Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Experimental Evaluation of Output–Feedback Tracking Controllers for Robot Manipulators

While the position of a robot link can be measured accurately, measurement of velocity and acceleration tends to result in noisy signals. In extreme cases, these signals could be so noisy that their use in the controller would no longer be feasible (Daly & Schwartz, 2006). In order to overcome the problem of noisy velocity measurements and to guarantee that the error between the time–varying desired position and the actual position of the robot system goes asymptotically to zero for a set of initial conditions, a controller/observer scheme, based on position measurements, can be used. In this sort of schemes, the incorporated observer is used to estimate the velocity signal and sometimes the acceleration signal. Another approach consists in using the Lyapunov theory to design a controller/filter to guarantee the tracking of the desired trajectory, no matter if an estimate of the velocity and acceleration can be possible with the obtained design. In the perspective of control engineering, the approach of using only joint position measurements in either a controller/observer or a controller/filter to achieve tracking of a desired joint trajectory is denominated output–feedback tracking control of robot manipulators. Recently, attention has been paid to the practical evaluation of output–feedback tracking controllers. In the paper by Arteaga & Kelly (2004) a comparison of several output–feedback tracking controllers is made, showing that those schemes which incorporate either an observer or filter are better than those which incorporate a numerical differentiation to obtain an estimation of the joint velocity. The work by Daly & Schwartz (2006) reported the experimental results concerning three output–feedback tracking controllers. They showed the advantages and disadvantages of each control scheme that was tested. On the other hand, saturation functions have been used in output–feedback tracking control schemes to guarantee that the control action is within the admissible actuator capability. See the papers by Loria & Nijmeijer (1998), Dixon et al. (1998), Dixon et al. (1999) and, more recently, Santibanez & Kelly (2001). Although much effort was done to derive those controllers and very complex stability analyses were necessary, as far as we know, no experimental evalu35
Tracking speech-presence uncertainty to improve speech enhancement in non-stationary noise environments

Speech enhancement algorithms which are based on estimating the short-time spectral amplitude of the clean speech have better performance when a soft-decision gain modification, depending on the a priori probability of speech absence, is used. In reported works a fixed probability, q, is assumed. Since speech is non-stationary and may not be present in every frequency bin when voiced, we propose a method for estimating distinct values of q for different bins which are tracked in time. The estimation is based on a decision-theoretic approach for setting a threshold in each bin followed by short-time averaging. The estimated q's are used to control both the gain and the update of the estimated noise spectrum during speech presence in a modified MMSE log-spectral amplitude estimator. Subjective tests resulted in higher scores than for the IS-127 standard enhancement algorithm, when pre-processing noisy speech for a coding application.
Investigation of the achievement scores of the people learning Turkish as a foreign language according to linguistic distance

Bu arastirmada basta dil ailesi olmak uzere yas, cinsiyet ve bolge degiskenlerinin, uluslararasi ogrencilerin Turkce kurs bitirme sinavindan aldiklari puanlari yordama duzeyleri coklu regresyon yontemiyle incelenmistir. Calisma grubunu Gazi ve Hacettepe Universitelerinin bunyesinde hizmet veren Turkce Ogretim Merkezlerine (TOMER) kayitli 280 ogrenci olusturmaktadir. Veriler, Turkce kurs bitirme sinav kA¢gitlari ve kisisel bilgi formlarindan elde edilmistir. Bulgulara gore, ogrencilerin ortalama puanlari Hami-Sami, Hint-Avrupa, Bantu, Cin-Tibet ve Avustronezya dil ailelerinde Altay dil ailesine gore daha dusuktur. Ogrencilerin yazma puanlari ise Hami-Sami ve Avustronezya dil ailelerinde; konusma puanlarinin Hami-Sami, Hint-Avrupa, Avustronezya ve Cin-Tibet dil ailelerinde; anlama puanlarinin Hami-Sami, Hint-Avrupa, Bantu ve Cin-Tibet dil ailelerinde; dil bilgisi puanlarinin ise Cin-Tibet ve Avustronezya dil ailelerinde Altay dil ailesine gore daha dusuk oldugu gorulmustur. Ayrica yas degiskeninin konusma puanlari uzerinde pozitif bir etkiye sahip oldugu bulgusuna ulasilirken bolge ve cinsiyet degiskenlerinin puanlarin anlamli bir yordayicisi olmadigi gorulmustur. Bulgular alan yazin isiginda tartisilmis ve ileride yapilacak arastirmalara yonelik onerilerde bulunulmustur.
Anomaly detection using call stack information

