Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Toward Phase-Variable Control of Sit-to-Stand Motion with a Powered Knee-Ankle Prosthesis

This paper presents a new model and phase variable controller for sit-to-stand motion in above-knee amputees. The model captures the effect of work done by the sound side and residual limb on the prosthesis, while modeling only the prosthetic knee and ankle with a healthy hip joint that connects the thigh to the torso. The controller is parametrized by a biomechanical phase variable rather than time and is analyzed in simulation using the model. We show that this controller performs well with minimal tuning, under a range of realistic initial conditions and biological parameters such as height and body mass. The controller generates kinematic trajectories that are comparable to experimentally observed trajectories in non-amputees. Furthermore, the torques commanded by the controller are consistent with torque profiles and peak values of normative human sit-to-stand motion. Rise times measured in simulation and in non-amputee experiments are also similar. Finally, we compare the presented controller with a baseline proportional-derivative controller demonstrating the advantages of the phase-based design over a set-point based design.
Investigation of Polyacrylic Acid Toxicity in Human Breast Cancer (MCF-7) and Mouse Fibroblast (L-929) Cell Lines

Abstract In recent years, biopolymers have been widely used in various fields of medicine. Before using any polymer, its biocompatibility should be examined. Polyacrylic acid (PAA), a polyelectrolyte, is known to be used as an adjuvant effect in immunology, anti-thrombogenic effect in medical experiments, and as a carrier in drug delivery systems. Although there are studies on various conjugates and nanoparticles of PAA, studies on its toxicity alone are limited. Determination of toxicity in biopolymer studies is extremely important. Cultures of various cells are used for toxicity analyses. This study aimed to investigate the toxicity of PAA in human breast cancer (MCF-7) and mouse fibroblast (L-929) cell lines by various methods. Cell culture, 3-(4,5-dimethyltriazol-2-yl)-2,5-diphenyltetrazolium bromide (MTT), trypan blue and 4,6-diamidino 2 phenylindole (DAPI) methods were used in the study. The half-maximal effective concentration (EC50) value of PAA was 6.6 mg/ml in MCF 7 cells and 1.8 mg/ ml in L-929 cells. Apoptosis was observed in cells on the increasing PAA concentration with DAPI. With these results, the cytotoxic properties of PAA were determined in vitro. Accordingly, the biocompatibility of polymers to be used in modeling should be supported by in vitro and in vivo studies.
Extraction, characterization, quantification, and application of volatile aromatic compounds from Asian rice cultivars

Abstract Rice is the main staple food after wheat for more than half of the world’s population in Asia. Apart from carbohydrate source, rice is gaining significant interest in terms of functional foods owing to the presence of aromatic compounds that impart health benefits by lowering glycemic index and rich availability of dietary fibers. The demand for aromatic rice especially basmati rice is expanding in local and global markets as aroma is considered as the best quality and desirable trait among consumers. There are more than 500 volatile aromatic compounds (VACs) vouched for excellent aroma and flavor in cooked aromatic rice due to the presence of aromatic hydrocarbons, aldehydes, phenols, alcohols, ketones, and esters. The predominant VAC contributing to aroma is 2 acetyl-1-pyrroline, which is commonly found in aerial parts of the crop and deposits during seed maturation. So far, literature has been focused on reporting about aromatic compounds in rice but its extraction, characterization, and quantification using analytical techniques are limited. Hence, in the present review, extraction, characterization, and application of aromatic compound have been elucidated. These VACs can give a new way to food processing and beverage industry as bioflavor and bioaroma compounds that enhance value addition of beverages, food, and fermented products such as gluten-free rice breads. Furthermore, owing to their nutritional values these VACs can be used in biofortification that ultimately addresses the food nutrition security.
Exploring lexical bundles in low proficiency level L2 learners’ English writing: an ETS corpus study

