Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Skill Assessment Using Kinematic Signatures: Geomagic Touch Haptic Device

The aim of this paper is to develop a practical skill assessment for some designed experimental tasks, retrieved from Minimally Invasive Surgery. The skill evaluation is very important in surgery training, especially in MIS. Most of the previous studies for skill assessment methods are limited in the Hidden Markov Model and some frequency transforms, such as Discrete Fourier transform, Discrete Cosine Transform and etc. In this paper, some features have been extracted from time-frequency analysis with the Discrete Wavelet Transform and temporal signal analysis of some kinematic metrics which were computed from Geomagic Touch kinematic data. In addition, the k-nearest neighbors classifier are employed to detect skill level based on extracted features. Through cross-validation results, it is demonstrated that the proposed methodology has annrouriate accuracy in skill level detection.
Appearance-based nude image detection

We propose an appearance-based nude image detection system. The proposed system is novel in that shape information is used to classify the nude images, and detect small nude images in a large background image. First, the proposed system finds skin regions using texture characteristics of the human skin, which then generates the skin likelihood image. Since the skin likelihood image contains shape information as well as skin color information, we used the skin likelihood image as a high level feature to classify the nude images. The image feature vector (resized skin likelihood image) is used as an input to a nonlinear-SVM. Experimental results show that the proposed system can achieve an excellent classification performance. Additionally, the proposed system can detect small nude images in a large image.
GeoCLEF2007 Experiments in Query Parsing and Cross-language GIR

This paper reports on the results of our experiments in the Monolingual English, German and Portuguese tasks and the Bilingual Spanish → English, Spanish → Portuguese tasks. We also present initial results on the recognition, extraction and categorization of web-based queries for the Query Parsing task. Twenty-three runs were submitted as official runs, 16 for the monolingual task and seven for the bilingual task. We used the Terrier Information Retrieval Platform to run experiments for both tasks using the Inverse Document Frequency model with Laplace after-effect and normalization 2 and the Ponte-Croft language model. Experiments included topics processed automatically as well as topics processed manually. Manual processing of topics was carried out for the bilingual task using the transfer approach in machine translation. Topics were pre-processed automatically to eliminate stopwords. Results show that automatic relevance feedback with 5 terms and 20 documents performs better, in general. The initial approach used in the Query Parsing task is a pattern-based approach. Due to the ungrammaticality, multilinguality and ambiguity of the language in the 800,000 web-based queries in the collection, we started by building a list of all the different words in the queries, similar to creating an index. Next, a lookup of the words was done in a list of countries to identify potential locations. Because many locations were missed, we further analyzed the queries looking for spatial prepositions and syntactic cues. Queries were processed by combining search in gazetteers with a set of patterns. Categorization was also based on patterns. Results were low in terms of recall and precision.
An Optimality Principle Governing Human Walking

In this paper, we investigate different possible strategies underlying the formation of human locomotor trajectories in goal-directed walking. Seven subjects were asked to walk within a motion capture facility from a fixed starting point and direction, and to cross over distant porches for which both position and direction in the room were changed over trials. Stereotyped trajectories were observed in the different subjects. The underlying idea to attack this question has been to relate this problem to an optimal control scheme: the trajectory is chosen according to some optimization principle. This is our basic starting assumption. The subject being viewed as a controlled system, we tried to identify several criteria that could be optimized. Is it the time to perform the trajectory? The length of the path? The minimum jerk along the path? We found that the variation (time derivative) of the curvature of the locomotor paths is minimized. Moreover, we show that the human locomotor trajectories are well approximated by the geodesics of a differential system minimizing the norm of the control. Such geodesics are made of arcs of clothoids. The clothoid or Cornu spiral is a curve, whose curvature grows with the distance from the origin.
Serine/Threonine Protein Phosphatase Type 5 Acts Upstream of p53 to Regulate the Induction of p21WAF1/Cip1 and Mediate Growth Arrest*

