Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Guide Robot at the Airport: First Impressions

In order to be successful, guide robots in public space require socially-intelligent navigation behaviors. Evaluation of these behaviors can be done through lab studies, though these do not always capture the complexities of interactions in "the wild". In this extended abstract we present initial results of a field trial of a multi-year project in which we developed and deployed a robot which provided guiding services to real passengers at one of the top-20 busiest airports in the world. During this field trial 9 groups of passengers were guided by the robot. We will present initial results and implications for field studies.
Travelling against the current: An examination of upstream and downstream educational interventions across the life span

Current social and economic circumstances are presenting universities with a more diverse general student intake whose support needs are increasingly similar to those of traditionally defined equity groups. This paper examines a Murdoch University equity program to demonstrate that simply increasing access does not always translate into increased benefit. It presents an argument for the restructuring of existing equity enabling programs and increasing transitional support for all students to achieve more substantive equality in student outcomes.
ENVIRONMENTAL AND GENETIC SOURCES OF DIVERSIFICATION IN THE TIMING OF SEED GERMINATION: IMPLICATIONS FOR THE EVOLUTION OF BET HEDGING

Abstract Environmental variation that is not predictably related to cues is expected to drive the evolution of bet-hedging strategies. The high variance observed in the timing of seed germination has led to it being the most cited diversification strategy in the theoretical bet-hedging literature. Despite this theoretical focus, virtually nothing is known about the mechanisms responsible for the generation of individual-level diversification. Here we report analyses of sources of variation in timing of germination within seasons, germination fraction over two generations and three sequential seasons, and the genetic correlation structure of these traits using almost 10,000 seeds from more than 100 genotypes of the monocarpic perennial Lobelia inflata. Microenvironmental analysis of time to germination suggests that extreme sensitivity to environmental gradients, or microplasticity, even within a homogeneous growth chamber, may act as an effective individual-level diversification mechanism and explains more than 30% of variance in time to germination. The heritability of within-season timing of germination was low (h2 = 0.07) but significant under homogeneous conditions. Consistent with individual-level diversification, this low h2 was attributable not to low additive genetic variance, but to an unusually high coefficient of residual variation in time to germination. Despite high power to detect additive genetic variance in within-season diversification, it was low and indistinguishable from zero. Restricted maximum likelihood detected significant genetic variation for germination fraction (h2 = 0.18) under homogeneous conditions. Unexpectedly, this heritability was positive when measured within a generation by sibling analysis and negative when measured across generations by offspring-on-parent regression. The consistency of dormancy fraction over multiple delays, a major premise of Cohen's classic model, was supported by a strong genetic correlation (r = 0.468) observed for a cohort's germination fraction over two seasons. We discuss implications of the results for the evolution of bet hedging and highlight the need for further empirical study of the causal components of diversification.
Investigating Noise Tolerance in Generalised Nearest Neighbour Learning

In this report we investigate the effects of integrating techniques and methods that tolerate noise well in nearest neighbour systems into generalised nearest neighbour systems and find whether or not this similarly helps in their tolerance of noise. We use Nearest Neighbour with Generalised Exemplars (NNGE) as our base generalised nearest neighbour system and create alternative variations, k-NNGE and NNGE-S, which we predict will perform better than the original NNGE in noisy domains. Our findings show that this is not in fact the case but insightful discoveries from this outcome has resulted in a beneficial investigation.
Dynamic gesture recognition of Indian sign language considering local motion of hand using spatial location of Key Maximum Curvature Points

Sign language is the most natural way of expression for the deaf community. Indian Sign Language (ISL) is a visual-spatial language which provides linguistic information using hands, arms, facial expressions, and head/body postures. In this paper we propose a new method for, vision-based recognition of dynamic signs corresponding to Indian Sign Language words. A new method is proposed for key frame extraction which is more accurate than the existing methods. The frames corresponding to the Maximum Curvature Points (MCPs) of the global trajectory are taken as the keyframes. The method accomodates the spatio temporal variability that may occur when different persons perform the same gesture. We are also proposing a new method based on spatial location of the Key Maximum Curvature Points of the boundary for shape feature extraction of key frames. Our method when compared with three other exisiting methods has given better performance. The method has considered the local as well as global trajectory information for recognition. The feature extraction method has proved to be scale invariant and translation invariant.
Edinburgh Research Explorer Automated Experimentation for Ecological Networks