Abstract The use of formulaic language in written discourse is an important indicator of language competence. Nonetheless, the features of lexical bundles used by lower proficiency English as a Foreign Language learners have received little attention. The present study addressed this gap by employing a corpus-based method to investigate the quantity, function, and quality of four-word lexical bundles produced by low proficiency L2 English writers with 11 different L1 backgrounds in response to a timed English writing assessment. The investigation was specifically anchored on the data extracted from 1,330 essays using Wordsmith 7.0. Results of the investigation showed (1) an over dependence on writing topic related bundles; (2) an Indo-European L1 language background positively influencing lexical bundle production; (3) an overuse of stance expressions and discourse organizers at the expense of referential expression usage; (4) L1 Japanese, Korean, and Telugu writers producing more accurate lexical bundles and L1 German writers producing fewer accurate lexical bundles; and (5) the frequent use of lexical bundles not leading to highly accurate and appropriate use of lexical bundles. The implications of these results were discussed in connection with foreign language education.
Brief Announcement: Classifying Trusted Hardware via Unidirectional Communication

It is well known that Byzantine fault tolerant (BFT) consensus cannot be solved in the classic asynchronous message passing model when one-third or more of the processes may be faulty. Since many modern applications require higher fault tolerance, this bound has been circumvented by introducing non-equivocation mechanisms that prevent Byzantine processes from sending conflicting messages to other processes. The use of trusted hardware is a way to implement non-equivocation. Several different trusted hardware modules have been considered in the literature. In this paper, we study whether all trusted hardware modules are equivalent in the power that they provide. We show that while they do all prevent equivocation, we can partition trusted hardware modules into two different power classes; those that employ shared memory primitives, and those that do not. We separate these classes using a new notion we call unidirectionality, which describes a useful guarantee on the ability of processes to prevent network partitions. We show that shared-memory based hardware primitives provide unidirectionality, while others do not.
Public Processes Are Open for Play

As public services become digital and online, both the need to design digital public services closer to citizens’ expectations and to provide ways to improve their participation and engagement increases. To participate and co-design, citizens must understand how the public service is delivered, but understanding service provision is challenging for non-technical subjects. This article argues that games can promote transparency of public service processes and citizens’ understanding of them. We designed games related to three distinct public service delivery scenarios using Play Your Process (PYP), a method which translates business process models into game design artifacts. We also investigate players’ ability to understand the process designed into these games through evaluation settings based on qualitative and quantitative analyses, using questionnaires and interviews. Results show that these games can help citizens understand the process execution aspects, with at least 95% confidence through statistical analysis. This research is innovative by showing an approach to systematically design serious games describing public processes as a potential tool for citizen-government transparency and understanding of public process delivery, particularly in Brazil.
Brief Announcement: Detectable Sequential Specifications for Recoverable Shared Objects

The recent commercial release of persistent main memory by Intel has sparked intense interest in recoverable concurrent objects. Specifying and implementing such objects is technically challenging on current generation hardware precisely because the top layers of the memory hierarchy (CPU registers and cache) remain volatile, which causes application threads to lose critical execution state during a failure. Friedman, Herlihy, Marathe, and Petrank (DISC'17) recently proposed that this difficulty can be alleviated by making the recoverable objects detectable, meaning that during recovery, they can resolve the status of an operation that was interrupted by a failure. In this paper, we formalize this important concept using a detectable sequential specification (DSS), which augments an object's interface with auxiliary methods that threads use to first declare their need for detectability, and then perform detection if needed after a failure. Compared to prior work on this topic, our DSS-based approach is less reliant on assumptions regarding the system, and more flexible in the sense that it allows applications to request detectability on demand. As a proof of concept, we present a detectable recoverable lock-free queue algorithm and evaluate its performance on a multiprocessor equipped with Intel Optane persistent memory. Our queue outperforms the detectable log queue of Friedman, Herlihy, Marthe, and Petrank (PPoPP'18) by up to 1.7x.
Can we talk? Design Implications for the Questionnaire-Driven Self-Report of Health and Wellbeing via Conversational Agent

