Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Seeing Signs : Pre-Adolescent Recognition of Social Body Language in Humanoid Robots

The utilization of humanoid robots, such as Aldebaran's NAO, is expanding in scope, most prominently, as companions in both therapeutic and educational environments in order to improve the quality of human life. This paper focuses on emulating emotion and expressive behaviors in an anthropomorphic robot in order to foster meaningful and intuitive humanoid-robot interaction, specifically with pre-adolescent children. We utilize non-verbal, full body movements to model the six basic emotions and incorporate these emotions into an interactive and robust educational game. We present the design and experimental evaluation of the emotionally expressive humanoid robot during a socially interactive game of 'Charades'. We also lay the groundwork for an educational game that enables a child user to interact one on one with the robot that incorporates various modalities including the emotions previously mentioned. We then propose future methods and ideas to improve the human-robot interaction in the proposed educational game.
Dynamic slicing and scheduling for wireless network virtualization in downlink LTE system

Infrastructure providers (InPs) can provide virtual networks (VNs) to service providers (SPs) through wireless network virtualization. These VNs share the wireless spectrum and they are supposed to meet various requirements of different SPs. In order to satisfy the requirements such as quality of service (QoS), fairness and isolation, efficient and flexible slicing and scheduling schemes are necessary. In this paper, to meet the different rate requirements of VNs, we propose a novel slicing and scheduling scheme. In this scheme, each VN is assigned a certain number of sub-channels to provide services to its users. This number is changeable, which reflects the dynamic adjustability of our scheme. Scheduling isolation among VNs is realized in this scheme, which means that users in different VNs will not be scheduled together, and different scheduling schemes can be used for different VNs based on our scheme. Simulation results show that our scheme provides a good balance between fairness and throughput. More importantly, it provides an efficient method for meeting different rate targets of VNs.
Ultrastructural effects of DDT, DDD, and DDE on neural cells of the chicken embryo model

Human exposure to environmental compounds with estrogenic activity and the potential effects on human health is the subject of ongoing scientific debates. Their potential effects raise concern regarding neurological development after prenatal exposure. Central to this debate is the pesticide 1,1,1‐trichloro‐2,2‐bis(4‐chlorophenyl)ethane (DDT). Although it has apparent low acute toxicity in mammals, DDT has a long residual persistence and laboratory research has indicated that it acts on the CNS by interfering with Na+/K+ pump mechanism of the neuronal membranes, causing disruption in Ca2+ homeostasis. Potentially this may lead to both apoptosis and necrosis. The present study investigates the effects of DDT and two of its metabolites DDD and DDE on the ultramorphology of neural cells, using a previously published chicken embryo model. Results indicate cellular swelling, budding, and increased membrane permeability for all three chemicals, accompanied by karyolysis in the DDE group (typical features of oncosis). These results support the finding of other researchers as well as the concerns of the WHO that DDT and its metabolites may cause neurotoxicity after prenatal exposure. © 2007 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Environ Toxicol 22: 328–336, 2007.
Amazon forest carbon dynamics predicted by profiles of canopy leaf area and light environment.

Tropical forest structural variation across heterogeneous landscapes may control above-ground carbon dynamics. We tested the hypothesis that canopy structure (leaf area and light availability) - remotely estimated from LiDAR - control variation in above-ground coarse wood production (biomass growth). Using a statistical model, these factors predicted biomass growth across tree size classes in forest near Manaus, Brazil. The same statistical model, with no parameterisation change but driven by different observed canopy structure, predicted the higher productivity of a site 500 km east. Gap fraction and a metric of vegetation vertical extent and evenness also predicted biomass gains and losses for one-hectare plots. Despite significant site differences in canopy structure and carbon dynamics, the relation between biomass growth and light fell on a unifying curve. This supported our hypothesis, suggesting that knowledge of canopy structure can explain variation in biomass growth over tropical landscapes and improve understanding of ecosystem function.
Homology modeling and docking study of GyrB

Gordonia sp. D2 is an actinomycete strain that can degrade cypermethrin, and GyrB is regarded as a character playing a key role in the process of pyrethroid degradation of Gordonia sp. D2. In order to understand the mechanisms of ligand binding and the interaction between the cypermethrin and the GyrB, a three-dimensional (3D) model of the GyrB is generated based on the crystal structure of the DNA gyrase B (PDB code 1EI1) by using MODELER module. Flexible docking approaches were then employed to dock two conformations of cypermethrin into the active site of GyrB in order to probe the ligand-binding modes. By analyzing the results, active site architecture and certain key residues responsible for substrate specificity including Ile88, Ile91, Leu109, Thr110 and Asp111 were identified on GyrB, which might be very helpful to further determine its biological roles, and provide insights for the metabolic pathways of cypermethrin by GyrB in the water environment.
Entire syringomyelia associated with Chiari II malformation and severe scoliosis and hydrocephalus.

