Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
iDRM & Improved MaxiMin NSGA-II-based Motion Planning for a Humanoid Mobile Manipulator System

Autonomic mobile base (MB)'s location & upper-body's configuration design and control are two of the fundamental issues to realize robotic autonomy. Besides, the human-like behaviors capacity is essential for human-robot interaction scenarios. Thus, to achieve human-like autonomy, this paper proposes a motion planning and tracking strategy for a redundant dual-arm humanoid mobile manipulator system. Specifically, the inverse dynamic reachability map (iDRM), the improved MaxiMin NSGA-II and the direct-connect bidirectional RRT & gradient descent algorithms are employed. Firstly, iRM is constructed and used to design potential MB's location area. Then, the improved MaxiMin NSGA-II algorithm is used to determine the desired end-pose based on the selected MB's location area. After the desired end-pose is designed, the direct-connect bidirectional RRT & gradient descent algorithm will be used to generate the approaching trajectory from the initial pose to the desired end-pose. Finally, the RBFNN controller is used to track the planned trajectory. On the other hand, if there are new obstacles, iDRM will be obtained by updating iRM. iRM and iDRM accelerate the desired end-pose design by narrowing MB's searching area. Moreover, to achieve human-like motions five criteria including the end-effectors' (EE) displacement with respect to MB are proposed. Several motion planning simulations are realized that validate the proposed strategy.
A fuzzy cost-benefit function to select economical products for processing in a closed-loop supply chain

The cost-benefit analysis of data associated with re-processing of used products often involves the uncertainty feature of cash-flow modeling. The data is not objective because of uncertainties in supply, quality and disassembly times of used products. Hence, decision-makers must rely on “fuzzy” data for analysis. The same parties that are involved in the forward supply chain often carry out the collection and re-processing of used products. It is therefore important that the cost-benefit analysis takes the data of both new products and used products into account. In this paper, a fuzzy cost-benefit function is proposed that is used to perform a multi-criteria economic analysis to select the most economical products to process in a closed-loop supply chain. Application of the function is detailed through an illustrative example.
Spent fuel transportation risk assessment: cask fire analyses

Abstract The US Nuclear Regulatory Commission has recently completed an updated Spent Fuel Transportation Risk Assessment, NUREG-2125. This assessment considered the response of three certified casks to a range of fire accidents in order to determine whether or not they would lose their ability to contain the spent fuel or maintain effective shielding. The casks consisted of a lead shielded rail cask that can be transported either with or without an inner welded canister, an all steel rail cask that is transported with an inner welded canister, and a DU shielded truck cask that is transported with directly loaded fuel. For the two rail casks, large pool fires that were concentric (fully engulfing), offset from the casks by 3 m, and offset from the cask by 18 m were analysed using the computational fluid dynamics CAFE-3D fire modelling code coupled with the finite element analysis PATRAN-Thermal heat transfer code. All of the fires were assumed to last for 3 h. In addition to these extraregulatory fires, the regulatory 30 min fire was analysed using both the regulatory uniform 800°C boundary condition and the more realistic CAFE-3D fire modelling code. For the truck cask, only the engulfing fire case was analysed using a 1 h fire duration. In all of the fire analyses, the seal region of the cask stayed below the failure temperature; therefore, there would be no release of radioactive material. In addition, the temperature of the fuel rods stayed below their burst rupture temperature, providing another barrier to release. For the lead shielded cask, very severe fires cause some of the lead to melt. There is no leak path for this molten lead to exit the shield region, but its expansion during the melting and subsequent contraction due to solidification during cool down results in a reduction in gamma shielding effectiveness.
The importance of physical activity in improving preconception health: a scoping review

