexible Architectures

Trellis decoding is a popular method to recover encoded information corrupted during transmission over a noisy channel. Prominent members of this class of decoding algorithms are the Viterbi algorithm, which provides maximum likelihood estimates, and the BCJR algorithm, which is a maximum a posteriori estimator commonly used in iterative decoding. In this thesis, the Viterbi algorithm is chosen since it provides a good trade-off between achievable coding gain and implementation complexity. This is the basis for considerations on simplified, hybrid, and, most importantly, flexible VLSI architectures. Algorithm simplifications are necessary to reduce the computational burden laid on an implementation platform. In our work on trellis decoding blocks, a simplification that lowers the number of arithmetic operations is derived and evaluated. By using a complementary code property, the arithmetic complexity of the main part on the Viterbi algorithm is reduced by 17%. Synthesized blocks show varying savings for cell area and estimated power consumption. A comparison to a competing simplification shows the advantage in a hardware implementation of our work for the important class of rate 1/2 convolutional codes. Hybrid architectures try to combine benefits of several approaches to lower the drawbacks of the individual contributors. For survivor path processing in Viterbi decoders, a new hybrid approach is proposed. A low-latency algorithm, whose implementation complexity quickly increases with the number of trellis states, is combined with a scalable RAM-based method. As a result, the developed hybrid architecture exhibits a better latency-complexity behavior compared to other hybrid approaches. Flexible VLSI architectures to cover several communication standards become increasingly important as fabrication costs for microchips rise rapidly with every new process generation. In the context of flexible trellis decoding, earlier work mostly concentrated on varying encoder memory and thus the number of trellis states. This work studies the effects on hardware size and throughput introduced by flexibility if the code rate is varied. The investigation of a decoder for bandwidth-efficient codes, which was fabricated in a 0.13 um digital CMOS process and verified for functionality, distinguishes between task- and rate-flexibility. A comparison is carried out between flexible designs, which decode both convolutional and TCM codes and provide two or three transmission rates. It is concluded that the larger number of rates is more beneficial from a cost--flexibility viewpoint. (Less)
Iron porphyrin treatment extends survival in a transgenic animal model of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis

Oxidative damage, produced by mutant Cu/Zn superoxide dismutase (SOD1), may play a role in the pathogenesis of amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), a devastating motor neuron degenerative disease. A novel approach to antioxidant therapy is the use of metalloporphyrins that catalytically scavenge a wide range of reactive oxygen and reactive nitrogen species. In this study, we examined the therapeutic potential of iron porphyrin (FeTCPP) in the G93A mutant SOD1 transgenic mouse model of ALS. We found that intraperitoneal injection of FeTCPP significantly improved motor function and extended survival in G93A mice. Similar results were seen with a second group of mice wherein treatment with FeTCPP was initiated at the onset of hindlimb weakness—roughly equivalent to the time at which treatment would begin in human patients. FeTCPP‐treated mice also showed a significant reduction in levels of malondialdehyde (a marker of lipid peroxidation), in total content of protein carbonyls (a marker of protein oxidation), and increased neuronal survival in the spinal cord. These results therefore provide further evidence of oxidative damage in a mouse model of ALS, and suggest that FeTCPP could be beneficial for the treatment of ALS patients.
An Error-Correcting Line Encoding ASIC for a HEP Rad-Hard Multi-GigaBit Optical Link

This paper presents an ASIC implementing the line encoding scheme to be used in the GBT system, a multi-gigabit optical link designed for use in a high energy physics environment. A general overview of issues specific to optical links placed in radiation environments is given, and the required properties of the line encoding discussed. A scheme that preserves the DC-balance of the line and allows forward error correction is proposed. It is implemented through the concatenation of scrambling, Reed-Solomon error-correction and addition of an 8-bit DC-balanced header. The proposed scheme has been implemented in a fully digital chip fabricated in a 0.13mum CMOS technology. Implementation details and test and simulation results are given
Optimal Portfolio Allocation Under Higher Moments

We evaluate how departure from normality may affect the allocation of assets. A Taylor series expansion of the expected utility allows to focus on certain moments and to compute numerically the optimal portfolio allocation. A decisive advantage of this approach is that it remains operational even if a large number of assets is involved. We show that under moderate non-normality the mean-variance criterion provides a good approximation of the expected utility maximization. In contrast, under large departure from normality (as found in some stocks in mature markets or in some stock indices in emerging markets), the mean-variance criterion may fail to approximate the expected utility correctly. In such cases, the three-moment or four-moment optimization strategies may provide a good approximation of the expected utility.
Self-organisation and emergence in artificial life: concepts and illustrations