The call stack of a program execution can be a very good information source for intrusion detection. There is no prior work on dynamically extracting information from the call stack and effectively using it to detect exploits. In this paper we propose a new method to do anomaly detection using call stack information. The basic idea is to extract return addresses from the call stack, and generate an abstract execution path between two program execution points. Experiments show that our method can detect some attacks that cannot be detected by other approaches, while its convergence and false positive performance is comparable to or better than the other approaches. We compare our method with other approaches by analyzing their underlying principles and thus achieve a better characterization of their performance, in particular on what and why attacks will be missed by the various approaches.
C V ] 10 M ar 2 01 4 Generic Deep Networks with Wavelet Scattering

We introduce a two-layer wavelet scattering network, for object classification. This scattering transform computes a spatial wavelet transform on the first layer and a new joint wavelet transform along spatial, angular and scale variables in the second layer. Numerical experiments demonstrate that this two layer convolution network, which involves no learning and no max pooling, performs efficiently on complex image data sets such as CalTech, with structural objects variability and clutter. It opens the possibility to simplify deep neural network learning by initializing the first layers with wavelet filters.
An experimental analysis of moral self-regulation

ABSTRACT This article examines the validity of the moral self-regulation hypothesis in a laboratory setting. The experiment is comprised of a public good game preceded or followed by a matrix task. The data show that the recall of an immoral action (cheating in the matrix task) motivates the individual to do morally right thing (contributing to group account) and the recall of a moral action (contributing to group account) motivates the individual to act out self-interest (cheating in the matrix task). Both moral licensing and moral cleansing hypotheses are confirmed by the results of the experiment. Additionally, the findings indicate that the subjects who had been given a chance to cheat ‘at first’ allocated more funds to the group account; and the subjects who had been given a chance to voluntarily contribute ‘at first’ cheated more in the matrix task.
A Manual for the Use of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ).

AUTHOR Pintrich, Paul R. ; And Others TITLE A Manual for the Use of the Motivated Strategies for Learning Questionnaire (MSLQ). INSTITUTION National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning, Ann Arbor, MI. SPONS AGENCY Office of Educational Research and Improvement (ED), Washington, DC. REPORT NO NCRIPTAL-91-B-004 PUB DATE 91 CONTRACT OERI-86-0010 NOTE 76p. ; From the National Center for Research to Improve Postsecondary Teaching and Learning Project on Instructional Processes and Edrcational Outcomes. For a related document, see HE 024 936. PUB TYPE Guides Non-Classroom Use (055) -Tests/Evaluation Instruments (160)
The Fastest Humans on Earth: Environmental Surroundings and Family Influences That Spark Talent Development in Olympic Speed Skaters

This qualitative research study addressed this question: What influence did early environmental surroundings and family have on the talent development of a cohort of American speed skaters who each competed in four Olympic Games during the 1980s and 1990s? The skaters were Bonnie Blair, Dave Cruikshank, and Dan Jansen. Independent interviews with each skater uncovered rich and unique stories with common threads. Regarding environmental surroundings, all hailed from communities in the Midwest with a rich skating tradition, an oversized hockey rink or 400-m oval, a large skating club, and strong coaches and teammates. In addition, all gravitated to Milwaukee, a speed skating Mecca with ideal training facilities, where they crossed and joined paths. Regarding family, all were born into skating or athletic families and were raised by supportive and guiding parents who were involved but not pushy. Siblings also played an influential role for Blair and Jansen, who were the youngest behind long lines of brothers and sisters who were also talented skaters and who paved the way for their youngest siblings.
B-Lymphocyte Depletion in Myalgic Encephalopathy/ Chronic Fatigue Syndrome. An Open-Label Phase II Study with Rituximab Maintenance Treatment

