Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Motion control skill in human hyper dynamic manipulation-an investigation on the golf swing by simulation

Human hyper dynamic manipulations are defined here as those in which hyper skill is needed to execute a dynamic manipulation by a human, e.g. golf swing. The paper discusses the motion control skill in the human golf swing. The optimization of the swing motion according to a simplified model of a human is described. By comparing generated optimal swing motions corresponding to various cost functions, with human swing motions, some useful hints on human motion control skill are obtained.
Solid-state photomultiplier in CMOS technology for gamma-ray detection and imaging applications

A CMOS solid-state photomultiplier (SSPM) coupled to a scintillation crystal uses an array of CMOS Geiger-mode avalanche photodiode (GPD) pixels to collect light and produce a signal proportional to the energy of the radiation. Each pixel acts as a binary photon detector, but the summed output is an analog representation of the total photon intensity. We have successfully fabricated arrays of GPD pixels in a CMOS environment, which makes possible the production of miniaturized arrays integrated with the detector electronics in a small silicon chip. In this work, we compare designs for the SSPM detector and present preliminary results in constructing a position-sensitive solid-state photomultiplier (PS-SSPM) using a commercially available CMOS process. The prototype arrays utilize a resistor network to provide a position-sensitive readout of the array. One pixel design achieves maximum detection efficiency for 632-nm photons approaching 20% with a room temperature dark count rate of less then 1 kHz for a 30-mum-diameter pixel. Pair-wise cross talk was measured to be less than 2% for 150 mum pixel spacing
Hydrological catchment modelling: past, present and future

Abstract. This paper discusses basic issues in hydrological modelling and flood forecasting, ranging from the roles of physically-based and data-driven rainfall runoff models, to the concepts of predictive uncertainty and equifinality and their implications. The evolution of a wide range of hydrological catchment models employing the physically meaningful and data-driven approaches introduces the need for objective test beds or benchmarks to assess the merits of the different models in reconciling the alternative approaches. In addition, the paper analyses uncertainty in models and predictions by clarifying the meaning of uncertainty, by distinguishing between parameter and predictive uncertainty and by demonstrating how the concept of equifinality must be addressed by appropriate and robust inference approaches. Finally, the importance of predictive uncertainty in the decision making process is highlighted together with possible approaches aimed at overcoming the diffidence of end-users.
Sensitivity of Nursing Home Cost Comparisons to Method of Dementia Diagnosis Ascertainment

This study compared the association of differing methods of dementia ascertainment, derived from multiple sources, with nursing home (NH) estimates of prevalence of dementia, length of stay, and costs an understudied issue. Subjects were 2050 new admissions to 59 Maryland NHs, from 1992 to 1995 followed longitudinally for 2 years. Dementia was ascertained at admission from charts, Medicare claims, and expert panel. Overall 59.5% of the sample had some indicator of dementia. The expert panel found a higher prevalence of dementia (48.0%) than chart review (36.9%) or Medicare claims (38.6%). Dementia cases had lower relative average per patient monthly costs, but longer NH length of stay compared to nondementia cases across all methods. The prevalence of dementia varied widely by method of ascertainment, and there was only moderate agreement across methods. However, lower costs for dementia among NH admissions are a robust finding across these methods.
Final Project : A Simple , Memory-Efficient , Bayesian Part-of-Speech Tagger with constant time udpate

In this project we explore a Bayesian part-of-speech (POS) tagging technique with a focus on low memory profile and computational demands. We achieve this by representing our beliefs about a word and its corresponding part-of-speech as a probability density function (PDF) and a confidence value instead of a tag. By computing trigrams and bigrams as combinations of parts-of-speech instead of combinations of words, we reduce the memory requirement to the size of generating n-gram priors, and demonstrate a linear solution in the size of the vocabulary. By utilizing confidence metrics, we can achieve arbitrary accuracy by choosing to skip difficult words, and instead reducing search space for more sophisticated taggers by restricting possible options to a subset of possible tags in those cases.
Blocking GABAergic Inhibition Increases Sensitivity to Sound Motion Cues in the Inferior Colliculus

