Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ontological physics-based motion planning for manipulation

Robotic manipulation involves actions where contacts occur between the robot and the objects. In this scope, the availability of physics-based engines allows motion planners to comprise dynamics between rigid bodies, which is necessary for planning this type of actions. However, physics-based motion planning is computationally intensive due to the high dimensionality of the state space and the need to work with a low integration step to find accurate solutions. On the other hand, manipulation actions change the environment and conditions further actions and motions. To cope with this issue, the representation of manipulation actions using ontologies enables a semantic-based inference processe that alleviates the computational cost of motion planning. This paper proposes a manipulation planning framework where physics-based motion planning is enhanced with ontological knowledge representation and reasoning. The proposal has been implemented and is illustrated and validated with a simple example. Its use in grasping tasks in cluttered environments is currently under development.
Usefulness of DNA viral load quantification for cytomegalovirus disease monitoring in renal and pancreas/renal transplant recipients.

BACKGROUND The purpose of this prospective study was to evaluate the usefulness of quantifying DNA-cytomegalovirus (CMV) load for the diagnosis and monitoring of CMV disease among renal and pancreas transplant patients under immunosuppressive drugs. METHODS A longitudinal study was conducted among 34 consecutive, unselected renal and pancreas/renal transplanted patients in our unit. During the first 3 posttransplant months, weekly monitoring of CMV infection and CMV disease was done, involving the determination of viremia by the shell vial assay, qualitative DNAemia by semi-nested polymerase chain reaction (PCR) and quantitative DNAemia by the hybrid capture system (HCS), a new and original hybridization method (337 samples were collected for each test). Qualitative and quantitative DNAemia results were blinded to physicians and three grades of disease were defined according to CMV related symptom occurrence. RESULTS PCR was the most sensitive (100%) but the least specific (78%) method for the diagnosis of CMV disease. HCS was specific for CMV genome detection, sensitive and reproducible. Blood DNA levels above 60 pg/ml were predictive of severe or moderate CMV disease (sensitivity, 92%; specificity, 100%). A significant decrease in viral load was observed after ganciclovir administration, and a positive PCR or HCS result at the end of the antiviral treatment was associated with relapse of CMV infection or disease. CONCLUSIONS It is concluded that quantitative DNAemia detection, with this new commercially available method, can predict disease and may be useful for a rational evaluation of ganciclovir preemptive therapy in such patients.
Seriography‐Guided Reduction of Graphene Oxide Biopapers for Wearable Sensory Electronics

Novel nacre‐mimic bio‐nanocomposites, such as graphene‐based laminates, are pushing the boundaries of strength and toughness as flexible engineering materials. Translating these material advances to functional flexible electronics requires methods for generating print‐scalable microcircuits (conductive elements surrounded by dielectric) into these strong, tough, lightweight bio‐nanocomposites. Here, a new paradigm for printing flexible electronics by employing facile, eco‐friendly seriography to confine the reduction of graphene oxide biopapers reinforced by silk interlayers is presented. Well‐defined, micropatterned regions on the biopaper are chemically reduced, generating a 106 increase in conductivity (up to 104 S m−1). Flexible, robust graphene‐silk circuits are showcased in diverse applications such as resistive moisture sensors and capacitive proximity sensors. Unlike conductive (i.e., graphene‐ or Ag nanoparticle‐loaded) inks printed onto substrates, seriography‐guided reduction does not create mechanically weak interfaces between dissimilar materials and does not require the judicious formation of ink. The unimpaired functionality of printed‐in graphene‐silk microcircuits after thousands of punitive folding cycles and chemical attack by harsh solvents is demonstrated. This novel approach provides a low‐cost, portable solution for printing micrometer‐scale conductive features uniformly across large areas (>hundreds of cm2) in layered composites for applications including wearable health monitors, electronic skin, rollable antennas, and conformable displays.
New Indices for Predicting Glycaemic Variability

