Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Flexible Tactile Sensing Based on Piezoresistive Composites: A Review

The large expansion of the robotic field in the last decades has created a growing interest in the research and development of tactile sensing solutions for robot hand and body integration. Piezoresistive composites are one of the most widely employed materials for this purpose, combining simple and low cost preparation with high flexibility and conformability to surfaces, low power consumption, and the use of simple read-out electronics. This work provides a review on the different type of composite materials, classified according to the conduction mechanism and analyzing the physics behind it. In particular piezoresistors, strain gauges, percolative and quantum tunnelling devices are reviewed here, with a perspective overview on the most used filler types and polymeric matrices. A description of the state-of-the-art of the tactile sensor solutions from the point of view of the architecture, the design and the performance is also reviewed, with a perspective outlook on the main promising applications.
Comparison of in vitro‐cultivation of human mesenchymal stroma/stem cells derived from bone marrow and umbilical cord

Cell‐mediated therapy is currently considered as a novel approach for many human diseases. Potential uses range from topic applications with the regeneration of confined tissue areas to systemic applications. Stem cells including mesenchymal stroma/stem cells (MSCs) represent a highly attractive option. Their potential to cure or alleviate human diseases is investigated in a number of clinical trials. A wide variety of methods has been established in the past years for isolation, cultivation and characterization of human MSCs as expansion is presently deemed a prerequisite for clinical application with high numbers of cells carrying reproducible properties. MSCs have been retrieved from various tissues and used in a multitude of settings whereby numerous experimental protocols are available for expansion of MSCs in vitro. Accordingly, different isolation, culture and upscaling techniques contribute to the heterogeneity of MSC characteristics and the, sometimes, controversial results. Therefore, this review discusses and summarizes certain experimental conditions for MSC in vitro culture focusing on adult bone marrow‐derived and neonatal umbilical cord‐derived MSCs in order to enhance our understanding for MSC tissue sources and to stratify different procedures. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Incorporating remotely‐sensed snow albedo into a spatially‐distributed snowmelt model

Basin‐average albedo estimated from remotely‐sensed Airborne Visible/Infrared Imaging Spectroradiometer (AVIRIS) data specific to the catchment typically differed by 20% from albedo estimated using a common snow‐age‐based empirical relation. In some parts of the basin, differences were as large as 0.31. Using the AVIRIS albedo estimates in a distributed snowmelt model that explicitly includes net solar radiation resulted in a much more accurate estimate of the timing and magnitude of snowmelt as compared to the same model with the empirical albedo (R2 of 0.73 versus 0.59 and magnitude error of 2% versus 36%). Model improvement was most significant in areas and at times where incident solar radiation was relatively high and temperatures low.
Constraint logic programming

We address the problem of designing programming systems to reason with and about constraints. Taking a logic programming approach, we define a class of programming languages, the CLP languages, all of which share the same essential semantic properties. From a conceptual point of view, CLP programs are highly declarative and are soundly based within a unified framework of formal semantics. This framework not only subsumes that of logic programming, but satisfies the core properties of logic programs more naturally. From a user's point of view, CLP programs have great expressive power due to the constraints which they naturally manipulate. Intuition in the reasoning about programs is enhanced as a result of working directly in the intended domain of discourse. This contrasts with working in the Herbrand Universe wherein every semantic object has to be explicitly coded into a Herbrand term; this enforces reasoning at a primitive level. Finally, from an implementor's point of view, CLP systems can be efficient because of the exploitation of constraint solving techniques over specific domains.
Risks for Persistence and Progression by Human Papillomavirus Type 16 Variant Lineages Among a Population-Based Sample of Danish Women

