Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Viscous–poroelastic interaction as mechanism to create adhesion in frogs’ toe pads

The toe pads of frogs consist of soft hexagonal structures and a viscous liquid contained between and within the hexagonal structures. It has been hypothesized that this configuration creates adhesion by allowing for long-range capillary forces, or, alternatively, by allowing for exit of the liquid and thus improving contact of the toe pad. In this work, we suggest interaction between viscosity and elasticity as a mechanism to create temporary adhesion, even in the absence of capillary effects or van der Waals forces. We initially illustrate this concept experimentally by a simplified configuration consisting of two surfaces connected by a liquid bridge and elastic springs. We then utilize poroelastic mixture theory and model frogs’ toe pads as an elastic porous medium, immersed within a viscous liquid and pressed against a rigid rough surface. The flow between the surface and the toe pad is modelled by the lubrication approximation. Inertia is neglected and analysis of the elastic–viscous dynamics yields a governing partial differential equation describing the flow and stress within the porous medium. Several solutions of the governing equation are presented and show a temporary adhesion due to stress created at the contact surface between the solids. This work thus may explain how some frogs (such as the torrent frog) maintain adhesion underwater and the reason for the periodic repositioning of frogs’ toe pads during adhesion to surfaces.
Effect of phosphorus on the composition and accumulation of 7 S and 11 S globulin subunits during seed development of three soybean varieties

Three soybean varieties (Dongnong 42, high-protein cultivar; Hefeng 25, medium-protein; and Dongnong 46, low-protein cultivar) grown under different P conditions were investigated in order to evaluate the effect of P on the composition and accumulation of 7S and 11S globulin subunits. The soybean seeds were planted in pots and fertilized with 0.033 g of N and K2O per kg soil. Four levels of P treatment were designed, which were P1, P2, P3 and P4 (i.e., 0, 0.033, 0.067, and 0.100 g of phosphorus pentoxide (P2O5) per kilogram of soil). The composition of extractable proteins was determined by conducting SDS-PAGE. No significant differences were observed between the varieties with regard to the molecular weights of the globulin subunits. After the subunits were formed, their concentrations gradually increased under different P treatments, reached a peak at 70 d post-anthesis (DPA), and then declined during maturity. The concentrations of the 7S and 11S globulins and other subunits in Dongnong 42 and Hefeng 25 were the highest under the P3 treatment, while they were the highest in Dongnong 46 under the P2 treatment. Under the same P treatment, the concentrations were high in Dongnong 42 and low in Dongnong 46 and Hefeng 25. Significant differences were observed in the concentrations of 7S and 11S globulin subunits between the varieties and levels of P treatments, especially under the P3 treatment. Alpha subunit was mainly in relation with the P-nutrition in the three varieties. These findings suggested that the optimal combination of cultivars and P treatment levels could contribute to the increased concentrations of both soybean globulins and their subunits.
Urine marking and urination in Lemur catta: a comparison of design features

The "design features" of a signal are strictly shaped by selective forces since they affect the optimality of the signal form. In Lemur catta urine deposition can be combined with the following tail configurations: (1) tail held up in an evident display (Urine Marking, UM); (2) tail slightly raised to avoid its impregnation with urine (Urinating, UR). It has recently been demonstrated that only UM has marking functions and the visual tail display is only one of the features facilitating detection of the signal by the receiver. Other features help senders to increase the probability of signal detection (e.g. site of deposition and association with other scent depositions). In this paper, we ranked using a multivariate general linear model and logistic regression the relative importance of such features in shaping the two kinds of depositions. Furthermore, we demonstrated that both UM and UR have constant depositional features probably in order to improve the detectability of the urine marking and the animals' safety during urine excretion.
Attention alters spatial resolution by modulating second-order processing

Endogenous and exogenous visuospatial attention both alter spatial resolution, but they operate via distinct mechanisms. In texture segmentation tasks, exogenous attention inflexibly increases resolution even when detrimental for the task at hand and does so by modulating second-order processing. Endogenous attention is more flexible and modulates resolution to benefit performance according to task demands, but it is unknown whether it also operates at the second-order level. To answer this question, we measured performance on a second-order texture segmentation task while independently manipulating endogenous and exogenous attention. Observers discriminated a second-order texture target at several eccentricities. We found that endogenous attention improved performance uniformly across eccentricity, suggesting a flexible mechanism that can increase or decrease resolution based on task demands. In contrast, exogenous attention improved performance in the periphery but impaired it at central retinal locations, consistent with an inflexible resolution enhancement. Our results reveal that endogenous and exogenous attention both alter spatial resolution by differentially modulating second-order processing.
Radiative Transfer and Starless Cores

