Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Perceived Naturalness of Virtual Walking Speeds during WIP Locomotion

It is well established that individuals tend to underestimate visually presented walking speeds when relying on treadmills for virtual walking. However, prior to the present studies this perceptual distortion had not been observed in relation to Walking-in-Place (WIP) locomotion, and a number of the factors contributing to the perceptual distortion have yet to be identified. In this paper we present a summary of seven of our studies investigating what factors that influence self-motion perception during virtual walking and two meta-analyses of the findings of the seven studies. The studies relate to how gait cycle characteristics, visual display properties, and methodological differences affect speed underestimation during treadmill and WIP locomotion. The studies suggested the following: A significant main effect was found for step frequency; both display and geometric field of view were inversely proportional to the degree of underestimation; varying degrees of peripheral occlusion and increased HMD weight did not yield significant main effects; and the choice of method (i.e., how the speeds were presented) had a significant effect on the upper and lower bounds of what speeds were perceived as natural. All seven studies compared treadmill and WIP locomotion and higher speeds were generally preferred during treadmill walking, but only some studies found a significant effect. Meta-analyses of the differences between the two movement types revealed a significant difference and provided pooled estimates of the magnitude of this difference.
Rapid 3D Modeling Using Photogrammetry Applied to Google Earth

Low-cost digital photogrammetry using structure-from-motion (SfM) has made it possible for nearly anyone with a digital camera to create dense and precise point cloud models of the physical environment. However, the general requirement for large sets of photos in SfM can present a problem to those with limited resources or limited access to certain locations. This study examined the feasibility of using screen images of Google Earth’s proprietary high-resolution 3D models—not the crowdsourced SketchUp models—in creating point cloud and textured mesh models using SfM. The three study locations included a residential neighborhood in Tokyo, Japan; a portion of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB) campus; and Mount Herard in Colorado. These locations represented a dense urban environment, a mixed environment, and a natural environment, respectively, where Google’s proprietary models existed. Light detection and ranging (LiDAR) data provided an additional data source for evaluating results at UCSB and Mount Herard. Simulated flights were “flown” in Google Earth at each location with screen capture software used to record 45° oblique video of the ground. Individual images were then extracted from the videos and used in Agisoft PhotoScan Professional, an SfM software program, to produce point cloud and textured mesh models of each location. Results of this study support the feasibility of using screen images of Google Earth for SfM modeling. While SfM succeeded in creating models for all three locations that visually resembled Google Earth’s own models, quantitative analysis showed that SfM worked best in the built-up areas of Tokyo and UCSB but struggled with the natural environment of Mount Herard. Comparison of sample distances within the SfM models and Google Earth showed planimetric errors of 1% or less and vertical errors of 5% or less for Tokyo and UCSB; however, absolute errors at Mount Herard—which was compared to LiDAR instead of Google Earth—spanned a range of under 10 m for areas of high relief to values exceeding 100 m for areas with low relief or low texture. The varying qualities of these models reflected not so much limitations of SfM but its reliance on a number of factors that impacted final model quality, such as image quality and operator skill in performing each step of the SfM workflow.
An Open-Label Trial of 12-Week Simeprevir plus Peginterferon / Ribavirin ( PR ) in Treatment-Na ï ve Patients with Hepatitis C Virus ( HCV ) Genotype 1 ( GT 1 )

1 Service d'Hépatologie, Beaujon Hospital, INSERMUMR 1149, Université Paris Diderot, Paris, France, 2 CUB Hôpital Erasme, Université Libre de Bruxelles, Brussels, Belgium, 3 JohannWolfgang Goethe University Hospital, Frankfurt amMain, Germany, 4 Wilhelminenspital, Vienna, Austria, 5 Queen Mary Hospital, University of London, Barts Health, London, United Kingdom, 6 University of Palermo, Palermo, Italy, 7 Institute for Interdisciplinary Medicine, Hamburg, Germany, 8 Janssen Research & Development, Titusville, New Jersey, United States of America, 9 Janssen Infectious Diseases BVBA, Beerse, Belgium, 10 Janssen Global Services, High Wycombe, United Kingdom, 11 Janssen Pharmaceuticals, Paris, France, 12 Janssen-Cilag, Vienna, Austria, 13 Hospital Valle Hebron and Ciberehd del Institut Carlos III, Barcelona, Spain
Corpora for Three South African Language Pairs in the Autshumato Project

