Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
H 2 Model Reduction for Large-scale Linear Dynamical Systems *

The optimal H 2 model reduction problem is of great importance in the area of dy-namical systems and simulation. In the literature, two independent frameworks have evolved focusing either on solution of Lyapunov equations on the one hand or interpolation of transfer functions on the other, without any apparent connection between the two approaches. In this paper, we develop a new unifying framework for the optimal H 2 approximation problem using best approximation properties in the underlying Hilbert space. This new framework leads to a new set of local optimality conditions taking the form of a structured orthogonality condition. We show that the existing Lyapunov-and interpolation-based conditions are each equivalent to our conditions and so are equivalent to each other. Also, we provide a new elementary proof of the interpolation-based condition that clarifies the importance of the mirror images of the reduced system poles. Based on the interpolation framework, we describe an iteratively corrected rational Krylov algorithm for H 2 model reduction. The formulation is based on finding a reduced order model that satisfies interpolation-based first-order necessary conditions for H 2 optimality and results in a method that is numerically effective and suited for large-scale problems. We illustrate the performance of the method with a variety of numerical experiments and comparisons with existing methods. 1. Introduction. Given a dynamical system described by a set of first-order differential equations, the model reduction problem seeks to replace this original set of equations with a (much) smaller set of such equations so that the behavior of both systems is similar in an appropriately defined sense. Such situations arise frequently when physical systems need to be simulated or controlled; the greater the level of detail that is required, the greater the number of resulting equations. In large-scale settings, computations become infeasible due to limitations on computational resources as well as growing inaccuracy due to numerical ill-conditioning. In all these cases the number of equations involved may range from a few hundred to a few million. Examples of large-scale systems abound, ranging from the design of VLSI (very large scale integration) chips to the simulation and control of MEMS (microelectromechanical system) devices. For an overview of model reduction for large-scale dynamical systems we refer to the book [2]. See also [23] for a recent collection of large-scale benchmark problems. In this paper, we consider single input/single output (SISO) linear dynamical systems represented as
Structured subchannel impulse response estimation for Filter Bank based Multicarrier systems

In a Filter Bank based Multicarrier (FBMC) system employed in a highly frequency selective propagation channel each subchannel experiences a multi-tap impulse response (IR). In this contribution we present an efficient method of estimating the IR of the propagation channel experienced by each subchannel, the so-called structured channel estimation. The structured subchannel IR estimation allows us to isolate the propagation channel from the transmit and receive filters. As a consequence the number of parameters to be estimated is reduced as well as the length of the training sequence.
Sensor-Less Five-Level Packed U-Cell (PUC5) Inverter Operating in Stand-Alone and Grid-Connected Modes

In this paper, a new mode of operation has been introduced for packed U-cell (PUC) inverter. A sensor-less voltage control based on redundant switching states is designed for the five-level packed U-cell (PUC5) inverter, which is integrated into switching process. The sensor-less voltage control is in charge of fixing the dc capacitor voltage at half of the dc source value results in generating symmetric five-level voltage waveform at the output with low harmonic distortion. The sensor-less voltage regulator reduces the complexity of the control system, which makes the proposed converter appealing for industrial applications. An external current controller has been applied for grid-connected application of the introduced sensor-less PUC5 to inject active and reactive power from inverter to the grid with arbitrary power factor, while the PUC auxiliary dc bus is regulated only by sensor-less controller combined with new switching pattern. Experimental results obtained in stand-alone and grid-connected operating modes of proposed PUC5 inverter prove the fast response and good dynamic performance of the designed sensor-less voltage control in balancing the dc capacitor voltage at desired level.
Understanding persuasive software functionality in practice: a field trial of polar FT60

