Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Human-Adaptive Impedance Control Using Recurrent Neural Network for Stability Recovery in Human-Robot Cooperation

This paper proposes a human-adaptive impedance control to achieve human-robot co-manipulation of an object, in which a recurrent neural network (RNN) estimates a human state to be used in improving the contact stability of impedance control. The human sate here is defined as what indicates that the human-arm stiffness becomes harder and the stability of the impedance control is deteriorating. In the proposed method, the human state is estimated from rectified-and-integrated electromyogram (iEMG) signals while the person is manipulating the object cooperative with the robot. According to the degree of the estimated human state, the proposed method changes the impedance parameters to be heavier online so as to make the system more stable and then returns the mechanical parameters to be lighter once the stability is restored. The validity of the proposed method is verified by experiments using a commercial-of-the-shelf manipulator that collaborates with a person based on the impedance control, which can react to the net external force during object manipulation proposed by the authors in July 2018. The experimental results based on a cross validation showed that the proposed RNN can successfully estimate the human state from the iEMG signals and detect the undesirable oscillation occurred while the person is manipulating an object with the robot. It has been also confirmed that the proposed human-adaptive impedance control, which adjusts the impedance parameters online according to the human state, is effective to prevent the human-robot cooperative system from coming unstable.
Power Flow Visualization in DER-Rich Low Voltage Networks

Low voltage distribution networks (DNs) with high penetrations of distributed energy resources (DERs) variable not only in time, but also in location, introduce spatial analysis requirements for distribution network operators (DNOs) to understand what is happening in the network at every moment. In this paper a geographic information system (GIS) is proposed to visualize the dynamic trace of power flows through the network, providing illustrative results helpful for DNs operation. Three different layouts have been designed to make visualization convenient and facilitate analysis of complex multi-directional-flow low voltage distribution networks: power from a particular generator, sources feeding a given load and DNO perspective representing all power traces from all generators. Two open-source software packages: OpenDSS and QGIS are combined to perform the time series power flow calculations, trace the power flows and display the results in a GIS. The methodology for power flow tracing in low voltage DNs with high penetrations of DERs is presented. A case study over a real network in Canary Islands (Spain), with real hourly profiles obtained from smart meter records, and with two photovoltaic generators connected at different locations demonstrated a clear spatial and time understanding of the power flows from DERS to loads through the circuit. The tool eases foresight and will help prevention against constraints violations in the network. Power flow trace visualization is relevant for transparent engagement of prosumers via peer to peer transactions.
Output Consensus of Heterogeneous Linear Multi-Agent Systems with Unbounded Distributed Transmission Delays

The output consensus problem of heterogeneous linear multi-agent systems subject to unbounded distributed transmission delays is considered in this paper. A novel distributed output feedback control law is proposed and it is shown that the multi-agent system can achieve output consensus by the proposed control law under some sufficient conditions. One of the distinctive advantages of this work over existing works is that there is no restriction on either eigenvalues or initial conditions of the agents in spite of the existence of unbounded transmission delays. Moreover, our results can include some existing ones on consensus control with bounded or unbounded distributed delays as special cases. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed control law is demonstrated by two simulation examples.
Discovering Multi-density Urban Hotspots in a Smart City

Leveraged by a large-scale diffusion of sensing networks and scanning devices in modern cities, huge volumes of geo-referenced urban data are collected every day. Such amount of information is analyzed to discover data-driven models, which can be exploited to tackle the major issues that cities face, including air pollution, virus diffusion, human mobility, traffic flows. In particular, the detection of city hotspots is becoming a valuable organization technique for framing detailed knowledge of a metropolitan area, providing high-level summaries for spatial datasets, which are valuable for planners, scientists, and policymakers. However, while classic density-based clustering algorithms show to be suitable to discover hotspots characterized by homogeneous density, their application on multi-density data can produce inaccurate results. For such a reason, since metropolitan cities are heavily characterized by variable densities, multi-density clustering seems to be more appropriate to discover city hotspots. This paper presents a study about how density-based clustering algorithms are suitable for discovering urban hotspots in a city, by showing a comparative analysis of single-density and multi-density clustering on both state-of-the-art data and real-world data. The experimental evaluation shows that, in an urban scenario, multi-density clustering achieves higher quality hotspots than a single-density approach.
A Novel Chinese Honey from Amorpha fruticosa L.: Nutritional Composition and Antioxidant Capacity In Vitro