Multilingual information access is stipulated in the South African constitution. In practise, this is hampered by a lack of resources and capacity to perform the large volumes of translation work required to realise multilingual information access. One of the aims of the Autshumato project is to develop machine translation systems for three South African languages pairs. These machine translation systems are envisaged to serve as tools that will enable the human translator to do his/her work more efficiently and thereby indirectly contributing to improving access to multilingual information services. This paper describes the gathering and processing of parallel corpora for the purpose of developing machine translation systems. We highlight the difficulties in gathering parallel corpora and provide detailed information about the anonymisation of parallel corpora. We also describe various data processing methods to prepare the parallel corpora for use in the development of machine translation systems.
Occupational choice and dynamic indeterminac

This paper constructs a two-sector model of two-period lived overlapping generations w dogenous occupational choice in whic ability-heter ogeneous agents choose whether to become ucated when young and sk illed when old. We show that endogenous occupational choice in this sector framework can result in dynamic indeterminacy without complicated preferences/techn and without requiring the consumption-good production to be more capital-intensive.  2004 Elsevier Inc. All rights reserved. JEL classification: D90; J24; O41
Acquisition , analysis and classification of EEG signals for control design

In the design of brain machine interfaces it is common to use motor imagery which is the mental simulation of a motor act, it consists of acquiring the signals emitted when imagining the movement of different parts of the body. In this paper we propose a machine learning algorithm for the analysis of electroencephalographic signals (EEG) in order to detect body movement intention, combined with the signals issued in a state of relaxation and the state of mathematical activity. That can be applied for brain computer interface (BCI). The algorithm is based on the use of recurrent networks (RRN) and can recognized four tasks which can be used for control of machinery. The performance of the proposed algorithm has an average classification efficiency of 80.13%. This proposed method can be used to translate the motor imagery signals, relaxation activity signals and mathematical activity signals into control signal using a four state to control the directional movement of a drone.
AVACS – Automatic Verification and Analysis of Complex Systems REPORTS of SFB / TR 14 AVACS

This report discusses the analysis of first-order probabilistic timed automata (FPTA) by a combination of hierarchic first-order superposition-based theorem proving and probabilistic model checking. We develop the overall semantics of FPTAs and prove soundness and completeness of our method for reachability properties. Basically, we decompose FPTAs into their time plus first-order logic aspects on the one hand, and their probabilistic aspects on the other hand. Then we exploit the time plus first-order behavior by hierarchic superposition over linear arithmetic. The result of this analysis is the basis for the construction of a reachability equivalent (to the original FPTA) probabilistic timed automaton to which probabilistic model checking is finally applied. The hierarchic superposition calculus required for the analysis is sound and complete on the first-order formulas generated from FPTAs. It even works well in practice. We illustrate the potential behind it with a real-life DHCP protocol example, which we analyze by means of tool chain support.
Title Optical manipulation of biological cell without measurement of cell velocity

Optical tweezer is a useful tool for non-contact micromanipulation tasks because it can manipulate biological cells precisely without causing damage to the cells. In many optical manipulation techniques, the measurement of the velocity of the cell is necessary. Since it is difficult to measure the velocity of the cell, the velocity information is usually obtained by differentiating the position of the cell in image space, which may result in degraded performance of the control system due to estimation error and the noises induced in differentiation. In this paper, an adaptive observer technique is proposed for optical manipulation of cell with a low Reynolds’ number, without measurement of the velocity of the cell. By using the proposed observer technique, a desired position input of the laser beam without measurement of the velocity of the cell is also developed. The stability of closed-loop system is analyzed by using Lyapunov-like method. Experimental results are presented to illustrate the performance of the proposed control method.
Decentralized Navigation Planning Using Multi-Agent Trajectory Prediction Governed by Hamiltonian Dynamics