BACKGROUND The syrinx can occur in any region of the spinal cord and is common in cervical and/or thoracic region, and distributing along spinal cord is unusual, especially association with Chiari II malformation and scoliosis. OBJECTIVE To report a first case of entire syringomyelia associated with Chiari II malformation and severe scoliosis and hydrocephalus. CASE PRESENTATION The patient began to experience symptoms of bilateral hand weakness in adulthood. In this patient, MR imaging of the brain and spine showed syrinx along entire spine and hydrocephalus, cerebellar tonsillar herniation, and expansion of the fourth ventricle and posterior cranial fossa. The patient underwent operative treatment to prevent the progression of her neurological deficit. At 12 months' follow-up, the patient's neurological deficit remains stable with the scoliosis left untreated. CONCLUSIONS Foramen magnum decompression, duraplasty and syrinx-shunting are effective methods even to CM II and entire syrinx.
Cystic lymph node metastasis in patients with head and neck cancer: An HPV‐associated phenomenon

Cystic lymph node metastases have been associated with tonsil cancer. A subset of oropharyngeal cancers contain human papillomavirus (HPV) DNA. The clinical and virologic associations of cystic nodal metastasis in head and neck cancer (HNSCC) were investigated.
Allocating Vote: Biosecurity - Towards an "Economics-Based" Approach for Setting Priorities for the Importation of Risk Goods

The New Zealand government (through its agency the Ministry of Agriculture and Forestry, MAF) seeks to mitigate the potential negative impacts of importation through requiring commodities that may pose a risk to New Zealand's primary production systems, human health, indigenous flora, fauna or biodiversity to have an import health standard. Given, potential import opportunities exist in a wide variety of commodities from many different countries, the demand for import health standards far outweighs MAF's available resources to develop them. Therefore MAF must have a framework that prioritises which import health standards will be developed. This paper briefly presents the framework MAF is currently using to undertake the prioritisation of import health standards and then discusses how the current framework could evolve to become more 'economics-based'.
Insights into migration and spending patterns based on a small-scale study of garment workers in Phnom Penh

The Cambodian garment industry in Phnom Penh; employing as many as a quarter of a million people could be seen as a success story. Workers are in domestic terms paid at decent rates and their employments have had an important impact on their but also their rural families’ standards of living. Against the background of the phasing out of the MFA, income linkages from the garment industry have recently received much attention. One of the most important of the studies undertaken is a major survey carried out under the auspices of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), which considers the income and expenditure patterns of garment workers as well as the effect on rural livelihoods of remittances. This working paper has been carried out with a view to adding to the extensive study initiated by the ADB by the help of a much smaller survey intended to shed light on some of the underlying mechanisms only indirectly addressed by the larger survey. The most important insights from this study include that any research into migration and spending patterns must recognize the fact that migration requires some kind of financial resources. It has been shown that the migrant sending households have access to resources and credit markets and consequently are not among the poorest ones. The study has also shown that although the garment workers’ salaries at first glance may appear relatively high their living expenses and remittance obligations do not leave them with much more than a subsistence living. Additionally the study has pointed out that one must be cautious in trusting one-sided data as mirroring data showed that there are large discrepancies in between both quantitative and qualitative answers from garment workers and the remittance-receiving households. Finally the study has indicated that the motivation for migration and the use of remittance money is likely to be very different depending on work activities and natural conditions of the migrant-sending destination.
Modeling and simulation of single-phase photovoltaic grid-connected inverter

As a nonlinear control strategy, sliding mode control (SMC) is developed in electrical drivers. Although many new SMC methods have been devised, the research on its response speed and disturbance is still not so much. Consequently, this article established a MPPT controller based on SMC in PV system and studied the controller's performance when light flicker emphatically. Moreover, analysis on the influence of the inverter to the output stage of boost circuit has also been done in this paper. By analysis of the simulation results in different situations, the novel control scheme has obvious advantages to achieve MPPT and grid inverter control for grid-connected PV system.
Profitable Entry into an Unprofitable Market

This paper shows how market entry into an unprofitable market can be profitable for a firm. A firm's expansion into a new market can have a beneficial feedback effect for that firm in its “old market”. By entering into a new market, the firm increases its produced quantity and has higher incentives to invest in process R&D. This is a credible signal to the competitors that the firm will be more aggressive in its R&D investments. This weakens the competitors since they scare off and invest less in process R&D. This feedback effect of expanding in foreign markets increases the profits of the expanding firm in its “old market” and if this profit gain exceeds the losses through market entry, then the market entry is profitable for the firm. I also consider how the results change under Bertrand vs Cournot regime and how results change if price discrimination is possible or not. Beside that I show how higher R&D costs or lower demand in a market can lead to lower profits of one firm, but higher profits of the other firm.
White matter hyperintensities in subjects with bipolar disorder

