Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel approach for steering wheel synchronization with velocity/acceleration limits and mechanical constraints

Pseudo-omnidirectional robots with independently steerable wheels require a method to synchronize the steering motion of the wheels in order to keep a unique instantaneous center of rotation (ICR). For standard wheels, the instantaneous center of rotation is defined as the intersection point of all wheel axes. We present a novel approach to deal with the problem of continuously shifting the center of rotation of a pseudo-omnidirectional rover from an initial to a demanded position in the Cartesian plane. The main contribution is the consideration of substantial velocity and acceleration limits on the steering units, as well as mechanical constraints and noise affected sensor measurements. We solve this problem by deriving a relationship between the steering accelerations of the single wheels and the acceleration of the center of rotation. We furthermore provide a contribution to the tracking of the ICR in the presence of significant sensor noise. Our results are evaluated by tests on the rover breadboard developed during the activities for the ExoMars mission.
A Concise Information-Theoretic Derivation of the Baum-Welch algorithm

We derive the Baum-Welch algorithm for hidden Markov models (HMMs) through an information-theoretical approach using cross-entropy instead of the Lagrange multiplier approach which is universal in machine learning literature. The proposed approach provides a more concise derivation of the Baum-Welch method and naturally generalizes to multiple observations.
Retinitis pigmentosa: visual function and multidisciplinary management

Retinitis pigmentosa (RP) is a leading cause of blindness and visual disability in younger people. Optometrists have a major role in detecting RP and in reducing the visual disability associated with RP. This review summarises the literature relating to visual function in people with RP, with particular attention given to night‐blindness, visual acuity decrease and visual field contraction. The range of low vision aids available for people with RP is reviewed and suggestions given on aids that have been found to be most successful. Most importantly, this review overviews the range of services available to people with RP and emphasises how optometrists need to work with a network of professionals to ensure the best possible visual outcomes for people with RP. Particular mention is made of current findings relating to orientation and mobility training, driving, sensory substitution and adaptive technology. The modern optometrist needs to be aware of the multiple needs of people with RP and have the ability to link them with the professionals best able to help them.
Swarm Routing Protocol for Mobile Ad Hoc Networks

An ad hoc network is a group of wireless mobile computers or nodes in which individual nodes cooperate by forwarding packets for each other to allow nodes to communicate beyond direct wireless transmission range. In this paper I presented the design and performance evaluation of a new on demand ad hoc routing protocol, called SWARM. SWARM used mechanisms of swarm intelligence to based select good routes to destinations. SWARM was Scalable, Adaptable, Autonomous and have good Fault tolerance capability. This paper presents the simulated performance comparison of SWARM with AODV and DSR in different CBR traffic flow. Performance evaluation of AODV, DSR and SWARM was evaluated on packet delivery ratio, network throughput, end-to-end latency and packet transmission rate.
GSK-3 Inhibitors: Preclinical and Clinical Focus on CNS

Inhibiting glycogen synthase kinase-3 (GSK-3) activity via pharmacological intervention has become an important strategy for treating neurodegenerative and psychiatric disorders. The known GSK-3 inhibitors are of diverse chemotypes and mechanisms of action and include compounds isolated from natural sources, cations, synthetic small-molecule ATP-competitive inhibitors, non-ATP-competitive inhibitors, and substrate–competitive inhibitors. Here we describe the variety of GSK-3 inhibitors with a specific emphasis on their biological activities in neurons and neurological disorders. We further highlight our current progress in the development of non-ATP-competitive inhibitors of GSK-3. The available data raise the hope that one or more of these drug design approaches will prove successful at stabilizing or even reversing the aberrant neuropathology and cognitive deficits of certain central nervous system disorders.
Strategic Planning Model Formulation Based on Balanced Score Card: A Case Study

At the present age, strategic planning is considered as an important and vital matter for organizations and formulating and implementing strategic plans and accurate parameters may result in organizations long-term superiority in competitive field. But, regarding that competitive factors of all organizations are not the same, formulating the strategy with a similar trend is unlikely to be effective and the prerequisite for success of any organization is to focus and pay attention to its own capacities and unique competitive advantages and to formulate strategies based on those capacities along with focusing on the weakness and threats points. This article presents a model integrated of the strategic planning process and balanced score card and considering four dimensions of the Balanced Score Card (BSC), it accomplishes the process of strategic planning in the fields of financial, customer, internal processes and growth and learning separately and then determines the position of an organization in each dimension. Therefore, the strength and weakness points of the organization are identified and the type of strategies needed for any dimension determined separately. With the aid of this model, top managers are able to determine the organization expects and goals of different sectors clearly and in line with the vision and strategy of organization and deliver to the managers and authorities of different sectors. The results of this model are the analysis of factors influencing on the strategy formulation, extraction of key dimensions, provision of the SWOT matrix for four-folds dimensions of BSC and the identification of organization situation in each dimension such that through basing it on, integrated strategies and operational plans will be formulated for the organization. In this survey, Isfahan Company of tile industry has been studied as a sample and the results of the model implementation for this company described in the text.
Lactobacillus plantarum Inhibits the Intestinal Epithelial Migration of Neutrophils Induced by Enteropathogenic Escherichia coli

