Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Trajectory-Tracking and Path-Following of Underactuated Autonomous Vehicles With Parametric Modeling Uncertainty

We address the problem of position trajectory-tracking and path-following control design for underactuated autonomous vehicles in the presence of possibly large modeling parametric uncertainty. For a general class of vehicles moving in either 2- or 3-D space, we demonstrate how adaptive switching supervisory control can be combined with a nonlinear Lyapunov-based tracking control law to solve the problem of global boundedness and convergence of the position tracking error to a neighborhood of the origin that can be made arbitrarily small. The desired trajectory does not need to be of a particular type (e.g., trimming trajectories) and can be any sufficiently smooth bounded curve parameterized by time. We also show how these results can be applied to solve the path-following problem, in which the vehicle is required to converge to and follow a path, without a specific temporal specification. We illustrate our design procedures through two vehicle control applications: a hovercraft (moving on a planar surface) and an underwater vehicle (moving in 3-D space). Simulations results are presented and discussed.
Robust $H_{\infty }$ Control With Missing Measurements and Time Delays

In this technical note, the robust control problem is investigated for a class of stochastic uncertain discrete time-delay systems with missing measurements. The parameter uncertainties enter into the state matrices, and the missing measurements are described by a binary switching sequence satisfying a conditional probability distribution. The purpose of the problem is to design a full-order dynamic feedback controller such that, for all possible missing observations and admissible parameter uncertainties, the closed-loop system is asymptotically mean-square stable and satisfies the prescribed performance constraint. Delay-dependent conditions are derived under which the desired solution exists, and the controller parameters are designed by solving a linear matrix inequality (LMI). A numerical example is provided to illustrate the usefulness of the proposed design method.
How does blood glucose control with insulin save lives in intensive care

Patients requiring prolonged intensive care are at high risk for multiple organ failure and death. Insulin resistance and hyperglycemia accompany critical illness, and the severity of this "diabetes of stress" reflects the risk of death. Recently it was shown that preventing hyperglycemia with insulin substantially improves outcome of critical illness. This article examines some potential mechanisms underlying prevention of glucose toxicity as well as the effects of insulin independent of glucose control. Unraveling the molecular mechanisms will provide new insights into the pathogenesis of multiple organ failure and open avenues for novel therapeutic strategies.
Fixed-Order Controller Design for Polytopic Systems Using LMIs

Convex parameterization of fixed-order robust stabilizing controllers for systems with polytopic uncertainty is represented as a linear matrix inequality (LMI) using the Kalman-Yakubovich-Popov (KYP) lemma. This parameterization is a convex inner approximation of the whole nonconvex set of stabilizing controllers, and depends on the choice of a central polynomial. It is shown that, with an appropriate choice of the central polynomial, the set of all stabilizing fixed-order controllers that place the closed-loop poles of a polytopic system in a disk centered on the real axis can be outbounded with some LMIs. These LMIs can be used for robust pole placement of polytopic systems.
Energy. Natural gas from shale bursts onto the scene.

Engineering ingenuity is unlocking a vast storehouse of natural gas buried beneath American soil from Texas to New England. The sudden great promise of clean, homegrown shale gas has all kinds of people excited. National-security types see it as a replacement for foreign oil and gas, environmentalists as a replacement for dirty coal and even oil. And because it yields only 45% of the carbon dioxide emissions of coal, advocates of taming global warming see it as a temporary crutch while carbon-free energy sources are developed and deployed. Everyone seems to agree with a March study by IHS Cambridge Energy Research Associates that concluded that shale gas "provides the potential to transform North America9s energy landscape. " The problem is that word "potential. " Every link in the chain between the newly abundant domestic energy source and its transformative impact is still shrouded in uncertainty. And a rising tide of NUMBY—not under my backyard—that9s greeting shale gas in the Northeast could hobble the revolution (see sidebar).
Postoperative Course of Serum Aminotransferases After Total Hip Arthroplasty

Skeletal muscle trauma and acute coronary occlusion increase the values of aminotransferases, which might render the diagnosis of myocardial infarction in connection with major orthopaedic surgery more difficult. To find clinically useful distinctions, the postoperative course of serum aminotransferases (ASAT, ALAT, LD, GT and ALP) was recorded for the first 3 weeks following total hip arthroplasty and compared with the values found in patients with acute myocardial infarction. The level of ASAT increased during the first days following surgery. The highest recorded value of ASAT during the first 4 days was found to be lower than corresponding values in patients with myocardial infarction, although an overlap between the groups was seen. However, the LD value did not increase significantly following surgery, in contrast to the findings in patients with myocardial infarction. Later in the postoperative course, values for ALAT, GT and ALP rose as well. Two case reports on myocardial infarction after total hip replacement are included.
Simultaneous Stabilization and Robust Control of Polynomial Nonlinear Systems Using SOS Techniques