One of the most ambitious visions of robotics for the near future is the smooth integration of robots into human populated spaces, such as crowded pedestrian environments. Naturally, the problem of generating socially compliant, humanlike robot motion that ensures human comfort has attracted significant attention over the past few decades. This problem has been proven to be particularly challenging, mainly due to the lack of formal rules regulating navigation in unstructured environments, the lack of explicit communication among agents and the complexity of the environment.
Health-related quality of life among rural men and women with hypertension : assessment by the EQ-5 D-5 L in Jiangsu , China

Purpose Hypertension is a major global public health problem, including rural China. However, studies examining healthrelated quality of life (HRQoL) for patients with hypertension have been mostly conducted in urban populations. This study aimed to use the EuroQol five-dimensional-five-level (EQ-5D-5L) and its recently developed Chinese value set to analyze HRQoL and its influencing factors among hypertensive population in rural China. Methods This is a cross-sectional population-based survey. Standard interview of participants was conducted from July to September 2016 in Donghai County’s 334 villages of Jiangsu Province, China. Data collection included the EQ-5D-5L, along with sociodemographic characteristics and disease-related factors such as duration of hypertension, antihypertensive treatment and comorbid conditions. The Tobit regression model was employed to analyze potential influencing factors on HRQoL. Results A total of 16,596 adults (18 years and older) with hypertension participated in this study. 62.4% were women. The mean utility score was 0.85 (standard deviation [SD] = 0.23). The proportion of participants reporting pain/discomfort problems was highest, while least patients reported problems in self-care dimension. Females, elderly, illiterate patients, ex-smokers and patients with longer duration of hypertension or comorbidities scored lower on HRQoL than others. Stroke, heart failure and coronary heart disease were associated with a larger negative impact on HRQoL among all comorbidities. Conclusions The HRQoL was lower in this rural hypertensive population than previously reported urban counterparts. To improve the HRQoL of hypertensive patients in rural areas, it is important to control hypertension and prevent its associated co-morbidities. More attention needs to be directed to elderly female patients with less education who scored much lower HRQoL than their male counterparts.
Symposium : Diet , Growth Factors and Cancer DNA Methylation and Diet in Cancer 1 , 2

The studies reviewed here investigate the association between folate status and DNA methylation in cancer tissues. We evaluated tissue vitamin levels and global DNA methylation, a biomarker of neoplasia, in normal lung and lung cancer tissues. Lung squamous cell carcinoma tissues exhibited global DNA hypomethylation, with decreased folate and vitamin B-12 concentrations, and increased vitamin C concentrations, relative to matched uninvolved control tissues. Breast cancer tissues also had globally hypomethylated DNA and decreased vitamin B-12 and vitamin C levels, but folate concentrations were elevated in breast cancer tissues. Global DNA methylation status in buccal mucosal cells may reflect global methylation status in lung tissues, because there was a significant association between global DNA methylation in buccal mucosal cells and malignant tissues of the lung, but not between methylation in peripheral leukocytes and lung tissues. We found that global DNA hypomethylation, as assessed by a radiolabeled 5-methylcytosine technique, was associated with susceptibility for development of lung cancer, which is involved in the progression of the disease. DNA methylation was also associated with the development of squamous cell carcinomas in whites but not in blacks. Overall, these studies suggest that global DNA methylation patterns may vary depending on the type of cancer, that tissue vitamin levels are associated with global DNA methylation status and that ethnicity should be considered in studies of DNA methylation. J. Nutr. 132: 3814S–3818S, 2002.
THE AUSTRALIAN NATIONAL UNIVERSITY’S 2.3m NEW GENERATION TELESCOPE AT SIDING SPRING OBSERVATORY

The story of the birth and construction of the 2.3m Telescope at Siding Spring Observatory is told. Details of the intricate control system of the telescope, building and instrumentation are described. The Telescope encompassed all the features of the New Generation Telescopes of the late 1970s: a thin primary mirror, an alt-azimuth mount and a rotating building. It has operated continuously for 28 years, used by Australian and international astronomers. It has a prodigious science output helped by state of the art instrumentation developed by engineers and astronomers at Mt Stromlo and Siding Spring Observatories.
Prevalence of diabetes mellitus in the rural southern Free State