Many software applications today aim at changing the behaviors and/or attitudes of their users. Some of these persuasive systems are targeted to support healthier lifestyles through motivating exercise. Incorporating persuasive strategies into software functionality may help achieve desired changes. However, as needs for behavior change become more specialized, in-depth knowledge of how the various strategies function is needed. This article describes findings from a three-month-long qualitative field trial, exploring how a training program in a new prototype heart rate monitor promotes proper exercising. A framework for evaluating and designing persuasive systems was used to identify distinct strategies and techniques that were embedded into the system. Users' responses to these strategies were explored. The study contributes to the body of knowledge on persuasive design by: 1) demonstrating how persuasive techniques can be identified in and embedded into system functionality, and 2) adding to the understanding of how persuasive techniques function.
Non‐bioengineered silk gland fibroin protein: Characterization and evaluation of matrices for potential tissue engineering applications

The possibility of using wild non‐mulberry silk protein as a biopolymer remains unexplored compared to domesticated mulberry silk protein. One of the main reasons for this was for not having any suitable method of extraction of silk protein fibroin from cocoons and silk glands. In this study non‐bioengineered non‐mulberry silk gland fibroin protein from tropical tasar silkworm Antheraea mylitta, is regenerated and characterized using 1% (w/v) sodium dodecyl sulfate (SDS). The new technique is important and unique because it uses a mild surfactant for fibroin dissolution and is advantageous over other previous reported techniques using chaotropic salts. Fabricated fibroin films are smooth as confirmed by atomic force microscopy. Circular dichroism spectrometry along with Fourier transformed infrared spectroscopy and X‐ray diffraction reveal random coil/α‐helix conformations in regenerated fibroin which transform to β‐sheets, resulting in crystalline structure and protein insolubility through ethanol treatment. Differential scanning calorimetry shows an increase in glass transition (Tg) temperature and enhanced degradation temperature on alcohol treatment. Enhanced cell attachment and viability of AH927 feline fibroblasts were observed on fibroin matrices. Higher mechanical strength along with controllable water stability of regenerated gland fibroin films make non‐mulberry Indian tropical tasar silk gland fibroin protein a promising biomaterial for tissue engineering applications. Biotechnol. Bioeng. 2008;100: 1237–1250. © 2008 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Favorable effect of aerobic exercise on arterial pressure and aortic pulse wave velocity during stress testing.

BACKGROUND Increased central pulse wave velocity is a major risk factor for cardiovascular disease. The favorable influence of exercise on arterial stiffness (AS) and blood pressure (BP) has been reported exclusively at rest. The present study investigated the influence of a single bout of acute cycling on AS and BP during recovery and, moreover, during cold pressor stress testing. PROBANDS AND METHODS 32 healthy men (33.7 ± 8 years, BMI 24 ± 2.5 kg/m²) performed a 60 minute endurance exercise on a bicycle ergometer (45 % VO2max). Before and after exercise aortic pulse wave velocity (aPWV) as well as central and peripheral BP were measured non-invasively at rest and at the end of a 2 minute cold pressor test (CPT). RESULTS Even after 60 minutes of recovery aPWV (- 0.22 ± 0.3 m / sec) was significantly reduced (p < 0.01). Exercise decreased peripheral (- 8 ± 7 mmHg) and central (- 7 ± 8 mmHg) systolic BP as well as peripheral (- 3 ± 5 mmHg) and central (- 4 ± 7 mmHg) diastolic BP (p < 0.01). In comparison to measurements during CPT pre-exercise, there was a significant reduction in aPWV (- 0.19 ± 0.3 m / sec), peripheral (- 6 ± 10 mmHg) and central (- 5 ± 8 mmHg) systolic BP as well as peripheral (- 3 ± 6 mmHg) and central (- 3 ± 6 mmHg) diastolic BP during CPT after exercise (p < 0.01). CONCLUSIONS The present study suggests that acute endurance exercise leads not only to decreased BP but even more reduces aPWV as a measure of AS even after 60 minutes of recovery. In particular, the investigation provides evidence that acute moderate-intensity exercise has a favorable effect on BP and aPWV during stress testing.
Influence of zeranol implants on growth, behavior and carcass traits in Angus and Limousin bulls and steers.

