Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Social situation-aware perception and action for cognitive robots

This deliverable reports on the evaluation of the SPENCER platform at Schiphol Airport during the final integration week V in March 2016. We will report results based on the the evaluation criteria set forth in T6.4 (technical, scientific, end-user and user-experience measures). In summary, during the integration week the SPENCER robot did not show any technical failures, and the major system components such as people tracking or close-range perception performed better than the state of the art, compared on benchmark datasets. The robot travelled a total distance of 46.36km autonomously. In addition, the user studies conducted with 18 participants showed overall participants’ appreciation for the robot and provided valuable insights to direct future research in domestic service robots.
Ultrafast Measurement on NBTI

We combine customary pulsed I- V setup with a simple linear drain-current correction method to provide a possible standard for NBTI characterization. The method is implemented using standard equipment and yet is able to achieve sub-100-ns delay, the shortest reported to date for a wafer-level setup. Unlike the ramped-voltage method for which synchronization of the gate and drain waveforms is critical, relative delay between the gate and drain signals is not a concern in our case since measurement is made during quasi-steady state. For the present setup, gate and drain signals are shown to ldquostabilizerdquo after ~50 ns (upon switching) for a gate capacitive load of 1.5 pF (equivalent to ~80 devices used in this letter), rendering parallel testing possible using a single gate voltage source. Extension of the method for direct threshold voltage extraction by the constant subthreshold drain current approach is also discussed.
State feedback controller design of networked control systems with multiple packet dropouts

This paper presents a kind of controller design method for a class of networked control systems (NCSs) with multiple packet dropouts, where the number of consecutive packet dropouts is limited by a known upper bound. A novel model that can be used to describe multiple packet dropouts in both sensor-to-controller and controller-to-actuator sides is provided. A sufficient condition for mean-square asymptotic stability is derived for the closed-loop networked control system, which is dependent on the upper bound of the packet dropouts number. The corresponding state feedback control law is presented in terms of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs). A networked control system for an inverted pendulum is finally provided to show the effectiveness and applicability of the proposed method.
Assessment of Groin Application of Junctional Tourniquets in a Manikin Model

Abstract Introduction To aid in preparation of military medic trainers for a possible new curriculum in teaching junctional tourniquet use, the investigators studied the time to control hemorrhage and blood volume lost in order to provide evidence for ease of use. Hypothesis Models of junctional tourniquet could perform differentially by blood loss, time to hemostasis, and user preference. Methods In a laboratory experiment, 30 users controlled simulated hemorrhage from a manikin (Combat Ready Clamp [CRoC] Trainer) with three iterations each of three junctional tourniquets. There were 270 tests which included hemorrhage control (yes/no), time to hemostasis, and blood volume lost. Users also subjectively ranked tourniquet performance. Models included CRoC, Junctional Emergency Treatment Tool (JETT), and SAM Junctional Tourniquet (SJT). Time to hemostasis and total blood loss were log-transformed and analyzed using a mixed model analysis of variance (ANOVA) with the users represented as random effects and the tourniquet model used as the treatment effect. Preference scores were analyzed with ANOVA, and Tukey’s honest significant difference test was used for all post-hoc pairwise comparisons. Results All tourniquet uses were 100% effective for hemorrhage control. For blood loss, CRoC and SJT performed best with least blood loss and were significantly better than JETT; in pairwise comparison, CRoC-JETT (P < .0001) and SJT-JETT (P = .0085) were statistically significant in their mean difference, while CRoC-SJT (P = .35) was not. For time to hemostasis in pairwise comparison, the CRoC had a significantly shorter time compared to JETT and SJT (P < .0001, both comparisons); SJT-JETT was also significant (P = .0087). In responding to the directive, “Rank the performance of the models from best to worst,” users did not prefer junctional tourniquet models differently (P > .5, all models). Conclusion The CRoC and SJT performed best in having least blood loss, CRoC performed best in having least time to hemostasis, and users did not differ in preference of model. Models of junctional tourniquet performed differentially by blood loss and time to hemostasis. KraghJFJr, LunatiMP, KharodCU, CunninghamCW, BaileyJA, StockingerZT, CapAP, ChenJ, AdenJK3d, CancioLC. Assessment of groin application of junctional tourniquets in a manikin model. Prehosp Disaster Med. 2016;31(4):358–363.
Identi fi cation and Characterization of Maize fl oury 4 as a Novel Semidominant Opaque Mutant That Disrupts Protein Body Assembly 1 [ W ] [ OPEN ]