Background: Little is known about factors determining HPV16 persistence and progression, but several studies have suggested that genetic variants may play a role. Methods: HPV16-positive women with normal cytology in a large Danish cohort were reassessed for HPV16 status at 2 years and followed-up for cervical intraepithelial neoplasia 3 or worse (CIN3+) over 11 years through linkage with a national pathology database. Relative risks for clearance, persistence, and progression were compared with different HPV16 variant lineages based upon E6 gene sequencing. Results: Sixty-two (23.7%) of 261 HPV16 infections were persistent at 2 years, and 32 (51.6%) persistent infections progressed to CIN3+. The majority of baseline infections belonged to the European lineage (97.3%), with EUR-350T and EUR-350G accounting for 61.3% and 36.0% of infections, respectively. At two years, the proportion of HPV16 infections that persisted was significantly higher for EUR-350T (28.2%) than EUR-350G (15.9%) variants (odds ratio = 2.06, 95% CI, 1.04–4.25). This increased risk for persistence was consistent both in the absence (OR = 2.16, 95% CI, 0.84–6.26) or presence (OR = 1.89, 95% CI, 0.76–5.15) of progression to CIN3+. Among persistent HPV16 infections, there was no significant difference in risk of progression to CIN3+ between EUR-350T and EUR-350G sub-lineages, which were both associated with a substantial absolute risk (>50%) of CIN3+. Conclusions: Significant differences in risk for persistence exist between the HPV16 variants that predominate in Europe. Impact: Understanding the genetic basis of HPV16 persistence and carcinogenicity may help unravel important interactions between HPV16 and the host immune system. Cancer Epidemiol Biomarkers Prev; 20(7); 1315–21. ©2011 AACR.
Collagen-Fibroin-Hydroxyapatite Scaffolds for Bone Tissue Engineering

ALINA TEODORA BIICIN, ELENA DĂNILĂ, MĂDĂLINA GEORGIANA ALBU KAYA, CĂTĂLIN ZAHARIA, ŞTEFANIA MARIN, IOAN CRISTESCU University Politehnica Bucharest, Faculty of Medical Engineering, 1-7 Gheorghe Polizu St., Bucharest, Romania INCDTP Division Leather and Footwear Research Institute, 93 Ion Minulescu St., 031215, Bucharest, Romania, *albu_mada@yahoo.com (corresponding author) University Politehnica of Bucharest, Faculty of Applied Chemistry and Materials Science, Science and Engineering of Polymers Department, 1-7 Gheorghe Polizu St., Bucharest, Romania “Carol Davila” University of Medicine and Pharmacy
Antithyroperoxidase and antithyroglobulin antibodies in a five-year follow-up survey of populations with different iodine intakes.

OBJECTIVE In a follow-up study, we determined the prevalence, incidence, and natural course of positive antithyroperoxidase antibodies (TPOAbs) and antithyroglobulin antibodies (TgAbs) in the general population and examined the influences of iodine intake. DESIGN The study was conducted in Panshan, Zhangwu, and Huanghua, regions with mildly deficient, more than adequate, and excessive iodine intake, respectively. Of the 3761 unselected subjects who were enrolled at baseline, 3018 participated in the 5-yr follow-up study. Serum TSH, TPOAb, and TgAb levels were measured. RESULTS Among subjects in Panshan, Zhangwu, and Huanghua, the prevalence of positive TPOAbs was 11.23, 11.83 and 12.02%, respectively, whereas 11.23, 11.17, and 11.26% of subjects were TgAb positive, respectively. In the older population (> or =45 yr), TgAb-positive individuals were more frequent in Huanghua than Panshan and Zhangwu (P < 0.05). The 5-yr cumulative incidence of positive TPOAb was 2.08, 3.84, and 2.84% in Panshan, Zhangwu, and Huanghua, respectively, whereas 2.91, 3.64, and 5.07% of subjects were TgAb positive, respectively (P < 0.05), corresponding to the increase in iodine intake. Subjects who were TPOAb and/or TgAb positive at baseline developed thyroid dysfunctions more frequently than those without antibodies (14.44 vs. 3.31%, P < 0.01); their incidence of elevated TSH levels was 1.32, 8.46, and 15.38% in Panshan, Zhangwu, and Huanghua, respectively (P < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS Subjects who were TPOAb and TgAb positive at baseline developed thyroid dysfunctions more frequently than seronegative subjects. High iodine intake was a risk factor for developing hypothyroidism in antibody-positive subjects. A constant exposure to excessive iodine intake increased the incidence of positive TgAb.
Engineering Proprioception in SLA Management for Cloud Architectures

