Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A path planning approach via task-objective pose selection with application to an inchworm-inspired climbing robot

This paper presents a stepping path planning approach for a climbing robot inspired kinematically from an inchworm caterpillar's looping locomotion. This approach generates an optimised multi-step path to traverse through space and to land a specific footpad onto a selected point on a surface with a specific footpad orientation. The candidate landing joint configuration for each step is generated by a pose selection process, using an optimisation technique with task-objective functions based on the constraints of the robot. Then another technique is used to obtain a new set of poses satisfying strict constraints of the landing motion. The set of candidate landing poses is used to compute the subsequent steps. A valid motion trajectory, which avoids all obstacles, can be generated by a point-to-point planner for each of the landing poses from the current pose. This single step planning technique is then expanded to multi-step path planning by building a search tree, where a combination of steps is evaluated and optimised by a cost function, which includes objectives related to robot movement. This approach is implemented and validated on the climbing robot in real-world steel bridge environments. The planner successfully finds multi-step paths in these field trials enabling the robot to traverse through several complex structures inside the bridge steel box girders.
Observation of Radiation Pressure Shot Noise on a Macroscopic Object

Macroscopic Uncertainty According to the Heisenberg uncertainty principle, it is impossible to know both the position and the momentum of a microscopic particle with absolute certainty; pinpointing the location introduces an uncertainty in the velocity, which translates into position uncertainty at later times. Now, Purdy et al. (p. 801; see the Perspective by Milburn) have measured the position of a macroscopic object (a small, but visible-to-the-naked-eye membrane suspended in an optical cavity) at cryogenic temperatures and observed the uncertainty in its position caused by the recoiling photons used for the measurement. A light, visible-to-the-naked-eye membrane is observed to fluctuate in step with the photons used to measure its position. [Also see Perspective by Milburn] The quantum mechanics of position measurement of a macroscopic object is typically inaccessible because of strong coupling to the environment and classical noise. In this work, we monitor a mechanical resonator subject to an increasingly strong continuous position measurement and observe a quantum mechanical back-action force that rises in accordance with the Heisenberg uncertainty limit. For our optically based position measurements, the back-action takes the form of a fluctuating radiation pressure from the Poisson-distributed photons in the coherent measurement field, termed radiation pressure shot noise. We demonstrate a back-action force that is comparable in magnitude to the thermal forces in our system. Additionally, we observe a temporal correlation between fluctuations in the radiation force and in the position of the resonator.
A WIDEBAND HIGH-GAIN STACKED CYLINDRICAL DIELECTRIC RESONATOR ANTENNA

A new wideband and high-gain dielectric resonator antenna (DRA) is proposed. Three cylindrical dielectric resonators (DRs) with difierent materials and difierent sizes and a metallic cylinder are designed to obtain a wideband bandwidth and a high gain. The stacked structure provides a wideband bandwidth, and the cavity formed by the metallic cylinder provides a high gain. The measured results demonstrate that the proposed DRA has a wide bandwidth from 5.4 to 7.0GHz with VSWR less than two and a gain around 11dBi, covering the frequency range of 26%. The experimental and numerical results are discussed and compared with each other, showing a good agreement between them.
HIS-OwlSpeak: A Model-Driven Dialogue Manager with Multiple Control Modes

In this paper, we present HIS-OwlSpeak, a model-driven dialogue manager for Intelligent Environments. It aims at providing a unified platform offering different modes of dialogue control, i.e., rule-based and probabilistic. For this, the Hidden Information State (HIS) approach is applied to an already published, solely rule-based version of OwlSpeak, which uses ontologies to specify the dialogue and separates the specification from the dialogue control. Consequently, the changes to OwlSpeak necessary for applying the HIS approach are presented in detail. Furthermore, a system test has been performed for a simple dialogue in the flight booking domain successfully validating the implementation.
Relationships between Traumatic Symptoms and Environmental Damage Conditions among Children 8 Months after the 2011 Japan Earthquake and Tsunami

