Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Pareto Design of State Feedback Tracking Control of a Biped Robot via Multiobjective PSO in Comparison with Sigma Method and Genetic Algorithms: Modified NSGAII and MATLAB's Toolbox

An optimal robust state feedback tracking controller is introduced to control a biped robot. In the literature, the parameters of the controller are usually determined by a tedious trial and error process. To eliminate this process and design the parameters of the proposed controller, the multiobjective evolutionary algorithms, that is, the proposed method, modified NSGAII, Sigma method, and MATLAB's Toolbox MOGA, are employed in this study. Among the used evolutionary optimization algorithms to design the controller for biped robots, the proposed method operates better in the aspect of designing the controller since it provides ample opportunities for designers to choose the most appropriate point based upon the design criteria. Three points are chosen from the nondominated solutions of the obtained Pareto front based on two conflicting objective functions, that is, the normalized summation of angle errors and normalized summation of control effort. Obtained results elucidate the efficiency of the proposed controller in order to control a biped robot.
Deoxyribonucleic Acid ( DNA ) and Antibodies to DNA in the Serum of Patients with Systemic Lupus Erythematosus *

Although antibodies to deoxyribonucleic acid (DNA) and to many other cell constituents have been described in patients with systemic lupus erythematosus (SLE), the relationship of these antibodies to tissue injury in the disease has remained obscure (2-6). Some studies have suggested an association of DNA antibodies with the acute stages of the disease (7, 8). One of the pathogenic mechanisms that might be involved has been suggested by studies in experimental animals which showed that antigen-antibody complexes produce renal disease and vasculitis (9-12). Evidence for the in vivo reaction of circulating antibodies with autologous tissues has been provided by the recent observation that in the skin lesions of patients with SLE there is widespread binding of serum antibodies to cell nuclei and nuclear material (13). It has been suggested that in addition to the immunological reactions observed in the skin lesions by the fluorescent anti-body technique, certain soluble tissue antigens may be released into the circulation during tissue injury and combine with specific antibody to form immunological complexes resulting in damage to other organs as well. Recent studies showed that DNA is one of a number of soluble antigenic tis-A preliminary report of these studies has appeared in abstract form (1).
Performance of a new magnetorheological elastomer isolation system

This paper presents the performance of a new magnetorheological elastomer-based semi-active/passive variable stiffness and damping isolator (VSDI) in a scaled building system. The force of the VSDI can be controlled in real time by varying the applied magnetic field. To demonstrate the performance of the VSDI, four prototypes are built and utilized in a scaled three-story building. A Lyapunov-based control strategy is employed and it is demonstrated that it works well for the scaled building system under the scaled El Centro earthquake motion. Experimental results show that the VSDIs significantly reduce the acceleration and relative displacement of the building floors.
Effects of marital transitions on changes in dietary and other health behaviours in US male health professionals

Study objective: To examine the effect of change in marital status on health behaviours among men. Design: Longitudinal study of repeated measures of marital status and health behaviours collected at four year intervals (1986–90; 1990–94). Setting: US male health professionals. Participants: 38 865 men aged 40–75 in 1986. Main results: Relative to men who stayed married over four years, men who became widowed increased their alcohol consumption. Men who become divorced or widowed experienced decreases in body mass index. Compared with men who remained unmarried, men who remarried exhibited increases in body mass index along with decreased physical activity. Becoming divorced or widowed was associated with decreased vegetable intake while remarriage was linked to greater consumption. Conclusions: Marital termination may adversely affect health and dietary behaviours among men.
A Generalized Backward Equation For One Dimensional Processes

Suppose that a real valued process X is given as a solution to a stochastic differential equation. Then, for any twice continuously differentiable function f, the backward Kolmogorov equation gives a condition for f(t,X) to be a local martingale. We generalize the backward equation in two main ways. First, it is extended to non-differentiable functions. Second, the process X is not required to satisfy an SDE. Instead, it is only required to be a quasimartingale satisfying an integrability condition, and the martingale condition for f(t,X) is then expressed in terms of the marginal distributions, drift measure and jumps of X. The proof involves the stochastic calculus of Dirichlet processes and a time-reversal argument. These results are then applied to show that a continuous and strong Markov martingale is uniquely determined by its marginal distributions.
A comment on “Portfolio rebalancing in South Africa”