Background: A worldwide increase in the prevalence of diabetes mellitus (DM) has been reported and an even further increase is expected as a result of lifestyle changes. The objectives of this study were to determine the prevalence of DM in the rural southern Free State and to investigate the contribution of risk factors such as age, physical activity, body mass index (BMI), waist-to-hip ratio and waist circumference to the development of impaired fasting glucose (IFG) or DM.
Guidelines for Providing Pediatric Pharmacy Services in Hospitals and Health Systems

The purpose of these guidelines is to assist pharmacists and pharmacy departments in meeting the special needs of pediatric patients in hospitals and health systems. Pharmacists encounter numerous challenges when providing care to pediatric patients, including the limited data available on the safety and efficacy of medications; the lack of appropriate commercially available medication dosage forms and concentrations; weight-based dosing; complex calculations, especially when dilutions are required; and patients’ limited capacity to communicate regarding symptoms, responses to therapy, and possible adverse drug events (ADEs). In addition, pediatric pharmacy practice is associated with different operational demands and requirements than a practice focused exclusively on adults. Pediatric patients are defined as all children from neonate until adulthood. These guidelines supplement the ASHP Minimum Standard for Pharmacies in Hospitals and provide additional recommendations specific to providing pediatric pharmacy services.
Divergent Evolution among Teleost V 1 r Receptor Genes PFISTER

The survival of vertebrate species is dependent on the ability of individuals to adequately interact with each other, a function often mediated by the olfactory system. Diverse olfactory receptor repertoires are used by this system to recognize chemicals. Among these receptors, the V1rs, encoded by a very large gene family in most mammals, are able to detect pheromones. Teleosts, which also express V1r receptors, possess a very limited V1r repertoire. Here, taking advantage of the possibility to unequivocally identify V1r orthologs in teleosts, we analyzed the olfactory expression and evolutionary constraints of a pair of clustered fish V1r receptor genes, V1r1 and V1r2. Orthologs of the two genes were found in zebrafish, medaka, and threespine stickleback, but a single representative was observed in tetraodontidae species. Analysis of V1r1 and V1r2 sequences from 12 different euteleost species indicate different evolutionary rates between the two paralogous genes, leading to a highly conserved V1r2 gene and a V1r1 gene under more relaxed selective constraint. Moreover, positively-selected sites were detected in specific [. ] PFISTER, Patrick Bernard Rudolf, et al. Divergent Evolution among Teleost V1r Receptor Genes. PLOS ONE, 2007, vol. 2, no. 4, p. e379 DOI : 10.1371/journal.pone. 0000379
IndoorSim : Simulation of Wireless-LAN-Based Indoor Positioning Systems Incorporating CAD-Floorplans

With this paper, we explain a simulation environment for the popular area of Wireless-LAN-based indoor positioning based on free software. Using GNU Octave and typical radio propagation models, this open source indoor localization environment allows one to develop, analyze, understand and teach indoor positioning algorithms based on CAD-plans. The toolkit allows for calculating complex WirelessLAN propagation maps, generate sequences of measurements following paths drawn in CAD, generation of room-based or coordinate-based fingerprinting databases as well as statistical analysis including the effect of noise on positioning accurarcy and precision. Furthermore some extraordinary simple data formats are proposed to facilitate exchange between indoor localization researchers and to support the collection of measurements for the indoor positioning community.
IDENTIFICATION OF CLINICAL, LABORATORY AND GENETIC COVARIATES FOR PHARMACOKINETICS, EFFICACY AND TOXICITY OF SORAFENIB IN PATIENTS WITH SOLID TUMORS