Zeins are the major seed storage proteins in maize (Zea mays). They are synthesized on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) and deposited into protein bodies. Failure of signal peptide cleavage from zeins can cause an opaque endosperm in the mature kernel; however, the cellular and molecular mechanisms responsible for this phenotype are not fully understood. In this study, we report the cloning and characterization of a novel, semidominant opaque mutant, floury4 ( fl4). fl4 is caused by a mutated z1A 19-kD a-zein with defective signal peptide cleavage. Zein protein bodies in fl4 endosperm are misshapen and aggregated. Immunolabeling analysis indicated that fl4 participates in the assembly of zeins into protein bodies, disrupting their proper spatial distribution. ER stress is stimulated in fl4 endosperm, as illustrated by dilated rough ER and markedly up-regulated binding protein content. Further analysis confirmed that several ER stress pathways are induced in fl4 endosperm, including ERassociated degradation, the unfolded protein response, and translational suppression by the phosphorylation of eukaryotic translational initiation factor2 a-subunit. Programmed cell death is also elevated, corroborating the intensity of ER stress in fl4. These results provide new insights into cellular responses caused by storage proteins with defective signal peptides.
A Geographical Comparison of Prevalence of Overweight School-aged Children: The National Survey of Children's Health 2003

OBJECTIVES. This study presents a geographical comparison of state-specific prevalence estimates of children who are at risk of overweight and/or overweight using the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health. METHODS. Using the 2003 National Survey of Children's Health, we computed prevalence estimates of children who are at risk of overweight and/or overweight among a nationally representative sample of 69000 children between 5 and 17 years old. RESULTS. Overall, 36.4% of the children (39.8% of the boys and 32% of the girls) in the sample were in the combined category of at risk of overweight or overweight, representing an estimated 17 million US children. We found geographic variation at the state and the regional levels. The southeastern states, especially those west of the Appalachians and in the lower Mississippi region, had the highest prevalence of children who are at risk of overweight and/or overweight. The central Rocky Mountain states of Colorado, Utah, and Wyoming had the lowest prevalence, followed by the northwestern quadrant of the lower 48 states and New England. CONCLUSIONS. These National Survey of Children's Health data provide clinicians and public health professionals with useful data required for policy and planning related to childhood obesity at state levels. These data also serve as important baseline indicators and can be used to track changes over time.
SHORT HYPOCOTYL UNDER BLUE1 Associates with MINISEED3 and HAIKU2 Promoters in Vivo to Regulate Arabidopsis Seed Development[W]

Seed development in Arabidopsis thaliana undergoes an initial phase of endosperm proliferation followed by a second phase in which the embryo grows at the expense of the endosperm. As mature seed size is largely attained during the initial phase, seed size is coordinately determined by the growth of the maternal ovule, endosperm, and embryo. Here, we identify SHORT HYPOCOTYL UNDER BLUE1 (SHB1) as a positive regulator of Arabidopsis seed development that affects both cell size and cell number. shb1-D, a gain-of-function overexpression allele, increases seed size, and shb1, a loss-of-function allele, reduces seed size. SHB1 is transmitted zygotically. The increase in shb1-D seed size is associated with endosperm cellurization, chalazal endosperm enlargement, and embryo development. SHB1 is required for the proper expression of two other genes that affect endosperm development, MINISEED3 (MINI3) and HAIKU2 (IKU2), a WRKY transcription factor gene and a leucine-rich repeat receptor kinase gene. SHB1 associates with both MINI3 and IKU2 promoters in vivo. SHB1 may act with other proteins that bind to MINI3 and IKU2 promoters to promote a large seed cavity and endosperm growth in the early phase of seed development. In the second phase, SHB1 enhances embryo cell proliferation and expansion through a yet unknown IKU2-independent pathway.
Regulation of Osteocalcin Gene Expression by a Novel Ku Antigen Transcription Factor Complex*

