Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new biarticular actuator design facilitates control of leg function in BioBiped3

Bioinspired legged locomotion comprises different aspects, such as (i) benefiting from reduced complexity control approaches as observed in humans/animals, (ii) combining embodiment with the controllers and (iii) reflecting neural control mechanisms. One of the most important lessons learned from nature is the significant role of compliance in simplifying control, enhancing energy efficiency and robustness against perturbations for legged locomotion. In this research, we investigate how body morphology in combination with actuator design may facilitate motor control of leg function. Inspired by the human leg muscular system, we show that biarticular muscles have a key role in balancing the upper body, joint coordination and swing leg control. Appropriate adjustment of biarticular spring rest length and stiffness can simplify the control and also reduce energy consumption. In order to test these findings, the BioBiped3 robot was developed as a new version of BioBiped series of biologically inspired, compliant musculoskeletal robots. In this robot, three-segmented legs actuated by mono- and biarticular series elastic actuators mimic the nine major human leg muscle groups. With the new biarticular actuators in BioBiped3, novel simplified control concepts for postural balance and for joint coordination in rebounding movements (drop jumps) were demonstrated and approved.
Cloud autoscaling for HTTP/2 workloads

Cloud computing provides cost effective solutions for deploying services and applications. Even though resources can be provisioned on demand, they need to adapt quickly and in a seamless way to the workload intensity and characteristics and satisfy at the same time the desired performance levels and the corresponding SLAs. Autoscaling policies are devised for these purposes. In this paper, we apply a state-of-the-art reactive autoscaling policy to assess the effects of deploying the HTTP/2 server push mechanism in cloud environments. Our simulation experiments — that rely on extensions of the CloudSim toolkit — have shown that the autoscaling mechanism is beneficial for web servers even though pushing a large number of objects might lead to server overload.
Visual associations cued recall A Paradigm for Measuring Episodic Memory Decline in Alzheimer’s Disease

ABSTRACT Repeated measurements of episodic memory are needed for monitoring amnestic mild cognitive impairment (aMCI) and mild Alzheimer’s disease (AD). Most episodic memory tests may pose a challenge to patients, even when they are in the milder stages of the disease. This cross-sectional study compared floor effects of the Visual Association Test (VAT) and the Rey Auditory Verbal Learning Test (RAVLT) in healthy elderly controls and in patients with aMCI or AD (N = 125). A hierarchical multiple regression analysis was used to examine whether linear or quadratic trends best fitted the data of cognitive test performance across global cognitive impairment. Results showed that VAT total scores decreased linearly across the range of global cognitive impairment, whereas RAVLT total scores showed a quadratic trend, with total scores levelling off for 90% of aMCI patients and 94% of AD patients. We conclude that the VAT shows few if any floor effects in patients with aMCI and mild AD and is therefore a potentially promising cognitive test for monitoring episodic memory impairment.
Liver Dihydropyrimidine Dehydrogenase Activity in Human, Cynomolgus Monkey, Rhesus Monkey, Dog, Rat and Mouse

Interspecies differences in dihydropyrimidine dehydrogenase (DPD), the initial and rate-limiting enzyme in pyrimidine degradation, were assessed in cytosol from livers isolated from human, monkey, dog, rat, and mouse. Hepatic DPD activity was measured by an HPLC assay with on-line radioactivity detection, using 14C-5-fluorouracil as a substrate. Activity was highly variable within each species and significant interspecies differences in liver DPD activity were observed. The order of activity was mouse > rat > human > dog ≥ cynomolgus monkey > rhesus monkey. These data suggest that careful selection must be made when choosing in vivo models of human DPD for the preclinical development of novel fluoropyrimidine anticancer agents and DPD inhibitors.
Le deuxième sexe

