Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Benefit of Combining Neuronal Feedback and Feed-Forward Control for Robustness in Step Down Perturbations of Simulated Human Walking Depends on the Muscle Function

It is often assumed that the spinal control of human locomotion combines feed-forward central pattern generation with sensory feedback via muscle reflexes. However, the actual contribution of each component to the generation and stabilization of gait is not well understood, as direct experimental evidence for either is difficult to obtain. We here investigate the relative contribution of the two components to gait stability in a simulation model of human walking. Specifically, we hypothesize that a simple linear combination of feedback and feed-forward control at the level of the spinal cord improves the reaction to unexpected step down perturbations. In previous work, we found preliminary evidence supporting this hypothesis when studying a very reduced model of rebounding behaviors. In the present work, we investigate if the evidence extends to a more realistic model of human walking. We revisit a model that has previously been published and relies on spinal feedback control to generate walking. We extend the control of this model with a feed-forward muscle activation pattern. The feed-forward pattern is recorded from the unperturbed feedback control output. We find that the improvement in the robustness of the walking model with respect to step down perturbations depends on the ratio between the two strategies and on the muscle to which they are applied. The results suggest that combining feed-forward and feedback control is not guaranteed to improve locomotion, as the beneficial effects are dependent on the muscle and its function during walking.
Approximate Online Pattern Matching in Sub-linear Time

We consider the approximate pattern matching problem under edit distance. In this problem we are given a pattern $P$ of length $w$ and a text $T$ of length $n$ over some alphabet $\Sigma$, and a positive integer $k$. The goal is to find all the positions $j$ in $T$ such that there is a substring of $T$ ending at $j$ which has edit distance at most $k$ from the pattern $P$. Recall, the edit distance between two strings is the minimum number of character insertions, deletions, and substitutions required to transform one string into the other. For a position $t$ in $\{1,. ,n\}$, let $k_t$ be the smallest edit distance between $P$ and any substring of $T$ ending at $t$. In this paper we give a constant factor approximation to the sequence $k_1,k_2,. ,k_{n}$. We consider both offline and online settings. In the offline setting, where both $P$ and $T$ are available, we present an algorithm that for all $t$ in $\{1,. ,n\}$, computes the value of $k_t$ approximately within a constant factor. The worst case running time of our algorithm is $O(n w^{3/4})$. As a consequence we break the $O(nw)$-time barrier for this problem. In the online setting, we are given $P$ and then $T$ arrives one symbol at a time. We design an algorithm that upon arrival of the $t$-th symbol of $T$ computes $k_t$ approximately within $O(1)$-multiplicative factor and $w^{8/9}$-additive error. Our algorithm takes $O(w^{1-(7/54)})$ amortized time per symbol arrival and takes $O(w^{1-(1/54)})$ additional space apart from storing the pattern $P$. Both of our algorithms are randomized and produce correct answer with high probability. To the best of our knowledge this is the first worst-case sub-linear (in the length of the pattern) time and sub-linear succinct space algorithm for online approximate pattern matching problem.
Vitamin D Deficiency and Immune Disorders in Combined Endocrine Pathology