With the wide adoption of the Cloud, there remains an open challenge to provide more dependable, transparent, and trustworthy provision of services. Service terms are typically defined in the Service Level Agreement (SLA) binding both service providers and users. For the service user, there is a need to ensure that s/he is enjoying the agreed level of service and any violations are reported accordingly. For the service provider, there is a need to manage a resilient infrastructure capable of meeting SLA terms and inform strategies for maximising profit and resource utilisation. The massive size, dynamism and unpredictability of Cloud architectures makes these goals difficult to accomplish using classic Service Level Management (SLM) approaches. In this paper, we motivate the need for novel dynamic and decentralised approaches for the design of SLM. Requirements and key design decisions for the new SLM are described. Also, a conceptual architecture for realising these requirements is presented. We roadmap and discuss research directions, which can benefit from the new SLM.
Protein farnesyltransferase inhibitors

Current systemic cytotoxic therapies for cancer are limited by their nonspecific mechanism of action, unwanted toxicities on normal tissues and short-term efficacy due to the emergence of drug resistance. However, identification of the molecular abnormalities in cancer, in particular the key proteins involved in abnormal cell growth, has resulted in various signal transduction inhibitor drugs being developed as new treatment strategies against the disease. Protein farnesyltransferase inhibitors (FTIs) were originally designed to target the Ras signal transduction pathway, although it is now clear that several other intracellular proteins are dependent on post-translational farnesylation (addition of a 15-carbon farnesyl moiety) for their function. Preclinical data revealed that although FTIs inhibit the growth of ras-transformed cells, they are also potent inhibitors of a wide range of cancer cell lines, many of which contain wild type ras. While understanding the mechanism of action of FTIs remains an important research goal, three different FTIs have entered clinical development. Several Phase I trials with each drug have explored different schedules for prolonged administration, and dose-limiting toxicities (DLTs) have varied from myelosuppression, gastrointestinal toxicity and neuropathy. Evidence for anticancer efficacy has come from a number of Phase II studies, not necessarily in tumour types containing ras mutations, which were the initial target for these drugs. Perhaps the most promising use for FTIs will be in combination with conventional cytotoxic drugs, based on preclinical data suggesting synergy, particularly with the taxanes. Clinical combination studies are in progress, and larger Phase II/III clinical trials are planned to see if FTIs can add to the efficacy of conventional therapies.
Clinical value of eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) in non-small cell lung cancer patients.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this study was to evaluate a new type of tumor biomarker, eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2), in serum for the early diagnosis, confirmative diagnosis as well as assessment of treatment of non-small cell lung cancer (NSCLC). METHODS 130 patients with NSCLC and 50 healthy individuals undergoing physical examination in our hospital provided the observation and healthy control groups. An enzyme linked immune sorbent assay (ELISA) method was applied to determine serum eEF2 levels. Serum neuron specific enolase (NSE) and squamous cell carcinoma antigen (SCC) levels in the observation group were assessed with an automatic biochemical analyzer. RESULTS The median levels of eEF2 in the serum of NSCLC patients was found to be significantly higher than the healthy control group (p < 0.01) and it was markedly higher in stages III, IV than stages I, II (p < 0.05). eEF2 was higher with tumor size ≥ 2 cm than <2 cm (P< 0.01). Furthermore, two weeks after surgery patients showed a significant trend for eEF2 decrease (p < 0.05). CONCLUSIONS The eukaryotic elongation factor 2 (eEF2) has certain clinical values for early diagnosis, verification, and prognosis as well as classification of lung cancer patients.
Recent initiatives and strategies to developing new drugs for tropical parasitic diseases

