Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Dead-Beat Control in the Behavioral Approach

In this paper, the concepts of controllability and zero-controllability of a variable w , appearing either in a standard or in a latent variable description (as manifest variable), are introduced and characterized. By assuming this perspective, the dead-beat control (DBC) problem is posed as the problem of designing a controller, involving both w and the latent variable c, such that, for the resulting controlled behavior, the variable w goes to zero in a finite number of steps in every trajectory. Zero-controllability of w turns out to be a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of “admissible” DBCs as well as for the existence of regular DBCs. The class of minimal DBCs, namely DBCs with the least possible number of rows, is singled-out and a parametrization of such controllers is provided. Finally, a necessary and sufficient condition for the existence of DBCs that can be implemented via a feedback law, for which w is the input and the latent variable c the corresponding output, is provided.
Structural evolution of backthrusting in the Mentawai Fault Zone, offshore Sumatran forearc

We present the interpretation of newly acquired high‐quality industry‐standard deep seismic reflection and swath bathymetry data to provide insight into the structural style and evolution of the Mentawai Fault Zone (MFZ). The MFZ lies along the boundary between the accretionary wedge and the proposed continental backstop. This zone exhibits arcuate ridges on the seafloor, convex toward the east. Beneath these ridges the structures developed as landward‐vergent imbricated backthrusts in the inner part of the accretionary wedge and higher‐angle backthrusts that deformed the forearc basin sediments. In the forearc high, anticlines were developed due to the seaward‐vergent forearc high thrusts originating in the accretionary wedge. The imbricated backthrusts may have initiated during the Early‐Middle Miocene contemporaneously with the slide and back‐rotation of forearc high thrusts. In the Late Miocene, the higher‐angle backthrusts were initiated. Continuous contraction induced the frontal higher‐angle backthrusts and formed a fold‐thrust belt toward the east during the Pliocene. The folds and thrusts were disturbed by diapirs and mud volcanoes. Backthrusting and fold‐thrust belts developed in the MFZ may explain the compressional features observed at the boundary between the accretionary wedge and continental backstop along the southern Sumatra margin. The backthrusts along the MFZ are waning in activity and hence the risk of a large earthquake and associated tsunami at the present time should be small.
Six sigma management activities and their influence on corporate competitiveness

Abstract Six sigma has long been used as an effective way to restructure a company's management process. A number of successful cases have been reported of six-sigma-based management activities dramatically enhancing a company's strategic performance over study periods of several years. However, while there are abundant case studies in the literature regarding six sigma, there is a lack of empirical studies that adopt statistical approaches. To fill this void, this study proposes a research model to test whether six-sigma-based management activities improve corporate competitiveness. We applied a structural equation model to 161 valid questionnaires collected from managers in a number of Samsung companies that have introduced six sigma and have been actively applying its activities for several years. Empirical results showed that six sigma activities do indeed contribute to process management refreshment, quality improvement, and finally corporate competitiveness. We hope that this study enables further rigorous studies investigating six sigma as a major strategic activity.
A bottom-up method for obtaining information about pronunciation variation

In this paper a Bottom-Up (BU) method of obtaining information about pronunciation variation is proposed. BU transcriptions (T bu ) were obtained by letting a CSR decide for each phone whether it was deleted or not. The T bu were compared to transcriptions obtained automatically with a Top-Down method, and the agreement appeared to be very high. Subsequently, the T bu were aligned with canonical reference transcriptions (T ref ) and on the basis of this alignment, deletion rules were derived. The BU rules were employed to generate variants which were used in recognition experiments. The results of these recognition experiments show that the information about pronunciation variation obtained using the BU method can be used to improve recognition performance.
Review: breastfeeding is associated with reduced risk of breast cancer

Male hypogonadism is diagnosed in patients who have symptoms and signs of androgen deficiency, and repeatedly low serum testosterone concentrations and decreased sperm production. The aetiology of hypogonadism may be due to disorders of the testes (primary hypogonadism) or hypothalamus or pituitary gland (secondary hypogonadism), or combined disorders. Primary and secondary hypogonadism are distinguished by gonadotropin, follicle-stimulating hormone (FSH), and luteinizing hormone (LH) concentrations. Either primary or secondary hypogonadism may be caused by a structural or congenital disorder of the hypothalamic–pituitary–testicular (HPT) axis that is usually permanent and necessitates testosterone treatment (organic hypogonadism) or a disorder that results in suppressed function of an intact HPT axis that is potentially reversible with treatment of the etiologic condition or discontinuing the offending medication (functional hypogonadism). The benefits and risks of testosterone treatment in men who have functional hypogonadism have not been evaluated fully in randomized, double-blind, placebo-controlled trials, while managing the underlying conditions may reverse the hypogonadism and confer other health benefits. Given that clinical management of primary and secondary hypogonadism due to organic or functional aetiologies vary, it is important to evaluate and establish the aetiology of hypogonadism prior to initiating testosterone treatment.
Experimental Investigation of Phonological Naturalness *

