Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Anthropomimetic Robots: Concept, Construction and Modelling

An anthropomimetic robot is one that closely copies the mechanics of the human body by having a human-like jointed skeleton moved by compliant muscle-like actuators. This paper describes the progress achieved in building anthropomimetic torsos in two projects, CRONOS and ECCEROBOT. In each, the bones were hand-moulded in a thermoplastic and the muscles were implemented by DC motors shortening and extending elastic tendons. Anthropomimetic robots differ from conventionally engineered robots by having complex joints and compliant tendon driven actuation that can cross more than one joint. Taken together, these characteristics make the robots unsuitable for control by standard methods, and so the ability to model them is important for developing heuristic methods of control and also for providing forward models. The robots were modelled using physics-based techniques which enable the study of the generation of movements and also of interactions with arbitrary objects. The lightweight and compliant structure of the robots was found to be safe for human proximity and contact.
A robot sets a table: a case for hybrid reasoning with different types of knowledge

An important contribution of AI to Robotics is the model-centred approach, whereby competent robot behaviour stems from automated reasoning in models of the world which can be changed to suit different environments, physical capabilities and tasks. However models need to capture diverse (and often application-dependent) aspects of the robot’s environment and capabilities. They must also have good computational properties, as robots need to reason while they act in response to perceived context. In this article, we investigate the use of a meta-CSP-based technique to interleave reasoning in diverse knowledge types. We reify the approach through a robotic waiter case study, for which a particular selection of spatial, temporal, resource and action KR formalisms is made. Using this case study, we discuss general principles pertaining to the selection of appropriate KR formalisms and jointly reasoning about them. The resulting integration is evaluated both formally and experimentally on real and simulated robotic platforms.
Detecting geographic locations from web resources

The rapid pervasion of the web into users' daily lives has put much importance on capturing location-specific information on the web, due to the fact that most human activities occur locally around where a user is located. This is especially true in the increasingly popular mobile and local search environments. Thus, how to correctly and effectively detect geographic locations from web resources has become a key challenge to location-based web applications. In our previous work, we proposed to explicitly distinguish three types of locations for web resources, namely provider location, content location and serving location. Provider location is the physical location of the provider who owns the web resource; content location is the geographic location described in the web content; while serving location is the geographic scope that a web resource can reach. In this paper, we present a system that comprehensively employs a set of algorithms and different geographic sources by extracting geographic information from the web content, and mining hyperlink structures as well as user logs. As the result, only relevant geographic sources, rather than all of possible ones are used in computation of each category of web location. Finally, experimental results on large samples of web data show that our solution outperforms previous approaches.
Tension‐independent heat in rabbit papillary muscle.

1. Heat and force were measured from isometrically contracting (0.2 Hz) rabbit papillary muscles at 21 degrees C during a single contraction‐relaxation cycle using antimony‐bismuth thermopiles and a capacitance force transducer. 2. Tension‐independent heat (TIH) associated with excitation‐contraction coupling was isolated from the initial heat by eliminating tension and tension‐dependent heat with a Krebs‐Ringer solution containing 2,3‐butanedione monoxime (BDM) and mannitol. 3. A strategy for testing the validity of this new method for measuring TIH in heart muscle is described and the test confirms that the BDM‐hypertonic solution partitioning method properly estimates the magnitude of the TIH component of initial heat. 4. TIH at the time of complete mechanical relaxation is 1.00 +/‐ 0.17 mJ/g wet weight and the data suggest that calcium cycling is complete by this time. Conversion of TIH to calcium cycled, assuming that 87% of TIH is due to calcium pumping by the sarcoplasmic reticulum, indicates that approximately 52 nmol calcium/g wet weight are required to support a single cycle of mechanical activity (0.2 Hz, 21 degrees C). 5. The length and frequency dependence of excitation‐contraction coupling were demonstrated. TIH is reduced by shortening muscle length and by increasing the interval between stimuli. These steady‐state data suggest that only a portion (approximately 40%) of TIH is directly related to activation of the contractile apparatus. 6. TIH in the first twitch following a 45 min rest period is significantly reduced by approximately 30%. 7. With subsequent twitches in the positive treppe following the rest period, TIH does not increase as steeply as expected suggesting that tension rise in twitches 1‐10 may be modulated by competitive binding of calcium rather than increased calcium delivery.
Comparison of two databases to detect potential drug–drug interactions between prescriptions of HIV/AIDS patients in critical care

Adverse drug events (ADE), common and underestimated in ICU patients, have direct consequences on length of stay, mortality and hospital costs. Critically ill patients with HIV/AIDS are at a high risk of ADE because of their need for multiple drug therapies. ADE can be prevented, especially by the identification of potentially harmful drug–drug interactions (DDIs). Electronic databases are useful tools for the investigation of DDIs to avoid potential ADEs, thereby increasing patient safety. The purpose of this study was to compare the classification and severity rating of potential adverse drug interactions seen in the prescriptions for patients with HIV/AIDS in two databases, one with free access (Drugs.com™) and another requiring payment for access (Micromedex®).
Abstract—this Paper Describes an Efficient Slam System Only Using Rgbd Sensors. This System Utilizes the Microsoft

