Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reactive obstacle avoidance in crowded environments for 2D omni-directional robot

The work describes a heuristic control strategy comprising reactive obstacle avoidance for omni-directional planar robot. The proposed method is based on artificial potential fields. Appropriate reshaping of repelling potential fields incorporating warping vectors and warping functions reduces the problem of local minima. Moreover, a solution to saddle point avoidance based on potential hessian is proposed. Numerical tests are conducted to indicate the validity and efficiency of the method. The strategy applies only to circular non-overlapping obstacles.
Particulate air pollution: Major research methods and applications in animal models

Ambient air pollution is composed of a heterogeneous mixture of gaseous and solid particle compounds in which primary particles are emitted directly into the atmosphere, such as diesel soot, while secondary particles are created through physicochemical transformation. Particulate matter (PM), especially fine and ultrafine particles, can be inhaled and deposited in the alveolar cavities and penetrate into circulation. An association between high levels of air pollutants and human disease has been known for more than half a century and increasing evidence demonstrates a strong link between exposure on PM and the development of systemic diseases such as cardiovascular and neurological disorders. Experimental animal models have been extensively used to study the underlying mechanism caused by environmental exposure to ambient PM. Due to their availability, quality, cost, and genetically modified strains, rodent models have been widely used. Some common exposure approaches include intranasal instillation, intratracheal instillation, nose-only inhalation, whole-body inhalation, and intravenous injection have been reviewed with a brief summary of its performance, merit, limitation, and application. We hope this would provide a useful reference in advancing experimental researches about air pollution human health and disease development.
Uncertain Reasoning for Creating Ontology Mapping on the Semantic Web

Mapping ontologies with high precision on the Semantic Web is a challenging problem that needs to be addressed in various domains. One of the main problems with any mapping process, which needs to be applied on different domains is that it always has a certain degree of uncertainty associated with it. In this paper we introduce a method based on Dempster-Shafer theory that use uncertain reasoning over the possible mappings in order to select the best possible mapping without using any heuristic or domain specific rules.
Dynamics of Seasonally-Varying Tropical Convergence Zones

In the tropics, rain tends to be organized along concentrated rain bands, with the Intertropical Convergence Zone (ITCZ) over the ocean and monsoonal convergence zones over tropical land masses being particularly prominent features affecting hundreds of millions of people. What fundamentally controls the spatial and temporal distribution of these tropical rainbands remains an outstanding question in the literature. This thesis aims to enhance our understanding of the dynamics of seasonally migrating convergence zones over the ocean and in the South Asian monsoon region. First, we explore to what extent energetic arguments that have provided insight into the position and shifts of the annual and zonal mean ITCZ can also be applied on shorter timescales. Idealized aquaplanet simulations show that the energy flux equator (EFE) always leads the ITCZ, leading to a breakdown of the commonly assumed anti-correlation between the ITCZ position and the cross-equatorial energy transport. At times during which the EFE and the ITCZ reside on opposite sides of the equator, the required energy transport is in fact achieved by the Hadley cell, in which the ITCZ is embedded, changing its vertical structure into one of negative gross moist stability. One way in which this is accomplished is through the development of a shallow return flow at levels near minimum moist static energy. While the relationship between the EFE and the ITCZ in the observed seasonal cycle is more complex than what is seen in the idealized simulations, the development of bottom-heavy circulations is a common feature both in the zonal mean and in individual longitudinal sectors at times when the EFE and the ITCZ are in opposite hemispheres. In the last chapter of this thesis, we explore changes in the South Asian monsoon as topography over Africa is removed in the full-physics GFDL AM2.1 GCM. Against expectations, the removal of the African topography is accompanied by a strengthening of the precipitation over India despite a weakening of the Somali jet. This counter-intuitive precipitation increase is associated with the development of a lower-level cyclonic wind anomaly, and associated meridional moisture flux convergence, over the Indian peninsula. Potential vorticity (PV) budget analyses following air parcel trajectories show that this cyclonic anomaly arises because, in the absence of the blocking effect of the African topography, air particles that reach the Arabian Sea originate at higher latitude and hence have a higher background planetary vorticity.
What big eyes you have: the ecological role of giant pterygotid eurypterids