Books (17) Le deuxième sexe II (1994) [Paris] : Gallimard , 1994, cop. 1949 Le deuxième sexe I (1993) [Paris] : Gallimard , 1993 Le deuxième sexe (1993) [Paris] : Gallimard , 1993Le Deuxième sexe. (1990) Paris : France loisirs , 1990 Le deuxième sexe 1 (1976) Paris : Gallimard , 1976 Le Deuxième sexe. (1968) [Paris] : Gallimard , 1968 Das Andere Geschlecht (1968) Reinbek bei Hamburg : Rowohlt , 1968 Le Deuxième sexe 1 (1952) (Paris) : Gallimard , 1952 Le Deuxième sexe 1 (1951) (Paris) : Gallimard , 1951 Le Deuxième sexe II (1951) (Paris) : Gallimard , 1951 Le Deuxième sexe II (1949) [Paris] : Gallimard , 1949 Le Deuxième sexe I (1949) [Paris] : Gallimard , 1949 Le Deuxième sexe (1949) [Paris] : Gallimard , 1949 Le deuxième sexe II (1949) [Paris] : Gallimard , 1949 Le deuxième sexe 2 (1949) Paris : Gallimard , cop. 1949 Le deuxième sexe (1949) Paris : Gallimard , 1949 Le deuxième sexe 1 (1949) [Paris] : Gallimard , 1949 Le deuxième sexe Simone de Beauvoir (1908-1986) Language : Français Genre or work form : Textual works Date : 1949 Note : Essai Field : Littératures
Conning the conmen: Intelligence and female desire in Dedh Ishqiya

ABSTRACT This article investigates the ostensibly paradoxical relationship that exists between the theme of excessive love, as suggested by the title of Abhishek Chaubey's film Dedh Ishqiya (2014), and the actual representation of it in the movie, which is not only restrained and disproportionate, but is also looked at with suspicion and contempt. It examines the logic of this seeming contradiction through the other two related themes that Chaubey's chef-d'œuvre foregrounds, namely that of intelligence and female desire. The quest for financial autonomy that the female protagonists of the movie are involved in—a necessary pre-condition for leading independent lives—is so inextricably intertwined with manipulation, dexterity, and subterfuge, that any overt expression of homoerotic female desire can only jeopardize their existing possibilities of self-aggrandizement. The heteronormative arrangements of Begum Para's palace thus constitute the elaborate mise en scène, behind which female desire is enacted through a politics of intelligence, resourcefulness, discretion, and anonymity. Through this strategic negotiation, which is also a tactical necessity, the female protagonists are not only able to con the con men in the movie, but also imagine alternative subject positions that recognize the need for both pragmatism and expediency as well as deconstructing heteropatriarchal economies of desire.
Brushing Abrasion of Eroded Dentin after Application of Sodium Fluoride Solutions

The aim of the present in vitro study was to evaluate the influence of sodium fluoride solutions on brushing abrasion of eroded dentin. Dentin specimens were prepared from 60 bovine incisors. The specimens were embedded in acrylic resin, ground flat, polished and subsequently covered with tape exposing an area of 1.8 mm × 10.0 mm in the center of the exposed dentin. The samples were alternatingly stored in a demineralizing solution (5 min) and a remineralizing solution (1 min) for 5 times. The erosive soft drink Sprite light® served as a demineralizing solution and artificial saliva was used as a remineralizing solution. Prior to storage in artificial saliva 15 specimens were each treated for 1 min with 250 and 2,000 ppm fluoride solution, respectively. Fifteen specimens were treated with distilled water instead of the fluoride solution (= eroded controls). The remaining samples were neither eroded with the soft drink nor fluoridated (= uneroded controls). After each immersion in artificial saliva the specimens were submitted to abrasion in a toothbrushing machine. After 5 demineralization-remineralization brushing cycles the total amount of tooth wear due to erosion and subsequent abrasion was profilometrically evaluated. Statistical analysis revealed the significantly lowest wear in the uneroded controls and the highest amount of abrasion in the eroded controls. Application of the fluoride solutions increased the wear resistance of the eroded dentin specimens, showing significantly better protection by the high-concentration compared to the low-concentration solution. The susceptibility to abrasion of the eroded dentin specimens treated with the high-concentration fluoride solution did not differ significantly from the uneroded dentin samples. It is concluded that application of 2,000 ppm sodium fluoride solutions immediately before toothbrushing significantly reduces abrasion of eroded dentin in vitro.
Metabolic flux analysis of hybridoma cells in different culture media using mass balances

