Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Upper Body Pose Estimation Using a Visual–Inertial Sensor System With Automatic Sensor-to-Segment Calibration

Upper body kinematics is essential for motor function assessment and robot-assisted rehabilitation training. Wearable sensor systems, such as inertial measurement units (IMUs), provide affordable solutions to replace laboratory-based motion capture systems for use in daily life. However, the sensor-to-segment calibration often relies on predefined posture or movements, which is hard to perform accurately, particularly for patients with a limited range of motion. A visual–inertial sensor system is presented, which includes three sensor modules attached to the trunk, upper arm, and forearm. Each module has an IMU and an ArUco marker, which can be captured by a camera and the driftless orientation of the modules is computed from visual–inertial fusion. The sensor-to-segment transformations are calibrated from a period of arbitrary arm movements in either a 2-D plane or 3-D space, simulating the training process assisted by end-effector robots. Experiments were conducted to validate the feasibility and evaluate the accuracy of the proposed method. The estimated shoulder and elbow joint angles correlated well ( $>$ 0.986) with the ground truth from the optical motion capture (OMC) system. The joint angles presented low root-mean-square errors (RMSEs) ( $< 4^{\circ }$ ) except for the forearm pronation–supination angle (9.34°), which relied on manual alignment. The sensor system provides a simple and easy-to-use solution for movement assessment during robot-assisted training.
Intelligent video surveillance with abandoned object detection and multiple pedestrian counting

We present a novel intelligent video surveillance system with efficient detection of abandoned objects and counting number of pedestrians. In the proposed algorithm the adaptively generated background enables to solve problems of illumination change and occlusions. After building the adaptive background model, the counting procedure starts to augment number of detected objects. Experimental results show that the proposed system outperforms existing abandoned object detection and pedestrian counting methods.
Bayesian inference: an approach to statistical inference

The original Bayes used an analogy involving an invariant prior and a statistical model and argued that the resulting combination of prior with likelihood provided a probability description of an unknown parameter value in an application; the combination in particular contexts with invariance can currently be called a confidence distribution and is subject to some restrictions when used to construct confidence intervals and regions. The procedure of using a prior with likelihood has now, however, been widely generalized with invariance being extended to less restrictive criteria such as non‐informative, reference, and more. Other generalizations are to allow the prior to represent various forms of background information that is available or elicited from those familiar with the statistical context; these can reasonably be called subjective priors. Still further generalizations address an anomaly where marginalization with a vector parameter gives results that contradict the term probability; these are Dawid, Stone, Zidek marginalization paradoxes; various priors for this are called targeted priors. A special case where the prior describes a random source for the parameter value is however just probability analysis but is frequently treated as a Bayes procedure. We survey the argument in support of probability characteristics and outline various generalizations of the original Bayes proposal. Copyright © 2010 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Carbon nanotube chains in a shape memory polymer/carbon black composite: To significantly reduce the electrical resistivity

Instead of individually aligned along the external electric field, the carbon nanotubes (CNTs) were electrically induced into aligned chains in a shape memory polymer (SMP)/carbon black (CB) composite, which would serve as long-distance conductive channels to bridge the CB aggregations. Compared with SMP composites with randomly filled CNTs, the electrical resistivity in those with chained CNTs was reduced for more than 100 times. The fabricated conductive SMP composites could be actuated by a low electrical power.
Thermal Characterisation of Hybrid, Flip-Chip InP-Si DFB Lasers

WA detailed thermal analysis of a hybrid, flip-chip InP-Si DFB laser is presented in this work. The lasers were experimentally tested at different operating temperatures, which allowed for deriving their thermal performance characteristics: the temperature dependence of threshold current, lasing slope, and output spectrum. Using these data, the laser thermal resistance was calculated (Rth = 75.9 K/W), which allows for predicting the laser temperature during operation. This metric is also used to validate the thermal finite element models of the laser. A sensitivity study of the laser temperature was performed using these models, and multiple routes for minimising both the laser thermal resistance and thermal coupling to the carrier die are presented. The most effective way of decreasing the laser temperature is the direct attachment of a heat sink on the laser top surface.
Rheological Behaviors of Waste Polyethylene Modified Asphalt Binder: Statistical Analysis of Interlaboratory Testing Results

8 This paper investigated the effect of waste polyethylene (PE) on the modified asphalt binders' 9 rheological behavior from a statistical point of view. The Interlaboratory testing results from 10 the RILEM Technical Committee (TC) 279 WMR (Valorization of Waste and Secondary 11
Role of Running-Activated Neural Stem Cells in the Anatomical and Functional Recovery after Traumatic Brain Injury in p21 Knock-Out Mice

