Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Framework and Design Sythesis Tool Used to Generate, Evaluate and Optimize Compliant Mechanism Concepts for Research and Education Activities

In 2002, a Microsoft-MIT iCampus effort was initiated to generate methods and tools which accelerate the process by which students and researchers acquire perspective and skill in compliant mechanism design: (1) Experience and skill: A synthesis tool, CoMeT, was developed as a means for researchers and students to gain experience and skill in working with old (education) and new (research) compliant mechanisms. The simulator is based on compliance theory and screw theory. (2) Perspective: A framework, the 5 Fs, was developed to help designers form a holistic perspective on compliant mechanisms. A “big picture” view helps them systematically identify and link the important elements of a compliant mechanism problem. This opens to door for them to properly conceptualize, model and fabricate these mechanisms. In this paper we discuss the work of early compliant mechanism/instrument designers to gain insight into how they thought about, designed and taught others about compliant mechanisms. We explain how their work has influenced the development of our framework and simulator. We then show results obtained by using the framework and simulator at MIT in: (1) Compliant mechanism research: Generation of a compliant mechanism for an R&D 100 award winning, six-axis Nanomanipulator. (2) Compliant mechanism education: Use within student projects to design two devices: A compliant x-y Nanomanipulator with 30×30 μm range and a MEMS accelerometer. Both devices are designed, fabricated and tested in a semester-long class. The paper closes with an appendix which highlights the main steps of a CoMeT study on the screw axis characteristics of a four bar compliant mechanism. The CoMeT simulator and a CoMeT User’s Guide have been made publicly available for academic use at psdam.mit. edu.Copyright © 2004 by ASME
Molecular mapping and candidate gene analysis for fruit epidermal structure in cucumber

Firmness of skin is an important quality of processing cucumbers, which is a feature of the palisade epidermis in these types compared to flat epidermis in fresh cucumbers. This study was conducted to map the Pe (palisade epidermis) and analyse the candidate gene. Populations derived from the cross of two inbred lines, NCG122 with fruit flat epidermis and NCG121 with fruit palisade epidermis, were used to identify the inheritance of palisade epidermis and to map the gene involved in its development. The results showed that the palisade epidermis trait is controlled by a single gene, Pe, that is dominant over flat epidermis. Seven simple sequence repeat (SSR) and five insertion deletion (Indel) markers were identified to be linked to the Pe gene. It was mapped to cucumber chromosome 5 (Chr.5) between SSR14611 and Indelpe12 with genetic distances of 0.3 cM and 0.2 cM, respectively. The physical distance of the genomic region harbouring the gene was 227.5 kb with 26 predicted candidate genes. The accuracy of marker-assisted selection using the molecular markers, Indelpe12 and SSR14611, was 68% and 88%, respectively.
Effects of antihypertensive drugs on bone metabolism in ovariectomized spontaneously hypertensive rats

Osteoporosis and hypertension often coexist in the elderly, especially in postmenopausal women. However, conflicting results regarding the relationship between antihypertensive agents and bone metabolism were described in previous studies. In this study, we examined the effects of antihypertensive drugs on bone metabolism in ovariectomized (OVX) spontaneously hypertensive rats. Two weeks after ovariectomy, female spontaneously hypertensive rats (11 week old) were treated daily by intragastric administration with hydrochlorothiazide, metoprolol, amlodipine, valsartan, or benazepril for 12 weeks. Serum concentrations of aminoterminal propeptide of type I collagen (P1NP), C-terminal telopeptide of type I collagen (CTX), and estradiol were measured by enzymelinked immunosorbent assay. Serum P1NP and CTX concentrations were increased in the OVX group, which was accompanied by a decrease in trabecular bone mineral density (BMD) and deterioration of bone microarchitecture. Hydrochlorothiazide and benazepril significantly restored serum PINP and CTX concentrations and improved microarchitecture parameters, whereas amlodipine decreased serum PINP and CTX concentrations, but showed no significant effects on BMD and bone microarchitecture. Additionally, metoprolol and valsartan had no effects on these parameters. These results suggest that hydrochlorothiazide and benazepri are effective in the prevention of OVX-associated bone deterioration in spontaneously hypertensive rats.
Physical and Perceptual Properties of Focused Sources in Wave Field Synthesis

