Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimization of bone growth and remodeling in response to loading in tapered mammalian limbs

SUMMARY How bones respond dynamically to mechanical loading through changes in shape and structure is poorly understood, particularly with respect to variations between bones. Structurally, cortical bones adapt in vivo to their mechanical environments primarily by modulating two processes, modeling and Haversian remodeling. Modeling, defined here as the addition of new bone, may occur in response to mechanical stimuli by altering bone shape or size through growth. Haversian remodeling is thought to be an adaptation to repair microcracks or prevent microcrack propagation. Here, we examine whether cortical bone in sheep limbs modulates periosteal modeling and Haversian remodeling to optimize strength relative to mass in hind-limb midshafts in response to moderate levels of exercise at different growth stages. Histomorphometry was used to compare rates of periosteal growth and Haversian remodeling in exercised and sedentary treatment groups of juvenile, subadult and young adult sheep. In vivo strain data were also collected for the tibia and metatarsal midshafts of juvenile sheep. The results suggest that limb bones initially optimize responses to loading according to the varying power requirements associated with adding mass at different locations. In juveniles, exercise induces higher rates of periosteal modeling in proximal midshafts and higher rates of Haversian remodeling in distal midshafts. Consequently, distal element midshafts experience higher strains and, presumably, have lower safety factors. As animals age, periosteal modeling rates decline and Haversian remodeling rates increase, but moderate levels of mechanical loading stimulate neither process significantly.
Contextual Multi-armed Bandits for the Prevention of Spam in VoIP Networks

In this paper we argue that contextual multi-armed bandit algorithms could open avenues for designing self-learning security modules for computer networks and related tasks. The paper has two contributions: a conceptual one and an algorithmical one. The conceptual contribution is to formulate -- as an example -- the real-world problem of preventing SPIT (Spam in VoIP networks), which is currently not satisfyingly addressed by standard techniques, as a sequential learning problem, namely as a contextual multi-armed bandit. Our second contribution is to present CMABFAS, a new algorithm for general contextual multi-armed bandit learning that specifically targets domains with finite actions. We illustrate how CMABFAS could be used to design a fully self-learning SPIT filter that does not rely on feedback from the end-user (i.e., does not require labeled data) and report first simulation results.
The metabolic divergence in the meta cleavage of catechols by Pseudomonas putida NCIB 10015. Physiological significance and evolutionary implications.

1 A reinvestigation of the catabolic pathway(s) used by Pseudomonas putida NCIB 10015 (Dagley's strain) for the degradation of phenol and the cresols has proved the existence of a metabolic divergence after meta cleavage of the catechols formed by hydroxylation of the primary substrates. The ring-fission products of catechol and 4-methylcatechol are shown to be simultaneously catabolized by two different enzymic activities, an NAD+-dependent dehydrogenase and a cofactor-independent hydrolase. The metabolizing activities of both ring-fission products in extracts of cells grown on phenol and the cresols (o-, m- and p-cresol) were found to be non specific; thermal inactivation of extracts of phenol-grown cells has shown that this nonspecificity is attributable to only one enzyme expressing each activity and that the two activities are located on separate proteins. 2 Extracts of cells grown on all four substrates contain high induced levels of the meta cleavage suite of enzymes functional in the dissimilation of catechol, including both the 4-oxalocrotonate branch (NAD+-dependent 2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde dehydrogenase, 4-oxalocrotonate tautomerase and 4-oxalocrotonate decarboxylase) and the hydrolytic branch (2-hydroxymuconic semialdehyde hydrolase). 3 The hydroxylase, oxygenase, dehydrogenase and hydrolase activities are shown to be nonspecific and can also act upon the methyl derivatives of their respective substrates. A constant pattern of specificity was found for these enzymes, independent of the monophenolic substrate used for growth. 4 From studies with a mutant lacking phenol hydroxylase, the entire suite of meta cleavage enzymes are shown to be coincidently induced from the top by the primary substrate (phenol or the cresols). 5 The evolutionary and physiological implications of the divergent pathway are discussed.
Efficient Uniform Grids for Collision Handling in Medical Simulators

We investigate spatial acceleration structures within collision handling in scenarios with ”worst-case” spatial layout. These are scenarios where lots of collisions and interactions persist over large time intervals. We focus on acceleration structures based on uniform grids and assess their efficiency in construction, update and query. Z-curves as a technique for the mapping of spatial locality to uniform grids are analyzed to improve the cache-hit rate. Approximate solutions based on the grid representation are considered and discussed in the context of time-critical collision handling. The findings are applied to a deformable collision framework. Experiments are performed on scenarios that are typical for medical simulators. They often exhibit the ”worst case” spatial layout mentioned above.
Differential TDMA impulse radio systems using delay-sum scheme in UWB channel