Responses of low-frequency neurons in the inferior colliculus (IC) of anesthetized guinea pigs were recorded to interaural phase modulation (IPM) before, during, and after iontophoresis of bicuculline, an antagonist to the inhibitory neurotransmitter GABA. Sensitivity to the direction of virtual motion resulting from IPM is an emergent property of neurons at the level of the IC. One model to account for this emergent sensitivity depends on GABAergic inhibition. Blocking GABAergic inhibition with bicuculline substantially increased neuronal discharge rates and increased the extent to which neurons were sensitive to the apparent-motion cues of IPM. The effect of GABA blockade is consistent with the hypothesis that sensitivity to the motion cues of IPM results from a process of adaptation-of-excitation whereby the magnitude of the recent response history influences subsequent neuronal responsiveness. These results indicate that GABAergic inhibition strongly influences the context-dependent processing of low-frequency binaural signals in the IC.
Habitual physical activity and estradiol levels in women of reproductive age

Variation in the risk of breast cancer observed among women and among populations may be explained by variation in lifetime exposure to estrogens. The suppressive effect of exercise on estradiol levels in women is well documented, but it is unknown whether habitual (i.e. typical daily) physical activity has a similar effect. Epidemiological data suggest that physical activity is one of the few modifiable factors capable of reducing the risk of breast cancer in women. We investigated whether variation in the amount of habitual activity corresponds to variation in estradiol levels in women of reproductive age. One hundred and thirty-nine regularly menstruating women 24–37 years of age collected daily saliva samples for one complete menstrual cycle and kept a daily log of physical activity. Saliva samples were analyzed for concentration of estradiol. We observed a negative relationship between habitual physical activity and salivary levels of estradiol. Mean estradiol was 21.1 pmol/l in the low, 17.9 pmol/l in the moderate and 16.6 pmol/l in the high activity group (all pairwise differences were statistically significant at P<0.009). A strong association exists between physical activity and levels of estradiol among women of reproductive age. A modern lifestyle, characterized by reduced physical activity, may therefore contribute to a rise in the levels of estradiol produced during menstrual cycles and thus to higher cumulative lifetime exposure to estradiol, resulting in a higher risk of breast cancer.
A Multi-Resolution Approach for an Automated Fusion of Different Low-Cost 3D Sensors

The 3D acquisition of object structures has become a common technique in many fields of work, e.g., industrial quality management, cultural heritage or crime scene documentation. The requirements on the measuring devices are versatile, because spacious scenes have to be imaged with a high level of detail for selected objects. Thus, the used measuring systems are expensive and require an experienced operator. With the rise of low-cost 3D imaging systems, their integration into the digital documentation process is possible. However, common low-cost sensors have the limitation of a trade-off between range and accuracy, providing either a low resolution of single objects or a limited imaging field. Therefore, the use of multiple sensors is desirable. We show the combined use of two low-cost sensors, the Microsoft Kinect and the David laserscanning system, to achieve low-resolved scans of the whole scene and a high level of detail for selected objects, respectively. Afterwards, the high-resolved David objects are automatically assigned to their corresponding Kinect object by the use of surface feature histograms and SVM-classification. The corresponding objects are fitted using an ICP-implementation to produce a multi-resolution map. The applicability is shown for a fictional crime scene and the reconstruction of a ballistic trajectory.
Cellular Automata for 3D Morphing of Volume Data

Morphing involves the smooth transformation of one model, called the source to another, called the target. Several methods have been employed in this field both for two and three dimensional morphing. This paper performs morphing through the usage of cellular automata. The goal was to develop morphing algorithms that would minimize the need for both the user input and correspondence specification between source and the target. Two algorithms, the bacterial growth model and the core increment model have been designed and implemented in C++. Both algorithms utilize simple automata rules and are stable over dissimilar data. Results are presented that display the efficiency of the approach.
Distinguishing between Expressed and Experienced Conflict in Groups