Phonological theories and textbook introductions to phonology typically focus on a relatively small set of process types. In the domain of segmental phonology, this set includes deletion and insertion of segments in a restricted range of environments, processes that make one segment more similar (assimilation) or less similar (dissimilation) to another segment with respect to a single feature or group of features, and a few others. What is the motivation for focusing on a limited set processes, to the exclusion of others that are attested in natural languages? Consider, for example, the two hypothetical patterns in (1). Both involve the distribution of two allomorphs ([–la] and [–na]) of a single suffix. In pattern (1a), the suffix surfaces as [–la] except when the preceding stem consonant is [+nasal], in which case the suffix is realized as [–na]. In pattern (1b), the default suffix allomorph is again [–la], but the property of the stem that conditions the non-default allomorph is different: the [–na] allomorph appears iff the preceding stem consonant is [+dorsal].
Comparison of microstructural features of three compacted and water-saturated swelling clays: MX-80 bentonite and Na- and Ca-purified bentonite

Abstract The planned final disposal repositories of spent nuclear fuel in several countries, including Finland, pose significant scientific challenges due to their extremely long lifespan. One of the key materials proposed for use in Posiva Oy's repository in Finland is MX-80 bentonite in a compacted, water-saturated state. Border cases of calcium and sodium forms of purified bentonite were included in this study. The MX-80 in the repository is expected to undergo cation exchange due to the composition of the groundwater. The clays were studied at different dry densities between 0.7 and 1.6 g cm–3. The microstructure of the water-saturated, compacted clays was investigated using small-angle X-ray scattering, nuclear magnetic resonance and transmission electron microscopy. Additionally, atomic force microscopy was used to characterize the shape and size of the fine-fraction clay platelets. As expected, the average shape of the fine fractions was smaller than the bulk material, but a more elongated shape was present in the purified material. Mainly due to sample density, the pore structure was noticeably different for the Na form of purified bentonite at 0.7 g cm–3 density, but at higher degrees of compaction, no significant differences were noted between the samples. The laboratory results obtained in this study could be useful for safety and performance analysis of this high-level waste repository where sodium bentonite is used and is expected to change its charge-compensating cation composition during the repository's lifetime. Microstructural data may be used in modelling of diffusion and sorption by surface complexation modelling, for example, or as a basis for mechanical and water transport models.
Exercise dose and all-cause mortality within extended cardiac rehabilitation: a cohort study

Aims To investigate the relationship between exercise participation, exercise ‘dose’ expressed as metabolic equivalent (MET) hours (h) per week, and prognosis in individuals attending an extended, community-based exercise rehabilitation programme. Methods Cohort study of 435 participants undertaking exercise-based cardiac rehabilitation (CR) in Leeds, West Yorkshire, UK between 1994 and 2006, followed up to 1 November 2013. MET intensity of supervised exercise was estimated utilising serial submaximal exercise test results and corresponding exercise prescriptions. Programme participation was routinely monitored. Cox regression analysis including time-varying and propensity score adjustment was applied to identify predictors of long-term, all-cause mortality across exercise dose and programme duration groups. Results There were 133 events (31%) during a median follow-up of 14 years (range, 1.2 to 18.9 years). The significant univariate association between exercise dose and all-cause mortality was attenuated following multivariable adjustment for other predictors, including duration in the programme. Longer-term adherence to supervised exercise training (>36 months) was associated with a 33% lower mortality risk (multivariate-adjusted HR: 0.67; 95% CI: 0.47 to 0.97; p=0.033) compared with all lesser durations of CR (3, 12, 36 months), even after adjustment for baseline fitness, comorbidities and survivor bias. Conclusion Exercise dose (MET-h per week) appears less important than long-term adherence to supervised exercise for the reduction of long-term mortality risk. Extended, supervised CR programmes within the community may play a key role in promoting long-term exercise maintenance and other secondary prevention therapies for survival benefit.
Assessing the skeletal age from a hand radiograph: automating the Tanner-Whitehouse method

The skeletal maturity of children is usually assessed from a standard radiograph of the left hand and wrist. An established clinical method to determine the skeletal maturity is the Tanner-Whitehouse (TW2) method. This method divides the skeletal development into several stages (labelled A, B, .,I). We are developing an automated system based on this method. In this work we focus on assigning a stage to one region of interest (ROI), the middle phalanx of the third finger. We classify each ROI as follows. A number of ROIs which have been assigned a certain stage by a radiologist are used to construct a mean image for that stage. For a new input ROI, landmarks are detected by using an Active Shape Model. These are used to align the mean images with the input image. Subsequently the correlation between each transformed mean stage image and the input is calculated. The input ROI can be assigned to the stage with the highest correlation directly, or the values can be used as features in a classifier. The method was tested on 71 cases ranging from stage E to I. The ROI was staged correctly in 73.2% of all cases and in 97.2% of all incorrectly staged cases the error was not more than one stage.
A comparison of the personality profiles of internal medicine residents, physician role models, and the general population.

