Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
FPGA based combinatorial architecture for parallelizing RRT

Complex tasks are often handled through software implementation in combination with high performance processors. Taking advantage of hardware parallelism, FPGA is breaking the paradigm by accomplishing more per clock cycle with closely matched application requirements. With the aim to minimise computation delay with increase in map's size and geometric constraints, we present the FPGA based combinatorial architecture that allows multiple RRTs to work together to achieve accelerated, uniform exploration of the map. We also analyse our architecture against hardware implementation of other scalable RRT methods for motion planning. We observe notable furtherance of acceleration capabilities with the proposed architecture delivering a minimum 3X gain over the other implementations while maintaining uniformity in exploration.
Reducing Poverty and Inequality in India Has Liberalization Helped

This study examines the empirical relationship among inequality, poverty and economic growth in India. Using data on consumption from the 13th to the 55th Rounds of the National Sample Survey, the author computes, for both rural and urban sectors, the Gini coefficient and three popular measures of poverty. The observed changes in inequality and poverty are explained in terms of the behaviour of key macroeconomic aggregates. A sharp rise in rural and, particularly, urban inequality and only a marginal decline in poverty have characterized the post-reform period. The rise in inequality is explained in terms of an increase in the relative share of output going to capital as compared to labour, a drop in the rate of labour absorption and the rapid growth of the services sector. The rise in inequality has diminished the poverty-reducing effects of higher growth. The reforms have also been characterized by widening regional inequality. This is especially true in the case of the incidence of rural poverty, but also, to a lesser extent, urban poverty. Statistical convergence among states in terms of inequality, poverty and real mean consumption is weak. Several policy conclusions are advanced.
The Acquisition of Two Languages from Birth: A Case Study: Introduction

Description of the study The subject and her language background The subject of this study is an only child, Kate, who has been exposed to English and Dutch virtually from birth onwards. The age period studied covers the 8 months from 2;7 to 3;4. Kate's case is one of bilingual first language acquisition in the more narrow sense of the term as we defined it in Chapter 1: as will be explained below, first exposure to two languages occurred within the period of a week, and exposure to two languages was regular up to and including the period of investigation to be reported on here. Kate was born of an American mother and a Flemish father in a hospital near Antwerp, Belgium, where the language used by the nursing staff in conversations with patients is a standard-like variety of Dutch as spoken in Flanders. Kate roomed in with her English-speaking mother, who stayed in hospital for a week. Kate's Dutch-speaking father was present at the birth and afterwards visited daily. In her first days of life, Kate heard English spoken to her by her mother, and Dutch by her father and various members of the nursing staff. Thus, first exposure to two languages occurred within the period of a week. Kate lived with both her parents up to and including the period of investigation and was usually addressed in a different language by each parent.
Polyphenolic Profile and Biological Activity of Chinese Hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida BUNGE) Fruits

Chinese hawthorn (Crataegus pinnatifida Bge.) fruits are rich in polyphenols (e.g., epicatechin, procyanidin B2, procyanidin B5, procyanidin C1, hyperoside, isoquercitrin and chlorogenic acid)—active compounds that exert beneficial effects. This review summarizes all information available on polyphenolic content and methods for their quantification in Chinese hawthorn berries and the relationships between individual polyphenolic compounds as well. The influence of species or cultivars, the locality of cultivation, the stage of maturity, and extract preparation conditions on the polyphenolic content were discussed as well. Currently, only fruits of C. pinnatifida and C. pinnatifida var. major are included in the Chinese Pharmacopoeia. Recent trials have demonstrated the efficacy of Chinese hawthorn fruit in lowering blood cholesterol and the risk of cardiovascular diseases. The fruit has also demonstrated anti-inflammatory and anti-tumour activities. This review deals mainly with the biological activity of the fruit related to its antioxidant properties.
MAPPING THE CLUMPY STRUCTURES WITHIN SUBMILLIMETER GALAXIES USING LASER-GUIDE STAR ADAPTIVE OPTICS SPECTROSCOPY