The estimation of the intracellular fluxes of mammalian cells using only the mass balances of the relevant metabolites is not possible because the set of linear equations defined by these mass balances is underdetermined. Either additional experimental flux data or additional theoretical constraints are required to find one unique flux distribution out of the solution space that is bound by the mass balances. Here, a method is developed using the latter approach. The uptake and production rates of amino acids, glucose, lactate, O2, CO2, NH4, MAB, and the intracellular amino acid pools have been determined for two different steady‐states. The cellular composition {total protein and protein composition, total lipids and fatty acid distribution, total carbohydrates, DNA and RNA} has been measured to calculate the requirements for biosynthesis. It is shown to be essential to determine the uptake/production rates of ammonia and either carbon dioxide or oxygen. In mammalian cells these are cometabolites of cyclic metabolic pathways. The flux distribution that is found using the Euclidean minimum norm as the additional theoretical constraint and taking either the CO2 or the NAD(P)H mass balance into account is shown to be in agreement with the measured O2 and CO2 metabolic rates.
Match score level fusion of iris and sclera descriptor for iris recognition

Most recently popular biometrie systems are based on recognition and classification of unique sclera and iris patterns. Unique pattern of blood veins explore the interest in sclera recognition for person identification. However sclera segmentation of relaxed eye images in condition such as different stare direction, at-a-distance image and on-the-move image widely enquired. The drawback of iris is off angle imaging where position of iris and center for off angle imagining affect the performance of sclera segmentation in terms of accuracy. Another challenge in sclera segmentation and iris recognition is high resolution and dark images which causes draining process for mobile application. So we proposed a new method which is the fusion of both iris and sclera. In proposed system sclera and iris descriptor value are fuse together for reliable and accurate iris recognition system. The proposed method will test the execution of iris recognition system for different fusion model using iris and sclera descriptor values to ensure the performance of iris recognition for a relaxed imaging.
The Relationship between Obesity and Injuries among U.S. Adults

Purpose. To quantify the relationship between body mass index (BMI) and rates of medically attended injuries by mechanism (overall, fall, motor vehicle, and sport-related) and by nature (strain/sprain, lower extremity fracture, and dislocations), and between BMI and injury treatment costs. Design. Cross-sectional analysis. Setting. The noninstitutionalized population of the United States. Subjects. The 1999–2000, 2000–2001, and 2001–2002 waves of the Medical Expenditure Panel Survey, a large, nationally representative dataset, were combined to create the analysis sample. The final sample included 42,304 adults. Measures. Medically attended injury rates by mechanism and nature of injury and related treatment costs. Analysis. Logistic regressions were used to separately estimate the odds of sustaining any injury by mechanism or by nature for overweight (25 ≤ BMI ≤ 29.9) and three categories of obese individuals compared with those who were normal weight. A second set of regressions tested whether, given that an injury occurred, obese individuals had greater injury treatment costs. Results. Slightly more than one in five adults sustain an injury each year that requires medical treatment. The odds of sustaining an injury are 15% (overweight) to 48% (Class III obesity) greater among those with excess weight. Conditional on sustaining an injury, BMI did not have a significant impact on injury treatment costs. Conclusion. Our findings show a clear association between BMI and the probability of sustaining an injury. If increasing BMI is causing the rise in injury rates, then the incidence of injuries, including those related to falls, sprains/strains, lower extremity fractures, and joint dislocations, are likely to increase as the prevalence of obesity increases.
Enhancing wireless power transfer capability of inductive power transfer system using matrix power repeater

Matrix power repeaters (MPRs) with multiple unit cells have been successfully used in far field radio systems for concentrating electromagnetic waves. However, their effects on the field distribution in non-radiative near field wireless power transfer systems are not well understood. This paper is to propose a new method for enhancing the wireless power transfer capability of Inductive power transfer (IPT) systems using MPRs. A system model is established by considering the contributions of each individual unit cell of a typical MPR, which is used to analyze the power transfer performance of an IPT system. A critical condition in relation to the mutual inductances between the primary/ secondary coils and MPR individual coils is determined, which defines the boundary between enhancing and reducing the power transfer of an IPT system. A practical MPR is built and tested to meet the power transfer enhancement condition, and experimental results show that the output power of an IPT system is increased by 34.4%.
Schmallenberg Virus Infection Diagnosis: Results of a German Proficiency Trial