The freedom to express differences in a group without sanction from others is essential for group learning. Such differences typically manifest during group interactions as expressed conflict, which stimulates debate and idea generation that enhance group performance on complex tasks. However, high levels of expressed conflict can hinder group effectiveness because members' information processing capabilities are overwhelmed by their experience of conflict. Many individuals experience negative emotions as a result of personalizing expressed conflict. These negative emotions may be particularly pronounced in groups where expressed conflict is based on relationship, as well as, task and process issues. The literature on conflict in groups has not given much attention to the distinction between expressed and experienced conflict. Rather, scholars have focused on exploring the distinctions between and the effects of task, process, and relationship conflict in groups, with an exclusive emphasis on measuring these types of conflict. We believe an investigation of the distinction between expressed and experienced conflict, as well as the nuances in how individuals respond to them, is needed to enhance our collective understanding of conflict in groups. Therefore, we will present a set of theoretical propositions and qualitative interview data to further explore this topic.
Cyclin B2 undergoes cell cycle-dependent nuclear translocation and, when expressed as a non-destructible mutant, causes mitotic arrest in HeLa cells

Cyclin proteins form complexes with members of the p34cdc2 kinase family and they are essential components of the cell cycle regulatory machinery. They are thought to determine the timing of activation, the subcellular distribution, and/or the substrate specificity of cdc2- related kinases, but their precise mode of action remains to be elucidated. Here we report the cloning and sequencing of avian cyclin B2. Based on the use of monospecific antibodies raised against bacterially expressed protein, we also describe the subcellular distribution of cyclin B2 in chick embryo fibroblasts and in DU249 hepatoma cells. By indirect immunofluorescence microscopy we show that cyclin B2 is cytoplasmic during interphase of the cell cycle, but undergoes an abrupt translocation to the cell nucleus at the onset of mitotic prophase. Finally, we have examined the phenotypic consequences of expressing wild-type and mutated versions of avian cyclin B2 in HeLa cells. We found that expression of cyclin B2 carrying a mutation at arginine 32 (to serine) caused HeLa cells to arrest in a pseudomitotic state. Many of the arrested cells displayed multiple mitotic spindles, suggesting that the centrosome cycle had continued in spite of the cell cycle arrest.
The developmental origin of primordial germ cells and the transmission of the donor‐derived gametes in mixed‐sex germline chimeras to the offspring in the chicken

A novel system has been developed to determine the origin and development of primordial germ cells (PGCs) in avian embryos directly. Approximately 700 cells were removed from the center of the area pellucida, the outer of the area pellucida, and the area opaca of the stage X blastoderm (Eyal‐Giladi and Kochav, 1976; Dev Biol 49:321–337). When the cells were removed from the center of the area pellucida, the mean number of circulating PGCs per 1 μl of blood was significantly decreased to 13 (P < 0.05) in the embryo at stage 15 (Hamburger and Hamilton, 1951: J Morphol 88:49–92) as compared to intact embryos of 51. When the removed recipient cells from the center of the area pellucida were replenished with 500 donor cells, no reduction in the PGC number was observed. The removal of cells from the outer of area pellucida or from the area opaca had no effect on the number of PGCs. When another set of the manipulated embryos were cultured ex vivo to hatching and reared to sexual maturity, the absence of germ cells and the degeneration of seminiferous tubules were observed in resulting chickens derived from the blastoderm from which the cells were removed from the center of the area pellucida.
The Making of Synaptic Ribbons: How They Are Built and What They Do

