Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A robotic toy for children with special needs: From requirements to design

This article presents the design process of Iromec, a modular robot companion tailored towards engaging in social exchanges with children with different disabilities with the aim to empower them to discover a wide rage of play styles from solitary to social and cooperative play. In particular this paper describes the design process from the elicitation of user requirements related to three main target users - Autistic children, Moderate Mentally Retarded children and Severe Motor Impaired children - to the robot design, highlighting problems and challenges encountered to meet and reconcile heterogeneous needs of disabled children. Modularity and configurability are the key features of the robot: the use of plug&play application modules, the coating components and add-on elements contribute to the flexibility of the system in creating rewarding games that can be easily understood by the child and can promote fun and learning. Other key features of the system are the combination of autonomous and user-controlled behaviour and a strong emphasis on identity and expressiveness that can be dynamically adapted during play. A main contribution of this work is that it does not just focus on the engineering aspects of robotic design, but it is primarily guided by learning and therapeutic issues and centred on the final user.
Handwriting Recognition : Challenges and Solutions

Optical Characters Recognition (OCR) is one of the active subjects of research since the early days of computer science. Even if Arabic characters are used by more than a half a billion people; Arabic characters recognition has not received enough interests by the researchers. Little research progress has been achieved comparing to what has been done with Latin and Chinese. The cursive nature of the Arabic characters makes it more difficult to achieve a high accuracy in character recognition since even printed Arabic characters are in cursive form. This paper presents the main challenges (difficulties) researchers are facing and up to dated solutions (the common methods) are used for Arabic text recognition.
Prunus domestica Pathogenesis-Related Protein-5 Activates the Defense Response Pathway and Enhances the Resistance to Fungal Infection

Pathogenesis-related protein-5 (PR-5) has been implicated in plant disease resistance and its antifungal activity has been demonstrated in some fruit species. However, their roles, especially their interactions with the other defense responses in plant cells, are still not fully understood. In this study, we have cloned and characterized a new PR-5 cDNA named PdPR5-1 from the European plum (Prunus domestica). Expression of PdPR5-1 was studied in different cultivars varying in resistance to the brown rot disease caused by the necrotrophic fungus Monilinia fructicola. In addition transgenic Arabidopsis, ectopically expressing PdPR5-1 was used to study its role in other plant defense responses after fungal infection. We show that the resistant cultivars exhibited much higher levels of transcripts than the susceptible cultivars during fruit ripening. However, significant rise in the transcript levels after infection with M. fructicola was observed in the susceptible cultivars too. Transgenic Arabidopsis plants exhibited more resistance to Alternaria brassicicola. Further, there was a significant increase in the transcripts of genes involved in the phenylpropanoid biosynthesis pathway such as phenylalanine ammonia-lyase (PAL) and phytoalexin (camalexin) pathway leading to an increase in camalexin content after fungal infection. Our results show that PdPR5-1 gene, in addition to its anti-fungal properties, has a possible role in activating other defense pathways, including phytoalexin production.
CfAIR2: NEAR-INFRARED LIGHT CURVES OF 94 TYPE Ia SUPERNOVAE

CfAIR2 is a large, homogeneously reduced set of near-infrared (NIR) light curves (LCs) for Type Ia supernovae (SNe Ia) obtained with the 1.3 m Peters Automated InfraRed Imaging TELescope. This data set includes 4637 measurements of 94 SNe Ia and 4 additional SNe Iax observed from 2005 to 2011 at the Fred Lawrence Whipple Observatory on Mount Hopkins, Arizona. CfAIR2 includes JHK s ? > photometric measurements for 88 normal and 6 spectroscopically peculiar SN Ia in the nearby universe, with a median redshift of z ∼ 0.021 for the normal SN Ia. CfAIR2 data span the range from −13 days to +127 days from B-band maximum. More than half of the LCs begin before the time of maximum, and the coverage typically contains ∼13–18 epochs of observation, depending on the filter. We present extensive tests that verify the fidelity of the CfAIR2 data pipeline, including comparison to the excellent data of the Carnegie Supernova Project. CfAIR2 contributes to a firm local anchor for SN cosmology studies in the NIR. Because SN Ia are more nearly standard candles in the NIR and are less vulnerable to the vexing problems of extinction by dust, CfAIR2 will help the SN cosmology community develop more precise and accurate extragalactic distance probes to improve our knowledge of cosmological parameters, including dark energy and its potential time variation.
The neuropsychological signature of schizophrenia: generalized or differential deficit?

