Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and testing of a selectively compliant underactuated hand

Motivated by the requirements of mobile manipulation, a compliant underactuated hand, capable of locking individual joints, has been developed. Locking is accomplished with electrostatic brakes in the joints and significantly increases the maximum pullout forces for power grasps. In addition, by locking and unlocking joints, the hand can adopt configurations and grasp sequences that would otherwise require a fully actuated solution. Other features of the hand include an integrated sensing suite that uses a common transduction technology on flexible printed circuits for tactile and proprioceptive sensing. The hand is analyzed using a three-dimensional rigid body analysis package with efficient simulation of compliant mechanisms and contacts with friction. This package allows one to evaluate design tradeoffs among link lengths, required tendon tensions, spring stiffnesses and braking requirements to grasp and hold a wide range of objects. Results of grasping and pullout tests confirm the utility of the simulations.
Two African Viruses Serologically and Morphologically Related to Rabies Virus

Lagos bat virus and an isolate from shrews (IbAn 27377), both from Nigeria, were found to be bullet-shaped and to mature intracytoplasmically in association with a distinct matrix. They were related to, but readily distinguishable from, rabies virus and each other by complement fixation and neutralization tests. The three viruses, including rabies, form a subgrouping within the rhabdoviruses.
An improved TR method for the measurement of permittivity of powder and liquid samples with slabline

An improved TR (transmission/reflection) method for measuring the complex permittivity of powder and liquid samples with slabline is provided in this paper. The method can afford quite high accurate measurement results without singularities, and broaden the operating frequency band to 2-18GHz. Some experiments are carried out to verify the feasibility of the improved TR method for permittivity measurement. The proposed method is validated by the measurement of the permittivity of Teflon from 2GHz to 18 GHz. Some useful conclusions are obtained for the development of measurement methods.
Genotypic and phenotypic identification of coli surface antigen 6-positive enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli

A polynucleotide probe comprising the gene encoding a major structural subunit protein of coli surface antigen 6 (CS6) of enterotoxigenic Escherichia coli (ETEC) was developed. Eighty-nine ETEC isolates were examined in parallel with the probe in a colony hybridization assay and in a recently developed polyclonal-antibody-based inhibition enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay (ELISA). The two assays showed a high level of concordance in the detection of CS6-positive ETEC (kappa = 0.84, P < 0.00001). Thus, 36 of the 89 ETEC isolates were identified as CS6-positive by both assays. Six strains that were negative for other colonization factor antigens were positive with the CS6 probe but negative in the ELISA, suggesting lack of surface CS6 expression in these strains. One strain was probe negative but positive in the ELISA, while the remaining 46 strains were negative in both assays. The phenotypic and genotypic assays will prove useful in vaccine-oriented studies of ETEC disease.
Automatic Motion Generation for Robotic Milling Optimizing Stiffness with Sample-Based Planning

Optimal and intuitive robotic machining is still a challenge. One of the main reasons for this is the lack of robot stiffness, which is also dependent on the robot positioning in the Cartesian space. To make up for this deficiency and with the aim of increasing robot machining accuracy, this contribution describes a solution approach for optimizing the stiffness over a desired milling path using the free degree of freedom of the machining process. The optimal motion is computed based on the semantic and mathematical interpretation of the manufacturing process modeled on its components: product, process and resource; and by configuring automatically a sample-based motion problem and the transition-based rapid-random tree algorithm for computing an optimal motion. The approach is simulated on a CAM software for a machining path revealing its functionality and outlining future potentials for the optimal motion generation for robotic machining processes.
INVERSION POLYMORPHISM IN POPULATIONS OF DROSOPHILA SUBOBSCURA FROM URBAN AND NON-URBAN ENVIRONMENTS

Populations of Drosophila subobscura from the urban area of Belgrade and from the locality, Deliblato, which is not under strong anthropogenic influence, were studied with the aim to characterize and compare their genetic structure by examining chromosomal inversion polymorphism. Additional analysis and comparison of this type of polymorphism with several other populations from different habitats in the central Balkans, was done. The obtained results indicate higher heterozygosity in the population from Belgrade. Despite being ecologically marginal and under strong and complex influences, this population did not show a decline in the number of inversions and it is not highly differentiated compared to the referent populations.
An update on epistaxis.

