Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Neural Network Model for Path-Planning of Robotic Rover Systems

Today, robotics is an auspicious and fast-growing branch of technology that involves the manufacturing, design, and maintenance of robot machines that can operate in an autonomous fashion and can be used in a wide variety of applications including space exploration, weaponry, household, and transportation. More particularly, in space applications, a common type of robots has been of widespread use in the recent years. It is called planetary rover which is a robot vehicle that moves across the surface of a planet and conducts detailed geological studies pertaining to the properties of the landing cosmic environment. However, rovers are always impeded by obstacles along the traveling path which can destabilize the rover’s body and prevent it from reaching its goal destination. This paper proposes an ANN model that allows rover systems to carry out autonomous path-planning to successfully navigate through challenging planetary terrains and follow their goal location while avoiding dangerous obstacles. The proposed ANN is a multilayer network made out of three layers: an input, a hidden, and an output layer. The network is trained in offline mode using back-propagation supervised learning algorithm. A software-simulated rover was experimented and it revealed that it was able to follow the safest trajectory despite existing obstacles. As future work, the proposed ANN is to be parallelized so as to speed-up the execution time of the training process.
Visual servoing with an optical tracking system and a lightweight robot for laser osteotomy

This paper presents a visual servoing application with a fixed camera configuration for CO2 laser osteotomy. A multi camera system from ART is used to track the position of the robot and a skull via marker spheres that are attached to both. A CT scan from the skull is performed and segmented to acquire a 3D model. Inside the model the position for the robot for the laser ablation is planned. A 60 Hz update rate for the tracking system a and a 80 HZ update rate for the robot is sufficient to reposition the robot relative to the skull for CO2 laser ablation scenarios to ablate during motion, e.g. breathing motion. Also the accuracy of the lightweight robot is increased with the additional supervision of an optical tracking system. Accuracy improvement was measured with an FARO measurement arm. A visual servoing control schema is presented. The demonstrator shows a working visual servoing application for laser.
Collapse of Magnetized Singular Isothermal Toroids. II. Rotation and Magnetic Braking

We study numerically the collapse of rotating magnetized molecular cloud cores, focusing on rotation and magnetic braking during the main accretion phase of isolated star formation. Motivated by previous numerical work and analytic considerations, we idealize the precollapse core as a magnetized singular isothermal toroid, with a constant rotational speed everywhere. The collapse starts from the center and propagates outward in an inside-out fashion, satisfying exact self-similarity in space and time. For rotation rates and field strengths typical of dense low-mass cores, the main feature remains the flattening of the mass distribution along field lines—the formation of a pseudodisk, as in the nonrotating cases. The density distribution of the pseudodisk is little affected by rotation. On the other hand, the rotation rate is strongly modified by pseudodisk formation. Most of the centrally accreted material reaches the vicinity of the protostar through the pseudodisk. The specific angular momentum can be greatly reduced on the way, by an order of magnitude or more, even when the precollapse field strength is substantially below the critical value for dominant cloud support. The efficient magnetic braking is due to the pinched geometry of the magnetic field in the pseudodisk, which strengthens the magnetic field and lengthens the level arm for braking. Both effects enhance the magnetic transport of angular momentum from inside to outside. The excess angular momentum is carried away in a low-speed outflow that has, despite claims made by other workers, little in common with observed bipolar molecular outflows. We discuss the implications of our calculations for the formation of true disks that are supported against gravity by rotation.
Despeckling of Synthetic Aperture Radar Images Using Inner Product Spaces in Undecimated Wavelet Domain

This paper introduces the effective speckle reduction of synthetic aperture radar (SAR) images using inner product spaces in undecimated wavelet domain. There are two major areas in projection onto span algorithm where improvement can be made. First is the use of undecimated wavelet transformation instead of discrete wavelet transformation. And second area is the use of smoothing filter namely directional smoothing filter which is an additional step. Proposed method does not need any noise estimation and thresholding technique. More over proposed method gives good results on both single polarimetric and fully polarimetric SAR images. Keywords—Directional Smoothing, Inner product, Length of vector, Undecimated wavelet transformation.
A new algorithm for reducing the workload of experts in performing systematic reviews

