Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kinesthetic haptics integration into large-scale virtual environments

In this paper we investigate the hardware and software challenges to integrate kinesthetic haptic force feedback into large-scale (i.e. human-sized or larger) virtual environments (VE). Based on a literature survey of current haptic interface technologies, we introduce a qualitative schema for the evaluation of large-scale haptic immersion of various haptic display types suitable to be used within such large VEs. The other focus of our research concentrates on the elaboration of a distributed software architecture for an adaptable and extendable framework for VE haptics integration. In particular we describe a specific haptics-server prototype implementation integrated into a three wall passive stereo CAVE system currently being built at the Fraunhofer IPA institute in Stuttgart.
Topic Hypergraph Hashing for Mobile Image Retrieval

Hashing is one of the promising solutions to support efficient Mobile Image Retrieval (MIR). However, most of existing hashing strategies simply rely on low-level features, which inevitably makes the generated hashing codes less semantic. Moreover, many of them fail to exploit complex and high-order semantic correlations of images. Motivated by these observations, we propose a novel unsupervised hashing scheme, \emph{Topic Hypergraph Hashing} (THH), to address the limitations. A unified topic hypergraph, where images and topics are represented with independent vertices and hyperedges respectively, is first constructed to model latent semantics of images and their correlations. With topic hypergraph model, hashing codes and functions are then learned by simultaneously preserving similarity consistence and semantic correlation. Experiments on standard datasets demonstrate that THH can achieve superior performance compared with several state-of-the-art techniques, and it is more suitable for MIR.
Power system stabilizer based on a self-learning adaptive network fuzzy inference system

Application of a self-learning adaptive network-based fuzzy inference system as a power system stabilizer (PSS) is described in this paper. A multilayer adaptive network is employed to design the fuzzy logic controller with self-learning capability that does not require another controller to tune the fuzzy inference rules and membership functions. Details of the design process are given. Behaviour of the proposed PSS, investigated under different operating conditions and disturbances in both simulation and real-time tests, illustrates its effectiveness in providing enhanced damping of the power system oscillations.
3q26 Amplification and Polysomy of Chromosome 3 in Squamous Cell Lesions of the Lung: A Fluorescence In situ Hybridization Study

Purpose: An overlapping area of gain at 3q26 has been reported in lung squamous cell carcinoma (SCC), but whether this also occurs in preneoplastic/preinvasive squamous cell proliferations and early-stage invasive carcinomas of the lung is still unknown. Experimental Design: We evaluated the prevalence and the clinicopathologic implications of 3q26 amplification and polysomy of chromosome 3 in 31 preneoplastic/preinvasive squamous cell lesions of the bronchial mucosa and in 139 early-stage invasive pulmonary SCC, both of limited growth within the bronchial wall [early hilar SCC (EHSCC)] and involving the pulmonary parenchyma [parenchyma-infiltrating SCC (PISCC)]. Moreover, mRNA expression of two candidate genes (h-TERC and SKI-like), both mapping to the minimal common amplification region, was also studied by quantitative real-time reverse transcription-PCR. Results: 3q26 amplification and polysomy of chromosome 3 were confined to malignant samples, with 37% of invasive SCC, and 27% of severe dysplasias/in situ carcinomas showing these chromosomal abnormalities. Amplification (with minimal common amplification region at 3q26.2), polysomy 3, concurrent amplification and polysomy 3, or other changes (monosomy) were found in 25 SCC and 1 dysplasia, 24 and 2, 2 and 0, and 1 and 0, respectively. Amplification was significantly associated with EHSCC, polysomy 3 with PISCC. 3q26 amplification correlated with increased tumor diameter and a history of smoking, whereas polysomy 3 correlated with tumor diameter, pT class, and p53, p21, and fascin immunoreactivity. No relationship of either 3q26 gain or polysomy was found with patients' survival. Overexpression of h-TERC or SKI-like mRNA was found in 3q26-amplified or polysomic SCC, with higher levels of h-TERC in the former and of SKI-like in the latter. Conclusions: 3q26 amplification and chromosome 3 polysomy may be related to the development of invasive SCC, with differential distribution in tumor subsets, despite substantial histologic uniformity. Both h-TERC and SKI-like may be involved in tumor progression.
The Influence of Environmental Enrichment on Chinese Visitor Behavior