Background Myalgic Encephalopathy/Chronic Fatigue Syndrome (ME/CFS) is a disease of unknown etiology. We previously reported a pilot case series followed by a small, randomized, placebo-controlled phase II study, suggesting that B-cell depletion using the monoclonal anti-CD20 antibody rituximab can yield clinical benefit in ME/CFS. Methods In this single-center, open-label, one-armed phase II study (NCT01156909), 29 patients were included for treatment with rituximab (500 mg/m2) two infusions two weeks apart, followed by maintenance rituximab infusions after 3, 6, 10 and 15 months, and with follow-up for 36 months. Findings Major or moderate responses, predefined as lasting improvements in self-reported Fatigue score, were detected in 18 out of 29 patients (intention to treat). Clinically significant responses were seen in 18 out of 28 patients (64%) receiving rituximab maintenance treatment. For these 18 patients, the mean response durations within the 156 weeks study period were 105 weeks in 14 major responders, and 69 weeks in four moderate responders. At end of follow-up (36 months), 11 out of 18 responding patients were still in ongoing clinical remission. For major responders, the mean lag time from first rituximab infusion until start of clinical response was 23 weeks (range 8–66). Among the nine patients from the placebo group in the previous randomized study with no significant improvement during 12 months follow-up after saline infusions, six achieved a clinical response before 12 months after rituximab maintenance infusions in the present study. Two patients had an allergic reaction to rituximab and two had an episode of uncomplicated late-onset neutropenia. Eight patients experienced one or more transient symptom flares after rituximab infusions. There was no unexpected toxicity. Conclusion In a subgroup of ME/CFS patients, prolonged B-cell depletion with rituximab maintenance infusions was associated with sustained clinical responses. The observed patterns of delayed responses and relapse after B-cell depletion and regeneration, a three times higher disease prevalence in women than in men, and a previously demonstrated increase in B-cell lymphoma risk for elderly ME/CFS patients, suggest that ME/CFS may be a variant of an autoimmune disease. Trial registration ClinicalTrials.gov NCT01156909
The Node Distribution of the Random Waypoint Mobility Model for Wireless Ad Hoc Networks

The random waypoint model is a commonly used mobility model in the simulation of ad hoc networks. It is known that the spatial distribution of network nodes moving according to this model is, in general, nonuniform. However, a closed-form expression of this distribution and an in-depth investigation is still missing. This fact impairs the accuracy of the current simulation methodology of ad hoc networks and makes it impossible to relate simulation-based performance results to corresponding analytical results. To overcome these problems, we present a detailed analytical study of the spatial node distribution generated by random waypoint mobility. More specifically, we consider a generalization of the model in which the pause time of the mobile nodes is chosen arbitrarily in each waypoint and a fraction of nodes may remain static for the entire simulation time. We show that the structure of the resulting distribution is the weighted sum of three independent components: the static, pause, and mobility component. This division enables us to understand how the model's parameters influence the distribution. We derive an exact equation of the asymptotically stationary distribution for movement on a line segment and an accurate approximation for a square area. The good quality of this approximation is validated through simulations using various settings of the mobility parameters. In summary, this article gives a fundamental understanding of the behavior of the random waypoint model.
Teachers’ Understanding-Check Practices and Learners’ Following Orientations in EFL Classroom Interaction: A Conversation Analytic Study