Introduction: Preconception care practices include physical activity, which is identified as an important indicator of behavioural preconception health. A scoping review was conducted to examine the association between physical activity in preconception health and its long-term effects on the later life of the offspring. Methods: The literature was searched in databases CINAHL, ScienceDirect and PubMed, using keywords determined by the study objective. In total, 755 published manuscripts were identified. Two additional manuscripts were identified through manual searching. A total of 17 manuscripts was selected for the final analysis. The data were extracted and summarized using thematic analysis. Results: The selected studies were summarized in two categories: (1) studies associated with physical activity and preconception health behaviour (n = 8), and (2) studies associated with preconception physical activity, fertility, and pregnancy outcomes (n = 9). Conclusions: Despite limited evidence, other indirect scientific evidence shows that physical activity positively affects health, and is therefore strongly recommended during the preconception period. Policymakers, researchers, and healthcare professionals should join efforts in examining the impact of physical activity on preconception health, fertility and birth outcomes, and effectively translate the findings into preconception health guidelines and public policies.
TIPS: A Framework for Text Summarising with Illustrative Pictures

We propose an algorithm to generate graphical summarising of longer text passages using a set of illustrative pictures (TIPS). TIPS is an algorithm using a voting process that uses results of individual “weak” algorithms. The proposed method includes a summarising algorithm that generates a digest of the input document. Each sentence of the text summary is used as the input for further processing by the sentence transformer separately. A sentence transformer performs text embedding and a group of CLIP similarity-based algorithms trained on different image embedding finds semantic distances between images in the illustration image database and the input text. A voting process extracts the most matching images to the text. The TIPS algorithm allows the integration of the best (highest scored) results of the different recommendation algorithms by diminishing the influence of images that are a disjointed part of the recommendations of the component algorithms. TIPS returns a set of illustrative images that describe each sentence of the text summary. Three human judges found that the use of TIPS resulted in an increase in matching highly relevant images to text, ranging from 5% to 8% and images relevant to text ranging from 3% to 7% compared to the approach based on single-embedding schema.
Reconstruction of All-Weather Daytime and Nighttime MODIS Aqua-Terra Land Surface Temperature Products Using an XGBoost Approach

Generating spatiotemporally continuous land surface temperature (LST) data is in great demand for hydrology, meteorology, ecology, environmental studies, etc. However, the thermal infrared (TIR)-based LST measurements are prone to cloud contamination with missing pixels. To repair the missing pixels, a new XGBoost-based linking approach for reconstructing daytime and nighttime Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) LST measurements was introduced. The instantaneous solar radiation and two soil-related predictors from China Data Assimilation System (CLDAS) 0.0625°/1-h data were selected as the linking variables to depict the relationship with instantaneous MODIS LST data. Other land surface properties, including two vegetation indices, the water index, the surface albedo, and topographic parameters, were also used as the predictor variables. The XGBoost method was used to fit an LST linking model by the training datasets from clear-sky pixels and was then applied to the MODIS Aqua-Terra LSTs during summer time (June to August) in 2017 and 2018 across China. The recovered LST data was further rectified with the Savitzky–Golay (SG) filtering method. The results showed the distribution of the reconstructed LSTs present a reasonable pattern for different land-cover types and topography. The evaluation results using in situ longwave radiation measurements showed the RMSE varies from 3.91 K to 5.53 K for the cloud-free pixels and from 4.42 K to 4.97 K for the cloud-covered pixels. In addition, the reconstructed LST products correlated well with CLDAS LST data with similar LST spatial patterns. The variable importance analysis revealed that the two soil-related predictors and the elevation variable are key parameters due to their great contribution to the XGBoost model performance.
Tunable RC-active filters using periodically switched conductances

The realization of electronically tunable RC-active filters is achieved by the use of periodically switched conductances within the filter. A method of analysis of RC networks containing periodically switched conductances is given, which is based on the impulse response of the network at a capacitance. The use of periodically switched conductances to tune RC-active filters has several practical advantages, such as eliminating the need to carefully match independently adjustable network elements and being able to control a transfer function with one timing waveform. This method of electronically tuning RC-active filters is illustrated by several designs.
Experimental Study to Correlate the Test Results of PBT, UCS, and CBR with DCP on Various soils in soaked condition

