Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Agile Maneuvers in Legged Robots: a Predictive Control Approach

—Planning and execution of agile locomotion maneu- vers have been a longstanding challenge in legged robotics. It requires to derive motion plans and local feedback policies in real-time to handle the nonholonomy of the kinetic momenta. To achieve so, we propose a hybrid predictive controller that considers the robot’s actuation limits and full-body dynamics. It combines the feedback policies with tactile information to locally predict future actions. It converges within a few milliseconds thanks to a feasibility-driven approach. Our predictive controller enables ANYmal robots to generate agile maneuvers in realistic scenarios. A crucial element is to track the local feedback policies as, in contrast to whole-body control, they achieve the desired angular momentum. To the best of our knowledge, our predictive controller is the ﬁrst to handle actuation limits, generate agile locomotion maneuvers, and execute optimal feedback policies for low level torque control without the use of a separate whole-body controller.
Future Circular Hadron Collider FCC-hh: Overview and Status

The Future Circular Collider (FCC) study was launched as a world-wide international collaboration hosted by CERN. Its goal is to push the field to the next energy frontier beyond LHC, increasing by an order of magnitude the mass of particles that could be directly produced, and decreasing by an order of magnitude the subatomic distances to be studied. The FCC study covers two accelerators, namely, an energy-frontier hadron collider (FCC-hh) and a highest luminosity, high-energy lepton collider (FCC-ee). Both rings are hosted in the same 100 km tunnel infrastructure, replicating the CERN strategy for LEP and LHC, i.e. developing a lepton and a hadron ring sharing the same tunnel. This paper is devoted to the FCC-hh and summarizes the key features of the FCC-hh accelerator design, performance reach, and underlying technologies. The material presented in this paper builds on the conceptual design report published in 2019, and extends it, including also the progress made and the results achieved since then.
Simultaneous Localisation and Mapping With Quadric Surfaces

There are many possibilities for how to represent the map in simultaneous localisation and mapping (SLAM). While sparse, keypoint-based SLAM systems have achieved impressive levels of accuracy and robustness, their maps may not be suitable for many robotic tasks. Dense SLAM systems are capable of producing dense reconstructions, but can be computationally expensive and, like sparse systems, lack higher-level information about the structure of a scene. Human-made environments contain a lot of structure, and we seek to take advantage of this by enabling the use of quadric surfaces as features in SLAM systems. We introduce a minimal representation for quadric surfaces and show how this can be included in a least-squares formulation. We also show how our representation can be easily extended to include additional constraints on quadrics such as those found in quadrics of revolution. Finally, we introduce a proof-of-concept SLAM system using our representation, and provide some experimental results using an RGB-D dataset.
Adaptive Environment Modeling Based Reinforcement Learning for Collision Avoidance in Complex Scenes

The major challenges of collision avoidance for robot navigation in crowded scenes lie in accurate environment modeling, fast perceptions, and trustworthy motion planning policies. This paper presents a novel adaptive environment model based collision avoidance reinforcement learning (i.e., AEMCARL) framework for an unmanned robot to achieve collision-free motions in challenging navigation scenarios. The novelty of this work is threefold: (1) developing a hierarchical network of gated-recurrent-unit (GRU) for environment modeling; (2) developing an adaptive perception mechanism with an attention module; (3) developing an adaptive reward function for the reinforcement learning (RL) framework to jointly train the environment model, perception function and motion planning policy. The proposed method is tested with the Gym-Gazebo simulator and a group of robots (Husky and Turtlebot) under various crowded scenes. Both simulation and experimental results have demonstrated the superior performance of the proposed method over baseline methods.
Reducing the complexity of the Quantum Fourier Transform implementation