OBJECTIVE The aim of this study was to provide a comprehensive assessment of neuropsychological functioning in schizophrenia so as to evaluate hypotheses of lateralized or differential cognitive impairment in this disorder. Furthermore, the study sought to address the potentially confounding factors of medication side effects and relevant demographic variables such as age, education, gender, and handedness. METHOD The neuropsychological functioning of 28 schizophrenic patients whose medication had been withdrawn for research purposes and 15 demographically matched normal subjects was evaluated. A comprehensive battery of tasks was used to determine whether performance patterns of schizophrenic patients were consistent with models of lateralized or localized neuropsychological impairment in schizophrenia. To facilitate comparison with results of other studies, several analytic strategies were used, including comparisons of group performance on individual tests, composite function scores, and evaluation of performance based on "clinical" criteria of impairment. RESULTS In contrast to the normal subjects, the schizophrenic patients displayed impairment across measures of motor, sensory, and perceptual functioning, verbal and nonverbal memory, and indexes of frontal lobe functioning. This pattern of generalized dysfunction was evident regardless of the method of analysis used to assess performance. CONCLUSIONS These findings fail to support conjectures regarding differential neurocognitive deficits in schizophrenia. However, the psychometric limitations of currently available neuropsychological measures may obscure the finding of differential impairment and must be considered in interpreting the results of this study as well as those of any investigation using such instruments.
Widespread occurrence of Mycobacterium tuberculosis DNA from 18th-19th century Hungarians.

A large number (265) of burials from 1731-1838 were discovered in sealed crypts of the Dominican Church, Vác, Hungary in 1994. Many bodies were naturally mummified, so that both soft tissues and bones were available. Contemporary archives enabled the determination of age at death, and the identification of family groups. In some cases, symptoms before death were described and, occasionally, occupation. Initial radiological examination of a small number of individuals had indicated calcified lung lesions and demonstrable acid-fast bacteria suggestive of tuberculosis infection. Tuberculosis was endemic in 18th-19th century Europe, so human remains should contain detectable Mycobacterium tuberculosis complex (MTB) DNA, enabling comparisons with modern isolates. Therefore, a comprehensive examination of 168 individuals for the presence of MTB DNA was undertaken. Specific DNA amplification methods for MTB showed that 55% of individuals were positive and that the incidence varied according to age at death and sampling site in the body. Radiographs were obtained from 27 individuals and revealed an association between gross pathology and the presence of MTB DNA. There was an inverse relationship between PCR positivity and MTB target sequence size. In some cases, the preservation of MTB DNA was excellent, and several target gene sequences could be detected from the same sample. This information, combined with MTB DNA sequencing data and molecular typing techniques, will enable us to study the past epidemiology of TB infection, and extends the timeframe for studying changes in molecular fingerprints.
Intense Resistance Exercise Induces Early and Transient Increases in Ryanodine Receptor 1 Phosphorylation in Human Skeletal Muscle

Background While ryanodine receptor 1 (RyR1) critically contributes to skeletal muscle contraction abilities by mediating Ca2+ion oscillation between sarcoplasmatic and myofibrillar compartments, AMP-activated protein kinase (AMPK) senses contraction-induced energetic stress by phosphorylation at Thr172. Phosphorylation of RyR1 at serine2843 (pRyR1Ser2843) results in leaky RyR1 channels and impaired Ca2+homeostasis. Because acute resistance exercise exerts decreased contraction performance in skeletal muscle, preceded by high rates of Ca2+-oscillation and energetic stress, intense myofiber contractions may induce increased RyR1 and AMPK phosphorylation. However, no data are available regarding the time-course and magnitude of early RyR1 and AMPK phosphorylation in human myofibers in response to acute resistance exercise. Purpose Determine the effects and early time-course of resistance exercise on pRyR1Ser2843 and pAMPKThr172 in type I and II myofibers. Methods 7 male subjects (age 23±2 years, height: 185±7 cm, weight: 82±5 kg) performed 3 sets of 8 repetitions of maximum eccentric knee extensions. Muscle biopsies were taken at rest, 15, 30 and 60 min post exercise. pRyR1Ser2843 and pAMPKThr172 levels were determined by western blot and semi-quantitative immunohistochemistry techniques. Results While total RyR1 and total AMPK levels remained unchanged, RyR1 was significantly more abundant in type II than type I myofibers. pRyR1Ser2843 increased 15 min and peaked 30 min (p<0.01) post exercise in both myofiber types. Type I fibers showed relatively higher increases in pRyR1Ser2843 levels than type II myofibers and remained elevated up to 60 min post resistance exercise (p<0.05). pAMPKThr172 also increased 15 to 30 min post exercise (p<0.01) in type I and II myofibers and in whole skeletal muscle. Conclusion Resistance exercise induces acutely increased pRyR1Ser2843 and concomitantly pAMPKThr172 levels for up to 30 min in resistance exercised myofibers. This provides a time-course by which pRyR1Ser2843 can mechanistically impact Ca2+handling properties and consequently induce reduced myofiber contractility beyond immediate fatiguing mechanisms.
Psycho-Social Aspects of Developmental Career Theories. Comment on Naicker