Blood glucose variability is known to be associated with increased risk of long-term complications. Reliable indices for predicting hyperglycaemic and hypoglycaemic fluctuations are therefore needed. Glycaemic standard deviation (SD) obtained by continuous glucose monitoring correlates closely with nine previously described glycaemic variability formulas. Here, new indices predictive of glycaemic variability were developed, which can be calculated from laboratory measures based on a single blood draw. The indices included the glycated albumin (GA) to HbA1c ratio (GA/A1c ratio) and the fasting C-peptide immunoreactivity (FCPR) to fasting plasma glucose (FPG) ratio (FCPR index). Predictive values of these indices were assessed in 100 adults with diabetes. GA/A1c ratio and FCPR index showed close associations with glycaemic SD in addition to the nine existing glucose variability formulas. Subjects with a GA/A1c ratio ≥2.8 and FCPR index <3.0 showed the greatest SD and longest durations of hypoglycaemia, while those with a GA/A1c ratio <2.8 and FCPR index ≥3.0 had smaller SDs and little sign of hypoglycaemia. In adults with diabetes, a high GA/A1c ratio and low FCPR index value reflect higher glycaemic excursions, irrespective of diabetes type. Simultaneous measurements of GA, HbA1c, FPG and FCPR may help to identify a group of patients who warrant closer monitoring in relation to glycaemic variability and hypoglycaemia.
Towards the Combined Use of Metadata to Improve the Learning Experience

Today, users do not only access learning resources stored in traditional repositories. They use any kind of digital resource, often generated in the context of social media platforms. When trying to improve the learning experience, it is crucial that all resources that are potentially useful are accessible; and that the resources are described in a way that allows to identify what is relevant. We suggest enriching learning resource descriptions by combining metadata generated by experts, user interactions, observation components and machine-generated metadata. We give a brief example of the compilation of rich metadata sets by integrating the social media platform ALOE with resources and metadata from the Ariadne knowledge pool and public FlashMeeting replays.
Electrical Spiking in Escherichia coli Probed with a Fluorescent Voltage-Indicating Protein

Introducing Bacterial Electrophysiology Bacterial electrophysiology has been limited by the inability to measure the membrane potential of single cells. Kralj et al. (p. 345) engineered a class of voltage-sensitive fluorescent membrane proteins to perform electrophysiological measurements on individual intact bacteria. These measurements showed that Escherichia coli generate electrical spikes, reminiscent of action potentials in neurons. The response of electrical spiking in bacteria was assessed in response to a wide range of physical and chemical perturbations, and was correlated with efflux activity. In the future, the probe should be useful in determining the roles of membrane potential in a variety of medically, environmentally, and industrially important bacteria. An optical bioprobe reveals action potential–like electrical spikes in individual bacteria. Bacteria have many voltage- and ligand-gated ion channels, and population-level measurements indicate that membrane potential is important for bacterial survival. However, it has not been possible to probe voltage dynamics in an intact bacterium. Here we developed a method to reveal electrical spiking in Escherichia coli. To probe bacterial membrane potential, we engineered a voltage-sensitive fluorescent protein based on green-absorbing proteorhodopsin. Expression of the proteorhodopsin optical proton sensor (PROPS) in E. coli revealed electrical spiking at up to 1 hertz. Spiking was sensitive to chemical and physical perturbations and coincided with rapid efflux of a small-molecule fluorophore, suggesting that bacterial efflux machinery may be electrically regulated.
Predictors of elevated nuclear factor-kappaB-dependent genes in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome.