Wave Field Synthesis is a well-established high-resolution spatial sound reproduction technique. Its physical basis allows to reproduce almost any desired wave field, even sound sources positioned in between the loudspeakers and the listener. Such sources are known as focused sources. Focused sources have a number of remarkable physical properties, especially in the context of spatial sampling. This paper presents a detailed analysis of the physical properties of focused sources as well as their perceptual impact. Additionally, results of a first informal listening experiment are discussed in order to gather knowledge on the perceptual relevance of the derived artifacts in practical implementations.
Proto‐oncogene Expression in a Human Chondrosarcoma Cell Line: HCS‐2/8

HCS‐2/8 is a stable human chondrosarcoma cell line with many chondrocytic characteristics and has the capacity to form chondrosarcomas in nude mice. The cells display both biochemically and morphologically definable changes in sparse, subcontinent, confluent and over‐confluent phases of in vitro culture. Such features of HCS‐2/8 cells may reflect the processes of both proliferation and differentiation of chondrocytes in vivo. We examined the correlations of these changes of HCS‐2/8 cells with their transcript levels of 21 proto‐oncogenes by Northern analysis. We found no detectable transcripts of 9 proto‐oncogenes (c‐sis, c‐met, c‐src, c‐lyn, c‐fgr, c‐ros, c‐pim, Blym and N‐myc), but detected transcripts of 12 other proto‐oncogenes (int‐2, erbB, c‐abl, c‐raf‐1, c‐fyn, K‐ras, H‐ras, c‐mos, c‐myc, c‐myb, c‐fos, and c‐jun). In the over‐confluent phase, the levels of c‐fos and c‐raf‐1 were increased several dozen times and about 5 times, respectively, while the level of c‐abl was about 1/5th of that in the sparse, subconfluent and confluent phases of culture. The level of int‐2 increased about 10‐fold in the confluent and overconfluent phases of in vitro culture. The transcript levels of c‐mos and K‐ras were high in the sparse phase, low in the subconfluent and confluent phases and high in the over‐confluent phase. The levels of the other 6 proto‐oncogenes in HCS‐2/8 cells were constant in all phases of in vitro culture.
Impact of Motion Artifacts on Reproducibility of Repeated Coronary Artery Calcium Measurements 1

The purpose of this study is, using a 16-section multidetector-row helical computed tomography (MDCT) scanner with retrospective reconstruction, to compare variability in repeated coronary calcium scoring and qualitative scores of the motion artifacts. One hundred and forty-four patients underwent two subsequent scans using MDCT. According to Agatston and volume algorithms, the coronary calcium scores during mid-diastole (the center corresponding to 70% of the R-R cycle) were calculated and the inter-scan variability was obtained. Motion artifacts from coronary artery calcium were subjectively evaluated and classified using a 5-point scale: 1 _ excellent; no motion artifacts; 2 _ fine, minor motion artifacts; 3 _ moderate, mild motion artifacts; 4 _ bad, severe motion artifacts and 5 _ poor, doubling or discontinuity. Each reading was done by vessels (left main, left descending, left circumflex and right coronary arteries) and the motion artifact score (mean of the scales) was determined per patient. The variability in low (1.2 ± 0.2) and high (2.4 ± 0.6) motion artifact score groups was 7 ± 6 (median, 6)% and 19 ± 15 (16)% on Agatston score (p<0.01) and 7 ± 7 (6)% and 16 ± 13 (14)% on volume score (p<0.01), respectively. In conclusion, motion have a significant impact on reproducibility of coronary calcium scoring.
Particle Swarm Optimization-Based Unequal and Fault Tolerant Clustering Protocol for Wireless Sensor Networks