Eurypterids are a group of extinct chelicerates that ranged for over 200 Myr from the Ordovician to the Permian. Gigantism is common in the group; about 50% of families include taxa over 0.8 m in length. Among these were the pterygotids (Pterygotidae), which reached lengths of over 2 m and were the largest arthropods that ever lived. They have been interpreted as highly mobile visual predators on the basis of their large size, enlarged, robust chelicerae and forward-facing compound eyes. Here, we test this interpretation by reconstructing the visual capability of Acutiramus cummingsi (Pterygotidae) and comparing it with that of the smaller Eurypterus sp. (Eurypteridae), which lacked enlarged chelicerae, and other arthropods of similar geologic age. In A. cummingsi, there is no area of lenses differentiated to provide increased visual acuity, and the interommatidial angles (IOA) do not fall within the range of high-level modern arthropod predators. Our results show that the visual acuity of A. cummingsi is poor compared with that of co-occurring Eurypterus sp. The ecological role of pterygotids may have been as predators on thin-shelled and soft-bodied prey, perhaps in low-light conditions or at night.
A Checklist of Benthic Marine Algae of the Coast of Texas

A synthesis of the benthic marine algal flora for the Texas coastline is compiled, A total of 208 taxa of benthic macroalgae is presented, including 114 taxa of Rhodophyceae (red algae), 28 taxa of Phaeophyceae (brown algae), and 66 taxa of Ulvophyceae (green algae). These algal taxa are placed in an arrangement according to the most currently accepted schemes of classification, reflecting the results of comparative phylogenetic treatments. Explanatory "Notes" with information on taxonomic and nomenclatural changes are included.
Palette: a paper interface for giving presentations

The Palette is a digital appliance designed for intuitivecontrol of electronic slide shows. Current interfaces demand toomuch of our attention to permit effective computer use insituations where we can not give the technology our fullestconcentration. The Palette uses index cards that are printed withslide content that is easily identified by both humans andcomputers. The presenter controls the presentation by directlymanipulating the cards. The Palette design is based on ourobservation of presentations given in a real work setting. Ourexperiences using the system are described, including new practices(e.g., collaborative presentation, enhanced notetaking) that arisefrom the affordances of this new approach. This system is anexample of a new interaction paradigm called tacitinteraction that supports users who can spare very littleattention to a computer interface.
An ear-lead ECG based smart sensor system with voice biofeedback for daily activity monitoring

The computer-based portable devices lead our societies to the world of u-healthcare, so that people may monitor their heart rate outside hospitals. The paper proposes an ultra-wearable smart sensor system combines electrocardiogram (ear-lead ECG), tri-axial accelerometer, and GPS sensors to measure normal or elderly personpsilas daily activities. The ear-lead makes possible to measure ECG signals without any chest belt or sticky tape. It measures the ECG signals from an ear to an arm. According to our research, the ear-lead is linear combination with regular ECG lead I and III. For most of people, especially, the ear-lead is highly correlated with lead-I ECG. Lead I can be used to detect some life-threatening ECG signals with critical heart rate or morphology changes such as ventricular tachycardia (VT), ventricular flutter (VFL), or ventricular fibrillation (VFib). The hardware of smart sensor integrates a TI MSP430 microprocessor, Bluetooth wireless transmission to PC client software, micro SD card storage, and LCD display. The embedded algorithm combines two sensors for noise reduction and utilizes voice biofeedback for exercise overload warning.
Moulds, Moisture and Microbial Contamination of First Nations Housing in British Columbia, Canada