Abstract There have been divergent reports on the prevalence and severity of white matter hyperintensities (WMH) on brain magnetic resonance (MR) images in subjects with bipolar disorder. In the present study, evaluations were made on the prevalence and severity of WMH in subjects with bipolar disorder using contiguous 3‐mm thick MR slices as well as fluid attenuated inversion recovery (FLAIR) images. A detailed WMH rating system was employed to assess these WMH. A total of 43 bipolar patients, as diagnosed by the Structured Clinical Interview from the Diagnostic and Statistical Manual‐IV (SCID‐IV), and 39 healthy comparison subjects were scanned using a 1.5‐T whole body GE magnetic resonance scanner. WMH were assessed with a modified composite version of the Fazekas’ and Coffey's rating scales to detect less severe WMH. Periventricular and subcortical WMH were coded separately. Subjects with bipolar disorder had greater prevalence of WMH abnormalities than comparison subjects (Bipolar, grade 1 = 11.6%, grade 2 = 9.3%, grade 3 = 7.0%; Comparison, grade 1 = 5.1%, grade 2 = 2.6%, grade 3 = 0%). This difference is mainly due to the differences in deep WMH (Bipolar, grade 1 = 14.0%, grade 2 = 14.0%; Comparison, grade 1 = 7.7%, grade 2 = 0%). The current study confirms the higher prevalence of WMH in subjects with bipolar disorder. Differences of small‐sized WMH abnormalities between groups were successfully detected using a large number of bipolar subjects and thinner sliced MR images with FLAIR.
Predicting outcomes of children referred for autism using the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory.

PURPOSE Autism spectrum disorders (ASD) are characterized by early impairments in language and related social communication skills. This investigation explored whether scores on the MacArthur-Bates Communicative Development Inventory (CDI) at ages 2 and 3 years predict outcome at age 9 years in children with ASD and developmental delay (DD). METHOD Sixty-two children referred for possible autism at age 2 years, and 19 children with DD, were followed to age 9 years. Vocabulary, prespeech, and gestures scores on CDIs administered at ages 2 and 3 years were used to predict follow-up IQ, language, adaptive skills, and scores on diagnostic measures. RESULTS CDI scores at ages 2 and 3 did not predict outcome for the DD group. For the ASD sample, CDI receptive and expressive language and late gestures at ages 2 and 3 years predicted a number of follow-up variables, although scores at age 3 years were generally more predictive than scores at age 2 years. CONCLUSIONS The CDI yielded scores that were predictive of outcome, suggesting that this parent report measure may be a quick and informative assessment of early verbal and nonverbal skills in children with ASD.
Repeat endorectal advancement flap after flap breakdown and recurrence of fistula‐in‐ano – is it an option?

Aim Endorectal advancement flaps are an established treatment for high transsphincteric and suprasphincteric fistulae. The outcome of a repeat procedure in the case of flap breakdown and fistula recurrence remains unclear. The aim of the study was to analyse the outcome of repeat endorectal advancement flaps.
Measurement of the intracellular concentration of oxygen in a cell perfusion system

[O2] was measured in the embedding material (alginate) in a typical apparatus for conducting studies of viable cells with NMR, using low frequency EPR. In suspension cultures respiration was independent of [O2] in the perfusing media down to about 1 μM while in alginate beads, the comparable value was 70 μM, indicating that the alginate was a very substantial barrier to the free diffusion of oxygen. With knowledge of [O2] in the various compartments, [O2] in the perfusing medium can be increased and the full power of NMR can be used to provide information on metabolism under various conditions. These results also provide evidence supporting the feasibility and usefulness of EPR techniques using nitroxides to measure [O2] in macroscopic samples such as NMR perfusion tubes. This technique is rapid, apparently nonperturbing, and enables one to differentiate between the concentrations of oxygen in different compartments.
The competitiveness of the Irish food processing industry

Ways of measuring industrial competitiveness are discussed and an analysis of the competitiveness of the food sector as a whole and of three sub-sectors are presented. The techniques employed were Revealed Comparative Advantage and the Porter Diamond. Ireland had a strong competitive position in 1994 relative to our EU partners in the large food industry sectors, but when account was taken of the growth in these sectors the competitive position was weaker in that Ireland did not have a strong competitive position in high growth markets. However a later analysis of competitiveness in the prepared consumer foods sector in 1996 revealed a relatively strong position. Specific analyses of the sources of competitiveness of the shellfish, dairy and prepared consumer food sub-sectors revealed that the competitiveness of the shellfish sector was predominantly based on the quality of the raw material. The dairy industry’s competitiveness was positively affected by factor conditions in the Irish market, the operations of multinational companies, the strategic behaviour of Irish dairy companies and the Common Agricultural Policy. Major factors which contributed to the competitiveness of the prepared consumer foods sector were high quality raw materials, population changes and a dynamic retail sector in Ireland.
The Stategic Role of Local Banks' Networks for Quality Standards of Corporate Banking Services for SMEs