False indigo (Amorpha fruticosa L., A. fruticosa) is the preferred tree indigenous for windbreak and sand control in Northwest China, while information on nutritional and bioactive characteristics of its honey is rare. Herein, 12 honey of Amorpha fruticosa L. (AFH) were sampled in Northwest China and the nutritional composition was determined. Sixteen mineral element and ten dominant polyphenols content were identified and quantified by ICP-MS (Inductively coupled plasma mass spectrometry) and HPLC-QTOF-MS (High performance liquid chromatography-Quadrupole time-of-flight mass spectrometry), respectively. Moreover, AFH demonstrated high levels of DPPH (1,1-Diphenyl-2-picrylhydrazyl) radical scavenging activity (IC50 100.41 ± 15.35 mg/mL), ferric reducing antioxidant power (2.04 ± 0.29 µmol FeSO4·7H2O/g), and ferrous ion-chelating activity (82.56 ± 16.01 mg Na2EDTA/kg), which were significantly associated with total phenolic contents (270.07 ± 27.15 mg GA/kg) and ascorbic acid contents (213.69 ± 27.87 mg/kg). The cell model verified that AFH exhibited dose-dependent preventive effects on pBR322 plasmid DNA and mouse lymphocyte DNA damage in response to oxidative stress. Taken together, our findings provide evidence for the future application of AFH as a potential antioxidant dietary in food industry.
Prognostic threshold for circulating tumour cells in patients with pancreatic and midgut neuroendocrine tumours.

BACKGROUND Circulating tumour cells (CTCs) are detectable in patients with NET and are accurate prognostic markers although the optimum threshold has not been defined. OBJECTIVE To define optimal prognostic CTC threshold in pancreatic and midgut NET. PATIENTS AND METHODS CellSearch was used to enumerate CTCs in 199 patients with metastatic pancreatic (PanNET) (90) or midgut NET (109). Patients were followed for progression free survival (PFS) and overall survival (OS) for a minimum of 3 years or until death. RESULTS AUROC for progression at 12 months in PanNET and midgut NET identified the optimal CTC threshold as ≥1 and ≥2 respectively. In multivariate logistic regression analysis, these thresholds were predictive for 12 month progression with OR of 6.69 (p< 0.01) for PanNET and 5.88 (p<0.003) for midgut. The same thresholds were found to be optimal for predicting death at 36 months with an OR of 2.87 (p< 0.03) and 5.09 (p<0.005) for PanNET and midgut NET respectively. In multivariate Cox hazard regression analysis for PFS in PanNET, ≥ 1 CTC had HR 2.6 (p <0.01) whilst ≥ 2 CTCs had HR 2.25 (p < 0.01) in midgut NET. In multivariate analysis OS in PanNET, ≥ 1 CTC had HR 3.16 (p < 0.01) and in midgut NET, ≥ 2 CTCs had HR of 1.73 (p < 0.06). CONCLUSIONS The optimal CTC threshold to predict PFS and OS in metastatic PanNET and midgut NET is 1 and 2, respectively. These thresholds can be used to stratify patients in clinical practice and clinical trials.
Chitosan-Based Thermo-Sensitive Hydrogel Loading Oyster Peptides for Hemostasis Application

Uncontrolled massive hemorrhage is one of the principal causes of death in trauma emergencies. By using catechol-modified chitosan (CS-C) as the matrix material and β glycerol phosphate (β-GP) as a thermo-sensitive agent, chitosan-based thermo-sensitive hydrogel loading oyster peptides (CS-C/OP/β-GP) were prepared at physiological temperature. The hemostatic performance of CS-C/OP/β-GP hydrogel was tested in vivo and in vitro, and its biological safety was evaluated. The results showed that the in vitro coagulation time and blood coagulation index of CS-C/OP/β-GP hydrogel were better than those of a commercial gelatin sponge. Notably, compared with the gelatin sponge, CS-C/OP/β-GP hydrogel showed that the platelet adhesion and erythrocyte adsorption rates were 38.98% and 95.87% higher, respectively. Additionally, the hemostasis time in mouse liver injury was shortened by 19.5%, and the mass of blood loss in the mouse tail amputation model was reduced by 18.9%. The safety evaluation results demonstrated that CS-C/OP/β-GP had no cytotoxicity to L929 cells, and the hemolysis rates were less than 5% within 1 mg/mL, suggesting good biocompatibility. In conclusion, our results indicate that CS-C/OP/β-GP is expected to be a promising dressing in the field of medical hemostasis.
Stoichiometric Solvent Effect on S N 1 Solvolytic Reactivity Accounting for Phenomenon of Maximum Rates in Methanol-Nitromethane Mixtures