In this comment we add to the discussion on rebalancing portfolios by Sher and Barr (2011). In particular we highlight how a recent rebalancing proposal by Chan and Ramkumar (2011) is found to significantly improve rebalancing performance. An important feature of both studies is that they recognise the significant impact of rebalancing in stressed market conditions and consequently build this into their study designs. In this comment we adapt the tabled results of the first study and portray them in a graphical framework to be comparable with the results of the second study. A concerning feature of Sher and Barr's (2011) results is that the fixed-band strategies they propose still do not seem to adequately control the risks and costs of rebalancing arising in stressed market conditions. We consequently highlight how the Chan and Ramkumar's (2011) rebalancing proposal is especially beneficial in stressed market conditions and is likely to improve on the results of the rebalancing proposal of Sher and Barr (2011). Chan and Ramkumar's (2011) rebalancing proposal is based on a joint cost and tracking error minimisation optimisation. When we take heed of the fact that the South African environment is characterised by higher volatility than developed markets, and more so during stressed periods, this tracking error rebalancing proposal is likely to be practically appealing.
The effects of the DNA methyltranfserases inhibitor 5‐Azacitidine on ageing, oxidative stress and DNA methylation of adipose derived stem cells

Human adipose tissue is a great source of adult mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) which are recognized from their ability to self‐renew and differentiation into multiple lineages. MSCs have promised a vast therapeutic potential in treatment many diseases including tissue injury and immune disorders. However, their regenerative potential profoundly depends on patients’ age. Age‐related deterioration of MSC is associated with cellular senescence mainly caused by increased DNA methylation status, accumulation of oxidative stress factors and mitochondria dysfunction. We found that DNA methyltransferase (DNMT) inhibitor i.e. 5‐Azacytidine (5‐AZA) reversed the aged phenotype of MSCs. Proliferation rate of cells cultured with 5‐AZA was increased while the accumulation of oxidative stress factors and DNA methylation status were decreased. Simultaneously the mRNA levels of TET proteins involved in demethylation process were elevated in those cells. Moreover, cells treated with 5‐AZA displayed reduced reactive oxygen species (ROS) accumulation, ameliorated superoxide dismutase activity and increased BCL‐2/BAX ratio in comparison to control group. Our results indicates that, treating MSCs with 5‐AZA can be justified therapeutic intervention, that can slow‐down and even reverse aged‐ related degenerative changes in those cells.
Product Market Competition and Shareholder Rights: International Evidence

This paper examines the interaction between product market competition and international differences in shareholder rights in relation to firm performance and corporate policies. In contrast to existing literature, we provide evidence of complementarities between product market competition and country shareholder rights protections. The benefits of shareholder rights protections for firm performance are conditional on the presence of a competitive industry environment. We find that stronger shareholder rights protections are associated with better firm performance in competitive industries. However, this relation is not significant in concentrated industries. Consistent results are obtained from the analysis of key corporate policies.
Progressive coding of error-diffused bilevel images

We propose a new method to compress error-diffused bilevel images with resolution scalability. This method is a combina- tion of inverse halftoning and rehalftoning. For the inverse halfton- ing, we combine 232 dots into a single pixel of a resolution-reduced image, where each pixel has a multilevel value of 0, 1, 2, 3, and 4. After the inverse halftoning, the resolution-reduced multilevel image is halftoned by using an error diffusion algorithm. Thus, the resolu- tion of the error-diffused bilevel images can be reduced by repetition of the inverse halftoning and rehalftoning processes. After reducing the image size, we encode an error-diffused bilevel image progres- sively from the lowest resolution image to the highest resolution image. To encode higher resolution images, we use the information in the previously coded lower resolution image. Though the com- pression ratios of the proposed algorithm are similar to those of progressive Joint Bilevel Image Processing Group (JBIG), the image quality of the resolution-reduced image from the proposed algorithm is much better than that from the progressive JBIG. © 2003 SPIE
SPITZER QUASAR AND ULIRG EVOLUTION STUDY (QUEST). IV. COMPARISON OF 1 Jy ULTRALUMINOUS INFRARED GALAXIES WITH PALOMAR-GREEN QUASARS

We report the results from a comprehensive study of 74 ultraluminous infrared galaxies (ULIRGs) and 34 Palomar-Green (PG) quasars within z ∼ 0.3 observed with the Spitzer Infrared Spectrograph (IRS). The contribution of nuclear activity to the bolometric luminosity in these systems is quantified using six independent methods that span a range in wavelength and give consistent results within ∼±10%–15% on average. This agreement suggests that deeply buried active galactic nuclei (AGNs) invisible to Spitzer IRS but bright in the far-infrared are not common in this sample. The average derived AGN contribution in ULIRGs is ∼35%–40%, ranging from ∼15%–35% among “cool” (f25/f60 ⩽ 0.2) optically classified H ii-like and LINER ULIRGs to ∼50 and ∼75% among warm Seyfert 2 and Seyfert 1 ULIRGs, respectively. This number exceeds ∼80% in PG QSOs. ULIRGs fall in one of three distinct AGN classes: (1) objects with small extinctions and large polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon (PAH) equivalent widths are highly starburst-dominated; (2) systems with large extinctions and modest PAH equivalent widths have larger AGN contributions, but still tend to be starburst-dominated; and (3) ULIRGs with both small extinctions and small PAH equivalent widths host AGN that are at least as powerful as the starbursts. The AGN contributions in class 2 ULIRGs are more uncertain than in the other objects, and we cannot formally rule out the possibility that these objects represent a physically distinct type of ULIRGs. A morphological trend is seen along the sequence (1)–(2)–(3), in general agreement with the standard ULIRG−QSO evolution scenario and suggestive of a broad peak in extinction during the intermediate stages of merger evolution. However, the scatter in this sequence, including the presence of a significant number of AGN-dominated systems prior to coalescence and starburst-dominated but fully merged systems, implies that black hole accretion, in addition to depending on the merger phase, also has a strong chaotic/random component, as in local AGNs.
Genetic diversity of Clethrionomys glareolus populations from highly contaminated sites in the Chornobyl region, Ukraine