Clustering is one of most efficient energy saving techniques for maximizing network lifetime in wireless sensor networks. In the multi-hop approach, cluster heads (CHs) close to the base station deplete their energy very quickly due to high inter-cluster relay traffic load, causing the hot spot problem. Thus, a clustering protocol is required to be energy efficient as well as fault tolerant. This paper presents a particle swarm optimization (PSO)-based unequal and fault tolerant clustering protocol referred as PSO-UFC. The proposed protocol addresses imbalanced clustering and fault tolerance issues in the existing energy-balanced unequal clustering (EBUC) protocol for the long-run operation of the network. To solve the imbalanced clustering problem, the PSO-UFC protocol utilizes unequal clustering mechanism to balance intra-cluster and inter-cluster energy consumption between the Master CHs (MCHs). Also, in PSO-UFC protocol the network connectivity is restored by electing an extra CH called Surrogate CH due to sudden failure of MCH. The obtained simulation results demonstrate that the PSO-UFC protocol prolongs the network lifetime against EBUC, PSO-C, and LEACH-C protocols.
Title Reactive oxygen species production in cardiac mitochondria after complex I inhibition : Modulation by substrate-dependent regulation of the NADH / NAD ( + ) ratio Permalink

Reactive oxygen species (ROS) production by isolated complex I is steeply dependent on the NADH/NADþ ratio. We used alamethicin-permeabilized mitochondria to study the substrate-dependence of matrix NADH and ROS production when complex I is inhibited by piericidin or rotenone. When complex I was inhibited in the presence of malate/glutamate, membrane permeabilization accelerated O2 consumption and ROS production due to a rapid increase in NADH generation that was not limited by matrix NAD (H) efflux. In the presence of inhibitor, both malate and glutamate were required to generate a high enough NADH/NADþ ratio to support ROS production through the coordinated activity of malate dehydrogenase (MDH) and aspartate aminotransferase (AST). With malate and glutamate present, the rate of ROS production was closely related to local NADH generation, whereas in the absence of substrates, ROS production was accelerated by increase in added [NADH]. With malate alone, oxaloacetate accumulation limited NADH production by MDH unless glutamate was also added to promote oxaloacetate removal via AST. α-ketoglutarate (KG) as well as AST inhibition also reversed NADH generation and inhibited ROS production. If malate and glutamate were provided before rather than after piericidin or rotenone, ROS generation was markedly reduced due to time-dependent efflux of CoA. CoA depletion decreased KG oxidation by α-ketoglutarate dehydrogenase (KGDH), such that the resulting increase in [KG] inhibited oxaloacetate removal by AST and NADH generation by MDH. These findings were largely obscured in intact mitochondria due to robust H2O2 scavenging and limited ability to control substrate concentrations in the matrix. We conclude that in mitochondria with inhibited complex I, malate/glutamate-stimulated ROS generation depends strongly on oxaloacetate removal and on the ability of KGDH to oxidize KG generated by AST. & 2016 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved.
Automatic Estimation of Simultaneous Interpreter Performance

Simultaneous interpretation, translation of the spoken word in real-time, is both highly challenging and physically demanding. Methods to predict interpreter confidence and the adequacy of the interpreted message have a number of potential applications, such as in computer-assisted interpretation interfaces or pedagogical tools. We propose the task of predicting simultaneous interpreter performance by building on existing methodology for quality estimation (QE) of machine translation output. In experiments over five settings in three language pairs, we extend a QE pipeline to estimate interpreter performance (as approximated by the METEOR evaluation metric) and propose novel features reflecting interpretation strategy and evaluation measures that further improve prediction accuracy.
Restoring awareness: a review of rehabilitation in anosognosia for hemiplegia

Disturbances in body awareness offer important insights into neurocognitive processes involved in the construction of the bodily self. This review will focus on a specific disorder of awareness, namely, anosognosia for hemiplegia (AHP), or the denial of motor deficits contralateral to a brain lesion. Recently some progress has been made towards the management and rehabilitation of AHP, however to date no evidence-based treatment exists. Firstly, recent research on AHP will be reviewed, with the aim of providing an overview of the etiology, clinical presentation and assessment of the syndrome, as well as the major neurological and neuropsychological explanations. This article will then focus on recent advances in the management and rehabilitation of AHP, using a case study example of intervention-based (i.e. video replay) motor awareness recovery (Fotopoulou, Rudd, Holmes & Kopelman, 2009). Finally, a dynamic theoretical model of the multifaceted nature of anosognosia, using a predictive coding framework, will be proposed and future directions for research will also be discussed.
Effects of the doubly labelled water procedure on Great Tits Parus major feeding young

