Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dexterous manipulation with general manipulation methodology

We discuss various kinds of manipulation in this paper. Conventional manipulation is made when an object is rigidly grasped by a robot hand. Previously, different kinds of manipulation, in which a manipulated object is not fixed onto a robot hand, were studied. They have dexterity but uncertainty. In this paper, we give a classification of manipulation, and introduce graspless manipulation and releasing manipulation which are some dexterous manipulation methodologies. Finally, we propose a concept of "cost saving manipulation" which aims at a selection of the easiest and the most suitable series of various manipulation methods.
Huge isotope effect on the vibrational lifetimes of an H 2 * (C) defect in Si

complexes, each containing one substitutional C (Cs) and two interstitial H atoms which are located at a bond-centered (bc) and an antibonding (ab) site, respectively. The two defects are trigonal: Cs-Hbc ··· Si-Hab and Hab-Cs ··· Hbc-Si. Fourier-transform infrared (FTIR) absorption spectra of these two defects should show two Cs-H and two Si-H stretch modes, but the Hab-Cs mode was absent in earlier studies. The missing line has now been observed by FTIR in especially C rich Si material. The line is unexpectedly broad, suggesting a very short vibrational lifetime. Partial D substitutions result in the formation of a Hab-Cs ··· Dbc-Si center. In this defect, the Hab-Cs line shifts by only 0. 3c m −1 but becomes very sharp, suggesting a long lifetime. The IR line widths show that the vibrational lifetime of the Hab-Cs mode in Hab-Cs ··· Dbc-Si is about 16 times longer than that of the same Hab-Cs mode in Hab-Cs ··· Hbc-Si. This paper contains experimental data and first-principles calculations which explain this isotope effect.
Antigenic properties of the hexosamine polymer of streptococcal mucopeptide.

Streptococcal mucopeptide, solubilized by ultrasonic treatment, gives a precipitin reaction with streptococcal group A-variant antisera. Although treatment of the mucopeptide with an N-acetyl-muramyl-l-alanine amidase, derived from a broth culture of S. albus, removes approximately 50% of the peptide, the residual material retains serologic activity when tested with selected antisera. This suggests that the hexosamine polymer of mucopeptide is also antigenic. Inhibition of the precipitin reaction by a hexosamine-rich dialyzable fraction derived from S. albus enzymes digest of cell walls supports this view. An immunologic cross-reaction between mucopeptide and group A carbohydrate is also reported.
Learning to Classify Parallel Input/Output Access Patterns

Input/output performance on current parallel file systems is sensitive to a good match of application access patterns to file system capabilities. Automatic input/output access pattern classification can determine application access patterns at execution time, guiding adaptive file system policies. In this paper, we examine and compare two novel input/output access pattern classification methods based on learning algorithms. The first approach uses a feedforward neural network previously trained on access pattern benchmarks to generate qualitative classifications. The second approach uses hidden Markov models trained on access patterns from previous executions to create a probabilistic model of input/output accesses. In a parallel application, access patterns can be recognized at the level of each local thread or as the global interleaving of all application threads. Classification of patterns at both levels is important for parallel file system performance; we propose a method for forming global classifications from local classifications. We present results from parallel and sequential benchmarks and applications that demonstrate the viability of this approach.
Experimental manipulation of telomere length: does it reveal a corner-stone role for telomerase in the natural variability of individual fitness?

Telomeres, the non-coding ends of linear chromosomes, are thought to be an important mechanism of individual variability in performance. Research suggests that longer telomeres are indicative of better health and increased fitness; however, many of these data are correlational and whether these effects are causal are poorly understood. Experimental tests are emerging in medical and laboratory-based studies, but these types of experiments are rare in natural populations, which precludes conclusions at an evolutionary level. At the crossroads between telomere length and fitness is telomerase, an enzyme that can lengthen telomeres. Experimental modulation of telomerase activity is a powerful tool to manipulate telomere length, and to look at the covariation of telomerase, telomeres and individual life-history traits. Here, we review studies that manipulate telomerase activity in laboratory conditions and emphasize the associated physiological and fitness consequences. We then discuss how telomerase's impact on ageing may go beyond telomere maintenance. Based on this overview, we then propose several research avenues for future studies to explore how individual variability in health, reproduction and survival may have coevolved with different patterns of telomerase activity and expression. Such knowledge is of prime importance to fully understand the role that telomere dynamics play in the evolution of animal ageing. This article is part of the theme issue ‘Understanding diversity in telomere dynamics’.
Ostwald Ripening of Clays and Metamorphic Minerals

