Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Reliability of functional MR imaging with word-generation tasks for mapping Broca's area.

BACKGROUND AND PURPOSE Functional MR (fMR) imaging of word generation has been used to map Broca's area in some patients selected for craniotomy. The purpose of this study was to measure the reliability, precision, and accuracy of word-generation tasks to identify Broca's area. METHODS The Brodmann areas activated during performance of word-generation tasks were tabulated in 34 consecutive patients referred for fMR imaging mapping of language areas. In patients performing two iterations of the letter word-generation tasks, test-retest reliability was quantified by using the concurrence ratio (CR), or the number of voxels activated by each iteration in proportion to the average number of voxels activated from both iterations of the task. Among patients who also underwent category or antonym word generation or both, the similarity of the activation from each task was assessed with the CR. In patients who underwent electrocortical stimulation (ECS) mapping of speech function during craniotomy while awake, the sites with speech function were compared with the locations of activation found during fMR imaging of word generation. RESULTS In 31 of 34 patients, activation was identified in the inferior frontal gyri or middle frontal gyri or both in Brodmann areas 9, 44, 45, or 46, unilaterally or bilaterally, with one or more of the tasks. Activation was noted in the same gyri when the patient performed a second iteration of the letter word-generation task or second task. The CR for pixel precision in a single section averaged 49%. In patients who underwent craniotomy while awake, speech areas located with ECS coincided with areas of the brain activated during a word-generation task. CONCLUSION fMR imaging with word-generation tasks produces technically satisfactory maps of Broca's area, which localize the area accurately and reliably.
Resolvability of Visual-Inertial Structure from Motion in Closed-form

This paper investigates the visual-inertial structure from motion problem. A simple closed form solution to this problem is introduced. Special attention is devoted to identify the conditions under which the problem has a finite number of solutions. Specifically, it is shown that the problem can have a unique solution, two distinct solutions and infinite solutions depending on the trajectory, on the number of point-features and on their layout and on the number of camera images. The investigation is also performed in the case when the inertial data are biased, showing that, in this latter case, more images and more restrictive conditions on the trajectory are required for the problem resolvability.
Are Canadians More Likely to Lose Their Jobs in the 1990s?

Canadians are increasingly concerned about rising job instability. Job instability can take various forms and can be measured in numerous ways. As part of a comprehensive research effort to examine job instability, this paper uses the Longitudinal Worker File (LWF) on the separations of Canadian workers from 1978 to 1993 to assess one dimension of job instability - permanent layoffs. The key question addressed in the paper is "have permanent layoffs in Canada increased in the 1980s and early 1990s as compared to the late 1970s? ". We examine the time trend of permanent layoffs first by looking at the permanent layoff rate, and then by logistic regressions to predict the probability of permanent layoffs. The analysis is undertaken for all workers as well as for particular sub-groups. Created by many complex processes, permanent layoffs are an on-going feature of our economy and not as cyclically sensitive as quits and other means of workforce adjustments used by firms (i.e., temporary layoffs and hirings). Every year, over a million workers are permanently displaced from their jobs, no matter whether in recessions, recovery or expansionary periods. This is as true in the 1980s and early 1990s as in the late 1970s. Permanent layoffs to 1993 have shown no overall sign of an upward trend when compared to earlier years which are comparable in the business cycle. This holds true whether using the raw data or after controlling for changes in the composition of the workforce by gender, age, province, industry and firm size. However, an increase in the probability of permanent layoffs is observed among some particular groups of workers, notably older or higher paid workers, those in the primary sector or in health, education and welfare services. We will have to wait for more recent data to evaluate trends beyond 1993. The data further show that the Canadian labour market adjusts to structural changes more through depressed hirings than increased layoffs. While the risk of permanently losing one's job, to 1993 at leasts, is no higher than in earlier comparable periods, the chance of finding a new job is considerably lower, at least in the aggregate. Furthermore, most job creation in the 1990s has been self-employment, where earning may be more unstable than among paid jobs.
Joint Group Sparse PCA for Compressed Hyperspectral Imaging

A sparse principal component analysis (PCA) seeks a sparse linear combination of input features (variables), so that the derived features still explain most of the variations in the data. A group sparse PCA introduces structural constraints on the features in seeking such a linear combination. Collectively, the derived principal components may still require measuring all the input features. We present a joint group sparse PCA (JGSPCA) algorithm, which forces the basic coefficients corresponding to a group of features to be jointly sparse. Joint sparsity ensures that the complete basis involves only a sparse set of input features, whereas the group sparsity ensures that the structural integrity of the features is maximally preserved. We evaluate the JGSPCA algorithm on the problems of compressed hyperspectral imaging and face recognition. Compressed sensing results show that the proposed method consistently outperforms sparse PCA and group sparse PCA in reconstructing the hyperspectral scenes of natural and man-made objects. The efficacy of the proposed compressed sensing method is further demonstrated in band selection for face recognition.
A coordination strategy for distributed multi-agent manufacturing systems