The development of new roads, enhancement of existing roads and new runways are part of infrastructure boom in India as well as in Gujarat. Need of strength parameters of subgrade soils is very important in monitoring and evaluation of roads and runways subgrade quality. Laboratory determination of California Bearing Ratio useful for flexible pavement design, Coefficient of subgrade reaction K-Value needed for rigid pavement, raft footing and unconfined compressive strength (UCS) is required for determination of shear strength parameter of subgrade are time consuming and demand significant effort but mandatory. Dynamic Cone Penetration test can be a faster and easier way to evaluate subgrade strength. In present study an investigation has been carried out on strength parameters for the soil from various locations of Gujarat, In-situ condition has been created in laboratory using bigger testing mould and various tests like Liquid Limit, Plastic limit as well as CBR, PBT, UCS and DCP were carried out on repetitive samples of Maximum Dry Densities achieved through modified proctor effect in soaked condition.The empirical correlations have been established among test results using linear regression procedure. The formulations are validated using other sets of tests data. The developed empirical correlations may be useful to estimate time consuming strength parameters as well as physical properties at numerous locations within area under consideration using simple and rapid DCP test.
Adipose tissue-derived mesenchymal stem cells reduce endometriosis cellular proliferation through their anti-inflammatory effects

Objective Endometriosis is a chronic debilitating inflammatory condition characterized by the presence of endometrial tissues outside the uterine cavity. Pelvic soreness and infertility are the usual association. Due to the poor effectiveness of the hormone therapy and the high incidence of recurrence following surgical excision, there is no single effective option for management of endometriosis. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are multipotent stromal cells studied for their broad immunoregulatory and anti-inflammatory properties; however, their efficiency in endometriosis cases is still a controversial issue. Our study aim was to evaluate whether adipose tissue-derived MSCs (AD-MSCs) could help with endometriosis through their studied anti-inflammatory role. Methods Female Wistar rats weighting 180 to 250 g were randomly divided into two groups: group 1, endometriosis group; established by transplanting autologous uterine tissue into rats’ peritoneal cavities and group 2, stem cell treated group; treated with AD-MSCs on the 5th day after induction of endometriosis. The proliferative activity of the endometriosis lesions was evaluated through Ki67 staining. Quantitative estimation of interferon γ, tumor necrosis factor-α, interleukin (IL)-6, IL-1β, IL-10, and transforming growth factor β expression, as well as immunohistochemical detection of CD68 positive macrophages, were used to assess the inflammatory status. Results The size and proliferative activity of endometriosis lesions were significantly reduced in the stem cell treated group. Stem cells efficiently mitigated endometriosis associated chronic inflammatory reactions estimated through reduction of CD68 positive macrophages and the expression of the proinflammatory cytokines. Conclusion Stem cell therapy can be considered a novel remedy in endometriosis possibly through its anti-inflammatory and antiproliferative properties.
ASSESSMENT OF THE COOLING POTENTIAL OF AN EARTH-TUBE HEAT EXCHANGER IN RESIDENTIAL BUILDINGS

At present, we can observe the increase in glazing area of all types of buildings. Large size of south win- dows to allow for high passive solar heat gains during the heating period and can reduce primary energy demand. But, on the other hand, the big value of glazed openings percentage may cause low quality of thermal comfort inside the living and working spaces in the warm part of the year. The current paper presents results of computer simula- tions and experimental investigations of thermal performance of earth tube heat exchanger (ETHE). This natural geo- thermal based system can decrease heating loads and significantly reduce the room air temperature during summer seasons. The authors of this work used energy simulation software - EnergyPlus to estimate the cooling potential of earth-air-pipe systems in residential buildings for different Polish climate conditions. For these simulations three important annual average soil parameters as: surface temperature, the amplitude of surface temperature and the phase constant of this temperature were calculated by computer program CalcSoilSurfTemp. The results of longstanding experimental measurements of double pass earth air heat exchanger made of PCV tubes are presented in this paper, too.
Institutionalising internationalisation strategies in engineering education