Kinects to provide visual odometry estimation and 2D range scans. The Kinect looking up toward the ceiling can track the robot's trajectory through visual odometry method, which can provide more accurate motion estimation compared to wheel motion measurement and cannot be disturbed under wheel slippage. This is because the Kinect can provide a color image as well as depth information such that robust 3D feature points matching using invariant 2D feature descriptors such as SURF and FAST is possible. Furthermore, the straight line features on the ceiling can provide additional constraints on the inter-frame motion of the camera and the loop closure leading to a more accurate pose estimate. While the other two contiguous horizontal Kinects can provide wide range scans, which ensure more robust scan matching in the RBPF-SLAM framework. In addition, we develop a novel proposal distribution that relies on visual odometry by replacing the transition motion model to towards a SLAM solution. Subsequently, the accurate grid map is online learnt through the adaptive resample Rao-Blackwellized particle filter. Finally, our experimental results, using three Kinects carried on mobile platform of TurtleBot, clearly show the performance of our method.
Combined visualization of structural and metric information for software evolution analysis

This paper discusses a proposal for the visualization of software evolution, with a focus on combining insight on changes that affect software metrics at project and class level, the project structure, the class hierarchy and the viewing of source code correlated to indirect class coupling. The proposed visualization supports several tasks: the comparison of structural information, including class hierarchies, across several revisions; uncovering collaboration patterns between developers; and determining which classes have been added or deleted to the project during the creation of a given revision. We propose and discuss several design elements supporting these tasks, including interaction patterns and linked views.
Elephants who marry mice are very unusual: The use of the relative pronoun 'who' with nonhuman animals

This paper explores the use of the relative pronoun (who) with nonhuman animals. The paper looks at what dictionaries, an encyclopedia, grammars, publication manuals, newspapers, and news agencies say and do relative to this issue. In addition to investigating the views and practices of these authoritative publications, the study also searched a 100-million-word collection (corpus) of spoken and written English. The study found that while some reference works reject or ignore the use of (who) with nonhuman animals, other works discuss the possibility, and (who) does occur in the corpus with nonhuman animals. Explanations for such usage include psychological closeness with particular nonhuman animals and/or features shared with humans. The paper suggests that the use of (who) with nonhuman animals might play a role in promoting human attitudes and behaviors beneficial to fellow animals. However, it cautions that the correlation between language use, on the one hand, and attitudes and behaviors, on the other hand, is not a perfect one.
Functionalized Graphene Oxide Mediated Adriamycin Delivery and miR-21 Gene Silencing to Overcome Tumor Multidrug Resistance In Vitro

Multidrug resistance (MDR) is a major impediment to successful cancer chemotherapy. Co-delivery of novel MDR-reversing agents and anticancer drugs to cancer cells holds great promise for cancer treatment. MicroRNA-21 (miR-21) overexpression is associated with the development and progression of MDR in breast cancer, and it is emerging as a novel and promising MDR-reversing target. In this study, a multifunctional nanocomplex, composed of polyethylenimine (PEI)/poly(sodium 4-styrenesulfonates) (PSS)/graphene oxide (GO) and termed PPG, was prepared using the layer-by-layer assembly method to evaluate the reversal effects of PPG as a carrier for adriamycin (ADR) along with miR-21 targeted siRNA (anti-miR-21) in cancer drug resistance. ADR was firstly loaded onto the PPG surface (PPGADR) by physical mixing and anti-miR-21 was sequentially loaded onto PPGADR through electric absorption to form anti-miR-21PPGADR. Cell experiments showed that PPG significantly enhanced the accumulation of ADR in MCF-7/ADR cells (an ADR resistant breast cancer cell line) and exhibited much higher cytotoxicity than free ADR, suggesting that PPG could effectively reverse ADR resistance of MCF-7/ADR. Furthermore, the enhanced therapeutic efficacy of PPG could be correlated with effective silencing of miR-21 and with increased accumulation of ADR in drug-resistant tumor cells. The endocytosis study confirmed that PPG could effectively carry drug molecules into cells via the caveolae and clathrin-mediated endocytosis pathways. These results suggest that this PPG could be a potential and efficient non-viral vector for reversing MDR, and the strategy of combining anticancer drugs with miRNA therapy to overcome MDR could be an attractive approach in cancer treatment.
A new physical layer transmission scheme for LPI and high throughput in the cooperative SC-FDMA system

