Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Unconstrained model predictive control and suboptimality estimates for nonlinear time-delay systems

This work presents an unconstrained model predictive control (MPC) scheme for nonlinear time-delay systems with guaranteed closed-loop stability using neither terminal constraints nor terminal weighting terms. Therefore, we do not require the calculation of control Lyapunov-Krasovskii functionals for the nonlinear time-delay system and obtain a computationally more attractive online optimization problem. Based on similar previous results for discrete-time systems and finite-dimensional continuous-time systems, an extended asymptotic controllability assumption suitable for nonlinear time-delay systems is introduced. Since the stage cost is not positive definite in the full state, but only penalizes the instantaneous state of the system, additional arguments are required in order to guarantee closed-loop stability. It is particularly interesting to note that in contrast to essentially all other MPC schemes with guaranteed stability, the optimal cost is not used as Lyapunov function(al) of the closed-loop, and indeed the optimal cost can increase along trajectories of the closed loop due to the influence of the delayed states.
Security of Wireless Sensor Networks for Health Monitoring Helmets with Anomaly Detection using Power Analysis and Probabilistic Model

Abstract Litigation faced by the NFL has called for better prevention and understanding of concussions and other sports injuries. To achieve this, sports officials have turned to wireless sensor networks, or WSNs, in the form of helmet sensors that automatically report any harmful injuries to attendants on the sidelines. While this approach provides players with a greater assurance of safety and a faster response to their injuries, the security weaknesses of WSNs must be addressed. These systems, being not only recently developed but also highly resource-constrained, may be easily manipulated by those looking to gain information about players (a form of passive attack) or even attempting to remove them from the game through the sending of false reports (a form of active attack). To prevent attacks such as these, we propose a system that uses a modification of the AES-CCM protocol as well as a novel attack detection system that uses probabilistic methods to report any harmful behavior to the user. The system’s power usage due to injury reports is compared to a probability model that is based on past research that recorded the likelihood of injury for the positions played in professional football. This system offers many advantages over conventional cryptography as it is a lightweight approach that costs few resources; individual helmet sensors need only send simple power reports to a central base station which uses on-the-grid power to conduct security analysis. Provided below is detail of the paper which describes the problem in greater detail, a section that details the system architecture, a section that explains the AES-CCM protocol, and an explanation of the probabilistic approach. This is followed by a security analysis that compares the approach to several other approaches found in the literature, and finally a conclusion.
Practical 3D geographic routing for wireless sensor networks

Geographic routing is of interest for sensor networks because a point-to-point primitive is an important building block for data-centric applications. While there is a significant body of work on geographic routing algorithms for two-dimensional (2D) networks, geographic routing for practical three-dimensional (3D) sensor networks is relatively unexplored. We show that existing 2D geographic routing algorithms like CLDP/GPSR and GDSTR perform poorly in practical 3D sensor network deployments and describe GDSTR-3D, a new 3D geographic routing algorithm that uses 2-hop neighbor information in greedy forwarding and 2D convex hulls to aggregate node location information. We compare GDSTR-3D to existing algorithms, including CLDP/GPSR, GDSTR, AODV, VRR and S4, both in a real wireless sensor testbed and with TOSSIM simulations to show that GDSTR-3D is highly scalable, requires only a modest amount of storage and achieves routing stretch close to 1.
Prevalence of Metabolic Syndrome Is Higher among Non-Obese PCOS Women with Hyperandrogenism and Menstrual Irregularity in Korea

Background Hyperandrogenism (HA) has been linked with several components of metabolic syndrome (MetS). Few studies in Asian women have evaluated the important risk factors for and prevalence of MetS according to PCOS subtype. In this study, we investigated differences in metabolic parameters and the prevalence of MetS in two major phenotypic subgroups of PCOS in Korea. Furthermore, we investigated the relationship between HA-associated parameters and MetS. Materials and Methods This cross-sectional observational study was conducted from May 2010 to December 2011 in Korea. A total of 837 females with PCOS, aged 15–40, were recruited from Departments of Obstetrics and Gynecology at 13 hospitals. Of those, 700 subjects with either polycystic ovaries (PCO)+HA+oligomenorrhea/amenorrhea (O) or PCO+O were eligible for this study. MetS was diagnosed according to the modified National Cholesterol Education Program (NCEP) Adult Treatment Panel (ATP) III guidelines and the International Diabetes Federation (IDF) criteria. Results MetS was more prevalent in the PCO+HA+O group (19.7%) than in the PCO+O (11.9%) group. There were statistically significant trends for an increased risk of MetS in the PCO+HA+O group compared to the PCO+O group. After adjustment for age, the odds ratio of MetS was 2.192 in non-obese subjects with PCO+HA+O compared to those with PCO+O, whereas the risk of MetS was not different in obese patients. Multivariate logistic regression analysis showed that high free androgen index and low sex hormone-binding globulin were significantly associated with MetS in non-obese women with PCOS, with odds ratios of 4.234 (95% CI, 1.893–9.474) and 4.612 (95% CI, 1.978–10.750), respectively. However, no associations were detected between MetS and SHBG and FAI in obese PCOS subjects. Conclusions Our results indicate that HA and its associated parameters (FAI and SHBG) are significantly associated with MetS in non-obese PCOS subjects, whereas this association was not observed in obese subjects.
Solar EUV flux, exospheric temperature and thermospheric wind inferred from incoherent scatter measurements of the electron density profile at Millstone Hill and Shigaraki