The quantum Fourier transform (QFT) is one of the most important quantum operations with wide range of application from integer factoring, quantum simulation, quantum Monte Carlo simulation for the option pricing to relatively new topic such as quantum algorithm for solving Navier-Stokes equation of the turbulent flow, to name a few. Major obstacle to the implementation of the QFT is the large number of elemental quantum gates needed to build the QFT. Of these resources needed for the implementation, the T-count and the T-depth are the major costs. So far, the existing best implementation of approximate quantum Fourier transform (AQFT) shows the T-count of 8nlog 2 (n/ 𝜀 ) and the T-depth of 2nlog 2 (n/ 𝜀 ) where n is the number of qubits and 𝜀 is the approximate error. Here, we propose the new approximation scheme of the QFT which halves both the T-count and the T-depth of the QFT of the best existing implementation. Our approach relies on the manipulation of R z gates after the QFT decomposition and the application of the quantum Karnaugh map for systematic reduction. We report the detailed quantum circuits and the experimental verification of the proposed scheme using IonQ quantum computer though Amazon Braket cloud service. The quantum amplitude estimation algorithm (QAEA) which plays an essential role in solving nonlinear partial differential equations employs a QFT and an inverse QFT. This QAEA would be an exemplary quantum algorithm that can get the most benefit from our proposed scheme and can be applied
Comparison of Propagation Models and Forward Calculation Methods on Cellular, Tissue and Organ Scale Atrial Electrophysiology

Objective: The bidomain model and the finite element method are an established standard to mathematically describe cardiac electrophysiology, but are both suboptimal choices for fast and large-scale simulations due to high computational costs. We investigate to what extent simplified approaches for propagation models (monodomain, reaction-Eikonal and Eikonal) and forward calculation (boundary element and infinite volume conductor) deliver markedly accelerated, yet physiologically accurate simulation results in atrial electrophysiology. Methods: We compared action potential durations, local activation times (LATs), and electrocardiograms (ECGs) for sinus rhythm simulations on healthy and fibrotically infiltrated atrial models. Results: All simplified model solutions yielded LATs and P waves in accurate accordance with the bidomain results. Only for the Eikonal model with pre-computed action potential templates shifted in time to derive transmembrane voltages, repolarization behavior notably deviated from the bidomain results. ECGs calculated with the boundary element method were characterized by correlation coefficients $>$0.9 compared to the finite element method. The infinite volume conductor method led to lower correlation coefficients caused predominantly by systematic overestimations of P wave amplitudes in the precordial leads. Conclusion: Our results demonstrate that the Eikonal model yields accurate LATs and combined with the boundary element method precise ECGs compared to markedly more expensive full bidomain simulations. However, for an accurate representation of atrial repolarization dynamics, diffusion terms must be accounted for in simplified models. Significance: Simulations of atrial LATs and ECGs can be notably accelerated to clinically feasible time frames at high accuracy by resorting to the Eikonal and boundary element methods.
The International Linear Collider: Report to Snowmass 2021

The International Linear Collider (ILC) is on the table now as a new global energy-frontier accelerator laboratory taking data in the 2030s. The ILC addresses key questions for our current understanding of particle physics. It is based on a proven accelerator technology. Its experiments will challenge the Standard Model of particle physics and will provide a new window to look beyond it. This document brings the story of the ILC up to date, emphasizing its strong physics motivation, its readiness for construction, and the opportunity it presents to the US and the global particle physics community.
Inference of Upcoming Human Grasp Using EMG During Reach-to-Grasp Movement

Electromyography (EMG) data has been extensively adopted as an intuitive interface for instructing human-robot collaboration. A major challenge to the real-time detection of human grasp intent is the identification of dynamic EMG from hand movements. Previous studies predominantly implemented the steady-state EMG classification with a small number of grasp patterns in dynamic situations, which are insufficient to generate differentiated control regarding the variation of muscular activity in practice. In order to better detect dynamic movements, more EMG variability could be integrated into the model. However, only limited research was conducted on such detection of dynamic grasp motions, and most existing assessments on non-static EMG classification either require supervised ground-truth timestamps of the movement status or only contain limited kinematic variations. In this study, we propose a framework for classifying dynamic EMG signals into gestures and examine the impact of different movement phases, using an unsupervised method to segment and label the action transitions. We collected and utilized data from large gesture vocabularies with multiple dynamic actions to encode the transitions from one grasp intent to another based on natural sequences of human grasp movements. The classifier for identifying the gesture label was constructed afterward based on the dynamic EMG signal, with no supervised annotation of kinematic movements required. Finally, we evaluated the performances of several training strategies using EMG data from different movement phases and explored the information revealed from each phase. All experiments were evaluated in a real-time style with the performance transitions presented over time.
POPULATION AGING AND INVENTIVE ACTIVITY

