Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Kinematic Analysis and Joint Hysteresis Modeling for a Lower-Body, Exoskeleton-Style Space Suit Simulator

A mechanical exoskeleton has the capacity to replicate the properties of a pressurized space suit with regards to motion resistance. Using such an exoskeleton for ground based mission training and research provides a lower-cost, less operationally-complex alternative to using a space suit. To that end, NASA is supporting the development of such a device, termed a Space Suit Simulator (S3). The S3 must be designed to allow the wearer the same range of motion allowed in a space suit, and the joints must be actuated to produce the experienced resistive torques. The challenge moving forward is to develop a lower limb (ankle, knee, hip) exoskeleton and then a whole-body exoskeleton that includes multiple interconnected joints with some joints having multiple degree-of-freedom, such as the hip and shoulder. A kinematic design of the lower-body exoskeleton was developed by using Denavit-Hartenberg notation and transformation matrices to derive the Jacobian matrix, which was in turn used to develop a method of testing for singular configurations along a given path of motion. The S3 was tested for singularities while operating through a standard walking gait cycle, and no singularities were uncovered. Translational manipulability of the S3 end effector was analyzed at near-singular configurations along the gait cycle to determine directions of motion which may result in increased joint torques or loss of freedom of motion. A graphical representation of the leg and S3 end effector workspace verified that the S3 allows the human leg to move within the operational envelope anticipated during space suit use. The four degree-of-freedom exoskeleton design eliminates constrictive singularities by aligning human and exoskeleton joint axes. A computational algorithm, based on the Preisach hysteresis model, was used to mimic space suit joint hysteresis behavior in knee flexion and hip abduction/adduction, and it was demonstrated that linear actuators may be used to produce the required joint torque resistance. The kinematic design and computational hysteresis algorithms will support the further development of a physical space suit simulator.
Vitamin D deficiency in a cohort of HIV‐infected patients: clinical analysis

Observational studies have noted very high rates of low serum 25‐hydroxyvitamin D [25(OH)D3] levels in both general and HIV‐infected populations. In HIV‐infected patients, low 25(OH)D3 levels are secondary to a combination of usual risk factors and HIV‐specific risk factors, like antiretroviral therapy [ 1 ]. The objective of our study is to analyse the magnitude of vitamin D deficiency or insufficiency and the role of various factors such as age, sex, ethnicity, season, and antiretroviral medications in our cohort of HIV‐infected patients.
Case Series Investigating the Clinical Practice Experience of Serum-Derived Bovine Immunoglobulin/Protein Isolate (SBI) in the Clinical Management of Patients with Inflammatory Bowel Disease

Background: Serum-derived bovine immunoglobulin/protein isolate (SBI), a specially formulated oral protein source of >50% IgG and ~60% total immunoglobulins, has a multifaceted mechanism of action binding microbial components, maintaining gastrointestinal immune balance, managing gut barrier function and improving nutrient utilization. IBD animal models and a human refractory case study demonstrated that SBI can attenuate both inflammatory biomarkers and histological parameters in the bowel. Additionally, SBI is intended for the clinical dietary management of intestinal disorders due to limited/impaired capacity to ingest, digest, absorb or metabolize certain nutrients/foodstuffs or clinical dietary management of chronic loose and frequent stools. Given the known efficacy of SBI in gastrointestinal disorders and effects demonstrated in IBD animal models, SBI may help in the nutritional management of Inflammatory Bowel Disease (IBD) patients. Methods: In a clinical practice setting, we retrospectively evaluated seven ulcerative colitis (UC) and Crohn’s disease (CD) patients who incorporated SBI into their therapeutic regimens. All patients previously failed to adequately respond to conventional drug therapies. Their SBI response was assessed to determine its effect on further management in IBD patients. Results: The addition of SBI for nutritional management resulted in improved IBD symptoms including chronic loose and frequent stools. The UC patients reported resolution of symptoms such as rectal bleeding, urgency, and/or nocturnal incontinence. The CD patients reported weight improvements, other therapy reductions, and/or decrease ileostomy output and creatinine levels. Conclusion: Although this was a retrospective assessment of a small case series, the evidence suggests that SBI provided further management of IBD patients who were not fully controlled on traditional therapies by providing for distinctive nutritional requirements in these patients. Further study is warranted to evaluate this option as part of IBD therapy.
Création de fontes en typographie numérique