This paper proposes a distributed multi-agent approach for dynamic part routing in automated manufacturing systems. In particular, each part in the system is associated to an intelligent software agent that must select its next destination autonomously (i.e. ignoring the actions of the other agents) and in real time (i.e. at each time it completes an operation on a workstation). Differently from other existing approaches, we overcome the typical myopia of negotiation algorithms based on dispatching rules by allowing the part agents to take decisions not only about the imminent operation, but also for the subsequent ones. The anticipated decisions are transmitted to workstation agents, which are also designated to detect and resolve conflicts by modifying part agents’ decisions. To describe the single agents and their interaction schemes in a formal way, we take advantage of DEVS discrete-event modelling tools, which also allow us to develop a detailed simulation platform for our multi-agent system. The simulation experiments obtained on a detailed model of a manufacturing system derived from the literature confirm the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Use of CMEIAS Image Analysis Software to Accurately Compute Attributes of Cell Size, Morphology, Spatial Aggregation and Color Segmentation that Signify in Situ Ecophysiological Adaptations in Microbial Biofilm Communities

In this review, we describe computational features of computer-assisted microscopy that are unique to the Center for Microbial Ecology Image Analysis System (CMEIAS) software, and examples illustrating how they can be used to gain ecophysiological insights into microbial adaptations occurring at micrometer spatial scales directly relevant to individual cells occupying their ecological niches in situ. These features include algorithms that accurately measure (1) microbial cell length relevant to avoidance of protozoan bacteriovory; (2) microbial biovolume body mass relevant to allometric scaling and local apportionment of growth-supporting nutrient resources; (3) pattern recognition rules for morphotype classification of diverse microbial communities relevant to their enhanced fitness for success in the particular habitat; (4) spatial patterns of coaggregation that reveal the local intensity of cooperative vs. competitive adaptations in colonization behavior relevant to microbial biofilm ecology; and (5) object segmentation of complex color images to differentiate target microbes reporting successful cell-cell communication. These unique computational features contribute to the CMEIAS mission of developing accurate and freely accessible tools of image bioinformatics that strengthen microscopy-based approaches for understanding microbial ecology at single-cell resolution.
ENERGY OPTIMAL POINT-TO-POINT MOTION USING MODEL PREDICTIVE CONTROL

This paper discusses energy optimal point-to-point motion control for linear time-invariant (LTI) systems using energyoptimal Model Predictive Control (EOMPC). The developed EOMPC, which is based on time-optimal MPC, aims at performing energy-optimal point-to-point motions within a required motion time. Energy optimality is achieved by setting the object function of the EOMPC optimization problem equal to the system’s energy losses. The key issue is to utilize the strategy of the prediction horizon to ensure that the motion time is exactly equal to the required motion time. Application of EOMPC on a badminton robot shows the practical applicability of the developed method. In addition, an experimental comparison with time-optimal MPC is provided.
A novel approach for human-machine interaction using hand gesture

Human machine interaction is a rapidly developing field. Hand gestures are used to interact with the machine; this makes the human machine interaction very interesting and intuitive. Several devices have been developed in the past using the camera for recognizing hand gestures and communicating with the machine. In this paper we have proposed a new system called hand gesture recognition (HGR) to overcome the use of camera which has several disadvantages like lighting, making proper hand movements before camera, operating in less range. The universal control unit may be as a form of wearable one. A Kalman filtering approach is proposed for stable displacement estimation and waveband classification of the measured acceleration. With the sensors placed in the form of watch or band on our hand, any motion made by the hand will be detected by these sensors and relayed to a control unit to take the required actions. The estimated results are compared with those of a commercial geometry measurement.
Robust trajectory tracking for a scale model autonomous helicopter

This paper considers the question of obtaining an a priori bound on the tracking performance, for an arbitrary trajectory, of closed‐loop control of an idealized model of a scale model autonomous helicopter. The problem is difficult due to the presence of small body forces that cannot be directly incorporated into the control design. A control Lyapunov function is derived for an approximate model (in which the small body forces are neglected) using backstepping techniques. The Lyapunov function derived is used to analyse the closed‐loop performance of the full system. A theorem is proved that provides a priori bounds on initial error and the trajectory parameters (linear acceleration and its derivatives) that guarantees acceptable tracking performance of the system. The analysis is expected to be of use in verification of trajectory planning procedures. Copyright © 2004 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Timed possibilistic logic