This technical note is concerned with the simultaneous stabilization and robust performance control for a class of polynomial nonlinear systems. Building on the tenets of state-dependent polynomial Lyapunov functions, we present sufficient conditions for simultaneous stabilization with and without Hinfin performance. These conditions can be verified by the recently developed sum of squares technique which essentially solves a linear matrix inequality feasibility problem.
Use of Alternative Treatments by People with Multiple Sclerosis

The prevalence, predictors, and description of alternative treatment use among peo ple with multiple sclerosis (MS) have not been well studied despite interest and con cern about such use among health care professionals and people with MS. The goal of this study was to describe the prevalence of the use of specific alternative treatments by people with MS, the sociodemographic and disease characteristics of those most likely to use alternative treatments, perceived benefits and harms from use of these treatments, and the reasons for their use. Almost three-fifths of the study sample of 240 people diagnosed with MS from two chapters of the National Multiple Sclerosis Society had used alternative treatments. Most (90 percent) of those who had used al ternative treatments did so in combination with traditional treatments. Only 7.1 per cent used any treatments considered to be high risk or dangerous. The primary reason for using alternative treatments was to obtain relief from physical and psychological symptoms. Implications of these findings for health care professionals are discussed. Key Words: Multiple sclerosis—Alternative therapies—Complementary therapies— Alternative medical practices—Unconventional medicine.
A preliminary survey of mycological and fumonisin and aflatoxin contamination of African traditional herbal medicines sold in South Africa

Traditional medicine is an important aspect of healthcare delivery in South Africa and is used by at least 70% of the country’s population. The trade in medicinal plants is a multi-million rand business which is a major driver for rural economies. However, the conditions in which these plant products are transported and stored make them prone to fungal contamination which results in economic losses to the traders and pose potential health hazards to consumers. Of major concern is the possible presence of toxigenic fungi and mycotoxins. This study assessed fungal and mycotoxin contamination of African herbal products sold in Cape Town and Tshwane (formerly Pretoria) in South Africa. Of the 16 samples analyzed, 15 were contaminated with at least one of these three fungal genera: Aspergillus, Fusarium, and Penicillium. Fumonisin B1 was present in 13 of the samples in quantities ranging from 14 to 139 μg/kg (detection limit 5 μg/kg). None of the samples was contaminated with aflatoxigenic fungi or aflatoxin (detection limit 0.5 μg/kg). This is the first study to report on mycological and mycotoxin contamination of commercial traditional African medicines in South Africa. There is a need to expand the study to other urban centers to gain enough insight into this problem and then to intervene with measures that can protect the public from potential harm.
Trajectory Tracking Control of Multiconstraint Complementarity Lagrangian Systems

In this study, one considers the tracking control problem of a class of nonsmooth fully actuated Lagrangian systems subject to frictionless unilateral constraints. The task under consideration contains both free-motion and constraint-motion phases. A switching controller that guarantees an approximate tracking is designed. Particular attention is paid to transition (impacting and detachment) between different phases of motion. The exogenous signals that assure the stabilization on (take-off from) some constraints are explicitly defined. This paper extends previous works on the topic as it considers more than one constraint for n-degree-of-freedom systems. Numerical examples illustrate the main results.
The global burden of traumatic brain injury: preliminary results from the Global Burden of Disease Project

Traumatic brain injury (TBI) is a leading cause of disability in all regions of the globe. The global incidence rate of TBI is estimated at 200 per 100 000 people per year; however, this rate is uncertain and a likely underestimate. The Injury Expert Group within the Global Burden of Disease 2005 (GBD) Project aims to provide better estimates of the incidence, prevalence and duration of TBI in each of the 21 GBD regions. One of the two inputs into the estimates is a systematic literature review which was conducted using Medline and Embase databases. The search results were screened for relevance and data quality and the incidence, prevalence and duration of injury estimates were abstracted from the relevant literature. The second input was country specific hospital and survey data. Preliminary results from the literature review show that the incidence, prevalence and expected duration of disability from TBI differ between global regions. Data were scarce for 9 of the 21 global regions, all 9 encompassing developing countries. Obtaining estimates for developing countries is important as preliminary results show higher incidence rates from these regions. For example, the incidence rate of TBI in South Africa has been estimated at 1.5 to 3.5 times that of the estimated global rate. It is necessary to understand the absolute rate and variation of TBI across the globe so that more effective efforts can be made to reduce unnecessary suffering due to TBI throughout the world.
On eigenvalue sets and convergence rate of Itô stochastic systems with Markovian switching