Welfare improvements for nonhuman animals should aim to satisfy the needs of visitors as well as those of the animals. Little research has been conducted, however, and existing work is confined to zoos in developed countries. This article reports the behavioral responses of Chinese visitors to environmental enrichment improvements in a zoo enclosure. Visit, viewing, and stopping behaviors significantly increased at the transformed exhibit, indicating that it provoked greater visitor interest. Furthermore, increased intragroup behaviors suggested that the exhibit probably motivated visitors to interact socially. The positive impact of the exhibit changes supports the enrichment efforts taking place in zoos around the world. The changes also provide encouragement for zoos in developing countries such as China because greater visitor interest provides a strong argument and an incentive for improving welfare standards.
Effects of monocyte purification and culture on integrin expression

Selective alterations in the surface expression of members of the LeuCAM (leukocyte cell adhesion molecule) family of integrins occur during in vitro culture of human monocytes. Such changes may relate in part to cellular maturation, but also to activation following purification and culture of monocytes. In this paper, we examined the effects of monocyte isolation, adherence during culture and endotoxin exposure on the expression of these molecules and the ligand for LFA‐1, ICAM‐1 (CD54). Expressions of CD11b, CD18 and CD54, but not CD11a or CD11c, were higher on monocytes freshly isolated by density gradient separation and plastic adherence as compared with cells labelled directly in whole blood. However, the surface expression of the LeuCAMs and CD54 on cultured monocytes was not affected by short‐term adherence to plastic for 2 h, as determined by comparisons of their expression on adherence‐isolated and elutriated monocytes. In contrast, prolonged adhesion of monocytes for up to 21 days in culture altered expression of CD11a without affecting that of the other LeuCAMs or CD54. Expression of CD11a decreased more rapidly on adherence‐maintained cells as compared with suspension‐cultured cells. Our results show that cellular manipulations required for in vitro studies of monocyte/macrophages may alter expression of the LeuCAMs.
Fondamenti di glottodidattica. Apprendere e insegnare le lingue oggi

Fondamenti Di Glottodidattica Apprendere E Insegnare Le fondamenti-di-glottodidatticaapprendere-e-insegnare-lelingue-oggi 3/16 Downloaded from lms.graduateschool. edu on October 24, 2021 by guest motivating students by making learning relevant to them. The book focuses on the importance of collaborative and cooperative learning and empathy in improving students’ learning experience online. While taking the
Being physically active may protect the brain from Alzheimer disease

Physical activity has been consistently associated with decreased risk for cognitive decline and dementia1 and its positive effects are evident both for Alzheimer disease (AD)2 and vascular dementia.3 In contrast to many other risk and protective factors for AD that have failed to show effectiveness when translated into clinical trials (e.g., vitamin E, statins),4 clinical trials investigating the effects of physical activity on cognitive outcomes have yielded mostly positive results,5 albeit with relatively small sample sizes. These effects are relevant for …
The Subversive Art Therapist: Embracing Cultural Diversity in the Art Room

This paper examines and compares assimilation and multiculturalism. Although we, as art therapists, might in theory be inclined to embrace multiculturalism over assimilation, when it comes to practice in our art rooms, we find difficulties. This paper will clarify some of these difficulties, the foundations of cultural conflict, so that we may better understand and begin dismantling the barriers which hinder our ability to embrace variety and differences in the art room. Finally, this paper makes the suggestion that we go beyond removing that which hinders us and actively use our very natures as artists to help us embrace diversity, that nature which understands the value of a variety of tools and mediums, the joy of mixing varied textures, colors, shades, and line quality in our work. This is the lesson to be found in every art room and it is within reach of everyone who enters that space.
A perceptual evaluation of distance measures for concatenative speech synthesis