Background Lactobacillus plantarum is a Gram-positive bacillus known for its effect as a probiotic agent. The goal of the study was to determine whether L. plantarum is capable of inhibiting the transepithelial neutrophil migration induced by enteropathogenic Escherichia coli (EPEC). Methods Cultured intestinal epithelial T-84 cell monolayers were rapidly infected with EPEC. L. plantarum or culture supernatants were added to the monolayers before and after the infection. Indium-labeled neutrophils were added to the basolateral side of inverted monolayers. After 150-minute incubation, radioactivity of the neutrophils that migrated in the physiologic direction was assayed, and the number of migrating neutrophils was calculated. L. plantarum was also added to the monolayers before and after EPEC infection, and the number of adherent EPEC was determined by plate counting. Results EPEC-induced neutrophil migration and EPEC binding to monolayers were inhibited by viable L. plantarum but only when added to the monolayers before EPEC. Culture supernatants failed to inhibit the neutrophil migration. Conclusions These results suggest that L. plantarum is beneficial in inhibiting neutrophil migration induced by EPEC, but only when preincubated with host epithelia. Rather than an indirect effect through a secreted substance produced by the probiotic agent, its effect is direct and requires the presence of the bacterium.
OFDM transceiver for software defined radio on a model based development platform

Orthogonal Frequency Division Multiplexing (OFDM) is an efficient multiplexing technique which is being used in many wireless communication systems. This paper describes a simple OFDM transceiver where the QPSK mapping / demapping is used and an 8-point complex IDFT/DFT blocks used for Software Defined Radio (SDR). The whole system is designed, developed and tested on a model based development platform on which design, development and testing saves considerable amount of time compared to traditional design method.
Functional analysis of a zebrafish myd88 mutant identifies key transcriptional components of the innate immune system

SUMMARY Toll-like receptors (TLRs) are an important class of pattern recognition receptors (PRRs) that recognize microbial and danger signals. Their downstream signaling upon ligand binding is vital for initiation of the innate immune response. In human and mammalian models, myeloid differentiation factor 88 (MYD88) is known for its central role as an adaptor molecule in interleukin 1 receptor (IL-1R) and TLR signaling. The zebrafish is increasingly used as a complementary model system for disease research and drug screening. Here, we describe a zebrafish line with a truncated version of MyD88 as the first zebrafish mutant for a TLR signaling component. We show that this immune-compromised mutant has a lower survival rate under standard rearing conditions and is more susceptible to challenge with the acute bacterial pathogens Edwardsiella tarda and Salmonella typhimurium. Microarray and quantitative PCR analysis revealed that expression of genes for transcription factors central to innate immunity (including NF-ĸB and AP-1) and the pro-inflammatory cytokine Il1b, is dependent on MyD88 signaling during these bacterial infections. Nevertheless, expression of immune genes independent of MyD88 in the myd88 mutant line was sufficient to limit growth of an attenuated S. typhimurium strain. In the case of infection with the chronic bacterial pathogen Mycobacterium marinum, we show that MyD88 signaling has an important protective role during early pathogenesis. During mycobacterial infection, the myd88 mutant shows accelerated formation of granuloma-like aggregates and increased bacterial burden, with associated lower induction of genes central to innate immunity. This zebrafish myd88 mutant will be a valuable tool for further study of the role of IL1R and TLR signaling in the innate immunity processes underlying infectious diseases, inflammatory disorders and cancer.
Fuel consumption minimization of transport aircraft using real-coded genetic algorithm

The issue of rising carbon dioxide emissions from aviation fuel consumption is increasingly crucial in terms of the Paris Agreement on climate change, which was adopted in 2015. The rapid growth of the global transport network has been affecting the environment adversely owing to the emission of greenhouse gases. Therefore, researchers are attempting to minimize aviation fuel consumption. This study presents a fuel consumption minimization problem in transport aircraft design. A real-coded genetic algorithm with direction-based crossover is employed to determine the optimum design for minimum fuel consumption. To mimic the aircraft fuel consumption issues, the proposed real-coded genetic algorithm employs the following three operators: ranking selection, direction-based crossover, and dynamic random mutation. Compared with earlier studies that used uniform crossover, the present study reduces the fuel consumption by applying real-coded genetic algorithm with a direction-based crossover operator. Comprehensive results show that the proposed real-coded genetic algorithm achieves remarkably faster convergence and improved search performance than the compared method. Direction-based crossover significantly enhances the fitness by guiding the crossover along a certain direction. In addition, it ensures a higher probability of locating the global optimum. Therefore, adopting such a technique can reduce the aircraft development cost.
Optimizing the anaerobic digestion of microalgae in a coupled process

