Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
New Sampling Strategies When Searching for Robust Solutions

Many real-world optimization problems involve uncertainties, and in such situations it is often desirable to identify robust solutions that perform well over the possible future scenarios. In this paper, we focus on input uncertainty, such as in manufacturing, where the actual manufactured product may differ from the specified design but should still function well. Estimating a solution’s expected fitness in such a case is challenging, especially if the fitness function is expensive to evaluate, and its analytic form is unknown. One option is to average over a number of scenarios, but this is computationally expensive. The archive sample approximation method reduces the required number of fitness evaluations by reusing previous evaluations stored in an archive. The main challenge in the application of this method lies in determining the locations of additional samples drawn in each generation to enrich the information in the archive and reduce the estimation error. In this paper, we use the Wasserstein distance metric to approximate the possible benefit of a potential sample location on the estimation error, and propose new sampling strategies based on this metric. Contrary to previous studies, we consider a sample’s contribution for the entire population, rather than inspecting each individual separately. This also allows us to dynamically adjust the number of samples to be collected in each generation. An empirical comparison with several previously proposed archive-based sample approximation methods demonstrates the superiority of our approaches.
A Novel Friendly Jamming Scheme in Industrial Crowdsensing Networks against Eavesdropping Attack

Eavesdropping attack is one of the most serious threats in industrial crowdsensing networks. In this paper, we propose a novel anti-eavesdropping scheme by introducing friendly jammers to an industrial crowdsensing network. In particular, we establish a theoretical framework considering both the probability of eavesdropping attacks and the probability of successful transmission to evaluate the effectiveness of our scheme. Our framework takes into account various channel conditions such as path loss, Rayleigh fading, and the antenna type of friendly jammers. Our results show that using jammers in industrial crowdsensing networks can effectively reduce the eavesdropping risk while having no significant influence on legitimate communications.
Long-Term Manure Applications Impact on Irrigated Barley Forage Mineral Concentrations

Published in Agron. J. 105:1441–1450 (2013) doi:10.2134/agronj2012.0204 Available freely online through the author-supported open access option. Copyright © 2013 by the American Society of Agronomy, 5585 Guilford Road, Madison, WI 53711. All rights reserved. No part of this periodical may be reproduced or transmitted in any form or by any means, electronic or mechanical, including photocopying, recording, or any information storage and retrieval system, without permission in writing from the publisher. Long-term field applications of livestock manure at quantities greater than the recommended agronomic rates greatly increased forage NO3–N concentrations (Mathers and Stewart, 1974; Wu and Powell, 2007). Application of dairy manure to forage crops increased tissue K concentrations, while decreasing tissue Ca concentrations (Cherney et al., 2002; Leytem et al., 2011). These tissue nutrient imbalances are related to heavy manure applications (Hao and Chang, 2002, 2003). Animal nutrition may also be affected by feed produced from manure-fertilized soils. High levels of NO3–N in feed can cause acute poisoning in cattle, sheep, and other livestock (Gilbertson et al., 1979; McKenzie et al., 2004). Grass tetany (caused by low Mg levels in the blood) and fat necrosis (associated with high NO3–N levels in feed) have been reported in cattle grazed on pasture that received elevated rates of poultry manure (Stuedemann et al., 1975; Gilbertson et al., 1979). High soil K concentrations may also induce grass tetany because excess K inhibits both plant Mg uptake and rumen Mg absorption (Mayland et al., 1990). High P/Ca ratio dietary intake may result in cattle hyperparathyroidism (Smart and Cymbaluk, 1997). Discontinuing long-term manure applications may, over time, mitigate some nutrient imbalances in forage, but this requires further investigation. After 14 annual cattle manure applications to a Chernozemic soil, followed by 16 yr of no manure use, soil concentrations of total N (TN), total P (TP), NO3–N, soil test P (STP), and electrical conductivity (EC) remained greater in discontinued manured plots than in unmanured plots (Indraratne et al., 2009). Additionally, the concentration of Zn extractable by ethylenediaminetetraacetate (EDTA) remained AbStrACt
The mid‐infrared transmission spectra of multiple stones from the Almahata Sitta meteorite