Capsule Female feeding rate behaviour was highly variable between individuals but no effect of the doubly labelled water (DLW) procedure on female visit rate was detected, whereas visit rates by males, which were neither trapped or manipulated, increased following trapping and manipulation of their partners. Aims To test the assumption that the subject's behaviour is normal during the measurement period when using DLW to measure energy expenditure. Methods Visits to the nestbox by parents feeding young were counted separately for females and males on the day before and the day after the female only was trapped to measure her energy expenditure using DLW. Visit rates were also counted for control pairs. Results Female visit rates did not differ before and after manipulation, or between experimental and control pairs, but bird behaviour was highly variable between individuals. In contrast, the visit rates of both experimental and control males, which were not trapped, increased on the second day. Conclusion The results for female behaviour supported the assumption of normality, but a small subset of particular individuals may be prone to adverse reactions. The response of the males may have been a reaction to disturbance at the nest.
Right ventricular dyssynchrony and its improvements after pulmonary rehabilitation in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Whether pathologic alterations of right ventricle (RV) in chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) affect intra‐ and interventricular dyssynchrony due to changes in mechanical activation of the septum and RV is unclear. The aim of this study was to determine mechanical activation and its changes after pulmonary rehabilitation program (PRP) with speckle tracking echocardiography (STE) in COPD patients.
Beyond proximities

Knowledge creation is recognized as interaction between individuals in a social context, but geography-of-knowledge-creation research inadequately connects social context to physical place. The proximities approach reduces physical place to near-far dichotomies and territorial innovation models conflate social context and physical place. This paper introduces the concept of ‘conversations’ as social spaces of knowledge creation and develops typologies of how conversations are connected to physical places, based on the effort required to bridge distance and on the attractiveness of places for knowledge creation. Addressing the socio-spatial dynamics of knowledge creation, the paper explains how conversations may be anchored in multiple locations.
Calculating the Failure Intensity of a Non‐coherent Fault Tree Using the BDD Technique

This paper considers a technique for calculating the unconditional failure intensity of any given non‐coherent fault tree. Conventional fault tree analysis (FTA) techniques involve the evaluation of lengthy series expansions and approximations are unavoidable even for moderate sized fault trees. The binary decision diagram (BDD) technique overcomes some of the shortfalls of conventional FTA techniques enabling efficient and exact quantitative analysis of both coherent and non‐coherent fault trees. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Sagnac interferometry with coherent vortex superposition states in exciton-polariton condensates

We investigate prospects of using counter-rotating vortex superposition states in nonequilibrium excitonpolariton Bose-Einstein condensates for the purposes of Sagnac interferometry. We first investigate the stability of vortex-antivortex superposition states, and show that they survive at steady state in a variety of configurations. Counter-rotating vortex superpositions are of potential interest to gyroscope and seismometer applications for detecting rotations. Methods of improving the sensitivity are investigated by targeting high momentum states via metastable condensation, and the application of periodic lattices. The sensitivity of the polariton gyroscope is compared to its optical and atomic counterparts. Due to the large interferometer areas in optical systems and small de Broglie wavelengths for atomic BECs, the sensitivity per detected photon is found to be considerably less for the polariton gyroscope than with competing methods. However, polariton gyroscopes have an advantage over atomic BECs in a high signal-to-noise ratio, and have other practical advantages such as room-temperature operation, area independence, and robust design. We estimate that the final sensitivities including signal-to-noise aspects are competitive with existing methods.
Information Decomposition of Target Effects from Multi-Source Interactions: Perspectives on Previous, Current and Future Work

The formulation of the Partial Information Decomposition (PID) framework by Williams and Beer in 2010 attracted a significant amount of attention to the problem of defining redundant (or shared), unique and synergistic (or complementary) components of mutual information that a set of source variables provides about a target. This attention resulted in a number of measures proposed to capture these concepts, theoretical investigations into such measures, and applications to empirical data (in particular to datasets from neuroscience). In this Special Issue on “Information Decomposition of Target Effects from Multi-Source Interactions” at Entropy, we have gathered current work on such information decomposition approaches from many of the leading research groups in the field. We begin our editorial by providing the reader with a review of previous information decomposition research, including an overview of the variety of measures proposed, how they have been interpreted and applied to empirical investigations. We then introduce the articles included in the special issue one by one, providing a similar categorisation of these articles into: i. proposals of new measures; ii. theoretical investigations into properties and interpretations of such approaches, and iii. applications of these measures in empirical studies. We finish by providing an outlook on the future of the field.
The effective dose of different scanning protocols using the Sirona GALILEOS(®) comfort CBCT scanner.