Naicker in his recently published article, [South African Journal of Psychology, 1994,24(1)], provides a useful argument for the importance of adopting a psycho-social approach to career counselling in South African schools. He correctly states that environmental factors are important in our understanding of career choice in South Africa, but argues that developmental career theories are deficient in this regard and are essentially mechanistic, ignore social influences, and overemphasize the role of the individual. To what extent do developmental career theories reflect these characteristics? Naicker's criticisms appear to be aimed at the career theories of Ginzberg, Ginsburg, Axelrad and Herma (1951) and Super, Crites, Hummel, Moser, Overstreet and Warnath (1957). This is unfortunate as both references are generally regarded as of historical interest. Naicker fails to acknowledge the changes in career theory as evinced in revisions in the last two decades (Super, 1980, 1990). Furthermore, Naicker has neglected to consider Gottfredson's (1981) developmental theory of occupational aspirations and Vondracek, Lerner and Schulenberg's (1986) developmental-contextual approach to career development. It is difficult to consider the developmental career theories of Ginzberg and Super as mechanistic when such theories are primarily organismic in that they regard individuals as active agents in shaping their careers and giving meaning to their world rather than passive reactors to environmental circumstances. Here the context is viewed as facilitating or inhibiting career progression (Vondracek et al. 1986). However, Super's reformulation of his career theory has moved toward a transactional view as reflected in his LifeCareer Rainbow (Super, 1980) and Archway Model (Super, 1990). These models underscore the interaction of situational, historical, socio-economic, psychological and biological determinants in the career-shaping process. Super presently conceptualizes a person's career as the changing constellation of all the life roles that a person plays, a view that Naicker propounds when he states that 'career counsellors need to impress upon school-Ieavers that work, income, and self-esteem need not come from one source only namely, full-time paid employment' (p. 33). While earlier career developmental theories may well have viewed occupational choice as a 'hard, external objective kind of reality which is similar for most individuals' (p. 31), Super's conceptualization of role salience and the relative importance of work for different individuals explicitly addresses this misconception. Nor do modern developmental career theories adhere to a 'rigid interpretation' (p. 31) of their sequential components. Indeed, Super conceptualizes a recycling of the developmental phases a person passes through. He views environmental and personal factors as encouraging both maxiand S. -Afr. Tydskr. Sielk. 1994,24(4)
Modulation of the PI3K/Akt Pathway and Bcl-2 Family Proteins Involved in Chicken’s Tubular Apoptosis Induced by Nickel Chloride (NiCl2)

Exposure of people and animals to environments highly polluted with nickel (Ni) can cause pathologic effects. Ni compounds can induce apoptosis, but the mechanism and the pathway of Ni compounds-induced apoptosis are unclear. We evaluated the alterations of apoptosis, mitochondrial membrane potential (MMP), phosphoinositide-3-kinase (PI3K)/serine-threonine kinase (Akt) pathway, and Bcl-2 family proteins induced by nickel chloride (NiCl2) in the kidneys of broiler chickens, using flow cytometry, terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase 2ʹ-deoxyuridine 5ʹ-triphosphate dUTP nick end-labeling (TUNEL), immunohistochemstry and quantitative real-time polymerase chain reaction (qRT-PCR). We found that dietary NiCl2 in excess of 300 mg/kg resulted in a significant increase in apoptosis, which was associated with decrease in MMP, and increase in apoptosis inducing factor (AIF) and endonuclease G (EndoG) protein and mRNA expression. Concurrently, NiCl2 inhibited the PI3K/Akt pathway, which was characterized by decreasing PI3K, Akt1 and Akt2 mRNA expression levels. NiCl2 also reduced the protein and mRNA expression of anti-apoptotic Bcl-2 and Bcl-xL and increased the protein and mRNA expression of pro-apoptotic Bax and Bak. These results show that NiCl2 causes mitochondrial-mediated apoptosis by disruption of MMP and increased expression of AIF and EndoG mRNA and protein, and that the underlying mechanism of MMP loss involves the Bcl-2 family proteins modulation and PI3K/Akt pathway inhibition.
The Implementation Game: What Happens After a Bill Becomes a Law.

