Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Stable teleoperation with time-domain passivity control

A new bilateral control scheme is proposed to ensure stable teleoperation under a wide variety of environments and operating speeds. System stability is analyzed in terms of the time-domain definition of passivity. A previously proposed energy-based method is extended to a 2-port network, and the issues in implementing the "passivity observer" and "passivity controller" to teleoperation systems are studied. The method is tested with our two-degrees-of-freedom master/slave teleoperation system. Stable teleoperation is achieved under conditions such as hard wall contact (stiffness >150 kN/m) and hard surface following.
Innate Immunity Evasion by Enteroviruses: Insights into Virus-Host Interaction

Enterovirus genus includes multiple important human pathogens, such as poliovirus, coxsackievirus, enterovirus (EV) A71, EV-D68 and rhinovirus. Infection with EVs can cause numerous clinical conditions including poliomyelitis, meningitis and encephalitis, hand-foot-and-mouth disease, acute flaccid paralysis, diarrhea, myocarditis and respiratory illness. EVs, which are positive-sense single-stranded RNA viruses, trigger activation of the host antiviral innate immune responses through pathogen recognition receptors such as retinoic acid-inducible gene (RIG-I)-likeand Toll-like receptors. In turn, EVs have developed sophisticated strategies to evade host antiviral responses. In this review, we discuss the interplay between the host innate immune responses and EV infection, with a primary focus on host immune detection and protection against EV infection and viral strategies to evade these antiviral immune responses.
A characterization of the scientific data analysis process

It is shown how data visualization fits into the broader process of scientific data analysis. Scientists from several disciplines were observed while they analyzed their own data. Examination of the observations exposed process elements outside conventional image viewing. For example, analysts queried for quantitative information, made a variety of comparisons, applied math, managed data, and kept records. The characterization of scientific data analysis reveals activity beyond that traditionally supported by computer. It offers an understanding which has the potential to be applied to many future designs, and suggests specific recommendations for improving the support of this important aspect of scientific computing. <<ETX>>
Towards Big Data Analytics across Multiple Clusters

Big data are increasingly collected and stored in a highly distributed infrastructures due to the development of sensor network, cloud computing, IoT and mobile computing among many other emerging technologies. In practice, the majority of existing big-data-processing frameworks (e.g., Hadoop and Spark) are designed based on the single-cluster setup with the assumptions of centralized management and homogeneous connectivity which makes them sub-optimal and sometimes infeasible to apply for scenarios that require implementing data analytics jobs on highly distributed data sets (across racks, data centers or multi-organizations). In order to tackle this challenge, we present HDM-MC, a multi-cluster big data processing framework which is designed to enable the capability of performing large scale data analytics across multi-clusters with minimum extra overhead due to additional scheduling requirements. In this paper, we present the architecture and realization of the system. In addition, we evaluate the performance of our framework in comparison to other state-of-art single cluster big data processing frameworks.
Investigation of Electrical Characteristics of Gold Nanowire under Tensile Test

In this study, the electrical characteristics of gold nanowire (NW) under external tensile force were experimentally investigated. Experiments were carried out with a self-developed nanomanipulator inside the vacuum chamber of a scanning electron microscopye. A resistivity of for an individual gold NW was first obtained with the nanomanipulation system when no tensile force is applied, approximately 4.36 times larger than that of bulk gold. The results agree with the works of previous investigations. The electric characteristics of gold NWs under uni-axial tensile force was then investigated via the nanomanipulator. Experimental results show that the resistivity of gold NWs decreases as the applied tensile force increases, while the conductivity of the NWs as well as the mobility of electrons increases as the force increases. This indicates that the electrical characteristics of gold NWs are indeed affected by the external tensile forces applied to it.
A trial of etanercept, a recombinant tumor necrosis factor receptor:Fc fusion protein, in patients with rheumatoid arthritis receiving methotrexate.