A 2(3) factorial arrangement of treatments was utilized to determine effects of postweaning zeranol implantation, breed (Angus vs Limousin) and castration (bull vs steer) on growth, behavior and carcass traits. An initial slaughter group was used to account for breed differences in composition and to determine fat and lean growth in the 9-10-11th rib section (NTE). The remaining cattle were fed a finishing diet to a fat end point of . 76 cm, as determined by a backfat probe. Control bulls outgained (P less than .01) control steers both to the first kill date and over the entire test and did not require significantly more time to reach the fat end point. The implant did not influence gain in bulls but did increase gain in steers. Angus and Limousins were similar in growth rate for the first 126 d before the first slaughter date. Limousins required more (P less than .01) time to reach the fat end point. Bulls and Limousins produced heavier (P less than .01) carcasses and larger rib eyes (P less than .05; bulls; P less than .01; Limousins). Steers and Angus had higher (P less than .01) marbling scores and lower bone maturity. Implanting decreased (P less than .05) marbling and increased carcass maturity. Small but significant shifts in carcass wholesale cut weight distribution were found between breed and sex condition groups. Bulls and Limousins had greater lean growth in the NTE. Bulls and steers were similar in fat growth, but Angus exceeded Limousin in this trait. Zeranol reduced scrotal circumference (P less than .01) and testicle weight at slaughter (P less than .05). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Gavialis from the Pleistocene of Thailand and Its Relevance for Drainage Connections from India to Java

Background The genus Gavialis comprises a single living but endangered species, G. gangeticus, as well as fossil species recorded in the Miocene to Pleistocene deposits of the Indian subcontinent. The genus is also represented in the Pleistocene deposits of Java by the species G. bengawanicus, which was recently recognized to be valid. Surprisingly, no detailed report of the genus exists between these two provinces and the recent evolutionary history of Gavialis is not understood. Methodology/Principal Findings We report new material consisting of skull and mandibular remains of Gavialis from the Early Pleistocene of Khok Sung, Nakhon Ratchasima Province, northeastern Thailand. The Gavialis material described herein is attributed to Gavialis cf. bengawanicus and sheds new light on the occurrence of the genus in mainland SE Asia. Conclusions/Significance Comparison of this new material with other species referred to the genus Gavialis led us to preliminary restrict the content of the genus to three species, namely G. gangeticus Gmelin, G. bengawanicus Dubois and G. lewisi Lull. The occurrence of G. cf. bengawanicus in Thailand allows us to propose a scenario for the dispersal of Gavialis from Indo-Pakistan to Indonesia, thus bridging a geographical gap between these two provinces. Dispersal by sea appears a less likely possibility than dispersal through fluvial drainages.
A new approach to architecture of sensor networks for mission-oriented applications

In this paper, a novel mission-oriented sensor network architecture for military applications is proposed involving multiple sensing missions with varying quality of information (QoI) requirements. A new concept of mission QoI satisfaction index indicating the degree of satisfaction for any mission in the network is introduced. Furthermore, the 5WH (why, when, where, what, who, how) principle on the operational context of information is extended to capture the changes of QoI satisfaction indexes for mission admission and completion. These allow modeling the whole network as a "black box". With system inputs including the QoI requirements of the existing and newly arriving missions and output the QoI satisfaction index, the new concept of sensor network capacity is introduced and mathematically described. The QoI-centric sensor network capacity is a key element of the proposed architecture and aids controlling of admission of newly arriving missions in accordance with the QoI needs of all (existing and newly admitted missions). Finally, the proposed architecture and its key design parameters are illustrated through an example of a sensor network deployed for detecting the presence of a hazardous, chemical material.
Design of an RF Transmit/Receive Switch Using LDMOSFETs With High Power Capability and Low Insertion Loss

This paper presents, for the first time, the study of the application of a lateral diffused metal-oxide-semiconductor field-effect transistor (LDMOSFET) in a common-gate configuration to radio-frequency (RF) transmit/receive (T/R) switching circuits. A single-pole double-throw (SPDT) 900-MHz T/R switch is implemented using 0.25-LDMOSFET foundry technology. Measured results show that our switching circuit can achieve a low insertion loss of 0.82 dB and a high power handling capability of 27 dBm. This result is promising in integrating power management integrated circuits, RF power amplifiers, and switching circuits in a single chip, based on LDMOSFET technology, to realize an RF transmit front-end system-on-chip solution.
South Loup River Valley Floristics: A Survey of Selected Sites in Buffalo County, Nebraska