We explore a method for inferring solar EUV flux, atmospheric composition and wind using ionospheric electron density Ne profile measurements. Incoherent scatter radar data from Millstone Hill and Shigaraki measured on October 5, 1989 are assimilated into a theoretical model whose driving forces, solar EUV flux, exosphere temperature Tex, and meridional wind, are adjustable. Adjustments are made to give best match between the model Ne profile and the data. The derived Tex values, found to be low near noon at Millstone and high in the afternoon at Shigaraki, are essentially those required to give the [O]/[N2] ratio necessary to fit the data. Our inferred EUV fluxes for the two sites are similar. Our technique of using profile data may resolve the ambiguity in deriving EUV and [O]/[N2] from electron‐density measurements.
An Interior-Point Method for Large-Scale l1-Regularized Logistic Regression

Logistic regression with l1 regularization has been proposed as a promising method for feature selection in classification problems. In this paper we describe an efficient interior-point method for solving large-scale l1-regularized logistic regression problems. Small problems with up to a thousand or so features and examples can be solved in seconds on a PC; medium sized problems, with tens of thousands of features and examples, can be solved in tens of seconds (assuming some sparsity in the data). A variation on the basic method, that uses a preconditioned conjugate gradient method to compute the search step, can solve very large problems, with a million features and examples (e.g., the 20 Newsgroups data set), in a few minutes, on a PC. Using warm-start techniques, a good approximation of the entire regularization path can be computed much more efficiently than by solving a family of problems independently.
Detection of Plagiarism in Arabic Documents

Many language-sensitive tools for detecting plagiarism in natural language documents have been developed, particularly for English. Language- independent tools exist as well, but are considered restrictive as they usually do not take into account specific language features. Detecting plagiarism in Arabic documents is particularly a challenging task because of the complex linguistic structure of Arabic. In this paper, we present a plagiarism detection tool for comparison of Arabic documents to identify potential similarities. The tool is based on a new comparison algorithm that uses heuristics to compare suspect documents at different hierarchical levels to avoid unnecessary comparisons. We evaluate its performance in terms of precision and recall on a large data set of Arabic documents, and show its capability in identifying direct and sophisticated copying, such as sentence reordering and synonym substitution. We also demonstrate its advantages over other plagiarism detection tools, including Turnitin, the well-known language-independent tool.
Antecedents and outcomes of happiness of managers in the agricultural sector in South Africa

The aim of this study was to investigate managers’ orientations to happiness, and the relationship thereof to individual and organisational outcomes. A cross-sectional survey design was used with managers in the agricultural sector in South Africa (N = 507). The Orientations to Happiness Questionnaire, Satisfaction with Life Scale, Job Satisfaction Scale, Organisational Citizenship Behaviour Scale and Organisational Commitment Scale were administered. The results showed that orientations to happiness (i.e. pleasure, meaning and engagement) had strong direct effects on subjective well-being, job satisfaction and organisational citizenship behaviour. Orientations to happiness also impacted job satisfaction indirectly through subjective well-being. Subjective well-being had a strong direct and positive effect on job satisfaction. Both orientations to happiness and subjective well-being affected organisational commitment indirectly through their effects on job satisfaction. Key terms: Happiness, pleasure, meaning, engagement, hedonia, eudaimonia, managers
Institutional report - Thoracic non-oncologic External validation of the modified Thoracoscore in a new thoracic surgery program: prediction of in-hospital mortality