BACKGROUND Patients treated with methotrexate for rheumatoid arthritis often improve but continue to have active disease. This study was undertaken to determine whether the addition of etanercept, a soluble tumor necrosis factor receptor (p75):Fc fusion protein (TNFR:Fc), to methotrexate therapy would provide additional benefit to patients who had persistent rheumatoid arthritis despite receiving methotrexate. METHODS In a 24-week, double-blind trial, we randomly assigned 89 patients with persistently active rheumatoid arthritis despite at least 6 months of methotrexate therapy at a stable dose of 15 to 25 mg per week (or as low as 10 mg per week for patients unable to tolerate higher doses) to receive either etanercept (25 mg) or placebo subcutaneously twice weekly while continuing to receive methotrexate. The primary measure of clinical response was the American College of Rheumatology criteria for a 20 percent improvement in measures of disease activity (ACR 20) at 24 weeks. RESULTS The addition of etanercept to methotrexate therapy resulted in rapid and sustained improvement. At 24 weeks, 71 percent of the patients receiving etanercept plus methotrexate and 27 percent of those receiving placebo plus methotrexate met the ACR 20 criteria (P<0.001); 39 percent of the patients receiving etanercept plus methotrexate and 3 percent of those receiving placebo plus methotrexate met the ACR 50 criteria (for a 50 percent improvement) (P<0.001). Patients receiving etanercept plus methotrexate had significantly better outcomes according to all measures of disease activity. The only adverse events associated with etanercept were mild injection-site reactions, and no patient withdrew from the study because of adverse events associated with etanercept. CONCLUSIONS In patients with persistently active rheumatoid arthritis, the combination of etanercept and methotrexate was safe and well tolerated and provided significantly greater clinical benefit than methotrexate alone.
Real‐time decoding of dopamine concentration changes in the caudate–putamen during tonic and phasic firing

The fundamental process that underlies volume transmission in the brain is the extracellular diffusion of neurotransmitters from release sites to distal target cells. Dopaminergic neurons display a range of activity states, from low-frequency tonic firing to bursts of high-frequency action potentials (phasic firing). However, it is not clear how this activity affects volume transmission on a subsecond time scale. To evaluate this, we developed a finite-difference model that predicts the lifetime and diffusion of dopamine in brain tissue. We first used this model to decode in vivo amperometric measurements of electrically evoked dopamine, and obtained rate constants for release and uptake as well as the extent of diffusion. Accurate predictions were made under a variety of conditions including different regions, different stimulation parameters and with uptake inhibited. Second, we used the decoded rate constants to predict how heterogeneity of dopamine release and uptake sites would affect dopamine concentration fluctuations during different activity states in the absence of an electrode. These simulations show that synchronous phasic firing can produce spatially and temporally heterogeneous concentration profiles whereas asynchronous tonic firing elicits uniform, steady-state dopamine concentrations.
Low-Temperature Materials and Thin Film Transistors for Flexible Electronics

This paper addresses the low-temperature deposition processes and electronic properties of silicon based thin film semiconductors and dielectrics to enable the fabrication of mechanically flexible electronic devices on plastic substrates. Device quality amorphous hydrogenated silicon (a-Si:H), nanocrystalline silicon (nc-Si), and amorphous silicon nitride (a-SiN/sub x/) films and thin film transistors (TFTs) were made using existing industrial plasma deposition equipment at the process temperatures as low as 75/spl deg/C and 120/spl deg/C. The a-Si:H TFTs fabricated at 120/spl deg/C demonstrate performance similar to their high-temperature counterparts, including the field effect mobility (/spl mu//sub FE/) of 0.8 cm/sup 2/V/sup -1/s/sup -1/, the threshold voltage (V/sub T/) of 4.5 V, and the subthreshold slope of 0.5 V/dec, and can be used in active matrix (AM) displays including organic light emitting diode (OLED) displays. The a-Si:H TFTs fabricated at 75/spl deg/C exhibit /spl mu//sub FE/ of 0.6 cm/sup 2/V/sup -1/s/sup -1/, and V/sub T/ of 4 V. It is shown that further improvement in TFT performance can be achieved by using n/sup +/ nc-Si contact layers and plasma treatments of the interface between the gate dielectric and the channel layer. The results demonstrate that with appropriate process optimization, the large area thin film Si technology suits well the fabrication of electronic devices on low-cost plastic substrates.
Chloride Intracellular Channel-4 Is a Determinant of Native Collateral Formation in Skeletal Muscle and Brain