Analyses of particle size distributions indicate that clay minerals and other diagenetic and metamorphic minerals commonly undergo recrystallization by Ostwald ripening. The shapes of their particle size distributions can yield the rate law for this process. One consequence of Ostwald ripening is that a record of the recrystallization process is preserved in the various particle sizes. Therefore, one can determine the detailed geologic history of clays and other recrystallized minerals by separating, from a single sample, the various particle sizes for independent chemical, structural, and isotopic analyses.
Running title : Plant plasticity modeling experiment

GEMINI, a mechanistic model linking plant functional traits, plant populations, community dynamics, and ecosystem scale fluxes in grasslands has been reported in a companion paper (Soussana et al., 2012). For monocultures and six species mixtures of perennial grass species, this model has been successfully evaluated against experimental data of above-ground net primary productivity (ANPP) and plant community structure across nitrogen and disturbance (cutting frequency) gradients. The GEMINI model combines two categories of processes: i) C and N fluxes, ii) morphogenesis and architecture of roots and shoots and demography of clonal plant axes. These two process categories constrain the form and function of the simulated clonal plants within plastic limits. We show here that the plasticity of the simulated plant populations accounts for well-established empirical laws: i) root:shoot ratio, ii) selfthinning, iii) critical shoot N content, and iv) role of plant traits (specific leaf area and plant height) for population response to environmental gradients (nitrogen and disturbance). Moreover, we show that model versions for which plasticity simulation has been partly or fully suppressed have a reduced ANPP in monocultures and in binary mixtures and do not capture anymore productivity and dominance changes across environmental gradients. We conclude that, along environmental and competition gradients, the plasticity of plant form and function is required to maintain the coordination of multiple resource capture and, hence, to sustain productivity and dominance. 2 25 26 27 28 29 30 31 32 33 34 35 36 37 38 39 40 41 42
Floral thermogenesis of three species of Hydnora (Hydnoraceae) in Africa.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Floral thermogenesis occurs in at least 12 families of ancient seed plants. Some species show very high rates of respiration through the alternative pathway, and some are thermoregulatory, with increasing respiration at decreasing ambient temperature. This study assesses the intensity and regulation of respiration in three species of African Hydnora that represent the Hydnoraceae, an unusual family of holoparasitic plants from arid environments. METHODS Long-term respirometry (CO(2) production) and thermometry were carried out on intact flowers of H. africana, H. abyssinica and H. esculenta in the field, and short-term measurements were made on floral parts during the protogynous flowering sequence. KEY RESULTS For H. africana, there was no temperature elevation in either the osmophores or the gynoecial chamber in any phase, and mass-specific respiration rates of the flower parts were low (maximum 8.3 nmol CO(2) g(-1) s(-1) in osmophore tissue). Respiration tracked ambient and floral temperatures, eliminating the possibility of the inverse relationship expected in thermoregulatory flowers. Hydnora abyssinica flowers had higher respiration (maximum 27.5 nmol g(-1) s(-1) in the osmophores) and a slight elevation of osmophore temperature (maximum 2.8 degrees C) in the female stage. Respiration by gynoecial tissue was similar to that of osmophores in both species, but there was no measurable elevation of gynoecial chamber temperature. Gynoecial chamber temperature of H. esculenta could reach 3.8 degrees C above ambient, but there are no respiration data available. Antheral tissue respiration was maximal in the male phase (4.8 nmol g(-1) s(-1) in H. africana and 10.3 nmol g(-1) s(-1) in H. abyssinica), but it did not raise the antheral ring temperature, which showed that thermogenesis is not a by-product of pollen maturation or release. CONCLUSIONS The exceptionally low thermogenesis in Hydnora appears to be associated with scent production and possibly gynoecial development, but has little direct benefit to beetle pollinators.
A novel mutation in the cystic fibrosis gene in patients with pulmonary disease but normal sweat chloride concentrations.