Background To evaluate relationships between traumatic symptoms and environmental damage conditions among children who survived the 2011 Great East Japan Earthquake and Tsunami. Methods The subjects were 12,524 children in kindergartens, elementary schools, and junior high schools in Ishinomaki City, Miyagi Prefecture, Japan. The Post Traumatic Stress Symptoms for Children 15 items (PTSSC-15), a self-completion questionnaire on traumatic symptoms, was distributed to the children and a questionnaire regarding environmental damage conditions affecting the children was distributed to their teachers. Of 12,524 questionnaires distributed, an effective response was obtained from 11,692 (93.3%). Results The PTSSC-15 score was significantly higher in females than in males among 4th to 6th grade students in elementary schools and among junior high school students. In terms of traumatic symptoms and environmental damage conditions, with the exception of kindergartners, children who had their houses damaged or experienced separation from family members had a significantly higher PTSSC-15 score than children who did not experience environmental damage. Except for kindergartners and 4th- to 6th-grade elementary school students, children who experienced evacuation had a significantly higher PTSSC-15 score. Conclusions This study demonstrated relationships between traumatic symptoms and environmental damage conditions in children who had suffered from the disaster. Factors examined in studying the relationship between environmental damage conditions and traumatic symptoms were gender, age, house damage, evacuation experience, and bereavement experience. It was critical not only to examine the traumatic symptoms of the children but also to collect accurate information about environmental damage conditions.
Musical echolalia and non-verbal children with autism

Typical imitation skills that are integral to language and social learning do not readily develop in children with autism. Echolalia, an echoing or imitation of speech sounds, has historically been considered a non-meaningful form verbal imitation. Since music is intrinsically more meaningful than language for children with autism, musical echolalia may offer path to communication for non-verbal children with autism. This research study sought to identify a potential existence of musical echolalia among nonverbal children with autism. Twelve non-verbal children diagnosed with classic autism, six boys and six girls, aged four to eight, who had no formal musical training or music therapy experience participated in this study. Participants took part in a single, one-onone, videotaped music therapy session. For this study the term musical echolalia was defined as the demonstration of the immediate, relative, imitation of a pitch, melody or, rhythm sequence of a musical phrase performed through vocal, instrumental, or physical expression. Non-musical utterances or noises such as echoic or imitative speech sounds and unrelated motor movements were not included in this study as musical echolalia. Each child’s immediate imitation of discrete musical elements was deemed musical echolalia; thus, elements of pitch, rhythm, voice, musical instrument, and physical expression were included in this study. Based on these criteria seven different sub-types of musical echolalia were identified. Inferential statistics and single factor ANOVA were used to compare the frequency of musical stimuli and musical echolalia, the social responses that occurred after musical echolalia, and the potential associations across gender and age. A statistically significant difference was found for the musical echolalia type RIO (rhythm with a musical instrument) when compared to the frequencies for the
Driver identification and driver's emotion verification using KDE and MLP neural networks

A Driver's behavior is a major factor that contributes to the high accidents rates. However, if we are able to identify their behavior, it may be possible for us to detect driving idiosyncrasies that may prevent accidents. Therefore, this paper presents some simple and effective methods for an in-car data acquisition in collecting real time driving data. The data has been classified into three different driver's condition which leads into accident. They are happy expression, talking on the phone and normal driving. These data will be used to investigate the effectiveness of a driver's behavior which focusing on the driver's response towards the brake and gas pedals as well as its rate of change. From these data we will demonstrate simple yet effective technique in driver identification and driver verification. We use the kernel density estimation (KDE) as tools to extract features. Then, we use these features to recognize the emotion of the driver by using multi layer perceptron (MLP) as classifiers. The enhancement of driver's security, safety and comfort driving can be derived trough the performances of the driver's emotion verification which contribute to the development in the area of intelligent vehicle driver verification system.
Endotoxin-neutralizing properties of the 25 kD N-terminal fragment and a newly isolated 30 kD C-terminal fragment of the 55-60 kD bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein of human neutrophils

The bactericidal/permeability-increasing protein (BPI) of polymorphonuclear leukocytes (PMN) is a potent cytotoxin, specific for Gram-negative bacteria, that also inhibits endotoxin activity by neutralizing isolated bacterial lipopolysaccharides (LPS). We have previously shown that an isolated 25 kD N-terminal fragment of human BPI carries all the antibacterial activities of the parent 55-60 kD molecule. In this study we have compared the LPS-neutralizing activities of human holo-BPI, the N-terminal fragment and a 30 kD C- terminal fragment that we have now isolated. We show that the N- terminal fragment also has LPS-neutralizing activity as detected by inhibition (up to 95%) of (a) activation by LPS of procoagulant proteases in Limulus amebocyte lysates, (b) LPS "priming" of PMN, and (c) LPS-mediated production of tumor necrosis factor in whole human blood. Holo-BPI and the 25 kD fragment have similar neutralizing potency (in nanomolar range) in all assays toward "smooth" LPS from Escherichia coli O111:B4 and O55:B5 (possessing long chain polysaccharide or O-antigen), and "deep rough" LPS from Salmonella minnesota Re595 mutant (possessing no O-antigen). The C-terminal fragment of BPI is devoid of antibacterial activity when tested against BPI-sensitive E. coli J5, but does have endotoxin-neutralizing activity. This activity is weak relative to holo-BPI and the 25 kD N- terminal fragment in the Limulus and PMN-priming assay, but is comparable for inhibition of TNF production in whole blood. We conclude that the principal determinants for LPS recognition and neutralization, like those for antibacterial action, reside in the N-terminal half of the BPI molecule, but that sites within the C-terminal half can also contribute to BPI-LPS interaction once LPS is detached from the bacterial envelope.
Intraseptal procaine abolishes hypothalamic stimulation-induced wheel- running and hippocampal theta field activity in rats