The capacity of the collateral circulation to lessen injury in occlusive vascular disease depends on the density and caliber of native (preexisting) collaterals, as well as their ability to outwardly remodel in ischemia. Native collateral conductance varies widely among healthy individuals, yet little is known about what specifies collateral formation. Chloride intracellular channel (CLIC)4 protein is required for endothelial cell hollowing, a process necessary for vessel formation during embryogenesis and ischemia. Whether CLIC4 has other physiological roles in vascular biology is uncertain. We studied collateral formation and remodeling in mice deficient in CLIC1 and CLIC4. Vascular responses to femoral artery ligation were similar in Clic1−/− and wild-type mice. In contrast, immediately after ligation perfusion dropped more in Clic4−/− than wild-type mice, suggesting fewer preexisting collaterals, a finding confirmed by angiography, greater ischemia, and worse recovery of perfusion; however, collateral remodeling was unaffected. Likewise, native cerebral collateral density in Clic4−/− (but not Clic1−/−) mice was reduced, resulting in severe infarctions. This was associated with impaired perinatal formation and stabilization of nascent collaterals. Clic4 hemizygous mice had intermediate deficits in the above parameters, suggesting a gene–dose effect. Ischemia augmented CLIC1 and CLIC4 expression similarly in wild-type mice. However, CLIC1 increased 3-fold more in Clic4−/− mice, suggesting compensation. Despite greater ischemia in Clic4−/− mice, hypoxia-inducible factor-1α, vascular endothelial growth factor (VEGF) and angiopoietin-2 increased less compared to wild-type, suggesting CLIC4 exerts influences upstream of hypoxia-inducible factor-1α–VEGF signaling. Hence, CLIC4 represents the second gene that, along with VEGF shown by us previously, specifies native collateral formation.
Potential applications of nonthermal plasmas against biofilm‐associated micro‐organisms in vitro

Biofilms as complex microbial communities attached to surfaces pose several challenges in different sectors, ranging from food and healthcare to desalination and power generation. The biofilm mode of growth allows microorganisms to survive in hostile environments and biofilm cells exhibit distinct physiology and behaviour in comparison with their planktonic counterparts. They are ubiquitous, resilient and difficult to eradicate due to their resistant phenotype. Several chemical‐based cleaning and disinfection regimens are conventionally used against biofilm‐dwelling micro‐organisms in vitro. Although such approaches are generally considered to be effective, they may contribute to the dissemination of antimicrobial resistance and environmental pollution. Consequently, advanced green technologies for biofilm control are constantly emerging. Disinfection using nonthermal plasmas (NTPs) is one of the novel strategies having a great potential for control of biofilms of a broad spectrum of micro‐organisms. This review discusses several aspects related to the inactivation of biofilm‐associated bacteria and fungi by different types of NTPs under in vitro conditions. A brief introduction summarizes prevailing methods in biofilm inactivation, followed by introduction to gas discharge plasmas, active plasma species and their inactivating mechanism. Subsequently, significance and aspects of NTP inactivation of biofilm‐associated bacteria, especially those of medical importance, including opportunistic pathogens, oral pathogenic bacteria, foodborne pathogens and implant bacteria, are discussed. The remainder of the review discusses majorly about the synergistic effect of NTPs and their activity against biofilm‐associated fungi, especially Candida species.
SEM Studies of the Fracture Morphology of Single Cotton Fibers

The fractured ends of single cotton fibers ruptured as a result of tensile strain, as well as cyclic bending fatigue, were examined in the scanning electron microscope. Interesting differences in fracture patterns were observed for fibers broken by the two methods. The study includes raw cotton as well as slack-mercerized fibers, and differences brought about as a result of swelling are described.
Regulation of luteinizing hormone secretion in prepubertal heifers fed an energy-deficient diet.

The effects of feeding a diet restricted in energy on the endocrine mechanisms regulating LH secretion in prepubertal heifers were examined. On Day 0, thirty heifers were assigned to be either ovariectomized (OVX; n = 10), ovariectomized and administered an estradiol implant (OVXE; n = 10), or to remain ovary-intact (INT, n = 10). Five heifers each were then assigned to be fed either a control (C) or a two-phase, low-to-high energy (L), dietary treatment. The C diet was formulated to support weight gains of 1.1 kg/day throughout the experiment (Day 0-197). Heifers receiving the L treatment were provided a diet restricted in energy (33% of C diet) from Day 0-127 followed by a diet similar to that fed to heifers receiving the C treatment from Day 128-197. Secretion of LH increased rapidly following ovariectomy in C-OVX and L-OVX heifers. During the period of energy restriction, LH pulse frequency was reduced, and mean LH concentration, pulse amplitude, and pituitary response to LHRH were greater in L-OVX than in C-OVX heifers. In L-OVXE and L-INT heifers, secretion of LH was low and unchanged during the period of dietary energy restriction. In contemporaneous treatment groups fed the C diet (C-OVXE and C-INT), frequency of LH pulses increased gradually during this period and C-INT heifers attained puberty on Day 121 +/- 18. Upon switching heifers in the L-OVX, L-OVXE, and L-INT treatments to the C diet, all characteristics of LH secretion changed markedly within 14 days to levels similar to those detected in the C treatments. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Semi-partitioning under a Blocking-Aware Task Allocation