We develop a method of analyzing radio-frequency spectral line observations to derive data on the temperature, density, velocity, and molecular abundance of the emitting gas. The method incorporates a radiative transfer code with a new technique for handling overlapping hyperfine emission lines within the accelerated Λ-iteration algorithm and a heuristic search algorithm based on simulated annealing. We apply this method to new observations of N2H+ in three Lynds clouds thought to be starless cores in the first stages of star formation and determine their density structure. A comparison of the gas densities derived from the molecular line emission and the millimeter dust emission suggests that the required dust mass opacity is about κ1. 3 mm = 0.04 cm2 g-1, consistent with models of dust grains that have opacities enhanced by ice mantles and fluffy aggregrates.
Transcranial Alternating Current Stimulation With Gamma Oscillations Over the Primary Motor Cortex and Cerebellar Hemisphere Improved Visuomotor Performance

Transcranial alternating current stimulation (tACS) can be used to modulate oscillatory brain activity. In this study, we investigated whether tACS applied over the primary motor cortex (M1) and cerebellar cortex region improved motor performance. We applied tACS (1.0 mA) to 20 healthy adults while they performed an isometric force task with some visuomotor control using their right index finger. Gamma (70 Hz) oscillations in the Experiment 1 or beta (20 Hz) oscillations in the Experiment 2 were applied for 30 s over the left M1, right cerebellar hemisphere or both regions (“M1-Cerebellum”), and errors performing the task were compared. Beta-oscillation tACS did not affect motor performance. With the gamma-oscillation tACS, a negative correlation was found between the difference of error in the M1-Cerebellum condition and the number of errors in the sham condition (P = 0.005, Pearson’s r = −0.597), indicating that motor performance improved with M1-Cerebellum tACS for subjects with low motor performance in the sham condition. Those who performed poorly in the sham condition made significantly fewer errors with M1-Cerebellum tACS (P = 0.004). Thus, for subjects with poorer motor performance, tACS with gamma oscillations applied over the M1 and contralateral cerebellar hemisphere improved their performance.
A novel beam steering dipole antenna using phase varying metasurface as reflector

In this paper a simulation based study of a novel continuously beam steerable antenna is presented using a tunable metasurface as phase varying reflector. The antenna radiation pattern can be changed by changing the state of the diodes loaded in the phase varying reflector. A planar dipole antenna is used to excite the tunable reflector. By this technique the antenna beam can be steered from +300 to -300 in the broadside direction depending on the operating state of the diodes. Moreover, the state of the diodes can be addressed digitally and hence a steep gradient in phase can be achieved in the reflector. The antenna radiation pattern and the gain has been found stable all over its states.
Stixel optimization: Representing challenging on-road scenes

This paper presents a stereo-based method for robust vertical road profile detection. The aim is to ensure a very low false-detection rate for obstacles in challenging datasets. Basically, frames are segmented into ground manifold and obstacles. To robustly estimate a vertical road profile, our method applies cuts through a v-disparity matrix along columns to achieve a minimal cost specified by the matrix itself while maintaining a desired smoothness; the minimization is based on the Viterbi algorithm, a dynamic programming technique. Experiments illustrate the performance of the proposed method using available datasets. Results show that the proposed method outperforms two previously published methods on the used datasets. In particular, its performance is superior to the others in cases of challenging weather conditions.
In-scene LWIR downwelling radiance estimation

Effective hyperspectral thermal infrared imaging requires accurate atmospheric compensation to convert the measured at-sensor radiance to the ground radiance. The ground radiance consists of the thermal emission of the material and the reflected downwelling radiance. An accurate estimate of the downwelling radiance is required for temperature-emissivity separation (TES) to remove the spectrally sharp reflected atmospheric effects and retrieve a smooth and accurate material emissivity to use for detection. Determination of the downwelling radiance is difficult due to the fact that a down-looking sensor has no knowledge of the atmospheric properties above its line of sight. As the sensor altitude increases and more of the atmospheric emitters are below the sensor, a relationship forms between the upwelling and downwelling radiances. This relationship comes at the expense of increased pixel size, which increases the likelihood of mixed pixels and nonlinear spectral mixing. In this paper improvements to methods used to estimate the downwelling radiance of low altitude collections are proposed. The ground radiances of reflective pixels are used to estimate the atmosphere above the sensor. The reflective pixels are identified from their sharp atmospheric spectral features. Using the assumption that emissivity spectra are smooth across the narrow reflected atmospheric downwelling radiance features, the temperatures and emissivities are then separated for the reflective pixels using a look-up-table of downwelling radiances. The downwelling radiance that provides the best overall fit for the reflective pixels is then chosen as the scene downwelling radiance.
Non-linear model, simulation and control of a new VTOL vehicle concept