We present the first integral-field spectroscopic observations of high-redshift submillimeter-selected galaxies (SMGs) using Laser-Guide Star Adaptive Optics. We target Hα emission of three SMGs at redshifts z ∼ 1.4–2.4 with the OH-Suppressing Infrared Imaging Spectrograph on Keck. The spatially resolved spectroscopy of these galaxies reveals unresolved broad-Hα line regions (FWHM >1000 km s−1) likely associated with an active galactic nucleus (AGN) and regions of diffuse star formation traced by narrow-line Hα emission (FWHM ≲ 500 km s−1) dominated by multiple Hα-bright stellar clumps, each contributing 1%–30% of the total clump-integrated Hα emission. We find that these SMGs host high star formation rate surface densities, similar to local extreme sources, such as circumnuclear starbursts and luminous infrared galaxies. However, in contrast to these local environments, SMGs appear to be undergoing such intense activity on significantly larger spatial scales as revealed by extended Hα emission over 4–16 kpc. Hα kinematics show no evidence of ordered global motion as would be found in a disk, but rather large velocity offsets (∼few × 100 km s−1) between the distinct stellar clumps. Together with the asymmetric distribution of the stellar clumps around the AGN in these objects, it is unlikely that we are unveiling a clumpy disk structure as has been suggested in other high-redshift populations of star-forming galaxies. The SMG clumps in this sample may correspond to remnants of originally independent gas-rich systems that are in the process of merging, hence triggering the ultraluminous SMG phase.
Qualifying Standpoints: Stance adverbs as a presentational device for managing the burden of proof

The aim of this study is to specify the strategic function of stance adverbs when qualifying a standpoint in an argumentative discussion. Stance adverbs are words like ‘clearly’, ‘obviously’, ‘perhaps’, ‘technically’, ‘frankly’, and ‘fortunately’. They have been extensively studied in the fields of semantics and syntax as well as pragmatics and discourse analysis. However, they have not specifically been studied with an interest in their effect on the progress of an argumentative discussion when they are used to qualify the standpoint. In this study a specific argumentative perspective is adopted, according to which the strategic function of stance adverbs is described with respect to the burden of proof that an arguer incurs when advancing a standpoint. In this view, an arguer chooses a particular way to qualify the standpoint in an attempt to successfully meet his obligation to defend the standpoint at the end of the argumentative discussion. The proposed theoretical account provides a basis for assessing whether the use of a stance adverb to qualify a standpoint observes the standards that should be followed for a reasonable resolution of a difference of opinion.
The interval page table: virtual memory support in real-time and memory-constrained embedded systems

We present a novel page table organization for real-time and memory-constrained embedded systems. Increasingly many high-end embedded processors offer virtual memory support in the form of hardware Memory Management Unit. To implement virtual memory support, however, the system software needs to maintain a page table per task, which captures the virtual to physical page translation information. Page tables have been traditionally designed for general-purpose systems where their size and real-time performance have not been of primary importance; the average performance of page table traversal has been the major concern. Many embedded systems, however, impose strict real-time requirements coupled with limited memory resources. To address this problem, we propose a new page table organization, which not only requires significantly less memory than the traditional page tables, but also enables a very fast and deterministic hardware-based page table lookup. This is achieved by exploiting application knowledge regarding the memory footprint of the program under execution.
Morphology of Donor and Recipient Nerves Utilised in Nerve Transfers to Restore Upper Limb Function in Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Loss of hand function after cervical spinal cord injury (SCI) impacts heavily on independence. Multiple nerve transfer surgery has been applied successfully after cervical SCI to restore critical arm and hand functions, and the outcome depends on nerve integrity. Nerve integrity is assessed indirectly using muscle strength testing and intramuscular electromyography, but these measures cannot show the manifestation that SCI has on the peripheral nerves. We directly assessed the morphology of nerves biopsied at the time of surgery, from three patients within 18 months post injury. Our objective was to document their morphologic features. Donor nerves included teres minor, posterior axillary, brachialis, extensor carpi radialis brevis and supinator. Recipient nerves included triceps, posterior interosseus (PIN) and anterior interosseus nerves (AIN). They were fixed in glutaraldehyde, processed and embedded in Araldite Epon for light microscopy. Eighty percent of nerves showed abnormalities. Most common were myelin thickening and folding, demyelination, inflammation and a reduction of large myelinated axon density. Others were a thickened perineurium, oedematous endoneurium and Renaut bodies. Significantly, very thinly myelinated axons and groups of unmyelinated axons were observed indicating regenerative efforts. Abnormalities exist in both donor and recipient nerves and they differ in appearance and aetiology. The abnormalities observed may be preventable or reversible.
Analysis of metals leached from smoked cigarette litter