The growing popularity of smart-speakers in recent years has led to increased interest in the capacity of Conversational Agents (CAs) to support health and wellbeing. This extends to their potential to engage users in human-like conversations as means of gathering self-reported health data. Prior research has focused on the optimization of CAs for the collection of discrete responses to standardized questionnaires. Less research however, has investigated how a more conversational modality shapes what people recount of their wellbeing nor what they make of the experience. This paper presents the findings of a lab-based random assignment study contrasting 59 participants’ experiences of two distinct designs of a CA named Sofia — each separately enabling discrete or open-ended responses to the World Health Organization-Five Wellbeing Index (WHO-5) questionnaire. Analysis of task completion times, Speech-System Interface Usability (SASSI) scores, and coherence between verbal and paper-based responses suggests that CAs can serve as a feasible means of gathering self-reported health data, although users report finding discrete response options more habitable (i.e. easier to grasp) than an open-ended alternative. We discuss the implications of these findings for the design of CAs to support the self-report of health and wellbeing, and highlight future research directions.
“It’s Not Gonna Leave Any Scars”: Trauma and Coping Among Execution Team Members

A trauma framework is applied to the experiences of execution team members. A directed content analysis of three seminal publications is used to investigate how execution team members respond to observing and participating in executions, a potentially traumatic stressor. Through these texts, supplemented by other research, the study finds that the execution process, meant to facilitate executions and insulate execution team officers from stress, only partially achieves these goals. The findings suggest that many of the concepts central to understanding executioners at work—how they understand and cope with their roles—are dynamic rather than static and vary in degree across persons and situations. Execution team officers report varying degrees of difficulty fully rationalizing and diffusing responsibility for their actions, ultimately leading to internal conflict and stress about the death penalty and participation in executions.
Focusing the safety spotlight: How safety intelligence can inform systemic patient safety initiatives

This panel discussion at the 2021 Human Factors and Ergonomics Society (HFES) Healthcare Symposium (HCS) touched upon several topics related to actioning safety intelligence to improve patient safety. The panel had representation from both Canada and England across a broad range of human factors expertise in healthcare: from the perspective of academic research, operational hospital work, patient safety incident investigation and national healthcare policy, and a nationwide healthcare liability insurer. The panelists began with defining safety intelligence and distinguishing between safety intelligence and safety wisdom. The panel provided an engaging and insightful discussion on several topics including data collection, analysis and actioning upon the insights gained. In addition, the panel discussed strategies for demonstrating value in improving patient safety, and emphasised the importance of aligning one’s work with existing initiatives in the organisation, as well as the importance of collaborating with various stakeholders across the system to affect meaningful change.
Lessons Learned from Developing a MCI Virtual Empowerment Program

In the Spring of 2020, COVID-19 closures and safe distancing orders required healthcare programs across the US to cease in-person treatment. This paper presents a case study of rapidly pivoting a novel, 12-month comprehensive clinical lifestyle program combining education, occupational therapy, cognitive training, and social interaction to an online application-based education program. The focus of the program is empowerment research for people newly diagnosed with mild cognitive impairment (MCI) and their care partners, and is conducted by the Emory Brain Health Center. Georgia Tech developed an education application (named MyCEP) for use with our MCI and care partner population combining off-the-shelf services and customized user interfaces. We used an iterative design and development process, testing our application with our end users and our treatment providers, and made updates based on our discovery of the need for new capabilities and requirements. We present the discovery of emergent practices by family members and healthcare providers to meet the new requirements for successful virtual engagement.
Dementia Prevalence, Comorbidities, and Lifestyle Among Jatinangor Elders