Ultra wide-band (UWB) communication systems are expected to operate in a highly frequency-selective multipath fading environment. Multipath diversity gains can be collected to provide enhanced performance. To this end, we developed a differential time division multiple access (TDMA) impulse radio scheme that is tailored for multi-user UWB communications. In the system, the differential detector is adopted. The detector, when properly combined with the TDMA system, can fully exploit the multipath diversity of UWB channels. A novel delay-sum scheme is employed at the receiver to mitigate multi-user interference (MUI) and additive white Gaussian noise (AWGN). The proposed system shows better bit-error-rate (BER) performance than the conventional time-hopping impulse radio (TH-IR) system at high signal-to-noise ratio (SNR). Application of the system is promising because the receiver only needs to entail simple delay, integral and compare operations at the symbol rate
Quantitative imaging of protein-protein interactions by multiphoton fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy using a streak camera.

Fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy (FLIM) using multiphoton excitation techniques is now finding an important place in quantitative imaging of protein-protein interactions and intracellular physiology. Recent developments in multiphoton FLIM methods are reviewed and a novel multiphoton FLIM system using a streak camera is described. An example of a typical application of the system is provided in which the fluorescence resonance energy transfer between a donor-acceptor pair of fluorescent proteins within a cellular specimen is measured.
Attraction of Vespula germanica (Hymenoptera: Vespidae) Foragers by Conspecific Heads

Abstract The social wasp Vespula germanica (F.) is a serious pest in many regions it has invaded. Control programs to reduce its populations are commonly based on the use of poison baits. These baits also attract nonpestiferous invertebrates and vertebrates. In this work we studied the attraction of V. germanica foragers by conspecific worker squashes, comparing the effect of head and abdomen squashes in wasps behavior. We found that head squashes attract V. germanica foragers, elicit landing and transportation to nests. Furthermore, the addition of squashed heads to a protein bait increased attraction. This could be an alternative to improve baiting programs.
Delta-reasoner: a semantic web reasoner for an intelligent mobile platform

To make mobile device applications more intelligent, one can combine the information obtained via device sensors with background knowledge in order to deduce the user's current context, and then use this context to adapt the application's behaviour to the user's needs. In this paper we describe Delta-Reasoner, a key component of the Intelligent Mobile Platform (IMP), which was designed to support context-aware applications running on mobile devices. Context-aware applications and the mobile platform impose unusual requirements on the reasoner, which we have met by incorporating advanced features such as incremental reasoning and continuous query evaluation into our reasoner. Although we have so far been able to conduct only a very preliminary performance evaluation, our results are very encouraging: our reasoner exhibits sub-second response time on ontologies whose size significantly exceeds the size of the ontologies used in the IMP.
Development of rehabilitation training support system of upper limb motor function for personalized rehabilitation

This paper we propose a new rehabilitation training support system of upper limbs with the teaching/training function for personalized rehabilitation. The proposed teaching/training function enables the therapists to easily make not only training trajectories but also training programs to suit the individual needs of the patients. It is shown in this paper that three kinds of training programs requested by therapists can be made by using the teaching/training function. The algorithms of the teaching/training function are based on impedance control and data preprocessing. The availability of the teaching/training function is verified experimentally.
Enabling Massive IoT in 5G and Beyond Systems: PHY Radio Frame Design Considerations

The parameters of physical layer radio frame for 5th generation (5G) mobile cellular systems are expected to be flexibly configured to cope with diverse requirements of different scenarios and services. This paper presents a frame structure and design, which is specifically targeting Internet of Things (IoT) provision in 5G wireless communication systems. We design a suitable radio numerology to support the typical characteristics, that is, massive connection density and small and bursty packet transmissions with the constraint of low-cost and low complexity operation of IoT devices. We also elaborate on the design of parameters for random access channel enabling massive connection requests by IoT devices to support the required connection density. The proposed design is validated by link level simulation results to show that the proposed numerology can cope with transceiver imperfections and channel impairments. Furthermore, the results are also presented to show the impact of different values of guard band on system performance using different subcarrier spacing sizes for data and random access channels, which show the effectiveness of the selected waveform and guard bandwidth. Finally, we present system-level simulation results that validate the proposed design under realistic cell deployments and inter-cell interference conditions.
Measuring knowledge with workflow management systems

Expert knowledge is captured in process design. In organisations, knowledge becomes embedded in routines, processes and practices as well as norms, and can be evaluated by the decisions or actions to which it leads, e.g. measurable efficiencies, speed or quality gains. Knowledge develops over time, through experience that includes what we absorb from courses, books and mentors, as well as from informal learning. In this paper, we analyse workflow history and demonstrate that workflow management systems enable knowledge measurement.
A 90nm CMOS CT BPF for Bluetooth transceivers with DT 1b-switched-resistor cutoff-frequency control