In concatenative synthesis, new utterances are created by concatenating segments (units) of recorded speech. When the segments are extracted from a large speech corpus, a key issue is to select segments that will sound natural in a given phonetic context. Distance measures are often used for this task. However, little is known about the perceptual relevance of these measures. More insight into the relationship between computed distances and perceptual di(cid:11)erences is needed to develop accurate unit selection al- gorithms, and to improve the quality of the resulting com-puter speech. In this paper, we develop a perceptual test to measure subtle phonetic di(cid:11)erences between speech units. We use the perceptual data to evaluate several popular dis- tance measures. The results show that distance measures that use frequency warping perform better than those that do not, and minimal extra advantage is gained by using weighted distances or delta features.
The maintenance is the implementation OR Why people misunderstand IT systems

This short paper has been written more as a position paper intended to stimulate discussion than as a research or experience description paper. 1. The traditional scenario of mechanization Since the 18th century humankind has reassigned to machines jobs previously performed by human beings and animals, and this process is well understood. Assume you have to harvest a huge field or to assemble thousands of pieces or to execute billion of calculations. In the pre-industrial era you needed a lot of people and possibly the help of several animals. In the industrial era you buy a machine and use just a few specialized persons. The machine does the physical work, while the people drive it and supply the required cognitive processing. If there is a big stone in the field, a broken piece, a meaningless number, the person sees it, recognizes it, and avoids it. This applies to almost all industry mechanization. Machines are a substitute for physical effort by humans or animals. They need no capability to adapt to a changing environment, since persons driving them have this capability. They need no intelligence (in the human sense), since persons guiding them can supply theirs. Once you have mechanized and automated a task, more or less 80% of the job is done. It just remains a 20% maintenance job. This is the current view. 2. Computer-based mechanization and flexible/adaptive mechanization Then computers arrived, and humankind started to automatically solve a different kind of tasks by means of this new kind of machines. A computer is a machine automatically executing a "problem solving" task working on a suitable abstract representation of problem data and their relations. However, this time the problems to be solved, i.e. the tasks to be automated, are the ones where mainly human intelligence is required, and not so much strength or manual ability. But, on the other side, a computer just " shuffles symbols around " : each step in the execution of its problem solving 76 ECSS 2010
Endothelial Nitric Oxide Synthase Dimerization Is Regulated by Heat Shock Protein 90 Rather than by Phosphorylation

Endothelial nitric oxide synthase (eNOS) is a multifunctional enzyme with roles in diverse cellular processes including angiogenesis, tissue remodeling, and the maintenance of vascular tone. Monomeric and dimeric forms of eNOS exist in various tissues. The dimeric form of eNOS is considered the active form and the monomeric form is considered inactive. The activity of eNOS is also regulated by many other mechanisms, including amino acid phosphorylation and interactions with other proteins. However, the precise mechanisms regulating eNOS dimerization, phosphorylation, and activity remain incompletely characterized. We utilized purified eNOS and bovine aorta endothelial cells (BAECs) to investigate the mechanisms regulating eNOS degradation. Both eNOS monomer and dimer existed in purified bovine eNOS. Incubation of purified bovine eNOS with protein phosphatase 2A (PP2A) resulted in dephosphorylation at Serine 1179 (Ser1179) in both dimer and monomer and decrease in eNOS activity. However, the eNOS dimer∶monomer ratio was unchanged. Similarly, protein phosphatase 1 (PP1) induced dephosphorylation of eNOS at Threonine 497 (Thr497), without altering the eNOS dimer∶monomer ratio. Different from purified eNOS, in cultured BAECs eNOS existed predominantly as dimers. However, eNOS monomers accumulated following treatment with the proteasome inhibitor lactacystin. Additionally, treatment of BAECs with vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) resulted in phosphorylation of Ser1179 in eNOS dimers without altering the phosphorylation status of Thr497 in either form. Inhibition of heat shock protein 90 (Hsp90) or Hsp90 silencing destabilized eNOS dimers and was accompanied by dephosphorylation both of Ser1179 and Thr497. In conclusion, our study demonstrates that eNOS monomers, but not eNOS dimers, are degraded by ubiquitination. Additionally, the dimeric eNOS structure is the predominant condition for eNOS amino acid modification and activity regulation. Finally, destabilization of eNOS dimers not only results in eNOS degradation, but also causes changes in eNOS amino acid modifications that further affect eNOS activity.
A geometrical model for testing bilateral symmetry of bamboo leaf with a simplified Gielis equation