Understanding how alterations in growth control pathways are translated into changes in the cell cycle regulatory machinery is a major challenge for understanding the development of human cancers. The ability of both tumor suppressor proteins, p53 and BRCA1, to induce the expression of p21WAF1/Cip1 in combination with the inhibitory activity of p21WAF1/Cip1 against cyclin-dependent kinases suggests that the regulation of p21WAF1/Cip1 expression is an important aspect of mammalian cell cycle growth control. To elucidate the role of serine/threonine protein phosphatase type 5 (PP5) in processes regulating cell cycle progression, we developed antisense oligodeoxynucleotides targeted against PP5 (e.g. ISIS 15534) that specifically inhibit PP5 gene expression. Employing ISIS 15534, we demonstrate that the specific inhibition of PP5 gene expression has a marked antiproliferative effect on cells, characterized by induction of p21WAF1/Cip1 and the subsequent arrest of cell growth. Investigations into the mechanisms leading to growth arrest reveal that, in the absence of PP5, the expression of p21WAF1/Cip1 is induced in p53-competent A549 cells but not in p53 protein-deficient T-24 cells. Employing a stable cell line derived from p53-deficient human fibroblast that contains tetracycline-regulated transactivator and operator plasmids to control the expression of wild-type p53 (TR9-7 cells), we then show that the induction of p21WAF1/Cip1, which occurs in response to the inhibition of PP5 expression, requires the p53 protein. Additional studies indicate that PP5 acts upstream of p53, influencing both the phosphorylation state and the ability of p53 to bind DNA, without causing an increase in p53 gene transcription. Together these studies suggest that PP5 is a regulatory component of a signaling pathway that affords replicating cells G1 checkpoint growth control and that it is the regulation of PP5 that, in turn, controls p53-mediated expression of p21WAF1/Cip1 and growth arrest in this pathway. In addition, since the inhibition of PP5 gene expression has marked antiproliferative activity and the overexpression of p21WAF1/Cip1 blocks the growth of tumor cells, these studies suggest that compounds that inhibit of PP5 gene expression may be useful in the treatment of human cancers.
Hypertension: The Major Risk Factor in Juvenile-onset Insulin-dependent Diabetics

The prevalence of hypertension in various age groups of diabetics and its role as a risk factor in juvenileonset insulin-dependent diabetics followed for 40 yr after diagnosis was evaluated. The results show clearly that hypertension is more prevalent in diabetics of any age after age 24 yr than in the general population. In this type of diabetes, although death due to renal disease occurs earlier than that due to coronary heart disease, both causes of death are significantly related to hypertension. Those patients with an onset of diabetes 13 yr of age or younger can expect to live longer following the diagnosis of diabetes mellitus than those with an onset after 13 yr of age, perhaps because hypertension appears at about the same age in both groups. Case/control analysis of the data shows that survivors have significantly less hypertension than those dying of renal or cardiac disease. Furthermore, the close temporal relationship between the onset of hypertension and the onset of proteinuria in patients with either renal or coronary deaths suggests that the hypertension in these patients is renal in origin. Two other risk factors, smoking and serum lipids, were evaluated in this population. From the data thus far accumulated, neither smoking nor lipids appear to influence mortality significantly. We conclude that hypertension is the major additive risk factor for mortality in juvenile-onset insulin-dependent diabetics.
An Approach for Predicting Disease Outbreaks Using Fuzzy Inference among Physiological Variables

The development of wireless communication technology and diverse sensors has facilitated user-centered information collection. This has also led to active research on the context-aware-based inference to provide user-tailored services. This paper proposes an approach of predicting disease outbreaks based on the fuzzy rule. There are five physiological input variables: age, blood pressure, cholesterol, obesity, and smoking. Fuzzy rule is the concept of expressing the degree of uncertain context in the membership function, which is expressed as a real number between 0 and 1. It is suitable for expression and inference of non-linear data such as physiological variables. The study performed disease outbreak risk diagnosis through the structured inference rule based on the disease outbreak element and assessed the performance of the inference system.
New triterpenoids from the stem bark of Hypodaphnis zenkeri

A new pentacyclic triterpenoid and three new derivatives based on the taraxer-14-ene skeleton with a C-28 attached a carboxylic acid group have been isolated from the stem bark of Hypodaphnis zenkeri, together with six known compounds. The new product was identified as 2α,3α-dihydroxytaraxer-14-en-28-oic acid (1). Its derivatives, 2α,3α-diacetyltaraxer-14-en-28-oic acid (2), 2α,3α-di-O-carbonyl-2α,3α-dihydroxytaraxer-14-en-28-oic acid (3) and 2α,3α-dipropionyltaraxer-14-en-28-oic acid (4) were obtained by semisynthesis. The known compounds were identified as 3β-hydroxytaraxer-14-en-28-oic acid or aleuritolic acid (5) (McPhail, A.T., McPhail, D.R., Wani, M.C., Wall, M.E. & A.W., Nicholas, A.W. (1989). Identity of maprounic acid with aleuritolic acid. Revision of the structure of maprounic acid: X-ray crystal structure of p-bromobenzyl acetylmaprounate. Journal Natural Products, 52, 212), 3α-hydroxytaraxer-14-en-28-oic acid or isoaleuritolic acid (6), 3α-acetyltaraxer-14-en-28-oic acid acetate or aleuritolic acid acetate (7) (Chaudhuri, S.K., Fullas, F., Brown, D.M., Wani, M.C., Wall, M.E., Cai, L., … Kinghorn, A.D. (1995). Isolation and structural elucidation of pentacyclic triterpenoids from Maprounea africana. Journal of Natural Products, 58, 1–9), 3-oxo-taraxer-14-ene or taraxerone (8) β-sitosterol (9) and stigmasterol (10) (Kamboj & Saluja, 2011), together with fatty acids. Their structures were established on the basis of spectroscopic studies and chemical transformations.
The "Ups and Downs" of Signaling Cascades in Addiction

