Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The Presence of Field Geologists in Mars-Like Terrain

The presence of human geologists is held by some to be essential to the conduct of field geology on remote planetary surfaces, so a field study was conducted to observe and characterize the nature of that presence. This study was conducted in the Mojave Desert of Southern California at the Amboy lava field, a landscape that is analogous to terrain on Mars. Two experienced planetary geologists were interviewed and observed during the conduct of surface operations. Each subject then wore a head-mounted video camera/display system, which replaced his natural vision with video vision, while attempting to conduct further surface explorations. In this study, methods of ethnographic observation and analysis have been coupled with object-oriented analysis and design concepts to begin the development of a clear path from observations in the field to the design of virtual presence systems. The existence of redundancies in field geology and presence allowed for the application of methods for understanding complex systems. As a result of this study, some of these redundancies have been characterized. Those described are all classes of continuity relations, including the continuities of continuous existence, context-constituent continuities, and state-process continuities. The discussion of each includes statements of general relationships, logical consequences of these, and hypothetical situations in which the relationships would apply. These are meant to aid in the development of a theory of presence. The discussion also includes design considerations, providing guidance for the design of virtual planetary exploration systems and other virtual presence systems. Converging evidence regarding continuity in presence is found in the nature of psychological dissociation. Specific methodological refinements should enhance ecological validity in subsequent field studies, which are in progress.
Electronics for Power and Energy Management

There is an increasing demand for energy-efficient wireless sensor networks (WSN) in different sensing and monitoring applications. Many autonomous WSN solutions have been deployed in different areas, including health and lifestyle, automotive, smart buildings, predictive maintenance (e.g., of machines and infrastructure) and active RFID tags [1]. For example, miniaturized wireless body area network (WBAN) platforms that can monitor various biological and physiological signals are highly demanded [2]. These WSN platforms face the main technological challenges of miniaturization, autonomy and manufacturing cost [3]. As long lifetime and small form factor requirements of these applications cannot be provided by miniaturized primary batteries, energy harvesting and charging miniaturized rechargeable batteries could be a good solution for realizing autonomous WSNs. These emerging autono‐ mous ultra-low power (ULP) sensors incorporate energy harvesting source, energy storage device and electronic circuits for power management, sensing and communication into a miniaturized system.
Augmentation of endothelial function following exercise training is associated with increased L-arginine transport in human heart failure.

We have reported previously a decrease in the clearance of the NO (nitric oxide) precursor L-arginine in the forearm circulation of CHF (congestive heart failure) patients, suggesting a potential rate-limiting mechanism contributing to the common finding of endothelial dysfunction in CHF. Given data that show exercise training augments endothelial function in CHF, the aim of the present study was to investigate whether these improvements were due to an increase in L-arginine transport. Measures of L-arginine transport, endothelial function and exercise capacity were repeated before and after 8 weeks of "usual living" or exercise training in 21 CHF patients [NYHA (New York Heart Association) class II/III]. Exercise capacity (6-min walk test) increased following exercise training (496+/-21 to 561+/-17 m; P=0.005), whereas the control group demonstrated no change [488+/-18 to 484+/-21 m; P=ns (not significant)]. Basal FBF (forearm blood flow) remained stable following exercise training (2.68+/-0.55 to 2.46+/-0.32 ml.min(-1). 100 ml(-1) of tissue) and "usual living" (2.16+/-0.37 to 2.91+/-0.55 min(-1). 100 ml(-1) of tissue). FBF responses to ACh (acetylcholine) increased following exercise by 49.6+/-17.7% (area under curve; P=0.01) demonstrating augmented endothelial function. FBF responses to SNP (sodium nitroprusside) were also improved following exercise training (30.8+/-8.2%; P=0.02). There was no change in vascular function in the "usual living" group. The clearance of L-arginine was significantly increased following involvement in the exercise programme (69.4+/-7.8 to 101.0+/-9.5 ml/min; P=0.04), whereas there was no change in the "usual living" group (78.4+/-17.5 to 81.0+/-14.9 ml/min; P=ns). In conclusion, the augmentation in endothelial function observed following exercise may be due, in part, to an increase in the transport of L-arginine in CHF patients.
Molecular mechanisms for the evolution of bacterial morphologies and growth modes

Bacteria exhibit a rich diversity of morphologies. Within this diversity, there is a uniformity of shape for each species that is replicated faithfully each generation, suggesting that bacterial shape is as selectable as any other biochemical adaptation. We describe the spatiotemporal mechanisms that target peptidoglycan synthesis to different subcellular zones to generate the rod-shape of model organisms Escherichia coli and Bacillus subtilis. We then demonstrate, using the related genera Caulobacter and Asticcacaulis as examples, how the modularity of the core components of the peptidoglycan synthesis machinery permits repositioning of the machinery to achieve different growth modes and morphologies. Finally, we highlight cases in which the mechanisms that underlie morphological evolution are beginning to be understood, and how they depend upon the expansion and diversification of the core components of the peptidoglycan synthesis machinery.
PUF modeling attacks: An introduction and overview