Ribbon synapses in the retina and inner ear maintain tonic neurotransmitter release at high rates to transduce a broad bandwidth of stimulus intensities. In ribbon synapses, synaptic vesicles can be released by a slow, sustained mode and by fast, synchronous mechanisms. The high release rates require structural and functional specializations. The synaptic ribbon is the key structural specialization of ribbon synapses. Synaptic ribbons are large, electron-dense structures that immobilize numerous synaptic vesicles next to presynaptic release sites. A main component of synaptic ribbons is the protein RIBEYE that has the capability to build the scaffold of the synaptic ribbon via multiple RIBEYE-RIBEYE interactions. A modular assembly model of synaptic ribbons has been proposed in which synaptic ribbons are formed from individual RIBEYE subunits. The scaffold of the synaptic ribbon provides a docking site for RIBEYE-associated proteins that could execute specific synaptic ribbon functions. Multiple functions have been assigned to synaptic ribbons including roles in exocytosis, endocytosis, and synaptic membrane trafficking. Recent studies demonstrated the importance of synaptic ribbons for fast, synchronous release and emphasized the need of a tight and efficient coupling between presynaptic Ca2+ signaling and exocytosis. The present review summarizes recent advances on structure and function of synaptic ribbons.
Proteus - a model for clinical protocols created from knowledge components

Describes a model, called Proteus, for clinical protocols created with clinical knowledge represented as components. By applying the principles of distributed computing, the knowledge can be managed by experts at other locations while it is available to the clinicians as executable elements for decision support. Editability in the hands of users is essential for the success of any decision support system. A component approach for knowledge, along with a notation system for representing the components, allows editability of the protocols by the users. The knowledge components (KCs) also serve as components for an electronic medical record (EMR). Since the KCs represent activities within the clinical process, they provide easy ways to link components of other clinical or non-clinical processes that are associated or dependent. This provides for extensibility and allows conceiving of integrated information systems that can deal with diverse aspects of healthcare in the Proteus approach.
Role of cytokines in the pathogenesis of posterior capsule opacification

Posterior capsular opacification (PCO) is the most common complication of cataract surgery, occurring in up to 50% of cases,1 and a recent clinical survey suggested that the incidence is not declining in spite of improvements in surgical technique.2 At present PCO is treated by YAG capsulotomy, which carries a small risk of sight threatening complications such as cystoid macular oedema or retinal detachment and is expensive, costing the US Medicare programme $250 million in 1993.3 YAG laser capsulotomy is frequently not available in underdeveloped countries, adding considerably to the problems of treating third world blindness from cataract. The clinical and economic significance of PCO makes it an important public health problem, and in order to prevent it a clear understanding of the pathogenesis is needed. Cataract surgery induces a wound healing response in the lens with cellular proliferation and laying down of extracellular matrix (ECM). PCO results from the proliferation of lens epithelial cells (LEC) remaining in the capsular bag after any type of extracapsular cataract extraction.1 Visual loss occurs as a result of centripetal migration of LECs associated with fibrosis and wrinkling of the posterior capsule. Histology has shown that there are two areas within the capsular bag where cellular activity leads to the formation of PCO4—the cuboidal anterior epithelial cells and the equatorial lens bow cells, which are both derived embryologically from ectoderm at 8 weeks' gestation. Clinically there are two morphological types of PCO—wrinkling and haze from fibrosis on the capsule and epithelial pearls from regeneration of lens fibres. McDonnell and co-authors,5 6 have shown that the anterior epithelial cells in both rabbits and humans initially undergo hyperplasia and, by 4 days after surgery, transform into spindle-shaped myofibroblast cells. This process starts at the cut edge of the anterior capsule …
Achieving the Welch bound with difference sets [optimal complex codebook design applications]

Consider a codebook containing N unit-norm complex vectors in a K-dimensional space. In a number of applications, the codebook that minimizes the maximal cross-correlation amplitude (I/sub max/) is often desirable. Relying on tools from combinatorial design theory, we construct analytically optimal codebooks meeting, in certain cases, Welch's lower bound. When analytical constructions are not available, we develop an efficient numerical search method based on Lloyd's algorithm, which leads to considerable improvement on the achieved I/sub max/ over existing alternatives. We also derive a composite lower bound on the minimum achievable I/sub max/ that is effective for any N.
Vox populi - zur Herausforderung der Bildungspolitik durch die halbdirekte Demokratie