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) represents one of the most common worldwide causes of death and disability. Clinical and animal model studies have evidenced that TBI is characterized by the loss of both gray and white matter, resulting in brain atrophy and in a decrease in neurological function. Nowadays, no effective treatments to counteract TBI-induced neurological damage are available. Due to its complex and multifactorial pathophysiology (neuro-inflammation, cytotoxicity and astroglial scar formation), cell regeneration and survival in injured brain areas are strongly hampered. Recently, it has been proposed that adult neurogenesis may represent a new approach to counteract the post-traumatic neurodegeneration. In our laboratory, we have recently shown that physical exercise induces the long-lasting enhancement of subventricular (SVZ) adult neurogenesis in a p21 (negative regulator of neural progenitor proliferation)-null mice model, with a concomitant improvement of olfactory behavioral paradigms that are strictly dependent on SVZ neurogenesis. On the basis of this evidence, we have investigated the effect of running on SVZ neurogenesis and neurorepair processes in p21 knock-out mice that were subject to TBI at the end of a 12-day session of running. Our data indicate that runner p21 ko mice show an improvement in numerous post-trauma neuro-regenerative processes, including the following: (i) an increase in neuroblasts in the SVZ; (ii) an increase in the migration stream of new neurons from the SVZ to the damaged cortical region; (iii) an enhancement of new differentiating neurons in the peri-lesioned area; (iv) an improvement in functional recovery at various times following TBI. All together, these results suggest that a running-dependent increase in subventricular neural stem cells could represent a promising tool to improve the endogenous neuro-regenerative responses following brain trauma.
The statistics of foreshock cavities: results of a Cluster survey

We use Cluster magnetic field, thermal ion, and energetic particle observations upstream of the Earth's bow shock to investigate the occurrence patterns of foreshock cavities. Such cavities are thought to form when bundles of magnetic field connect to the quasi-parallel bow shock. Shock-processed suprathermal ions can then stream along the field, back against the flow of the solar wind. These suprathermals enhance the pressure on shock-connected field lines causing them to expand into the surrounding ambient solar wind plasma. Foreshock cavities exhibit depressions in magnetic field magnitude and thermal ion density, associated with enhanced fluxes of energetic ions. We find typical cavity duration to be few minutes with interior densities and magnetic field magnitudes dropping to ~60% of those in the surrounding solar wind. Cavities are found to occur preferentially in fast, moderate magnetic field strength solar wind streams. Cavities are observed in all parts of the Cluster orbit upstream of the bow shock. When localised in a coordinate system organised by the underlying physical processes in the foreshock, there is a systematic change in foreshock cavity location with IMF cone angle. At low (high) cone angles foreshock cavities are observed outside (inside) the expected upstream boundary of the intermediate ion foreshock.
Polarization-independent terahertz three-dimensional subwavelength confinement in coupled slot structures

We investigate subwavelength confinement of terahertz electromagnetic surface modes in a three-dimensional region with coupled slot structures. Two-dimensional resonance focusing on a subwavelength slot converts to three-dimensional subwavelength confinement, due to sharp edge confinement effect on asymmetric plasmonic structure, at the center position of the slot structures which consists of two or more slots. We also report on the polarization independent confinement of terahertz electromagnetic surface modes beyond diffraction limit. The structure which consists of radially arranged subwavelength slots located at a same center position shows the polarization-independent terahertz three-dimensional subwavelength confinement.
m-VGG16: a dermoscopy image segmentation method based on VGG16

Skin cancer is one of the most commonly diagnosed types of cancer and poses a great threat to people's health. By using computer-aided diagnosis, the corresponding lesions of skin cancer can be classified and segmented. With the development of deep learning in recent years, the convolutional neural network based on deep learning provides a better diagnostic aid for traditional manual selection and empirical judgment under heuristic rules. In this paper, an improved m-VGG16 network model is proposed through the network structure based on VGG16. It uses the U-shaped structure in the U-net model to complete the structural design of the model, and initializes the m-VGG16 network with the weights of the pretrained VGG16 model on the ImageNet dataset. In this paper, experiments were performed on the dermoscopy image dataset from the Part1 part of the ISIC 2017 challenge to test the performance of the model by the corresponding evaluation metrics. There is a certain improvement in Jaccard Index compared to the comparison model, which provides a worthwhile reference for research on aspects related to dermatoscopic image segmentation.
The Perception of Short Bursts of Noise

Short bursts of random noise were used to study the perceptual growth and decay of the noise experience. Noise, unlike sinusoidal tones, does not change materially in spectrum as the duration of the sound is varied.A short burst of noise must be more intense in order to be equal in effectiveness to a longer noise. Thus the threshold of hearing is lowered by increasing the duration of the noise up to durations at least as long as 1 sec. The loudness of an intense noise, however, depends upon its duration up to durations of only 65 msec. Judgments of the slowest rate of decay of a noise which sounded indistinguishable from an abrupt termination also led to the concept of a critical time of approximately 65 msec. for the sensation to decay to threshold from any steady magnitude of stimulation.From these data it is inferred that the auditory system acts as if the growth and decay periods of the noise perception depend upon differences in latencies among the various neural paths in transmitting the cochlear ac.
Magnetohydrodynamic simulations of outflows from accretion disks