Abstract– On October 7, 2008, the asteroid 2008 TC3 entered Earth’s atmosphere, exploded at 37 km altitude, and created a strewn field of stones, the Almahata Sitta meteorite, in Sudan. A preliminary analysis of one of these stones (#7) showed it to be a unique polymict ureilite ( Jenniskens et al. 2009 ). Here we report 39 mid‐infrared (mid‐IR) (4000–450 cm−1; 2.5–22.2 μm) transmission spectra taken from 26 different stones collected from the strewn field. The ureilite spectra show a number of absorption bands including a complex feature centered near 1000 cm−1 (10 μm) due to Si‐O stretching vibrations. The profiles of the silicate features fall along a mixing line with endmembers represented by Mg‐rich olivines and pyroxenes, and no evidence is seen for the presence of phyllosilicates. The relative abundances of olivine and pyroxene show substantial variation from sample to sample and sometimes differ between multiple samples taken from the same stone. Analysis of a mass normalized coaddition of all our ureilite spectra yields an olivine‐to‐pyroxene ratio of 74:26, a value that falls in the middle of the range inferred from the infrared spectra of other ureilites. Both the predominance of olivine and the variable olivine‐to‐pyroxene ratio are consistent with the known composition and heterogeneity of other ureilites. Variations in the colors of the samples and the intensities of the silicate feature relative to the mass of the samples indicate a significant contribution from additional materials having no strong absorption bands, most likely graphitized carbon, diamonds, and/or metals.
Psychological group processes when building agile software development teams

Background With the agile approach to managing software development projects, comes an increased dependability on well functioning teams. Agile teams are profoundly influenced by social-psychological factors since more communication and cooperation are needed both within the organization and team, but also with customers. Objective The objective of this thesis is to investigate if and how psychological group processes, i.e. the temporal perspective often referred to as group development, is related to what is meant by an agile team. Method A diversity of research designs and data collection methods were used, including surveys, interviews, and project data, to find and explain connections between team agility and group developmental stages, but also agile maturity model validity and individual nontechnical skills. A total of 311 people participated in the studies from 19 di↵erent companies situated in the US, Brazil, The Netherlands, and Sweden. Results The results show that there are connections between group development maturity and what is meant by an agile team, demonstrating the relevance of psychological group processes when building agile teams. Group developmental issues were related to many aspects of how team agility is described, including team planning e↵ectiveness, interpersonal conflict, open communication, and dedication. Moreover, the mature use of agile practices could not be explained by individual nontechnical skills and the e ciency of task implementation in agile software development teams were not dependent of group maturity, but instead individual technical skills. Conclusions Our first conclusion is that many agile measurement scales are not scientifically validated and the construct of agility needs to be broken down into parts that need to be researched separately; one such part being what is meant by team agility. Secondly, agile teams at di↵erent group development stages adopt team agility di↵erently, and the implementation and management of agile projects need to be adapted to what stage the team is in from a group-developmental perspective. We also conclude that e ciency, but not e↵ectiveness, in agile software development might be more dependent on individual technical skills than group development and that individual nontechnical skills are poor predictors of the maturity of agile practices.
Trade-GDP Nexus in Iran: An Application of the Autoregressive Distributed Lag (ARDL) Model