Drug addiction is a chronic disease characterized by compulsive drug use despite the severe negative consequences associated with it. Repeated exposure to drugs of abuse results in molecular adaptations in neuronal signaling pathways, which eventually manifest in the complex behavioral alterations that characterize addiction. These include tolerance, sensitization, dependence, drug craving, and relapse. In this Review, we focus on recent studies highlighting signaling cascades initiated by cocaine, as a representative of a drug of abuse with a defined site of action, and alcohol, as a drug with an undefined primary site of action. Specifically, we describe recent studies that emphasize the role of protein-protein interactions, phosphorylation, and compartmentalization in the molecular mechanisms that result in the cellular and behavioral adaptations that underlie addiction. Signaling cascades that contribute to addiction, as well as those that protect or delay the development of addiction, are presented. Addiction to drugs, such as alcohol, nicotine, cocaine, amphetamine, and opiates, is a serious, worldwide social and health problem. Currently, 1 in every 13 adults in the United States abuses alcohol or other drugs, costing society about $180 billion a year. Addiction is a disease of the brain in which repeated drug use in susceptible individuals results in changes in brain biology and in the behaviors that characterize addiction, such as tolerance to a drug’s effects, dependence on the drug, withdrawal symptoms, and drug craving. Unfortunately, few effective medications are currently available to treat this disease. In the past decade, tremendous effort has been invested in developing medications for various other diseases, such as cancer, that alter the activity of intracellular signaling pathways. It is possible that the same approach could be used to develop medication to treat addiction. Here, we review recent studies that elucidate intracellular signaling cascades within the brain that are altered by exposure to alcohol or cocaine and that contribute to, or delay, the development of addiction. Understanding the molecular processes that underlie phenotypes associated with drug and alcohol abuse is likely to open new therapeutic avenues.
Randomized controlled trial of resection versus radiotherapy after induction chemotherapy in stage IIIA-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer.

BACKGROUND Induction chemotherapy before surgical resection increases survival compared with surgical resection alone in patients with stage IIIA-N2 non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC). We hypothesized that, following a response to induction chemotherapy, surgical resection would be superior to thoracic radiotherapy as locoregional therapy. METHODS Selected patients with histologic or cytologic proven stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC were given three cycles of platinum-based induction chemotherapy. Responding patients were subsequently randomly assigned to surgical resection or radiotherapy. Survival curves were estimated using Kaplan-Meier analyses from time of randomization. RESULTS Induction chemotherapy resulted in a response rate of 61% (95% confidence interval [CI] = 57% to 65%) among the 579 eligible patients. A total of 167 patients were allocated to resection and 165 to radiotherapy. Of the 154 (92%) patients who underwent surgery, 14% had an exploratory thoracotomy, 50% a radical resection, 42% a pathologic downstaging, and 5% a pathologic complete response; 4% died after surgery. Postoperative radiotherapy was administered to 62 (40%) of patients in the surgery arm. Among the 154 (93%) irradiated patients, overall compliance to the radiotherapy prescription was 55%, and grade 3/4 acute and late esophageal and pulmonary toxic effects occurred in 4% and 7%; one patient died of radiation pneumonitis. Median and 5-year overall survival for patients randomly assigned to resection versus radiotherapy were 16.4 versus 17.5 months and 15.7% versus 14%, respectively (hazard ratio = 1.06, 95% CI = 0.84 to 1.35). Rates of progression-free survival were also similar in both groups. CONCLUSION In selected patients with pathologically proven stage IIIA-N2 NSCLC and a response to induction chemotherapy, surgical resection did not improve overall or progression-free survival compared with radiotherapy. In view of its low morbidity and mortality, radiotherapy should be considered the preferred locoregional treatment for these patients.
EFFECT OF CYCLIC MEDITATION ON JOB RELATED STRESS IN IT PROFESSIONALS

Information Technology industry in India resulted in increase of job stress and its management by professionals would impact their employability as well as personal lives. Yoga is an ancient science which can give comfort to body/mind complex of human being in any context of life with a disciplined practice. Present study was design toassess the effect ofyoga technique- cyclic meditation on job stress on Indian information technology professionals. A qualitative research method was used to collect data and results are worth pursuing. Key words: Yoga,Meditation, Job stress,Cyclic meditation, Stress management&IT professionals
Microencapsulation in Alginate and Chitosan Microgels to Enhance Viability of Bifidobacterium longum for Oral Delivery