We previously described anosteocalcin (OC) fibroblast growth factor (FGF) response element (FRE) DNA binding activity as a target of Msx2 transcriptional regulation. We now identify Ku70, Ku80, and Tbdn100, a variant of Tubedown-1, as constituents of the purified OCFRE-binding complex. Northern and Western blot analyses demonstrate expression of Ku and Tbdn100 in MC3T3E1 osteoblasts. FGF2 treatment regulates Ku, but not Tbdn100, protein accumulation. Gel supershift studies confirm sequence-specific DNA binding of Ku in the OCFRE complex; chromatin immunoprecipitation assays confirm association of Ku and Tbdn100 with the endogenous OC promoter. In the promoter region −154 to −113, the OCFRE is juxtaposed to OSE2, an osteoblast-specific element that binds Runx2 (Osf2, Cbfa1). Expression of the Ku·Tbdn100 complex up-regulates both the basal and Runx2-dependent transcription driven by this 42-bp OC promoter element, reconstituted in CV-1 cells. Synergistic transactivation occurs in the presence of activated FGF receptor 2 signaling. Msx2 suppresses Ku- and Runx2-dependent transcription; suppression is dependent upon the Msx2 homeodomain NH2-terminal arm and extension. Pull-down assays confirm physical interactions between Ku and these co-regulatory transcription factors, consistent with the functional interactions identified. Finally, cultured Ku70 −/− calvarial cells exhibit a profound, selective deficiency in OC expression as compared with wild-type calvarial cells, confirming the biochemical data showing a role for Ku in OC transcription. In toto, these data indicate that a novel Ku antigen complex assembles on the OC promoter, functioning in concert with Msx2 and Runx2 to regulate OC gene expression.
Social Connectivity in Those 24 Months or Less Postsurgery

PURPOSE: This purpose of this study is to characterize the prevalence of social isolation and determine the impact of influencing factors in a sample of adults with ostomies. SUBJECTS AND SETTINGS: Five hundred sixty adults with an ostomy, residing in North America and the United Kingdom, less than 24 months postsurgery, participated in the study. METHODS: Data were extracted from the Ostomy Comprehensive Health and Life Assessment (Hollister Incorporated, Libertyville, Illinois) electronic database. Data collection began in 2004; the database included approximately 3000 persons with an ostomy. This was a cross-sectional survey and not a clinical investigation. All survey respondents were provided complete anonymity. No identifying data were incorporated into the database, or held as a matter of record. We defined 2 groups characterized as polar opposites. They are (1) adults whose responses indicate they are very socially isolated or experience low levels of social support and display dissatisfaction or low levels of life satisfaction; and (2) adults whose responses indicate they are socially connected and displaying moderate or high levels of life satisfaction. I hypothesized that life-influencing differences exist within the gradient from high satisfaction and social connectivity to dissatisfaction and social isolation, and that these differences would be most evident in these 2 groups. RESULTS: Study findings support the hypothesis that social isolation and social connectivity are associated with different levels of life satisfaction. Statistically significant correlations between social isolation, emotional support, and life satisfaction are demonstrated. Furthermore, assessment of body image perception between the groups indicates statistically significant differences in perception. In addition, analysis reveals that pre- and postoperative nursing intervention significantly influences these outcomes. CONCLUSION: The study provides evidence that social isolation exists in some adults with ostomies, which is associated with low levels of life satisfaction and emotional support. A lack of social connectivity is identifiable and WOC nurses and other clinicians may incorporate counseling into their treatment regimens to facilitate its negative impact on life satisfaction following ostomy surgery.
Comparison of manual and automatic segmentation methods for brain structures in the presence of space-occupying lesions: a multi-expert study