Internationalising strategies in engineering education have been widely discussed. Globally, at European level, and in Finland, the strategies are formulated to internationalise higher education. Further, in Finland, the discussion of internationality in higher education is lively. Higher education internationalisation is defined through three areas: mobility, multi-culturalism, and networking. The challenge of internationalisation strategies is in their execution. Finding out how to institutionalise internationalisation strategies is the next step in the development of engineering education. In this paper, a conceptual model for institutionalising internationalisation strategies is suggested. The three integrated elements of the model are pedagogy, operative arrangements, and decision-making. This paper provides examples of higher-education institutions (HEIs) in Finland. Engineering education provided in HEIs should highlight the pedagogical approach in international activities in order to gain a competitive advantage within the institutions.
Extracting Energy From the Hydrodynamic Instability of a Yawing Flat Plate

The extraction of energy from currents is still an issue. Both design point and off-design behavior should be addressed conveniently. In the present study, a new concept based on the flow-induced instability of an elastic structure is introduced by which the energy can be extracted from the water current. The energy extractor device is named “Fernandes-Armandei”, which consists of a simple flat plate attached to a torsion spring and located vertically in the water current. The flat plate has only 1 DOF that is yawing about its axis, which is in its mid chord length. A concurrent-schedule research (Armandei and Fernandes, 2012) demonstrates that one such motion becomes dynamically unstable, as the velocity exceeds a special threshold. The motivation of doing this research was the robustness of the oscillations created due to the flow-induced instability. Two different cases (a) and (b) are studied, case (a) with larger natural frequency and case (b) with larger mass moment and added moment of inertia. A damper is also applied in the device as a transmission system which converts oscillation to rotation. The rotary motion is utilized to lift a weight up to a prescribed height, to assess the energy extraction behavior of each case. The results show that case (b) can lift heavier weights than case (a). However, the maximum efficiency of case (a) (9.18%) is about three times more than the maximum efficiency of case (b) (3.26%). Copyright © 2012 by ASME
Microaggressions and Psychosocial Adjustment among Greek University Students with Disabilities

This study investigated differences in experiences of microaggressions between students with different characteristics (type, visibility, severity, and onset of impairment) and associations between the occurrence of microaggressions and specific psychological dimensions, such as stress, depression, self-esteem, and life satisfaction. It also examined how the afore-mentioned psychological factors and microaggressions contribute to students’ adjustment to university. Eighty-nine (89) university students with disabilities (USwDs) completed a series of six questionnaires: the Ableist Microaggression Scale, the Center for Epidemiologic Studies Depression Scale, the Perceived Stress Scale (PSS), the Satisfaction with Life Scale, the Rosenberg Self-Esteem Scale, and the College Adaptation Questionnaire. University students with visual and mobility impairments reported higher levels of ableist microaggressions than those with medical/chronic conditions, while students with visible impairments seemed to experience more ableist microaggressions than their university peers with non-visible impairments. Microaggressive experiences were found to be associated with increased levels of depression and stress as well as having negative consequences for disabled students’ self-esteem and life satisfaction. Students’ overall adaptation to university was predicted by a high level of life satisfaction, low level of depression, and limited experience of microaggressions related to otherization. The results are discussed in terms of their implications for USwDs’ adjustment.
Evaluation of Diagnostic Strategies for Fetal Skeletal Dysplasia Using Ultrasound Scan and Gene Testing: A Preliminary Study in Wu Han, China