Pseudo-first order rate constants (k o b s ) are reported for the following solvolyses in approximately isodielectric mixtures: 3- and 4-methoxybenzyl chloride, bromo- and chlorodiphenylmethane, and 4-chloro-, 4,4'-dichloro- and 4-methyl-chlorodiphenylmethane in 0-80% v/v nitromethane-methanol mixtures; and bromo- and chloro-diphenylmethane and 4-methyl-chlorodiphenylmethane in various acetonitrile-methanol mixtures (in the range 0-50% v/v) at 25 °C. These data, and literature data for t-butyl halides (Cl, Br, and I), and forp-methoxybenzoyl chloride, show rate maxima in solvent compositions of ca. 30% aprotic cosolvent, explained by a stoichiometric solvent effect on electrophilic solvation. Linear relationships are observed between (k o b s )/[MeOH] 2 and [AP]/[MeOH], where [AP] refers to the molar concentration of aprotic cosolvent. The results are consistent with competing third order contributions to k o b s , k M M [MeOH] 2 with hydrogen-bonded methanol as electrophile, and k M A P [MeOH][AP] with hydrogen-bonding disrupted by the aprotic solvent.
Chitosan as a Coagulant to Remove Cyanobacteria Can Cause Microcystin Release

Chitosan has been tested as a coagulant to remove cyanobacterial nuisance. While its coagulation efficiency is well studied, little is known about its effect on the viability of the cyanobacterial cells. This study aimed to test eight strains of the most frequent bloom-forming cyanobacterium, Microcystis aeruginosa, exposed to a realistic concentration range of chitosan used in lake restoration management (0 to 8 mg chitosan L−1). We found that after 1 h of contact with chitosan, in seven of the eight strains tested, photosystem II efficiency was decreased, and after 24 h, all the strains tested were affected. EC50 values varied from 0.47 to > 8 mg chitosan L-1 between the strains, which might be related to the amount of extracellular polymeric substances. Nucleic acid staining (Sytox-Green®) illustrated the loss of membrane integrity in all the strains tested, and subsequent leakage of pigments was observed, as well as the release of intracellular microcystin. Our results indicate that strain variability hampers generalization about species response to chitosan exposure. Hence, when used as a coagulant to manage cyanobacterial nuisance, chitosan should be first tested on the natural site-specific biota on cyanobacteria removal efficiency, as well as on cell integrity aspects.
Comparison of Time-of-Flight MR angiography and intracranial vessel wall MRI for luminal measurements relative to CT angiography.

OBJECTIVE To assess whether intracranial vessel wall MRI (IVW) luminal measurements are more accurate than non-contrast 3D-TOF-MRA measurements for intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis, relative to CTA. METHODS Consecutive patients with non-calcified intracranial atherosclerotic stenosis seen on CTA, who had non-contrast 3D-TOF-MRA and IVW performed between 1/1/2013 and 4/20/2014 were selected, and images with stenosis were pre-selected by a single independent rater. The pre-selected CTA, MRA and IVW (T1-weighted) images were then reviewed by two independent raters blinded to the other measurements in random order. Measurements were made in a plane perpendicular to the lumen on each modality. MRA and IVW measurements were compared to CTA, to determine which more accurately matched the degree of stenosis. RESULTS 18 patients with 33 intracranial atherosclerotic stenoses were included. Relative to CTA, IVW had 40% less variance than MRA (p = .004). IVW had a significantly higher concordance correlation coefficient (CCC) relative to CTA than MRA (.87 vs .68, p = .002). IVW and MRA did not have significant bias relative to CTA, however, 8/33 lesions showed >20% overestimation of the degree of stenosis on MRA, compared to 1/33 for IVW. CCC between raters were 0.84 (95% CI 0.67-0.93) for CTA, 0.83 (0.67-0.93) for TOF-MRA, and 0.85 (0.71-0.94) for IVW. For stenosis >50% sensitivity was 82% for IVW and 64% for MRA, while specificity was 73% for both. CONCLUSION IVW provides more accurate stenosis measurements than MRA when compared to CTA. ADVANCES IN KNOWLEDGE Considering higher stenosis measurement accuracy of IVW, it can be more reliably used for quantitative evaluation relative to MRA.
Racial/Ethnic Differences in Health‐Related Quality of Life in Persons With and Without Dementia