L'objet de ce memoire est de montrer que desormais l'informatique permet de realiser un vieux reve : se debarasser du carcan du plomb et creer de nouveaux caracteres adaptes a de nouvelles technologies. Ce memoire comprend deux parties. La premiere est une courte synthese sur la typographie. Nous rappelons ce qu'est un caractere et comment on les fabriquait autrefois puis comment on les manipule aujourd'hui, c'est-a-dire ce qu'est une fonte numerique et comment, depuis peu, on arrive a atteindre les exigences du passe. La seconde partie montre les recherches auxquelles nous avons participe : nous montrons d'abord une possibilite fondamentale en matiere de creativite : on peut desormais calculer la forme d'un caractere lorsque l'on l'utilise et non plus avant, une fois pour toutes. Nous donnons comme premiere application celui du dessin des symboles mathematiques. Nous montrons ensuite comment ce concept de fonte dynamique permet de creer de nouveaux caracteres en fonction du contexte. En guise de conclusion, nous indiquons plusieurs voies de recherche.
An Immunohistochemical Study

Sudden death as presenting symptom caused by cardiac primary multicentric left ventricle rhabdomyoma, in an 11-month-old baby. Abstract This case report describes a sudden cardiac death in an apparent healthy 11-month-old infant caused by a multifocal cardiac rhabdomyoma. Parents reported that a few days before the child had fallen to the ground getting a little superficial injury to the scalp. The authors hypothesize that it may have been a transient loss of consciousness episode caused by the cardiac tumour. After the gross examination, histological investigation supported by immunohistochemical analysis using antibody anti-Myoglobin, Actin, Vimentin, Desmin, CD34, S-100, Ki-67 was carried out for the diagnosis. Death was attributed to a multifocal cardiac rhabdomyoma, a benign tumour of striated muscle, which has been completely asymptomatic. In particular, one mass filled the entire posterior wall of the left ventricle. The insidious development of benign cardiac tumours also in infants and children is outlined, focusing on the responsible mechanisms of sudden death in such cases and providing a reference for additional study on these subjects. Virtual slides: The virtual slide(s) for this article can be found here:
Early Prostate Cancer, On prognostic markers and predictors of treatment outcome after radical prostatectomy.

The incidence of prostate cancer (PC) has increased by 4.6% annually in Sweden during the past ten years. Today’s clinically used prognostic markers are not accurate enough to separate the potentially life-threatening tumours from the insignificant ones in 50-80% of newly diagnosed PCs. Curative treatment of all men with early PC results in substantial overtreatment and subsequently a large number of men would suffer from the side effects of this treatment. There is an urgent need for more accurate prognostic tools to distinguish the insignificant PC from the potentially lethal PC in its early stage. We studied whether an initial period of surveillance in these patients might decrease their chance of cure by radical prostatectomy. The prognostic significance of tumour vascularity (TVC) from biopsy was evaluated. The outcome in 270 consequent screening-detected PC patients under active surveillance was studied and PSA doubling time (PSADT) as a predictor of outcome was evaluated. The proliferation marker Ki-67 was evaluated as a prognostic marker. The factors that influence the variations in PSADT were explored in the entire cohort in the screening study and in the men with PC. The results revealed that up to two years of surveillance in patients with early PC did not reduce the chance of cure by radical prostatectomy. TVC and Ki.67 were both significantly correlated to PSA relapse after prostatectomy. However, these markers could not improve the prognostic information generated from routinely used markers. Some 61% of patients were treatment-free after a follow-up period of 63 months in the active surveillance cohort. No patient has developed bone metastasis or died from PC. Fourteen patients died for reasons other than PC during the follow-up. PSADT was the only significant predictor of PSA relapse after radical prostatectomy in this cohort of patients. PSADT is mainly influenced by prostate volume and the presence of high-grade PC. The active surveillance approach offers an alternative to active treatment in patients with early-detected, low-stage, low-grade PC. PSADT seems to be a useful, reliable and discriminating prognostic marker of disease progression and active treatment during the follow-up of patients with screening-detected early PC who opt for the active surveillance strategy. ISBN: 978-91-628-7330-1 Gothenburg 2007
A Metrics Ecosystem for Designing Quality E-Commerce Systems