Background: In ecological networks, natural communities are studied from a complex systems perspective by representing interactions among species within them in the form of a graph, which is in turn analysed using mathematical tools. Topological features encountered in complex networks have been proved to provide the systems they represent with interesting attributes such as robustness and stability, which in ecological systems translates into the ability of communities to resist perturbations of different kinds. A focus of research in community ecology is on understanding the mechanisms by which these complex networks of interactions among species in a community arise. We employ an agent-based approach to model ecological processes operating at the species ’ interaction level for the study of the emergence of organisation in ecological networks. Results: We have designed protocols of interaction among agents in a multi-agent system based on ecological processes occurring at the interaction level between species in plant-animal mutualistic communities. Interaction models for agents coordination thus engineered facilitate the emergence of network features such as those found in ecological networks of interacting species, in our artificial societies of agents. Conclusions: Agent based models developed in this way facilitate the automation of the design an execution of simulation experiments that allow for the exploration of diverse behavioural mechanisms believed to be responsible for community organisation in ecological communities. This automated way of conducting experiments empowers the study of ecological networks by exploiting the expressive power of interaction models specification in agent systems.
Managing a fragmented XML data cube with oracle and timesten

In this paper, we cross two techniques for performance tuning of an XML cube. We analyze six configurations for managing the cube. The configurations result from storing two variants of the cube (unfragmented and fragmented) in different ways. First, we consider a disk-resident database. Then, we consider caching the frequent properties of the unfragmented cube and the frequent fragments of the fragmented cube. Finally, we load and manage the entire cube into the main memory. We show the benefits of vertical fragmentation and in-memory management of the XML cube through a set of experiments.
Frontiers in Cellular Neuroscience Cellular Neuroscience Rebuilding Cerebellar Network Computations from Cellular Neurophysiology

This schematic drawing shows the most relevant connections within a cerebellar module. The mossy fibers contact granule cells (GrC) and deep cerebellar nuclei (DCN) cells which, in turn, receive inhibition from the same common set of Purkinje cells (PC). Moreover, the interior olive (IO) cells emit climbing fibers that contact DCN cells and Purkinje cells (PC), which also project to the same DCN cells. An activate group of GrCs is in (red), while others (yellow) are laterally inhibited by the GoCs. The active GrCs excite the overlaying PCs (dark red) according to a vertical organization pattern (Bower and Woolston, 1983). The PCs inhibit DCN neurons which in turn inhibit the IO neurons. Note that, within a cerebellar module, different circuit elements communicate in closed loops. The mossy fibers contact granule cells and DCN cells which, in turn, receive inhibition from the same common set of Purkinje cells. Moreover, the IO cells emit climbing fibers that contact DCN and PC, which also project to the same DCN cells. The cerebellum has traditionally provided an ideal case for investigating the relationship between cellular neurophysiology and circuit functions, because of the limited number of neuronal types and the regular organization of its internal network (Figure 1). which proposed the first computational model of cerebellar function, was inspired by morphological determinations of the number of neurons and syn-apses but accounted for only very limited knowledge on functional properties of the cerebellar circuitry. In recent years, in association with remarkable developments of physiological technologies, important achievements at the cellular level have suggested that the original view needs to be revisited (Rokni et al., 2008). The papers in this special issue are focused on the relationship between cellular properties and circuit responses, which hold the key to control spike timing and long-term synaptic plasticity and eventually cerebellar functioning. In the cerebellum, inputs are conveyed through a double system formed by the mossy fibers and the climbing fibers. These inputs converge onto Purkinje cells, which eventually inhibit the DCN, representing the sole output of the circuit (Figure 1). Despite the wealth of available information, outstanding issues remain open about the spatial organization of granular layer activity, the discharge of Purkinje cells and deep cerebellar neurons, the mechanisms of circuit inhibition, the forms of long-term synaptic plasticity and their relationship with behavior. These aspects are covered by the papers in this special issue combining a careful literature review …
Toll-Like Receptor 7 Stimulates the Expression of Epstein-Barr Virus Latent Membrane Protein 1

Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) is a ubiquitous human herpesvirus. Toll-like receptor 7 (TLR7) is involved in host innate immunity against pathogens, and its aberrant activation is linked to the development of systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE, also called “lupus”). Type I interferons (IFN) are apparently driving forces for lupus pathogenesis. Previously, we found that EBV latent membrane protein 1 (LMP1) primes cells for IFN production. In this report, the relationship among EBV LMP1, TLRs, and IFN production are examined. We find that TLR7 activation increases the expression of EBV LMP1, and IFN regulatory factor 7 (IRF7) is involved in the stimulation process. TLR7 activation did not induce IFNs from EBV-infected cells, but potentiates those cells for IFN production by TLR3 or TLR9 activation. In addition, we find that LMP1 and IFNs are co-expressed in the same cells in some lupus patients. Therefore, the aberrant activation of TLR7 might induce LMP1 expression and LMP1-expression cells may be producing IFNs in lupus patients. These results suggest EBV might be an exacerbating factor in some lupus patients via promoting IFN production.
Learning, gustatory responsiveness and tyramine differences across nurse and forager honeybees