This study employed annual time series data (1960- 2003) and unit root tests with multiple breaks to determine the most likely times of struct ural breaks in major factors impacting on the trade - GDP nexus in Iran We found, inter alia , that the endogenously determined structural break s coincided with important events in the Iranian economy, inclu ding the 1979 Islamic revolution and the outbreak of the Iraq-Iran war in 1980. By applying the Lumsd aine and Papell (1997) approach, the stationarity of the variable under investigation was examined an d in the presence of structural breaks, we found that the null hypothesis of unit root could be reje cted for all of the variables under analysis except one. Under such circumstances, applying the ARDL procedure was the best way of determining long run relationships. For this reason, the error correctio n version of the autoregressive distributed lag procedure (ARDL) was then employed to specify the short and long-term determinants of economic growth in the presence of structural breaks. The r esults showed that while the effects of gross capit al formation and oil exports were important for the ex pansion of the Iranian GDP over the sample period, non-oil exports and human capital were generally le ss pivotal. It was also found that the speed of adjustment in the estimated models is relatively hi gh and had the expected significant and negative sign. JEL classification numbers: C12, C22, C52.
Predictors of Overweight/Obesity in Urban Ghanaian Women

Body size preference as well as diet, and physical activity could be important determinants of overweight/obesity among urban Ghanaian women. The study was designed to determine the relationship between dietary intake, physical activity level, body size preference and body mass index (BMI) in women in Kumasi metropolis, Ghana. A cross-sectional study was conducted among 394 women, aged 20 years and above, in 6 randomly selected churches in the Kumasi metropolis. Subjects were assessed through 24-hr dietary intake, physical activity levels using the WHO global physical activity questionnaire and anthropometry. Participants were asked to select their preferred body size from photographic silhouettes consisting of six images of women of known BMI (20, 24, 28, 30, 33 and 38kg/m2) arranged in random order. The silhouettes were transformed on a scale of 1 to 6, in ascending BMI, as continuous variables for analysis. Binary logistic regression analysis was used to assess the predictors of overweight/obesity among the women. Based on BMI, 31.3% of the women were overweight and 37.1% obese. The significant predictors of overweight/obesity among the women were total dietary energy intake (OR=1.001, p=0.012), low physical activity (OR=3.136, p=0.011), preference for large body size (OR=5.197, p=0.032), being of age 40 years and above (OR=2.558, p=0.017) and having at least one child (OR=3.878, p=0.002). Diet high in calories, low physical activity levels coupled with preference for large body size could contribute to the high prevalence of overweight/obesity among the women. Clinical and public health intervention strategies should be culturally-tailored in mitigating the emerging overweight/obesity problem.
Restoring Quercus pyrenaica forests using pioneer shrubs as nurse plants

Abstract Question: How to improve reforestation success of Quercus pyrenaica. Location: 1800 m a.s. l. , southern Spain. Methods: One-year-old Quercus pyrenaica seedlings were planted using two treatments: (1) bare soil, using a 30-cm diameter augur bit (conventional technique) and (2) under the canopy of a pioneer shrub, Salvia lavandulifolia, using a 12-cm diameter augur bit. Survival and growth were monitored for six years. Our hypothesis is that the use of shrubs as nurse plants is an alternative technique of reforestation with higher success than traditional techniques, in which pre-existing vegetation is usually considered a source of competition. The rationale for the study was that for environments with a dry season, pre-existing vegetation buffers summer drought stress, ameliorates the water status of seedlings and thus usually increases seedling recruitment. Results: Quercus survival was 6.3 × higher when planted under individuals of the pioneer shrub as compared to open areas. Quercus seedlings under shrubs also had shoots 1.8 × longer, while the number of shoots per plant did not differ among treatments. The first summer was the period with the highest mortality (49.1% of seedlings). Summer drought was the main cause of mortality. Conclusions: The use of shrubs as nurse plants for Q. pyrenaica reforestation is a viable technique to increase establishment success. The technique could be similarly useful in other environments with a dry period and for other Quercus species. In addition, this technique offers the advantage of following natural succession, thus minimizing the impact in the community.
Genetics of Leaf Rust Resistance in the Winter Wheat Line CI13227

