Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New localization strategy for mobile robot transportation in life science automation using StarGazer sensor, time series modeling and Kalman filter processing

A new mobile robot transportation system has been developed for modern life science laboratories. In the system, a new kind of sensors named StarGazer is adopted for the mobile robots' indoor localization. To improve the positioning robustness of the StarGazer sensors under laboratory ceiling interference situations (such as, the strong ceiling lighting), a new hybrid signal filtering method is proposed by combing the TSM (Time Series Method) and the KF (Kalman Filter). In the proposed method, the KF algorithm is established to track and forecast the StarGazer based robot indoor positioning coordinates to avoid the mobile robots get lost in the interference environments and the TSM is adopted to choose the best initial parameters for the state and measurement equations of the KF model. A comparison of the proposed TSM-KF model and the standard ARIMA model is also provided in this paper. The results of an experiment show that the proposed hybrid method tracks and forecasts the robot indoor coordinates accurately, which can promote the robustness of the StarGazer based robot indoor navigation.
An experimental study of pupil constriction for liveness detection

As iris recognition systems have been deployed in many security areas, liveness detection that can distinguish between real iris patterns and fake ones becomes an important module. Most existing algorithms focus on the appearance difference between real and fake iris (for example, printed patterns, cosmetic contact lenses etc.) which is a very difficult problem. Instead of studying image properties of fake irises, we show that pupil constriction, the fundamental characteristic of real and live irises, can be very robust for liveness detection. In this experimental study, we first build an iris acquisition system that can acquire two eye images under two different illumination conditions in a less intrusive environment. Second, in order to model the process of pupil constriction, we propose a feature descriptor that consists of similarity measurement between iris patches and ratio of iris and pupil diameters. Third, the performance of liveness prediction is evaluated based on the training of a Support Vector Machine (SVM) classifier. The high success prediction rate shows that the classifier is effective without knowing any prior knowledge of fake irises.
Maintenance of Dendritic Spine Morphology by Partitioning-Defective 1b through Regulation of Microtubule Growth

Dendritic spines are postsynaptic structures that receive excitatory synaptic input from presynaptic terminals. Actin and its regulatory proteins play a central role in morphogenesis of dendritic spines. In addition, recent studies have revealed that microtubules are indispensable for the maintenance of mature dendritic spine morphology by stochastically invading dendritic spines and regulating dendritic localization of p140Cap, which is required for actin reorganization. However, the regulatory mechanisms of microtubule dynamics remain poorly understood. Partitioning-defective 1b (PAR1b), a cell polarity-regulating serine/threonine protein kinase, is thought to regulate microtubule dynamics by inhibiting microtubule binding of microtubule-associated proteins. Results from the present study demonstrated that PAR1b participates in the maintenance of mature dendritic spine morphology in mouse hippocampal neurons. Immunofluorescent analysis revealed PAR1b localization in the dendrites, which was concentrated in dendritic spines of mature neurons. PAR1b knock-down cells exhibited decreased mushroom-like dendritic spines, as well as increased filopodia-like dendritic protrusions, with no effect on the number of protrusions. Live imaging of microtubule plus-end tracking proteins directly revealed decreases in distance and duration of microtubule growth following PAR1b knockdown in a neuroblastoma cell line and in dendrites of hippocampal neurons. In addition, reduced accumulation of GFP-p140Cap in dendritic protrusions was confirmed in PAR1b knock-down neurons. In conclusion, the present results suggested a novel function for PAR1b in the maintenance of mature dendritic spine morphology by regulating microtubule growth and the accumulation of p140Cap in dendritic spines.
Safety and usefulness of needle-guided resection of levator muscles in laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection for low rectal cancer