OBJECTIVE To determine whether a factorized version of the complement naïve Bayes (FCNB) classifier can reduce the time spent by experts reviewing journal articles for inclusion in systematic reviews of drug class efficacy for disease treatment. DESIGN The proposed classifier was evaluated on a test collection built from 15 systematic drug class reviews used in previous work. The FCNB classifier was constructed to classify each article as containing high-quality, drug class-specific evidence or not. Weight engineering (WE) techniques were added to reduce underestimation for Medical Subject Headings (MeSH)-based and Publication Type (PubType)-based features. Cross-validation experiments were performed to evaluate the classifier's parameters and performance. MEASUREMENTS Work saved over sampling (WSS) at no less than a 95% recall was used as the main measure of performance. RESULTS The minimum workload reduction for a systematic review for one topic, achieved with a FCNB/WE classifier, was 8.5%; the maximum was 62.2% and the average over the 15 topics was 33.5%. This is 15.0% higher than the average workload reduction obtained using a voting perceptron-based automated citation classification system. CONCLUSION The FCNB/WE classifier is simple, easy to implement, and produces significantly better results in reducing the workload than previously achieved. The results support it being a useful algorithm for machine-learning-based automation of systematic reviews of drug class efficacy for disease treatment.
Note Onset Detection in Natural Humming

Many state-of-the-art query-by-humming (QBH) systems restrict the hummed query to be in isolated syllables for easy note segmentation. However, it is observed that users often prefer natural humming. This work addresses note onset detection for natural hum, usually considered difficult to segment. The acoustic characteristics of naturally hummed signals are studied and features useful to note onset detection are proposed. Pitch and energy features are combined to obtain superior note segmentation. Performance results on note onset detection as well as retrieval in an actual QBH system are reported.
Intelligent web usage clustering based recommender system

Our work focuses on tackling the problem of efficiency and accuracy of web usage clustering for recommender systems. Accurate analysis and preprocessing of web usage data and efficient web usage clustering are the key factors that influence the development of clustering based implicit recommender system. We propose an analysis and preprocessing model to tackle the poor quality of web usage data. To address the problem of efficient web usage clustering, we propose a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) based clustering approach. Having shown our PSO based clustering performs well; we extend it for mining the usage behavior of web users. We select Java API (Application Programming Interface) documentation usage data as a case study for our recommender system.
A Method for Measuring Plasma Viscosity and a Comparison of Plasma Viscosity with Blood Sedimentation Rate in Rheumatoid Arthritis

In the study of the rheumatic diseases the measurement of blood sedimentation rate has an established value in estimating the activity of the disease and in evaluating the effects of treatment. It is generally agreed, however, that the erythrocyte sedimentation rate is not always a reliable index even if a correction is made for anaemia. The study of the viscosity of blood was first described over a hundred years ago. Hess in the early part of the present century used a well-known type of viscometer. Evans (1942) gave a detailed survey of the subject. Whittington (1942) called attention to the measurement of plasma viscosity as a clinical index and claimed diagnostic value for it. Miller and Whittington (1942), Houston and others (1945), and Harkness and others (1946) applied the test in pulmonary tuberculosis and reached the conclusion that plasma viscosity is a reliable laboratory test in assessing the clinical condition and prognosis in tuberculosis and certain other diseases. In the present paper a simplified method of measuring plasma viscosity is described, and its application in comparison with the erythrocyte sedimentation rate in interpreting cases of rheumatoid arthritis is discussed. Viscosity is a physical property of fluids which, in the case of pure liquids, may be treated mathematically. Protein and similar colloidal solutions show slight divergencies from the equation, probably due to deformation of the large molecules or to adsorption effects. For practical purposes these slight anomalies are unimportant, and it is sufficient to compare the rate of flow of plasma through a capillary tube with the rate of flqw of distilled water under the same conditions. Strictly speaking, as the plasma is slightly heavier than water the specific gravity should be taken into account, but this factor may be omitted for simplicity.
Who Wants Affordable Housing in Their Backyard? An Equilibrium Analysis of Low-Income Property Development