Informed consent prior to any surgical intervention should include in-hospital survival estimation after the procedure performed. The recently developed Thoracoscore predicts well the postoperative mortality possibility. The purpose of our study was to test the modified Thoracoscore performance in our new thoracic program. One hundred and fifty-five consecutive patients underwent thoracic surgery procedure within two years. The procedures performed were: 62 lung resections, 10 open tumor biopsies, 21 neck and mediastinal procedures, 33 chest wall and pleural procedures, 8 tracheal procedures, 3 esophageal procedures, 13 minor cardiac procedures, and 5 chest trauma cases. The modified Thoracoscore was calculated based on the following variables: age, gender, priority of the procedure, malignancy, type of procedure, Zubrod score, ASA class, and number of co-morbidities. The observed mortality was 5.2% (eight deaths) while the predicted one based on the modified Thoracoscore was 4.9%. The scoring system we used had excellent discriminatory ability with a C statistic (0.95, 95% CIs 0.91–0.99). The Hosmer–Lemeshow goodness-of-fit was not statistically significant (Ps0.82), indicating acceptable calibration of the model for the present series. The modified Thoracoscore’s ability to predict postoperative survival in the whole context of thoracic surgery performs well in our program. Application of any risk scoring system requires external validation and provides comparison of the actual outcomes with other programs. 2009 Published by European Association for Cardio-Thoracic Surgery. All rights reserved.
The Pathogenesis and Management of Achalasia: Current Status and Future Directions

Achalasia is an esophageal motility disorder that is commonly misdiagnosed initially as gastroesophageal reflux disease. Patients with achalasia often complain of dysphagia with solids and liquids but may focus on regurgitation as the primary symptom, leading to initial misdiagnosis. Diagnostic tests for achalasia include esophageal motility testing, esophagogastroduodenoscopy and barium swallow. These tests play a complimentary role in establishing the diagnosis of suspected achalasia. High-resolution manometry has now identified three subtypes of achalasia, with therapeutic implications. Pneumatic dilation and surgical myotomy are the only definitive treatment options for patients with achalasia who can undergo surgery. Botulinum toxin injection into the lower esophageal sphincter should be reserved for those who cannot undergo definitive therapy. Close follow-up is paramount because many patients will have a recurrence of symptoms and require repeat treatment.
RUTBC1 Functions as a GTPase-activating Protein for Rab32/38 and Regulates Melanogenic Enzyme Trafficking in Melanocytes*

Two cell type-specific Rab proteins, Rab32 and Rab38 (Rab32/38), have been proposed as regulating the trafficking of melanogenic enzymes, including tyrosinase and tyrosinase-related protein 1 (Tyrp1), to melanosomes in melanocytes. Like other GTPases, Rab32/38 function as switch molecules that cycle between a GDP-bound inactive form and a GTP-bound active form; the cycle is thought to be regulated by an activating enzyme, guanine nucleotide exchange factor (GEF), and an inactivating enzyme, GTPase-activating protein (GAP), which stimulates the GTPase activity of Rab32/38. Although BLOC-3 has already been identified as a Rab32/38-specific GEF that regulates the trafficking of tyrosinase and Tyrp1, no physiological GAP for Rab32/38 in melanocytes has ever been identified, and it has remained unclear whether Rab32/38 is involved in the trafficking of dopachrome tautomerase, another melanogenic enzyme, in mouse melanocytes. In this study we investigated RUTBC1, which was originally characterized as a Rab9-binding protein and GAP for Rab32 and Rab33B in vitro, and the results demonstrated that RUTBC1 functions as a physiological GAP for Rab32/38 in the trafficking of all three melanogenic enzymes in mouse melanocytes. The results of this study also demonstrated the involvement of Rab9A in the regulation of the RUTBC1 localization and in the trafficking of all three melanogenic enzymes. We discovered that either excess activation or inactivation of Rab32/38 achieved by manipulating RUTBC1 inhibits the trafficking of all three melanogenic enzymes. These results collectively indicate that proper spatiotemporal regulation of Rab32/38 is essential for the trafficking of all three melanogenic enzymes in mouse melanocytes.
Making It All Work

The greater prevalence of type 2 diabetes is a critical issue among the U.S. Hispanic population. This study examined the struggles of Hispanic adults managing type 2 diabetes with limited resources. Ten Hispanic adults (enrolled in a larger study to determine the effects of diabetes self-management intervention), 25 to 80 years of age and living in a rural West Texas county in the United States, were selected. Three categories of challenges emerged: (a) diabetes self-care behaviors and challenges, (b) challenges with limited resources, and (c) challenges with support mechanisms. “Making it all work” was the overarching theme that tied all the categories together. This study offers lessons for health care providers and policymakers on how to maximize the availability of resources for Hispanic individuals with type 2 diabetes living within the constraints of limited resources.
Exploring dietitians' verbal and nonverbal communication skills for effective dietitian-patient communication.