ABSTRACT Honeybees are well known for their complex division of labor. Each bee sequentially performs a series of social tasks during its life. The changes in social task performance are linked to gross differences in behavior and physiology. We tested whether honeybees performing different social tasks (nursing versus foraging) would differ in their gustatory responsiveness and associative learning behavior in addition to their daily tasks in the colony. Further, we investigated the role of the biogenic amine tyramine and its receptors in the behavior of nurse bees and foragers. Tyramine is an important insect neurotransmitter, which has long been neglected in behavioral studies as it was believed to only act as the metabolic precursor of the better-known amine octopamine. With the increasing number of characterized tyramine receptors in diverse insects, we need to understand the functions of tyramine on its own account. Our findings suggest an important role for tyramine and its two receptors in regulating honeybee gustatory responsiveness, social organization and learning behavior. Foragers, which were more responsive to gustatory stimuli than nurse bees and performed better in appetitive learning, also differed from nurse bees in their tyramine brain titers and in the mRNA expression of a tyramine receptor in the brain. Pharmacological activation of tyramine receptors increased gustatory responsiveness of nurse bees and foragers and improved appetitive learning in nurse bees. These data suggest that a large part of the behavioral differences between honeybees may be directly linked to tyramine signaling in the brain. Summary: Tyramine improves appetitive learning in nurse bees but not in foragers.
The Adoption of Business-to-Business E-Commerce: Empirical Evidence for German Companies

Although in its infancy, one promising application of Internet technology for firms is so-called Internet commerce or electronic commerce. This paper analyses the determinants of B2B (business-to-business) adoption borrowing from the literature on the adoption of new technologies and considering factors like firm size, corporate status, human capital and international competitive situation. An ordered probit model is applied to a data set containing about 3,000 enterprises from the German manufacturing industry and the German services sector in the year 2000. We find positive and significant effects of firm size, the share of highly qualified employees and the export share. An IT-intensive production process enhances the probability of a broad use of B2B e-commerce. An important influence on the use of B2B is the bandwagon effect, implying that firms are more likely to use this new Internet application if others within the same industry likewise do it. We find no significant effects of firm age and of the fact that a firm belongs to a group of companies as measures of a firm's flexibility and financial power.
Physiological Effects of Gibberellic Acid. IV. On Barley Grain With Normal, X-Irradiated, & Excised Embryos.

Measurements werc made of the amylolytic activity, reducing sugar, and soluble nitrogen contents of barley grain with or without normal or x-irradiated embryos. The results indicate that the embryo is responsible for the initiation of the mobilization processes which occur in the endosperm during germination. X irradiation delays this initiation and complete removal of the embryo indeftnitely postpones it. Gibberellic acid can hasten the responses of endosperm in the presence of normal or damaged embryos and can initiate them when the embryo is absent. A concentration above 2.9 x 10/sup -8/ M gibberellic acid was needed to produce an effect in the presence of the embryo, suggesting that this level may be close to the amount of endogenously produced gibberellin. (auth)
Biochemical and Genetic Characterizations of a Novel Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Inhibitor That Blocks gp120-CD4 Interactions

ABSTRACT BMS-378806 is a recently discovered small-molecule human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) attachment inhibitor with good antiviral activity and pharmacokinetic properties. Here, we demonstrate that the compound targets viral entry by inhibiting the binding of the HIV-1 envelope gp120 protein to cellular CD4 receptors via a specific and competitive mechanism. BMS-378806 binds directly to gp120 at a stoichiometry of approximately 1:1, with a binding affinity similar to that of soluble CD4. The potential BMS-378806 target site was localized to a specific region within the CD4 binding pocket of gp120 by using HIV-1 gp120 variants carrying either compound-selected resistant substitutions or gp120-CD4 contact site mutations. Mapping of resistance substitutions to the HIV-1 envelope, and the lack of compound activity against a CD4-independent viral infection confirm the gp120-CD4 interactions as the target in infected cells. BMS-378806 therefore serves as a prototype for this new class of antiretroviral agents and validates gp120 as a viable target for small-molecule inhibitors.
Quality Meshing of 2 D Images with Guarantees Derived by a Computer-Assisted Proof

This paper describes an algorithm for generating unstructured triangular meshes from a continuous two-dimensional object represented by an image. The algorithm uses squares as a background grid from which to build the quadrilateral elements that conform to the input contours. Then the triangulation is obtained by automatically choosing the diagonals that optimize the angles of the triangles. The extracted triangular meshes can be extensively used in the finite element method (FEM) since our triangulation provides a minimum angle bound of 18.4349◦. The angle bound is verified by a computer-assisted proof using interval arithmetic.
Electroencephalography (EEG) in the diagnosis of seizures and epilepsy