ABSTRACT This paper reviews the difficulties experienced with mould growth in First Nations homes in British Columbia and to describe the team approach used in dealing with this problem. Humid, damp conditions promote the growth of bacteria, moulds, and dust mites. These organisms contribute to poor air quality and causes serious health problems. There is increasing evidence indicating an association between mould, particularly toxigenic moulds, and some diseases, notably asthma. These health problems usually improve when families are relocated to more suitable accommodation. Those particularly at risk include atopic, immunocompromised, very young and elderly individuals and those with chronic health conditions. Our experience suggests that substandard housing is a major contributor to poor health in First Nations communities. (Int J Circumpolar Health 2001; 60: 150-156)
Trip generation rates for retirement homes and villages in South Africa

The development of land serves to fulfil certain needs, resulting in traffic generation. An assessment of the traffic which is expected to be generated by a newly proposed development is required to mitigate the effect of this new traffic and improve the operational condition of road network. Development generated trips are most commonly estimated by using trip generation rates. These trip generation rates vary with development specific land-use characteristics. This paper considers the appropriate estimation of land use specific trip generation rates for South African retirement facilities. The study aims to determine whether a unique set of trip generation indicators are needed for retirement facilities, or whether existing residential trip generation rates can be used. Traffic observations were conducted at 10 retirement facilities in South Africa. Trip generation at retirement facilities was found to vary significantly from other residential land uses. The majority of trips generated by residential areas leave the area during the morning peak hour, returning in during the afternoon peak hour, however, since retired people are not leaving their residence to attend work, a unique patter of trips is created, requiring a unique set of trip generation rates. Trips generated at various retirement facilities also showed significant variation. This led to the partition of retirement facilities into two categories, namely retirement homes and retirement villages. Retirement homes are classified as residential facilities with assisted living services and attached housing units. Retirement villages have primarily detached housing units but may incorporate assisted living facilities. Trip generation rates were calculated for vehicles and pedestrians during all peak periods at retirement homes and villages. 36th Southern African Transport Conference (SATC 2017) ISBN Number: 978-1-920017-73-6 10 13 July 2017 Pretoria, South Africa 741
The Fiscal Effects of Immigration to the UK

In this paper, we investigate the fiscal impact of immigration on the UK economy, with a focus on the period since 1995. We provide estimates for the overall immigrant population for the period between 1995 and 2012, and for more recent immigrants who arrived since 2000, distinguishing between immigrants from European versus non-European countries. Overall, our findings indicate that EEA immigrants have made a positive fiscal contribution, even during periods when the UK was running budget deficits. This positive contribution is particularly noticeable for more recent immigrants that arrived since 2000 in particular from EEA countries.
Overview of the Patent Mining Task at the NTCIR-7 Workshop

This paper introduces the Patent Mining Task of the Seventh (cid:23)TCIR Workshop and the test collections produced in this task. The task’s goal was the classification of research papers written in either Japanese or English in terms of the International Patent Classification (IPC) system, which is a global standard. For this task, 12 participant groups submitted 49 runs. In this paper, we also report the evaluation results of the task.
Treatment of stenosis and thrombosis in haemodialysis fistulas and grafts by interventional radiology.