Machine learning (ML) based modeling attacks are the currently most relevant and effective attack form for so-called Strong Physical Unclonable Functions (Strong PUFs). We provide an overview of this method in this paper: We discuss (i) the basic conditions under which it is applicable; (ii) the ML algorithms that have been used in this context; (iii) the latest and most advanced results; (iv) the right interpretation of existing results; and (v) possible future research directions.
Group A Streptococcal Panniculitis

Infectious panniculitis caused by group A beta‐hemolytic streptococcus is rare, especially in immunocompetent patients. Its clinical presentation is usually nonspecific, but skin biopsy may provide information on the source. We describe the case of a previously healthy 2‐year‐old girl who presented with fever, tachycardia, and diffuse erythematous skin nodule; biopsy revealed a deep lobular neutrophilic panniculitis with gram‐positive bacteria.
Diagnoses, Clinical Classification, and Proposed Treatment of Spontaneous Early Exposure of Submerged Implants

Spontaneous early exposure of implants can become a serious complication during the initial healing phase. These early perforations and partial exposure of the coverscrews are a foci for plaque accumulation which, if left untreated, may result in inflammation, damage to the periimplant mucosa, and possible bone loss. Sometimes, these exposures are so small so as not to be clinically visible. This article presents methods of diagnoses of perforated mucosa around submerged implants. In addition, an easy-to-use classification of the spontaneous early exposure is proposed. Treatment modalities to prevent or intercept mucositis during the initial healing phase, when early exposures occur, are suggested.
Improving ensemble-TCP performance on asymmetric networks

For the World Wide Web, the transmission control protocol (TCP) and the hypertext transfer protocol (HTTP) are two important protocols. However, interactions between these two protocols, combined with the bandwidth asymmetry of network access technologies such as ADSL, can lead to inefficient HTTP/TCP performance. This paper investigates the effects of bandwidth asymmetry on ensemble-TCP, a protocol designed to coordinate multiple HTTP/TCP connections to improve Web document transfer performance. The evaluation is conducted using the ns-2 network simulator. The paper also proposes and evaluates two new schemes, ACC-ensemble and AF-ensemble, to improve ensemble-TCP performance on asymmetric networks. The simulation results show that AF-ensemble and ACC-ensemble perform better (often 10-50% faster) than Reno TCP and ensemble-TCP for typical user-level Web browsing activity on asymmetric networks.
Prostate Cancer Cell Growth Emodin Down-Regulates Androgen Receptor and Inhibits

Hormone-refractory relapse is an inevitable and lethal event for advanced prostate cancer patients after hormone deprivation. A growing body of evidence indicates that hormone deprivation may promote this aggressive prostate cancer phenotype. Notably, androgen receptor (AR) not only mediates the effect of androgen on the tumor initiation but also plays the major role in the relapse transition. This provides a strong rationale for searching new effective agents targeting the down-regulation of AR to treat or prevent advanced prostate cancer progression. Here, we show that emodin, a natural compound, can directly target AR to suppress prostate cancer cell growth in vitro and prolong the survival of C3(1)/SV40 transgenic mice in vivo . Emodin treatment resulted in repressing androgen-dependent transactivation of AR by inhibiting AR nuclear translocation. Emodin decreased the association of AR and heat shock protein 90 and increased the association of AR and MDM2, which in turn induced AR degradation through proteasomemediated pathway in a ligand-independent manner. Our work indicates a new mechanism for the emodin-mediated anticancer effect and justifies further investigation of emodin as a therapeutic and preventive agent for prostate cancer. (Cancer Res 2005; 65(6): 2287-95)
Classifying and Recovering from Sensing Failures in Autonomous Mobile Robots

This paper presents a characterization of sensing failures in autonomous mobile robots, a methodology for classification and recovery, and a demonstration of this approach on a mobile robot performing landmark navigation. A sensing failure is any event leading to defective perception, including sensor malfunctions, software errors, environmental changes, and errant expectations. The approach demonstrated in this paper exploits the ability of the robot to interact with its environment to acquire additional information for classification (i.e., active perception). A Generate and Test strategy is used to generate hypotheses to explain the symptom resulting from the sensing failure. The recovery scheme replaces the affected sensing processes with an alternative logical sensor. The approach is implemented as the Sensor Fusion Effects Exception Handling (SFX-EH) architecture. The advantages of SFX-EN are that it requires only a partial causal model of sensing failure, the control scheme strives for a fast response, tests are constructed so as to prevent confounding from collaborating sensors which have also failed, and the logical sensor organization allows SFX-EH to be interfaced with the behavioral level of existing robot architectures.
Analysis of Texture Synthesis Algorithms with Respect to Usage for Hole-Filling in 3D Geometry