BACKGROUND Epistaxis is one of the most common ear, nose and throat (ENT) emergencies to present to general practitioners (GPs). The management of epistaxis has evolved significantly in recent years, including the use of nasal cautery and packs. Successful treatment requires knowledge of nasal anatomy, and potential risks and complications of treatment. OBJECTIVE Epistaxis is often a simple and readily treatable condition. However, given the potential consequences of a significant bleed, GPs should have an understanding of the causes, potential risks and emergency management. DISCUSSION Epistaxis can be classified into anterior or posterior bleeds, the former being the most common. Anterior bleeds can often be treated with cauterisation with silver nitrate sticks, provided there is good preparation, correct equipment and assistance close at hand. If there is a lack in any of these aspects, prompt use of nasal packing and referral to an emergency department or a specialist ENT service is recommended.
Botulinum toxin assessment, intervention and aftercare for paediatric and adult drooling: international consensus statement

Many individuals with neurological problems or anatomical abnormalities of the jaw, lips or oral cavity may drool, which can impact on health and quality of life. A thorough evaluation of the patient’s history, examination of the oral region by a speech pathologist and, in individuals over 3 years, a dental examination is warranted. Questionnaires with established validity such as the Drooling Impact Scale are useful assessment tools. A hierarchical approach to treatment is taken from least invasive therapies, such as speech pathology, to more invasive, such as injection of botulinum neurotoxin type‐A (BoNT‐A) into the salivary glands (parotid and submandibular). The wishes of the individual and their carer are crucial considerations in determining the suitability of the intervention for the patient. In the presence of dysphagia and cerebral palsy (CP), careful assessment is required prior to the injection of BoNT‐A. Favourable responses to intervention include a reduction in the secretion of saliva and in drooling, as well as psychosocial improvements. BoNT‐A is usually well tolerated, although potential side effects should be discussed with the patient and carer.
Studying the Effects of Lead on DNA Fragmentation and Proapoptotic Bax and Antiapoptotic Bcl-2 Protein Expression in PC12 Cells

ABSTRACT The nervous system is one of the most important targets of lead poisoning. Despite decades of study, the exact mechanism of lead toxicity has not been fully elucidated. One of the suggested mechanisms of lead toxicity is induction of apoptosis, which has not been shown yet in some neuronal cells such as pheochromocytoma cells (PC12). Therefore, the present study sought to examine the effect of lead poisoning on apoptosis in PC12 cells as a suitable model of neuronal cell study. The present results showed that lead could induce toxicity in PC12 cells after 24 hours with as little as 1 μM in a concentration-dependent manner. In Western blot analysis, the ratio of Bax/Bcl-2 protein expression in cells incubated with 3, 30, and 90 μM lead acetate significantly increased compared to controls. Additionally, a DNA laddering pattern in lead-treated cells was shown, which could indicate nuclear fragmentation. It might be concluded that lead could cause PC12 cell death, in which apoptosis or programmed cell death plays an important role.
Platelets in neutrophil recruitment to sites of inflammation

Purpose of review This review describes the essential roles of platelets in neutrophil recruitment from the bloodstream into inflamed and infected tissues, with a focus on recent findings. Recent findings Platelets are required for the recruitment of neutrophils to sites of inflammation and infection. They fulfil this role largely by enabling contacts of circulating neutrophils with the inflamed blood vessel wall prior to extravasation. Platelets promote both early stages of neutrophil recruitment (tethering, rolling, arrest, firm adhesion) and – as recent work has demonstrated – later stages (intravascular crawling and diapedesis). Recent studies have also begun to identify platelet-signaling pathways that can elicit the underlying interactions between platelets, neutrophils and vascular endothelial cells without stimulating concomitant platelet aggregation and thrombus formation. These pathways include Rho-guanine-nucleotide binding proteins and Rho-guanine-nucleotide exchange factors. Summary Recent findings have contributed to our burgeoning understanding of the platelet-dependent mechanisms that control neutrophil recruitment to sites of inflammation and have opened up new avenues of research aimed at increasing our knowledge of these mechanisms further. These insights might lead to the development of novel anti-inflammatory drugs that will be useful in a wide range of inflammatory diseases without causing immunodeficiency.
Corpus et Web : deux alliés pour la construction de l'enrichissement automatique de classes conceptuelles

