Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An incremental constraint-based framework for task and motion planning

We present a new constraint-based framework for task and motion planning (TMP). Our approach is extensible, probabilistically complete, and offers improved performance and generality compared with a similar, state-of-the-art planner. The key idea is to leverage incremental constraint solving to efficiently incorporate geometric information at the task level. Using motion feasibility information to guide task planning improves scalability of the overall planner. Our key abstractions address the requirements of manipulation and object rearrangement. We validate our approach on a physical manipulator and evaluate scalability on scenarios with many objects and long plans, showing order-of-magnitude gains compared with the benchmark planner and improved scalability from additional geometric guidance. Finally, in addition to describing a new method for TMP and its implementation on a physical robot, we also put forward requirements and abstractions for the development of similar planners in the future.
Adherence to low-sodium Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension-style diet may decrease the risk of incident chronic kidney disease among high-risk patients: a secondary prevention in prospective cohort study

Background Considering the fact that subjects with dysglycemia, dyslipidemia or high blood pressure are at high risk for chronic kidney disease (CKD), long-term adherence to the Dietary Approaches to Stop Hypertension (DASH)-style diet may contribute to the prevention of CKD. This study, examined the association between adherence to the low-sodium DASH-style diet and incident CKD among high-risk adults over 3 years of follow-up. Methods In this prospective cohort study (followed up for 3 years, 2012-15), we selected 1100 subjects with dysglycemia, 2715 with dyslipidemia and 2089 with high blood pressure, all of whom were free of CKD at baseline (2009-11) in a subgroup of the Tehran Lipid and Glucose Study. The low-sodium DASH-style diet was designed based on eight foods and nutrients using a food frequency questionnaire. Estimated glomerular filtration rate (eGFR) was calculated and CKD was defined as eGFR <60 mL/min/1.73 m2. Results After 3 years of follow-up, among subjects with dysglycemia, dyslipidemia or high blood pressure, the rate of incident CKD was ∼16%. In multivariable-adjusted analyses for participants in the highest compared with the lowest quartile of the low-sodium DASH-style diet score, the odds ratio was 0.58 [95% confidence interval (CI) 0.36-0.92] for subjects with dysglycemia, 0.64 (95% CI 0.48-0.87) for subjects with dyslipidemia and 0.62 (95% CI 0.44-0.87) for subjects with high blood pressure. Conclusions Higher adherence to the low-sodium DASH-style diet might be associated with a lower risk of incident CKD among high-risk adults, highlighting the importance of adherence to the low-sodium DASH-style diet in substantially reducing both the occurrence of CKD and the burden imposed by it in the future.
Engineering nanoscale order into a designed protein fiber

We have established a designed system comprising two peptides that coassemble to form long, thickened protein fibers in water. This system can be rationally engineered to alter fiber assembly, stability, and morphology. Here, we show that rational mutations to our original peptide designs lead to structures with a remarkable level of order on the nanoscale that mimics certain natural fibrous assemblies. In the engineered system, the peptides assemble into two-stranded α-helical coiled-coil rods, which pack in axial register in a 3D hexagonal lattice of size 1.824 nm, and with a periodicity of 4.2 nm along the fiber axis. This model is supported by both electron microscopy and x-ray diffraction. Specifically, the fibers display surface striations separated by nanoscale distances that precisely match the 4.2-nm length expected for peptides configured as α-helices as designed. These patterns extend unbroken across the widths (≥50 nm) and lengths (>10 μm) of the fibers. Furthermore, the spacing of the striations can be altered predictably by changing the length of the peptides. These features reflect a high level of internal order within the fibers introduced by the peptide-design process. To our knowledge, this exceptional order, and its persistence along and across the fibers, is unique in a biomimetic system. This work represents a step toward rational bottom-up assembly of nanostructured fibrous biomaterials for potential applications in synthetic biology and nanobiotechnology.
Cellulose-based material with amphiphobicity to inhibit bacterial adhesion by surface modification