In many countries the majority of banks is characterized by a local dimension, giving the important relationship with stakeholders perceivable on a local basis. However, the current concentration process of banking sector has gradually reduced local banks number leaving space and market to banks of greater dimensions. The morphological evolution has created a condition for which local banks’ role seems to be risky, as well as its positioning in bank market.Hence, it seems appropriate to investigate local banks corporate banking services, with specific reference to their services and quality performances, in order to verify if and to which extent they may promote or guarantee territorial competitiveness especially in context where SMEs have historically had strong relationships with banks of minor dimension.Starting from the relationship’s analysis between banks and enterprises, the contribution deepens quality standards and characteristics of corporate banking in specific territorial services, observing service’s traits and changes following the cited metamorphosis. In this sense, the paper suggests how a polycentric network of local banks may be an effective organizational solution capable of leveraging corporate banking services offered by local banks to the high standards of banks groups, strengthening service quality and banks performances for their stakeholders and clients benefits.
AT1 receptor antagonists: vascular protection beyond blood pressure reduction?

High blood pressure is recognized as a major risk factor for the development of stroke, myocardial infarction, congestive heart failure and renal insufficiency. For many years, the classification of the presence and severity of hypertension has been established by diastolic blood pressure measurements. Until the early 1990s, most of the hypertension trials have included patients solely on the identification of diastolic hypertension. Although life insurance companies had previously identified high systolic blood pressure as a potent predictor of early cardiac death at the turn of the 20th century, it was only in the mid-1970s that an increase in systolic blood pressure was clearly identified as a risk factor for cardiovascular morbidity and mortality regardless of age and gender [1]. Even though diastolic and systolic blood pressures are closely related when assessed in a population, the hypertension-related organ damage is more tightly related to systolic rather than to diastolic blood pressure values [1].
Policies for Sustainably Managing Canada's Forests: Tenure, Stumpage Fees, and Forest Practices

Introduction 1 The Rise of Sustainable Forest Management and Trends in Forest Sector Governance 2 A General Framework for a Comparative Analysis of Canadian Crown Forest Tenures 3 Crown Forest Tenures in Canada 4 Regulating for Sustainable Forest Management: Interprovincial Comparison of Forest Planning and Practice Requirements 5 Interprovincial Comparison of Crown Stumpage Fee Systems 6 In Search of Forest Tenures for Sustainable Forest Management Appendix: References for Details on Canadian Crown Forest Tenure Characteristics, Forest Practices Regulations, and Stumpage Systems by Province Notes References Index
Ownership Structure and Innovation Performance: The Mediating Mechanism of External Cooperation

To contribute to the literature examining the influence of ownership structure and firm innovation performance, our study examines how institutional ownership and family ownership influences innovation performance of a firm, as measured by both the quantity and quality of the innovation outputs of the firm. Specifically, we examine the extent to which external cooperation with other firms mediate the relationship between ownership structure and firm innovation performance. We find that firms with high levels of institutional investors, especially foreign institutional investors, on average, have higher innovation performance, and the amount of external cooperation the firm engaged in mediates the relationship between institutional ownership and innovation performance. This research suggests that the presence of institutional investors creates implicit incentives for CEOs to exert effort toward increasing external cooperation that will further improve innovation performance.
Chemotherapy induced carcinoma–adenoma regression in the caecum

The case of a male patient with synchronous oesophago-gastric junction (OGJ) and caecal adenocarcinomas is reported. His management is described, particularly the administration of neoadjuvant chemotherapy targeting his upper gastrointestinal cancer. Synchronous gastrectomy and hemicolectomy were performed. Histopathological examination of the surgical specimen confirmed the OGJ cancer but only identified a caecal adenoma. This is believed to be the first description of chemotherapy induced reversal of the adenoma–carcinoma sequence.
Question Answering system for the travel domain

A Question Answering (QA) system backed by a comprehensive and up-to-date knowledge base would be appropriate for travellers to satisfy their information needs. In this paper, a complete QA system is presented. It has two main phases: question identification (Expected Answer Type (EAT) identification) and searching the knowledge base (KB) to find the answer to the classified question. In QA systems, identification of the EAT of a question imposes some constraints when determining the possible answer. This paper presents the first study on semantic classification of questions into EATs in the travel domain. A new two-level taxonomy for the travel domain is introduced, along with a dataset annotated with the same. A machine learning approach is used for question identification, which gives very promising results even with the use of syntactic and semantic features. A rule-based approach is used for searching the KB to find the answer. An ontology serves as the KB of the QA system which is traversed using a Simple Protocol and RDF Query Language (SPARQL) query generated through the rule-based approach.