Probiotic microorganisms are incorporated into a wide variety of foods, supplements, and pharmaceuticals to promote human health and wellness. However, maintaining bacterial cell viability during storage and gastrointestinal transit remains a challenge. Encapsulation of bifidobacteria within food-grade hydrogel particles potentially mitigates their sensitivity to environmental stresses. In this study, Bifidobacterium longum subspecies and strains were encapsulated in core-shell microgels consisting of an alginate core and a microgel shell. Encapsulated obligate anaerobes Bifidobacterium longum subsp. infantis and Bifidobacterium longum subsp. longum exhibited differences in viability in a strain-dependent manner, without a discernable relationship to subspecies lineage. This includes viability under aerobic storage conditions and modeled gastrointestinal tract conditions. Coating alginate microgels with chitosan did not improve viability compared to cells encapsulated in alginate microgels alone, suggesting that modifying the surface charge alone does not enhance delivery. Thus hydrogel beads have great potential for improving the stability and efficacy of bifidobacterial probiotics in various nutritional interventions.
Anti-virus System Structure Analysis and Design under Network Environment

The current network security technologies are reviewed, the present situation and the demand of network security is analyzed, the key network security technology is investigated. Starting from the enterprise information safety, the network virus, access control and information system stability is analyzed. On this basis, the enterprise network security scheme is designed. This system can provide information security management with a more comprehensive, convenient, intuitive, accurate virus monitoring platform, reduce damage and risk caused by growing virus on network, and provide security for the enterprise's informatization construction.
RECENT APPLICATIONS OF FRACTIONAL CALCULUS TO SCIENCE AND ENGINEERING

This paper deals with recent applications of fractional calculus to dynamical systems in control theory, electrical circuits with fractance, generalized voltage divider, viscoelasticity, fractional-order multipoles in electromagnetism, electrochemistry, tracer in fluid flows, and model of neurons in biology. Special attention is given to numerical computation of fractional derivatives and integrals.
Certificate Achievement Unlocked: How Does MOOC Learners' Behaviour Change?

Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) play an ever more central role in open education. However, in contrast to traditional classroom settings, many aspects of learners' behaviour in MOOCs are not well researched. In this work, we focus on modelling learner behaviour in the context of continuous assessments with completion certificates, the most common assessment setup in MOOCs today. Here, learners can obtain a completion certificate once they obtain a required minimal score (typically somewhere between 50-70%) in tests distributed throughout the duration of a MOOC. In this setting, the course material or tests provided after "passing" do not contribute to earning the certificate (which is ungraded), thus potentially affecting learners' behaviour. Therefore, we explore how ``passing'' impacts MOOC learners: do learners alter their behaviour after this point? And if so how? While in traditional classroom-based learning the role of assessment and its influence on learning behaviour has been well-established, we are among the first to provide answers to these questions in the context of MOOCs.
mountain torques and atmospheric oscillations

Theoretical work and general circulation model (GCM) experiments suggest that the midlatitude jet stream's interaction with large‐scale topography can drive intraseasonal oscillations in large‐scale atmospheric circulation patterns. In support of this theory, we present new observational evidence that mountain‐induced torques play a key role in 15–30‐day oscillations of the Northern Hemisphere circulation's dominant patterns. The affected patterns include the Arctic Oscillation (AO) and the Pacific‐North‐American (PNA) pattern. Positive torques both accelerate and anticipate the midlatitude westerly winds at these periodicities. Moreover, torque anomalies anticipate the onsets of weather regimes over the Pacific, as well as the break‐ups of hemispheric‐scale regimes.
IR-based classification of customer-agent phone calls

The use of menu based speech recognition in which callers get the desired information or are routed to the right department is limited by the a-priori knowledge of these menus by the callers. Automatic speech recognition has always been promoted as superior to classic DTMF-IVR ( push 1 for John, 2 for . ) because it is faster and more user friendly. Instead of listening to endless menu options and pushing the corresponding key(s), a user may just say the desired item. This works fine but the problem is that often people do not know what to say. Classification based on the results of mostly imperfect speech recognition of open questions may help to overcome this deadlock. In situations were the caller can explain his/her problem but does not know were to address it too, this approach may be very useful. Moreover, classification of incoming calls can be used to generate automatically management reports about what time people spoke about which subject. In this paper we will discuss the design and the results of the first pilot implementation of a speech recogniser in an Information Retrieval (IR) system at an assurance company. Incoming calls are recognised and matched with previous, already classified calls. The labels of these classified calls are used to calculate a label (i.e. class) for this new call.