E-commerce has become a prime channel for doing commerce both globally and locally. It has gained the trust of buyers worldwide not only because of the supporting technologies but for the ever-increasing quality of service provided by most vendors as well. Quality is and will be a competitive advantage in ecommerce as competition on an international scale increases. Designing quality e-commerce software is one battle that needs to be won in this war and tools such as formal standards are key weapons. In this paper an eco-system of software quality metrics is presented based on the ISO25010 standard. These metrics are mapped to quality characteristics of the software and to facets of user-system interaction so as to provide designers and developers insights and guidelines on how produce quality e-commerce systems. A representative set of 29 new metrics for the quality characteristics of Functional Suitability and Usability is presented.
Gujarati Handwritten Character Recognition Using Hybrid Method Based On Binary Tree-Classifier And K-Nearest Neighbour

Gujarati is a language used by more than 50 million people worldwide. Due to dissemination of ICT in India need for Optical Character Recognition (OCR) activities for Indian script is in demand. One can obtain very less OCR related research work for Gujarati script, especially for handwritten form. This paper describes a hybrid approach based on tree classifier and k-Nearest Neighbor (k-NN) for recognition of handwritten Gujarati characters. Combination of structural features and statistical features is used for classification and identification of characters. The features are relatively simple to derive. The structural features are selected by studying the appearance of various handwritten characters. The moment based and centroid based features are first time combined for character recognition of Gujarati script. A success rate of 63% is achieved using proposed method, which is acceptable, as it is one of the few attempts to recognize whole character set of Gujarati handwritten characters. KeywordsFeature representation, k-Nearest Neighbor, Moments, Optical Character Recognition (OCR), Treeclassifier
The Brothers and Sisters Learn to Write: Popular Literacies in Childhood and School Cultures

Building on her groundbreaking work in "Writing Superheroes, Anne Dyson traces the influence of a wide-ranging set of "textual toys" from children's lives--church and hip-hop songs, rap music, movies, TV, traditional jump-rope rhymes, the words of professional sports announcers and radio deejays--upon school learning and writing. Wonderfully rich portraits of five African American first-graders demonstrate how children's imaginative use of wider cultural symbols enriches their school learning.
Spatial-Temporal Event Recognition and Metastable Oscillations in CNN Wave Computer

This dissertation (i-i) describes frameless computing in the case of a CNN Wave Computer extended with an infrared active sensor array, where the continuous processing makes possible the detection of a spatial–temporal feature, (ii-i) uncovers a locally adaptive, iterative algorithm to tune the depth measurement range of a depth measuring sensor array, (ii-ii) presents two standard CNN algorithms to detect different kinds of spatial movements in simulation; (iii-i) outlines numerical argumentations regarding the existence and strength of metastable oscillations observed in one dimensional CNN arrays with periodic boundary condition, (iiiii) describes circuit measurements reproducing these oscillations on a laboratory prototype circuit. DOI:10.15774/PPKE.ITK. 2014.007 DOI:10.15774/PPKE.ITK. 2014.007
Publicidad dinámica y plataformas digitales: brand placement en espacios públicos y transmisiones deportivas en televisión