Magnetohydrodynamic simulations have been made of the formation of outflows from a Keplerian disk threaded by a magnetic field. The disk is treated as a boundary condition, where matter is ejected with Keplerian azimuthal speed and poloidal speed less than the slow magnetosonic velocity, and where boundary conditions on the magnetic field correspond to a highly conducting disk. Initially, the space above the disk, the corona, is filled with high specific entropy plasma in thermal equilibrium in the gravitational potential of the central object. The initial magnetic field is poloidal and is represented by a superposition of monopoles located below the plane of the disk. The rotation of the disk twists the initial poloidal magnetic field, and this twist propagates into the corona pushing and collimating matter into jetlike outflow in a cylindrical region. Matter outflowing from the disk flows and accelerates in the z-direction owing to both the magnetic and pressure gradient forces. The flow accelerates through the slow magnetosonic and Alfven surfaces and at larger distances through the fast magnetosonic surface. The flow velocity of the jet is approximately parallel to the z-axis, and the collimation results from the pinching force of the toroidal magnetic field. For a nonrotating disk no collimation is observed.
$H_{2}$ Performance Analysis and Distributed $H_{2}$ Control of Interconnected Large-Scale Systems

This article considers the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$H_{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula> performance analysis and distributed <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$H_{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula> control problems of interconnected large-scale systems (LSSs). According to the developed space construction approach, both novel necessary and sufficient conditions are established to ensure the asymptotic stability and <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$H_{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula> performance of the studied LSSs. Next, these investigated results are utilized to derive some sufficient conditions for the existence of the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$H_{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula> distributed controllers. The desired distributed controller gains are constructed via the solutions of some developed linear matrix inequality conditions, which guarantee the stability and the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$H_{2}$</tex-math></inline-formula> performance of the closed-loop LSSs. Finally, three examples are introduced to show the superiority and validity of the proposed theoretical method.
Fabrication of vertically aligned carbon nanowalls using capacitively coupled plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition assisted by hydrogen radical injection

Two-dimensional carbon nanostructures (carbon nanowalls) were fabricated using capacitively coupled radio-frequency plasma-enhanced chemical vapor deposition assisted by H radical injection. Carbon nanowalls were grown on Si, SiO2, and sapphire substrates without catalyst, and independent of substrate materials. Correlation between carbon nanowall growth and fabrication conditions, such as carbon source gases was investigated. In the case using C2F6/H2 system, aligned carbon nanowalls were grown vertically on the substrate, while carbon nanowalls grown using CH4/H2 system were waved and thin (<10 nm). In the case of the deposition without H radical injection, on the other hand, carbon nanowalls were not fabricated.
Discrete time nonlinear filtering with marked point process observations

This work discusses the problem of estimating a nonlinear signal process with nonadditive non–Gaussian noise via a marked point process observation. We begin by introducing a modeling of discrete–time marked point processes. In order to derive the exact filter, namely the conditional density of the signal given the observation history, a reference probability is introduced; this probability measure renders the signal and the observation processes independent, as needed. We present a discretetime version of Zakai equation corresponding to our model. By specializing the signal to be linear, we moreover show, under suitable assumptions, that the filter is finite dimensional
Detection of Limbal Stem Cells Adhered to Melt Electrospun Silk Fibroin and Gelatin-Modified Polylactic Acid Scaffolds

Limbal stem cells (LSCs) are of paramount importance in corneal epithelial tissue repair. The cornea becomes opaque in case of limbal stem cell deficiency (LSCD), which may cause serious damage to the ocular visual function. There are many techniques to restore damaged epithelium, one of which is the transplantation of healthy cultured LSCs, usually onto a human amniotic membrane or onto bio-based engineered scaffolds in recent years. In this study, melt electrospun polylactic acid (PLA) was modified by silk fibroin or gelatin and further cultured with LSCs originating from three different donors. In terms of physicochemical properties, both modifications slightly increased PLA scaffold porosity (with a significantly larger pore area for the PLA/gelatin) and improved the scaffolds’ swelling percentage, as well as their biodegradation rate. In terms of the scaffold application function, the aim was to detect/visualize whether LSCs adhered to the scaffolds and to further determine cell viability (total number), as well as to observe p63 and CK3 expressions in the LSCs. LSCs were attached to the surface of microfibers, showing flattened conformations or 3D spheres in the formation of colonies or agglomerations, respectively. All scaffolds showed the ability to bind the cells onto the surface of individual microfibers (PLA and PLA/gelatin), or in between the microfibers (PLA/silk fibroin), with the latter showing the most intense red fluorescence of the stained cells. All scaffolds proved to be biocompatible, while the PLA/silk fibroin scaffolds showed the highest 98% viability of 2.9 × 106 LSCs, with more than 98% of p63 and less than 20% of CK3 expressions in the LSCs, thus confirming the support of their growth, proliferation and corneal epithelial differentiation. The results show the potential of these bio-engineered scaffolds to be used as an alternative clinical approach.
One-dimensional pulse propagation in a nonlinear elastic media