Eugene Bardach's new book, the first volume in M.I. T. 's "Studies in American Politics and Public Policy" series, is an attempt to improve upon recent efforts to think more systematically about implementation as process and problem. Bardach's principal tool is the metaphor of "game," which he uses to summarize the behavior of actors involved in implementation of various policy decisions. The metaphor, he says (p. 56), "directs us to look at the players, what they regard as the stakes, their strategies and tactics, their resources for playing, the rules of play (which stipulate the conditions of winning), the rules of 'fair' play (which stipu-
CAS-BUS: a scalable and reconfigurable test access mechanism for systems on a chip

This paper describes CAS-BUS, a P1500 compatible test access mechanism for systems on a chip. The TAM architecture is made up of a core access switch (CAS) and a test bus. The TAM characteristics are its flexibility, scalability and reconfigurability. A CAS generator has been developed, and some results are provided in the paper.
Docker-Enabled Build and Execution Environment (BEE): an Encapsulated Environment Enabling HPC Applications Running Everywhere

Variations in High Performance Computing (HPC) system software configurations mean that applications are typically configured and built for specific HPC environments. Building applications can require a significant investment of time and effort for application users and requires application users to have additional technical knowledge. Container technologies like Docker bring great benefits to the application development, build and deployment processes. While much cloud computing infrastructure is already designed to support Docker, little work has been done to support production Docker deployment on HPC systems. In this work, we propose a Docker-enabled Build and Execution Environment (BEE) for HPC systems and detail a standard backend for BEE using virtual machines, the BEE-VM. This brings many of the benefits of Docker to existing HPC machines in user-space without the requirement of specialized pre-installed software and with no system administrator configuration. We show that current HPC application can be easily configured to run within BEE, eliminating the need to reconfigure and rebuild applications for different systems while preserving comparable performance.
Intelligent content transformation in tactical wireless networks

Mobile tactical MANETs are interconnected via a quasi-static backbone network (QSN) that is relatively stationary and has substantial radio bandwidth capability. Because of high mobility and terrain sensitivity, the bandwidth available to mobile nodes within the MANET may vary significantly over time. During the periods where the bandwidth available is reduced, MANET nodes may be unable to handle the information load sourced from or distributed via the QSN. Furthermore, end-user devices and end-users themselves may have limited capability to receive/process data. Thus, the data delivered to tactical MANETs needs to be carefully managed. In previous work, we proposed Heterogeneous Intelligent Filtering (HIF) in multi-domain heterogeneous networks, for intelligent active filtering and transformation of the data to match network and end-user capacity. In this work2, we report on extending HIF to militarily important applications such as XMPP-based chat, SOA Web-services, and VOIP applications. We also provide experimental results based on outdoor testing of the filtering and content adaptation capabilities of HIF agents deployed in an HMS radio inter-network at Ft. Monmouth, NJ.
Lung transplantation: pulmonary cell lysis mediated by alveolar mononuclear cells

Methods were developed to monitor graft rejection in a porcine model of unilateral lung transplantation. The ability of peripheral blood mononuclear cells and lavage‐derived mononuclear cells to lyse donor pulmonary tissue was determined by standard chromium release assays at various times after transplantation. Effective antigraft activity was observed in the local environment of a rejecting graft, but not in the periphery. Since transplant rejection is a reversible process, with the administration of suitable immunosuppressive regimes frequently restoring graft function, it was reasoned that immunological assays based on the lysis of individual cells may not be relevant to the in vivo situation. We therefore describe an assay of the lung barrier function; perturbations of the tight intraepithelial junctions which compose the air‐blood barrier can be determined in vitro by the measurement of transmonolayer resistance values.
- 1-Justifiability of Littering : An Empirical Investigation

The paper investigates the relationship between environmental participation and littering. Previous empirical work in the area of littering is scarce as is evidence regarding the determinants of littering behavior. We address these deficiencies, demonstrating a strong empirical link between environmental participation and reduced public littering using European Values Survey (EVS) data for 30 Western and Eastern European countries. The results suggest that membership in environmental organizations strengthens commitment to anti-littering behaviour, thereby supporting improved environmental quality. JEL classification: H260, H730, D640
A Treatise on the Family

Preface to the Enlarged Edition Introduction 1. Single-Person Households 2. Division of Labor in Households and Families Supplement: Human Capital, Effort, and the Sexual Division of Labor 3. Polygamy and Monogamy in Marriage Markets 4. Assortative Mating in Marriage Markets 5. The Demand for Children Supplement: A Reformulation of the Economic Theory of Fertility 6. Family Background and the Opportunities of Children 7. Inequality and Intergenerational Mobility Supplement: Human Capital and the Rise and Fall of Families 8. Altruism in the Family 9. Families in Nonhuman Species 10. Imperfect Information, Marriage, and Divorce 11. The Evolution of the Family Supplement: The Family and the State Bibliography Index
Guided Expansive Spaces Trees: a search strategy for motion- and cost-constrained state spaces

Motion planning for systems with constraints on controls or the need for relatively straight paths for real-time actions presents challenges for modern planners. This paper presents an approach which addresses these types of systems by building on existing motion planning approaches. Guided Expansive Spaces Trees are introduced to search for a low cost and relatively straight path in a space with motion constraints. Path Gradient Descent, which builds on the idea of Elastic Strips, finds the locally optimal path for an existing path. These techniques are tested on simulations of rendezvous and docking of the space shuttle to the International Space Station and of a 4-foot fan-controlled blimp in a factory setting.