Introduction During laparoscopic abdominoperineal resection (APR) for low rectal cancer, it is difficult to resect the levator muscles and remove a cylindrical specimen without venturing close to the rectal wall to ensure negative circumferential resection margins (CRM). To solve this problem, we developed a needle-guided, laparoscopic, abdominoperineal resection (LAPR) technique. Aim To present the safety and superiority of our technique, “needle-guided LAPR”. Material and methods In 2015, we performed needle-guided LAPR in 5 patients. In brief, the procedure is performed as follows. After total mesorectum excision to the level of the levator muscles, a needle is inserted through the perineum from the dorsal side of the internal aspect of the anus toward the sacral tip. The levator muscles and fat tissue are resected laparoscopically by following the needle. After the levator muscles have been resected, the needle is followed in a similar manner to resect the specimen from the perineum, enabling easy access to the intra-abdominal space and removal of the specimen. No position change is required during the perineal operation or pelvic floor reconstruction. Results Mean age was 68 years and 3 patients were male. There were no intraoperative complications or conversions to open surgery. The mean operation time and intraoperative blood loss were 319 min and 131 ml, respectively. All specimens were cylindrical in shape and had negative CRM. There were no postoperative complications. Conclusions Needle-guided LAPR was easily and safely performed to achieve accurate resection of the levator muscles. This technique could contribute to standardization of LAPR.
Some classes of finite state machines with polynomial length of distinguishing test cases

The paper is devoted to effective check of the existence and derivation of adaptive distinguishing sequences (distinguishing test cases) for possibly nondeterministic partial Finite State Machines (FSMs). The complexity of these problems for nondeterministic FSMs remains unknown, however the length of the corresponding test case is shown to be exponential. In this paper, we address FSM classes that allow to derive specific FSM projections for which the problem of checking whether a given FSM is adaptively distinguishing or not can be performed in polynomial time. In order to estimate the length of distinguishing test cases for FSMs of these classes we improve the upper bound on the length of an adaptive distinguishing test case for partial deterministic FSMs. The listed contributions make it possible to apply the proposed techniques for testing 'real' technical systems which behavior is decribed by (partial) nondeterministic FSMs.
Interaction between airway edema and lung inflation on responsiveness of individual airways in vivo.

Interaction between airway edema and lung inflation on responsiveness of individual airways in vivo. J. Appl. Physiol. 83(2): 366-370, 1997. -Inflammatory changes and airway wall thickening are suggested to cause increased airway responsiveness in patients with asthma. In five sheep, the dose-response relationships of individual airways were measured at different lung volumes to methacholine (MCh) before and after wall thickening caused by the inflammatory mediator bradykinin via the bronchial artery. At 4 cmH2O transpulmonary pressure (Ptp), 5 microg/ml MCh constricted the airways to a maximum of 18 +/- 3%. At 30 cmH2O Ptp, MCh resulted in less constriction (to 31 +/- 5%). Bradykinin increased airway wall area at 4 and 30 cmH2O Ptp (159 +/- 6 and 152 +/- 4%, respectively; P < 0.0001). At 4 cmH2O Ptp, bradykinin decreased airway luminal area (13 +/- 2%; P < 0.01), and the dose-response curve was significantly lower (P = 0.02). At 30 cmH2O, postbradykinin, the maximal airway narrowing was not significantly different (26 +/- 5%; P = 0.76). Bradykinin produced substantial airway wall thickening and slight potentiation of the MCh-induced airway constriction at low lung volume. At high lung volume, bradykinin increased wall thickness but had no effect on the MCh-induced airway constriction. We conclude that inflammatory fluid leakage in the airways cannot be a primary cause of airway hyperresponsiveness.
Target Fortification of Breast Milk: Predicting the Final Osmolality of the Feeds