This paper presents the derivation of the mathematical model of a Vertical Take-Off and Landing (VTOL) vehicle. We propose a simple tilt rotor like structure modeled as a system of rigid bodies with 8 degrees of freedom and 6 actuators. The full nonlinear model is obtained using D'Alemberts principle in an elegant manner. At the end, the proposed system is simulated and a nonlinear control law is provided for attitude and altitude stabilization.
Global Transition-based Non-projective Dependency Parsing

Shi, Huang, and Lee (2017a) obtained state-of-the-art results for English and Chinese dependency parsing by combining dynamic-programming implementations of transition-based dependency parsers with a minimal set of bidirectional LSTM features. However, their results were limited to projective parsing. In this paper, we extend their approach to support non-projectivity by providing the first practical implementation of the MH₄ algorithm, an O(n^4) mildly nonprojective dynamic-programming parser with very high coverage on non-projective treebanks. To make MH₄ compatible with minimal transition-based feature sets, we introduce a transition-based interpretation of it in which parser items are mapped to sequences of transitions. We thus obtain the first implementation of global decoding for non-projective transition-based parsing, and demonstrate empirically that it is effective than its projective counterpart in parsing a number of highly non-projective languages.
A Continuous-Time Mixture Latent-State-Trait Markov Model for Experience Sampling Data: Application and Evaluation

In psychological research, statistical models of latent state-trait (LST) theory are popular for the analysis of longitudinal data. We identify several limitations of available models when applied to intensive longitudinal data with categorical observed and latent variables and inter- and intraindividually varying time intervals. As an extension of available LST models for categorical data, we describe a general mixed continuous-time LST model that is suitable for intensive longitudinal data with unobserved heterogeneity and individually varying time intervals. This model is illustrated by an application to momentary mood data that were collected in an experience sampling study (N = 164). In addition, the results of a simulation study are reported that was conducted to find out (a) the minimal data requirements with respect to sample size and number of occasions, and (b) how strong the bias is if the continuous-time structure is ignored. The empirical application revealed two classes for which the transition pattern and effects of time-varying covariates differ. In the simulation study, only small differences between the continuous-time model and its discrete-time counterpart emerged. Sample sizes N = 100 and larger in combination with six or more occasions of measurement tended to produce reliable estimation results. Implications of the models for future research are discussed.
Novel high gain dual band single aperture array with large cross-polarized isolation at Ku-band for the TT&C system of a geostationary satellite

High Efficiency design of an array with a dual band patch using orthogonal modes is presented in the paper. TM01 and TM10 modes of a rectangular patch are used for dual band operation. Though the frequencies are far apart like 11.4 GHz for the downlink link and 13.2 GHz for the uplink, this configuration effectively keep the design narrow band resulting in design simplicity. It also provides very good cross-polarized (XP) isolation which is measured to be more than 33 dB. This enables frequency reuse using polarization diversity and allows dual band operation from a single aperture. The size of the array is 320 mm × 640 mm and provides about 31.1 dBi gain at downlink and 30.6 dBi gain at uplink band. A modular design approach is also presented that can be quickly adopted for an array of different size. The array has been used for the telemetry tracking and command (TT&C) operations of a geostationary satellite after it reaches the orbital slot and is stabilized.
A 3-D biomechanical model for enhancing the performance of artificial hand

The hand is a complex organ that is precious to humans. It is hard to replace any living organ such as a hand with a fully adequate substitute. However, during the last decades, many technologies of artificial hand have been enhanced and better models have been introduced. Many factors largely depend on the modeling of artificial hand such as person's occupation (e.g. athletes, engineers), types of motion (linear, angular), the strength of muscles, weight of loading on arms, stability of moving and materials of the prosthesis. The reasons for limb loss are diversified from injury, amputation to disability, thus treatment of the hand is powered by assessment of the condition enabling this different clientele, environmental factors, anatomical structure, and lifestyle. This paper presents solid models of artificial hand that made fully out of four different metals including aluminum, copper, steel, and titanium. The simulation outcome helps to decide whether materials to choose. This research aims to design a three-dimensional (3-D) model by COMSOL Multiphysics 5.2 software which is able to clarify weaknesses and strengths of the artificial hand. The artificial hand is analyzed to study the strain, stress, and forces on joints for two cases, including free artificial hand under effect of the gravity and artificial hand gripping a ball. Results confirmed that the titanium is the best material for implementation of this model. This model will affect the manipulation of robotic design.
Politicizing Europe in the National Electoral Arena: A Comparative Analysis of Five West European Countries, 1970–2010

