Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Vibration-based Terrain Classification Using Support Vector Machines

In outdoor environments, there is a variety of different types of ground surfaces. If some of them are slippery or bumpy, for example, the ground surface itself is a possible hazard for an autonomous mobile vehicle traversing the surface. Therefore, it is beneficial if the vehicle is able to estimate, which terrain it is currently traversing. Using this estimation, the vehicle can adapt its driving style to the terrain. In this paper, we present a method for terrain classification based on vibration induced in the vehicle's body. An accelerometer mounted on the vehicle measures the vibration perpendicular to the ground surface. We experimentally compare representations of the data based on the fast Fourier transform (FFT) and on the power spectral density (PSD). Additionally, we suggest a simpler and more compact representation based on features calculated from the raw data vectors and a combination of this representation with the PSD. We train and classify the data with a support vector machine (SVM). Experiments on a large real-world dataset containing seven different terrain types evaluate our approach
Effect of orally administered bovine lactoferrin on the immune response in the oral candidiasis murine model.

Therapeutic activity against oral candidiasis of orally administered bovine lactoferrin (LF), a multifunctional milk protein, was shown in a previous report using an immunosuppressed murine model. In the present study, the influence of orally administered LF on immune responses relevant to this therapeutic effect was examined. Because mice were immunosuppressed with prednisolone 1 day before and 3 days after the infection with Candida, the numbers of peripheral blood leukocytes (PBL) and cervical lymph node (CLN) cells were reduced. LF feeding prevented the reduction in the numbers of PBL on day 1 and CLN cells on days 1, 5 and 6 in the Candida-infected mice. The number of CLN cells of individual mice on days 5 and 6 was inversely correlated with the Candida c.f. u. in the oral cavity. Increased production of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha by CLN cells stimulated with heat-killed Candida albicans on day 6 was observed in LF-treated mice compared with non-treated mice. Concanavalin A (ConA)-stimulated CLN cells from LF-treated mice also showed a significant increase in the production of IFN-gamma and IL12 on day 5 and a tendency for increased production of IFN-gamma and TNF-alpha on day 6. The levels of cytokine production by ConA-stimulated CLN cells on day 6 were inversely correlated with the Candida c.f. u. in the oral cavity. In conclusion, the alleviation of oral candidiasis by LF feeding in this model may correlate with the enhancement of the number of leukocytes and their cytokine responses in regional lymph nodes against Candida infection.
Association Between Menstrual Irregularity and Dry Eye Disease: A Population-Based Study

Purpose: To determine whether dry eye disease (DED) is associated with irregular menstruation among Korean women. Methods: In this population-based study, we randomly selected 6502 women (19–50 year olds) from nationally representative participants in the fifth annual Korea National Health and Nutrition Examination Survey (2010–2012). Data were analyzed using logistic regression to evaluate the association between menstrual irregularity and DED, while controlling for demographic characteristics, lifestyle factors, and parity. Results: After adjusting for the women's demographic characteristics, age and body mass index, lifestyle factors (smoking, alcohol consumption, physical activity, and residential area), and parity, we found that menstrual irregularity was associated with an increased risk of DED (odds ratio, 1.49; 95% confidence interval, 1.02–2.17) and DED symptoms (odds ratio, 1.43; 95% confidence interval, 1.09–1.89). Conclusions: We found a significant association between DED and menstrual irregularity.
Comparative genomic hybridization reveals frequent gains of 20q, 8q, 11q, 12p, and 17q, and losses of 18q, 9p, and 15q in pancreatic cancer

Comparative genomic hybridization (CGH) was used to screen for genomic imbalances in 24 exocrine pancreatic carcinomas, including 11 low‐passage cell lines (4–8 subcultures) and 13 uncultured samples. Aberrations were found in all cell lines and in seven of the 13 biopsies. The most frequent changes in the cell lines were gains of 20q (91%), 11q (64%), 17q (64%), 19q (64%), 8q, 12p, 14q, and 20p (55%), and losses of 18q (100%), 9p (91%), 15q (73%), 21q (64%), 3p (55%), and 13q (55%). High‐level gains (tumor to normal ratio over 1.5) were detected at 3q, 6p, 7q, 8q, 12p, 19q, and 20q. Among the tumor biopsies, overrepresentations of 7p and 8q were most common (31%), followed by 5p, 5q, 11p, 11q, 12p, and 18q (23%), whereas the most frequent losses involved 18p and 18q (31%) and 6q and 17p (23%). The genetic changes in nine samples obtained from metastatic lesions did not differ significantly from those in 15 primary carcinomas. Most of the gains and losses detected in this CGH study correspond well to those identified in previous cytogenetic and molecular genetic investigations of pancreatic carcinomas. However, frequent gain of 12p and loss of 15q have not been previously reported. Molecular genetic analyses of these chromosome arms are warranted, and may lead to the discovery of novel genes important in pancreatic carcinogenesis. Genes Chromosomes Cancer 20:383–391, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
HEAD AND NECK SQUAMOUS CELL CANCER AND THE HUMAN PAPILLOMAVIRUS : SUMMARY OF A NATIONAL CANCER INSTITUTE STATE OF THE SCIENCE MEETING , NOVEMBER