For preterm infants, it is common practice to add human milk fortifiers to native breast milk to enhance protein and calorie supply because the growth rates and nutritional requirements of preterm infants are considerably higher than those of term infants. However, macronutrient intake may still be inadequate because the composition of native breast milk has individual inter- and intra-sample variation. Target fortification (TFO) of breast milk is a new nutritional regime aiming to reduce such variations by individually measuring and adding deficient macronutrients. Added TFO components contribute to the final osmolality of milk feeds. It is important to predict the final osmolality of TFO breast milk to ensure current osmolality recommendations are followed to minimize feeding intolerance and necrotizing enterocolitis. This study aims to develop and validate equations to predict the osmolality of TFO milk batches. To establish prediction models, the osmolalities of either native or supplemented breast milk with known amounts of fat, protein, and carbohydrates were analyzed. To validate prediction models, the osmolalities of each macronutrient and combinations of macronutrients were measured in an independent sample set. Additionally, osmolality was measured in TFO milk samples obtained from a previous clinical study and compared with predicted osmolality using the prediction equations. Following the addition of 1 g of carbohydrates (glucose polymer), 1 g of hydrolyzed protein, or 1 g of whey protein per 100 mL breast milk, the average increase in osmolality was 20, 38, and 4 mOsm/kg respectively. Adding fat decreased osmolality only marginally due to dilution effect. Measured and predicted osmolality of combinations of macronutrients as well as single macronutrient (R2 = 0.93) were highly correlated. Using clinical data (n = 696), the average difference between the measured and predicted osmolality was 3 ± 11 mOsm/kg and was not statistically significant. In conclusion, the prediction model can be utilized to estimate osmolality values after fortification.
Automated analysis of performance variations in folk song recordings

Performance analysis of recorded music material has become increasingly important in musicological research and music psychology. In this paper, we present various techniques for extracting performance aspects from field recordings of folk songs. Main challenges arise from the fact that the recorded songs are performed by non-professional singers, who deviate significantly from the expected pitches and timings even within a single recording of a song. Based on a multimodal approach, we exploit the existence of a symbolic transcription of an idealized stanza in order to analyze a given audio recording of the song that comprises a large number of stanzas. As the main contribution of this paper, we introduce the concept of chroma templates by which consistent and inconsistent aspects across the various stanzas of a recorded song are captured in the form of an explicit and semantically interpretable matrix representation. Altogether, our framework allows for capturing differences in various musical dimension such as tempo, key, tuning, and melody.
Language Use Statistics and Perceptual Simulation in Language Processing

Humans’ ability to comprehend language seems to rely on both mental reconstructions of what we have experienced in the world and statistically-based expectations of how language is used. This study adapted a comparison of perceptual and statistical explanations of word comprehension in the auditory modality. Participants completed a series of trials in which they heard cue words, some of which were spatially oriented (e.g., sky, ground), and then completed a letter identification task. In this task, the letter appeared on the computer screen in either a congruent location or an incongruent location. The position of the letter at the top or bottom of the screen was defined as congruent if it matched: 1) the spatial meaning of the cue word (e.g., up for “sky”); or 2) the direction that occurs most frequently with the cue word in English corpora (e.g., down for “slow”). Response times to the letter task were expected to replicate prior findings that participants identify letters in congruent locations faster than incongruent ones. Eye-tracking was used as an additional measure of embodied perceptual processing. Where participants looked on the computer screen was predicted to correspond with the imagined spatial location of the cue word. Differences in eye movement patterns did not support the perceptual processing hypothesis. The correlation between a word’s statistical co-occurrence with spatial words and response times was significant.
Dept. for Speech, Music and Hearing Quarterly Progress and Status Report Observations on the Violin Bow and the Interaction with the String Observations on the Violin Bow and the Interaction with the String*

The bow influences a string performance in two principal ways: (I) by adding to the sound quality, primarily set by the violin body, and (2) by serving as the tool through which tones andphrases are formed. The influence on tone quality has been attributed to a modulation of either the relative velocity between bow and string, or the bow pressure, due to the resonances of the bow. New results indicate that certain regions in the string spectra are more influenced than others by these effects. The bow resonances are an individual signature of a bow, but the resonancej? equencies and their relations seem not to be directly related to quality. In this respect, the damping ratios could be more revealing. In its second role, the bow serves as the interface between the player and the string by which phrasing and articulation are controlled. This puts additional demands on the bow, known as the playing properties, for which the mass and strfiess distributions along the stick seem to be the main parameters. Some recent findings on the properties of the bow will be described and the sparse literature on the subject will be reviewed.
Cast shadow detection and removal in a real-time environment