At radioactive sites, at least two mechanisms may affect the genetic diversity of populations of a given species. Increased mutation rates due to radiation exposure may increase the amount of genetic diversity in a population. Alternatively, population bottlenecks exacerbated by environmental degradation may lead to a reduction of diversity. The relationship between these two contradictory forces is complex. To explore this relationship, long‐term monitoring of a genetic marker within a population is needed. To provide baseline data on the population genetics of the bank vole (Clethrionomys glareolus) living in the most contaminated regions at Chornobyl, Ukraine, we have sequenced 291 base pairs of the mitochondrial DNA control region. Bank voles were chosen as a model system because they have the highest levels of internal dose of cesium‐134, cesium‐137, and strontium‐90 within the Chornobyl exclusion zone. We sampled three geographic sites, which were Oranoe, a reference site with virtually no radioactive contamination (<2 Ci/km2), and two highly contaminated sites, Glyboke Lake and the Red Forest (both 1,000 Ci/km2). Genetic diversity in the population from Red Forest (0.722 ± 0.024) was significantly greater than at the Oranoe reference site (0.615 ± 0.039), while genetic diversity at Glyboke Lake (0.677 ± 0.068) was intermediate. It is concluded that long‐term studies of historical and demographic characteristics for experimental and reference populations are required in order to employ population genetics to understand the biological impact of environmental contaminants on the genetics of natural populations.
Skeletal muscle atrogene expression and insulin resistance in a rat model of polytrauma

Polytrauma is a combination of injuries to more than one body part or organ system. Polytrauma is common in warfare, and in automobile and industrial accidents. The combination of injuries can include burn, fracture, hemorrhage, and trauma to the extremities or specific organ systems. Resistance to anabolic hormones, loss of muscle mass, and metabolic dysfunction can occur following injury. To investigate the effects of combined injuries, we have developed a highly reproducible rodent model of polytrauma. This model combines burn injury, soft tissue trauma, and penetrating injury to the gastrointestinal (GI) tract. Adult, male Sprague–Dawley rats were anesthetized with pentobarbital and subjected to a 15–20% total body surface area scald burn, or laparotomy and a single puncture of the cecum with a G30 needle, or the combination of both injuries (polytrauma). In the current studies, the inflammatory response to polytrauma was examined in skeletal muscle. Changes in skeletal muscle mRNA levels of the proinflammatory cytokines TNF‐α, IL‐1β, and IL‐6 were observed following single injuries and polytrauma. Increased expression of the E3 ubiquitin ligases Atrogin‐1/FBX032 and TRIM63/MuRF‐1 were measured following injury, as was skeletal muscle insulin resistance, as evidenced by decreased insulin‐inducible insulin receptor (IR) and AKT/PKB (Protein Kinase B) phosphorylation. Changes in the abundance of IR and insulin receptor substrate‐1 (IRS‐1) were observed at the protein and mRNA levels. Additionally, increased TRIB3 mRNA levels were observed 24 h following polytrauma, the same time when insulin resistance was observed. This may suggest a role for TRIB3 in the development of acute insulin resistance following injury.
Marketing Schools, Marketing Cities: Who Wins and Who Loses When Schools Become Urban Amenities

Discuss real estate with any young family and the subject of schools is certain to come up - in fact, it will likely be a crucial factor in determining where that family lives. Not merely institutions of learning, schools have increasingly become a sign of a neighborhood's vitality, and city planners have ever more explicitly promoted "good schools" as a means of attracting more affluent families to urban areas, a dynamic process that Maia Bloomfield Cucchiara critically examines in Marketing Schools, Marketing Cities. Focusing on Philadelphia's Center City Schools Initiative, she shows how education policy makes overt attempts to prevent, or at least slow, middle-class flight to the suburbs. Navigating complex ethical terrain, she balances the successes of such policies in strengthening urban schools and communities against the inherent social injustices they propagate - the further marginalization and disempowerment of lower-class families. By asking what happens when affluent parents become "valued customers," "Marketing Schools, Marketing Cities" uncovers a problematic relationship between public institutions and private markets, where the former are used to leverage the latter to effect urban transformations.
Probing the Sources of Political Order

As noted by Hobbes, political order makes possible the good things of life. It constitutes the political foundations for development. Motivated by the theory of the state and qualitative materials from Africa, this paper develops a model of the foundations of political order, which it then tests on data from 46 African countries over the period 1970-1995.
Serotonin transporter polymorphisms in familial and idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension.