BACKGROUND Circulating nuclear factor-kappaB (NF-kappaB)-dependent genes, particularly tumor necrosis factor-alpha (TNF-alpha), are elevated in obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) and likely contribute to cardiovascular disease. Furthermore, TNF-alpha is associated with excessive daytime sleepiness. We investigated the predictors of TNF-alpha and related genes in large, well-selected cohorts of subjects with OSAS and control subjects. METHODS We performed a prospective study of 30 subjects who did not have OSAS (22 nonsleepy normal control subjects and 8 sleepy nonapneic subjects who snored), 36 subjects with mild to moderate OSAS, and 31 subjects with severe OSAS; all subjects were male. Groups were matched for age, body mass index, and other relevant variables. Subjects had no other disease and were not regularly taking medication. All had serum for TNF-alpha and related assays drawn after polysomnography. A total of 49 suitable subjects were treated with continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP); sleep studies together with serum assays were repeated 6 wk later. RESULTS TNF-alpha levels were higher in subjects with OSAS than in subjects without OSAS (p < 0.001). In multivariate analysis, TNF-alpha was independently associated with the desaturation index (r = 0.399, p < 0.001), Epworth Sleepiness Score (r = 0.243, p = 0.005), and cholesterol (r = 0.216, p = 0.018). Furthermore, TNF-alpha levels were higher in sleepy nonapneic subjects who snored than in normal control subjects (p = 0.002) but lower than in subjects with OSAS (p = 0.03). CPAP therapy lowered TNF-alpha levels (p = 0.004). Another NF-kappaB-dependent cytokine, interleukin-8 (IL-8), showed similar differences between groups and after CPAP therapy, but a range of other mediators of inflammation, including IL-1, IL-6, IL-10, and IL-12, showed no differences. CONCLUSION Intermittent hypoxia is the strongest predictor of TNF-alpha levels, supporting a role for inflammation in the cardiovascular pathophysiology of OSAS. Furthermore, TNF-alpha levels are independently associated with excessive daytime sleepiness.
Sensitive Pepsin Immunoassay for Detection of Laryngopharyngeal Reflux

Objectives/Hypothesis: To determine whether measurement of pepsin in throat sputum by immunoassay could be used as a sensitive and reliable method for detecting laryngopharyngeal reflux (LPR) compared with 24‐hour double‐probe (esophageal and pharyngeal) pH monitoring.
Dual selection mechanisms drive efficient single-gene reverse genetics for rotavirus

Current methods for engineering the segmented double-stranded RNA genome of rotavirus (RV) are limited by inefficient recovery of the recombinant virus. In an effort to expand the utility of RV reverse genetics, we developed a method to recover recombinant viruses in which independent selection strategies are used to engineer single-gene replacements. We coupled a mutant SA11 RV encoding a temperature-sensitive (ts) defect in the NSP2 protein with RNAi-mediated degradation of NSP2 mRNAs to isolate a virus containing a single recombinant gene that evades both selection mechanisms. Recovery is rapid and simple; after two rounds of selective passage the recombinant virus reaches titers of ≥104 pfu/mL. We used this reverse genetics method to generate a panel of viruses with chimeric NSP2 genes. For one of the chimeric viruses, the introduced NSP2 sequence was obtained from a pathogenic, noncultivated human RV isolate, demonstrating that this reverse genetics system can be used to study the molecular biology of circulating RVs. Combining characterized RV ts mutants and validated siRNA targets should permit the extension of this “two-hit” reverse genetics methodology to other RV genes. Furthermore, application of a dual selection strategy to previously reported reverse genetics methods for RV may enhance the efficiency of recombinant virus recovery.
Ultrafast Processes for Bulk Modification of Transparent Materials

When a femtosecond laser pulse is focused inside a transparent material, the optical intensity in the focal volume can become high enough to induce permanent structural modifications such as a refractive index change or the formation of a small vacancy. Thus, one can micromachine structures inside the bulk of a transparent material in three dimensions. We review the mechanisms of and techniques for bulk modification of transparent materials using femtosecond laser pulses and discuss the fabrication of photonic and other structures in transparent materials, including waveguides, couplers, gratings, diffractive lenses, optical data storage, and microfluidic channels.
Differential Adaptive Diffusion: Understanding Diversity and Learning Whom to Trust in Viral Marketing

Viral marketing mechanisms use the existing social network between customers to spread information about products and encourage product adoption. Existing viral marketing models focus on the dynamics of the diffusion process, however they typically: (a) only consider a single product campaign and (b) fail to model the evolution of the social network, as the trust between individuals changes over time, during the course of multiple campaigns. In this work, we propose an adaptive viral marketing model which captures: (1) multiple different product campaigns, (2) the diversity in customer preferences among different product categories, and (3) changing confidence in peers’ recommendations over time. By applying our model to a real-world network extracted from the Digg social news website, we provide insights into the effects of network dynamics on the different products’ adoption. Our experiments show that our proposed model outperforms earlier nonadaptive diffusion models in predicting future product adoptions. We also show how this model can be used to explore new viral marketing strategies that are more successful than classic strategies which ignore the dynamic nature of social networks.
Cancer Mortality in Italy, 1991