Since Schmallenberg virus (SBV), an orthobunyavirus of the Simbu serogroup, was detected in Central Europe in 2011 for the first time, numerous diagnostic test systems for genome or antibody detection have been established. Therefore, a laboratory proficiency trial with 28 veterinary laboratories was initiated to allow performance evaluations of the different veterinary diagnostic laboratories and the performance of the used assays. A panel of selected sera and bovine semen samples for the analysis by real-time PCR and an additional set of serum samples for serological analysis were provided. All participants were asked to investigate the samples with the test systems routinely used in their laboratory. While SBV-genome was reliably detected in serum samples, the sensitivity in semen samples seems to depend on the application of the recommended optimized nucleic acid extraction method (TRIzol® LS Reagent-based, Hoffmann et al., 2013, Vet. Microbiol., 167, 289). SBV-antibody-positive samples and sera negative for antibodies against Simbu serogroup viruses were in most cases correctly classified by the participants with the used commercial ELISA kits. However, a serum of the panel which contained antibodies against Akabane and Aino viruses, which are closely related to SBV, was repeatedly tested positive by two of four used ELISA kits. However, an excellent diagnostic sensitivity and specificity was achieved using a serum neutralization test. In conclusion, the here described German SBV proficiency test demonstrated that the available test systems allowed reliable SBV diagnostics in standard veterinary laboratories when recommended and approved assays are used.
The performance of human papillomavirus biomarkers in predicting anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in gay and bisexual men

Background: We evaluate the performance of human papillomavirus (HPV) biomarkers in prediction of anal histological high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesions in gay and bisexual men (GBM) in Sydney, Australia. Design: Baseline analysis of a 3-year cohort study. Methods: The Study of the Prevention of Anal Cancer is natural history study of anal HPV infection in GBM aged at least 35 years. All participants completed cytological and histological assessments. Stored ThinPrep PreservCyt residua were tested for HPV genotyping (Linear Array and Cobas 4800) and viral load, E6/E7 mRNA expression (NucliSENS easyQ HPV v1) and dual cytology staining of p16INK4a/Ki 67 antibodies (CINtecPLUS). Performance of each biomarker was compared with liquid-based anal cytology. The hypothetical referral rates were defined as the proportion of men who had abnormal cytology or tested positive to each of the biomarkers. Results: The median age of the 617 participants was 49 years (range: 35–79), and 35.7% were HIV-positive. All biomarkers were strongly associated with the grade of HPV-associated anal lesions (P < 0.001 for all). High-risk HPV (HR-HPV) viral load with a 33% cut-off and HR-HPV E6/E7 mRNA had similar sensitivity to anal cytology (78.4 and 75.4 vs. 83.2%, respectively), improved specificity (68.0 and 69.4 vs. 52.4%, respectively) and lower referral rates (47.0 and 45.0 vs. 59.2%, respectively). Specificity was significantly higher in the HIV-negative for HR-HPV viral load (72.3 vs. 58.2%, P = 0.005). Conclusion: HR-HPV viral load and E6/E7 mRNA had similar sensitivity and higher specificity in predicting histological anal high-grade squamous intraepithelial lesion with lower referrals in GBM than anal cytology.
Upregulation of Thrombospondin 1 Expression in Synovial Tissues and Plasma of Rheumatoid Arthritis: Role of Transforming Growth Factor-β1 toward Fibroblast-like Synovial Cells

Suzuki T, Iwamoto N, Yamasaki S, Nishino A, Nakashima Y, Horai Y, et al. Upregulation of thrombospondin 1 expression in synovial tissues and plasma of rheumatoid arthritis: role of transforming growth factor-β1 toward fibroblast-like synovial cells. J Rheumatol 2015;42:943-7. In Figure 3, panel B, the unit of measurement was incorrect. The corrected figure is reprinted below. In addition, in the second paragraph of the Results section, the representative results for thrombospondin 1 associated with circulating immune complexes in the culture supernatants of each stimulated fibroblast-like synovial cell should be in ng/ml. In the fourth paragraph, the unit for transforming growth factor-β1 at baseline and after induction of new treatment should be ng/ml.
The priming molecule β-aminobutyric acid is naturally present in plants and is induced by stress.