Amphiphobic cellulose-based material was prepared by functional surface modification of nanofibres of a natural cellulose substance (e.g., commercial filter paper). The filter paper was firstly etched by alkaline solution to enhance the surface roughness, and then ultrathin titania films were deposited onto the cellulose nanofibre surfaces of the etched filter paper by a facile surface sol–gel process. A 1H,1H,2H,2H-perfluorooctyl trimethoxysilane (PFOTMS) monolayer was further self-assembled onto the titania ultrathin film pre-coated cellulose nanofibres. Due to the rough morphology of the etched filter paper and the low surface energy coating with PFOTMS monolayers, the naturally hydrophilic filter paper is converted into an amphiphobic material with both superhydrophobicity and high oleophobicity, which effectively inhibits the adhesion of bacteria such as lysogenic E. coli.
Measurements of Young's modulus of human eardrum at high strain rates using a miniature split hopkinson tension bar

Mechanical properties of human eardrum under quasi-static or low frequency range have been investigated extensively. However, the eardrum is normally receiving sound signals in auditory frequency range, between 100 and 20,000 Hz. It is necessary to measure the mechanical properties of human eardrum at these frequencies. The Young's modulus data at high frequency are also critical for modeling the acoustic transmission in human ear and for diagnosing ear diseases, such as otitis media with effusion. In this study, we have developed a new miniature split Hopkinson tension bar (SHTB) for loading a small eardrum specimen. The maximum dynamic force used for experiment was as low as a Newton at high strain rate. The semiconductor strain gages and a piezoelectric force transducer were used to augment the signal. This research provides the preliminary data for Young's modulus of the eardrum at high strain rates.
Evolutionary Assembly of Communities in Butterfly Mimicry Rings

Species co-occurrence in ecological communities is thought to be influenced by multiple ecological and evolutionary processes, especially colonization and competition. However, effects of other interspecific interactions and evolutionary relationships are less explored. We examined evolutionary histories of community members and roles of mutualistic and parasitic interactions (Müllerian and Batesian mimicry, respectively) in the assembly of mimetic butterfly communities called mimicry rings in tropical forests of the Western Ghats, India. We found that Müllerian mimics were phylogenetically clustered, sharing aposematic signals due to common ancestry. On the other hand, Batesian mimics joined mimicry rings through convergent evolution and random phylogenetic assembly. Since the Western Ghats are a habitat island, we compared species diversity and composition in its mimicry rings with those of habitat mainland to test effects of biogeographic connectivity. The Western Ghats consisted of fewer mimicry rings and an overall smaller number of aposematic species and mimics compared to habitat mainland. The depauperate mimicry rings in the Western Ghats could have resulted from stochastic processes, reflecting their long temporal and spatial isolation and trickling colonization by the mimetic butterfly communities. These results highlight how evolutionary history, biogeographic isolation, and stochastic colonization influence the evolutionary assembly and diversity of ecological communities.
Celastrol increases osteosarcoma cell lysis by γδ T cells through up-regulation of death receptors

γδ T cells has been shown to exhibit profound antitumor effects in a broad range of tumor entities, including OS. However, resistance to γδ T cells is a serious problem in the management of OS. This study investigates the impact of celastrol on the expression of death receptors 4/5 (DR4/5) on OS cell lines (HOS, U2OS) and cancer cell lysis by γδ T cells. The results showed that celastrol increased transcription of DR4/5 in HOS and U2OS, leading to increased cell surface, and total DR4/5 protein expression. Celastrol sensitizes OS cell lines or autologous OS cells to healthy donors-derived or OS patient-derived γδ T cell cytotoxicity in vitro. The induction of DR4/5 molecules increased lysis of HOS and U2OS by γδ T cells which was abolished by addition of a blocking TRAIL antibody. Importantly, the cytotoxic activity of γδ T cells was unaltered by small-dose celastrol. Taken together, our data show that celastrol up-regulated DR4/5 on OS cells to be responsible for intercellular TRAIL/APO-2L crosslink that confers increased cancer cell lysis by γδ T cells. These results suggest the clinical evaluation of celastrol in OS, especially in combination with immunotherapy approaches employing adoptive γδ T cell transfer.
Sequence-dependent response of DNA to torsional stress: a potential biological regulation mechanism