Background Littered cigarette butts represent potential point sources for environmental contamination. In areas with substantial amounts of cigarette litter, environmental hazards may arise as chemical components are leached from the filters and smoked tobacco. Objective The three main aims of this study were: (1) to quantify the amount of Al, Ba, Cd, Cr, Cu, Fe, Pb, Mn, Ni, Sr, Ti and Zn leached from cigarette butts, (2) to determine the relationship between the pH of the aqueous soaking solution and metal concentration leached and (3) to determine the relationship between the period of soaking in aqueous solution and metal concentration leached. Methods Smoked cigarette butts and unsmoked cigarettes were added to phials containing aqueous solutions of pH 4.00, 5.00 and 6.00 (±0.05). The metal concentration of the resultant leachates was measured via inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectroscopy (ICP-OES) 1 day, 7 days and 34 days after sample addition. Results All metals were detected in leachates 1 day after sample addition (with the exception of Cd) and were released at varying rates. No clear relationship between pH within the range typical of precipitation and metal concentration leached was observed. Conclusions Based on the gradual release of multiple metals over the full 34-day study period, cigarette litter was found to be a point source for metal contamination. The apparent rapid leaching of other metals may increase the risk of acute harm to local organisms.
Cognitive semantic networks: Emotional verbs throw a tantrum but don't bite

Neuroimaging studies have over the past decades established that language is grounded in sensorimotor areas of the brain. The same neuronal circuits seem involved whether we literally pick up a ball or in a phrase refer to grasping an idea. However recent findings have demonstrated that not only leg, hand and face related but also emotional action verbs activate premotor systems in the brain. Hypothesizing that the force and spatial parameters which define action based language might also be reflected in the latent semantics of words, we select motor and emotion related verbs and apply latent semantic analysis, multidimensional scaling, hierarchical clustering and network graph analysis to quantify their interaction and identify parameters of force and spatial differentiation which we propose cognitively relate emotions to sensorimotor action schemas.
Cerebral visual impairment in children born prematurely

Cerebral visual impairment (CVI) is the commonest cause of impaired vision in childhood. Prematurely born children are at significant risk of damage to the brain with outcomes including cerebral palsy and low IQ. This study presents the results of an investigation of multiple aspects of visual function in a cohort of 46 prematurely born children (<37 weeks) aged 5.5 years -12.3 years and attending mainstream education, compared with an age-matched cohort of 130 term-born children. Fifteen of the 46 (33%) prematurely born children revealed behaviours corresponding to CVI on cluster analysis of a CVI questionnaire, a screening tool used to aid structured clinical history taking. In these children, abnormalities of stereoacuity, contrast sensitivity and eye movements were more frequent and in addition they were born 1½ weeks earlier and around 300g lighter on average than their unaffected peers. These children also performed worse than controls on all visual attention and perception tests except visual closure, while the remaining 31 prematurely born children performed no differently to controls. This study highlights the incidence of prematurely born children with manifest CVI related difficulties. No visual perception test or routine ophthalmic test picked out those children identified with difficulties by the CVI questionnaire. The CVI questionnaire could be an effective means of identifying children at risk of CVI.
Fourth Generation Evaluation

The Coming of Age of Evaluation What Is Fourth Generation Evaluation? Why Should We Choose to Practice It? What Is this Constructivist Paradigm Anyway? Ethics and Politics The Twin Failures of Positivist Science Constructions and Reconstructions of Realities Paradigms and Methodologies The Methodology of Fourth Generation Evaluations Judging the Quality of Fourth Generation Evaluation Putting It All Together so that It Spells E-V-A-L-U-A-T-I-O-N
Pendidikan Jasmani mentransformasi minda keusahawanan Islam