We nonparametrically estimate spillovers of properties financed by the Low Income Housing Tax Credit (LIHTC) onto neighborhood residents by developing a new difference-in-differences style estimator. LIHTC development revitalizes low-income neighborhoods, increasing house prices 6.5 percent, lowering crime rates, and attracting racially and income diverse populations. LIHTC development in higher-income areas causes house price declines of 2.5 percent and attracts lower-income households. Linking these price effects to a hedonic model of preferences, LIHTC developments in low-income areas cause aggregate welfare benefits of $116 million. Affordable housing development acts like a place-based policy and can revitalize low-income communities.
Advances in cryptographic voting systems

Democracy depends on the proper administration of popular elections. Voters should receive assurance that their intent was correctly captured and that all eligible votes were correctly tallied. The election system as a whole should ensure that, voter coercion is unlikely, even when voters are willing to be influenced. These conflicting requirements present a significant challenge: how can voters receive enough assurance to trust the election result, but not so much that they can prove to a potential coercer how they voted? This dissertation explores cryptographic techniques for implementing verifiable, secret-ballot elections. We present the power of cryptographic voting, in particular its ability to successfully achieve both verifiability and ballot secrecy, a combination that cannot be achieved by other means. We review a large portion of the literature on cryptographic voting. We propose three novel technical ideas: (1) a simple and inexpensive paper-base cryptographic voting system with some interesting advantages over existing techniques; (2) a theoretical model of incoercibility for human voters with their inherent limited computational ability; and a new ballot casting system that fits the new definition, and (3) a new theoretical construct for shuffling encrypted votes in full view of public observers.
Structure of the Pseudomonas aeruginosa acyl‐homoserinelactone synthase LasI

The LasI/LasR quorum‐sensing system plays a pivotal role in virulence gene regulation of the opportunistic human pathogen, Pseudomonas aeruginosa. Here we report the crystal structure of the acyl‐homoserine lactone (AHL) synthase LasI that produces 3‐oxo‐C12‐AHL from the substrates 3‐oxo‐C12‐acyl‐carrier protein (acyl‐ACP) and S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine. The LasI six‐stranded beta sheet platform, buttressed by three alpha helices, forms a V‐shaped substrate‐binding cleft that leads to a tunnel passing through the enzyme that can accommodate the acyl‐chain of acyl‐ACP. This tunnel places no apparent restriction on acyl‐chain length, in contrast to a restrictive hydrophobic pocket seen in the AHL‐synthase EsaI. Interactions of essential conserved N‐terminal residues, Arg23, Phe27 and Trp33, suggest that the N‐terminus forms an enclosed substrate‐binding pocket for S‐adenosyl‐L‐methionine. Analysis of AHL‐synthase surface residues identified a binding site for acyl‐ACP, a role that was supported by in vivo reporter assay analysis of the mutated residues, including Arg154 and Lys150. This structure and the novel explanation of AHL‐synthase acyl‐chain‐length selectivity promise to guide the design of Pseudomonas aeruginosa‐specific quorum‐sensing inhibitors as antibacterial agents.
Flexible, extensible, open-source and affordable FPGA-based traffic generator

As high-speed links become ubiquitous in current networks, testing new algorithms at high speed is essential for researchers. This task often makes it necessary to generate traffic with some specified features : distribution of packet sizes, payload content, number of TCP or UDP flows, etc. When targeting a data rate of many Gb/s, this cannot be done with commodity computers. Commercial traffic generators exist for this task, but they are expensive and do not fit the precise needs of researchers. In this paper, we describe an open-source implementation of a traffic generator capable of filling a 10 Gb/s Ethernet link, with traffic features specified in software. The implementation works on a board including an FPGA and a 10 Gb/s network interface, like the Combo from INVEA-TECH or the NetFPGA 10G. These boards are affordable for research and can provide a configurable and easily extensible traffic generator.
Bradykinin Stimulates Tissue Plasminogen Activator Release From Human Forearm Vasculature Through B2 Receptor–Dependent, NO Synthase–Independent, and Cyclooxygenase-Independent Pathway