Cancer mortality statistics in Italy from 1955 to 1990 have been published in strata of sex, age group and calendar period (3, 4), and are here updated with data for 1991. The materials and methods used in this report are similar to those previously described (3, 4). Briefly, cancer death certification numbers by cause and estimates of the resident population stratified by sex and quinquennia of age were derived from official publications and data bases provided by the National Institute of Statistics (lSTAT). All cancers or groups of cancers, originally classified according to the standard International Classification of Diseases (ICD), Ninth Revision (15), were grouped according to the same 30 categories (plus a broad category of "others and non-specified") adopted for previous reports (3, 4). Thus, all intestinal sites (including colon, rectum, others and unspecified), all skin cancers (melanoma and non-melanomatosus), cancers of the cervix and corpus uteri, all leukemias, all non-Hodgkin's lymphomas, and all histopatologic types of brain tumors (malignant, benign and undefined) were grouped together, in view of the difficulties in making reliable distinctions on each separate subsite on death certification data alone; for liver, only deaths certified as primary liver cancer were included. Eight standard tables were produced, including the following information: 1) crude, age-standardized death certification rates and standardized percentages of all cancer deaths for the population at all ages and truncated from 35 to 64 years (Table 1 for males and 2 for females). Two different standards were used: i) the 1971 Italian Census population, corrected for census undercount and subdivided into the usual 16 quinquennia of age from 0-4 to 75-79, plus ~ 80, and ii) the world standard population, for comparative purposes with other countries; 2) age-specific death certification rates for each sex and quinquennium of age from 0-4 to 75-79, plus ~ 80 (Table 3 for males and 4 for females); 3) total number of certified deaths for each cancer or group of cancers, sex and age group (Table 5 for males and 6 for females; 4) percentages of all cancer deaths for each sex and age group (Table 7 for males and 8 for females). The cancer sites or groups of cancers considered are listed in Tables 1 and 2, together with the corresponding ICD codes (9th Revision), whereas in subsequent tables only the ICDs are reported (and, consequently, Tables 1 and 2 can be used as legends for subsequent tables). This is essentially a statistical and technical report. A few words of comment are included in order to assist reading and interpretation of data for major cancer sites, and to recall underlying long-term tendencies. Nonetheless, this can easily be ignored by the reader interested in considering details on mortality statistics for any particular cancer site, since any inference should be based on overall and truncated age-standardized rates and, essentially, on careful examination of the matrix of age-specific data.
Immunological Tolerance

chronic otitis, the organisms belong to the Gram-negative group, for which there is at present no outstandingly satisfactory antibiotic. Polymixin, used systemically, may produce severe toxic reactions of such degree that it is reserved for cases in which life is in danger. Streptomycin, another effective drug, tends rapidly to produce resistance in the causative organisms; rather less effective are chloramphenicol and the tetracycline group. All these drugs are toxic and should be given in doses based on weight in accordance with the manufacturers' tables. Local and general signs of a satisfactory response to treatment are apparent within the first two days. When the middle ear becomes dry and the drum is seen to be almost normal, a clinical cure can be announced; treatment, however, should continue for a further 48 hours, making a total period of treatment varying from 4 to 12 days. In acute otitis media the prognosis for hearing is excellent. Young and Simson Hall* found only one case of serious deafness among 115 treated by penicillin. With regard to further attacks, the outlook is influenced largely by the condition of the nose and nasal sinuses, the adenoids, and the Eustachian tube.
Modulation of the COMT Val158Met polymorphism on resting-state EEG power