Kajian ini bertujuan mengenal pasti transformasi minda keusahawanan Islam melalui aktiviti Pendidikan Jasmani bagi pelajar Program Ijazah Sarjana Muda Perguruan (PISMP), Institut Pendidikan Guru (IPG). Penekanan terhadap aspek keusahawanan Islam bakal guru kurang diberi perhatian sehingga timbul keraguan keberkesanan komponen aktiviti pendidikan jasmani apabila timbul isu graduan tidak berkualiti dan kurang menguasai kemahiran keusahawanan Islam. Responden kajian terdiri 60 guru pelatih PISMP semester 5 yang sedang mengikuti pengajian PISMP di IPG. Data dikumpulkan menggunakan borang soal selidik. Kesemua data dianalisis menggunakan pakej komputer SPSS versi 15.00 (Statistical Package For Social Sciences) dan dikemukakan dalam bentuk analisis statistik deskriptif. Dapatan kajian mendapati minda keusahawanan Islam guru pelatih IPG berjaya ditransformasi melalui aktiviti pendidikan jasmani dan didapati kompetensi pengajar dalam mengintegrasikan minda keusahawanan dalam pengajaran pendidikan jasmani masih lemah, oleh demikian pengajar perlu diberi latihan dalaman mentransformasi minda keusahawanan dalam pendidikan jasmani.
Invariant subspaces for LPV systems and their applications

The aim of this paper is to extend the notion of invariant subspaces known in the geometric control theory of the linear time invariant systems to the linear parameter-varying (LPV) systems by introducing the concept of parameter-varying invariant subspaces. For LPV systems affine in their parameters, algorithms are given to compute many parameter varying subspaces relevant in the solution of state feedback and observer design problems.
A CASP-8 Mutation Recognized by Cytolytic T Lymphocytes on a Human Head and Neck Carcinoma

Of the antigens recognized on human tumors by autologous cytolytic T lymphocytes, all those defined thus far have been identified on melanoma or renal cell carcinoma. We report here the identification of an antigen recognized by autologous cytolytic T lymphocytes on a human squamous cell carcinoma of the oral cavity. The antigen is encoded by a mutated form of the CASP-8 gene. This gene, also named FLICE or MACH, codes for protease caspase-8, which is required for induction of apoptosis through the Fas receptor and tumor necrosis factor receptor-1. The mutation, which was found in the tumor cells but not in the normal cells of the patient, modifies the stop codon and adds an Alu repeat to the coding region, thereby lengthening the protein by 88 amino acids. The ability of the altered protein to trigger apoptosis appears to be reduced relative to the normal caspase-8. The antigenic peptide is a nonamer presented by HLA-B*3503. The five last amino acids are encoded by the extension of the reading frame caused by the mutation. This, together with previous observations of CDK4 and β-catenin mutations, suggests that a significant fraction of the point mutations generating a tumor antigen also play a role in the tumoral transformation or progression.
Estrogen Receptor Expression Is Required for Low-Dose Resveratrol-Mediated Repression of Aryl Hydrocarbon Receptor Activity

The putative cardioprotective and chemopreventive properties of the red wine phenolic resveratrol (RES) have made it the subject of a growing body of clinical and basic research. We have begun investigations focusing on the effects of RES on the activity of the aryl hydrocarbon receptor (AHR) complex. Our evidence suggests that RES is a potent repressor of 2,3,7,8-tetrachlorodibenzo-p-dioxin (TCDD)-inducible gene transcription in estrogen receptor (ER)-positive human breast, lung, and colon cancer cell lines. RES activates the transcription of the ER target genes to the same degree as estradiol (E2) in human MCF-7 breast cancer cells. Unlike E2, which can only diminish TCDD-inducible CYP1A1 gene transcription by approximately 50%, RES can completely abrogate this response. Furthermore, 50% repression of TCDD-inducible transcription can be achieved with 100 nM RES, approximately 2.5 orders of magnitude lower than concentrations required for maximal inhibition, suggesting that multiple mechanisms are responsible for this effect. RES (100 nM) does not prevent ligand binding of a TCDD analog, nor does it prevent AHR from binding to its response element in the 5′-regulatory region of the CYP1A1 gene. Small inhibitory RNAs directed to ERα have demonstrated that RES-mediated repression of CYP1A1 depends on ERα. Whereas CYP1A1 protein levels in MCF-7 cells are refractory to the low-dose transcriptional effects of RES, a concomitant decrease in CYP1A1 protein levels is observed in Caco-2 cells. These results highlight a low-dose RES effect that could occur at nutritionally relevant exposures and are distinct from the high-dose effects often characterized.
Cystatin C for glomerular filtration rate estimation: coming of age.