The cast shadows on the background of the object or scene will definitely affect the recognition of the foreground objects. Due to this unavoidable problem, the performance of the successful object recognition, image analysis and object tracking algorithms would be degraded. An efficient shadow detection and removal algorithm is necessary to make the algorithms outperform in the analysis, recognition and tracking process. Using edge information we very well detect the cast shadows of the moving or static objects effectively. In this paper, we propose a method of moving shadow detection and the shadow removal algorithm to segment the shadow from the foreground.
Genetics of the Spontaneously Diabetic Torii Rat

The Spontaneously Diabetic Torii (SDT) rat has recently been established as a novel model of nonobese type 2 diabetes. SDT rats exhibit inflammation and fibrosis in and around the islets during development of the disease. To clarify the genetic basis of the disease, we previously performed quantitative trait locus (QTL) analysis of glucose tolerance at 20 weeks of age using backcrossed progeny produced from the (BNSDT)F1� SDT cross. The analysis identified three major QTLs (Gisdt1, Gisdt2, and Gisdt3) on rat chromosomes 1, 2, and X, respectively. To examine genetic factors for diabetes, glucose tolerance, islet inflammation, and fibrosis in the SDT rat, we also performed genetic analysis of these traits at 60 weeks of age using intercrossed progeny produced from the (F344� SDT)F2 cross. Genetic analysis of diabetes identified a major locus, Dmsdt1, on chromosome 3. QTL analysis of blood glucose levels revealed, in addition to Dmsdt1, three other loci (Dmsdt2, Dmsdt3, and Dmsdt4) on chromosome 8, 13, and 14, respectively. Analysis of a congenic strain for Dmsdt1 (F344.SDT-Dmsdt1) indicates that the dominantly acting SDT allele induces islet inflammation and fibrosis. These data clearly demonstrate that development of diabetes in the SDT rat is controlled by the combination of several QTLs with considerable effects. Identification of the genes responsible would provide greater understanding of the pathogenesis and pathophysiology of diabetes.
Cirrus Cloud Properties and the Large-Scale Meteorological Environment: Relationships Derived from A-Train and NCEP–NCAR Reanalysis Data

AbstractEmpirical knowledge of how cirrus cloud properties are coupled with the large-scale meteorological environment is a prerequisite for understanding the role of microphysical processes in the life cycle of cirrus cloud systems. Using active and passive remote sensing data from the A-Train, relationships between cirrus cloud properties and the large-scale dynamics are examined. Mesoscale cirrus events from along the A-Train track from 1 yr of data are sorted on the basis of vertical distributions of radar reflectivity and on large-scale meteorological parameters derived from the NCEP–NCAR reanalysis using a K-means cluster-analysis algorithm. With these defined regimes, the authors examine two questions: Given a cirrus cloud type defined by cloud properties, what are the large-scale dynamics? Vice versa, what cirrus cloud properties tend to emerge from large-scale dynamics regimes that tend to form cirrus? From the answers to these questions, the links between the large-scale dynamics regimes and the.
Effects of Virtual Reality Exercise Program on Balance, Emotion and Quality of Life in Patients with Cognitive Decline