Introduction: Combined endocrine pathology is a serious healthcare problem in Ukraine. This prospective study assessed the blood levels of 25-hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D] and markers of immune function in response to vitamin D intervention in patients with type 1 and type 2 diabetes mellitus (T1DM and T2DM, respectively) and autoimmune thyroiditis (AIT). Objective: This study evaluated the relationship between the metabolic and immune status of DM + AIT patients with respect to their vitamin D status and changes after vitamin D3 supplementation. Material and Methods: Patients with type 1 or type 2 DM in combination with AIT and decreased circulating levels of 25(OH)D were divided into two groups of 30 patients each. All patients with AIT were euthyroid and receiving hormonal replacement therapy. The levels of carbohydrate and fat metabolism markers, Immunologic markers, namely, Th1-type cytokines [interferon (IFN)-γ, tumor necrosis factor (TNF)-α, interleukin (IL)-2, IL-6, IL-12], Th2-type cytokines (IL-4, IL-5), IL-10, and IL-17 were measured before and after vitamin D3 supplementation. The vitamin D status was assessed according to the level of 25(OH)D. Results: Patients with combined endocrine disorders (DM and AIT) with a decreased vitamin D status had significantly increased background concentrations of Th1-type cytokines and reduced concentrations of Th2-type cytokines (IL-4 and IL-5), IL-10, and IL-17. The results of our study showed that vitamin D3 supplementation in patients with T1DM and T2DM reduced the concentrations of the inflammatory Th1-type cytokines and increased the levels of Th2-type cytokines. Conclusion: The presence of two endocrine diseases, aggravated by decreased circulating levels of 25(OH)D, leads to disorders wherein the immune status is markedly changed. These decreased levels of 25(OH)D contribute to an autoimmune inflammatory process and to the progression of complications in addition to the metabolic disorders. A vitamin D intervention resulted in significant changes in the blood levels of 25(OH)D that are related to parameters of autoimmunity and glucose metabolism. Vitamin D3 supplementation should be considered for the prevention and treatment of combined endocrine pathology.
Augmented jump: a backpack multirotor system for jumping ability augmentation

This paper introduces Augmented Jump, a backpack multirotor system for jumping ability augmentation. Augmented Jump hovers and supports users' weight by a constant upward power of thrust. Users can jump higher and stay in the air for a longer time than usual with Augmented Jump. We designed and developed our first proof-of-concept prototype that can be controlled as an octocopter and support user's weight by 50kg at maximum. In our experiments, it is found that the system enabled the user to perform jumping in simulated 75% reduced gravity. From user study, the results showed that our system was effective for extending the height and the duration of jumping.
Hierarchical Contextual Refinement Networks for Human Pose Estimation

Predicting human pose in the wild is a challenging problem due to high flexibility of joints and possible occlusion. Existing approaches generally tackle the difficulties either by holistic prediction or multi-stage processing, which suffer from poor performance for locating challenging joints or high computational cost. In this paper, we propose a new hierarchical contextual refinement network (HCRN) to robustly predict human poses in an efficient manner, where human body joints of different complexities are processed at different layers in a context hierarchy. Different from existing approaches, our proposed model predicts positions of joints from easy to difficult in a single stage through effectively exploiting informative contexts provided in the previous layer. Such approach offers two appealing advantages over state-of-the-arts: 1) more accurate than predicting all the joints together and 2) more efficient than multi-stage processing methods. We design a contextual refinement unit (CRU) to implement the proposed model, which enables auto-diffusion of joint detection results to effectively transfer informative context from easy joints to difficult ones. In this way, difficult joints can be reliably detected even in presence of occlusion or severe distracting factors. Multiple CRUs are organized into a tree-structured hierarchy which is end-to-end trainable and does not require processing joints for multiple iterations. Comprehensive experiments evaluate the efficacy and efficiency of the proposed HCRN model to improve well-established baselines and achieve the new state-of-the-art on multiple human pose estimation benchmarks.
Tuning Anti-Klein to Klein Tunneling in Bilayer Graphene.

We show that in gapped bilayer graphene, quasiparticle tunneling and the corresponding Berry phase can be controlled such that they exhibit features of single-layer graphene such as Klein tunneling. The Berry phase is detected by a high-quality Fabry-Pérot interferometer based on bilayer graphene. By raising the Fermi energy of the charge carriers, we find that the Berry phase can be continuously tuned from 2π down to 0. 68π in gapped bilayer graphene, in contrast to the constant Berry phase of 2π in pristine bilayer graphene. Particularly, we observe a Berry phase of π, the standard value for single-layer graphene. As the Berry phase decreases, the corresponding transmission probability of charge carriers at normal incidence clearly demonstrates a transition from anti-Klein tunneling to nearly perfect Klein tunneling.
A Nonfimbrial Adhesin of Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans Mediates Biofilm Biogenesis

Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease caused by polymicrobial biofilms. The periodontal pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans displays two proteinaceous surface structures, the fimbriae and the nonfimbrial extracellular matrix binding protein A (EmaA), as observed by electron microscopy. ABSTRACT Periodontitis is an inflammatory disease caused by polymicrobial biofilms. The periodontal pathogen Aggregatibacter actinomycetemcomitans displays two proteinaceous surface structures, the fimbriae and the nonfimbrial extracellular matrix binding protein A (EmaA), as observed by electron microscopy. Fimbriae participate in biofilm biogenesis and the EmaA adhesins mediate collagen binding. However, in the absence of fimbriae, A. actinomycetemcomitans still retains the potential to form robust biofilms, suggesting that other surface macromolecules participate in biofilm development. Here, isogenic mutant strains lacking EmaA structures, but still expressing fimbriae, were observed to have reduced biofilm potential. In strains lacking both EmaA and fimbriae, biofilm mass was reduced by 80%. EmaA enhanced biofilm formation in different strains, independent of the fimbriation state or serotype. Confocal microscopy revealed differences in cell density within microcolonies between the EmaA positive and mutant strains. EmaA-mediated biofilm formation was found to be independent of the glycosylation state and the precise three-dimensional conformation of the protein, and thus this function is uncorrelated with collagen binding activity. The data suggest that EmaA is a multifunctional adhesin that utilizes different mechanisms to enhance bacterial binding to collagen and to enhance biofilm formation, both of which are important for A. actinomycetemcomitans colonization and subsequent infection.
Safety and rate of delayed adverse events with lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) for pancreatic fluid collections: a multicenter study

Abstract Background and study aims Endoscopic drainage with dedicated lumen-apposing metal stents (LAMS) is routinely performed for symptomatic pancreatic fluid collections (PFCs), walled-off necrosis (WON) and pseudocyst (PP). There has been increasing concern regarding delayed adverse events associated with the indwelling LAMS. Patients and methods Multicenter retrospective analysis of consecutive patients who underwent endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided LAMS placement for PFC from January 2010 to May 2017. Main outcomes included: (1) resolution of the PFC, (2) rate of delayed adverse events at follow-up, and (3) predictors of treatment failure and delayed adverse events on logistic regression. Results A total of 122 patients (mean age 50.9 years, 68 % male) underwent LAMS insertion for 64 WON (98.4 %) and 58 PP (98.3 %). PFC mean size was 10.6 cm. PFC resolution was significantly lower for WON (62.3 %) vs. PP (96.5 %) (P < 0.001) on imaging at a median of 4 weeks. Stent occlusion was identified in 18 (29.5 %) and 10 (17.5 %) patients with WON and PP, respectively (P = 0.13). There were no cases of delayed bleeding or buried stent on follow-up endoscopy. Use of electrocautery-enhanced LAMS was the only factor associated with treatment failure of WON (OR = 13.2; 95 % ci: 3.33 – 51.82, P = 0.02) on logistic regression. There were no patient, operator, or procedure-related factors predictive of stent occlusion. Conclusions EUS-guided LAMS for PFC is associated with a low incidence of delayed adverse events. While nearly all PPs resolve at 4 weeks permitting LAMS removal shortly thereafter, many WON persist, with use of electrocautery-enhanced LAMS being the sole predictor of treatment failure.
Quantum Algorithm for Optimization and Polynomial System Solving over Finite Field and Application to Cryptanalysis

In this paper, we give quantum algorithms for two fundamental computation problems: solving polynomial systems over finite fields and optimization where the arguments of the objective function and constraints take values from a finite field or a bounded interval of integers. The quantum algorithms can solve these problems with any given success probability and have polynomial runtime complexities in the size of the input, the degree of the inequality constraints, and the condition number of certain matrices derived from the problem. So, we achieved exponential speedup for these problems when their condition numbers are small. As applications, quantum algorithms are given to three basic computational problems in cryptography: the polynomial system with noise problem, the short integer solution problem, the shortest vector problem, as well as the cryptanalysis for the lattice based NTRU cryptosystem. It is shown that these problems and NTRU can against quantum computer attacks only if their condition numbers are large, so the condition number could be used as a new criterion for the lattice based post-quantum cryptosystems.
Genotype imputation accuracy in multiple equine breeds from medium‐ to high‐density genotypes