Cet article presente des methodes permettant de construire et d'enrichir des classes conceptuelles. Ces classes sont construites en utilisant les informations syntaxico-semantiques issues d'un corpus. La premiere methode d'enrichissement se fonde sur l'utilisation du corpus et d'objets de verbes dits complementaires. Nous presentons alors un protocole d'evaluation automatique permettant de valider la pertinence de ces objets reduisant ainsi le travail de l'expert. La seconde methode permet d'enrichir les concepts avec des termes plus generaux en s'appuyant sur les ressources du Web.
Vitamin D3 Dose Requirement to Raise 25‐Hydroxyvitamin D to Desirable Levels in Adolescents: Results from a Randomized Controlled Trial

Several organizations issued recommendations on desirable serum 25‐hydroxy vitamin D [25(OH)D] levels and doses of vitamin D needed to achieve them. Trials allowing the formulation of evidence‐based recommendations in adolescents are scarce. We investigated the ability of two doses of vitamin D3 in achieving recommended vitamin D levels in this age group. Post hoc analyses on data from a 1‐year double‐blind trial that randomized 336 Lebanese adolescents, aged 13 ± 2 years, to placebo, vitamin D3 at 200 IU/day (low dose), or 2000 IU/day (high dose). Serum 25(OH)D level and proportions of children achieving levels ≥20 ng/mL and 30 ng/mL were determined. At baseline, mean 25(OH)D was 15 ± 7 ng/mL, 16.4 ± 7 ng/mL in boys, and 14 ± 8 ng/mL in girls, p = 0.003, with a level ≥20 ng/mL in 18% and ≥30 ng/mL in 5% of subjects. At 1 year, mean levels were 18.6 ± 6.6 ng/mL in the low‐dose group, 17.1 ± 6 ng/mL in girls, and 20.2 ± 7 ng/mL in boys, p = 0.01, and 36.3 ± 22.3 ng/mL in the high‐dose group, with no sex differences. 25(OH)D increased to ≥20 ng/mL in 34% of children in the low‐dose and 96% in the high‐dose group, being higher in boys in the low‐dose arm only; it remained ≥30 ng/mL in 4% of children in the low‐dose arm but increased to 64% in the high‐dose arm. Baseline 25(OH)D level, body mass index (BMI), and vitamin D dose assigned were the most significant predictors for reaching a 25(OH)D level ≥20 ng/mL and 30 ng/mL. A daily dose of 2000 IU raised 25(OH)D level ≥20 ng/mL in 96% of adolescents (98% boys versus 93% girls). Dose‐response studies are needed to determine in a definitive manner the daily allowance of vitamin D for Middle Eastern adolescents with a similar profile. © 2014 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Effects of Hemophilus somnus on the Pregnant Bovine Reproductive Tract and Conceptus Following Cervical Infusion

Three strains of Hemophilus somnus were infused into the posterior cervix of six pregnant cows. The organism persisted in the cervicovaginal region for eight to 87 days, and at parturition H. somnus was isolated from chorioallantois in four of six cows; placentitis developed, and fetal membranes were retained. All calves were born alive and no H. somnus was recovered from them. One cow died 14 days after parturition. The death was attributed to severe necrotizing metritis; H. somnus was not isolated from the uterus at death, but was isolated from the placenta at parturition and cervicovaginal mucus two days later.
The Way We Think Shapes Our Future: On the Importance of Fruitful Concepts, Well-Founded Attitudes, and Powerful Rhetoric