This research empirically establishes and interprets the hypothesis that the relationship between population aging and inventive activity is hump-shaped. We estimate a reduced form, hump-shaped relationship in a panel of 33 OECD countries over the period 1960–2012, as well as in a panel of 248 NUTS 2 regions in Europe over the period 2001–2012. The increasing part of the hump may be associated with various channels including the acknowledgement that population aging requires inventive activity to guarantee current and future standards of living, or the observation that older educated workers are more innovative than their young peers. The decreasing part may reflect the tendency of aging societies to lose dynamism and the willingness to take risks.
‘Treat everyone like they're a man’: Stakeholder perspectives on the provision of health and social care support for female veterans in the UK

Abstract International research suggests that female veterans may experience gender‐specific barriers to accessing veteran‐specific care. This is the first UK study to report an exploratory qualitative investigation of the provision of health and social care support for female veterans and whether this support meets their needs. The research team carried out 13 virtual semi‐structured interviews between October and November 2020, with representatives from statutory and third sector organisations that provide support to UK female veterans. Ethical approval was obtained from the Anglia Ruskin University School of Education and Social Care Research Ethics Committee. The authors identified four overarching themes and nine sub‐themes in a thematic analysis following the framework outlined by Braun and Clarke (2006). The findings of this study suggest that practitioners from statutory and third sector organisations perceive the UK veteran support sector as male‐dominated and male‐targeted, with a lack of consideration for female veterans’ needs. Participants reported a lack of engagement with veteran‐specific services by female veterans and suggested that women either do not identify with the ‘veteran’ label or do not feel comfortable accessing male‐dominated veteran‐specific services. The need for specific services for female veterans split participant opinion, with most of those who were female veterans themselves highlighting the importance of ‘safe spaces’ for women, particularly those who had experienced gender‐based violence during military service. Others felt that the veteran support sector currently lacked evidence of women's unique support needs, and an examination of current provision was required. The authors recommend a thorough assessment of UK female veterans’ health and social care needs, alongside development of training and guidance for health and social care professionals, to ensure that veteran services are adequately developed, tailored and targeted with women's needs in mind.
MicorRNA-195 links long non-coding RNA SEMA3B antisense RNA 1 (head to head) and cyclin D1 to regulate the proliferation of glioblastoma cells

ABSTRACT Long non-coding RNA (lncRNA) SEMA3B antisense RNA 1 (head to head) (SEMA3B-AS1) is a recently identified tumor suppressor in gastric cancer. However, its role in glioblastoma (GBM) is unclear. This study was conducted to explore the role of SEMA3B-AS1 in GBM. In this study, the expression of SEMA3B-AS1, cyclin D1 and miR-195 were determined by RT-qPCR. Gene interactions were evaluated by dual-luciferase assay and overexpression experiments. BrdU assay was performed to monitor cell proliferation. We observed downregulation of SEMA3B-AS1 in GBM. The expression of SEMA3B-AS1 was inversely correlated with the expression of cyclin D1 but positively correlated with the expression of miR-195. In GBM cells, overexpression of SEMA3B-AS1 and miR-195 caused reduced expression levels of cyclin D1. MiR-195 inhibitor reduced the effects of overexpression of SEMA3B-AS1 on the expression of cyclin D1. Moreover, overexpression of SEMA3B-AS1 increased the expression levels of miR-195. Cell proliferation data showed that, SEMA3B-AS1 and miR-195 decreased cell proliferation, while overexpression of cyclin D1 increased GBM cell proliferation. In addition, miR-195 inhibitor inhibited the role of overexpression of SEMA3B-AS1 in cancer cell proliferation. Moreover, miR-195 interacted with cyclin D1, but not SEMA3B-AS1. Furthermore, SEMA3B-AS1 decreased the methylation of the promoter region of miR-195. Therefore, we concluded that miR-195 links lncRNA SEMA3B-AS1 and cyclin D1 to regulate the proliferation of GBM cells. Graphical abstract
A Lifestyle Intervention to Delay Early Chronic Kidney Disease in African Americans With Diabetic Kidney Disease: Pre-Post Pilot Study