Given the lack of effective pharmacologic strategies to prevent, slow, or reverse dementia progression, maximizing quality of life (QOL) is a major priority for persons living with dementia. Despite well‐documented racial/ethnic disparities in dementia incidence and prevalence, it is unknown whether there are racial/ethnic disparities in QOL among persons with dementia. The objective of this study was to determine if there are racial/ethnic differences in poor health‐related quality of life (HRQOL) among persons with and without dementia in a nationally‐representative cohort.
Exploratory study of the effectiveness of nebulised saline in children with neurodisability

Respiratory morbidity is an important cause of hospitalisation and death in children with neurodisability [1]. Such children may have impaired respiratory function and inefficient cough due to weak bulbar and respiratory musculature, increased upper airway collapsibility and low lung compliance [2, 3]. Nebulised hypertonic saline (HS), usually 3% or 7%, is used to manage and prevent respiratory exacerbations in conditions such as cystic fibrosis (CF) and non-CF bronchiectasis. In patients with CF and non-CF bronchiectasis, nebulised HS has been associated with better airway clearance and lung function [4–8]. The prescription of nebulised saline in children and young people with neurodisability was associated with improved respiratory outcomes and was favourably received by patients and their caregivers https://bit.ly/3mSyzag
Platelet-Reactive Antibodies in Patients after Ischaemic Stroke—An Epiphenomenon or a Natural Protective Mechanism

Ischaemic brain damage induces autoimmune responses, including the production of autoantibodies with potential neuroprotective effects. Platelets share unexplained similarities with neurons, and the formation of anti-platelet antibodies has been documented in neurological disorders. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence of anti-platelet antibodies in the peripheral blood of patients after ischaemic stroke and determine any clinical correlations. Using a flow cytometry-based platelet immunofluorescence method, we detected platelet-reactive antibodies in 15 of 48 (31%) stroke patients and two of 50 (4%) controls (p < 0.001). Western blotting revealed heterogeneous reactivities with platelet proteins, some of which overlapped with brain proteins. Stroke patients who carried anti-platelet antibodies presented with larger infarcts and more severe neurological dysfunction, which manifested as higher scores on the National Institutes of Health Stroke Scale (NIHSS; p = 0.009), but they had a greater recovery in the NIHSS by the time of hospital discharge (day 7 ± 2) compared with antibody-negative patients (p = 0.043). Antibodies from stroke sera reacted more strongly with activated platelets (p = 0.031) and inhibited platelet aggregation by up to 30.1 ± 2.8% (p < 0.001), suggesting the potential to interfere with thrombus formation. In conclusion, platelet-reactive antibodies can be found in patients soon after ischaemic stroke and correlate with better short-term outcomes, suggesting a potential novel mechanism limiting thrombosis.
EDS1-Dependent Cell Death and the Antioxidant System in Arabidopsis Leaves is Deregulated by the Mammalian Bax

Cell death is the ultimate end of a cell cycle that occurs in all living organisms during development or responses to biotic and abiotic stresses. In the course of evolution, plants and animals evolve various molecular mechanisms to regulate cell death; however, some of them are conserved among both these kingdoms. It was found that mammalian proapoptotic BCL-2 associated X (Bax) protein, when expressed in plants, induces cell death, similar to hypersensitive response (HR). It was also shown that changes in the expression level of genes encoding proteins involved in stress response or oxidative status regulation mitigate Bax-induced plant cell death. In our study, we focused on the evolutional compatibility of animal and plant cell death molecular mechanisms. Therefore, we studied the deregulation of reactive oxygen species burst and HR-like propagation in Arabidopsis thaliana expressing mammalian Bax. We were able to diminish Bax-induced oxidative stress and HR progression through the genetic cross with plants mutated in ENHANCED DISEASE SUSCEPTIBILITY 1 (EDS1), which is a plant-positive HR regulator. Plants expressing the mouse Bax gene in eds1-1 null mutant background demonstrated less pronounced cell death and exhibited higher antioxidant system efficiency compared to Bax-expressing plants. Moreover, eds1/Bax plants did not show HR marker genes induction, as in the case of the Bax-expressing line. The present study indicates some common molecular features between animal and plant cell death regulation and can be useful to better understand the evolution of cell death mechanisms in plants and animals.
Global Oil Market Forecasting Models