”Business as usual” will not lead us into a sustainable future. Therefore, we need visions about alternative routes to follow. We have to think along new lines, both collectively and personally, in order to make other choices and to reconsider what is really important. Such alternative, sustainable thinking is already underway, and when we analyse it, we discover that a gradual creation of new concepts is important. New concepts open new perspectives and allow for fruitful discussions. However, new concepts have to be precise enough. Twenty-five years ago, the concept of “sustainable development” achieved global consensus [1], and initiated waves of new thinking. As we shall see, there was also a great need to discuss the concept itself, and to refine purpose and aims through a number of sub-concepts. This process is still going on. For instance, it is not yet clear what should be meant by “green economy”. In the following, we shall also illustrate how conceptual progress in certain academic disciplines has fuelled our thinking about environmental questions.
Application of fuzzy algorithm based on distance in hand-shape dentification

The problem of fuzzy pattern recognition based on eigenvector is often met with in computer measurement and control system. Both the object to be identified and the standard pattern stored in the database have a certain degree of uncertainty because errors are inevitable in the process of eigenvector extraction. The problem of fuzzy pattern recognition can be turned into the problem of calculating the hamming distance and Euclidean distance of two fuzzy sets according to fuzzy theory. This thesis aims to describe the fuzzy pattern recognition algorithm based on distance of two fuzzy sets, which is successfully used in the Hand-shape Identity Recognition System by using the Normal Distribution Function as the membership function of the eigenvector. Experiment shows that this algorithm can be promoted and applied to any other pattern recognition system in which random errors are inevitable.
De Facto Dependence

Etude du probleme de preemption qui se pose aux theories de la causation fondees sur la dependance. Examinant le lien de dependance de facto qui existe de maniere contrefactuelle entre la cause et l'effet, l'A. compare les differentes reponses apportees a la preemption en termes d'analogie, de nature instrinseque, de besoins actuels, d'evenements en contrepartie, d'ancetre et d'accelerateur.
Word accuracy and dynamic time warping to assess intelligibility deficits in patients with Parkinsons disease

Parkinson's disease patients develop several impairments related to the speech production process. The deficits of the speech of the patients include reduction in the phonation, articulation, prosody and intelligibility capabilities. Related studies have analyzed the phonation, articulation and prosody of the patients with Parkinson's, while the intelligibility impairments have not been enough evaluated. In this study we propose two novel features based on the word accuracy and the dynamic time warping algorithm with the aim of assess the intelligibility deficits of the patients using an automatic speech recognition system. We evaluate the suitability of the features by the automatic classification of utterances of patients vs. healthy controls, and by predicting automatically the neurological state of the patients. According to results, an accuracy of up to 92% is obtained, indicating that the proposed features are highly accurate to detect Parkinson's disease from speech. Regarding the automatic monitoring of the neurological state, the proposed approach could be used as complement of other features derived from speech or other bio-signals to monitor the neurological state of the patients.
The Early Interaction of the Outer Membrane Protein PhoE with the Periplasmic Chaperone Skp Occurs at the Cytoplasmic Membrane*

Spheroplasts were used to study the early interactions of newly synthesized outer membrane protein PhoE with periplasmic proteins employing a protein cross-linking approach. Newly translocated PhoE protein could be cross-linked to the periplasmic chaperone Skp at the periplasmic side of the inner membrane. To study the timing of this interaction, a PhoE-dihydrofolate reductase hybrid protein was constructed that formed translocation intermediates, which had the PhoE moiety present in the periplasm and the dihydrofolate reductase moiety tightly folded in the cytoplasm. The hybrid protein was found to cross-link to Skp, indicating that PhoE closely interacts with the chaperone when the protein is still in a transmembrane orientation in the translocase. Removal of N-terminal parts of PhoE protein affected Skp binding in a cumulative manner, consistent with the presence of two Skp-binding sites in that region. In contrast, deletion of C-terminal parts resulted in variable interactions with Skp, suggesting that interaction of Skp with the N-terminal region is influenced by parts of the C terminus of PhoE protein. Both the soluble as well as the membrane-associated Skp protein were found to interact with PhoE. The latter form is proposed to be involved in the initial interaction with the N-terminal regions of the outer membrane protein.
Livestock production and the global environment: Consume less or produce better?