In this paper, a scheme for tuning cutoff-frequency of filters is presented. Instead of using a multibit resistor bank, a 1b switched-resistor structure operating at 200MHz is utilized. The effective RCtime constant is controlled by the duty ratio of the 1b tuning pulse. ΔΣ modulation with dithering mitigates the spurious effects. Compared to the conventional tuning scheme, finer cutoff frequency tuning and more linear control are achieved. The tuning scheme is applied to a channel-select filter in a Bluetooth transceiver resulting in 6.3kHz-step cutoff -frequency control and less than 1.8kHz of differential linearity. The transceiver is implemented in a 1.2V 90nm CMOS process.
Fluorescence enhancement by microphase separation-induced chain extension of Eu3+ coordination polymers: phenomenon and analysis

In this paper, we report on the fluorescence enhancement of Eu coordination complexes in dilute solutions through electrostatic complex micelle formation with an oppositely charged block polyelectrolyte. The coordination complexes alone are oligomeric structures which have many ends where partially coordinated europium is exposed to water. In the presence of oppositely charged polyelectrolytes, the local concentration of the coordination complexes is greatly enhanced, so that they transform into polymeric structures and form electrostatically induced micelles with the block polyelectrolytes. This effectively decreases the number of europium–water coordination bonds, which leads to the enhancement of fluorescence emission. This is the first report that utilizes the concentration responsiveness of the smart coordination polymers to promote the function of the colloids made from them.
Simulation and Visualization of Concept Algebra in MATLAB

Concept algebra (CA) is a denotational mathematics for formal knowledge manipulation and natural language processing. In order to explicitly demonstrate the mathematical models of formal concepts and their algebraic operations in CA, a simulation and visualization software is developed in the MATLAB environment known as the Visual Simulator of Concept Algebra (VSCA). This paper presents the design and implementation of VSCA and the theories underpinning its development. Visual simulations for the sets of reproductive and compositional operations of CA are demonstrated by real-world examples throughout the elaborations of CA and VSCA.
New Structure Model for the Packaging Signal in the Genome of Group IIa Coronaviruses

ABSTRACT A 190-nucleotide (nt) packaging signal (PS) located in the 3′ end of open reading frame 1b in the mouse hepatitis virus, a group IIa coronavirus, was previously postulated to direct genome RNA packaging. Based on phylogenetic data and structure probing, we have identified a 95-nt hairpin within the 190-nt PS domain which is conserved in all group IIa coronaviruses but not in the severe acute respiratory syndrome coronavirus (group IIb), group I coronaviruses, or group III coronaviruses. The hairpin is composed of six copies of a repeating structural subunit that consists of 2-nt bulges and 5-bp stems. We propose that repeating AA bulges are characteristic features of group IIa PSs.
A Compact Modular Teleoperated Robotic System for Laparoscopic Surgery

Compared with traditional open surgery, minimally invasive surgical procedures reduce patient trauma and recovery time, but the dexterity of the surgeon in laparoscopic surgery is reduced owing to the small incisions, long instruments and limited indirect visibility of the operative site inside the patient. Robotic surgical systems, teleoperated by surgeons from a master control console with joystick-type manipulation interfaces, have been commercially developed yet their adoption into standard practice may be limited owing to their size, complexity, cost and time-consuming setup, maintenance and sterilization procedures. The goal of our research is to improve the effectiveness of robot-assisted surgery by developing much smaller, simpler, modular, teleoperated robotic manipulator systems for minimally invasive surgery.
Water Improvement and Health: Historical Evidence on the Effect of Filtering Water on Urban Mortality

In this paper, I analyse how technologies for cleaning and distributing water can affect health using new historical data from Sweden. The city of Stockholm introduced a slow filter water cleaning system and piped distribu- tion network in 1861 enabling parts of the population in-house access. The historical context allows me to analyse these technologies without sewerage access as no major sewerage system was constructed at the same time. By using detailed information on water access through contemporary contract lists I can measure access to clean water with great precision. My findings suggest large beneficial effects of having access to clean in-house water. This effect is apparent for the general population but not as precise for infants and in line or even larger than previous estimates. I document heterogeneity in infant mortality with respect to gender where girls seem to have benefited more.
Prevention of Injuries among Male Soccer Players