The winter wheat (Triticum aestivum L.) line CI13227 with slow rusting resistance to leaf rust, caused by Puccinia triticina Eriks. , was crossed and backcrossed to 'Thatcher' (Tc) wheat. Backcross F 2 families were tested for seedling resistance and segregated in a 1:1 ratio for families that segregated for resistance and families that were homozygous susceptible. The BC 1 F 2 resistant seedlings were progeny tested for infection type (IT) as BC 1 F 3 lines and compared for IT with near-isogenic lines of Tc with alleles at the Lr3 locus. The BC 1 F 3 lines and the Tc line with Lr3ka had nearly identical IT. The F 2 progeny of a resistant BC 1 F 3 plant and a Tc line with Lr3ka did not segregate for IT confi rming that CI13227 had an allele at the Lr3 locus. The BC 1 F 2 plants from families that were homozygous susceptible as seedlings were tested as adults for leaf rust IT. Resistant BC 1 F 2 adult plants were selected and advanced to BC 1 F 6 by single seed descent. A single BC 1 F 6 plant was crossed with Tc, and the Tc*3/CI13227 population advanced to F 6 . The F 6 recombinant inbred lines (RILs) were tested for leaf rust resistance at two locations. Molecular mapping with Diversity Arrays Technology (DArT) and simple sequence repeat (SSR) markers detected a major locus for resistance on chromosome 1BL. A polymerase chain reaction (PCR) marker specifi c for Lr46 also mapped in the 1BL region associated with resistance. Quantitative trait loci on 2DS, 2B, and 7BL for slow rusting resistance in CI13227 detected in previous experiments were not detected in this study. CI13227 has seedling resistance gene Lr3ka and likely has the adult plant resistance gene Lr46.
Identifying and Discussing Drivers and Barriers of a Job System for the Virtual Agile Workforce of the Future

Agile software development, such as Scrum, and more recently agile project management have been topics that have been part of management literature over recent years. The further development towards agile work systems and with it the necessary changes to an agile workforce of the future is at the scope of this work. A structured literature review, based on articles published in peer-reviewed Management and Information Systems (IS) journals, is performed to find out in how far scientific research has already covered this development and to further analyze, what aspects play the most important roles in the advancement of agility. The key findings focus on the presence of flexible working arrangements, used by organizations and employees, virtual work, the necessary knowledge management measures as well as the vital role that leadership plays in the organization.
Analyzing Medical Students' Definitions of Sex

ABSTRACT An inaccurate definition of what constitutes sex can negatively impact the sexual health and wellbeing of patients. This study aimed to determine which behaviors medical students consider to be sex. Survey questions about various sexual behaviors were administered to medical students. All participants agreed that penile-vaginal penetration is sex. More than 25% of participants did not consider genital-genital contact without penetration, oral-genital contact, foreign object in rectum, and forced vaginal/rectal penetration as sex. Nonheterosexuals were more likely to consider genital-genital contact without penetration sex. We determined there was less than complete consensus among future physicians on what activities are considered sex.
The pattern of comorbidities in cancer patients in Lagos, South-Western Nigeria

Purpose Comorbidities have been indicated to influence cancer care and outcome, with strong associations between the presence of comorbidities and patient survival. The objective of this study is to determine the magnitude and pattern of comorbidities in Nigerian cancer populations, and demonstrate the use of comorbidity indices in predicting mortality/survival rates of cancer patients. Methods Using a retrospective study design, data were extracted from hospital reports of patients presenting for oncology care between January 2015 and December 2016 at two tertiary health facilities in Lagos, Nigeria. Patient comorbidities were ranked and weighted using the Charlson comorbidity index (CCI). Results The mean age for the 848 cancer patients identified was 53.9 ± 13.6 years, with 657 (77.5%) females and 191 (22.5%) males. Breast (50.1%), cervical (11.1%) and colorectal (6.3%) cancers occurred most frequently. Comorbidities were present in 228 (26.9%) patients, with the most common being hypertension (20.4%), diabetes (6.7%) and peptic ulcer disease (2.1%). Hypertension-augmented CCI scores were 0 (15.6%), 1–3 (62.1%), 4–6 (21.7%) and ≥7 (0.6%). The mean CCI scores of patients ≤50 years (0.8 ± 0.9) and ≥51 years (3.3 ± 1.2) were significantly different (p < 0.05). Patients with lower mean CCI scores were more likely to receive chemotherapy (2.2 ± 1.6 versus 2.5 ± 1.9; p < 0.05) and/or surgery (2.1 ± 1.5 versus 2.4 ± 1.7; p < 0.05). Conclusion Comorbidities occur significantly in Nigerian cancer patients and influence the prognosis, treatment outcome and survival rates of these patients. There is a need to routinely evaluate cancer patients for comorbidities with the aim of instituting appropriate multidisciplinary management measures where necessary.
Heroin Use Is Associated with AA-Type Kidney Amyloidosis in the Pacific Northwest.