Teachers’ questioning practice as one of the typical and fundamental interactional tools in L2 teaching and learning dominates classroom discourse, a practice which constitutes one of the principal ways in which teachers employ questions in order to guide cognitive and linguistic development of their learners (Brock, 1986; Walsh, 2006). Much of L2 research on teacher questions so far has been quantitative studies focusing on identifying different question types and the role of such questions in language acquisition. While questions are present in instructional contexts, developing effective questioning strategies seems to be a challenging task for L2 teachers. Thus, the investigation of teacher questions seems essential to understand their effects on language learners’ practice and also their education (Yaqubi & Mozaffari, 2011).
UvA-DARE ( Digital Academic Repository ) Pulse-to-pulse intensity modulation and drifting subpulses in recycled pulsars

We report the detection of pulse-to-pulse periodic intensity modulations, in observations of recycled pulsars. Even though the detection of individual pulses was generally not possible due to their low flux density and short duration, through the accumulation of statistics over sequences of 105–106 pulses we were able to determine the presence and properties of the pulse-to-pulse intensity variations of six pulsars. In most cases we found that the modulation included a weak, broadly quasi-periodic component. For two pulsars the sensitivity was high enough to ascertain that the modulation phase apparently varies systematically across the profile, indicating that the modulation appears as drifting subpulses. We detected brighter than average individual pulses in several pulsars, with energies up to 2–7 times higher than the mean, similar to results from normal pulsars. We were sensitive to giant pulses of a rate of occurrence equal to (and in many instances much lower than) that of PSR B1937+21 at 1400 MHz (∼30 times lower than at 430 MHz), but none were detected, indicating that the phenomenon is rare in recycled pulsars.
Multiobjective Vehicle Routing Problems With Simultaneous Delivery and Pickup and Time Windows: Formulation, Instances, and Algorithms

This paper investigates a practical variant of the vehicle routing problem (VRP), called VRP with simultaneous delivery and pickup and time windows (VRPSDPTW), in the logistics industry. VRPSDPTW is an important logistics problem in closed-loop supply chain network optimization. VRPSDPTW exhibits multiobjective properties in real-world applications. In this paper, a general multiobjective VRPSDPTW (MO-VRPSDPTW) with five objectives is first defined, and then a set of MO-VRPSDPTW instances based on data from the real-world are introduced. These instances represent more realistic multiobjective nature and more challenging MO-VRPSDPTW cases. Finally, two algorithms, multiobjective local search (MOLS) and multiobjective memetic algorithm (MOMA), are designed, implemented and compared for solving MO-VRPSDPTW. The simulation results on the proposed real-world instances and traditional instances show that MOLS outperforms MOMA in most of instances. However, the superiority of MOLS over MOMA in real-world instances is not so obvious as in traditional instances.
The development of anxiety in children with autism spectrum disorders

Although up to 40% of children with autism spectrum disorder (ASD) have a comorbid anxiety disorder, little is known about the origins and trajectory of change in anxiety symptoms in ASD. Characteristics specific to ASD such as social impairments and alexithymia may alter the experience of anxiety in this population. Consequently, anxiety may differ in the ASD population and merits focused study. This dissertation consists of two related studies that used data from the longitudinal Pathways in ASD study. The psychometric properties of the Spence Children’s Anxiety Scale – Parent Form (SCAS-P) in 238 children who were seen annually from ages 7.5 to 11 were examined in Study 1. While the original six-factor structure was not a good fit in this sample, four subscales reflecting Generalized, Separation Anxiety, Panic and Agoraphobia symptoms were identified. In Study 2, parent ratings of Generalized, Separation Anxiety, Panic and Agoraphobia symptoms were captured at snapshots in middle childhood, as well as changing over time in 262 children who were seen annually between ages 7.5 to 11. The proportion of children whose parents rated them as experiencing Elevated Generalized Anxiety was comparable to past reports, though rates of Elevated Separation Anxiety symptoms were higher than past reports. Parent-rated Generalized Anxiety, Separation Anxiety, Panic and Agoraphobia symptoms were stable over the middle childhood years, and there was little variance in the trajectories of all except the Separation Anxiety domain. Children with agetypical language abilities were rated as experiencing higher levels of Generalized and Separation Anxiety in middle childhood. Parent-rated anxiety in early childhood significantly predicted higher Generalized and Separation anxiety across middle childhood, while parental internalizing symptoms in early childhood were predictive of Generalized, but not Separation Anxiety symptoms. There were no differences in Generalized or Separation Anxiety levels across ages 711 between boys and girls. The results of this research offer a deeper understanding of the
Aberrant Epigenetic Modifications in Male Infertility