This article provides an illustrated review of artificial life as a synthetic approach to the study of behaviours, systems and organisms. The article starts with a discussion about the methodological advantages of using bottom-up, instead of top–down, approaches for the computational synthesis of natural behaviours. As an outcome of bottom-up modelling, the resulting behaviours synthesised are characterised by two fundamental properties: self-organisation and emergence. The presentation focuses on conceptualising and illustrating self-organisation and emergence in the context of artificial life for the synthesis of behaviours. Two well-known ALife projects are used to promote a discussion of some implications and contributions of ALife, namely, the simulation of collective behaviours of bird flocks; and the construction of nests by wasps. The article is concluded with a discussion of the main current trends and open problems in the field.
Consistent Evolution of Software Artifacts and Non-Functional Models

Abstract : This project has focused on the problem of filling the gap between non-functional analysis of software models and software development artifacts. Its main motivation stems from the fact that, still today, non-functional analysis and software development activities are quite loosely interconnected, thus the additional value that they can lead to each other is often lost. Instead it is commonly recognized that a tighter interconnection of practices, instruments and notations would give rise to more accurate analyses and more effective feedback from analysis results back to software artifacts. The confidence that advanced model-driven techniques can be suitable within this context came from previously successful collaborations among members of our research group that includes researchers from the Model-Driven Engineering and from the Non-functional Analysis areas. The seed of this project's activities was our first experiments on bidirectional transformations between software artifacts and performance models. Our intent was to understand whether this type of transformations could close the loop in both directions that are: transforming software artifacts into analyzable performance models (forward path), interpreting performance analysis results in order to remove problems from performance models and propagate the changes back to software artifacts (backward path). Starting from that point, the project has addressed three main research questions that, along the project development, have emerged as key points in the backward path context, which is the most problematic one. They can be summarized as follows: (1) Is it more advantageous working on the performance side or on the software side to solve problems identified with performance analysis? Can synergy be found among techniques adopted on these sides? (2) How can advanced model-driven techniques help in the model refactoring that is required to remove performance problems detected from the analysis?
给你好看韩栋＆Samsung GALAXY Tab S挑战多面角色

半路出家，从最初在《太祖秘史》中打酱油的配角到现在新版《鹿鼎记》男一号韦小宝，韩栋在演绎道路上总是不断挑战新角色，向观众展现多面的自己。 在前进的路上，挑战必不可少，实力是迎接挑战的最强后盾。 三星（SAMSUNG）GALAXY Tab S以绚丽的屏幕与强劲的性能同韩栋一起向所有挑战者宣战，给你好看! 从出道到现在，韩栋饰演过《步步惊心》里腹黑阴狠的九爷：《爱情悠悠药草香》中霸气却不失温柔的二少爷白乾笙：于正新编《笑傲江湖》中痞气专一的田伯光：新版《天龙八部》里呆萌可爱的虚竹：新版《鹿鼎记》中喜剧搞笑的韦小宝……这些角色的风格都不一样，对于非科班出生的韩栋来说，是一个很大的挑战，但是他好像从未畏惧。
Using Phenomic Analysis of Photosynthetic Function for Abiotic Stress Response Gene Discovery

Monitoring the photosynthetic performance of plants is a major key to understanding how plants adapt to their growth conditions. Stress tolerance traits have a high genetic complexity as plants are constantly, and unavoidably, exposed to numerous stress factors, which limits their growth rates in the natural environment. Arabidopsis thaliana, with its broad genetic diversity and wide climatic range, has been shown to successfully adapt to stressful conditions to ensure the completion of its life cycle. As a result, A. thaliana has become a robust and renowned plant model system for studying natural variation and conducting gene discovery studies. Genome wide association studies (GWAS) in restructured populations combining natural and recombinant lines is a particularly effective way to identify the genetic basis of complex traits. As most abiotic stresses affect photosynthetic activity, chlorophyll fluorescence measurements are a potential phenotyping technique for monitoring plant performance under stress conditions. This review focuses on the use of chlorophyll fluorescence as a tool to study genetic variation underlying the stress tolerance responses to abiotic stress in A. thaliana.
Prevalence and impact of gastroesophageal reflux in adolescents with asthma: A population‐based study