BACKGROUND AND OBJECTIVES AA-type kidney amyloidosis is classically associated with chronic autoimmune or inflammatory disorders. However, some urban centers have reported a high prevalence of injection drug use among patients with kidney AA amyloidosis. Previous reports lack control groups to quantify associations and most predate the opioid epidemic in the United States. DESIGN, SETTING, PARTICIPANTS, & MEASUREMENTS We conducted a case-control study of 38 patients with biopsy-confirmed kidney AA amyloidosis and 72 matched control individuals without this condition from two large hospital systems in Seattle, Washington. We ascertained the pattern and duration of heroin use by medical chart review and determined associations using logistic regression. RESULTS Among case patients, 95% had a prior history of heroin use, 87% had skin abscesses, and 76% and 27% had evidence of muscling and skin popping, respectively. After adjustment for age, race, sex, site, and year of biopsy, any heroin use (past or current) was associated with an estimated 170-times higher risk of kidney AA amyloidosis compared with no heroin use (95% confidence interval, 28 to 1018 times higher; P<0.001). Chronic autoimmune disorders were uncommon among case patients in this study. The median time to ESKD among patients with AA amyloidosis was 2.4 years (interquartile range, 0.5-7.5 years). CONCLUSIONS Injection heroin use is strongly associated with kidney AA amyloidosis in the Pacific Northwest. Unique aspects of heroin use, in particular geographic regions or frequent associated soft-tissue infections, may be an important cause of this progressive kidney disease.
Regulation of Fat and Fatty Acid Composition in Beef Cattle

Fat composition of beef, taken here to mean marbling, can be manipulated by time on feed, finishing diet, and breed type. These three factors also strongly influence the fatty acid composition of beef. Both the amount of marbling and the concentration of monounsaturated fatty acids (MUFA) increase with time on feed in grain-fed and pasture-fed cattle, but much more dramatically in grain-fed cattle. High-concentrate diets stimulate the activity of adipose tissue stearoyl-CoA desaturase (SCD), which is responsible for the conversion of saturated fatty acids (SFA) to their Δ9 desaturated counterparts. Also, grain feeding causes a depression in ruminal pH, which decreases those populations of ruminal microorganisms responsible for the isomerization and hydrogenation of polyunsaturated fatty acids (PUFA). The net result of elevated SCD activity in marbling adipose tissue and depressed ruminal isomerization/hydrogenation of dietary PUFA is a large increase in MUFA in beef over time. Conversely, pasture depresses both the accumulation of marbling and SCD activity, so that even though pasture feeding increases the relative concentration of PUFA in beef, it also increases SFA at the expense of MUFA. Wagyu and Hanwoo cattle accumulate large amounts of marbling and MUFA, and Wagyu cattle appear to be less sensitive to the effects of pastures in depressing overall rates of adipogenesis and the synthesis of MUFA in adipose tissues. There are small differences in fatty acid composition of beef from Bos indicus and Bos taurus cattle, but diet and time on feed are much more important determinants of beef fat content and fatty acid composition than breed type.