Epigenetic modifications change gene expression in such a way that gene action is affected without change in DNA sequence. Several genes playing crucial roles in spermatogenesis are known to be epigenetically regulated. Epigenetic modifications affect spermatogenesis, and aberrant epigenetic modifications at certain loci are linked to male infertility. Epigenetic modifications could be the mechanism by which several environmental hazards such as exposure to endocrine disruptors affect spermatogenesis. Imprinting as an effect of changes in the epigenome has the potential to change gene expression up to several generations leading to inheritance of the modified phenotype. In the present review, we have gathered evidence that epigenetic modifications affect spermatogenesis and contribute to male infertility.
Caching in Real-Time Reconfiguration Port Scheduling

In reconfigurable systems, the concept of caching configurations can be employed to reduce the reconfiguration overhead, as already loaded configurations can be reused. In case reconfigurable systems are resources for real-time systems, caching may even improve schedulability, as tasks can be executed immediately. The real-time reconfiguration port scheduling of this work combines mono processor scheduling algorithms and parallel slot execution, which particularly allows us to benefit from caching. However, a comprehensive design of methods is required. We discuss concepts for introducing caching to this new way of real-time scheduling on partially reconfigurable devices.
Early to middle Eocene history of the Arctic Ocean from Nd-Sr isotopes in fossil fish debris, Lomonosov Ridge

Strontium and neodymium radiogenic isotope ratios in early to middle Eocene fossil fish debris (ichthyoliths) from Lomonosov Ridge (Integrated Ocean Drilling Program Expedition 302) help constrain water mass compositions in the Eocene Arctic Ocean between ∼55 and ∼45 Ma. The inferred paleodepositional setting was a shallow, offshore marine to marginal marine environment with limited connections to surrounding ocean basins. The new data demonstrate that sources of Nd and Sr in fish debris were distinct from each other, consistent with a salinity-stratified water column above Lomonosov Ridge in the Eocene. The 87Sr/86Sr values of ichthyoliths (0.7079–0.7087) are more radiogenic than Eocene seawater, requiring brackish to fresh water conditions in the environment where fish metabolized Sr. The 87Sr/86Sr variations probably record changes in the overall balance of river Sr flux to the Eocene Arctic Ocean between ∼55 and ∼45 Ma and are used here to reconstruct surface water salinity values. The ɛNd values of ichthyoliths vary between −5.7 and −7.8, compatible with periodic (or intermittent) supply of Nd to Eocene Arctic intermediate water (AIW) from adjacent seas. Although the Norwegian-Greenland Sea and North Atlantic Ocean were the most likely sources of Eocene AIW Nd, input from the Tethys Sea (via the Turgay Strait in early Eocene time) and the North Pacific Ocean (via a proto-Bering Strait) also contributed.
DISEASE DIVERSITY AND HUMAN FERTILITY

Abstract The existence of parasitic constraints on the evolution of life-history traits in free-living organisms has been demonstrated in several plant and animal species. However, the association between different diseases and human traits is virtually unknown. We conducted a comparative analysis on a global scale to test whether the diversity of human diseases, some of them responsible for high incidences of morbidity and mortality, were associated with host life-history characteristics. After controlling for direct confounding effects exerted by historical, spatial, economic, and population patterns and their interactions, our findings show that human fertility increases with the diversity and structure of disease types. Thus, disease control may not only lower the costs associated with morbidity, but could also contribute directly or indirectly to reductions in human population growth. Corresponding Editor: D. Waller