This work is devoted to maximizing the production of methane in a bioreactor coupling an anaerobic digester and a culture of micro-algae limited by light. The decision parameter is the dilution rate which is chosen as a control, and we enforce periodic constraints in order to repeat the same operation every day. The system is gathered into a three-dimensional system taking into account a day-night model of the light in the culture of micro-algae. Applying Pontryagin maximum principle, the necessary conditions on optimal trajectories indicate that the control consists of bang and/or singular arcs. We provide numerical simulations by both direct and indirect methods, which show the link between the light model and the structure of optimal solutions.
Preliminary comparison of clinical and free-living measures of stepping cadence in older adults.

BACKGROUND The relationship between clinically assessed and free-living walking is unclear. Cadence (steps/min) can be measured accurately under both conditions using modern technologies, thus providing a common measurement metric. Therefore, the purpose of this study was to compare clinical and free-living cadence in older adults. METHODS 15 community-dwelling older adults (7 men, 8 women; 61-81 years) completed GAITRite-determined normal and dual-task walks and wore objective monitors for 1 week. Descriptive data included gait speed (cm/sec), steps/day, as well as cadence. Nonparametric tests evaluated differences between normal and dual-task walks and between accelerometer- and pedometer-determined steps/day. Free-living time detected above clinically determined cadence was calculated. RESULTS Participants crossed the GAITRite at 125.56 ± 15.51 cm/sec (men) and 107.93 ± 9.41 steps/min (women) during their normal walk and at 112.59 ± 17.90 cm/sec and 103.10 ± 1.30 steps/min during their dual-task walk (differences between walks P < .05). Overall, they averaged 7159 ± 2480 (accelerometer) and 7813 ± 2919 steps/day (pedometer; difference NS). On average, < 10 min/day was spent above clinically determined cadences. CONCLUSIONS High-functioning, community-dwelling older adults are capable of walking at relatively high cadences (ie, > 100 steps/min). However, the same behavior appears to be uncommon in daily life, even for a minute.
A vision-based approach for nondestructive leaf area estimation

Leaf area of a plant is an important indicator to analyze and assess the growth and estimate the production potential for the plant species under study. Leaf area measurements are important in estimating biomass productivity, adaptation to the environment, nutrition and soil-water relations [1]. In this paper we propose a rapid, accurate and yet simple approach to estimate the leaf area using computer vision approach. The approach is based on analyzing images of plant leaves collected using an off-the-shelf digital camera. Images of a leaf is processed to extract the contour, then a transformation is applied to compensate for the projective distortion and finally the leaf measurements are calculated. The results are compared with measurements using grid-counting method.
Soil organic matter and aggregate hierarchy revisied: a case study using an Andisol

Soil aggregate structure is likely to exert fundamental control on soil biology (e.g., microbial activity and community compo-sition) and soil biogeochemistry including the stabilization and mobilization of soil organic matter (SOM). Aggregate hierarchy concept (Tidall and Oades, 1982) has been veriﬁed for most temperate and tropical soil types except for Andisols developed from tephra and volcanic rocks are known for strong aggregate stability and high SOM storage capacity. We recently showed the ﬁrst evidence of hierarchical structure in Andisol (Asano and Wagai, 2013). After maximum dispersion (achieved only after 5 kJ/mL sonication following sodium saturation), most of macro- and micro-aggregates were broken down to much smaller particles ( < 0.2 and 0.2-2 um) that accounted for dominant proportion of total C, N, and extractable phases of Al, Si, and Fe. These < 2um particle-size fractions appeared to act as persistent binding agent, contributing to the high physical stability of the aggregates. When the same soil was fractionated by density, the aggregates resistant to mechanical shaking (i.e. higher level in hierarchical structure) showed progressive changes in chemistry along density gradient (Wagai et al. 2014). Among the intermediate density fractions (2.0-2.5 g/cc) where > 80% of total C and N and the extractable metals are present, we found general decrease in C:N ratio and delta 14C and concurrent enrichment of 13C and 15N in accord with previous reports. The next key question is how the particle-size fractions isolatable after the maximum dispersion are assembled together to form the shaking-resistant aggregates of different density. We attempted to answer this question by examining the organic and inorganic chemistry (C, N, 13C, 15N, d14C, 13C-NMR, extractable metals) and the surface characteristics (SSA by N2-BET and XPS) of the size and density fractions. We will also discuss the nature of organo-mineral interactions inferred from our results and compare it with the previously-suggested concepts such as aggregate hierarchy (Tidall and Oades, 1982), and “ zonal layering ” model (Kleber et al. 2007).
User-Item Reciprocity in Recommender Systems: Incentivizing the Crowd