Genotype imputation is now a key component of genomic analyses as it increases the density of available genotypes within a population. However, many factors can influence imputation accuracy. The aim of this study was to assess and compare the accuracy of imputation of high-density genotypes (Affymetrix Axiom Equine genotyping array, 670,806 SNPs) from two moderate-density genotypes (Illumina Equine SNP50 BeadChip, 54,602 SNPs and Illumina Equine SNP70 BeadChip, 65,157 SNPs), using single-breed or multiple-breed reference sets. Genotypes were available from five groups of horse breeds: Arab (AR, 1,207 horses), Trotteur Français (TF, 979 horses), Selle Français (SF, 1,979 horses), Anglo-Arab (AA, 229 horses) and various foreign sport horses (FH, 209 horses). The proportions of horses genotyped with the high-density (HD) chip in each breed group were 10% in AA, 15% in AR and FH, 30% in TF and 57% in SF. A validation set consisting of one-third of the horses genotyped with the HD chip was formed and their genotypes deleted. Two imputation strategies were compared, one in which the reference population consisted only of horses from the same breed group as in the validation set, and another with horses from all breed groups. For the first strategy, concordance rates (CRs) ranged from 97.8% (AR) to 99.0% (TF) and correlations (r²) from 0.94 (AR) to 0.99 (TF). For the second strategy, CR ranged from 97.4% (AR) to 98.9% (TF) and r² from 0.93 (AR) to 0.99 (TF). Overall, the results show a small advantage of within-breed imputation compared with multi-breed imputation. Adding horses from different breed groups to the reference population does not improve the accuracy of imputation. Imputation provides an accurate means of combining data sets from different genotyping platforms, now necessary with the increasing use of the recently developed Affymetrix Axiom Equine genotyping array.
e-RNSP: An Efficient Method for Mining Repetition Negative Sequential Patterns

Negative sequential patterns (NSPs), which capture both frequent occurring and nonoccurring behaviors, become increasingly important and sometimes play a role irreplaceable by analyzing occurring behaviors only. Repetition sequential patterns capture repetitions of patterns in different sequences as well as within a sequence and are very important to understand the repetition relations between behaviors. Though some methods are available for mining NSP and repetition positive sequential patterns (RPSPs), we have not found any methods for mining repetition NSP (RNSP). RNSP can help the analysts to further understand the repetition relationships between items and capture more comprehensive information with repetition properties. However, mining RNSP is much more difficult than mining NSP due to the intrinsic challenges of nonoccurring items. To address the above issues, we first propose a formal definition of repetition negative containment. Then, we propose a method to convert repetition negative containment to repetition positive containment, which fast calculates the repetition supports by only using the corresponding RPSP’s information without rescanning databases. Finally, we propose an efficient algorithm, called e-RNSP, to mine RNSP efficiently. To the best of our knowledge, e-RNSP is the first algorithm to efficiently mine RNSP. Intensive experimental results on the first four real and synthetic datasets clearly show that e-RNSP can efficiently discover the repetition negative patterns; results on the fifth dataset prove the effectiveness of RNSP which are captured by the proposed method; and the results on the rest 16 datasets analyze the impacts of data characteristics on mining process.
Gaze Typing using Multi-key Selection Technique

Gaze typing for people with extreme motor disabilities like full body paralysis can be extremely slow and discouraging for daily communication. The most popular technique in gaze typing, known as dwell time typing, is based on fixation on every letter of the word for a fixed amount of time, to type the word. In this preliminary study, the goal was to test a new technique of gaze typing that requires fixating only on the first and the last letter of the word. Analysis of the data collected suggests that the newly described technique is 63% faster than dwell time typing for novices in gaze interaction, without influencing the error rate. Using this technique would have a tremendous impact on communication speed, comfort and working efficiency of people with disabilities.
ENSO effects on the transpiration of eastern Amazon trees