We determined the prevalence of gastroesophageal reflux disease (GERD) symptoms and the associations between GERD symptoms and asthma morbidity in a population of adolescents with asthma. Two thousand, three hundred and ninety‐seven students attending six middle schools in Seattle completed the International Study of Asthma and Allergy in Children (ISAAC) written and video survey that included additional questions pertaining to GERD symptoms and asthma morbidity. Based on their responses, children were categorized as having undiagnosed current asthma, physician‐diagnosed current asthma, or no asthma symptoms. The prevalence of GERD symptoms occurring at least weekly or daily was determined for each group. The asthma morbidity outcomes were emergency department visits, physician visits, missed school days, and use of inhaled medications for respiratory symptoms within the past year. Associations between GERD symptoms and asthma morbidity outcomes were determined using logistic regression. The prevalence of GERD symptoms was significantly higher among students with current asthma (19.3%; 95% confidence interval (CI), 14.9–24.2) than students with no asthma symptoms (2.5%; 95% CI, 1.8–3.4). In children with current asthma (n = 296), symptoms of GERD that occurred at least weekly were strongly associated with emergency department visits (odds ratio (OR), 5.0; 95% CI, 2.6–9.6), physician visits (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3–4.6), missed school (OR, 2.0; 95% CI, 1.1–3.7), and inhaled medication use (OR, 2.5; 95% CI, 1.3–4.7). The associations between GERD symptoms and emergency department visits, physician visits, and inhaled medication use were stronger among children with asthma who reported daily GERD symptoms (n = 14) than among children reporting weekly GERD symptoms (n = 57). The prevalence of GERD symptoms was greater in adolescents with current asthma than in those without asthma. In addition, the presence of at least weekly GERD symptoms was strongly associated with greater asthma morbidity and the use of asthma medications. Pediatr Pulmonol. 2006; 41:475–481. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Simian Virus 40 Large T Antigen Binds a Novel Bcl-2 Homology Domain 3-containing Proapoptosis Protein in the Cytoplasm*

A 193-kDa SV40 large T antigen (T-Ag)-binding protein, designated p193, was identified and cloned. Inspection of the deduced amino acid sequence revealed the presence of a short motif similar to the Bcl-2 homology (BH) domain 3, suggesting that p193 may be a member of a family of apoptosis promoting proteins containing only BH3 motifs. In support of this, p193 expression promoted apoptosis in NIH-3T3 cells. Deletion of the BH3 motif abolished p193 apoptosis activity. p193-induced apoptosis was antagonized by co-expression of Bcl-XL. Immune cytologic analysis indicated that p193 is localized to the cytoplasm of transfected cells. p193-induced apoptosis was also antagonized by co-expression of T-Ag, which resulted in the cytoplasmic localization of both proteins. The p193 binding site was mapped to an N-terminal region of T-Ag previously implicated in transforming activity. These results suggest that T-Ag possesses an antiapoptosis activity, independent of p53 sequestration, which is actuated by T-Ag/p193 binding in the cytoplasm.
A Novel Method for Disentangling Strategies from Visual Search

The process of actively scanning a visual scene while looking for something in a cluttered environment is known as visual search. In this work, we show that it is possible to disentangle the strategies pursued by subjects to solve visual tasks by investigating dynamical aspects inherent to eye-tracking data. A novel method is proposed to characterize visual search strategies in a generalized N-dimensional feature domain, which allows us to investigate spatial-temporal aspects of the search as well as the subjects’ reliance on visual cues. In order to validate the proposed method, we have developed an experimental paradigm based on a double conjunction search in which one the visual cues is systematically manipulated, which can induce featurebased strategies in the observers. On the basis of the preliminary evidence presented here, we argue that this characterization of visual search strategies opens new avenues to assess cognitive function and its relation to
Identification of oncogenic mutations and gene fusions in the follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma.

BACKGROUND The diagnosis of the follicular variant of papillary thyroid carcinoma (FVPTC) is increasingly common. Recent studies have suggested that FVPTC is heterogeneous and comprises multiple tumor types with distinct biological behaviors and underlying genetics. OBJECTIVES The purpose of this work was to identify the prevalence of mutations and gene fusions in known oncogenes in a panel representative of the common spectrum of FVPTC diagnosed at an academic medical center and correlate the clinical and pathological features obtained at the initial diagnosis with the tumor genotype. MATERIALS AND METHODS We performed SNaPshot genotyping on a panel of 129 FVPTCs of ≥1 cm for 90 point mutations or small deletions in known oncogenes and tumor suppressors and identified gene fusions using an anchored multiplex PCR assay targeting a panel of rearranged oncogenes. RESULTS We identified a mutation or gene fusion in 70% (89 of 127) of cases. Mutations targeting the RAS family of oncogenes were the most frequently observed class of alterations, present in 36% (46 of 127) of cases, followed by BRAF mutation, present in 30% (38 of 127). We also detected oncogenic rearrangements not previously associated with FVPTC, including TFG-ALK and CREB3L2-PPARγ. BRAF mutation was significantly associated with unencapsulated tumor status. CONCLUSIONS These data support the hypothesis that FVPTC is composed of distinct biological entities, with one class being identified by BRAF mutation and support the use of clinical genotyping assays that detect a diverse array of rearrangements involving ALK and PPARγ. Additional studies are necessary to identify genetic drivers in the 30% of FVPTCs with no known oncogenic alteration and to better predict behavior in tumors with known genotypes.
The pH 6 acetolactate-forming enzyme from Aerobacter aerogenes. Molecular properties.