Assessment of glomerular filtration rate (GFR)4 is essential for clinical practice. GFR is difficult to measure [measured GFR (mGFR)]; instead it is estimated [estimated GFR (eGFR)] by use of the serum concentration of endogenous filtration markers. However, all endogenous filtration markers are affected by factors other than GFR (non-GFR determinants), including generation, renal tubular reabsorption and secretion, and extrarenal elimination. Creatinine, a 113-Da breakdown product of muscle metabolism, was first identified in 1847 and proposed as a filtration marker in 1926 (1, 2). Creatinine-based eGFR (eGFRcr) is computed from serum creatinine concentration in combination with age, sex, and race as surrogates for creatinine generation by muscle. Cystatin C, a 13 300-Da serum protein produced by virtually all nucleated cells, was first identified in 1979 and proposed as a filtration marker in 1985 (3–5). Cystatin C is less influenced by muscle mass than creatinine and has often been proposed to be more accurate than creatinine for estimation of measured GFR in subgroups of the population, including vegetarians and those with muscle wasting, chronic disease, or limb amputation. The non-GFR determinants of cystatin C are not well known, and cystatin C–based eGFR (eGFRcys) is not more accurate for routine GFR estimation than eGFRcr. eGFR based on the combination of creatinine and cystatin C (eGFRcr-cys) is more accurate than either alone, reflecting the lesser influence of non-GFR determinants of either marker when both are used (6). eGFRcys is also more accurate in predicting prognosis than either eGFRcr-cys or eGFRcr, possibly reflecting opposite influences of non-GFR determinants of the markers (for example, muscle wasting leading to lower serum creatinine and inflammation leading to higher serum cystatin C) (7). Standardized reference materials are available for both creatinine and cystatin C, and estimating equations have been developed for use with standardized …
The Role of Relationships with Teachers in Adolescent Development among a National Sample of Chinese Urban Adolescents

A nationally representative sample of 1640 Chinese urban adolescents (mean age=14.5 years) and their parents and teachers were surveyed to examine the associations between relationships with teachers and parents and adolescents' developmental outcomes such as academic performance, psychological well-being, altruistic behaviors, and misconduct. Results showed that the quality of adolescents' relationships with teachers was highly correlated with adolescent outcomes, in most cases more so than for relationships with parents. Furthermore, such associations were the same across both genders and three grade levels. These findings suggest that teachers may play an especially significant role in Chinese adolescent development. This study adds to the small but growing literature on the importance of teachers as well as other non-parental adults in adolescent psychosocial development.
A Sliding Mode Observer for PMSM speed and rotor position considering saliency

Sliding mode observer (SMO) for permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) speed and rotor position is used to realize sensorless control. Most of the current researches studying the PMSM SMO are based on non-saliency PMSM model and ignore the difference between d- and q-axes inductances. This paper studies a novel SMO based on PMSM's extended EMF (EEMF) model, considering the saliency of PMSM. It is more precise than the conventional SMO and also the structure is simple. The EEMF based SMO structure is presented in this paper, there is an extra loop feeding back the estimated speed to the observer. The stability condition of EEMF based SMO is studied to make sure that the observer is stable in converging to the sliding mode plane. This paper analyzes the structure and performance of the improved SMO strategy with SIMULINK based simulation and DSP based experiments. Results show that the proposed SMO of PMSM can satisfactorily estimate the position and speed of PMSM with saliency.