Abstract The size and shape of plant leaves change with growth, and an accurate description of leaf shape is crucial for describing plant morphogenesis and development. Bilateral symmetry, which has been widely observed but poorly examined, occurs in both dicot and monocot leaves, including all nominated bamboo species (approximately 1,300 species), of which at least 500 are found in China. Although there are apparent differences in leaf size among bamboo species due to genetic and environmental profiles, bamboo leaves have bilateral symmetry with parallel venation and appear similar across species. Here, we investigate whether the shape of bamboo leaves can be accurately described by a simplified Gielis equation, which consists of only two parameters (leaf length and shape) and produces a perfect bilateral shape. To test the applicability of this equation and the occurrence of bilateral symmetry, we first measured the leaf length of 42 bamboo species, examining >500 leaves per species. We then scanned 30 leaves per species that had approximately the same length as the median leaf length for that species. The leaf‐shape data from scanned profiles were fitted to the simplified Gielis equation. Results confirmed that the equation fits the leaf‐shape data extremely well, with the coefficients of determination being 0.995 on average. We further demonstrated the bilateral symmetry of bamboo leaves, with a clearly defined leaf‐shape parameter of all 42 bamboo species investigated ranging from 0.02 to 0.1. This results in a simple and reliable tool for precise determination of bamboo species, with applications in forestry, ecology, and taxonomy.
Polarized lepton pair forward-backward asymmetries in B→K*ℓ+ℓ− decay beyond the standard model

We study the polarized lepton pair forward-backward asymmetries in B→K*l+l− decay using a general, model independent form of the effective hamiltonian. We present the general expression for nine double-polarization forward-backward asymmetries. It is shown that, the study of the forward-backward asymmetries of the doubly-polarized lepton pair is a very useful tool for establishing new physics beyond the standard model.
Refactoring for Comprehension

Functional programming is well suited for equational reasoning on programs. In this paper, we are trying to use this capability for program comprehension purposes. Specifically, in a program understanding process, higher-order operators can work like abstract schemes in which we can fit formal specifications calculated from the source code. Such specifications are calculated by a transformational process which we call reverse program calculation that operates on both notations: pointwise and pointfree. Once a specification matches an abstract schema, a new refactoring phase leading to a clearer source code takes place. At the same time, an unambiguous behavioural understanding is reached because we give a mathematical description of the abstract schemes. To provide a more complete and realistic perspective of the approach, we use recursive operators that can handle side effects.
Getting a grip on processes that govern the world Presenting