Abstract Torsional restraints on DNA change in time and space during the life of the cell and are an integral part of processes such as gene expression, DNA repair and packaging. The mechanical behavior of DNA under torsional stress has been studied on a mesoscopic scale, but little is known concerning its response at the level of individual base pairs and the effects of base pair composition. To answer this question, we have developed a geometrical restraint that can accurately control the total twist of a DNA segment during all-atom molecular dynamics simulations. By applying this restraint to four different DNA oligomers, we are able to show that DNA responds to both under- and overtwisting in a very heterogeneous manner. Certain base pair steps, in specific sequence environments, are able to absorb most of the torsional stress, leaving other steps close to their relaxed conformation. This heterogeneity also affects the local torsional modulus of DNA. These findings suggest that modifying torsional stress on DNA could act as a modulator for protein binding via the heterogeneous changes in local DNA structure.
Enhancement of the thermal and mechanical properties of a surface-modified boron nitride–polyurethane composite

Thermoplastic polyurethane (PU) elastomer, prepared from poly(tetramethylene glycol) and methyl diphenyl diisocyanate, was blended with boron nitride (BN) to fabricate a thermally conductive interface material. BN treated by a silane coupling agent (BN―NH2) and PU-grafted BN were prepared to fabricate a composite that has better thermal conductivity and mechanical strength. The surface-modified filler showed enhanced dispersibility and affinity because of the surface treatment with functional groups that affected the surface free energy, along with the structural similarity of the doped crystallized diisocyanate molecule with the matrix. The thermal conductivity increased from 0.349 to 0.467 W mk−1 on 20 wt% PU-grafted BN loading that is a 1.34-fold higher value than in the case of pristine BN loading at the same weight fraction. Moreover, the number of BN particles acting as defects, thereby reducing the mechanical strength, is decreased because of strong adhesion. We can conclude that these composite materials may be promising materials for a significant performance improvement in terms of both the thermal and mechanical properties of PU-based polymers. Copyright © 2014 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Methods for certification in colonoscopy – a systematic review

Abstract Introduction: Reliable, valid, and feasible assessment tools are essential to ensure competence in colonoscopy. This study aims to provide an overview of the existing assessment methods and the validity evidence that supports them. Methods: A systematic search was conducted in October 2016. Pubmed, EMBASE, and PsycINFO were searched for studies evaluating assessment methods to ensure competency in colonoscopy. Outcome variables were described and evidence of validity was explored using a contemporary framework. Results: Twenty-five observational studies were included in the systematic review. Most studies were based on small sample sizes. The studies were categorized after outcome measures into five groups: Clinical process related outcome metrics (n = 2), direct observational colonoscopy assessment (n = 8), simulator based metrics (n = 11), automatic computerized metrics (n = 2), and self-assessment (n = 1). Validity score varied among the studies and only five studies presented sufficient evidence to recommend the tool for clinical assessment. Conclusions: The objectives vary throughout the presented tools. Some tools are global tools where others focus on procedural technical skill assessment or even part-task skills. There is a tendency in the most recent studies towards more specific assessment of technical skills. The majority of assessment methods lack sufficient validity evidence.
Low dimensional representation of face space by face‐selective inferior temporal neurons