RATIONALE Serotonin is a pulmonary vasoconstrictor and smooth muscle cell mitogen. The serotonin transporter (SERT) is abundant in pulmonary vascular smooth muscle. Compared with the short (S) allele, the long (L) SERT promoter allele is associated with increased SERT transcription and more severe pulmonary hypertension in a cohort of patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease, and was more prevalent in a cohort with idiopathic pulmonary arterial hypertension (IPAH), compared with control subjects. OBJECTIVE We hypothesized that the SERT L allele would associate with an earlier age at diagnosis and/or shorter survival interval in pulmonary arterial hypertension (PAH) than the S allele. METHODS SERT promoters from 166 familial PAH (FPAH), 83 IPAH, and 125 control subjects were sequenced. One hundred twenty-seven of the patients with FPAH had a known mutation in bone morphogenetic protein receptor 2 (BMPR2). RESULTS The mean age at diagnosis was 35.8 yr in patients with FPAH and 41.1 yr in patients with IPAH (p = 0.02). There were no significant differences in distribution of the LL, LS, or SS genotypes in IPAH, FPAH, or unaffected BMPR2 mutation carriers. In FPAH, the LL genotype was associated with an earlier age at diagnosis (p < 0.02). CONCLUSIONS In patients with IPAH, these SERT genotypes do not correlate with age at diagnosis or survival interval. In patients with FPAH, the LL genotype correlates with an earlier age at diagnosis than SL or SS, although survival among the groups was similar. The correlation of the SERT promoter polymorphism with age at diagnosis in FPAH suggests a possible relationship between the SERT and BMPR2.
Viscous boundary-layer effects in nearly inviscid cylindrical flows

The dynamics of flow inside a cylinder at high Reynolds number are considered. A study of the viscous boundary layer near the walls is performed. In the case where there is no pressure gradient, a result is proven demonstrating that a regular perturbation expansion holds for the solution, even when a small discontinuity exists in the wall data. In addition, the characteristic decay rate of the flow in the viscous boundary layer is established. In the case where there is a pressure gradient, a result is proven demonstrating that an additional scale, related to the size of the disturbance and larger than the boundary-layer width, must be used in a multiple-scale expansion. Examination of the divergence of these multiple-scale expansions for finite disturbances leads to discussions of viscous flow and separation processes.
Use of reverberation chamber to simulate the power delay profile of a wireless environment

Multipath propagation environment effects, such as frequency-selective fading, have a strong impact on the quality of a wireless channel. For example, multipath can impact bit error rate (BER) differently from Gaussian noise. For testing wireless devices/systems in these multipath environments it is imperative to have a reliable, controllable, and statistically repeatable measurement facility. The purpose of this paper is to illustrate how the reverberation chamber can be used to simulate different multipath propagation environments. Channel characteristics such as power-delay profile, RMS-delay spread, and the Rician K-factor are examined. Results for different chamber configurations (e.g., loading of the chamber, antenna positions, etc.) are compared and their effects discussed. Results achieved inside a chamber are compared with those obtained in an actual industrial environment.
Fixed-point simulation utility for C and C++ based digital signal processing programs

The present utility software automatically converts a floating-point digital signal processing program written in C or C++ language to a fixed-point program. The conversion is conducted by defining a new fixed-point data class and utilizing the operator overloading characteristic of the C++ language. A generalized fixed-point format which consists of the wordlength, integer wordlength, sign, overflow, and quantization mode is employed for specifying a fixed-point variable or a fixed-point constant. Thus, it is possible to simulate the finite wordlength and the scaling effects of digital signal processing programs very easily. <<ETX>>
Making States Work: State Failure and the Crisis of Governance (Introduction & Conclusion)

This publication is the result of a joint interdisciplinary project of the International Peace Academy and the United Nations University. It focuses on situations when state structures begin to break down or collapse, encompassing a range of crises from states in which basic public services are neglected to the total collapse of governance. It looks at the roles and responsibilities of key actors in the situation in relation to their own populations and the international community, and considers the lessons that can be drawn from a range of countries to develop effective strategies to address such situations.