Rats were implanted chronically with hippocampal recording electrodes, a microinfusion guide cannula aimed at the medial septal nucleus, and an electrode for electrical stimulation of the posterior hypothalamic nucleus (PH). PH stimulation elicited running in rats placed in a wheel and simultaneously occurring hippocampal theta field activity (HPC- theta). In the preprocaine (PRE) testing condition, a positive linear relationship was demonstrated among the intensity of electrical stimulation of the PH, wheel-running speed, and the peak frequency of HPC-theta. HPC-theta amplitude reached an asymptote at the lowest levels of electrical stimulation of the PH. Procaine hydrochloride (1.5 microliters, 20% solution), a local anesthetic, was then infused into the medial septal nucleus (MS). Five minutes after the infusion, PH stimulation no longer induced wheel-running behavior or HPC-theta, and the remaining irregular field activity was significantly reduced in amplitude. Fifteen minutes after the procaine infusion, PH stimulation still did not elicit HPC-theta or running behavior in the majority of animals but did evoke large-amplitude sharp-waves. Thirty minutes after the procaine infusion, PH stimulation again elicited HPC-theta and running behavior, but HPC-theta peak frequency and running speeds were both significantly reduced compared with PRE values. Forty-five minutes after the infusion, HPC-theta amplitude had recovered to PRE values, but HPC-theta frequency and running speeds elicited by PH stimulation were still significantly reduced. By 60 min after procaine administration, the amplitude and frequency of HPC-theta and the running speeds elicited by PH stimulation recovered to PRE values. Multiple regression analysis revealed that the recovery pattern of running behavior reflected the frequency rather than the amplitude of HPC-theta. Neither saline control infusions into the MS nor procaine infusions into the lateral septum and paraventricular thalamic nucleus affected HPC-theta or running behavior. These findings are consistent with the notion that both the locomotor activity and “movement-related” HPC-theta frequency induced by electrically stimulating the PH were attributable to ascending activation of a hypothalamo-septal pathway and not to activation of descending brainstem or peripheral motor systems.
Chromosomal translocations cause deregulated BCL6 expression by promoter substitution in B cell lymphoma.

The BCL6 gene codes for a zinc‐finger transcription factor and is involved in chromosomal rearrangements in 30–40% of diffuse large‐cell lymphoma (DLCL). These rearrangements cluster within the 5′ regulatory region of BCL6 spanning its first non‐coding exon. To determine the functional consequences of these alterations, we have analyzed the structure of the rearranged BCL6 alleles and their corresponding RNA and protein species in two DLCL biopsies and one tumor cell line which carried the t(3;14)(q27;q32) translocation involving the BCL6 and immunoglobulin heavy‐chain (IgH) loci. In all three cases, the breakpoints were mapped within the IgH switch region and the BCL6 first intron, leading to the juxtaposition of part of the IgH locus upstream and in the same transcriptional orientation to the BCL6 coding exons. An analysis of cDNA clones showed that these recombinations generate chimeric IgH‐BCL6 transcripts which initiated from IgH germline transcript promoters (I mu or I gamma 3), but retain a normal BCL6 coding domain. In the tumor cell line, the chimeric I gamma 3‐BCL6 allele, but not the germline BCL6 gene, was transcriptionally active and produced a normal BCL6 protein. These findings indicate that t(3;14) translocations alter BCL6 expression by promoter substitution and imply that the consequence of these alterations is the deregulated expression of a normal BCL6 protein.
Multi-stages helical gearbox fault detection using vibration signal and Morlet wavelet transform adapted by information entropy difference

Although the wavelet analysis is a powerful tool and has been widely used for the vibration signal based gearbox fault diagnosis, there are some limitations that undermine its application. The results of the wavelet transform do not possess time invariant property, which may result in the loss of useful information and decrease the accuracy of fault diagnosis. Other limitations in wavelet transform are the selection of the suitable threshold and the wavelet function. A main challenge of wavelet analysis is the adaptability of the parameters of the mother wavelet to the time variance of the given signal. To overcome this deficiency, an adaptive Morlet wavelet transform method based on the information entropy optimization is proposed in this study. The proposed wavelet transform method is applied for analyzing the vibration signals to detect and diagnose the faults of a helical gearbox. A comparative study which used the kurtosis maximization to adapt the wavelet parameters are also carried out to evaluate the proposed method.
Nonvolatile main memory aware garbage collection in high-level language virtual machine