IDENTIFICATION OF CLINICAL, LABORATORY AND GENETIC COVARIATES FOR PHARMACOKINETICS, EFFICACY AND TOXICITY OF SORAFENIB IN PATIENTS WITH SOLID TUMORS By Lokesh Jain, M. Pharm. A dissertation submitted in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Doctor in Philosophy at Virginia Commonwealth University Virginia Commonwealth University, 2009 Major-Director: Jürgen Venitz, M.D., Ph.D. Associate Professor, Department of Pharmaceutics & Major-Director: William D. Figg, Pharm.D. , MBA Head, Molecular Pharmacology Section and Clinical Pharmacology Research Core National Cancer Institute, National Institutes of Health The goal of this research work was to understand the clinical-pharmacology based treatment approaches for sorafenib. Treatment with sorafenib is associated with high inter-patient variability in pharmacokinetic exposures, efficacy and toxicity. We explored the demographic, laboratory, clinical and pharmacogenetic factors to elucidate the sources of variability. In addition, we examined the impact of pharmacogenetic variation in VEGFR2, an important mediator of the VEGF pathway, on risk of prostate cancer.
High resolution genetic diversity studies of marine Synechococcus isolates using rpoC 1-based restriction fragment length polymorphism

Synechococcus-specific polymerase chain reaction (PCR) primers were developed and used to amplify fragments of the RNA polymerase core subunit gene rpoC1 of a set of 23 marine isolates from different oceanographic locations. Restriction fragment length polymorphism (RFLP) analysis of the PCR products differentiated between most strains and all phylogenetic clades, thus allowing the screening of large sample sets at high genetic resolution. The method was used to analyse changes in the genetic diversity of marine Synechococcus strains through an annual cycle at 100 m depth in the Gulf of Aqaba, Red Sea, and along the depth profile of a sample from June 1999. RFLP analysis of 36 clones of each of the 8 rpoC1 clone libraries screened showed that the Synechococcus population during summer and autumn was dominated by 1 to 3 genetically different clones, while maximum genetic richness was found during spring and winter. Analysis of the depth profile during the period of stratification revealed differences in relative abundance of particular RFLP types among depths (10, 30, 100 m), although the same genotypes dominated the assemblage throughout. Multivariate analysis of environmental variables and Synechococcus assemblage composition showed that Synechococcus genetic diversity was most closely, and significantly, correlated to a combination of temperature and NO3 (ρ = 0.645, p = 0.038). Phylogenetic analysis of the marine rpoC1 nucleotide sequences of the 40 different RFLP types identified in this study, and all Synechococcus rpoC1 sequences in the databases, demonstrates that the new PCR primers amplify rpoC1 gene fragments from all MC-A and some Cyanobium lineages of marine Synechococcus strains and are also useful for the identification of potentially novel lineages.
FAST REMOVAL OF METHYLENE BLUE FROM AQUEOUS SOLUTION BY ADSORPTION ONTO POORLY CRYSTALLINE HYDROXYAPATITE NANOPARTICLES

A novel poorly crystalline hydroxyapatite (HAP) nanomaterial was developed for methylene blue (MB) removal from aqueous solution. Surface functionality, crystallinity, and morphology of the synthetic adsorbent were characterized and the potential of poorly crystalline HAP nanoparticles for MB removal was evaluated. Results indicated that poorly crystalline HAP nanoparticles possessed good adsorption ability to MB. The adsorption process was fast, and it reached a steady state after only 2 min. MB removal was increased with an increasing amount of adsorbent dosage but decreased as the ionic strength increased. It was worth noting that the presence of humic acid significantly promoted the adsorption of MB by poorly crystalline HAP. While the adsorption was favorable at higher pH and lower temperature, and the equilibrium data were well fitted by the Freundlich isotherm. The maximum adsorption capacity was estimated to be 14.27 mg/g. Thermodynamic parameters suggested that the adsorption was a typical physical process, spontaneous, and exothermic in nature. The mechanisms for the adsorption of MB on poorly crystalline HAP may include electrostatic attraction, hydrogen bonding, and Lewis acid-base interaction. Regeneration studies exhibited that HAP could be recyclable for a long term. The obtained results indicated that poorly crystalline HAP nanoparticles can be used as a biocompatible and effective adsorbent to remove MB from water.