PURPOSE To compare personality profiles of internal medicine residents with those of the general population and positive role models in medicine. METHOD A widely used personality inventory, NEO PI-R, which measures five major personality factors and 30 important personality facets, was administered in 1998 to 104 physicians in internal medicine residency and earlier to a nationwide sample of 188 physicians selected as positive role models in medicine. RESULTS The internal medicine residents, compared with the general population, were more likely to be attentive, to have deeper intellectual curiosity, to have higher aspiration levels, to have more vivid imaginations, to be more receptive to their emotions, to be interested in mental stimulation, and to think carefully before acting. The residents, compared with role models in medicine, were less eager to face challenges, less able to control their impulses, less able to cope with adversity, less easygoing, and less relaxed, but were more likely to crave excitement. CONCLUSION Internal medicine residents and positive role models in medicine have some distinct personal qualities. Understanding the qualities of successful physicians can be helpful in career counseling of medical students and young physicians.
Gender and alcohol consumption: patterns from the multinational GENACIS project.

AIMS To evaluate multinational patterns of gender- and age-specific alcohol consumption. DESIGN AND PARTICIPANTS Large general-population surveys of men's and women's drinking behavior (n's > 900) in 35 countries in 1997-2007 used a standardized questionnaire (25 countries) or measures comparable to those in the standardized questionnaire. MEASUREMENTS Data from men and women in three age groups (18-34, 35-49, 50-65) showed the prevalence of drinkers, former drinkers, and lifetime abstainers; and the prevalence of high-frequency, high-volume, and heavy episodic drinking among current drinkers. Analyses examined gender ratios for prevalence rates and the direction of changes in prevalence rates across age groups. FINDINGS Drinking per se and high-volume drinking were consistently more prevalent among men than among women, but lifetime abstention from alcohol was consistently more prevalent among women. Among respondents who had ever been drinkers, women in all age groups were consistently more likely to have stopped drinking than men were. Among drinkers, the prevalence of high-frequency drinking was consistently greatest in the oldest age group, particularly among men. Unexpectedly, the prevalence of drinking per se did not decline consistently with increasing age, and declines in high-volume and heavy episodic drinking with increasing age were more typical in Europe and English-speaking countries. CONCLUSIONS As expected, men still exceed women in drinking and high-volume drinking, although gender ratios vary. Better explanations are needed for why more women than men quit drinking, and why aging does not consistently reduce drinking and heavy drinking outside Europe and English-speaking countries.
Vitamin D Receptor Gene Polymorphisms Have Negligible Effect on Human Height

Abstract Human height is a highly heritable trait, with genetic factors explaining up to 90% of phenotypic variation. Vitamin D levels are known to influence several physiological processes, including skeletal growth. The vitamin D receptor (VDR) gene has been reported as contributing to variation in height. A meta-analysis of 13607 adult individuals found a small but significant association with the rs1544410 (BsmI) polymorphism. In contrast, the meta-analysis found no effect in a sample of 550 children. Two recent studies reported variants with large effect on height elsewhere in VDR (rs10735810 [FokI] and rs7139166 [-1521] polymorphisms). We genotyped large Caucasian samples from Australia (N = 3906) and the Netherlands (N = 1689) for polymorphisms in VDR. The Australian samples were twin families with height measures from 3 time points throughout adolescence. The Dutch samples were adult twins. We use the available family data to perform both within and between family tests of association. We found no significant associations for any of the genotyped variants after multiple testing correction. The (non-significant) effect of rs1544410 in the Australian adolescent cohort was in the same direction and of similar magnitude (additive effect 0.3cm) to the effect observed in the published adult meta-analysis. An effect of this size explains ~0.1% of the phenotypic variance in height — this implies that many, probably hundreds, of such variants are responsible for the observed genetic variation. Our results did not support any role for two other regions (rs10735810, rs7139166) of VDR in explaining variation in height.
3D-STAF: scalable temperature and leakage aware floorplanning for three-dimensional integrated circuits