Background: Despite the toll of tropical parasitic diseases on human life in the developing world, present therapies still rely on drugs developed decades ago. In many cases, the clinical usefulness of these compounds is limited due to poor efficacy, toxicity and the constant attrition of drug resistance. The absence of a profit incentive regarding diseases afflicting the very poor has resulted in a lack of investment by the pharmaceutical industry in new chemotherapies. Objective: Given this background, this review addresses what alternative economic and scientific strategies have been implemented to procure novel drugs. Methods: The latest chemical, genetic and screening technologies to discover and develop drugs for tropical parasitic diseases are reviewed. In many cases these strategies are being implemented within the framework of public-private partnerships established to sustain dynamic drug development portfolios. Examples of public-private partnerships and their portfolios are discussed. Further, the contribution of dedicated academic screening centres to target discovery and preclinical prosecution of new small molecules is also highlighted. In every case, the latest scientific literature is cited, but also relevant press releases and website information to indicate the present vitality in the field. Conclusion: The tools, institutions and consortia are now in place and evolving to deliver new pharmaceuticals. Short-term results have already been realised in the clinic, mainly through the provision of new formulations of existing drugs. Long-term and consistent investment will be required, however, to identify, develop and clinically validate new chemical entities.
A bioinspired concept for high efficiency locomotion in micro robots: the jumping Robot Grillo

This paper presents a bioinspired concept of locomotion for small autonomous robots. Scale effects in locomotion highly influence gait efficiency and in lightweight micro-robots jumping can be more energetically efficient than just walking or climbing. In addition, a jump can make the robot overcome obstacles and uneven terrains. Inspired by nature, the actuation of the proposed robot is entrusted to loaded springs. During the flight phase, energy from an electric micro-motor is collected in springs, while it is released by a click mechanism during take-off. In this way instant power delivered by rear legs (about 5 W) is much higher than the one provided by the motor (0.3 W). Passive compliant legs and low-power actuation result in light, efficient micro-robot, designed to have long autonomy for environment exploration and monitoring. In order to verify these assumptions, a quadruped prototype was developed, with two active rear limbs and passive elastic forelegs. Robot Grillo is 50 mm long and weighs about 10 grams. In conservative simulations the microrobot reaches a forward speed of 1.5 m/s, which corresponds to about 30 body length s-1
A Hybrid Fuzzy-Neural Expert System for Diagnosis

Fuzzy Logic, a neural network and an expert system are combined to build a hybrid diagnosis system. With this system we introduce a new approach to the acquisition of knowledge bases. Our system consists of a fuzzy expert system with a dual source knowledge base. Two sets of rules are acquired, inductively from given examples and deductively formulated by a physician. A fuzzy neural network serves to learn from sample data and allows to extract fuzzy rules for the knowledge base. The diagnosis of electroencephalograms by interpretation of graphoelements serves as visualization for our approach. Preliminary results demonstrate the promising possibilities offered by our method. 1 Introduction Repetitively applied cognitive tasks of recognizing and evaluating certain phenomena, called diagnostic tasks, are among the main applications for Artificial Intelligence (AI). As there exists a vast variety of such diagnostic tasks in medicine, it has always belonged to the spectrum of potential users of Artificial Intelligence. Most popular among AI methods in medicine are knowledge based systems [Buchanan and Shortliffe, 1985], modeling the diagnostic behaviour of experts. A variety of such expert systems is being used in everyday p ractice of physicians since Shortliffe introduced MYCIN Shortliffe, 1976], an expert system designed to diagnose infections of the human blood. One of the greatest difficulties in designing a convenient expert system is acquiring the knowledge base. We introduce a new approach where a dual source knowledge base is generated by de-ductive and inductive learning. Neural networks have also made their way into diagnosis. They are able to learn relationships between data sets by simply having sample data represented to their input and output layers. In the field of pattern recognition in medical data, neural network based approaches have led to quite remarkable results, for example in processing MRI pictures [Hall et a/. , 1992] or EEG traces [Mamelak et a/. , 1991; Jando et a/. , 1993]. For the task of acquiring knowledge bases, which is a part of our hybrid approach, neural networks have been proposed recently [Thrun and Mitchell, 1993]. Fuzzy logic [Zadeh, 1965] also makes its appearance in medicine, dealing with the uncertainty of verbal expressions [Kuncheva, 1991; Nishimura et a/. , 199l]. Terms like many, few or probably are hard to model with conventional logic. The linguistic variables offered by fuzzy representations allow pseudo-verbal descriptions close to natural human expressions. All of the above methods bear advantages as well as disadvantages as will …
International migration, remittances and development: myths and facts