BACKGROUND Little is known about how dietitians conduct their communication with individual patients in the process of nutrition education. To study this issue, both practitioners' and patients' perceptions of dietitians' skills were examined in the first phase of a two-phase study. The resulting narratives were used to develop a questionnaire to survey Australian dietitians involved in clinical practice. METHODS A purposive sample of dietitians in one state (n = 46; 12%), working in hospital, community or private practice, and a quota of their adult patients (n = 34), were interviewed. In the second stage, Australian dietitians (n = 258; 16%) responded to a national survey in 2006, which asked about educational strategies, communication skills, and professional attributes. Descriptive statistics were used to compare response distributions, and nonparametric statistics were used to examine between-group relationships. Criterion for item acceptance was established as >or=70% agreement. Triangulation of results revealed strong agreement between data sources. RESULTS Four main communication competencies were established: interpersonal communication skill, nonverbal communication, professional values, and counselling skill. There was no significant difference in practice by work category or experience. The communication competencies, together with 26 accompanying skills, are described. CONCLUSION An understanding of this guide to communication practice might help enhance dietitian-patient relations.
Factoring the Mapping Problem: Mobile Robot Map-building in the Hybrid Spatial Semantic Hierarchy

We propose a factored approach to mobile robot map-building that handles qualitatively different types of uncertainty by combining the strengths of topological and metrical approaches. Our framework is based on a computational model of the human cognitive map; thus it allows robust navigation and communication within several different spatial ontologies. This paper focuses exclusively on the issue of map-building using the framework. Our approach factors the mapping problem into natural sub-goals: building a metrical representation for local small-scale spaces; finding a topological map that represents the qualitative structure of large-scale space; and (when necessary) constructing a metrical representation for large-scale space using the skeleton provided by the topological map. We describe how to abstract a symbolic description of the robot’s immediate surround from local metrical models, how to combine these local symbolic models in order to build global symbolic models, and how to create a globally consistent metrical map from a topological skeleton by connecting local frames of reference.
A PhoQ/P‐regulated small RNA regulates sensitivity of Escherichia coli to antimicrobial peptides

Non‐coding small RNAs (sRNAs) play a major role in post‐transcriptional regulation of gene expression. Of the 80 sRNAs that have been identified in E. coli, one‐third bind to the RNA chaperone Hfq. Hfq both stabilizes these sRNAs in vivo and stimulates pairing to targets in vitro. A novel Hfq‐dependent RNA, called here MgrR, was identified by its ability to bind Hfq. Expression of MgrR requires the PhoQ/PhoP two‐component system; the PhoP response regulator is active under low Mg2+ concentrations and is an important virulence regulator in Salmonella; mgrR is also found in Salmonella species. Negatively regulated targets of MgrR identified using microarrays include eptB, involved in lipopolysaccharide (LPS) modification, and ygdQ, encoding a hypothetical protein. Cell sensitivity to the antimicrobial polymyxin B is affected by LPS modifications, and cells carrying an mgrR deletion were approximately 10 times more resistant than wild‐type cells to polymyxin B. Thus, lower Mg2+ concentrations, sensed by PhoQ/PhoP, lead to expression of MgrR, changing LPS. sRNAs have previously been shown to regulate many outer membrane proteins. This work demonstrates that LPS, a major contributor of bacterial interactions with mammalian cells, is also subject to regulation by sRNAs.
Assessment of induced radio-frequency electromagnetic fields in various anatomical human body models

The reference levels for testing compliance of human exposure with radio-frequency (RF) safety limits have been derived from very simplified models of the human. In order to validate these findings for anatomical models, we investigated the absorption characteristics for various anatomies ranging from 6 year old child to large adult male by numerical modeling. We address the exposure to plane-waves incident from all major six sides of the humans with two orthogonal polarizations each. Worst-case scattered field exposure scenarios have been constructed in order to test the implemented procedures of current in situ compliance measurement standards (spatial averaging versus peak search). Our findings suggest that the reference levels of current electromagnetic (EM) safety guidelines for demonstrating compliance as well as some of the current measurement standards are not consistent with the basic restrictions and need to be revised.
Bruininks - Oseretsky Test of Motor Proficiency

A method of measuring properties of a fluid in a container, wherein acoustic oscillation pulses are periodically applied to said fluid through the container wall and normally thereto, is disclosed. The acoustic signals are received in the zone of application of the acoustic oscillation pulses as envelopes of the pulse acoustic reverberation produced between the outer surface of the container wall and the fluid, said envelopes being used to form an electrical signal carrying information on the properties of the fluid. A device for measuring properties of a fluid in a container comprises an acoustic transducer positioned directly on the outer surface of the container wall and a series-connected circuit, composed of an electric pulse time delay unit, a gating pulse generator and a gating acoustic signal amplifier, coupled to the acoustic transducer. The device also comprises a pulse acoustic reverberation envelope detector having an input connected to the output of the gating amplifier and an output electrically connected to the input of a data-carrying electric signal shaper which is electrically coupled to a measuring unit.