Semi-partitioned scheduling is a resource efficient scheduling approach compared to the conventional multiprocessor scheduling approaches in terms of system utilization and migration overhead. Semi-partitioned scheduling can better utilize processor bandwidth compared to the partitioned scheduling while introducing less overhead compared to the global scheduling. Various techniques have been proposed to schedule tasks in a semi-partitioned environment, however, they have used blocking-agnostic allocation mechanisms in presence of resource sharing protocols. Since, the allocation mechanism can highly affect the system schedulability, in this paper we provide a blocking-aware allocation mechanism for semi-partitioned scheduling framework under a suspension-based resource sharing protocol. We have applied new heuristics for sorting the tasks in the algorithm that shows improvements upon system schedulability. Finally, we present our preliminary results.
Case of Tubercular Elephantiasis in a Man of English Parentage, Born in India

Sir,? In a paper addressed to you, which was published in the Edinburgh Medical and Surgical Journal for July 1842, I gave examples of tubercular elephantiasis occurring among the inhabitants of Madeira, of Portuguese or mixed origin; the French Creoles, Mozambique slaves, and offspring of French fathers and Malgashe mothers inhabiting the Mauritius ; and the Singhalese, Moors, Tamuls, Malays, and offspring of Singhalese mothers by Portuguese-descended and English fathers inhabiting Ceylon. In further illustration of a disease so rarely seen in this country, and of which the causes, pathology, and treatment are so imperfectly known, permit me to offer, for your perusal, and for publication afterwards in the work containing my former observations,
Interconnected contribution of tissue morphogenesis and the nuclear protein NuMA to the DNA damage response

Epithelial tissue morphogenesis is accompanied by the formation of a polarity axis – a feature of tissue architecture that is initiated by the binding of integrins to the basement membrane. Polarity plays a crucial role in tissue homeostasis, preserving differentiation, cell survival and resistance to chemotherapeutic drugs among others. An important aspect in the maintenance of tissue homeostasis is genome integrity. As normal tissues frequently experience DNA double-strand breaks (DSBs), we asked how tissue architecture might participate in the DNA damage response. Using 3D culture models that mimic mammary glandular morphogenesis and tumor formation, we show that DSB repair activity is higher in basally polarized tissues, regardless of the malignant status of cells, and is controlled by hemidesmosomal integrin signaling. In the absence of glandular morphogenesis, in 2D flat monolayer cultures, basal polarity does not affect DNA repair activity but enhances H2AX phosphorylation, an early chromatin response to DNA damage. The nuclear mitotic apparatus protein 1 (NuMA), which controls breast glandular morphogenesis by acting on the organization of chromatin, displays a polarity-dependent pattern and redistributes in the cell nucleus of basally polarized cells upon the induction of DSBs. This is shown using high-content analysis of nuclear morphometric descriptors. Furthermore, silencing NuMA impairs H2AX phosphorylation – thus, tissue polarity and NuMA cooperate to maintain genome integrity.
Code Thumbnails: Using Spatial Memory to Navigate Source Code

Modern development environments provide many features for navigating source code, yet studies show the developers still spend a tremendous amount of time just navigating. Since existing navigation features rely heavily on memorizing symbol names, we present a new design, called code thumbnails, intended to allow a developer to navigate source code by forming a spatial memory of it. To aid intra-file navigation, we add a thumbnail image of the file to the scrollbar, which makes any part of the file one click away. To aid interfile navigation, we provide a desktop of file thumbnail images, which make any part of any file one click away. We did a formative evaluation of the design with eleven experienced developers and present the results
HP-GPC Approach to Evaluating Laboratory Prepared Long-Term Aged Rubberized Asphalt Binders