The catechol-O-methyltransferase (COMT) Val158Met polymorphism impacts cortical dopamine (DA) levels and may influence cortical electrical activity in the human brain. This study investigated whether COMT genotype influences resting-state electroencephalogram (EEG) power in the frontal, parietal and midline regions in healthy volunteers. EEG recordings were conducted in the resting-state in 13 postmenopausal healthy woman carriers of the Val/Val genotype and 11 with the Met/Met genotype. The resting EEG spectral absolute power in the frontal (F3, F4, F7, F8, FC3 and FC4), parietal (CP3, CP4, P3 and P4) and midline (Fz, FCz, Cz, CPz, Pz and Oz) was analyzed during the eyes-open and eyes-closed conditions. The frequency bands considered were the delta, theta, alpha1, alpha2, beta1 and beta2. EEG data of the Val/Val and Met/Met genotypes, brain regions and conditions were analyzed using a general linear model analysis. In the individuals with the Met/Met genotype, delta activity was increased in the eyes-closed condition, theta activity was increased in the eyes-closed and in the eyes-open conditions, and alpha1 band, alpha2 band and beta1band activity was increased in the eyes-closed condition. A significant interaction between COMT genotypes and spectral bands was observed. Met homozygote individuals exhibited more delta, theta and beta1 activity than individuals with the Val/Val genotype. No significant interaction between COMT genotypes and the resting-state EEG regional power and conditions were observed for the three brain regions studied. Our findings indicate that the COMT Val158Met polymorphism does not directly impact resting-state EEG regional power, but instead suggest that COMT genotype can modulate resting-state EEG spectral power in postmenopausal healthy women.
The Social Dilemma of Microinsurance: A Framed Field Experiment on Free-Riding and Coordination

Health shocks are among the most important unprotected risks for microfinance clients, but the take-up of micro health insurance typically remains limited. This paper attributes low enrolment rates to a social dilemma. Our theory is that in jointly liable groups, insurance is a public good. Clients can rely on contributions from group members to cope with shocks. Less risk averse clients have a private incentive to free-ride and forgo individual insurance even when insurance optimises group welfare. The binding nature of group insurance eliminates such free-riding. A framed public goods experiment with microcredit groups in Tanzania, eliciting demand for group versus individual microinsurance, yields substantial support for this hypothesis. This provides a potential explanation for low take-up rates.
Interactive Jewellery: a design exploration

Many current wearables have a technology-driven background: the focus is primarily on functionality, while their possible personal and social-cultural value is underappreciated. We think that developing wearables from a jewellery perspective can compensate for this. The personal and social cultural values embodied by traditional jewellery are often tightly connected to their function as memento. In this paper we reflect from a jewellery perspective, a memory-studies perspective and a TEI-perspective on three design proposals for interactive jewellery. We identify 1) drawing inspiration from interaction with traditional jewellery, 2) using relatively simple technology with high experiential qualities, 3) abstract and poetic data representation and 4) storing data uniquely on the digital jewel as possible design directions.
On acyclic colorings of graphs

An acyclic coloring of a graph G is a coloring of the vertices of G, where no two adjacent vertices of G receive the same color and no cycle of G contains vertices of only two colors. An acyclic k-coloring of a graph G is an acyclic coloring of G using k colors. In this paper we show the necessary and sufficient condition of acyclic coloring of a complete k-partite graph. Then we derive the minimum number of colors for acyclic coloring of such graphs. We also show that a complete k-partite graph G having n<inf>1</inf>, n<inf>2</inf>,…, n<inf>k</inf> vertices in its Ρ<inf>1</inf>,Ρ<inf>2</inf>,…, P<inf>k</inf> partition respectively is acyclically (2k − 1)-colorable using ∑<inf>i≠j, i, j≤k</inf> n<inf>i</inf>n<inf>j</inf> + n<inf>max</inf> + (k−1) − ∑<sup>k−1</sup><inf>i=0</inf> (k−i)n<inf>i+1</inf> division vertices, where n<inf>max</inf> = max(n<inf>1</inf>, n<inf>2</inf>,…, n<inf>k</inf>). Finally we show that there is an infinite number of cubic planar graphs which are acyclically 3-colorable.