Non-volatile memories (NVMs) such as Phase Change Memory (PCM) have been considered as promising candidates of next generation main memory for embedded systems due to their attractive features. These features include low power, high density, and better scalability. However, most existing NVMs suffer from two drawbacks, namely, limited write endurance and expensive write operation in terms of both time and energy. These problems are worsen when modern high-level languages employ virtual machine with garbage collector that generates a large amount of extra writes on non-volatile main memory. To tackle this challenge, this paper proposes three techniques: Living Objects Remapping (LORE), Dead Object Stamping (DOS), and Smart Wiping with Maximum Likelihood Estimation (SMILE) to reduce the unnecessary writes when garbage collector handles objects. The experimental results show that the proposed techniques not only significantly reduce the writes during each garbage collection cycle but also greatly improve the performance of virtual machine.
Image gray-level enhancement using Black Hole algorithm

Image enhancement methods are known among the most important image processing techniques. Here, image enhancement is considered as an optimization problem and a new heuristic optimization algorithm namely the Black Hole is used to solve it. Image enhancement is a nonlinear optimization problem with its particular constraints and the enhancement process will be done by intensifying each pixel's content. In this paper, BH is employed to find the image's optimum parameters of the transfer function in order to get the best results. BH is used here for its simplicity, ease of implementation, and also its invincibility against the parameter tuning issues. Performance of the proposed enhancement algorithm is tested against some of the well-known enhancement techniques viz. GA, PSO, HE and CS, and the obtained results indicate the robustness and also the outperformance of the proposed algorithm among its other counterparts. Enhancement in opaque images consisting of immense dominant gray values can be listed as one of the proposed method's superiority to that of the other available in literature, which will turn the input image into an enhanced image, featuring embossed textures.
A New Conjecture Extends the GM Law for Percolation Thresholds to Dynamical Situations

The universal law for percolation thresholds proposed by Galam and Mauger (GM) is found to apply also to dynamical situations. This law depends solely on two variables, the space dimension d and a coordinance number q. For regular lattices, q reduces to the usual coordination number while for anisotropic lattices it is an effective coordination number. For dynamical percolation we conjecture that the law is still valid if we use the number q2 of second nearest neighbors instead of q. This conjecture is checked for the dynamic epidemic model which considers the percolation phenomenon in a mobile disordered system. The agreement is good.
Population structure of the malaria vector Anopheles funestus in Senegal based on microsatellite and cytogenetic data

The study of chromosomal inversions distribution within natural Anopheles funestus populations from West Africa revealed high levels of genetic structuring. In Burkina Faso, this was interpreted as evidence for incipient speciation, and two chromosomal forms were described, namely ‘Folonzo’ and ‘Kiribina’. Assignation of field collected specimens to one chromosomal form depends upon application of an algorithm based on chromosomal inversions. We assessed relevance and applicability of this algorithm on An. funestus populations from Senegal, where both forms occur. Furthermore, we estimated the level of genetic differentiation between populations using microsatellite loci spread over the whole genome. Significant genetic differentiation was revealed between geographical populations of An. funestus, and the pattern observed suggested isolation by distance. Chromosomal heterogeneity was not detected by microsatellite markers. Thus, although incipient speciation could not be ruled out by our data, our results suggest that differential environmental selection pressure acting on inversions should be considered a major factor in shaping their distribution in wild An. funestus populations.
Re-Culturing Beliefs in Technology: Enriched Classrooms

Drawing on the empirical data from two longitudinal studies, the chapter describes the evolution of teachers’ educational beliefs and their actual classroom practices when using ICT in the schools. It also identifies three different classroom cultures with differing assumptions and practices concerning teach - ing, learning, and technology use. Highlighting the fact that teachers’ beliefs are shaped by everyday classroom and school experiences, and using teachers’ statements, metaphors and observations, the chapter shows changes occurring in the beliefs and classroom practices of several teachers. It shows that following several years of ICT use teachers changed their educational lenses, demonstrating mul - tiple views rather than pure beliefs. Finally it demonstrates that the enculturation of teachers into ICT-enriched classrooms is influenced not just by the technology used, but also by the richness of the overall learning environment with its emphasis on non-structured tasks and rich technology-based resources, and by their exposure to new educational vistas.