The high pressure-gel permeation chromatographic (HP-GPC) testing was adopted to determine the molecular size distribution (MSD) of asphalt binders. The percentages of large, medium and small molecular sizes of asphalt binders are able to help the researcher and engineer determine the aging characteristics of asphalt binder. The objective of this research was to investigate the aging behavior of the rubberized asphalt binders as well as the virgin binder and the binder using 3% Styrene-butadiene-styrene (SBS) polymer after a long-term aging through the laboratory HP-GPC testing approach. The experimental design included the uses of three binder sources, three binder grades and three aging levels, i. e. , virgin, rolling thin film oven and pressure aging vessel that included three testing temperatures (85, 100 and 110°C) and three aging durations (15, 20, and 40 hours). The results indicated that the HP-GPC approach can effectively describe the aging status of asphalt binders; the use of crumb rubber could improve the aging resistance of the asphalt binder; in addition, the PG 64-22 binder mixed with 10% crumb rubber generally showed the similar aging properties as of PG 76-22 using 3% SBS polymer after a long-term aging process in this study.
Biosorption of Heavy Metals by Pseudomonas aeruginosa Isolated from a Petroleum Contaminated Site

The study describes the sorption of Cr, Cu, Mn and Zn by Pseudomonas aeruginosa AT18 isolated from a site contaminated with petroleum and heavy metals. The concentrations studied (mgL-1) were Cr-50, Cu-49, Mn-60 and Zn-70. The solution pH and ionic strength were very important factors in the metal biosorption performance and the biosorption capacity of Pseudomonas aeruginosa AT18 for Cr3+ Cu2+, Mn2+ and Zn2+. In aqueous solution the biosorption increased with increasing pH in the range 5.46-7.72. The results obtained in the experimental assays show that Pseudomonas aeruginosa AT18 has the capacity for biosorption of the metallic ions Cr3+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ in solutions, although its capacity for the sorption of manganese is low (22.39 mg Mn2+/g of biomass) in comparison to the Cr3+, Cu2+ and Zn2+ ions, as shown by the individual analyses. However, 20% of the manganese was removed from an initial concentration of 49.0 mgL- 1, with a Qm value similar to that obtained in solutions containing mixtures of Cr3+ Cu2+, Mn2+ and Zn2+. The chromium level sorbed by Pseudomonas aeruginosa AT18 biomass was higher than that for Cu, Mn and Zn, with 100% removal in the pH range 7.00-7.72 and a Qm of 121.90-200.00 mg of Cr3+/g of biomass. The remove of Cr, Cu and Zn are a result also of precipitation processes.
Pulmonary Artery Catheter (PAC) Accuracy and Efficacy Compared with Flow Probe and Transcutaneous Doppler (USCOM): An Ovine Cardiac Output Validation

Background. The pulmonary artery catheter (PAC) is an accepted clinical method of measuring cardiac output (CO) despite no prior validation. The ultrasonic cardiac output monitor (USCOM) is a noninvasive alternative to PAC using Doppler ultrasound (CW). We compared PAC and USCOM CO measurements against a gold standard, the aortic flow probe (FP), in sheep at varying outputs. Methods. Ten conscious sheep, with implanted FPs, had measurements of CO by FP, USCOM, and PAC, at rest and during intervention with inotropes and vasopressors. Results. CO measurements by FP, PAC, and USCOM were 4.0 ± 1.2 L/min, 4.8 ± 1.5 L/min, and 4.0 ± 1.4 L/min, respectively, (n = 280, range 1.9 L/min to 11.7 L/min). Percentage bias and precision between FP and PAC, and FP and USCOM was −17 and 47%, and 1 and 36%, respectively. PAC under-measured Dobutamine-induced CO changes by 20% (relative 66%) compared with FP, while USCOM measures varied from FP by 3% (relative 10%). PAC reliably detected −30% but not +40% CO changes, as measured by receiver operating characteristic area under the curve (AUC), while USCOM reliably detected ±5% changes in CO (AUC > 0.70). Conclusions. PAC demonstrated poor accuracy and sensitivity as a measure of CO. USCOM provided equivalent measurements to FP across a sixfold range of outputs, reliably detecting ±5% changes.