Background Behavioral factors, such as lifestyle, have been shown to explain approximately 24% of the excess risk of chronic kidney disease (CKD) among African Americans. However, there are limited intervention studies culturally tailored to African Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus and CKD. Objective The main objective of this study was to examine the feasibility and preliminary efficacy of a culturally tailored lifestyle intervention among African Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus and CKD. Methods A pre-post design was used to test the feasibility of a lifestyle intervention in 30 African American adults recruited from the Medical University of South Carolina between January 2017 and February 2017. A research nurse delivered the manualized study intervention weekly for 6 weeks. Clinical outcomes (hemoglobin A1c, blood pressure, and estimated glomerular filtration rate [eGFR]) were measured at baseline and postintervention. Disease knowledge, self-care, and behavior outcomes were also measured using validated structured questionnaires at baseline and postintervention. Descriptive statistics and effect sizes were calculated to determine clinically important changes from baseline. Results Significant pre-post mean differences and decreases were observed for hemoglobin A1c (mean 0.75%, 95% CI 0.16-1.34; P=.01), total cholesterol (mean 16.38 mg/dL, 95% CI 5.82-26.94; P=.004), low-density lipoprotein (mean 13.73 mg/dL, 95% CI 3.91-23.54; P=.008), and eGFR (mean 6.73 mL/min/1.73m2, 95% CI 0.97-12.48; P=.02). Significant pre-post mean differences and increases were observed for CKD self-efficacy (mean −11.15, 95% CI −21.55 to −0.75; P=.03), CKD knowledge (mean −2.62, 95% CI −3.98 to −1.25; P<.001), exercise behavior (mean −1.21, 95% CI −1.96 to −0.46; P=.003), and blood sugar testing (mean −2.15, 95% CI −3.47 to −0.83; P=.003). Conclusions This study provides preliminary data for a large-scale appropriately powered randomized controlled trial to examine a culturally tailored lifestyle intervention in African Americans with type 2 diabetes mellitus and CKD in order to improve clinical, knowledge, self-care, and behavior outcomes in this population.
Visitors’ motivations and perceptions of service quality at the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix

This study aims to assess visitors’ perceptions of service quality at the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix championship and to determine their motives for attending the event.The sample comprised of 487 domestic and international tourists who were selected by means of convenience sampling technique.A quantitative survey in the form of a self-administered questionnaire was utilized to collect data.The results showed that the visitors’ motivation for visiting the Malaysian Motorcycle Grand Prix was to seek adventure and pleasure. The results also seemed to support that knowledge, sociability, relaxation, entertainment, and prestige were the motivating factors for tourists’ participation in the event.The findings of the survey also revealed that the majority of respondents were satisfied with all the site features listed in the questionnaire, however, the improvement of the staff performance seems crucial as they are also perceived as not so helpful, lack of knowledge and not so approachable.Thus, this study portrayed important findings relating to the future planning of the event if it was to be a vital part of tourism promotion, as well as providing some insights that would help tourism managers and marketers to develop specific, tailor-made promotional strategies to target such market segment.
Assessing psychosocial distress associated with homelessness in Ghana: A springboard for interventional policy design