In recent days, cooperative diversity and communication security become important research issues for wireless communications. In this paper, to achieve low probability of interception (LPI) and high throughput in the cooperative single-carrier frequency division multiple access (SC-FDMA) system, a new physical layer transmission scheme is proposed, where a new encryption algorithm is applied and adaptive modulation is further considered based on channel state information (CSI). By doing so, neither relay node nor eavesdropper can intercept the information signals transmitted from user terminal (UT). Simulation results show above new physical layer transmission scheme brings in high transmission safety and secrecy rate. Furthermore, by applying adaptive modulation and coding (AMC) technique according to CSI, transmission throughput can be increased significantly. Additionally, low peak-to-average power ratio (PAPR) characteristic can still be remained due to the uniform distribution of random coefficients used for encryption algorithm.
In Vitro Comparison of Gutta-Percha Removal with H-File and ProTaper with or without Chloroform

Introduction Removal of root filling materials is one of the key steps in success of root canal retreatment. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the efficacy of H-File and ProTaper with or without chloroform in the removal of gutta-percha during retreatment of mandibular premolars. Materials and Methods Sixty mandibular premolars with one canal, and curvatures less than 30 degrees were used in this experimental study. They were instrumented with K-files and laterally obturated with condensed gutta-percha using AH26 as the sealer and were stored in 100% humidity at 37°C for 2 weeks. The teeth were randomly divided into four groups of 15 teeth each. Removal of gutta-percha was performed with H-File and ProTaper. All techniques were used with or without chloroform. The teeth were split longitudinally and the area of remaining gutta-percha/sealer on the root canal wall was explored under stereomicroscope. Retreatment time duration was also recorded for each sample. Data were analyzed statistically by Two-way ANOVA, t-test and Tukey’s. Results In all groups, no significant difference was found in remaining gutta-percha and sealer with or without using chloroform, but chloroform shortened the time of retreatment. ProTaper left significantly less remaining filling materials than H-File (P<0.05). Retreatment time was significantly different between the studied groups (P<0.001). Conclusion ProTaper Ni-Ti instruments proved to be more efficient and time-saving devices for removal of gutta-percha compared to H-File in canals with no or slight curvature.
Nutritional evaluation and utilisation of quality protein maize, Nityashree hybrid maize, and normal maize in broiler chickens

1. Three experiments were conducted to determine the apparent metabolisable energy, apparent digestible amino acid values, and utilisation of three maize varities in chickens: quality protein maize (QPM), hybrid maize Nityashree (HMN) and normal maize (NM). 2. There was no significant difference in the apparent metabolisable energy (AME) content amongst the three varieties of maize. 3. Lysine and threonine digestibilities were significantly higher in QPM compared to either HMN or NM. No difference in the digestibilities of other amino acids occurred among the three different maize varieties. 4. There was no difference between diets containing NM or HMN for body weight gain (21 and 40 d of age) and overall feed conversion ratio (0–40 d), but values were significantly higher for QPM (and Lys-supplemented NM) diets. The relative weights of dressed meat yield and giblets were unaffected by dietary replacement of NM with QPM, HMN, or Lys supplementation of the NM diet. However, abdominal fat content decreased and breast meat yield increased with both dietary replacement of NM with QPM and Lys supplementation of the NM diet. 5. The concentration of protein in serum was significantly increased by dietary replacement of NM with QPM. Adding Lys to the NM based diet significantly increased the Ca concentration in serum compared with NM or HMN diets. However, the highest concentration of Ca in serum was found in the QPM diet. The concentration of total cholesterol in serum significantly decreased by either replacing NM with QPM or adding Lys to the NM based diet, compared with the NM diet. 6. These results suggested that the feeding value of quality protein maize was superior to normal maize, while the feeding value of hybrid maize Nityashree was similar to that of normal maize.
Applied archaeology: revitalizing indigenous agricultural technology within an Andean community

Abstract In many parts of the world European colonization, and more recent social and economic change, has radically altered and, in some cases, decimated both the social structure and the subsistence base of indigenolls communities. Archaeologists have often demonstrated the sophistication and practicality of prehistoric technologies, but only rarely have they developed long-term projects to evaluate the continuing relevance of these technologies to present-day communities. In this article the first experience of applied archaeology by The Cusichaca Trust is described, showing how a rural development project was developed within specific environmental and social contexts. The Trust's main research focus was the study of the agricultural infrastructure of the Incas and their predecessors in the Cusichaca and Huallancay side-valleys of the Urubamba Valley, Cuzco, Peru. This was paralleled by a rural development project to restore to full productivity some of the abandoned terraces and canals to the benefit of the local community. Attention is drawn to the relationship between conserving and using ancient agricultural infrastructures and the degree to which community organization is central to the maintenance and use of such technologies.
Least Squares Approaches to Diffusion Tensor Estimation