BACKGROUND Many patients with chronic pulmonary disease similar to that seen in cystic fibrosis have normal (or nondiagnostic) sweat chloride values. It has been difficult to make the diagnosis of cystic fibrosis in these patients because no associated mutation in the cystic fibrosis transmembrane conductance regulator (CFTR) gene has been identified. METHODS We evaluated 23 patients with pulmonary disease characteristic of cystic fibrosis but with sweat chloride concentrations in the normal range. Mutations in the CFTR gene were sought by direct sequencing of polymerase chain reaction-amplified nasal epithelial messenger RNA and by testing the functioning of affected epithelium. RESULTS A cytidine phosphate guanosine dinucleotide C-to-T point mutation in intron 19 of the CFTR gene, termed 3849 + 10 kb C to T, was identified in 13 patients from eight unrelated families. This mutation was found in patients from three different ethnic groups with three different extended haplotypes. The mutation leads to the creation of a partially active splice site in intron 19 and to the insertion into most CFTR transcripts of a new 84-base-pair "exon," containing an in-frame stop codon, between exons 19 and 20. Normally spliced transcripts were also detected at a level approximately 8 percent of that found in normal subjects. This mutation is associated with abnormal nasal epithelial and sweat acinar epithelial function. CONCLUSIONS We have identified a point mutation in intron 19 of CFTR and abnormal epithelial function in patients who have cystic fibrosis-like lung disease but normal sweat chloride values. The identification of this mutation indicates that this syndrome is a form of cystic fibrosis. Screening for the mutation should prove diagnostically useful in this population of patients.
Reliability and Validity of the Back Performance Scale: Observing Activity Limitation in Patients with Back Pain

Study Design. A single group design to examine reliability and validity of the Back Performance Scale. Objectives: To examine intertester reliability, test-retest reliability, and concurrent validity of the Back Performance Scale. Summary of Background Data: The Back Performance Scale is a condition-specific performance measure of activity limitation in patients with back pain. It includes five tests of daily activities requiring mobility of the trunk: sock test, pick-up test, roll-up test, fingertip-to-floor test, and lift test. Discriminative ability and responsiveness to important change have previously been demonstrated. Methods. A total of 41 patients with back pain participated in the study. Two physiotherapists examined test performances concurrently, but independently. The patients filled in three questionnaires, two reflecting perceived disability (Der Funktionsfragenbogen Hannover, Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire) as well as one for fear avoidance of daily activities and work (Fear Avoidance Belief Questionnaire). One physiotherapist retested the patients after 2 to 3 days. Results. Intertester agreement of the Back Performance Scale sum score was very high (intraclass correlation coefficient 2.1): 0.996. Within-patient standard deviation (sw) on the 16-point Back Performance Scale was very low: 0.25. Test-retest reliability was high (intraclass correlation coefficient = 0.91, sw = 1.3). Intertester agreement of the separate tests was also very high, ranging from κ= 0.90–1.00. Test-retest reliability was moderate to high (κ= 0.55–0.83). A high correlation was demonstrated between the Back Performance Scale and the Der Funktionsfragenbogen Hannover: Spearman rho (ρ) = 0.825, P < 0.01. Correlation between the Back Performance Scale and Roland-Morris Disability Questionnaire was moderate: ρ = 0.454, P < 0.01. No correlation was demonstrated between the Back Performance Scale and the Fear Avoidance Belief Questionnaire. Conclusion. The Back Performance Scale appears to be a reliable and valid outcome measure of activity limitation.
MicroRNA-Mediated Processes are Essential for the Cellular Radiation Response