The purpose of this work was to characterize expert variation in segmentation of intracranial structures pertinent to radiation therapy, and to assess a registration-driven atlas-based segmentation algorithm in that context. Eight experts were recruited to segment the brainstem, optic chiasm, optic nerves, and eyes, of 20 patients who underwent therapy for large space-occupying tumors. Performance variability was assessed through three geometric measures: volume, Dice similarity coefficient, and Euclidean distance. In addition, two simulated ground truth segmentations were calculated via the simultaneous truth and performance level estimation algorithm and a novel application of probability maps. The experts and automatic system were found to generate structures of similar volume, though the experts exhibited higher variation with respect to tubular structures. No difference was found between the mean Dice similarity coefficient (DSC) of the automatic and expert delineations as a group at a 5% significance level over all cases and organs. The larger structures of the brainstem and eyes exhibited mean DSC of approximately 0.8–0.9, whereas the tubular chiasm and nerves were lower, approximately 0.4–0.5. Similarly low DSCs have been reported previously without the context of several experts and patient volumes. This study, however, provides evidence that experts are similarly challenged. The average maximum distances (maximum inside, maximum outside) from a simulated ground truth ranged from (−4.3, +5.4) mm for the automatic system to (−3.9, +7.5) mm for the experts considered as a group. Over all the structures in a rank of true positive rates at a 2 mm threshold from the simulated ground truth, the automatic system ranked second of the nine raters. This work underscores the need for large scale studies utilizing statistically robust numbers of patients and experts in evaluating quality of automatic algorithms.
InP HBT transferred substrate amplifiers operating to 600 GHz

We report on two InP transferred-substrate (TS) HBT based terahertz monolithic integrated circuit (TMIC) amplifiers. The amplifiers use 200 nm InP HBTs and benzocyclobutene (BCB) inverted microstrip interconnect. The transferred substrate process removes the InP substrate and transfers the amplifiers to high thermal conductivity SiC substrate. The first amplifier is a nine stage common-emitter design. It has ~9 dB of small signal gain at 521 GHz. The second design is five-stage common-base amplifier. It has demonstrated gain of ~19 dB at 576 GHz. These are first reported TS InP HBT amplifiers above 200 GHz.
Exponentially Stable Interval Observers for Linear Systems with Delay

This paper focuses on the analysis and design of families of interval observers for linear systems with a pointwise delay. First, it is proved that classical interval observers for systems without delays are not robust with respect to the presence of delays, no matter how small delays are. Next, it is shown that, in general, for linear systems with delay, the classical interval observers endowed with a pointwise delay are unstable. A new type of design of interval observers enabling circumvention of these obstacles is proposed. It provides framers that incorporate distributed delay terms. The proposed interval observers are assessed through a nonlinear biotechnological model.
Athlete's Heart - a Review of Its Historical Assessment and New Aspects

Athlete's heart (AH) has certainly been one of the oldest, most interesting and stimulating topics in sports medical research. The effect of physical activity on cardiac size was first denionstrated when the hearts of wild animals were compared to those of similar domesticated ones (8, 99). As early as 1906 KUlbs constructed an electrical treadmill for dogs to train on and demonstrated cardiac hypertrophy as well as dilatation.
Measurement of Intracellular Fluorescence of Human Monocytes Relative to Oxidative Metabolism