BackgroundBradykinin stimulates dose-dependent tissue plasminogen activator (tPA) release from human endothelium. Although bradykinin is known to cause vasodilation through B2 receptor–dependent effects on NO, prostacyclin, and endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor production, the mechanism(s) underlying tPA release is unknown. Methods and ResultsWe measured the effects of intra-arterial bradykinin (100, 200, and 400 ng/min), acetylcholine (15, 30, and 60 &mgr;g/min), and nitroprusside (0.8, 1.6, and 3.2 &mgr;g/min) on forearm vasodilation and tPA release in healthy volunteers in the presence and absence of (1) the B2 receptor antagonist HOE 140 (100 &mgr;g/kg IV), (2) the NO synthase inhibitor l-NG-monomethyl-l-arginine (L-NMMA, 4 &mgr;mol/min intra-arterially), and (3) the cyclooxygenase inhibitor indomethacin (50 mg PO TID). B2 receptor antagonism attenuated vasodilator (P =0.004) and tPA (P =0.043) responses to bradykinin, without attenuating the vasodilator response to nitroprusside (P =0.36). L-NMMA decreased basal forearm blood flow (from 2.35±0.31 to 1.73±0.22 mL/min per 100 mL, P =0.01) and blunted the vasodilator response to acetylcholine (P =0.013) and bradykinin (P =0.07, P =0.038 for forearm vascular resistance) but not that to nitroprusside (P =0.47). However, there was no effect of L-NMMA on basal (P =0.7) or bradykinin-stimulated tPA release (P =0.45). Indomethacin decreased urinary excretion of the prostacyclin metabolite 2,3-dinor-6-keto-prostaglandin F1&agr; (P =0.04). The vasodilator response to endothelium-dependent (P =0.019 for bradykinin) and endothelium-independent (P =0.019) vasodilators was enhanced during indomethacin administration. In contrast, there was no effect of indomethacin alone (P =0.99) or indomethacin plus L-NMMA (P =0.36) on bradykinin-stimulated tPA release. ConclusionsThese data indicate that bradykinin stimulates tPA release from human endothelium through a B2 receptor–dependent, NO synthase–independent, and cyclooxygenase-independent pathway. Bradykinin-stimulated tPA release may represent a marker for the endothelial effects of endothelium-derived hyperpolarizing factor.
Differences in the endosomal distributions of the two mannose 6- phosphate receptors

Multiple immunolabeling of cryosections was performed to compare the subcellular distributions of the two mannose 6-phosphate receptors (MPRs) involved in the intracellular targeting of lysosomal enzymes: the cation-dependent (CD) and cation-independent (CI) MPR. In two cell types, the human hepatoma cell line HepG2 and BHK cells double transfected with cDNA's encoding for the human CD-MPR and CI-MPR, we found the two receptors at the same sites: the trans-Golgi reticulum (TGR), endosomes, electron-dense cytoplasmic vesicles, and the plasma membrane. In the TGR the two receptors colocalized and were concentrated to the same extent in the same HA I-adaptor positive coated buds and vesicles. Endosomes were identified by the presence of exogenous tracers. The two MPR codistributed to the same endosomes, but semiquantitative analysis showed a relative enrichment of the CI-MPR in endosomes containing many internal vesicles. Two endosomal subcompartments were discerned, the central vacuole and the associated tubules and vesicles (ATV). We found an enrichment of CD-MPR over CI- MPR in the ATV. Lateral segregation of the two receptors within the plane of membranes was also detected on isolated organelles. Double immunolabeling for the CD-MPR and the asialoglycoprotein receptor, which mainly recycles between endosomes and the plasma membrane, revealed that these two receptors were concentrated in different subpopulations of endosomal ATV. The small GTP-binding protein rab4, which has been shown to mediate recycling from endosomes to the plasma membrane, was localized at the cytosolic face of many endosomal ATV. Quantitative analysis of double-immunolabeled cells revealed only a limited codistribution of the MPRs and rab4 in ATV. These data suggest that the two MPRs exit the TGR via the same coated vesicles, but that upon arrival in the endosomes CD-MPR is more rapidly than CI-MPR, segregated into ATV which probably are destined to recycle MPRs to TGR.
Attachable and detachable vibrotactile feedback modules and their information capacity for spatiotemporal patterns