A detailed understanding of the mechanisms that determine the variable cellular sensitivity to radiation is needed for improved radiation therapy as well as for the identification of individuals with innate radiation hypersensitivity. MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are a class of small non-coding RNAs that post-transcriptionally regulate protein expression. Alterations in miRNA expression patterns in response to ionizing radiation have been shown, but there are almost no data describing the functional impact of these miRNA changes. We report here the results of studies on the functional roles of miRNAs in the radiation response in immortalized and primary endothelial cells. Global suppression of miRNA expression was achieved through downregulation of Argonaut e-2 (AGO2) or DICER proteins using RNAi. The reductions in either DICER or AGO2 led to increased cell death after irradiation, indicating a prosurvival function of miRNAs. Furthermore, while cell cycle checkpoint activation and apoptosis were compromised, DNA double-strand break repair was not affected by the lack of miRNAs. The differential sensitivity of these pathways implies the independent activation of the two response pathways rather than a concerted DNA damage response. The miRNAs that were changed after 2.5 Gy irradiation were identified by TaqMan-based low-density array technology. Of the miRNAs showing an upregulation 4 h or 24 h after radiation exposure, we were able to establish prosurvival and antiapoptotic functions for three miRNAs. Taken together, our data indicate a general prosurvival role for miRNA-mediated gene regulation during the radiation response. We show a functional association between miRNAs, apoptosis and cell cycle checkpoint activation in irradiated cells.
EFFECT OF LOW-DIGESTIBLE CARBOHYDRATES ON CAECAL AMMONIA CONCENTRATION IN RATS AND TURKEYS

The work comments on the results of a series of experiments on caecal ammonia concentration in rats and turkeys fed diets containing different types and doses of low-digestible carbohydrates (LDC). Dietary lactulose and inulin (4-8%) added to a diet for rats effectively reduced the caecal ammonia concentration compared to the cellulose or sucrose control group. A strong adverse effect was observed in the case of 4-5% oligosaccharides from lupin and pea seeds. Dietary 5% xylitol and β-galactosyl-derivatives of sugar alcohols slightly enhanced or had no effect on caecal ammonia concentration in rats. In young turkeys, small doses (0.1-0.4%) of low-digestible carbohydrates were sufficient to decrease ammonia concentration in the caeca, while in older birds that effect was not observed.
In Vitro Assessment of Cellular Immunity to Vaccinia Virus: Contribution of Lymphocytes and Macrophages

The possible contributions of lymphocytes and macrophages to immunity to vaccinia virus were examined in vitro by determination of antigen-specific inhibition of migration of macrophages and the replication of the virus in purified macrophages. Lymphocytes from various anatomic sites of vaccinia virus-immune rabbits mixed with macrophages from nonimmune rabbits resulted in antigen-specific inhibition of macrophage migration; purified lymphocytes of peritoneal exudates were found to be the most potent inhibitors. Macrophages from peritoneal exudates of immune rabbits purified to contain less than 1% lymphocytes were sensitive to inhibition of migration by vaccinia antigens. Virus grew in macrophages from nonimmune rabbits, but failed to replicate in macrophages from the peritoneal cavity of immune rabbits. Alveolar maracrophages from immune rabbits were not inhibited from migrating in the presence of the viral antigen, and the virus replicated in these cells. The data suggest, but do not prove, that cellular immunity to vaccinia virus in rabbits may be mediated both by lymphocytes and by macrophages.
Single-Dose Antibiotic Prophylaxis of Abdominal Surgical Wound Infection: A Trial of Preoperative Latamoxef against Peroperative Tetracycline Lavage