This topic discusses the use of EEG in the diagnosis of seizures and epilepsy. A more general discussion of EEG, and the use of other diagnostic tests in the evaluation of patients with seizures and epilepsy are presented separately. (See "Clinical neurophysiology", section on 'Electroencephalogram' and "Video and ambulatory EEG monitoring in the diagnosis of seizures and epilepsy" and "Evaluation of the first seizure in adults".)
Temporal resolution in individuals with neurological disorders

OBJECTIVE: Temporal processing refers to the ability of the central auditory nervous system to encode and detect subtle changes in acoustic signals. This study aims to investigate the temporal resolution ability of individuals with mesial temporal sclerosis and to determine the sensitivity and specificity of the gaps-in-noise test in identifying this type of lesion. METHOD: This prospective study investigated differences in temporal resolution between 30 individuals with normal hearing and without neurological lesions (G1) and 16 individuals with both normal hearing and mesial temporal sclerosis (G2). Test performances were compared, and the sensitivity and specificity were calculated. RESULTS: There was no difference in gap detection thresholds between the two groups, although G1 revealed better average thresholds than G2 did. The sensitivity and specificity of the gaps-in-noise test for neurological lesions were 68% and 98%, respectively. CONCLUSIONS: Temporal resolution ability is compromised in individuals with neurological lesions caused by mesial temporal sclerosis. The gaps-in-noise test was shown to be a sensitive and specific measure of central auditory dysfunction in these patients.
Policy Improvement for POMDPs Using Normalized Importance Sampling

We present a new method for estimating the expected return of a POMDP from experience. The estimator does not assume any knowledge of the POMDP, can estimate the returns for finite state controllers, allows experience to be gathered from arbitrary sequences of policies, and estimates the return for any new policy. We motivate the estimator from function-approximation and importance sampling points-of-view and derive its bias and variance. Although the estimator is biased, it has low variance and the bias is often irrelevant when the estimator is used for pair-wise comparisons. We conclude by extending the estimator to policies with memory and compare its performance in a greedy search algorithm to the REINFORCE algorithm showing an order of magnitude reduction in the number of trials required.
[Computer databases on cancer-related genes].

A database of mutations in various cancer-related genes has been constructed and named as KMcancerDB (Keio Mutation DataBase for cancer-related genes). This KMcancerDB utilizes a database software called MutationView which we designed to compile various mutation data and to provide graphical presentation of data analysis through the network using ordinary internet browser softwares such as Netscape. Currently, the KMcancerDB accommodates 1261 mutation data of different genes for cancers in 9 different organs/tissues (breast, stomach, uterus, liver, prostate, colon, ovary, thymus and retinoblastoma). KMcancerDB is accessible through http:¿mutview.dmb. med.keio. ac.jp. OMIM is an important document database for human Mendelian traits and hereditary diseases. The information from OMIM is also used in MutationView/KMcancerDB. Some display windows of OMIM and KMcancerDB are presented.
MULTIPROSPECTOR: An algorithm for the prediction of protein–protein interactions by multimeric threading

In this postgenomic era, the ability to identify protein–protein interactions on a genomic scale is very important to assist in the assignment of physiological function. Because of the increasing number of solved structures involving protein complexes, the time is ripe to extend threading to the prediction of quaternary structure. In this spirit, a multimeric threading approach has been developed. The approach is comprised of two phases. In the first phase, traditional threading on a single chain is applied to generate a set of potential structures for the query sequences. In particular, we use our recently developed threading algorithm, PROSPECTOR. Then, for those proteins whose template structures are part of a known complex, we rethread on both partners in the complex and now include a protein–protein interfacial energy. To perform this analysis, a database of multimeric protein structures has been constructed, the necessary interfacial pairwise potentials have been derived, and a set of empirical indicators to identify true multimers based on the threading Z‐score and the magnitude of the interfacial energy have been established. The algorithm has been tested on a benchmark set comprised of 40 homodimers, 15 heterodimers, and 69 monomers that were scanned against a protein library of 2478 structures that comprise a representative set of structures in the Protein Data Bank. Of these, the method correctly recognized and assigned 36 homodimers, 15 heterodimers, and 65 monomers. This protocol was applied to identify partners and assign quaternary structures of proteins found in the yeast database of interacting proteins. Our multimeric threading algorithm correctly predicts 144 interacting proteins, compared to the 56 (26) cases assigned by PSI‐BLAST using a (less) permissive E‐value of 1 (0.01). Next, all possible pairs of yeast proteins have been examined. Predictions (n = 2865) of protein–protein interactions are made; 1138 of these 2865 interactions have counterparts in the Database of Interacting Proteins. In contrast, PSI‐BLAST made 1781 predictions, and 1215 have counterparts in DIP. An estimation of the false‐negative rate for yeast‐predicted interactions has also been provided. Thus, a promising approach to help assist in the assignment of protein–protein interactions on a genomic scale has been developed. Proteins 2002;49:350–364. © 2002 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.