Although politicization has become a key concept in European integration studies, it is still contested whether, when and to what extent European issues have become politicized in domestic political arenas. This article contributes to this discussion both in conceptual and empirical terms. It uses a new multidimensional index of politicization to systematically trace the development of politicization in national election campaigns in five West European countries (Austria, Britain, France, Germany and Switzerland) from the 1970s to 2010. The findings provide clear evidence that Europe has indeed been politicized in the past decades. Moreover, two different paths towards such a politicization are identified. One of these paths is dominated by populist radical parties from the right, while the other path is shaped by the conflict between mainstream parties in government and opposition. On both paths, conflicts over membership play an important role and cultural-identitarian framing strategies are used.
Loss of RXFP2 and INSL3 genes in Afrotheria shows that testicular descent is the ancestral condition in placental mammals

Descent of testes from a position near the kidneys into the lower abdomen or into the scrotum is an important developmental process that occurs in all placental mammals, with the exception of five afrotherian lineages. Since soft-tissue structures like testes are not preserved in the fossil record and since key parts of the placental mammal phylogeny remain controversial, it has been debated whether testicular descent is the ancestral or derived condition in placental mammals. To resolve this debate, we used genomic data of 71 mammalian species and analyzed the evolution of two key genes (relaxin/insulin-like family peptide receptor 2 [RXFP2] and insulin-like 3 [INSL3]) that induce the development of the gubernaculum, the ligament that is crucial for testicular descent. We show that both RXFP2 and INSL3 are lost or nonfunctional exclusively in four afrotherians (tenrec, cape elephant shrew, cape golden mole, and manatee) that completely lack testicular descent. The presence of remnants of once functional orthologs of both genes in these afrotherian species shows that these gene losses happened after the split from the placental mammal ancestor. These "molecular vestiges" provide strong evidence that testicular descent is the ancestral condition, irrespective of persisting phylogenetic discrepancies. Furthermore, the absence of shared gene-inactivating mutations and our estimates that the loss of RXFP2 happened at different time points strongly suggest that testicular descent was lost independently in Afrotheria. Our results provide a molecular mechanism that explains the loss of testicular descent in afrotherians and, more generally, highlight how molecular vestiges can provide insights into the evolution of soft-tissue characters.
The Qualitative Experiment in HCI : Definition , Occurrences , Value and Use

From time to time, the scientific community questions the suitability of traditional research methods in HCI. However, despite this fact, quantitative experiments are treated as the only truly representative, and thereby valid, method of research. Alternative methods, specifically qualitative ones, are generally not considered to be representative and therefore are deemed to be unacceptable. This paper aims to provide evidence that the adoption of the qualitative experiment in HCI is a valid exercise. This method combines the strict design and systematic setting variation from quantitative studies with the observation, induction and near-to-the-subject insights typical of qualitative studies. The questions that arise are: What is a qualitative experiment? What are the differences between a qualitative experiment and a quantitative experiment? How have qualitative experiments been used in the past? Of what use could this be in HCI? An experimental showcase illustrating the various facets concerned is included to help answer this final question.
Relating the ANGELIC Methodology to ASPIC +

In this paper we relate the ANGELIC methodology for acquiring and encapsulating domain knowledge to the ASPIC+ framework for structured argumentation. In so doing we hope to facilitate the building of applications in concrete domains, especially law, by linking a successful methodology to a proven theoretical framework. We use an example from the ASPIC+ literature to illustrate the relationship, and as further illustration provide an executable program able to support argument preparation. Finally we identify several questions for future work.
Racial/ethnic differences in HIV testing: An application of the health services utilization model

This study applying the health services utilization model examined the importance of predisposing, enabling, and need variables to the social mechanisms explaining lifetime HIV testing across racial/ethnic groups. Data for the study were derived from the National Health Interview Survey (collected 2013–2014), our final sample numbering 18,574 adults. Four subsamples reflected race/ethnicity: 13,347 Whites, 2267 Blacks, 2074 Hispanics, and 886 Asians. Logistic regression established respondent odds of ever having received HIV testing. Further statistical testing evaluated race/ethnicity’s potential moderating role in HIV testing. The findings generally support a role for Aday’s predisposing, enabling, and need factors in explaining HIV testing. Across the four subsamples, female gender, older age, and sexual minority status consistently increased lifetime HIV testing. However, we found racial/ethnic differences in HIV testing’s associations with these factors and others. Our study made a beginning in the effort to specify mechanisms leading to HIV testing—and reliable diagnosis—among four racial/ethnic groups. Understanding these mechanisms might multiply opportunities to raise testing rates for all, in turn reducing racial/ethnic disparities in HIV treatment.