A randomized controlled clinical trial was undertaken in 542 consecutive emergency and elective abdominal operations, with one group of patients receiving tetracycline peritoneal and wound lavage and the other a single intravenous injection of 1 g latamoxef at induction of anaesthesia. Seventy-five patients were withdrawn because no potentially contaminated hollow viscus was opened, and a further 36 because they could not be assessed for wound infection. Of the remaining 431 patients, 212 received latamoxef resulting in 5 major and 8 minor wound infections in hospital; another 4 minor infections occurred at home (total incidence 8.0%). In the tetracycline group (n = 219) there were 7 major and 19 minor wound infections in hospital and 10 minor infections later (total incidence 16.4%). This is significantly higher than the rate with latamoxef (P=0.012). Monitoring of operative and postoperative bleeding revealed no evidence (except in one doubtful case) of excessive bleeding associated with the use of a single dose of latamoxef. It is concluded that single-dose preoperative latamoxef is more effective than peroperative tetracycline lavage for the prevention of wound infections after potentially contaminated abdominal operations.
The LSST Data Management System

The Large Synoptic Survey Telescope (LSST) is a large-aperture, wide-field, ground-based survey system that will image the sky in six optical bands from 320 to 1050 nm, uniformly covering approximately $18,000$deg$^2$ of the sky over 800 times. The LSST is currently under construction on Cerro Pach\'on in Chile, and expected to enter operations in 2022. Once operational, the LSST will explore a wide range of astrophysical questions, from discovering "killer" asteroids to examining the nature of Dark Energy. The LSST will generate on average 15 TB of data per night, and will require a comprehensive Data Management system to reduce the raw data to scientifically useful catalogs and images with minimum human intervention. These reductions will result in a real-time alert stream, and eleven data releases over the 10-year duration of LSST operations. To enable this processing, the LSST project is developing a new, general-purpose, high-performance, scalable, well documented, open source data processing software stack for O/IR surveys. Prototypes of this stack are already capable of processing data from existing cameras (e.g., SDSS, DECam, MegaCam), and form the basis of the Hyper-Suprime Cam (HSC) Survey data reduction pipeline.
Translating Traditional Principles of System Development into a Process for Designing Clinical Information Systems

Abstract Traditional software development methodologies enhanced by a clinical component result in information systems that support the practice of nursing. This paper describes the clinical informatics model used to develop and evaluate a mobile computer assessment tool. Data entry of atomic-level elements, with storage in a relational database, allows the synthesis and analysis by multiple disciplines to aid in real-time decision making. The system is designed to improve the recording and accessibility of patient data and nursing observations on a geriatric unit at the Salt Lake VA Medical Center.
Mammalian collagen IV

Four decades have passed since the first discovery of collagen IV by Kefalides in 1966. Since then collagen IV has been investigated extensively by a large number of research laboratories around the world. Advances in molecular genetics have resulted in identification of six evolutionary related mammalian genes encoding six different polypeptide chains of collagen IV. The genes are differentially expressed during the embryonic development, providing different tissues with specific collagen IV networks each having unique biochemical properties. Newly translated α‐chains interact and assemble in the endoplasmic reticulum in a chain‐specific fashion and form unique heterotrimers. Unlike most collagens, type IV collagen is an exclusive member of the basement membranes and through a complex inter‐ and intramolecular interactions form supramolecular networks that influence cell adhesion, migration, and differentiation. Collagen IV is directly involved in a number of genetic and acquired disease such as Alport's and Goodpasture's syndromes. Recent discoveries have also highlighted a new and direct role for collagen IV in the development of rare genetic diseases such as cerebral hemorrhage and porencephaly in infants and hemorrhagic stroke in adults. Years of intensive investigations have resulted in a vast body of information about the structure, function, and biology of collagen IV. In this review article, we will summarize essential findings on the structural and functional relationships of different collagen IV chains and their roles in health and disease. Microsc. Res. Tech., 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Tuberculous pulmonary pneumatocele communicating extrathoracically

A 40 year old man presented with swelling over his right upper chest for the previous 8 months. He had also had low grade fever, cough with mucoid expectoration, weight loss, and breathlessness on exertion for 2 months. The swelling initially appeared in the right infraclavicular region and gradually increased in size. The swelling could be decreased in size on application of local pressure, but it regained its original size when the pressure was released. He had been treated elsewhere for pulmonary tuberculosis (TB) 3 …