Diffusion tensor imaging (DTI) (Basser et al., 1994b ) can be viewed as a fl exible but coherent data-analytic “pipeline” ranging from signal generation and detection to diffusion tensor estimation (Basser et al., 1994a ), tractography (Conturo et al., 1999 ; Mori et al., 1999 ), and beyond. In this chapter, we will explore a particular segment of this pipeline — diffusion tensor estimation. The general subject matter of diffusion tensor estimation is much broader and more diffi cult to unify than the subset of the various least squares approaches to diffusion tensor estimation. There are several reasons for the lack of unity in the subject matter: 1) there are many approaches to parametric estimation, e.g., the maximum likelihood (Andersson, 2007 , 2008 ; Fillard et al., 2007 ), the least squares (Basser et al., 1994a ; Jones and Basser, 2004 ; Salvador et al., 2005 ; Koay et al., 2006a , 2006 b), the Bayesian (Andersson, 2007 , 2008 ; Fillard et al., 2007 ), and the robust (Mangin et al., 2002 ; Chang et al., 2005 ) approaches; Summary Box
A semantic similarity measure in document databases: an earth mover's distance-based approach

Measuring document similarity is important in order to find documents which are similar to a given query document from a user. Text-based document similarity is measured by comparing the words in two documents. The representative text-based document similarity is the cosine similarity. Since the cosine similarity computes document similarity by estimating the frequency of common words, it cannot reflect word similarity. To solve this problem, we propose a new document similarity measure based on the earth mover's distance (EMD). The EMD is one of the most popular distance functions used to search similar multimedia contents and is known to provide good search results. To apply the EMD to compute document similarity, we have to solve two problems: (1) The EMD is too time consuming to be used in a document database, (2) the distance between words should be defined. Our proposed approach first extracts topics as new features of a document by applying the latent Dirichlet allocation, which is a generative model of a document. It can decrease the computational cost of the EMD because the number of topics is much smaller than the number of words in a document. After extracting the topics, the proposed approach calculates the distance between topics based on the relation between the topics and the words in a document database, thereby making computing document similarity based on the EMD possible. Our approach searches documents more accurately since we can consider the semantic similarity by using the EMD. Experimental results on a real-world document database indicate that the proposed approach outperforms the cosine similarity in terms of the accuracy and the performance.
Investigation into immunological responses against a native recombinant CTB whole‐cell Vibrio cholerae vaccine in a rabbit model

The aim of this study was to express and purify the recombinant CTB (rCTB) protein from Vibrio cholerae and investigate the biological and immunological characteristics of purified protein in rabbit animal model and in combination with Iranian inactivated V. cholerae whole cells as a domestic recombinant WC‐CTB vaccine.
Development of a method to improve the definition and alignment of intangible project outcomes and tangible project outputs

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to describe a doctoral research study, including a summary of key literature review topics, the application of an action research methodology, key research findings and potential areas of future research.Design/methodology/approach – Research reported in this paper was based upon a series of five cycles of action research.Findings – An Outcome Profile™ template can be used to guide project stakeholders through the process of identifying, defining and aligning intangible project outcomes with tangible project outputs.Practical implications – The research study will advance general management and project management research and practice by providing organisations with an improved template and method for linking project stakeholders' outcomes and benefits‐based perspective of project success with the more traditional project management outputs‐based perspective of project success. The research study, in itself provides a “how‐to” guide.Originality/value – This paper ale.
Identification and characterization of a surface-exposed, 66-kilodalton protein from Borrelia burgdorferi

The surface-exposed antigens of Borrelia burgdorferi represent important targets for the development of a protective immune response. We have identified a proteinase K-accessible, 66-kDa protein from B. burgdorferi and have demonstrated that at least a portion of this protein is surface exposed. The 66-kDa protein was purified by sequential extraction of spirochetes with butanol and Triton X-114 followed by preparative gel electrophoresis. Polyclonal antibodies developed against the purified 66-kDa protein were Borrelia spp. specific, whereas a monoclonal antibody, Route 66, displayed a genospecies-specific pattern of recognition for the 66-kDa protein. N-terminal amino acid sequence was obtained from an internal fragment, a truncated version, and the full-length form of the 66-kDa protein. A search of protein and gene databases for homologous sequences yielded a match with the predicted amino acid sequence from a segment of B. burgdorferi chromosomal DNA (P. A. Rosa, D. Hogan, and T. G. Schwan, J. Clin. Microbiol. 29:524-532, 1991). The construction of primers based on this DNA sequence and the N-terminal amino acid sequence allowed the amplification and cloning of the 66-kDa-protein gene. The identity of the cloned gene was verified by the recognition of the expressed gene product by Route 66. Pulsed-field gel electrophoresis and Southern blot analysis were performed to confirm the chromosomal location of the 66-kDa-protein gene. This study describes the identification and cloning of the first chromosomally encoded, surface-exposed protein from B. burgdoferi.