An air-compressing internal combustion engine which includes a cylinder block, a plurality of cylinders in the cylinder block, a piston reciprocably mounted in the respective cylinders, and a cylinder head disposed on the cylinder block. A precombustion chamber is arranged in the cylinder head and associated with the respective cylinders and a number of approximately radially extending burner holes are provided around a periphery of an end of the precombustion chamber. A depression is arranged in the head of each of the pistons and stellate depressions emanate from the depression in the cylinder head. Each of the stellate depressions ascend continuously in a radially outward direction and a further substantially axially extending burner hole is provided at the end of the precombustion chamber.
An unusual case of gallbladder cancer in an automotive worker

Mucinous adenocarcinoma of the gallbladder was found at autopsy in a 65‐year‐old male. The tumor was composed predominantly of signet ring cells, an uncommon histologic form. In addition, there was an atypical pattern of metastasis, with cancer involving not only the walls of the cystic duct, large and small bowels, peritoneum, abdominal nodes, and omentum, but also the kidneys, ureters, lungs, and heart. Although the patient lacked the common predisposing factors for gallbladder cancer, he did work in an industry with a significant relative risk for the development of this cancer.
Study of third‐order optical nonlinearities of substituted hydrazones in PMMA

We investigated the third-order nonlinear optical properties of donor–acceptor substituted hydrazones doped into PMMA matrix using single beam Z-scan technique at 532 nm. The magnitude of third-order susceptibility, χ(3) is of the order of 10−13esu. The nonlinear refractive index, n2 and the molecular second order hyperpolarisability, γh are of the order of 10−11esu and 10−32esu, respectively. The compounds exhibit larger third-order NLO properties in PMMA host when compared to the pure compounds. The study reveals that these hydrazones are a good candidate of nonlinear optical materials for photonic applications. © 2010 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci, 2011
Dopamine Receptors, Motor Responses, and Dopaminergic Agonists

Dopamine receptors are widely distributed within the central nervous system with its highest expression in the striatum. Two different families of dopamine receptors have been identified. The D1 family comprises D1 and D5 receptors, whereas D2, D3, and D4 receptors form the D2 family. These 2 families mediate different behavior patterns that are linked to activation of specific transduction pathways. The functional relevance of dopamine receptors derives from the reduced dopamine content found in the striatum of Parkinson disease (PD) patients and the ability of dopamine and dopamine receptors to reverse the motor deficits exhibited by PD patients. During the last 2 decades dopamine receptor agonists have been used either in de novo PD patients to prevent the appearance of dyskinesias or in PD patients with motor fluctuations to reduce the number of daily “off” hours. It seems that all dopamine receptors agonists produce similar motor responses and adverse effects, but data comparing their effectiveness in the treatment of PD are not available. In this article we summarize the main characteristics of dopamine receptors, their structure, their signaling pathways, and the responses mediated by their independent activation. Here is also described the therapeutic value of the different dopamine receptor agonists in the treatment of PD.
An analysis of individual differences in the f0 contour and the duration of anger utterances at several degrees

Taking up anger emotion expressed by speech, prosodic features were analyzed in order to (cid:2)nd out the relationship between the degree of anger and manifestations on the speech signal in terms of individual differences. As a result of analysis, there were some common features among the speakers, although there were some speaker-dependent features. About the baseline frequency and the magnitude of the (cid:2)rst phrase command, common tendencies were found in all speakers. The amplitude of the accent command increases as the emotional degree increases on the whole. Some speakers emphasized accent commands at all positions within a sentence, some emphasized only near the end of a sentence. Speaking rate at the 1st and 4th phrases were faster than those at the 2nd and 3rd phrases for the utterance with emotion, although there was an individual difference in the effect of the emotional degree. It is very interesting that two aspects in prosody, i.e. , an F 0 contour and a speaking rate, might be complement each other in order to represent a difference of emotional degrees.
Novel Analogue of Colchicine Induces Selective Pro-Death Autophagy and Necrosis in Human Cancer Cells