This paper is concerned with stability analysis and stabilization of Itô stochastic systems with Markovian switching. A couple of eigenvalue sets for some positive operator associated with the stochastic system under study are defined to characterize its stability in the mean square sense. Properties for these eigenvalue sets are established based on which we show that the spectral abscissa of these eigenvalues sets are the same and thus these eigenvalue sets are equivalent in the sense of characterizing the stability of the system. Also, it is shown that the guaranteed convergence rate of the Markovian jump Itô stochastic systems can be determined by some eigenvalue set. Finally, a linear matrix inequality based approach is proposed to design controllers such that the closed-loop system has guaranteed convergence rate. Some numerical examples are carried out to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed approach. The research in this paper opens several perspectives for future work stated as some open problems.
Stability of Singular Stochastic Systems With Markovian Switching

In recent years, singular hybrid systems have received considerable attention. However, few results are concerned with stability of singular hybrid stochastic systems. Based on a stability result for singular hybrid systems, this note studies mean-square stability of singular hybrid stochastic systems. It is found that the diffusions and the Markov chain may play important roles in system analysis in mean-square sense. As a special case, a criterion for mean-square stability of hybrid stochastic systems is developed by the frequency domain approach.
Sparse representation for face recognition based on discriminative low-rank dictionary learning

In this paper, we propose a discriminative low-rank dictionary learning algorithm for sparse representation. Sparse representation seeks the sparsest coefficients to represent the test signal as linear combination of the bases in an over-complete dictionary. Motivated by low-rank matrix recovery and completion, assume that the data from the same pattern are linearly correlated, if we stack these data points as column vectors of a dictionary, then the dictionary should be approximately low-rank. An objective function with sparse coefficients, class discrimination and rank minimization is proposed and optimized during dictionary learning. We have applied the algorithm for face recognition. Numerous experiments with improved performances over previous dictionary learning methods validate the effectiveness of the proposed algorithm.
Trust, Caution, and Condom Use with Regular Partners: An Evaluation of the Trusted Partner Campaign Targeting Youth in Four Countries

Research suggests that youth do not use condoms because they trust their partner. This article describes the Trusted Partner regional behavior change communication campaign and uses data from Lesotho, Mozambique, Uganda, and Zambia to evaluate the impact of the campaign. Cross-sectional surveys of youth aged 15 to 24 were conducted in each country before and after the campaign. The surveys measured elements related to trust and condom use with a regular partner. Multivariate logistic regressions were used to investigate the determinants of condom use and whether exposure to the campaign was associated with condom use. The evaluation of the campaign showed mixed results. The percent of youth recalling the campaign varied among countries: 32% in urban Lesotho, 54% in urban Mozambique, 16% in Uganda, and 39% in urban Zambia. In all 4 countries, sexual caution with a partner had a positive relationship with condom use. However, exposure to the campaign was only associated with condom use in Mozambique. These results from Mozambique indicate that more intense exposure may be necessary to achieve impact. Regional campaigns appear to be a cost-effective way to reach large numbers of youth, but more detailed measures of exposure should be pursued to improve program evaluations.
Adverse effects of lactational exposure to chlorpyrifos in suckling rats

The present study was undertaken to evaluate the oxidative damage, biochemical and histopathological alterations in sucking rats whose mothers were exposed to the insecticide chlorpyrifos (CPF). Dams were administered CPF, via oral route. Doses equalled 0.01 mg kg—1 body weight (b.wt.; acceptable daily intake, ADI), 1.00 mg kg—1 b.wt. (no observed adverse effects level, NOAEL) and 1.35 mg kg—1 b.wt. (1/100 lethal dose [LD50]) from postnatal day 1 until day 20 after delivery. At two high doses of CPF, the body weight gain and relative liver and kidney weight of suckling pups were significantly decreased. Exposure of the mothers to CPF caused increase in lipid peroxidation (LPO) and decrease in superoxide dismutase (SOD) and glutathione-s-transferase (GST) in lactating pups. CPF altered the level of the marker parameters related to the liver and kidneys. Consistent histological changes were found in the liver and kidneys of the subjected pups, especially at the higher doses. The results suggested that the transfer of CPF intoxication through the mother’s milk has resulted in oxidative stress and biochemical and histopathological alterations in the suckling pups. The data of this study may be considered as a contribution to the problem of lactational transfer of the relatively less persistent OP pesticides, such as CPF.
TORULA INFECTION OF THE CENTRAL NERVOUS SYSTEM

Torula infection of the central nervous system is a rare disease but one which is of interest to the internist and the syphilologist as well as the neurologist. Clinically, in these cases a diagnosis of tumor or abscess of the brain, tuberculous meningitis, encephalitis or dementia paralytica is made, and frequently the true etiology is not revealed until autopsy is performed. Rusk, in 1912, under the title "Systemic Oidiomycosis," was the first in this country to report a case of torula infection of the central nervous system. His report was antedated in Germany, however, by that of von Hansemann in 1905 and that of Turk in 1907, each of whom reported one case. It remained for Stoddard and Cutler in 1916 to describe the clinical characteristics of this disease and to isolate the causative organism by cultural methods, animal inoculations and histologic sections. They differentiated this condition from other mycotic
${H}_{\infty }$ Filtering for Discrete-Time State-Delayed Systems With Finite Frequency Specifications