The defense system of a plant can be primed for increased defense, resulting in an augmented stress resistance and/or tolerance. Priming can be triggered by biotic and abiotic stimuli, as well as by chemicals such as β-aminobutyric acid (BABA), a nonprotein amino acid considered so far a xenobiotic. Since the perception mechanism of BABA has been recently identified in Arabidopsis thaliana, in the present study we explored the possibility that plants do synthesize BABA. After developing a reliable method to detect and quantify BABA in plant tissues, and unequivocally separate it from its two isomers α- and γ-aminobutyric acid, we measured BABA levels in stressed and nonstressed A. thaliana plants, and in different plant species. We show that BABA is a natural product of plants and that the endogenous levels of BABA increase rapidly after infection with necrotrophic, biotrophic and hemibiotrophic pathogens, as well as after salt stress and submergence. Our results place the rise in endogenous BABA levels to a point of convergence in plant stress response and provide biological significance to the presence of a receptor in plants. These findings can explain the extremely widespread efficacy of BABA and open the way to unravel the early steps of priming.
Reliability of capillary blood potassium measurements in children with acute gastroenteritis

Electronic nicotine delivery systems (ENDS), commonly known as e-cigarettes, are products that vaporise nicotine-containing liquid.1 The emergence of e-cigarettes as an alternative to smoking tobacco products has raised many issues regarding their safe use among adult users and death has been reported occasionally from overdoses. However, there are few data regarding the risk of e-liquid exposure and its outcome in children. We explored the effects of e-liquid exposure in the paediatric population from an analysis of all telephone …
Earth System Chemistry integrated Modelling (ESCiMo) with the Modular Earth Submodel System (MESSy) version 2.51

Abstract. Three types of reference simulations, as recommended by the Chemistry–Climate Model Initiative (CCMI), have been performed with version 2.51 of the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts – Hamburg (ECHAM)/Modular Earth Submodel System (MESSy) Atmospheric Chemistry (EMAC) model: hindcast simulations (1950–2011), hindcast simulations with specified dynamics (1979–2013), i.e. nudged towards ERA-Interim reanalysis data, and combined hindcast and projection simulations (1950–2100). The manuscript summarizes the updates of the model system and details the different model set-ups used, including the on-line calculated diagnostics. Simulations have been performed with two different nudging set-ups, with and without interactive tropospheric aerosol, and with and without a coupled ocean model. Two different vertical resolutions have been applied. The on-line calculated sources and sinks of reactive species are quantified and a first evaluation of the simulation results from a global perspective is provided as a quality check of the data. The focus is on the intercomparison of the different model set-ups. The simulation data will become publicly available via CCMI and the Climate and Environmental Retrieval and Archive (CERA) database of the German Climate Computing Centre (DKRZ). This manuscript is intended to serve as an extensive reference for further analyses of the Earth System Chemistry integrated Modelling (ESCiMo) simulations.
Magnetic Resonance Imaging Assessment of Carotid Artery Dissection

Introduction Internal carotid artery (ICA) dissection is now often recognized, due to better knowledge of the clinical entity in combination with improved noninvasive diagnostic techniques. Its incidence is 2.6–2.9 per 100,000 [1, 2], and while it represents 2% of first-time strokes in all age groups, it accounts for up to one fifth of ischemic strokes occurring in younger patients [3–5]. Major or minor cervicocranial trauma is a well-recognized extrinsic cause of ICA dissection, and in cases of spontaneous dissection, a ‘trivial’ trauma (e.g. coughing, forceful head turning, sport activities) can be found in 40% [6]. Intrinsic factors predisposing to vessel rupture include fibromuscular dysplasia and other collagen or elastin diseases (Marfan’s syndrome, Ehlers-Danlos syndrome, osteogenesis imperfecta) [7–9]. Clinical features of ICA dissection include local signs (head, face or neck pain in about 80% of cases, Horner’s sign, tinnitus, cranial nerve palsy) and focal cerebral ischemic symptoms (transient ischemic attack in 20–30%, completed stroke in 40–60%) [10–13]. Yet ICA dissections may also remain asymptomatic (5%) and be diagnosed coincidentally [2]. A ‘tapered’ stenosis and the ‘string’ sign of a long stenosis are angiographic features that may also be seen with duplex ultrasound imaging [14, 15]. Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) has been considered of confirmative value, as vessel wall hematoma may be demonstrated in addition to blood flow information from ultrasound and MR angiography (MRA). In this short report, it is illustrated in exemplary case studies how ultrafast MRI acquisition methods may add to the diagnostic work-up of patients with ICA dissections.