Thermal issues are a primary concern in the three-dimensional (3D) integrated circuit (IC) design. Temperature, area, and wire length must be simultaneously optimized during 3D floorplanning, significantly increasing optimization complexity. Most existing floorplanners use combinatorial stochastic optimization techniques, hampering performance and scalability when used for 3D floorplanning. In this work, we propose and evaluate a scalable, temperature-aware, force-directed fioorplanner called 3D-STAF. Force-directed techniques, although efficient at reacting to physical information such as temperature gradients, must eventually eliminate overlap. This can cause significant displacement when used for heterogeneous blocks. To smooth the transition from an unconstrained 3D placement to a legalized, layer-assigned floorplan, we propose a three-stage force-directed optimization flow combined with new legalization techniques that eliminate white spaces and block overlapping during multi-layer floorplanning. A temperature-dependent leakage model is used within 3D-STAF to permit optimization based on the feedback loop connecting thermal profile and leakage power consumption. 3D-STAF has good performance that scales well for large problem instances. Compared to recently published 3D floorplanning work, 3D-STAF improves the area by 6%, wire length by 16%, via count by 22%, peak temperature by 6% while running nearly 4times faster on average.
WalkType: using accelerometer data to accomodate situational impairments in mobile touch screen text entry

The lack of tactile feedback on touch screens makes typing difficult, a challenge exacerbated when situational impairments like walking vibration and divided attention arise in mobile settings. We introduce WalkType, an adaptive text entry system that leverages the mobile device's built-in tri-axis accelerometer to compensate for extraneous movement while walking. WalkType's classification model uses the displacement and acceleration of the device, and inference about the user's footsteps. Additionally, WalkType models finger-touch location and finger distance traveled on the screen, features that increase overall accuracy regardless of movement. The final model was built on typing data collected from 16 participants. In a study comparing WalkType to a control condition, WalkType reduced uncorrected errors by 45.2% and increased typing speed by 12.9% for walking participants.
The hidden figure: sexual intimate partner violence among Pakistani women.

BACKGROUND The objectives of the present study were to determine the magnitude and factors associated with sexual intimate partner violence (SIPV) in women presenting to tertiary-care hospitals of Karachi, Pakistan. METHODS Five hundred women who presented to four tertiary-care hospitals to deliver were interviewed from September to December 2005. SIPV was assessed by using questions on sexual abuse in WHO Domestic Violence Module designed to determine intimate partner violence. Multiple logistic regression analysis was applied to determine factors associated with SIPV. RESULTS Twenty-one percent of women reported experiencing sexual violence in their married life. Gravida with five or more pregnancies [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 2.78; 95% confidence interval (CI) 1.12-6.96], index pregnancy as unwanted (AOR = 2.64; CI 1.16-6.02) and conflict with in-laws (AOR 1.9 CI 1.14-3.16) were independently associated with sexual abuse. Women who had social support were less likely to be abused by their intimate partners (AOR 0.76; CI 0.58-0.98). CONCLUSION One in five women reported spousal sexual abuse in their married life. Women having more than five children, unwanted pregnancies or reporting differences with in-laws are more likely to be subjected to such abuse. Social support protects women from sexual abuse by intimate partner.
A Simple Scalable Neural Networks based Model for Geolocation Prediction in Twitter

This paper describes a model that we submitted to W-NUT 2016 Shared task #1: Geolocation Prediction in Twitter. Our model classifies a tweet or a user to a city using a simple neural networks structure with fully-connected layers and average pooling processes. From the findings of previous geolocation prediction approaches, we integrated various user metadata along with message texts and trained the model with them. In the test run of the task, the model achieved the accuracy of 40.91% and the median distance error of 69.50 km in message-level prediction and the accuracy of 47.55% and the median distance error of 16.13 km in user-level prediction. These results are moderate performances in terms of accuracy and best performances in terms of distance. The results show a promising extension of neural networks based models for geolocation prediction where recent advances in neural networks can be added to enhance our current simple model.
Simulation-based learning to teach blood pressure assessment to doctor of pharmacy students.

OBJECTIVE To assess the effect of simulation-based learning on doctor of pharmacy (PharmD) students' ability to perform accurate blood pressure assessments and to measure student satisfaction with this novel teaching method. METHODS Didactic lectures on blood pressure assessment were combined with practical sessions using a high-fidelity computerized patient simulator. Before and after the simulation sessions, students completed a written objective examination to assess knowledge and completed a survey instrument to determine their attitudes regarding the learning experience. Individual clinical skills were assessed using the patient simulator. RESULTS Ninety-five students completed the study. Significant improvement was seen in students' knowledge and their ability to accurately determine blood pressure following simulation sessions. Survey responses indicated that students felt confident that simulation-based learning would improve their ability to perform accurate blood pressure assessments. CONCLUSION Pharmacy students showed significant improvement in clinical skills performance and in their knowledge of the pharmacotherapy of hypertension. Students expressed high levels of satisfaction with this type of learning experience.