Data consumption has changed significantly in the last 10 years. The digital revolution and the Internet has brought an abundance of information to users. Recommender systems are a popular means of finding content that is both relevant and personalized. However, today’s users require better recommender systems, able of producing continuous data feeds keeping up with their instantaneous and mobile needs. The CrowdRec project addresses this demand by providing context-aware, resource-combining, socially-informed, interactive and scalable recommendations. The key insight of CrowdRec is that, in order to achieve the dense, high-quality, timely information required for such systems, it is necessary to move from passive user data collection, to more active techniques fostering user engagement. For this purpose, CrowdRec activates the crowd, soliciting input and feedback from the wider community
Stroke Research Priorities for the Next Decade – A Representative View of the European Scientific Community

science, stroke research and industry. The primary objective of the workshop was to exchange views on the topic of stroke and to identify research activities that could potentially result in major advances in the areas of stroke prevention, treatment and recovery. These research priorities should address the most pressing scientific, clinical and industrial needs in the field of stroke. Participants agreed that answers to the questions posed by these research priorities must significantly help in reducing the stroke burden to the European Union. The following is a summary of the ideas that were presented, discussed and agreed upon during the Stroke Workshop. Several of the key topics, particularly those in basic science stroke research and imaging, span prevention, therapy and recovery, thus conceivably making contributions to multiple areas of stroke management.
Accelerating MPSoC Simulation Using Parallel SystemC and Processor Sleep Models

High simulation speed is always a concern for developers of virtual platforms, especially given the ever increasing number of processors in modern designs. On the one hand, parallel simulation has appeared as a promising candidate, but has yet to be fully studied in realistic virtual platforms such as those deployed by the industry today. On the other hand, omission of unneeded simulation details, such as skipping simulation of processors in idle or low-power states, also improves performance. This work studies both approaches combined in a realistic virtual platform, achieving average performance gains of 3.2x over sequential simulation.
Quantification of Left Ventricular Systolic Function by Tissue Doppler Echocardiography: Added Value of Measuring Pre- and Postejection Velocities in Ischemic Myocardium

Background—Tissue Doppler imaging (TDI) is a potentially powerful method for diagnosing myocardial ischemia. This study was designed to investigate how velocity patterns in ischemic myocardium relates to regional function, and to determine whether timing of velocity measurements relative to ejection and isovolumic phases may increase the diagnostic power of TDI. Methods and Results—In 17 open-chest anesthetized dogs we measured pressures by micromanometers, myocardial longitudinal segment lengths by sonomicrometry, and velocities by TDI. Myocardial longitudinal strain rate was calculated as velocity divided by distance to the left ventricle apex. Moderate ischemia (left anterior descending coronary artery stenosis) caused parallel reductions in regional systolic shortening by sonomicrometry (P <0.05) and in peak systolic velocities by TDI (P <0.05). Severe ischemia (left anterior descending coronary artery occlusion), however, induced systolic lengthening by sonomicrometry (P <0.001), whereas peak TDI velocity during ejection remained positive (P <0.05). When velocities during isovolumic contraction (IVC) and isovolumic relaxation (IVR) were included, TDI correlated well with sonomicrometry; ie, systolic lengthening occurred predominantly during IVC and was evident as negative velocities (r =0.70, P <0.001), and postsystolic shortening during IVR (r =0.72, P <0.001) as positive velocities. In nonischemic myocardium peak systolic strain rates were more uniform than velocities. Conclusion—The present results indicate that peak ejection velocity is an inappropriate measure of function in severely ischemic myocardium. Dyskinetic myocardium deforms predominantly during the isovolumic phases, and therefore IVC and IVR velocities are better markers of function. When isovolumic as well as ejection velocities are measured, TDI has excellent ability to quantify regional myocardial dysfunction. Longitudinal strain rates are more uniform than velocities and may further improve the diagnostic power of TDI.
Urban Coyote Ecology and Management

Acknowledgments This project has been supported primarily by Cook County (Illinois) Animal Control, with special support from the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation and the Forest Preserve District of Cook County (FPDCC). In particular, we would like to thank Dr. Dan Parmer for his support. Chris Anchor, FPDCC, has provided invaluable assistance with many aspects of the project. Rob Erickson was contracted to assist with coyote trapping. Many technicians and volunteers associated with the Max McGraw Wildlife Foundation have contributed to radio-tracking and processing captured individuals. Paul Morey radio-tracked coyotes and conducted diet analyses. Justin Brown provided information on coyote predation on goose eggs. assisted with serology; and Dr. Tom Meehan and his staff performed fecal analyses. kindly provided external reviews that greatly improved the manuscript. Ohio State University Extension embraces human diversity and is committed to ensuring that all educational programs conducted by OSU Extension are available to clientele on a nondiscriminatory basis without regard to race