This paper showcases attachable/detachable haptic modules, nicknamed haptic enchanters, by presenting their conceptual prototypes and quantifying their information transmission capacity. Haptic enchanters can be attached to ordinary devices and wearables to endow them with the ability of creating programmable haptic stimuli, thereby transforming them to effective haptic communication devices. In particular, our prototype enchanters are designed to localize vibrotactile stimulation to the neighborhood of attachment site, and this spatial isolation allows for effective spatiotemporal information delivery using multiple enchanters. We demonstrate that haptic enchanters enable very high capacity of information transfer (4.55–7.06 bits) for spatiotemporal vibration sequences rendered with 2, 3, and 4 enchanters. These results instantiate the performance of haptic enchanters as effective and convenient communication accessories and their potential for applications.
Prevalence of emotional symptoms in Chilean oncology patients before the start of chemotherapy: potential of the distress thermometer as an ultra-brief screening instrument

Emotional distress (ED) is greater for oncology patients in comparison with the general population, and this has implications for the quality of life of the patient and his/her family, adherence to the treatment, and eventually, survivorship. In general, the detection of these symptoms is low, which explains the need for detection systems appropriate to the clinical reality of the oncology team. The objective of this study is to evaluate for the first time the usefulness of an ultra-brief screening instrument [distress thermometer (DT)], in a group of Chilean oncology patients. A total of 166 outpatients were evaluated at the Cancer Center of the Pontificia Universidad Católica de Chile, before starting chemotherapy. Two screening instruments were applied: Hospital Anxiety and Depression Scale (HADS) and DT. The application of HADS resulted in a prevalence of 32.7% of anxiety symptoms (HADS-A ≥ 8), 15.7% of depression symptoms (HADS-D ≥ 8), and 39.8% had a total score of HADS-T ≥ 11. The DT resulted in the prevalence of 32.5% of distress or ED (DT ≥ 5). The validity of the DT was evaluated as a screening tool in comparison with HADS, observing, in relation to the anxiety scale (HADS-A), a sensitivity of 88.9% and specificity of 78.4% (DT ≥ 4); depression (HADS-D), a sensitivity of 69.2% and specificity of 74.3% (DT ≥ 5); and in relation to the total scale (HADS-T), a sensitivity of 68.2% and specificity of 73.0% (DT ≥ 4). This study demonstrates the elevated prevalence of emotional symptoms in Chilean oncology patients, before the start of chemotherapy, and confirms the potential of the DT as a brief screening instrument with easy application. The DT will allow the clinician to increase the detection threshold in the Chilean oncology population, intervene in a timely manner, and contribute to the comprehensive handling of the oncology patient without affecting the time needed for assistance.
Canine Osteotomy Healing when Stabilized with Decreasingly Rigid Fixation Compared to Constantly Rigid Fixation

Summary This study investigated the effect of destabilizing initially rigid external fixation of transverse canine tibial osteotomies, compared to contralateral osteotomies continuously stabilized, with rigid fixators. Destabilization, by conversion of a type III configuration fixator to a type I configuration, after one to four weeks resulted in increased periosteal callus formation but decreased mechanical strength and histologically a preponderance of fibrous and cartilaginous tissues in the osteotomy when studied after nine weeks. Destabilization at six weeks did not result in an increase in periosteal callus formation, nor greater bending strength. Histologically there was a combination of woven and lamellar bone, with the appearance of more active remodelling of primary bone healing. Destabilization at 12 weeks did not result in any effect, when studied after 15 weeks. These findings suggest that increasing weight-bearing loading of a fracture, at the proper time, may enhance the remodelling and hypertrophy of primary bone healing. However, inappropriate timing of destabilization may not have any or even a deleterious effect. Effects of reducing initially rigid fixation of canine tibial osteotomies, after various periods of time, were studied. Destabilization after one to four weeks caused increased periosteal callus formation but decreased mechanical strength. Destabilization after six weeks resulted in increased mechanical strength but no increase in periosteal callus, and destabilization after 12 weeks had no effect compared to osteotomies continuously stabilized with rigid fixation.