OBJECTIVES To determine the effective dose and CT dose index (CTDI) for a range of imaging protocols using the Sirona GALILEOS(®) Comfort CBCT scanner (Sirona Dental Systems GmbH, Bensheim, Germany). METHODS Calibrated optically stimulated luminescence dosemeters were placed at 26 sites in the head and neck of a modified RANDO(®) phantom (The Phantom Laboratory, Greenwich, NY). Effective dose was calculated for 12 different scanning protocols. CTDI measurements were also performed to determine the dose-length product (DLP) and the ratio of effective dose to DLP for each scanning protocol. RESULTS The effective dose for a full maxillomandibular scan at 42 mAs was 102 ± 1 μSv and remained unchanged with varying contrast and resolution settings. This compares with 71 μSv for a maxillary scan and 76 μSv for a mandibular scan with identical milliampere-seconds (mAs) at high contrast and resolution settings. CONCLUSIONS Changes to mAs and beam collimation have a significant influence on effective dose. Effective dose and DLP vary linearly with mAs. A collimated maxillary or mandibular scan decreases effective dose by approximately 29% and 24%, respectively, as compared with a full maxillomandibular scan. Changes to contrast and resolution settings have little influence on effective dose. This study provides data for setting individualized patient exposure protocols to minimize patient dose from ionizing radiation used for diagnostic or treatment planning tasks in dentistry.
Behavioral and cognitive treatments of geriatric insomnia.

Geriatric insomnia is a prevalent problem that has not received adequate controlled evaluation of psychological treatments. The present study evaluated behavioral and cognitive methods, relative to a wait-list control condition, for treating 27 elderly subjects (mean age = 67 years) with sleepmaintenance insomnia. Both treatment methods, stimulus control and imagery training, produced significant improvement on the main outcome measure of awakening duration. Stimulus control yielded higher improvement rates than either imagery training or the control condition on awakening duration and total sleep-time measures. Sleep improvements were maintained by the two treatment methods at 3- and 12-month follow-ups. The results were corroborated by collateral ratings obtained from significant others. Subjective estimates of awakening duration and sleep latency correlated highly with objective measures recorded on an electromechanical timer. The findings suggest that geriatric insomnia can be effectively treated with psychological interventions and that behavioral procedures are more beneficial than cognitive procedures for sleep maintenance problems. Insomnia is a widespread health problem among the elderly. More than 25% of people aged 60 years or older report difficulty initiating and/or maintaining sleep (Mellinger, Baiter, & Uhlenhuth, 1985). Insomnia complaints increase with age, and disorders of maintaining sleep are especially prevalent among the elderly (Dement, Miles, & Carskadon, 1982; Webb & Campbell, 1980). Sleep-maintenance insomnia is a more pervasive and debilitating condition than onset insomnia and has proved refractory to treatment (Bootzin, Engle-Friedman, & Hazelwood, 1983). Pharmacotherapy is the most widely used method for treating insomnia. Thirty-nine percent of prescriptions for hypnotics are written for persons over 60 years of age (Institute of Medicine, 1979) and, in nursing facilities, 94% of the elderly have been prescribed sedative hypnotics (U.S. Public Health Service, 1976). Most sleeping medications are effective only temporarily, impair cognitive and psychomotor functions, and alter the sleep architecture (Morin & Kwentus, 1988). They are especially hazardous to health in older people because of the reduced metabolic functioning that results with age and the higher incidence of sleep-related respiratory impairments (Mendelson, 1980). Although their short-term use may be indicated as an adjunct for acute insomnia, alternative nonpharma