The representation of visual objects in primate brain is distributed and multiple neurons are involved in encoding each object. One way to understand the neural basis of object representation is to estimate the number of neural dimensions that are needed for veridical representation of object categories. In this study, the characteristics of the match between physical‐shape and neural representational spaces in monkey inferior temporal (IT) cortex were evaluated. Specifically, we examined how the number of neural dimensions, stimulus behavioral saliency and stimulus category selectivity of neurons affected the correlation between shape and neural representational spaces in IT cortex. Single‐unit recordings from monkey IT cortex revealed that there was a significant match between face space and its neural representation at lower neural dimensions, whereas the optimal match for the non‐face objects was observed at higher neural dimensions. There was a statistically significant match between the face and neural spaces only in the face‐selective neurons, whereas a significant match was observed for non‐face objects in all neurons regardless of their category selectivity. Interestingly, the face neurons showed a higher match for the non‐face objects than for the faces at higher neural dimensions. The optimal representation of face space in the responses of the face neurons was a low dimensional map that emerged early (~150 ms post‐stimulus onset) and was followed by a high dimensional and relatively late (~300 ms) map for the non‐face stimuli. These results support a multiplexing function for the face neurons in the representation of very similar shape spaces, but with different dimensionality and timing scales.
Accurate Influenza Monitoring and Forecasting Using Novel Internet Data Streams: A Case Study in the Boston Metropolis

Background Influenza outbreaks pose major challenges to public health around the world, leading to thousands of deaths a year in the United States alone. Accurate systems that track influenza activity at the city level are necessary to provide actionable information that can be used for clinical, hospital, and community outbreak preparation. Objective Although Internet-based real-time data sources such as Google searches and tweets have been successfully used to produce influenza activity estimates ahead of traditional health care–based systems at national and state levels, influenza tracking and forecasting at finer spatial resolutions, such as the city level, remain an open question. Our study aimed to present a precise, near real-time methodology capable of producing influenza estimates ahead of those collected and published by the Boston Public Health Commission (BPHC) for the Boston metropolitan area. This approach has great potential to be extended to other cities with access to similar data sources. Methods We first tested the ability of Google searches, Twitter posts, electronic health records, and a crowd-sourced influenza reporting system to detect influenza activity in the Boston metropolis separately. We then adapted a multivariate dynamic regression method named ARGO (autoregression with general online information), designed for tracking influenza at the national level, and showed that it effectively uses the above data sources to monitor and forecast influenza at the city level 1 week ahead of the current date. Finally, we presented an ensemble-based approach capable of combining information from models based on multiple data sources to more robustly nowcast as well as forecast influenza activity in the Boston metropolitan area. The performances of our models were evaluated in an out-of-sample fashion over 4 influenza seasons within 2012-2016, as well as a holdout validation period from 2016 to 2017. Results Our ensemble-based methods incorporating information from diverse models based on multiple data sources, including ARGO, produced the most robust and accurate results. The observed Pearson correlations between our out-of-sample flu activity estimates and those historically reported by the BPHC were 0.98 in nowcasting influenza and 0.94 in forecasting influenza 1 week ahead of the current date. Conclusions We show that information from Internet-based data sources, when combined using an informed, robust methodology, can be effectively used as early indicators of influenza activity at fine geographic resolutions.
Relationship between ankle range of motion and Biodex Balance System in females and males

This study examined whether there are differences between range of motion (ROM) and balance in lower extremities according to gender. A total of 31 male and 28 female students measured plantar flexion (PF), dorsiflexion, inversion (IV), eversion (EV), hip flexion (HF), hip internal rotation (HIR), and hip external rotation (HER) and tested on the Biodex Balance System. ROM of PF and HF were significantly high the female group and ROMs of IV, EV, HIR, and HER were significantly higher the male group than in the female group. Low ROM of PF may be more negative related to overall balance, especially, back balance in males; therefore, it is necessary to assess and plan the training program for PF ROM in male students.
Cannabinoids prevent the amyloid β‐induced activation of astroglial hemichannels: A neuroprotective mechanism