Cleveland Clinic Taussig Cancer Institute, Cleveland, Ohio. E-mail: adelstd@ccf.org Fox Chase Cancer Center, Philadelphia, Pennsylvania Ohio State University Comprehensive Cancer Center, Columbus, Ohio National Cancer Institute, Bethesda, Maryland 5 Johns Hopkins University Bloomberg School of Public Health, Baltimore, Maryland 6 Johns Hopkins University School of Medicine, Baltimore, Maryland Yale University School of Medicine, New Haven, Connecticut University of Southern California, Los Angeles, California University of Washington, Seattle, Washington H. Lee Moffitt Cancer Center, Tampa, Florida
Syntax Analyzer &amp; Selectivity Estimation Technique Applied on Wikipedia XML Data Set

Querying large volume of XML data represents a bottleneck for several computationally intensive applications. A fast and accurate selectivity estimation mechanism is of practical importance because selectivity estimation plays a fundamental role in XML query performance. Recently proposed techniques are all based on some forms of structure synopses that could be time consuming to build and not effective for summarizing complex structure relationships. Precisely, current techniques do not handle or process efficiently the large text nodes exist in some data sets as Wikipedia. To overcome this limitation, we extend our previous work [12] that is a stream-based selectivity estimation technique to process efficiently the English data set of Wikipedia. The content of XML text nodes in Wikipedia contains a massive amount of real-life information that our techniques bring closer to practical and efficient everyday use. Extensive experiments on Wikipedia data sets (with different sizes) show that our technique achieves a remarkable accuracy and reasonable performance.
The roles of value predispositions, communication, and third person perception on public support for censorship of films with homosexual content

This study aims to examine the roles of value predispositions, communication, and third person perception on public support for censorship of films with homosexual content in Singapore. Findings from a nationally representative telephone survey of adults showed that the majority of Singaporeans supported stricter censorship of films with homosexual characters. Conformity to norms, intrinsic religiosity, and Asian orientation were positively associated with public support for censorship. Media exposure and perceived negative media effects on self were negatively associated with public support for censorship. Our results supported the perceptual component but not the behavioral component of the third person effect.
A subjective study of the influence of color information on visual quality assessment of high resolution pictures

This paper presents the design and the results of a psychovisual experiment which aims at understanding how the color information affects the perceived quality of a high resolution still picture. The results of this experiment help to shed light into the importance of color for human observers and could be used to improve the performance of objective quality metrics.
The practice of mindfulness based behaviour therapy in Sri Lanka

The Buddhist practice of cultivating mindfulness has been increasingly influencing psychotherapeutic work. However, in Sri Lanka, the documentation on the use of such practice in psychotherapy is scarce. This paper aims to discuss the influence of Buddhist mindfulness practice on psychotherapy; present a case of mixed anxiety-depressive disorder where mindfulness practice and behaviour therapy were used in its treatment and discuss issues that need to be considered in the use of mindfulness practice in psychotherapy. The combined use of Buddhist mindfulness practice and behaviour therapy yielded a favourable outcome in the case reported. In Sri Lanka, a culturally rooted method such as mindfulness practice, in combination with behaviour therapy, is useful in the treatment of mixed anxietydepressive disorder. The use of mindfulness practice in psychotherapy should be undertaken by those trained in psychological assessments and by those who have their personal mindfulness practice. Future studies on the use of mindfulness practice in other psychological disorders would be useful. DOI:10.4038/sljpsyc.v1i2. 2579 SL J Psychiatry 2010; 1 (2):67-69
Raising the Bar: Curricular Intensity and Academic Performance

Using national transcript data, the authors examine inequality in access to an advanced curriculum in high school and assess the consequences of curricular intensity on test scores and college entry. Inequalities in curricular intensity are primarily explained by student socioeconomic status effects that operate within schools rather than between schools. They find significant positive effects of taking a more intense curriculum on 12th-grade test scores and in probabilities of entry to and completion of college. However, the effect sizes of curricular intensity are generally modest, smaller than advocates of curricular upgrading policies have implied.
A Comparative Model of Field Investigations: Aligning School Science Inquiry with the Practices of Contemporary Science