Korea Purpose: In this study, we investigated the effectiveness of a 12-week virtual reality exercise program using the Nintendo Wii console (Wii) in improving balance, emotion, and quality of life among patients with cognitive decline. Methods: The study included 30 patients with cognitive decline (12 female, 18 male) who were randomly assigned to an experimental (n=15) and control groups (n=15). All subjects performed a traditional cognitive rehabilitation program and the experimental group performed additional three 40-minute virtual reality based video game (Wii) sessions per week for 12 weeks. The berg balance scale (BBS) was used to assess balance abilities. The short form geriatric depression scale-Korean (GDS-K) and the Korean version of quality of life-Alzheimer’s disease (KQOL-AD) scale were both used to assess life quality in patients. Statistical significance was tested within and between groups before and after treatment, using Wilcoxon signed rank and Mann-Whitney u-tests. Results: After 36 training sessions, there were significant beneficial effects of the virtual reality game exercise on balance (BBS), GDS-K, and KQOL-AD in the experimental group when compared to the control group. No significant difference was observed within the control group. Conclusion: These findings demonstrate that a virtual reality-training program could improve the outcomes in terms of balance, depression, and quality of life in patients with cognitive decline. Long-term follow-ups and further studies of more efficient virtual reality training programs are
A Pergunta de Coase Revisitada e a Analogia com os Grupos Empresariais de Mark Granovetter

O objetivo desse artigo é a apreciação da proposta de Granovetter (1994) de uma segunda pergunta, análoga à pergunta de Coase (1937), concernente à natureza da firma. Granovetter sugere que assim como Coase assinalou a necessidade de se considerar a firma na análise econômica, os sociólogos deveriam voltar sua atenção para os grupos empresariais. Granovetter pretende a partir daí construir um nível intermediário de análise, capaz de fornecer a conexão entre as dimensões micro e macro do mundo social. Os trabalhos de Coase e Granovetter são contextualizados nos programas de pesquisa que os autores ajudaram a fundar, respectivamente, a nova economia institucional e a nova sociologia econômica. Nesse sentido, estaremos aptos a apontar as similaridades e diferenças entre Coase e Granovetter.
A Randomized Controlled Clinical Study Comparing the Diagnostic Accuracy of the Histologic Prediction for Colorectal Polyps Depending on the Use of Either Magnified or Nonmagnified Narrow Band Imaging

Background/Aims: The aim of this study was to compare the diagnostic capabilities of narrow band imaging (NBI) colonoscopy with and without optical magnification in differentiating neoplastic from nonneoplastic colorectal polyps. Methods: Between April 2012 and March 2013, 122 patients with colorectal polyps detected by using diagnostic conventional colonoscopy were prospectively enrolled. A total of 236 polyps were evaluated with NBI, in vivo in real time during therapeutic colonoscopy, by one experienced endoscopist. Whether magnification was used or not was determined by randomization. After an in vivo real-time endoscopic prediction of histology, all lesions were endoscopically excised. Surgical pathologic reports were used as the criterion standards. The sensitivity (Sn), specificity (Sp), positive predictive value (PPV), and negative predictive value (NPV) of identifying neoplastic polyps were calculated. Results: A total of 236 lesions with an average size of 5.6 mm in 122 patients were assessed (159 neoplastic, 77 nonneoplastic). The Sn, Sp, PPV, and NPV in differentiating neoplastic from nonneoplastic lesions with the magnified NBI were 97.5%, 83.3%, 94.0%, and 92.6%, respectively, whereas those of the nonmagnified NBI group were 97.5%, 85.1%, 91.7%, and 95.2%, respectively. Conclusions: Nonmagnified NBI colonoscopy distinguishes neoplastic from nonneoplastic colorectal polyps as accurately as does magnified NBI colonoscopy.
The design and realization of SIP DOS attack detection plugin based on balanced message number principle

With the use of S SIP (Session Initial Protocol) diffusely, the protocol's security problems have gradually emerged, in which DoS (Denial of Service) attack is the most serious. This paper analyzes how to improve the detection mechanism's performance of DoS attack in SIP. The principle based on balanced message number is proposed. At the same time, we design a plugin, which we name the SIP DoS attack detection plugin. A testing scenario to show the plugin functionality is constructed to validate the capability of SIP DoS detection plugin we proposed.