Tree transpiration is important in the recycling of precipitation in the Amazon and might be negatively affected by El Niño–Southern Oscillation (ENSO)–induced droughts. To investigate the relative importance of soil moisture deficits versus increasing atmospheric demand (VPD) and determine if these drivers exert different controls over tree transpiration during the wet season versus the dry season (DS), we conducted sap flow measurements in a primary lowland tropical forest in eastern Amazon during the most extreme ENSO-induced drought (2015/2016) recorded in the Amazon. We also assessed whether trees occupying different canopy strata contribute equally to the overall stand transpiration (Tstand). Canopy trees were the primary source of Tstand. However, subcanopy trees are still important as they transpired an amount similar to other biomes around the globe. Tree water use was higher during the DS, indicating that during extreme drought trees did not reduce transpiration in response to low soil moisture. Photosynthetically active radiation and VPD exerted an overriding effect on water use patterns relative to soil moisture during extreme drought, indicating that light and atmospheric constraints play a critical role in controlling ecosystem fluxes of water. Our study highlights the importance of canopy and subcanopy trees to the regional water balance and highlights the resilience to droughts that these trees show during an extreme ENSO event. This article is part of a discussion meeting issue ‘The impact of the 2015/2016 El Niño on the terrestrial tropical carbon cycle: patterns, mechanisms and implications’.
EyeControl: Towards Unconstrained Eye Tracking in Industrial Environments

We propose the idea of a powerful mobile eye tracking platform that enables whole new ways of explicit and implicit human-machine interactions in complex industrial settings. The system is based on two hardware components (NVIDIA Jetson TX2, Pupil labs eye tracker) and a message-oriented framework for real-time processing [1]. The design is described and potential use cases are sketched.
Flip-Flop Sticker: Force-to-Motion Type 3DoF Input Device for Capacitive Touch Surface

Figure 1. (a) Flip-Flop Sticker attached to the trackpad; (b) The structure of Flip-Flop Sticker; (c) Applying shear force (sliding to any optional direction) to PL is assigned as X/Y-axis operations and applying pressure force (pushing down) to PL/PR is assigned as Z-axis (+Z/-Z) operations; (d) The seesawlike mechanism enabling “upward” force feedback to a primary operation finger; (e) Flip-Flop Sticker can also be utilized as a head-mounted display adapter; (f) Applications : 3D (X/Y/Z) operation in 3D CAD and 3D Tic-Tac-Toe can be realized by orthogonal and intuitive operation.
Evaluating responses in source code highlighting tasks: preliminary considerations for automatic assessment

The reading and understanding of source code is a necessary prerequisite for prospective programmers to write their own code. Thus, a reasonable task is to determine certain concepts like class identifiers in a given source code. In order to automatically evaluate the responses, they must be quantified. Hence, it is vital to have reliable and valid methods of measurement. In this paper we apply different means of measurement on constructed examples and compare them. Cohen's κ seems to be an adequate measure.
Clostridium difficile infection in oncology patients: epidemiology, pathophysiology, risk factors, diagnosis, and treatment

ABSTRACT Clostridium difficile infection (CDI) is one of the most common healthcare-associated infections in the United States. Its incidence has been increasing in the recent years despite preventative measures. CDI increases annual expenses by 1.5 billion dollars. Cancer patients are at higher risk to acquire CDI, as explained by their frequent exposure to risk factors. CDI in cancer patients is associated with higher mortality rates and prolonged hospitalization. Furthermore, CDI affects the course of the disease by delaying treatments such as chemotherapy. Chemotherapeutics drugs are considered independent risk factors for CDI. This review discusses Clostridium difficile infection in cancer patients, including those who are receiving chemotherapy. Herein, we summarize recent data regarding the epidemiology, risk factors, including chemotherapy regimens, pathogenesis, diagnostic techniques and treatment options, including newer agents. Method: A literature search was performed using the PubMed and Google Scholar databases. The MeSH terms utilized in different combinations were ‘clostridium difficile’, ‘neoplasia/cancer/oncology’, ‘chemotherapy’, ‘diagnosis’, and ‘treatment’, in addition to looking up each treatment option individually to generate a comprehensive search. The articles were initially screened by title alone, followed by screening through abstracts. Full texts of pertinent articles (including letters to editors, case reports, case series, cohort studies, and clinical trials) were included in this review.