Objective: The aim of this study was to deliver prenatal diagnosis through sonographic examination and gene variation testing, and to evaluate the outcome of applied strategies in prenatal diagnosisMethods: From September 2015 to April 2021, the study investigated 24 cases with suspected short long bones, which were obtained from the prenatal diagnosis center of Tongji Hospital affiliated to Tongji Medical College of Huazhong University of Science and Technology. The likely pathogenic gene variants were analyzed by multiple approaches (including karyotype analysis, copy number variations and whole exome sequencing) and further determined with the accuracy of the prenatal diagnosis for fetal skeletal dysplasia through one year follow-up survey. Results: ① We found fetal skeletal dysplasia or malformation in 8 cases (account for 33.3%) before 24 weeks of gestation and in the rest cases after 30 weeks of gestation. ② Out of 24 cases, likely pathogenic gene variants in FGFR3, FBN2, COL1A2, CUL7 and DYNC2H1 were detected for 6 cases; genetic variants in FGFR3, IMPAD1 and GORAB as possibly lethal mutations were identified in other 6 cases; and gene variants in WNT1, FBN1, OBSL1, COL1A1, DYNC2H1 and NEK1, known as Variant of Undetermined Significance (VUS), were found in 4 cases. The rest 8 cases showed undetectable mutation in the whole exome sequencing (WES) analysis. ③ A genetic diagnosis determined 12 different skeletal dysplasia genotypes in 14/24 (58.3%) cases. The other 10 cases with wild type gene (41.7%) were normal and well developed in one-year follow-up survey after study.Conclusion: Features of fatal skeletal dysplasia can be identified in utero using fetal ultrasound and gene testing. Sonographic examination combining with genetic diagnosis showed advance in prenatal diagnosis in the preliminary study and the applied strategy could be used to help with improving the accuracy of prenatal diagnosis for fetal skeletal dysplasia.
Simulation of Pedigree vs. fully-informative marker based relationships matrices in a Loblolly Pine breeding population

Computer simulations of breeding strategies are an essential resource for tree breeders because they allow exploratory analyses into potential long-term impacts on genetic gain and inbreeding consequences without bearing the cost, time, or resource requirements of field experiments. Previous work has modeled the potential long-term implications on inbreeding and genetic gain using random mating and phenotypic selection. Reduction in sequencing costs has enabled the use of DNA marker-based relationship matrices in addition to or in place of pedigree-based allele sharing estimates; this has been shown to provide a significant increase in the accuracy of progeny breeding value prediction. A potential pitfall of genomic selection using genetic relationship matrices is increased coancestry among selections, leading to the accumulation of deleterious alleles and inbreeding depression. We used simulation to compare the relative genetic gain and risk of inbreeding depression within a breeding program similar to loblolly pine, utilizing pedigree-based or marker-based relationships over ten generations. We saw a faster rate of purging deleterious alleles when using a genomic relationship matrix based on markers that track identity-by-descent of segments of the genome. Additionally, we observed an increase in the rate of genetic gain when using a genomic relationship matrix instead of a pedigree-based relationship matrix. While the genetic variance of populations decreased more rapidly when using genomic-based relationship matrices as opposed to pedigree-based, there appeared to be no long-term consequences on the accumulation of deleterious alleles within the simulated breeding strategy.
The use of fuzzy measures in a performance-evaluation model for ERP implementation among Taiwanese semiconductor manufacturers

Many semiconductor-related manufacturing enterprises in Taiwan have embarked upon the implementation of enterprise resource planning (ERP) to integrate and optimize various business processes across the entire firm. The present study proposes a performance-evaluation model of ERP implementation utilizing fuzzy measures. The paper then presents an empirical study of semiconductor-related manufacturers in Taiwan in which the proposed model is used to: (i) identify the critical implementation items requiring improvement; and (ii) rank the strategies for improving them according to weight value. A systematic approach is thus proposed to: (i) examine the performance of an ERP implementation process; (ii) determine the items to be improved; and (iii) select appropriate and feasible strategies to improve these items. The proposed model can ensure successful implementation of ERP and thus enhance its potential benefits for semiconductor manufacturers.