Las imagenes virtuales, la publicidad digital dinamica multimedia disenada para espacios publicos y las plataformas digitales utilizadas en las transmisiones deportivas en television son hoy herramientas esenciales para la estrategia del emplazamiento de las marcas publicitarias.
The Paris Agreement on Climate Change: Behind Closed Doors

The Paris Agreement constitutes a political success in climate negotiations and traditional state diplomacy, and offers important implications for academic research. Based on participatory research, the article examines the political dynamics in Paris and highlights features of the process that help us understand the outcome. It describes battles on key contentious issues behind closed doors, provides a summary and evaluation of the new agreement, identifies political winners and losers, and offers theoretical explanations of the outcome. The analysis emphasizes process variables and underscores the role of persuasion, argumentation, and organizational strategy. Climate diplomacy succeeded because the international conversation during negotiations induced cognitive change. Persuasive arguments about the economic benefits of climate action altered preferences in favor of policy commitments at both national and international levels.
Military Primacy Doesn't Pay (Nearly As Much As You Think)

Acommon argument among scholars and policymakers is that America's military preeminence and deep international engagement yield significant economic benefits to the United States and the rest of the world. Ostensibly, military primacy, beyond reducing security tensions, also encourages economic returns through a variety of loosely articulated causal mechanisms. A deeper analytical look reveals the causal pathways through which military primacy is most likely to yield economic returns: geoeconomic favoritism, whereby the military hegemon attracts private capital in return for providing the greatest security and safety to investors; direct geopolitical favoritism, according to which sovereign states, in return for living under the security umbrella of the military superpower, voluntarily transfer resources to help subsidize the costs of hegemony; and the public goods benefits that flow from hegemonic stability. A closer investigation of these causal mechanisms reveals little evidence that military primacy attracts private capital. The evidence for geopolitical favoritism seems more robust during periods of bipolarity than unipolarity. The evidence for public goods benefits is strongest, but military predominance plays only a supporting role in that logic. While further research is needed, the aggregate evidence suggests that the economic benefits of military hegemony have been exaggerated in policy circles. These findings have significant implications for theoretical debates about the fungibility of military power and should be considered when assessing U.S. fiscal options and grand strategy for the next decade.
El tiempo musical: de nuestra dimensión perdida a la encrucijada entre performance, desarrollo y evolución

Se presenta una sintesis de las aportaciones que la psicologia del desarrollo y la ciencia evolutiva puede brindar al estudio psicologico del tiempo en la musica. Se parte de considerar las limitaciones de la psicologia cognitiva clasica de la musica y se propone una perspectiva dinamica de la experiencia del tiempo musical como narracion.
Using Inconsistency Detection to Overcome Structural Ambiguity

The Inconsistency Detection Learner (IDL) is an algorithm for language learning that addresses the problem of structural ambiguity.If an overt form is structurally ambiguous, the learner must be capable of inferring which interpretation of the overt form is correct by reference to other overt data of the language.The IDL does this by attempting to construct grammars for combinations of interpretations of the overt forms, and discarding those combinations that are inconsistent. The potential of this algorithm for overcoming the combinatorial growth in combinations of interpretations is supported by computational results from an implementation of the IDL using an optimality-theoretic system of metrical stress grammars.
Spatial Correlation: An Interactive Display of Virtual Gesture Sculpture

Abstract Spatial Correlation is an interactive digital artwork that provides a new window into the process of creating freeform handcrafted virtual sculptures while standing in an immersive Cave virtual reality (VR) environment. The piece originates in the lab, where the artist’s full-body, dance-like sculpting process is recorded using a combination of spatial tracking devices and an array of nine synchronized video cameras. Later, in the gallery, these raw data are reinterpreted as part of an interactive visualization that relates the three spaces in which the sculpture exists: 1) the physical lab/studio space in which the sculpture was created, 2) the digital virtual space in which the sculpture is mathematically defined and stored, and 3) the physical gallery space in which viewers now interact with the sculpture.
Thinking with Interactive Artifacts: Reflection as a Concept in Design Outcomes