This study investigated the causes of homelessness in Ghana and associated psychosocial distress. A sample of 86 homeless participants listed perceived causes of their homelessness and completed measures of psychosocial distress, and 97 non-homeless participants completed the same measures psychosocial distress. Causes of homelessness among the participants included poverty (30.1%), migration (10.4%), unemployment (2.2%), parental demise (2.2%), parental neglect (0.5%), and parental divorce (0.5%). Multivariate analysis revealed higher psychosocial distress among the homeless than the non-homeless. Homeless females reported higher levels of stress and suicidality than their male counterparts. The study demonstrates the need for timely and effective implementation of interventions such as provision of affordable housing, financial assistance, job-creation, and skill training for the homeless directly related to known causes of homelessness and accounting for gender differences.
Arthroscopic Quantitative Measurement of Medial Clear Space for Deltoid Injury of the Ankle: A Cadaveric Comparative Study With Stress Radiography

Background: The deltoid ligament (DL) is an important stabilizer of the ankle. DL injury of varying severity can occur alone or with syndesmotic injury and fibular fracture. Limited diagnostic tools are available to assess DL injury quantitatively. Purpose: To establish an arthroscopic quantitative assessment of DL injury and to compare its performance with that of external rotation stress (ERS) and gravity stress (GS) radiography. Study Design: Controlled laboratory study. Methods: In total, 24 cadaveric lower extremities were divided into 4 groups: group 1 consisted of intact DL, group 2 of superficial DL disruption, group 3 of deep DL disruption, and group 4 of complete DL (superficial and deep) disruption. All specimens underwent sequential sectioning of syndesmotic ligaments, and medial clear space (MCS) was measured with ankle arthroscopy, ERS radiography, and GS radiography at different stages of syndesmotic sectioning. Results: For noninjured deltoid (group 1) and injured deltoid (groups 2-4), area under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) of measurement of MCS was 0.939 for arthroscopy, 0.932 for ERS radiography, and 0.874 for GS radiography, with a significant difference between arthroscopy and GS radiography (P = .014). For incomplete deltoid injury (groups 1-3) and complete deltoid injury (group 4), the AUC of MCS was 0.811 for arthroscopy, 0.656 for ERS radiography, and 0.721 for GS radiography, with a significant difference between arthroscopy and ERS radiography (P < .001) and between arthroscopy and GS radiography (P = .035). For all stages of syndesmotic sectioning, cutoff values of arthroscopic MCS with intact fibula were ≤2.5 mm for intact DL, between 2.5 and 3.5 mm for partial DL injury (superficial or deep), and ≥3.5 mm for complete DL injury. Arthroscopy was unable to detect a difference between superficial deltoid injury (group 2) and deep deltoid injury (group 3) in partial DL injury, with a measured MCS between 2.5 and 3.5 mm. The intraclass correlation coefficient of interrater reliability was 0.975 for arthroscopy, 0.917 for ERS radiography, and 0.811 for GS radiography. Conclusion: Arthroscopic MCS measurement can differentiate intact DL, partial DL injury, and complete DL injury. Compared with ERS and GS radiography, arthroscopic MCS measurement has greater accuracy with excellent interrater reliability. Clinical Relevance: For patients with suspected DL injury, arthroscopic MCS is useful for determining deltoid lesion severity based on defined cutoff values for consideration in preoperative planning to improve surgical outcomes.
Machbarkeitsstudie zur Erstellung eines Arbeitsmarktmonitors Mindestlohn (MoMiLo)

"This report studies the practicability of a minimum wage monitor. The monitor report is supposed to observe the development of important labour market indicators before and after the introduction of the minimum wage, using aggregated statistics. The focus is on stocks, flows and changes of persons in employment, benefit receipt and/or unemployment. The planned contents and capabilities of the monitor are demonstrated within this report. In doing so, the report shows that the requirements of a minimum wage monitor can be met. The examples given in this report illustrate what kinds of analyses and forecasts are possible. The design of the future monitor's data base is flexible enough to allow for innovative reporting. The report 'Arbeitsmarktspiegel - Entwicklungen nach Einfuhrung des Mindestlohns' is based on this feasibility study. " (Author's abstract, IAB-Doku) ((en))