Originating in the Nebraska Sand Hills, the South Loup River flows 30 km north of Kearney, Nebraska and traverses the northern edge of Buffalo County as it flows eastward to its confluence with the Middle Loup River in southwestern Howard County. Several diverse plant communities are associated with the South Loup Valley, including wet-meadows, wetland/oxbows, sand prairie, and riparian forest. Over a period of 6 years (2006-2012), we surveyed representative wet meadow, wetland, and sand prairie communities. We compiled an annotated vascular plant checklist that included 324 vascular plant species of which 11 were new county records. Three species of scouring rushes (Equisetophyta) were also listed. Approximately 84.1% (276 species) were native and 15.9% (52) were exotics. The mean coefficient of conservatism (Cm) values for the wet meadow, sand prairie, and wetland sites were 3.51, 3.61, and 4.25 respectively. The floristic quality indices (FQI) were 52.42 for the wet meadow, 32.49 for the sand prairie, and 34.26 for the wetland/oxbow. Several noteworthy sedge species collected in this study were bristly sedge (Carex comosa), shoreline sedge (C. hyalinolepis), ripgut sedge (C. lacustris), and smoothcane sedge (C. laeviconica). Forbs at the west edge of their range included Sullivant’s milkweed (Asclepias sullivantii) and three-seeded mercury (Acalypha rhomboidea). A major objective of our study was to substantiate the significance of the South Loup River Valley to the species richness and flora of Nebraska and the Great Plains.
Epidemiology and management of infertility: a population-based study in UK primary care.

BACKGROUND Our current knowledge of the epidemiology of infertility is limited and outdated. Health care provision for infertility in the UK attracts public interest because of restrictions on access to services. OBJECTIVE To describe the incidence, prevalence, referral patterns and outcomes of infertile couples, presenting in general practice in UK. METHODS A population-based retrospective observational outcome study of infertile couples from general practices in Northumberland, Tyne and Wear, UK (population 1 043 513). Outcome data at 1 year were collected on all couples who presented to their GP between the 1st January 2005 and 30th June 2006 with a fertility problem. RESULTS Thirty-four per cent of general practices in the study area contributed data (population 404 263). The incidence of infertility was 0.9 couples per 1000 general population. The average age of women was 31 years, and the average time attempting conception was 18 months. Treatment end points for half of all couples were in vitro fertilization (IVF) or intracytoplasmic sperm injection (ICSI). Over half of the couples in the study were not eligible for National Health Service (NHS) fertility treatment on social criteria. At 12 months, 27% of all couples in the study achieved a pregnancy spontaneously and a further 9% with treatment. CONCLUSIONS Infertile women present to their GP later in life compared with 20 years ago, and after a shorter period of infertility. Half of the couples required treatment with IVF or ICSI. Adopting the British Fertility Society recommendation of allowing couples, where one or both partners has a child in a previous relationship, will result in an additional 26% of infertile couples becoming eligible for NHS fertility treatment.
Spatial preferential attachment networks: Power laws and clustering coefficients

We define a class of growing networks in which new nodes are given a spatial position and are connected to existing nodes with a probability mechanism favoring short distances and high degrees. The competition of preferential attachment and spatial clustering gives this model a range of interesting properties. Empirical degree distributions converge to a limit law, which can be a power law with any exponent $\tau>2$. The average clustering coefficient of the networks converges to a positive limit. Finally, a phase transition occurs in the global clustering coefficients and empirical distribution of edge lengths when the power-law exponent crosses the critical value $\tau=3$. Our main tool in the proof of these results is a general weak law of large numbers in the spirit of Penrose and Yukich.
Analysis of extreme drinking in patients with alcohol dependence using Pareto regression