Introduction: Research on dementia prevalence and the potentially related risk factors from Indonesia is scarce. We sought to identify the prevalence of dementia, health risk factors, and lifestyle in Jatinangor elders. Methods: A total of 686 participants completed questionnaires on lifestyle, health risk factors, and cognitive and functional tests from September 2013 to December 2013. We determined the prevalence of dementia; and the associations between health, leisure activities, dietary pattern, and dementia were analyzed using logistic regression. Results: The prevalence of dementia was 29.15%. The risk factors differed between age groups. Those aged 60–74 years and who have a lower education level, lower occupational attainment, and less active intellectual and recreational activities were associated with higher dementia risk. Those aged > 75 years living in a rural area and who take less fruit were associated with a higher risk of dementia. Conclusions: The prevalence of dementia in Jatinangor is high. The identified modifiable risk factors are a potential target for intervention and valuable for designing public health policies.
Revision of the Crystal Structure of the First Molecular Polymorph in History

Despite being the earliest reported case of polymorphism in a molecular crystal, the unstable form II of benzamide has thus far evaded thorough structural characterization because collection of experimental data at atomic resolution has proven extremely challenging. Using a highly validated computational crystal structure prediction (CSP) method based on dispersion-corrected density functional theory, we correctly predict the stable form I with the lowest energy among all sampled structures and its polytypic form III with slightly higher energy. From Rietveld refinement of selected CSP models against synchrotron X-ray powder diffraction data of the historical polymorph, we are able to identify a subtle weakness in the available experimental data and arrive at a revised structure of form II. The revised crystal structure is the first benzamide structure to form catemers rather than dimers and possesses the rare space-group symmetry Fdd2 with two molecules in the asymmetric unit, which is necessary to suppo.
Meta-Analysis of HER2-Enriched Subtype Predicting the Pathological Complete Response Within HER2-Positive Breast Cancer in Patients Who Received Neoadjuvant Treatment

Background This meta-analysis aimed to better elucidate the predictive value of human epidermal growth factor receptor 2 (HER2)-enriched subtype of pathological complete response (pCR) rate within HER2-positive breast cancer patients receiving neoadjuvant treatment. Methods We identified prospective trials that evaluated the correlation between an HER2-enriched subtype and pCR rate in HER2-positive breast cancer. Pooled odds ratio (OR) values with 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were computed. Results Fifteen studies comprising 2,190 patients met the inclusion criteria. The HER2-enriched subtype was associated with increased odds of achieving a pCR (OR = 4.12, 95% CI = 3.38 to 5.03, P < 0.001) in patients overall. Moreover, it was correlated with improved pCR when single or dual HER2-targeted agent-based therapy was employed (OR = 3.36, 95% CI = 2.25 to 5.02, P < 0.001; OR = 4.66, 95% CI = 3.56 to 6.10, P < 0.001, respectively), but not when HER2-targeted agent-free chemotherapy was used (OR = 2.52, 95% CI = 0.98 to 6.49, P = 0.05). Moreover, an HER2-enriched subtype predicted higher pCR rates irrespective of HER2-targeted agents (trastuzumab, lapatinib, pertuzumab, or T-DM1); chemotherapy agents (taxane-based, or anthracyclines plus taxane-based); endocrine therapy and hormone receptor [all the differences were statistically significant (P all ≤ 0.001)]. Conclusions The HER2-enriched subtype can more effectively and specifically predict pCR for HER2-targeted agent-based neoadjuvant treatment, irrespective of the number (single or dual) or category of HER2-targeted agent, including chemotherapy and endocrine therapy, or hormone receptor in cases of HER2-positive breast cancer.
An Orally Available Cathepsin L Inhibitor Protects Lungs Against SARS-CoV-2-Induced Diffuse Alveolar Damage in African Green Monkeys