Abstract The debate on international South – North labour migration tends to focus on the receiving end of migration. This bias obscures a proper understanding of the developmental causes and consequences of migration at the sending end. The reciprocal migration – development relationship is examined through the discussion of seven migration ‘myths’. Because of its profound developmental roots, it is useless to think that migration can be halted or that aid and trade are short-cut ‘solutions’ to immigration. Migrant remittances contribute significantly to development and living conditions in sending countries. Nevertheless, the recent ‘remittance euphoria’ is not justified, because unattractive investment environments and restrictive immigration policies which interrupt circular migration patterns prevent the high development potential of migration from being fully realised. Although specific policies can enhance this potential through facilitating remittance transfers and investments, the key lies in encouraging circular migration. Instead of uselessly and harmfully trying to stop inevitable migration, immigration policies allowing for freer circulation can, besides increasing migration control, enhance the vital contribution of migrants to the development of their home countries.
A novel efficient method for training sparse auto-encoders

The success of machine learning algorithms generally depends on data representation. So far there has been a great deal of literature on unsupervised feature learning and joint training of deep learning. There is little specific guidance, however, on combining hand-designed features or the operations on them with features which are learned from unsupervised learning. In this paper, using MNIST (“Modified National Institute of Standards and Technology”) handwritten digit database as an example, we propose a novel method for training sparse auto-encoders. In this method, we first get some small-scale features through training, then generate more features through operations such as rotation and translation. Finally, we use the whole dataset to fine-tune the network. This approach avoids optimizing cost function for all nodes in the traditional sparse auto-encoder training process, which is very time-consuming. Simulation results show that the proposed method can speed up the training process by over 50%, while keeping the recognition accuracy at the same level or even better. The present findings also contribute to the field's understanding of sparse representation that large-scale sparse features can be generated by small-scale sparse features.
Peritoneal Potassium and pH Measurement in Early Diagnosis of Acute Mesenteric Ischemia in Rats

Background: In contemporary practice, acute mesenteric ischemia (AMI) remains a serious cause of morbidity and mortality in abdominal emergencies. Objectives: We report the measurement of peritoneal fluid potassium and pH on a small series of rats that developed extensive AMI following the surgical ligation of superior mesenteric vessels and compare the results with control groups. Materials and Methods: A total of 32 rats were used in our study. They were divided into four groups with eight rats in each one and received following treatments: group I (G-I), 60-minute controls; group II (G-II), 120-minute controls; group III (G-III), 60-minute cases; and group IV (G-IV), 120-minute cases. In case groups, the small bowel mesenteric root was double-ligated and an arrow single-lumen central venous catheter was passed through the skin to the peritoneum. In control groups, the catheter was placed without any intervention. Postoperatively, peritoneal lavage was performed at 60 (G-I, G-III) and 120 minutes (G-II, G-IV). Results: The mean peritoneal potassium values were 1.3 ± 0.3, 1.97 ± 1.06, 2.14 ± 0.89, and 3.28 ± 0.66 mmol/L in G-I, G-II, G-III, and G-IV, respectively. There were significant differences between G-III and G-IV (P = 0.002), between G-I and G-III (P = 0.024), and between G-II and G-IV (P = 0.001). The mean values of peritoneal fluid pH were 7.1 ± 0.26, 6.82 ± 0.22, 6.66 ± 0.16, and 6.78 ± 0.04 in G-I, G-II, G-III, and G-IV, respectively, which indicated significant differences between G-I and G-III (P = 0.001) and between G-II and G-IV (P = 0.018). There was a significant correlation between peritoneal fluid potassium and intestine ischemic grade (F = 4.77, P = 0.048) Conclusions Our findings show that for early detection of bowel ischemia, an evaluation of intraperitoneal potassium and pH was useful and with prolongation of ischemia, potassium changes were more significant.