Crystalline pH 6 acetolactate-forming enzyme from Aerobacter aerogenes contains 4 thiol groups per enzyme molecule, determined with 5,5′-dithiobis(2-nitrobenzoic acid) (DTNB) in 50 mM sodium dodecyl sulfate, or acetate. In the presence of 50 mM pyruvate, propionate, as well as acetamide, 3 thiol groups are accessible for titration with DTNB. In the presence of phenylpyruvate, 2.3 thiol groups reacted. The apparent Michaelis kinetics, obtained in the presence of acetate, is not altered after 1–3 thiol groups are allowed to react with DTNB.
Multiuser Trellis Shaping for Space-Time Codes in Vector Gaussian Broadcast Channel

Multiuser trellis shaping for space-time trellis codes (STTC) is proposed to realize dirty paper coding (DPC) in downlink multiuser channel, which is sometimes referred to as vector Gaussian broadcast channel. Our proposal considers not only the current transmit signal, but also the entire sequence of the signal for multiple users to achieve the higher capacity. In our proposal, the STTC is transmitted to each user and preceding is used to pre-subtract the interference among the users. An increase in transmit power due to the preceding is reduced by trellis shaping that adds trellis codewords to the information sequence for each user. The shaping code and the STTC are separated in order to systematically design both codes in our system. Simulation results indicate that the shaping gain of more than 3 dB is achieved by applying the different shaping codes for each user, and that frame error rate of the proposed scheme shows better performance than that of the conventional Tomlinson-Harashima precoding.
El sistema renina-angiotensina-aldosterona y su papel funcional más allá del control de la presión arterial

A partir de que el reverendo Stephen Hales (1677-1761) realizo su publicacion sobre la medicion de presiones arteriales en animales en 1733, se inicio el interes por medir este parametro clinico en humanos y fue Samuel Von Basch, en 1883, quien ideo el primer sistema no invasivo para la medicion de la presion arterial (el esfigmomanometro), el cual fue modificado mas tarde por Riva Rocci en 1896. Esta forma de medicion la complemento mas tarde Korotkoff, patologo ruso, quien introdujo la tecnica de determinar la presion arterial por medio de la auscultacion en 1905. Este fabuloso logro de medir la presion sanguinea permitio relacionar las observaciones de Bright entre los anos 1827 y 1836, sobre pacientes con rinones enfermos que presentaban anomalias cardiovasculares.1,2 Con base en estas primeras observaciones, se inicio toda una cascada de estudios que trataron de determinar el papel real de la hipertension en la salud publica; en 1913 Jeneway descubrio que esta se asociaba a una mayor morbimortalidad relacionada principalmente con falla cardiaca, accidente cerebrovascular y uremia.1,3 Poco a poco se fue profundizando en la etiopatogenia de la hipertension arterial y de los muchos mecanismos que contribuyen a su prevalencia. Uno de los mas estudiados fue el sistema renina-angiotensina- aldosterona, el cual inclusive en la epoca actual no deja de sorprendernos por las nuevas implicaciones que tiene, no solo en la presion arterial, sino tambien en otras vias, tanto metabolicas como proinflamatorias. En el presente articulo tratamos de englobar las funciones basicas y las nuevas funciones observadas del sistema renina angiotensina aldosterona, enfocandonos primordialmente en la Enzima Convertidora de Angiotensina (ECA), angiotensina II (AGII) y los receptores de la angiotensina tipo 1, tipo 2 y tipo 4 (AT-1, AT-2, y AT-4 respectivamente)
Evaluation of Published Rational siRNA Design Algorithms Using Firefly luciferase Gene as a Reporter

In mammalian RNA interference (RNAi), a limited fraction of the short interfering RNA (siRNA) is capable of successful interference, since the efficiency of RNAi depends highly on the siRNA sequence used. Several different algorithms for selecting functional siRNA sequences have been published. To find a robust siRNA selection procedure by integrating these algorithms, we performed validation studies on some published rational siRNA design algorithms. In this study, we used a single reporter assay with the firefly luciferase gene, since it is likely that the efficiencies of siRNA sequences vary between target genes, partially depending on the detection sensitivity of the expression of each gene. The results suggest that it is best to select siRNAs that generally satisfy a combination of some reliable integrated algorithms. Our results should be considered when conducting RNAi experiments.