Background This study was conducted to investigate whether the most common injuries in soccer could be prevented, and to determine if a simple questionnaire could identify players at increased risk. Hypothesis Introduction of targeted exercise programs to male soccer players with a history of previous injury or reduced function in the ankle, knee, hamstring, or groin will prevent injuries. Study Design Randomized controlled trial; Level of evidence, 2. Methods A total of 508 players representing 31 teams were included in the study. A questionnaire indicating previous injury and/or reduced function as inclusion criteria was used to divide the players into high-risk (HR) (76%) and low-risk (LR) groups. The HR players were randomized individually into an HR intervention group or HR control group. Results A total of 505 injuries were reported, sustained by 56% of the players. The total injury incidence was a mean of 3.2 (95% confidence interval [CI], 2.5–3.9) in the LR control group, 5.3 (95% Cl, 4.6–6.0) in the HR control group (P = .0001 vs the LR control group), and 4.9 (95% Cl, 4.3–5.6) in the HR intervention group (P = .50 vs the HR control group). For the main outcome measure, the sum of injuries to the ankle, knee, hamstring, and groin, there was also a significantly lower injury risk in the LR control group compared with the 2 other groups, but no difference between the HR intervention group and the HR control group. Compliance with the training programs in the HR intervention group was poor, with only 27.5% in the ankle group, 29.2% in the knee group, 21.1% in the hamstring group, and 19.4% in the groin defined as having carried out the minimum recommended training volume. Conclusion The players with a significantly increased risk of injury were able to be identified through the use of a questionnaire, but player compliance with the training programs prescribed was low and any effect of the intervention on injury risk could not be detected.
Named entities from Wikipedia for machine translation

In this paper we present our attempt to improve machine translation of named entities by using Wikipedia. We recognize named entities based on categories of English Wikipedia articles, extract their potential translations from corresponding Czech articles and incorporate them into a statistical machine translation system as translation options. Our results show a decrease of translation quality in terms of automatic metrics but positive results from human annotators. We conclude that this approach can lead to many errors in translation and therefore should always be combined with the standard statistical translation model and weighted appropriately.
An extended pose-invariant lipreading system

In recent work, we have concentrated on the problem of lipreading from non-frontal views (poses). In particular, we have focused on the use of profile views, and proposed two approaches for lipreading on basis of visual features extracted from such views: (a) Direct statistical modeling of the features, namely use of view-dependent statistical models; and (b) Normalization of such features by their projection onto the ``space'' of frontal-view visual features, which allows employing one set of statistical models for all available views. The latter approach has been considered for two only poses (frontal and profile views), and for visual features of a specific dimensionality. In this paper, we further extend this work, by investigating its applicability to the case where data from three views are available (frontal, left- and right-profile). In addition, we examine the effect of visual feature dimensionality on the pose-normalization approach. Our experiments demonstrate that results generalize well to three views, but also that feature dimensionality is crucial to the effectiveness of the approach. In particular, feature dimensionality larger than 30 is detrimental to multi-pose visual speech recognition performance.
Ecosystem carbon sequestration through restoration of degraded lands in Northeast India

This study evaluated the ecosystem carbon (C) stock and sequestration potential for predominant land uses converted from forest in Northeast India to advance the scientific knowledge and minimize the anthropogenic C emissions from land use change (LUC). Field assessments were conducted on 6 predominant land uses including (a) natural forest (NF), (b) degraded forest (DF), (c) rubber (Hevea brasiliensis) plantation (RP), (d) Areca (Areca catechu) plantation (ArP), (e) pan (Piper betle) jhum (slash and mulching) agroforestry (PB), and (f) Imperata grassland (IG) of Northeast India to assess changes in ecosystem C stock with progressive and retrogressive LUC. Ecosystem C stock was the highest for NF (300.5 Mg ha−1) and the lowest under IG (110.4 Mg ha−1). The ecosystem C stock under PB and IG was 11% and 63%, respectively, lower than that under NF. In comparison with DF, the gain in ecosystem C was in the order PB (125%) > RP (99%) > ArP (4%). The ratio of soil organic carbon to ecosystem C stock was ~50% for NF, PB, and RP and that shifted to ~80% for ArP/DF/IG. The LUC and management of DF through PB and RP indicated the ecosystem C sequestration rate of 5 and 4 Mg ha−1 year−1, respectively. Similarly, the ecosystem C sequestration rate was 0.5 and 4 Mg ha−1 year−1, respectively, when IG was converted into ArP and RP. Therefore, restoration of degraded lands (viz., DF and IG) through RP and PB enhanced ecosystem C sequestration rate and reduced CO2 emissions from LUC. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Micro force sensor fabricated in the LTCC technology

This paper presents resonant force sensor designed for the operation in the MHz range and for 0 to 6 N load. The LTCC technology is implemented for the sensor fabrication and a wireless readout of the measured data is provided. Used LTCC tape is characterised in order to demonstrate its mechanical and electrical properties at room temperature. Also, theoretical model of the sensor is developed to predict its behaviour. Fabricated sensor performance is experimentally characterised and obtained results are in good agreement with the ones derived from the presented theoretical model.