This paper is an attempt to cast both uncertainty and time in a logical framework. It generalizes possibilistic logic, previously developed by the authors, where each classical formula is associated with a weight which obeys the laws of possibility theory. In the possibilistic temporal logic we present here, each formula is associated with a time set (a fuzzy set in the more general case) which represents the set of instants where the formula is certainly true (more or less certainly true in the general case). When a particular instant is fixed we recover possibilistic logic. Timed possibilistic logic generalizes possibilistic logic also in the sense that we substitute the lattice structure of the set of the (fuzzy) subsets of the temporal scale to the lattice structure underlying the certainty weights in possibilistic logic. Thus many results from possibilistic logic can be straightforwardly generalized to timed possibilistic logic. Illustrative examples are given.
CanDrA: Cancer-Specific Driver Missense Mutation Annotation with Optimized Features

Driver mutations are somatic mutations that provide growth advantage to tumor cells, while passenger mutations are those not functionally related to oncogenesis. Distinguishing drivers from passengers is challenging because drivers occur much less frequently than passengers, they tend to have low prevalence, their functions are multifactorial and not intuitively obvious. Missense mutations are excellent candidates as drivers, as they occur more frequently and are potentially easier to identify than other types of mutations. Although several methods have been developed for predicting the functional impact of missense mutations, only a few have been specifically designed for identifying driver mutations. As more mutations are being discovered, more accurate predictive models can be developed using machine learning approaches that systematically characterize the commonality and peculiarity of missense mutations under the background of specific cancer types. Here, we present a cancer driver annotation (CanDrA) tool that predicts missense driver mutations based on a set of 95 structural and evolutionary features computed by over 10 functional prediction algorithms such as CHASM, SIFT, and MutationAssessor. Through feature optimization and supervised training, CanDrA outperforms existing tools in analyzing the glioblastoma multiforme and ovarian carcinoma data sets in The Cancer Genome Atlas and the Cancer Cell Line Encyclopedia project.
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Loss of heterozygosity (LOH) from chromosome 10 is a hallmark of glioblastoma, the most malignant (grade IV) form of glioma. A candidate tumor suppressor gene, PTEN/MMACJ, that may be targeted for deletion in association with chromosome 10 LOH has recently been identified. Herewehaveinvestigated63 glioblastomasforPTENIMMAC1 alterations and identified DNA sequence changes that would affect the encoded protein in 17 (27%) tumors. Microsatellite analyses ofnormal-tumor DNA pairs were performed on 14 of these cases and revealed LOH at locations flanking and/or near PTEN/MMACJ in all but 1 instance, suggesting that deletion of the remaining wild-type allele had occurred In the large @ontyof tumors with PTEN/MMACJ mutations. Competitive PCR assays were developed to address the possible occurrence of PTEN/ MMACJ homozygous deletions In glioblastomas, and this analysis identi fled three samples having loss of both PTEN/MMACJ alleles. EGFR amplification was determined to occur at similar frequencies among cases with or without PTEN/MMACJ homozygous deletions or mutations, sug gesting that a growth-promoting effect resulting from amplification-asso ciated increases in epidermal growth factor receptor signaling is not necessarily dependent on the inactivation of PTEN/MMACJ.
A novel way of accessing Pl/Sql functions and providing dynamic adaptability using aspect oriented programming

The need for dynamic adaptability in software is growing, driven in part by the emergence of autonomic computing. In many cases, it is desirable to enhance existing programs with adaptive behaviour, enabling them to execute effectively in dynamic environments. Aspect Oriented Programming (AOP), a relatively new programming paradigm, earned the scientific community's attention. AOP complements Object-Oriented Programming (OOP) by providing another way of thinking about program structure. AOP defines a new program construct, called an aspect, which is used to capture cross-cutting aspects of a software system in separate program entities. Although persistence has been considered as an aspect of a system aspects in the persistence domain in general and in databases in particular have been largely ignored. Persistent objects in an object database need to be adapted, either by physical conversion or wrapping. In this paper we are using Aspect Oriented Programming (AOP) to enable dynamic adaptation while accessing PL/SQL (Procedural Language/Structured Query Language) functions. An aspect-oriented extension of an Object Oriented Data Base (OODB) is discussed and various open issues pointed out. We propose an approach to implement dynamic adaptability, reusability especially for PL/SQL functions. We have used AspectJ; Object Oriented Programming based language to create aspects in Eclipse supported framework.
A Molecular Mechanism of Enantiorecognition of Tertiary Alcohols by Carboxylesterases