BACKGROUND There are no large series reporting the long-term results after radiological treatment of both stenosis and thrombosis in native fistulas (AVFs) and prosthetic grafts. METHODS Between 1987 and 1999, 726 dilations, 135 stent placements and 257 declotting procedures were performed in 209 consecutive forearm AVFs, 74 upper arm AVFs and 156 prosthetic grafts. The stents used were the Wallstent*, the Craggstent*, and the Passager*. Declotting was performed by manual catheter-directed thromboaspiration, with or without previous urokinase infusion. RESULTS The initial success rates ranged from 78 to 98%. The rate of significant complications was 2%. Primary patency rates at 1 year were twice as good for forearm AVFs (50%) than for grafts (25%) (P<0.05), and were 34% for upper arm AVFs. Secondary patency rates were similar in the 3 groups at 1 year (80-86%) and at 2 years (68-80%). Reintervention was necessary every 18 months in forearm AVFs compared to every 9 months in grafts (P<0.05). Thrombosed grafts fared worse than failing grafts. Accesses of less than 1 year's duration needed more reinterventions than older accesses (every 16 months versus 30 in forearm AVFs, every 7 months versus 13 in grafts, P<0.05). CONCLUSIONS The percutaneous treatment of stenosis and thrombosis in haemodialysis access achieves patency rates similar to those reported in the surgical literature and confirms that grafts must be avoided as much as possible given their poorer outcome, especially after the first thrombosis. Poorer outcome is also demonstrated in accesses of less than 1 year's duration.
THE FINE STRUCTURE AND ELECTROPHYSIOLOGY OF HEART MUSCLE CELL INJURY

Injured frog heart cells electrically uncouple from their uninjured neighbors within 30 min after injury. This uncoupling process can be shown by the disappearance of an injury potential measured between such injured and uninjured cells. In the present study, the time course of the decline of injury potentials, and thus of electrical uncoupling, in bullfrog atrial trabeculae was determined. Tissue was fixed with glutaraldehyde and osmium tetroxide at various times after injury to determine the morphological changes which accompany this uncoupling process. In some cases, ruthenium red was included in the fixatives. Normal atrial cells are long and narrow, with intercellular junctions located along the lateral surfaces of the cells. Two types of intercellular junctions have been observed: cardiac adhesion plaques (CAPs), and close junctions. Close junctions occur only infrequently. Ruthenium red penetrates all around the cells, leaving only small areas within the CAPs unstained. After injury, the cells are very dense and the myofilaments disarranged. Both types of intercellular junction remain intact, and only slight changes within CAPs are observed. The results are discussed in relation to current concepts of intercellular communication.
Co-op Advertising in Dynamic Retail Oligopolies

We study a supply chain in which a consumer goods manufacturer sells its product through a retailer. The retailer undertakes promotional expenditures, uch as advertising, to increase sales and to compete against other retailer(s). The manufacturer supports the retailer’s promotional expenditure through a cooperative advertising program by reimbursing a portion (called the subsidy rate) of the retailer’s promotional expenditure. To determine the subsidy rate, we formulate a Stackelberg differential game between the manufacturer and the retailer, and a Nash differential subgame between the retailer and the competing retailer(s). We derive the optimal feedback promotional expenditures of the retailers and the optimal feedback subsidy rate of the manufacturer, and show how they are influenced by market parameters. An important finding is that the manufacturer should support its retailer only when a subsidy threshold is crossed. The impact of competition on this threshold is non-monotone. Specifically, the manufacturer offers more support when its retailer competes with one other retailer but its support starts decreasing with the presence of additional retailers. In the case where the manufacturer sells through all retailers, we show under certain assumptions that it should support only one dominant retailer. Also, we describe how we can incorporate retail price competition into the model.
The role of DNA sensing and innate immune receptor TLR9 in otitis media

Otitis media (OM), a common infectious disease in children, is associated with bacterial middle ear (ME) infection. Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are important mediators of innate immune responses, and TLR9 specifically recognizes the unmethylated cytidine-phosphate-guanosine (CpG) motifs in bacterial DNA. Additional sensors of foreign DNA have recently been identified. The role of DNA sensing and TLR9 was investigated in a murine model of OM induced by non-typeable Haemophilus influenzae (NTHi). Expression of genes related to DNA-sensing pathways involved in innate immunity was assessed via DNA microarray, qPCR and immunohistochemistry. Middle ear responses to NTHi were examined in wild-type and TLR9−/− mice by histopathology and bacterial culture. Expression of TLR9 signaling genes was modestly up-regulated during OM, as was TLR9 protein in both ME mucosal cells and infiltrating leukocytes. However, genes known to be regulated by CpG DNA were dramatically up-regulated, as were genes involved in DNA sensing by DIA, Pol-III and AIM2. Toll-like receptor 9 deletion significantly prolonged the inflammatory response induced by NTHi in the ME and delayed bacterial clearance. The results suggest that DNA sensing via TLR9 plays a role in OM pathogenesis and recovery. Alternative forms of DNA sensing may also contribute to OM.
Fundamental Structure and Modulation of Neuronal Excitability: Synaptic Control of Coding, Resonance, and Network Synchronization