The COVID-19 pandemic resulted from global infection by the SARS-CoV-2 coronavirus and rapidly emerged as an urgent health issue requiring effective treatments. To initiate infection, the Spike protein of SARS-CoV-2 requires proteolytic processing mediated by host proteases. Among the host proteases proposed to carry out this activation is the cysteine protease cathepsin L. Inhibiting cathepsin L has been proposed as a therapeutic strategy for treating COVID-19. SLV213 (K777) is an orally administered small molecule protease inhibitor that exhibits in vitro activity against a range of viruses, including SARS-CoV-2. To confirm efficacy in vivo, K777 was evaluated in an African green monkey (AGM) model of COVID-19. A pilot experiment was designed to test K777 in a prophylactic setting, animals were pre-treated with 100mg/kg K777 (N=4) or vehicle (N=2) before inoculation with SARS-CoV-2. Initial data demonstrated that K777 treatment reduced pulmonary pathology compared to vehicle-treated animals. A second study was designed to test activity in a therapeutic setting, with K777 treatment (33 mg/kg or 100 mg/kg) initiated 8 hours after exposure to the virus. In both experiments, animals received K777 daily via oral gavage for 7 days. Vehicle-treated animals exhibited higher lung weights, pleuritis, and diffuse alveolar damage. In contrast, lung pathology was reduced in K777-treated monkeys, and histopathological analyses confirmed the lack of diffuse alveolar damage. Antiviral effects were further demonstrated by quantitative reductions in viral load of samples collected from upper and lower airways. These preclinical data support the potential for early SLV213 treatment in COVID-19 patients to prevent severe lung pathology and disease progression.
Measuring fingerpad deformation during active object manipulation

During active object manipulation, the finger-object interactions give rise to complex fingertip skin deformations. These deformations are in turn encoded by the local tactile afferents and provide rich and behaviorally relevant information to the central nervous system. Most of the work studying the mechanical response of the finger to dynamic loading has been performed under a passive setup, thereby precisely controlling the kinematics or the dynamics of the loading. However, to identify aspects of the deformations that are relevant to online control during object manipulation, it is desirable to measure the skin response in an active setup. To that end, we developed a device that allows us to monitor finger forces, skin deformations, and kinematics during fine manipulation. We describe the device in detail and test it to precisely describe how the fingertip skin in contact with the object deforms during a simple vertical oscillation task. We show that the level of grip force directly influences the fingerpad skin strains and that the strain rates are substantial during active manipulation (norm up to 100%/s). The developed setup will enable us to causally relate sensory information, i.e. skin deformation, to online control, i.e. grip force adjustment, in future studies.
Tempo of Degeneration Across Independently Evolved Nonrecombining Regions

Abstract Recombination is beneficial over the long term, allowing more effective selection. Despite long-term advantages of recombination, local recombination suppression can evolve and lead to genomic degeneration, in particular on sex chromosomes. Here, we investigated the tempo of degeneration in nonrecombining regions, that is, the function curve for the accumulation of deleterious mutations over time, leveraging on 22 independent events of recombination suppression identified on mating-type chromosomes of anther-smut fungi, including newly identified ones. Using previously available and newly generated high-quality genome assemblies of alternative mating types of 13 Microbotryum species, we estimated degeneration levels in terms of accumulation of nonoptimal codons and nonsynonymous substitutions in nonrecombining regions. We found a reduced frequency of optimal codons in the nonrecombining regions compared with autosomes, that was not due to less frequent GC-biased gene conversion or lower ancestral expression levels compared with recombining regions. The frequency of optimal codons rapidly decreased following recombination suppression and reached an asymptote after ca. 3 Ma. The strength of purifying selection remained virtually constant at dN/dS = 0.55, that is, at an intermediate level between purifying selection and neutral evolution. Accordingly, nonsynonymous differences between mating-type chromosomes increased linearly with stratum age, at a rate of 0.015 per My. We thus develop a method for disentangling effects of reduced selection efficacy from GC-biased gene conversion in the evolution of codon usage and we quantify the tempo of degeneration in nonrecombining regions, which is important for our knowledge on genomic evolution and on the maintenance of regions without recombination.