Carboxylesterases containing the sequence motif GGGX catalyze the hydrolysis of esters of chiral tertiary alcohols, albeit with only low to moderate enantioselectivity, for three model substrates (linalyl acetate, methyl‐1‐pentin‐1‐yl acetate, 2phenyl‐3‐butin‐2‐yl acetate). In order to understand the molecular mechanism of enantiorecognition and to improve enantioselectivity for this interesting substrate class, the interaction of both enantiomers with the substrate binding sites of acetylcholinesterases and p‐nitrobenzyl esterase from Bacillus subtilis was modeled and correlated to experimental enantioselectivity. For all substrate–enzyme pairs, enantiopreference and ranking by enantioselectivity could be predicted by the model. In p‐nitrobenzyl esterase, one of the key residues in determining enantioselectivity was G105: exchange of this amino acid for an alanine residue led to a sixfold increase of enantioselectivity (E=19) towards 2phenyl‐3‐butin‐2‐yl acetate. However, the effect of this mutation is specific: the same mutant had the opposite enantiopreference towards the substrate linalyl acetate. Thus, depending on the substrate structure, the same mutant has either increased enantioselectivity or opposite enantiopreference compared to the wild‐type enzyme.
Effects of sediment supply on surface textures of gravel‐bed rivers

Using previously published data from flume studies, we test a new approach for quantifying the effects of sediment supply (i.e., bed material supply) on surface grain size of equilibrium gravel channels. Textural response to sediment supply is evaluated relative to a theoretical prediction of competent median grain size (D50′). We find that surface median grain size (D50) varies inversely with sediment supply rate and systematically approaches the competent value (D50′) at low equilibrium transport rates. Furthermore, equilibrium transport rate is a power function of the difference between applied and critical shear stresses and is therefore a power function of the difference between competent and observed median grain sizes (D50′ and D50). Consequently, we propose that the difference between predicted and observed median grain sizes can be used to determine sediment supply rate in equilibrium channels. Our analysis framework collapses data from different studies toward a single relationship between sediment supply rate and surface grain size. While the approach appears promising, we caution that it has been tested only on a limited set of laboratory data and a narrow range of channel conditions.
Soccer Behaviors on Bi-pedal Nao Robots

The project encompasses the framework and setup needed to run soccer behaviors on the NAO robot. The behaviors are constructed using the NAOqi API provided by Aldebaran Robotics. The framework is developed dynamically to accept any sort of working model for robot behavior that runs cyclically. Along with the code and framework the project also gives developers a through walkthrough for setting up the software.
Formation of ω Centauri from an Ancient Nucleated Dwarf Galaxy

We present a self-consistent dynamical model in which ω Cen is formed from an ancient nucleated dwarf galaxy merging with the first generation of the Galactic thin disc in a retrograde manner with respect to the Galactic rotation. Our numerical simulations demonstrate that during merging between the Galaxy and the ω Cen’s host dwarf with M B ⋍ ‒14 mag and its nucleus mass of 10 7 M ⊙ , the outer stellar envelope of the dwarf is nearly completely stripped whereas the central nucleus can survive from the tidal stripping because of its compactness. The developed naked nucleus is orbiting the young Galactic disc in a retrograde manner with its apocenter and pericenter distances of ~ 8 kpc and ~ 1 kpc, respectively, and thus have orbital properties similar to those of ω Cen. The Galactic tidal force can induce radial inflow of gas to the dwarf’s center and consequently triggers moderately strong nuclear starbursts in a repetitive manner. This result implies that efficient nuclear chemical enrichment resulting from the later starbursts can be closely associated with the origin of the observed relatively young and metal-rich stars in ω Cen. Dynamical heating by the ω Cen’s host can transform the young thin disc into the thick one during merging.
Phase I Trial of a Lactobacillus crispatus Vaginal Suppository for Prevention of Recurrent Urinary Tract Infection in Women

Objectives: We performed a phase I trial to assess the safety and tolerance of a Lactobacillus vaginal suppository for prevention of recurrent UTI. Methods: Premenopausal women with a history of recurrent UTI were randomized to use L. crispatus CTV-05 or placebo vaginal suppositories daily for five days. Results: 30 women were randomized (15 to L. crispatus CTV-05). No severe adverse events occurred. Mild to moderate vaginal discharge and genital irritation were reported by women in both study arms. Seven women randomized to L. crispatus CTV-05 developed pyuria without associated symptoms. Most women had high concentrations of vaginal H202-producing lactobacilli before randomization. L. crispatus, L. jensenii, and L. gasseri were the most common Lactobacillus species identified, with stable prevalence over time. Conclusions: L. crispatus CTV-05 can be given as a vaginal suppository with minimal sideeffects to healthy women with a history of recurrent UTI. Mild inflammation of the urinary tract was noted in some women.