This paper considers the problem of wave propagation in a nonlinear elastic medium with a quadratic stress-strain relationship. The paper is limited to one-dimensional wave propagation. Under these conditions, the initial value problem is formulated into a hyperbolic system of conservation laws. The Riemann problem due to an initial step function excitation is considered first. Analytical solutions to the Riemann problem are obtained by solving the corresponding eigenvalue problem. In addition, a computer program is developed based on the high-resolution central scheme of Kurganov and Tadmor. The accuracy of this numerical procedure is verified by comparing the numerical results with the exact solutions. The second part of the paper considers several different types of initial excitations in order to determine special characteristics of the wave propagation due to material nonlinearity.
Kinematic Kalman Filter (KKF) for Robot End-Effector Sensing

In control of industrial manipulators, the position from the motor encoder has been the only sensor measurement for axis control. In this case, it is not easy to estimate the end-effector motion accurately because of the kinematic errors of links, joint flexibility of gear mechanisms, and so on. Direct measurement of the end-effector using the vision sensor is considered as a solution but its performance is often limited by the slow sampling rate and the latency. To overcome these limitations, this paper extends the basic idea of the kinematic Kalman filter (KKF) to general rigid body motion leading to the formulation of the multidimensional kinematic kalman filter (MD-KKF). By combining the measurements from the vision sensor, the accelerometers and the gyroscopes, the MD-KKF can recover the intersample values and compensate for the measurement delay of the vision sensor providing the state information of the end-effector fast and accurately. The performance of the MD-KKF is verified experimentally using a planar two-link robot. The MD-KKF will be useful for widespread applications such as the high speed visual servo and the high-performance trajectory learning for robot manipulators, as well as the control strategies which require accurate velocity information.
Neurologic Biomarkers, Neuroimaging, and Cognitive Function in Persistent Atrial Fibrillation: A Cross-Sectional Study

The aim of this study was to evaluate the specific neurologic biomarkers, neuroimaging findings, and cognitive function in patients with persistent atrial fibrillation (AF) undergoing electrical cardioversion, compared to control subjects. This cross-sectional study included 25 patients with persistent AF undergoing electrical cardioversion and 16 age- and sex-matched control subjects. Plasma levels of glial fibrillary acidic protein (GFAP), neurofilament light protein (NFL), and ubiquitin carboxyl-terminal hydrolase L1 (UCH-L1), as well as parameters of neuroimaging and cognitive function, were compared between the groups. Neuroimaging was performed using the standard magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocol. Cognitive function was assessed using the Patient-Reported Outcomes Measurement Information System (PROMIS) Cognitive Function Index. Further analysis of neurologic biomarkers was performed based on the subsequent electrical cardioversion. There was no significant difference in GFAP (median of 24.7 vs. 28.7 pg/mL, p = 0.347), UCH-L1 (median of 112.8 vs. 117.7 pg/mL, p = 0.885), and NFL (median of 14.2 vs. 15.4 pg/mL, p = 0.886) levels between AF patients and control subjects. Similarly, neuroimaging showed no between-group difference in large cortical and non-cortical lesions (n = 2, 8.0% vs. n = 0, 0.0%, p = 0.246), small non-cortical lesions (n = 5, 20.0% vs. n = 5, 31.3%, p = 0.413), white matter hyperintensity (n = 23, 92.0% vs. n = 14, 87.5%, p = 0.636), and thromboembolic lesions (n = 0, 0.0% vs. n = 1, 6.3%, p = 0.206). Cognitive assessment did not show any between-group difference in the PROMIS index (52.2 ± 9.6 vs. 51.2 ± 6.2, p = 0.706). Finally, there were no significant dynamics in neurologic biomarkers following electrical cardioversion (p > 0.05). This hypothesis-generating study did not find a significant difference in neurologic biomarkers, neuroimaging findings, or cognitive function between patients with persistent AF and controls. The restoration of sinus rhythm was not significantly associated with a change in neurologic biomarkers. Further powered longitudinal studies are needed to re-assess these findings in an AF population.