This article researches the problem of finite frequency (FF) H∞ filtering for linear discrete-time state-delayed systems. The disturbance is assumed to reside in low/middle/high frequency ranges. To reduce the conservatism of the results, delay-partitioning idea is used to derive a new FF bounded real lemma (BRL). By applying the generalized Kalman-Yakubovich-Popov lemma, two equivalent approaches to the proof of the proposed FF BRL are given, respectively, starting from transfer function and Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional. A new FF H∞ filter design method is proposed in terms of solving a set of linear matrix inequalities. Finally, a numerical example clearly demonstrates the merits and effectiveness of the proposed method.
Antitumor Activity of Mycobacterial Cell Wall-DNA Complex (MCC) Against Canine Urinary Bladder Transitional Cell Carcinoma Cells

Introduction: Mycobacterial cell wall-DNA complex (MCC) is a bifunctional anticancer agent that induces cancer cell apoptosis and stimulates cytokine synthesis by immune cells. Intravesical MCC is currently being evaluated in humans with high-grade urinary bladder cancer. Evaluation of MCC in dogs with transitional cell carcinoma (TCC) will allow mechanistic studies in a natural animal model of TCC, and a potentially beneficial therapy for dogs with this cancer. In this study, we have determined the anticancer activity of MCC against canine TCC cells in vitro. Methods: Canine TCC cells (K9TCC cell line) were incubated with MCC (0.05–100 μg/ml, 0.5–72 hours). Cellular proliferation was measured by MTT reduction. Cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry with propidium iodide. Apoptosis was identified by flow cytometry using anti-active-caspase-3/PE and anti-cleaved-PARP/FITC antibodies. Apoptosis-inducing activity of 100 μg/ml MCC in combination with piroxicam (0.1–1.0 uM) was evaluated. Results: MCC inhibited K9TCC cell proliferation in a concentration-dependent manner (maximal activity – 45% at 100 μg/ml MCC) in association with the presence of activated caspase-3 and cleaved PARP. Inhibition of proliferation and apoptosis-inducing activities of MCC were independent of cell cycle phase. A thirty-minute exposure of MCC was sufficient for optimal activity. Piroxicam (0.5 uM) enhanced apoptosis-inducing activity of MCC. Conclusions: MCC induces apoptosis in K9TCC cells. This activity is potentiated by piroxicam. Following positive results in vitro, in vivo studies have been initiated. One dog, treated to date, has had a minor reduction in tumor volume following the first course of treatment with no treatment-related toxicity.
The apolipoprotein E ɛ4‐allele and antihypertensive treatment are associated with increased risk of cerebral MRI white matter hyperintensities

Objective – Apolipoprotein E‐ɛ4 (APOE‐ɛ4) is a potential risk factor for cerebral vascular disease. The aim of the present study was to examine the relative importance of APOE‐ɛ4 and other relevant risk factors for the extent of cerebral white matter hyperintensity (WMH) in a community‐based sample of elderly subjects.
Modelling and Estimation for Finite State Reciprocal Processes

A reciprocal equation is a kind of descriptor linear discrete-index stochastic system which is well known be satisfied (pathwise) by all Gaussian reciprocal processes. From a system-theoretic point of view, it is a kind of `noncausal' linear system, in the sense that the solution of it cannot be determined by only an `initial' condition, indeed requiring the `terminal' state as well, besides all the `input' function between initial and terminal states. Also, nice properties are known of a reciprocal equation, such as the equivalence of it with a couple of ordinary (causal) dynamic systems running in opposite directions. For these reasons, here we assume a reciprocal equation as the target of stochastic realization for the class of finite state reciprocal processes, also named reciprocal chains. The central result of the present paper is showing that any canonical reciprocal chain, i.e. valued in the canonical base of \REALRN , N being the cardinality of the set of chain's states, satisfies (pathwise) a reciprocal equation in a N2 dimensional canonical variable, or in other word a quadratic reciprocal equation, named `Augmented state reciprocal model' (ASRM). Also, for a partially observed reciprocal chain, a linear-optimal smoother is derived. All the results here presented are based upon the idea that a reciprocal chain is a `combination' of Markov bridges, to this purpose other forms, besides the ASRM, are presented in order to make clear the meaning of this `combination', as well as to prove that the linear smoother can be actually implemented as N smoothers all operating independently on each Markov bridge component.