The article analyzes the problems of modeling and forecasting the world oil market, and also provides an overview of approaches and models in this area. The key factors affecting the formation of oil prices are presented, and their relationship is examined. The forecasting models of the world oil market based on the use of econometric analysis methods and structural VAR models are considered. Another area is the use of game and behavioral models. Widely used models of market equilibrium analysis taking into account various market structures based on MPEC models. Of considerable practical interest are also methods that combine game models, methods of multi-agent modeling, and modeling based on expert information. The analysis presented in the work shows that in many cases the use of mathematical models to predict the global oil market is useful, it allows you to get closer to understanding the mechanisms of its functioning and the relationship of its parameters.
Graph-based Resource Allocation For V2X Communications In Typical Road Scenarios

As one of the ad hoc networks, VANET (Vehicular Ad-hoc Network) also faces the conflict between user numbers and resource limits. Moreover, dynamic topology features and limited frequency resources bring a representative problem, which deadly influence VANET performance. In general, two factors influence the efficiency of resource allocation. The one is system structure, while the other is a resource allocation algorithm. In this paper, a hierarchical structure, which includes fixed control layer and mobile control layer, is designed to realize allocation control, while the graph coloring method is used to allocate frequency points. Simulation results show that the proposed method could improve network performance and allocate resources reasonably.
Bending Assessment of Dual-band Split Ring-shaped and Bar Slotted All-Textile Antenna for Off-body WBAN/WLAN and 5G Applications

This paper presents a dual-band split ring-shaped and bar slotted textile antenna for potential WBAN/WLAN and 5G applications. The antenna is made using textiles and features a full ground plane to possibly alleviate coupling to the human body. The overall size of the antenna is 70 x 70 mm2, with a patch sized at 47.2 x 31 mm2 0.472 $\lambda \times 0.031 \lambda$. The antenna is made using ShieldIt Super as its conductive textile and felt as its substrate. To enable its dual-band resonance at 2.45 and 3.5 GHz a split ring-shaped and bar slots are integrated onto the patch. The proposed antenna is evaluated when bent under different radii and at different axes to estimate its performance in terms of reflection coefficient, bandwidth, efficiency and gain. A 10-dB impedance bandwidth of 57 % or 135 MHz (from 2.39 to 2.52 GHz) and 70 % or 240 MHz (from 3.45 to 3.56 GHz) are obtained when evaluated in the planar /bent configuration. The maximum realized gain is 6 dBi for at 3.5 GHz. These performances indicate that the antenna proposed in this work can be potentially improved for applications in WBAN/WLAN and 5G bands.
Analytical Tools for Disease Diagnosis in Animals via Fecal Volatilome

Abstract Volatilome analysis is growing in attention for the diagnosis of diseases in animals and humans. In particular, volatilome analysis in fecal samples is starting to be proposed as a fast, easy and noninvasive method for disease diagnosis. Volatilome comprises volatile organic compounds (VOCs), which are produced during both physiological and patho-physiological processes. Thus, VOCs from a pathological condition often differ from those of a healthy state and therefore the VOCs profile can be used in the detection of some diseases. Due to their strengths and advantages, feces are currently being used to obtain information related to health status in animals. However, they are complex samples, that can present problems for some analytical techniques and require special consideration in their use and preparation before analysis. This situation demands an effort to clarify which analytic options are currently being used in the research context to analyze the possibilities these offer, with the final objectives of contributing to develop a standardized methodology and to exploit feces potential as a diagnostic matrix. The current work reviews the studies focused on the diagnosis of animal diseases through fecal volatilome in order to evaluate the analytical methods used and their advantages and limitations. The alternatives found in the literature for sampling, storage, sample pretreatment, measurement and data treatment have been summarized, considering all the steps involved in the analytical process.