Field investigations are not characterized by randomized and manipulated control group experiments, however most school science and high-stakes tests recognize only this paradigm of investigation. Scientists in astronomy, genetics, field biology, oceanography, geology, and meteorology routinely select naturally occurring events and conditions and look for descriptive, correlative, or causal trends. Field investigations contribute to scientific knowledge by describing natural systems, noting differences in habitats, and identifying environmental trends and issues; they are designed to answer an investigative question through the systematic collection of evidence and the communication of results. This paper describes the range of field investigations conducted by scientists and K-12 students and elaborates a comparative model of three different types of field investigations (descriptive studies, comparative studies, correlative studies). These forms of investigation are more representative of current scientific practice and provide rigorous and engaging inquiry experiences for young learners.
The Fittest versus the Flattest: Experimental Confirmation of the Quasispecies Effect with Subviral Pathogens

The “survival of the fittest” is the paradigm of Darwinian evolution in which the best-adapted replicators are favored by natural selection. However, at high mutation rates, the fittest organisms are not necessarily the fastest replicators but rather are those that show the greatest robustness against deleterious mutational effects, even at the cost of a low replication rate. This scenario, dubbed the “survival of the flattest”, has so far only been shown to operate in digital organisms. We show that “survival of the flattest” can also occur in biological entities by analyzing the outcome of competition between two viroid species coinfecting the same plant. Under optimal growth conditions, a viroid species characterized by fast population growth and genetic homogeneity outcompeted a viroid species with slow population growth and a high degree of variation. In contrast, the slow-growth species was able to outcompete the fast species when the mutation rate was increased. These experimental results were supported by an in silico model of competing viroid quasispecies.
Concrete magnitudes: From numbers to time

Cohen Kadosh & Walsh (CK&W) present convincing evidence indicating the existence of notation-specific numerical representations in parietal cortex. We suggest that the same conclusions can be drawn for a particular type of numerical representation: the representation of time. Notation-dependent representations need not be limited to number but may also be extended to other magnitude-related contents processed in parietal cortex (Walsh 2003).
Examining the Underlying Factor Structure of a Statewide Science Test Under Oral and Standard Administrations

This study investigates the factorial invariance of the statewide science tests at the middle school level across the oral administration accommodation and nonaccommodated groups of students with and without disabilities. Results indicate that the factor loadings and error variances are invariant across groups, although the oral administration and general education groups in Grade 8 support partial invariance in error variances. On the whole, this study supports that the science test scores for the oral administration group have the same meaning for those for the nonaccommodated groups. Aside from providing supporting validity evidence, this study also introduces the analytical method that can be used for studies of the same nature in other states.
Assessing learning material for distance education : a case study

The question that directs this article is ‘How appropriate is the new study material in this case study as means of tuition within a new learning paradigm? ’ In order to determine the appropriateness of learning material for distance education, eight assessment criteria were proposed during July 2000 at the annual conference of the International Association of Schools and Institutes of Administration, and have been published recently in a scholarly journal. This article, by applying these criteria in a case study, assesses the appropriateness of tuition in Public Administration for first-year students at Unisa. The assessment shows, inter alia, that the study guide is adequately accessible to the learners enrolled for the course, that the language of the study guide is perceived as understandable and appropriate to the specific learner profile, that the learning material succeeds in promoting what are regarded as critical cross-field outcomes generic to all fields of learning, and that it facilitates contextualised understanding of the nature, content and scope of public administration. The study guide is shown to be engaged in an effort to shift control of the learning process over to the learners. The research shows that learners appear to be ready for learning material which enhances their competencies to learn and to think independently. This is enhanced by indications that the study guide provides learners with the opportunity to think for themselves and to prepare themselves as knowledge workers. These results lead to the conclusion that Study guide 1 for the course PAD100-X (currently the only study guide for the module PUB101-8) is appropriate as a means of tuition within a paradigm of lifelong learning.
Scaling Probabilistic Temporal Query Evaluation

Open information extraction has driven automatic construction of (temporal) knowledge graphs (e.g. YAGO) that maintain probabilistic (temporal) facts and inference rules. One of the most important tasks in these knowledge graphs is query evaluation. This task is well known to be #P-hard. One of the bottlenecks of probabilistic (temporal) query evaluation is finding efficient ways of grounding the query and inference rules, to generate a factor graph that can be used for approximate query evaluation or to retrieve lineages of queries for exact evaluation. In this work, we propose the PRATiQUE (PRobAbilistic Temporal QUery Evaluation) framework for scalable temporal query evaluation. It harnesses the structure of temporal inference rules for efficient in-database grounding, i.e., it uses partitions to store structurally equivalent rules. Besides,PRATiQUE leverages a state-of-the-art Gibbs sampler to compute marginal probabilities of query answers. We report on an extensive experimental evaluation, which confirms the efficiency of our proposal.
Vaccination with Brucella abortus rough mutant RB51 protects BALB/c mice against virulent strains of Brucella abortus, Brucella melitensis, and Brucella ovis