Whereas the Green Revolution was a concerted political and scientific response to rapidly growing populations, the Livestock Revolution currently underway in developing countries is driven by growing incomes or the world’s emerging middle class (1). Recently, a number of studies have underscored the impact of livestock on the global environment, including anthropogenic climate change (2), nitrogen cycles (3), and phytomass appropriation (4). In a paper published in PNAS, Pelletier and Tyedmers argue that the livestock sector will soon reach, or exceed, recently published sustainability thresholds in the areas of climate change, reactive nitrogen mobilization, and anthropogenic biomass appropriation and that curbing livestock sector growth should be a major focus in environmental governance (5). We agree that the current environmental impact of livestock is large, but it can be significantly attenuated. We show that some countervailing trends are already in place that have the potential to reduce environmental impact drastically, notably the shift to monogastrics and continued efficiency gains in the production of feed and livestock. These tendencies will help mitigate livestock’s global environmental impact to a larger extent than suggested by Pelletier and Tyedmers (5). Although addressing excessive levels of consumption will help reduce environmental impact, there is a vast mitigation potential on the production side. We argue that addressing environmental impacts of livestock on the production side may also carry important benefits for socially and economically disadvantaged livestock producers in developing countries.
Magnetic resonance image denoising using multiple filters

We introduced and compared ten denoisingfilters which are all proposed during last fifteen years. Especially, the state-of-art denoisingalgorithms, NLM and BM3D, have attracted much attention. Several expansions are proposed to improve the noise reduction based on these two algorithms. On the other hand, optimal dictionaries, sparse representations and appropriate shapes of the transform’s support are also considered for the image denoising. The comparison among variousfiltersis implemented by measuring the SNR of a phantom image and denoising effectiveness of a clinical image. The computational time is finally evaluated.
Ataxia telangiectasia-mutated protein and DNA-dependent protein kinase have complementary V(D)J recombination functions

Antigen receptor variable region exons are assembled during lymphocyte development from variable (V), diversity (D), and joining (J) gene segments. Each germ-line gene segment is flanked by recombination signal sequences (RSs). Recombination-activating gene endonuclease initiates V(D)J recombination by cleaving a pair of gene segments at their junction with flanking RSs to generate covalently sealed (hairpinned) coding ends (CEs) and blunt 5′-phosphorylated RS ends (SEs). Subsequently, nonhomologous end joining (NHEJ) opens, processes, and fuses CEs to form coding joins (CJs) and precisely joins SEs to form signal joins (SJs). DNA-dependent protein kinase catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs) activates Artemis endonuclease to open and process hairpinned CEs before their fusion into CJs by other NHEJ factors. Although DNA-PKcs is absolutely required for CJs, SJs are formed to variable degrees and with variable fidelity in different DNA-PKcs–deficient cell types. Thus, other factors may compensate for DNA-PKcs function in SJ formation. DNA-PKcs and the ataxia telangiectasia-mutated (ATM) kinase are members of the same family, and they share common substrates in the DNA damage response. Although ATM deficiency compromises chromosomal V(D)J CJ formation, it has no reported role in SJ formation in normal cells. Here, we report that DNA-PKcs and ATM have redundant functions in SJ formation. Thus, combined DNA-PKcs and ATM deficiency during V(D)J recombination leads to accumulation of unjoined SEs and lack of SJ fidelity. Moreover, treatment of DNA-PKcs– or ATM-deficient cells, respectively, with specific kinase inhibitors for ATM or DNA-PKcs recapitulates SJ defects, indicating that the overlapping V(D)J recombination functions of ATM and DNA-PKcs are mediated through their kinase activities.
OLD LIGHT ON MOSES' SHINING FACE

The crux of Moses' shining face in Ex. xxxiv is explained by first-millennium Mesopotamian astronomical and lexical sources which attest an ancient understanding of light as material. Moses' face could, quite literally, radiate horns of light, and the need to translate the term as either divine radiance or physical protuberance is a side-effect of modern conceptual categories, irrelevant to ancient Israelite ideas. Furthermore, the well known ancient Jewish tradition of Moses' coronation, and his divine physical transformation attested in newly published Midrashic sources suggests an authentic ancient reading of the text that resolves the contradiction between Ex. xxxiii and xxxiv. While no human could see God and live, in Ex. xxxiv, the Israelites recoil from a transformed Moses who is no longer precisely human.