Colchicine, a natural product of Colchicum autumnae currently used for gout treatment, is a tubulin targeting compound which inhibits microtubule formation by targeting fast dividing cells. This tubulin-targeting property has lead researchers to investigate the potential of colchicine and analogs as possible cancer therapies. One major study conducted on an analogue of allocolchicine, ZD 6126, was halted in phase 2 clinical trials due to severe cardio-toxicity associated with treatment. This study involves the development and testing of novel allocolchicine analogues that hold non-toxic anti-cancer properties. Currently we have synthesized and evaluated the anti-cancer activities of two analogues; N-acetyl-O-methylcolchinol (NSC 51046 or NCME), which is structurally similar to ZD 6126, and (S)-3,8,9,10-tetramethoxyallocolchicine (Green 1), which is a novel derivative of allocolchicine that is isomeric in the A ring. NSC 51046 was found to be non-selective as it induced apoptosis in both BxPC-3 and PANC-1 pancreatic cancer cells and in normal human fibroblasts. Interestingly, we found that Green 1 was able to modestly induce pro-death autophagy in these pancreatic cancer cells and E6-1 leukemia cells but not in normal human fibroblasts. Unlike colchicine and NSC 51046, Green 1 does not appear to affect tubulin polymerization indicating that it has a different molecular target. Green 1 also caused increased reactive oxygen species (ROS) production in mitochondria isolated from pancreatic cancer cells. Furthermore, in vivo studies revealed that Green 1 was well tolerated in mice. Our findings suggest that a small change in the structure of colchicine has apparently changed the mechanism of action and lead to improved selectivity. This may lead to better selective treatments in cancer therapy.
Bond Failure Surface of Glass Fiber Reinforced Polymer Bars

The effects of concrete strength on bond-slip behavior and the failure mechanisms of glass fiber reinforced polymer (GFRP) bar embedded in concrete under direct pullout were investigated in this study. Total of twenty seven specimens were prepared by placing two different types of GFRP bars and conventional steel rebar in 25 MPa, 55 MPa, and 75 MPa concrete and tested according to CSA S806-02. The test results showed that the bond strength of the GFRP rebars as well as the steel increased with the concrete strength. However, the increase in the bond strength with respect to the concrete strength was not as significant in the GFRP series as the steel, and it was attributed to the interlaminar failure mechanism observed in the GFRP test specimens.
STAT3: A Novel Molecular Mediator of Resistance to Chemoradiotherapy

Chemoradiotherapy (CRT) represents a standard treatment for many human cancers, frequently combined with radical surgical resection. However, a considerable percentage of primary cancers are at least partially resistant to CRT, which represents a substantial clinical problem, because it exposes cancer patients to the potential side effects of both irradiation and chemotherapy. It is therefore exceedingly important to determine the molecular characteristics underlying CRT-resistance and to identify novel molecular targets that can be manipulated to re-sensitize resistant tumors to CRT. In this review, we highlight much of the recent evidence suggesting that the signal transducer and activator of transcription 3 (STAT3) plays a prominent role in mediating CRT-resistance, and we outline why inhibition of STAT3 holds great promise for future multimodal treatment concepts in oncology.
In Economics and Social Sciences Working Papers Series Fiscal Decentralization and Economic Growth in Central and Eastern Europe Fiscal Decentralization and Economic Growth in Central and Eastern Europe Fiscal Decentralization and Economic Growth in Central and Eastern Europe

The majority of the literature on fiscal decentralization has tended to stress that the greater capacity of decentralized governments to tailor policies to local preferences and to be innovative in the provision of policies and public services, the greater the potential for economic efficiency and growth. There is, however, little empirical evidence to substantiate this claim. In this paper we examine, using a panel data approach with dynamic effects, the relationship between the level of fiscal decentralization and economic growth rates across 16 Central and Eastern European countries over the 1990-2004 period. Our findings suggest that, contrary to the majority view, there is a significant negative relationship between two out of three fiscal decentralization indicators included in the analysis and economic growth. However, the use of different time lags allows us to nuance this negative view and show that long term effects vary depending on the type of decentralization undertaken in each of the countries considered. While expenditure at and transfers to subnational tiers of government are negatively correlated with economic growth, taxes assigned at the subnational level evolve from having significantly negative to significantly positive correlation with the national growth rate. This supports the view that subnational governments with their own revenue source respond better to local demands and promote greater economic efficiency
Observation of molten metal behavior during laser irradiation: basic experiment to understand laser welding phenomena

In order to understand laser keyhole welding phenomena, pulsed or continuous wave laser was irradiated on a molten metal of Sn or Zn, and spattering and keyhole evolution were observed by high-seed video camera and X-ray transmission method, respectively. It was confirmed from the observation of the surface that a keyhole was initiated to form by far earlier in the molten metal than in the solid metal. According to the X-ray transmission real-time observation result in Zn liquid metal, bubbles were predominantly generated from the tip of a keyhole, which is the same formation mechanism as we revealed in general laser welding. Furthermore, simplified numerical calculation demonstrated that surface tension should affect the formation of such bubbles.