Neuronal encoding and collective network activity depend on the precise mechanism for generating action potentials. A dynamic switch in this mechanism could greatly expand the functional repertoire of neurons and circuits. Here we show that changes in neuronal biophysics control a complex, yet fundamental, sequence of dynamic transitions in neuronal excitability in which neurons switch from integrators to resonators near the spike threshold, from simple voltage dynamics to the bistable co-existence of action potentials and quiescence, and from continuous class-I to discontinuous class-II firing rate encoding. Using multiple bifurcation theory, we prove that this transition sequence is universal in conductance-based neurons. Using dynamic-clamp and pharmacology, we show experimentally that an increase in leak conductance or application of the inhibitory agonist GABA can dynamically induce these transitions in hippocampal and brainstem neurons. Our results imply that synaptic activity can flexibly control resonance, excitability and bistability of neurons. In simulated neuronal networks, we show that such synaptically induced transitions provide a mechanism for the dynamic gating of input signals and the targeted synchronization of sub-networks with a tunable number of neurons. Significance Neuronal function depends on the mechanism by which neurons transform synaptic input into action potentials (APs). It is unclear how neurons might control the AP mechanism to systematically modulate their responses to input signals or their collective behavior. Here we identify a complex, but model-independent, universal sequence of transitions in the dynamics of AP generation. Using patch-clamp recordings, we show that synaptic receptor activation can flexibly change the AP dynamics, confirming our theoretical predictions: non-resonant neurons develop a sub-threshold resonance, become bistable, and develop an abrupt jump in onset AP frequency. Our results explain how synapses or neuro-modulators could control neuronal excitability, influence information processing, and processing during collective network dynamics.
The Effect of Gender and Menstrual Phase on Serum Creatine Kinase Activity and Muscle Soreness Following Downhill Running

Serum creatine kinase (CK) activity reflects muscle membrane disruption. Oestrogen has antioxidant and membrane stabilising properties, yet no study has compared the CK and muscle soreness (DOMS) response to unaccustomed exercise between genders when all menstrual phases are represented in women. Fifteen eumenorrhoeic women (early follicular, EF (n = 5); late follicular, LF (n = 5); mid-luteal, ML (n = 5) phase) and six men performed 20 min of downhill running (−10% gradient) at 9 km/h. Serum CK activity and visual analogue scale rating of perceived muscle soreness were measured before, immediately, 24-h, 48-h and 72-h after exercise. The 24-h peak CK response (relative to pre-exercise) was similar between women and men (mean change (95% confidence interval): 58.5 (25.2 to 91.7) IU/L; 68.8 (31.3 to 106.3) IU/L, respectively). However, serum CK activity was restored to pre-exercise levels quicker in women (regardless of menstrual phase) than men; after 48-h post exercise in women (16.3 (−4.4 to 37.0) IU/L; 56.3 (37.0 to 75.6) IU/L, respectively) but only after 72-h in men (14.9 (−14.8 to 44.6) IU/L). Parallel to the CK response, muscle soreness recovered by 72-h in men. Conversely, the women still reported muscle soreness at 72-h despite CK levels being restored by 48-h; delayed recovery of muscle soreness appeared mainly in EF and LF. The CK and DOMS response to downhill running is gender-specific. The CK response recovers quicker in women than men. The CK and DOMS response occur in concert in men but not in women. The DOMS response in women is prolonged and may be influenced by menstrual phase.