The mechanisms involved in Alzheimer's disease are not completely understood and how astrocytes and their gliotransmission contribute to this neurodegenerative disease remains to be fully elucidated. Previous studies have shown that amyloid‐β peptide (Aβ) induces neuronal death by a mechanism that involves the excitotoxic release of ATP and glutamate associated to astroglial hemichannel opening. We have demonstrated that synthetic and endogenous cannabinoids (CBs) reduce the opening of astrocyte Cx43 hemichannels evoked by activated microglia or inflammatory mediators. Nevertheless, whether CBs could prevent the astroglial hemichannel‐dependent death of neurons evoked by Aβ is unknown. Astrocytes as well as acute hippocampal slices were treated with the active fragment of Aβ alone or in combination with the following CBs: WIN, 2‐AG, or methanandamide (Meth). Hemichannel activity was monitored by single channel recordings and by time‐lapse ethidium uptake while neuronal death was assessed by Fluoro‐Jade C staining. We report that CBs fully prevented the hemichannel activity and inflammatory profile evoked by Aβ in astrocytes. Moreover, CBs fully abolished the Aβ‐induced release of excitotoxic glutamate and ATP associated to astrocyte Cx43 hemichannel activity, as well as neuronal damage in hippocampal slices exposed to Aβ. Consequently, this work opens novel avenues for alternative treatments that target astrocytes to maintain neuronal function and survival during AD. GLIA 2016 GLIA 2017;65:122–137
The Effect of Factors Affecting Social Behavior and Prosocial Behavior (Case Study: City of Steel of Mobarakeh)

The present paper, titled ‘A Study of the Effects of Internal Marketing on Customer-oriented Prosocial Behaviors’ investigates the important role of internal marketing on job satisfaction, organizational commitment and, finally, role-prescribed customer service and extra-role customer service (prosocial behavior) among Standard of Isfahan Steel of Mobarakeh. A main hypothesis (speculating the significant effect of internal marketing on customer-oriented prosocial behavior) and eleven sub-hypotheses (speculating the significant effect of empowerment, service training and service reward on organizational commitment and job satisfaction as well as speculating the significant effect of organizational commitment and job satisfaction on role-prescribed customer service and extra-role customer service (prosocial behavior), are presented. This research, in terms of its purpose, is an applied one; and in terms of implementation method, is a survey with a correlation approach. The population includes 140 experienced managers, vice-presidents and employees of the hotels in Isfahan city. The data were collected using questionnaires with a Cronbach's alpha coefficient calculated as 0.91, which includes personal data and main, specialized questions for examination of research hypotheses. From 155 distributed questionnaires, 140 (90%) were returned. The collected data were analyzed using SPSS and AMOS software programs through statistical tests at descriptive (frequency, percentage, accumulated percentage, average and standard deviation) and inferential (t-test, regression modeling, variance analysis, non- parametric Kolmogorov and Smirnov test, and Freedman non-parametric test) levels. The findings supported all research hypotheses. The results indicated that the ninth sub-hypothesis, with a path coefficient of 0.69 is of the highest importance, and that the seventh sub-hypothesis with a path coefficient of0.18 is of the lowest importance. Thus, the internal marketing significantly affects the customeroriented prosocial behaviors.
Automated Diagnosis of Coronary Artery Disease: A Review and Workflow

Coronary artery disease (CAD) is the most dangerous heart disease which may lead to sudden cardiac death. However, CAD diagnoses are quite expensive and time-consuming procedures which a patient need to go through. The aim of our paper is to present a unique review of state-of-the-art methods up to 2017 for automatic CAD classification. The protocol of review methods is identifying best methods and classifier for CAD identification. The study proposes two workflows based on two parameter sets for instances A and B. It is necessary to follow the proper procedure, for future evaluation process of automatic diagnosis of CAD. The initial two stages of the parameter set A workflow are preprocessing and feature extraction. Subsequently, stages (feature selection and classification) are same for both workflows. In literature, the SVM classifier represents a promising approach for CAD classification. Moreover, the limitation leads to extract proper features from noninvasive signals.