Sometimes we are rudely awakened to this fact when a really catastrophic event happens such as an earthquake with unexpected strength at an unexpected location. That is the gist of non-traditional stochastic modeling: accounting for " unexpected events. " Although such events cannot be predicted, they can be modeled. measurement errors, leading to the binomial distribution and in the limit, the Gaussian distribution. Many random physical phenomena are indeed governed by such distributions, a lot of theory has been developed for them and they have invaded engineering ranging from the design of electronic amplifiers and telecommunication links to helicopter control via Kalman filtering. Somehow, and thanks to the famous (Lindeberg-L ´ evy) central limit theorem, there is a belief that when you have the sum of a large number of presumably small effects, you automatically get a near-Gaussian distribution and that therefore all stochastic disturbances in engineering can be meaningfully modeled by Gaussian models. The truth, however, is much more complex. Many natural and human-made probabilistic phenomena do not adhere to a Gaussian distribution. This is already pretty evident from the properties of the latter. It has a very pronounced average value; the distribution is symmetric around that value and tapers off exponentially. Three or four " sigmas " away (sigma is a number equal to the standard deviation of the random variable) and the probability that the process has such a value is virtually nil. Already early on in the development of probability theory, the famous French mathematician L ´ evy defined a continuous distribution function for a new class of positive random variables, characteristic of some physical effects in spectroscopy and deviating from the Gaussian case. That new distribution has then been found useful for the modeling of economic effects such as the return on shares in the stock market. Pareto drew the attention of the economic community to these so-called " power law probability distributions, " a class of distributions that are described by a power law and hence have a " fat tail, " leading to statements such as " 80% of world's wealth is in 20% of the hands. " It seems that many meaningful distributions obey such laws: e.g., size of islands, Internet traffic, 1/f noise, size of sand particles, you name it – reason enough to give these distributions a great deal of attention! Probability theorists generalized the distributions discovered by L ´ …
Shear Rate Dependent Inhibition of Platelet Adhesion and Aggregation on Collagenous Surfaces by Antibodies to Human Factor VIII/von Willebrand Factor

The effect of heterologous and homologous antibodies to factor VIII/von Willebrand factor (F.VIII/VWF) and purified VWF on the interaction of human platelets with subendothelium and with a surface consisting of collagen fibrils was investigated using annular flow chambers. Wall shear rates of 200–5200 s−1 were produced by varying the flow rate of the citrated blood which was circulated through these chambers by a pump. Surface coverage with platelets and with platelet aggregates was measured morphometrically. The antibodies had no effect on platelet adhesion at low shear rates. However, an increasing inhibition of adhesion was observed with increasing shear rates. The antibodies to F.VIII/VWF and to purified VWF virtually abolished adhesion at shear rates which are present in the microvasculature (1300–5200 s−1). By contrast, antibodies to factor VIII:C which were isolated from two patients with haemophilia A had no effect on adhesion. In addition antibodies to F.VIII/VWF and to purified VWF inhibited adhesion‐induced aggregation. We conclude that F.VIII/VWF plays an essential role as cofactor for platelet adhesion to subendothelium and collagen fibrils at high blood shear rates, i.e. when the time available for the establishment of a stable bond between platelets and collagenous surfaces is short.
Analysis of methanogenic archaeal communities of rumen fluid and rumen particles from Korean black goats.

Molecular diversity of methanogens in the rumen of Korean black goats was investigated with 16S rRNA gene clone libraries using methanogen-specific primers. The libraries were composed of rumen fluid-associated methanogens (FAM) and rumen particle-associated methanogens (PAM) from rumen-fistulated Korean black goats. Among the 141 clones of the FAM library, the sequences were mostly related to two phyla, the Methanobacteriaceae family (77.3%) and the Thermoplasmatales family (22.7%); and among the 68 clones of the PAM library, sequences were also mainly clustered in the two phyla, the Thermoplasmatales family (63.24%) and the Methanobacteriaceae family (35.29%). Most of the sequenced clones in the two libraries were closely related to uncultured methanogenic archaeon. Quantitative real-time PCR revealed that PAM (8.97 log 10) had significantly higher (P < 0.01) density of methanogens by the methanogenic 16S rRNA gene copies than FAM (7.57 log 10). The two clone libraries also showed difference in Shannon index (FAM library 1.70 and PAM library 1.59) and Chao 1 estimator (FAM library 18 and PAM library 17 operational taxonomic units). Apparent differences found in the microbial community from the two 16S rRNA gene libraries could be a result of such factors as the chemical and physical nature of the target material surface, types or component of diets, the interaction between the methanogens and other microbes, and age of the experimental goats.