Vaccination of BALB/c mice with live Brucella abortus RB51, a stable rough mutant, produced protection against challenge with virulent strains of Brucella abortus, Brucella melitensis, and Brucella ovis. Passive-transfer experiments indicated that vaccinated mice were protected against B. abortus 2308 through cell-mediated immunity, against B. ovis PA through humoral immunity, and against B. melitensis 16M through both forms of immunity. Live bacteria were required for the induction of protective cell-mediated immunity; vaccination with whole killed cells of strain RB51 failed to protect mice against B. abortus 2308 despite development of good delayed-type hypersensitivity reactions. Protective antibodies against the heterologous species were generated in vaccinated mice primarily through anamnestic responses following challenge infections. Growth of the antigenically unrelated bacterium Listeria monocytogenes in the spleens of vaccinated mice indicated that nonspecific killing by residual activated macrophages contributed minimally to protection. These results encourage the continued investigation of strain RB51 as an alternative vaccine against heterologous Brucella species. However, its usefulness against B. ovis would be limited if, as suggested here, epitopes critical for protective cell-mediated immunity are not shared between B. abortus and B. ovis.
Traditions and change across the arts: Case studies of arts education

This study describes the operational curriculum of arts education (visual arts, music, dance and drama education) in two elementary schools, using a qualitative, case-study methodology. The paper presents four orientations of arts education: (a) the Social orientation (arts as community builder); (b) the Subservient to academics orientation; (c) the Affective orientation; (d) the Discipline-based orientation. To understand the roles that the arts serve in the school, one needs to examine larger contexts including the goals and ideology of the school, and teachers’ beliefs. An examination of these roles reveals tensions between the traditional functions of the school arts and the push for curricular change in the scholarly literature and state departments of education.
Discriminative time-domain features for activity recognition on a mobile phone

People perform several activities during the daily life. It is important to reveal and analyze the daily life characteristic of a person, since it might help to cure several health problems. Especially to overcome obesity, heart attacks etc., people frequently do exercise. However, it is not easy to calculate the consumed energy during these exercises. Extra devices were/are required accomplishing this task. On the other hand, the powerful mobile phones encourage researchers to implement activity recognition task on these smartphones. Thus, activity recognition via mobile phone applications became so popular that several publications are made within the last five years. In this study, we elaborate on the discriminative time-domain features in order to recognize the daily activities with reduced number of features. 70 features, combined from existing studies have been analyzed and 15 of them are selected for the implementation of activity recognition on mobile phone. 6 different classification algorithms and 2 feature selection algorithms have been tested comparatively. The test results show that 8 daily activities including walking, sitting, standing, ascending/descending stairs, jogging, cycling and jumping could be classified with 94% ratio of success rate. Since k-NN is one of the most successful classifier, we have implemented it on our mobile application.
Mechanisms of action of OPC-28326, a selective hindlimb vasodilator.

The unique cardiovascular profile of OPC-28326 [4-(N-methyl-2-phenylethylamino)-1-(3, 5-dimethyl-4-propionylaminobenzoyl)piperidine hydrochloride monohydrate] provides insight into basic mechanisms of this new drug as determined by experiments in dogs and rats. In anesthetized open-chest dogs, an i.v. administration of a low dose (0.3 and 1.0 microg/kg) of OPC-28326 selectively increased femoral artery blood flow with only minimal action on systemic blood pressure, heart rate and coronary, carotid, vertebral, renal, and mesenteric blood flows. Biochemical study suggests that OPC-28326 had no effect on phosphodiesterase-3 and -5. OPC-28326 dose-dependently inhibited phenylephrine-induced increases in blood pressure in spinally anesthetized dogs. The potency of OPC-28326 was, however, about 180 times lower than that of prazosin. Although binding studies have revealed an affinity of OPC-28326 to serotonin 5-HT(2) receptors, the drug is without effect, except at very high concentrations, on serotonin-induced contraction in an isolated canine femoral artery preparation. The potency of OPC-28326 on the increase in femoral artery blood flow was about 14 times higher than that of prazosin but was at about the same level as that obtained with yohimbine in canine autoperfused femoral artery preparations. In perfused rat hindlimb preparations, OPC-28326 inhibited the decrease in perfusion flow induced by brimonidine, a selective alpha(2)-adrenoceptor agonist. The potency of OPC-28326 was at least 10 times less than that of yohimbine. Taken together, the results show that at low doses, OPC-28326 selectively exerts a potent vasodilating effect on the femoral arterial bed, in part due to an alpha(2)-adrenoceptor-blocking activity.