Volksabstimmungen schaffen grostmogliche Offentlichkeit in der Bildungspolitik, weil die stimmberechtigte Bevolkerung uber die Abstimmungsvorlagen informiert werden muss und weil im Vorfeld von Volksabstimmungen ein offentlicher Diskurs uber die Vorlagen stattfindet. Der Beitrag weist auf die Tradition der halbdirekten Demokratie in der Schweiz hin und zeigt im Sinne einer Heuristik an drei Fallbeispielen die bildungspolitischen Themen, die zur Abstimmung gelangten und die Resultate der Abstimmungen auf. Vor diesem Hintergrund werden im letzten Teil einige allgemeine Entwicklungstrends herausgearbeitet und Forschungsdesiderata formuliert. (DIPF/Orig.) Referenda create the greatest possible publicity in educational policy because the populace eligible to vote has to be informed about the proposals submitted and because a public debate on the proposals is carried out in the run-up to a referendum. The author refers to the tradition of semi-direct democracy in Switzerland and, for the purpose of a heuristic approach, draws on three case studies in order to illustrate the educational-political issues on which a referendum was held as well as the results of these referenda. Against this background, some general development trends are outlined and research desiderata are formulated. (DIPF/Orig.)
A Framework for Keeping Students in School

Keeping students in school is a major concern today for educators, parents, and politicians. It is not a new problem. Although much has been written about why students drop out, few preventive measures have been successful. A review of selected studies and our own study in Edmonton of early school leavers suggested that preventive measures that are most effective must consider four factors: (a) community-school relationships, (b) restructuring of the school program, (c) changing the school climate, and (d) changes in procedures for evaluating student performance. Specific interventions relevant to the four-factor model are presented and discussed.
Informationsbedingte Veränderungen elterlicher Einstellungen zu Berichtszeugnissen: eine experimentelle Studie

Im Rahmen einer empirischen Studie wurde der Versuch unternommen, elterliche Einstellungen zu Berichtszeugnissen durch die Lekture von Informationsblattern zu beeinflussen. Insgesamt 160 Eltern von Erstklasslern lasen Informationen, die entweder die padagogische Funktion oder die Berichtsfunktion von Berichtszeugnissen betonten. Dabei zeigte sich, dass Eltern, die Berichtszeugnissen kritisch gegenuber stehen, positivere Einstellungen gewinnen, wenn sie uber die Berichtsfunktion von verbalen Leistungsbeurteilungen informiert werden. (ZPID)
Interrelationship-Based Selection for Decomposition Multiobjective Optimization

Multiobjective evolutionary algorithm based on decomposition (MOEA/D), which bridges the traditional optimization techniques and population-based methods, has become an increasingly popular framework for evolutionary multiobjective optimization. It decomposes a multiobjective optimization problem (MOP) into a number of optimization subproblems. Each subproblem is handled by an agent in a collaborative manner. The selection of MOEA/D is a process of choosing solutions by agents. In particular, each agent has two requirements on its selected solution: one is the convergence toward the efficient front, the other is the distinction with the other agents' choices. This paper suggests addressing these two requirements by defining mutual-preferences between subproblems and solutions. Afterwards, a simple yet effective method is proposed to build an interrelationship between subproblems and solutions, based on their mutual-preferences. At each generation, this interrelationship is used as a guideline to select the elite solutions to survive as the next parents. By considering the mutual-preferences between subproblems and solutions (i.e., the two requirements of each agent), the selection operator is able to balance the convergence and diversity of the search process. Comprehensive experiments are conducted on several MOP test instances with complicated Pareto sets. Empirical results demonstrate the effectiveness and competitiveness of our proposed algorithm.