We developed a novel Pareto regression model with an unknown shape parameter to analyze extreme drinking in patients with Alcohol Dependence (AD). We used the generalized linear model (GLM) framework and the log‐link to include the covariate information through the scale parameter of the generalized Pareto distribution. We proposed a Bayesian method based on Ridge prior and Zellner's g‐prior for the regression coefficients. Simulation study indicated that the proposed Bayesian method performs better than the existing likelihood‐based inference for the Pareto regression.
The coasts of our world : Ecological , economic and social importance

M.L. Martínez⁎, A. Intralawan, G. Vázquez, O. Pérez-Maqueo, P. Sutton, R. Landgrave Gund Institute of Ecological Economics, University of Vermont, 590 Main Street, Burlington, VT 05405–1708, USA Departamento de Ecología Funcional, Instituto de Ecología A.C. , km 2.5 antigua carretera a Coatepec no. 351, Congregación El Haya, Xalapa, Ver. 91070, México Departamento de Ecología Aplicada, Instituto de Ecología A.C. , km 2.5 antigua carretera a Coatepec no. 351, Congregación El Haya, Xalapa, Ver. 91070, México Department of Geography, University of Denver, Denver, CO, 80208, USA
Natural scene statistics as the universal basis of color context effects

The color context effects referred to as color contrast, constancy, and assimilation underscore the fact that color percepts do not correspond to the spectral characteristics of the generative stimuli. Despite a variety of proposed theories, these phenomena have resisted explanation in a single principled framework. Using a hyperspectral image database of natural scenes, we here show that color contrast, constancy, and assimilation are all predicted by the statistical organization of spectral returns from natural visual environments.
Relationship between ventral stream for object vision and dorsal stream for spatial vision: An fMRI+ERP study

Recent imaging studies indicated the existence of two visual pathways in humans: a ventral stream for object and form vision and a dorsal stream for spatial and motion vision. The present study was motivated by a stimulating question: Supposing shape and motion are processed separately in the two pathways, how do the respective cortical areas respond to the stimuli of “forms defined by motion”? fMRI and ERP recordings were combined in order to measure the spatiotemporal activation pattern in the two pathways responding to forms defined by motion, which were produced solely by coherent movement of random dots against a background of dynamic or static random dots. The fMRI data indicated that the stimuli of forms defined by motion indeed activated both dorsal MT/V5 and ventral GTi/GF. Furthermore, the RV curves resulting from fMRI‐seeded dipole modeling indicated that each pair of dipoles located at MT/V5 or GTi/GF reached the same best‐fit point; a single pair of free dipoles located near the fMRI foci of MT/V5 and GTi/GF could be identified at the corresponding best‐fit point; and the source waveforms resulting from fixed dipole modeling also showed simultaneous activation of MT/V5 and GTi/GF dipoles in the time interval around the best‐fit point. The present results, therefore, suggest that MT/V5 and GTi/GF appear to be activated in parallel and simultaneously responding to forms defined by motion. Such findings raise interesting issues about the hierarchical organization and the functional specialization in the two pathways. Hum. Brain Mapping 8:170–181, 1999. © 1999 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Attempts: In the Philosophy of Action and the Criminal Law

PART 1: WHAT ARE ATTEMPTS AND WHY DO WE CRIMINALIZE THEM? PART 2: THE ELEMENTAL CONCEPTION OF THE INTENTION IN ATTEMPT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS PART 3: THE EVIDENTIAL CONCEPTION OF THE ACT ELEMENT AND ITS IMPLICATIONS PART 4: SENTENCING ATTEMPTS
Pharmacogenomics of antipsychotics efficacy for schizophrenia

Central nervous system disorders are the third greatest health problem in developed countries, and schizophrenia represents some of the most disabling ailments in young individuals. There is an abuse and/or misuse of antipsychotics, and recent advances in pharmacogenomics pose new challenges for the clinical management of this complex disorder. Schizophrenia is a multi‐factorial/polygenic complex disorder in which hundreds of different genes are potentially involved, leading to the phenotypic expression of the disease in conjunction with epigenetic and environmental phenomena. Consequently, structural and functional genomic changes induce proteomic and metabolomic defects associated with the disease phenotype.