Human monocytes (MN) produce O2 ‐ and H2O2 when stimulated by agonists. Dichlorofluorescin diacetate (DCFH‐DA) has been used as a substrate for measuring intracellular oxidant production in neutrophils. DCFH‐DA is hydrolyzed by esterases to dichlorofluorescin (DCFH), which is trapped within the cell. This nonfluorescent molecule is then oxidized to fluorescent dichlorofluorescin (DCF) by action of cellular oxidants. DCFH‐DA can not be appreciably oxidized to a fluorescent state without prior hydrolysis. We have examined the utility of DCFH‐DA for the assessment of monocyte oxidative responses. The levels of intracellular fluorescence measured by flow cytometry were considerably less than expected from reported levels of O2 ‐‐production or chemiluminescence assays. Compared with neutrophils, monocytes produced minimal increases in DCF fluorescence after stimulation with phorbol myristate acetate as measured by flow cytometry, but both cell types showed increases in fluorescence when bulk cell suspensions were measured by spectrofluorometry. To determine the intracellular location of the DCFH, bulk fluorescence measurements were made on both whole and sonicated cell preparations. When intact mononuclear cells were preloaded with DCFH‐DA, then sonicated and oxidized with added excess H2O2, the increase in fluorescence was only 30% of the fluorescence of mononuclear cell sonicates to which DCFH‐DA was added and oxidized in a similar manner. These results suggest that a portion of the DCFH‐DA incorporated by intact cells, is not susceptible to oxidation by the added H2O2. Addition of NaOH to induce hydrolysis of any residual DCFH‐DA in the sonicates of DCFH‐DA‐loaded intact mononuclear cells resulted in a further increase in fluorescence upon addition of H2O2, suggesting that a significant portion of the DCFH‐DA was not hydrolyzed despite ample uptake of this dye by these cells. In contrast, no further increase in fluorescence was observed in sonicates of DCFH‐DA‐loaded intact neutrophils, suggesting complete hydrolysis of all incorporated DCFH‐DA to DCFH. When monocytes were allowed to phagocytose DCFH‐DA‐loaded Staphylococcus aureus, intracellular fluorescence was measurable by flow cytometry, indicating intracellular oxidation of the fluorochromes. We therefore propose that in monocytes the mechanism of intracellular processing of these fluorochromes differs from that in neutrophils owing to differences in intracellular localization of fluorochromes, site of oxidant production, and/or accessibility of the DCFH‐DA to esterolysis.
Binocular interaction in the VEP to grating stimulation II. Spatial frequency effects

Abstract The size specificity of the binocular interaction in the VEP was investigated. VEPs elicited by sine wave gratings were recorded on 3 subjects, with the exception of one experiment where 6 subjects were tested. The recording technique made it possible to obtain responses from each eye, even during binocular stimulation. The VEP amplitude for each eye during monocular stimulation was compared with the response of the same eye during binocular stimulation. A low binocular/monocular ratio indicated a high binocular interaction. When each eye was stimulated by the same spatial frequency, the binocular interaction was highest in the spatial frequency band of 2–4 c/d. When each eye was stimulated by a different spatial frequency, the binocular interaction decreased as the frequencies were made progressively more unequal. The bandwidth at half amplitude was about 1 octave around the center frequency.
Learning piecewise control strategies in a modular neural network architecture

The authors describe a multinetwork, or modular, neural network architecture that learns to perform control tasks using a piecewise control strategy. The architecture's networks compete to learn the training patterns. As a result, a plant's parameter space is adaptively partitioned into a number of regions, and a different network learns a control law in each region. This learning process is described in a probabilistic framework and learning algorithms that perform gradient ascent in a log-likelihood function are discussed. Simulations show that the modular architecture's performance is superior to that of a single network on a multipayload robot motion control task. >
Analysis and design considerations of two-stage AC-DC LED driver without electrolytic capacitor

LED is widely used for lighting because of its high luminous efficiency and long lifetime. However, the lifetime of LED driver is much more limited due to the electrolytic capacitor, which is a key component in AC-DC LED drivers. Thus, as the storage capacitor, film capacitor will be more appropriate than electrolytic capacitor for a long lifetime LED driver. A cascaded two-stage converter with power decoupling is proposed in this paper to eliminate the electrolytic capacitor. The bus voltage ripple is intentionally enlarged to decrease the required capacitance so that a film capacitor can be used. The detailed design procedure will be given in this paper. A 0.7A/20W prototype has been built to verify the design.