Reflection is a recurring notion in the HCI/interaction design literature. Throughout the years “reflection” has been highlighted as a key dimension of design thinking and as an important ingredient of design processes. In this paper we take stock in our community's interest in reflection, and we suggest that while it has been acknowledged as a cornerstone for design processes, it has been less explored as a basis for design outcomes. Given this extensive literature study, it seems that 1) the interest in this area is growing, and we present tables that illustrate this growing interest over time; 2) reflection and behavioral change are two interrelated notions; and 3) these notions are well-explored in our field. Further, we suggest that as interaction design is increasingly exploring the design of “tangible,” “smart,” “connected,” and even “intelligent” artifacts, we should think about how reflection and our ability to “think with artifacts” can be extended to include the design of interactive artifacts. In this paper we suggest how that might be done, and we point at a design space for designing such interactive artifacts to think with.
Bare Nominal Adjuncts

Larson (1985) and Emonds (1987) propose different mechanisms to account for English sentences in which a nominal acts as an adverbial but is not introduced by a preposition. We review their analyses and, in light of additional data, show that they are not tenable. Rather, we propose that the noun in such constructions is structurally deficient (hence does not need a preposition for Case) and has an inherent θ- role (hence does not need a preposition to assign one). Although in the same vein as Larson’s and Emonds’s proposals, ours accounts for a wider set of data and is thus preferable. It also has implications for the structure of θ-roles and for lexical entries.
The Influence of Performance-Based Accountability on the Distribution of Teacher Salary Increases

This study examines how aspects of a district's institutional and policy environment influence the distribution of teacher salary increases. The primary hypothesis tested is that statewide performance-based accountability policies influence the extent to which districts backload teacher salary increases. I use data on teacher salaries from the National Center for Education Statistics Schools and Staffing Survey and an index of performance-based accountability to examine the relationship between accountability and backloading. Consistent with the study's hypothesis, the results indicate that strong performance-based, state-level accountability is associated with decreases in teacher salary backloading among urban districts.
Investor Rights in Historical Perspective: Globalization and the Future of the Japanese Firm and Financial System

The evolution of investor rights in Japan is examined in relation to the evolution in firm-specific skill formation. Asset holders (shareholders and landlords) delegated part of the control of their assets to actual producers (managers, workers, and tenant farmers) to maximize the benefits of firm-specific skill formation by the producers. A cautious approach is therefore needed in adjusting investor rights in Japan to global standards: stronger investor rights could enhance allocative efficiency of financial resources, but they could also be harmful to organizational efficiency based on investment by employees in firm-specific skills.
Citation Frequency and the Value of Patented Inventions

Through a survey, private economic value estimates were obtained on 964 inventions made in the United States and Germany and on which German patent renewal fees were paid to full-term expiration in, 1995. A search of subsequent U.S. and German patents yielded counts of citations to those patents. Patents renewed to full-term were significantly more highly cited than patents allowed to expire before their full term. The higher an invention's economic value estimate was, the more the patent was subsequently cited.
Bridging Divides with Inclusive mCommerce: Creating Shared Value (Innovations Case Narrative: Dialog Tradenet)

ural beauty and diversity, the island nation is richly resourced in terms of its highly literate and connected population of 21 million and an economy that is growing annually by more than 8 percent. Sri Lanka’s mobile penetration rate is near 100 percent, while the literacy rate and level of awareness of information and communication technologies (ICTs) are approximately 91.9 percent and 50 percent, respectively, as of 2010. Sri Lanka joins the nations of Afghanistan, Bangladesh, Bhutan, India, Iran, Maldives, Nepal, and Pakistan to form the geoeconomic region of South Asia. Despite its intrinsic structural strengths, sustainable social and economic constructs, and the presence of an emerging powerhouse in the form of the Indian economy, the South Asian region nevertheless has a low Human Development Index (HDI) rating. South Asia’s lagging performance in terms of raising its HDI