Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust Multiplexed MPC for Distributed Multi-Agent Systems

Abstract This paper extends the authors’ earlier work which adapted robust multiplexed MPC for application to distributed control of multi-agent systems with non-interacting dynamics and coupled constraint sets in the presence of persistent unknown, but bounded disturbances. Specifically, we propose exploiting the single agent update nature of the multiplexed approach, and fix the update sequence to enable input move-blocking and increased discretisation rates. This permits a higher rate of individual policy update to be achieved, whilst incurring no additional computational cost in the corresponding optimal control problems to be solved. A disturbance feedback policy is included between updates to facilitate finding feasible solutions. The new formulation inherits the property of rapid response to disturbances from multiplexing the control and numerical results show that fixing the update sequence does not incur any loss in performance.
Evaluation of Performance of Three Slip Resistance Testers

Injuries and deaths from falls due to slipping on walking surfaces have been recognized as a major accident problem in many countries. The safety of walking depends primarily on the surface slip resistance, which is defined as the ratio of (a) the minimum shear force necessary to initiate slipping of a body over the surface to (b) the body's normal force. Several kinds of devices are currently in use to measure slip resistance. In this paper three slip resistance measuring devices are evaluated: the National Bureau of Standards-Brungraber Tester, the Horizontal Pull Slipmeter, and the Pennsylvania Transportation Institute Drag Sled Tester. The testing program consisted of two phases. In the first phase each tester was used to measure the slip resistance of selected surfaces representing a wide range of frictional characteristics of typical indoor and outdoor surfaces. All tested materials were in actual use on walking surfaces. In the mechanical tests the testers were evaluated with respect to their applicability, precision, repeatability, and sensitivity to the operator's measuring technique. The correlation was determined between the results produced by the testers on the same surfaces. In the second phase of the testing program a series of experiments was conducted with human subjects walking over surfaces having relatively low slip resistance. The objective was to determine whether people will slip more often on surfaces which are measured as having lower slip resistance. In general, the agreement between the results of slip resistance measurements and the results of the biomechanical tests was high. It was observed, however, that the process of slipping involves a considerable randomness.
Expanded Reliability-Based Design Approach for Drilled Shafts

This paper develops a more general reliability-based design approach for drilled shafts that formulates the design process as an expanded reliability problem in which Monte Carlo simulations MCS are used in the design. Basic design parameters, such as the shaft diameter B and depth D, are formulated as discrete uniform random variables. Then the design process becomes one in which failure probabilities are developed for various combinations of B and D i.e., conditional probability pFailureB,D and are compared with a target probability of failure pT. Equations are derived for this expanded reliability-based design RBD E approach, and criteria are established for the minimum number of MCS samples to ensure a desired level of accuracy. Its usefulness is illustrated using a drilled shaft design example. This RBD E approach has the following advantages: 1 it gives results that agree well with current RBD designs, but it improves the resolutions of the designs; 2 it offers design engineers insight into how the expected design performance level changes as B and D change; 3 it gives design engineers the ability to adjust pT, without additional calculation effort, to accommodate specific needs of a particular project; and 4 it is transparent and "visible" to design engineers who are given the flexibility to include uncertainties deemed appropriate. Finally, the effects of uncertainties in the at-rest horizontal soil stress coefficient K0 and allowable displacement ya are illustrated using this approach.
Optimization of Heliostat Aim Point Selection for Central Receiver Systems Based on the Ant Colony Optimization Metaheuristic

The optimization of the selection of heliostat aim points in a solar power tower plant with the objective of an increased overall efficiency represents a NP-hard optimization problem of high dimension. This paper presents a universal procedure for the purpose of aim point optimization based on the ant colony optimization metaheuristic that uses the principles of swarm intelligence. The applicability of the developed aim point optimization procedure to central receiver systems is demonstrated on a test case, for which the electrical power of a concentrated photovoltaic (CPV) receiver is maximized for a selected operating point. The example of a CPV receiver was chosen due to its nonlinear and nonmonotonous dependency of efficiency and flux density. It is shown that the optimization result is very close to the theoretical maximum
The oldest known record of a ground sloth (Mammalia, Xenarthra, Folivora) from Hispaniola: evolutionary and paleobiogeographical implications

Abstract. Sloths were among the most diverse groups of land vertebrates that inhabited the Greater Antilles until their extinction in the middle-late Holocene following the arrival of humans to the islands. Although the fossil record of the group is well known from Quaternary deposits in Cuba, Hispaniola, and Puerto Rico, remains from older units are scarce, limiting our understanding of their evolution and biogeographic history. Here we report the oldest known fossil ground sloth from Hispaniola, represented by an unassociated partial tibia and scapula that are recognized as a single taxon from the late Miocene-early Pliocene of the Dominican Republic. The combination of characters observed on the tibia suggests a close relationship with Megalocnus, otherwise only known from the Pleistocene–Holocene of Cuba. These fossils fill a temporal gap between those previously known from the early Miocene of Cuba and those from Pleistocene–Holocene deposits in the region and provide additional support for a continuous presence of the group in the Greater Antilles since the Oligocene.
Feminization of Resistance: Reclaiming the Affective and the Indefinite as Counter-Strategy in Academic Labor Activism

‘Feminization’ is used either quantitatively to indicate an increased female labor market participation or qualitatively to refer to labor devaluation and to types of work that supposedly require “feminine” skillsets. This article cautiously hews to the qualitative interpretations but suggests an affirmative reconstruction of the concept in the context of collective action. It argues that contemporary grassroots academic labor movements rely more explicitly on collective emotions and aim at building long-term bases of solidarity, instead of performative activism and mass mobilizations. This ‘affective turn’ in academic labor activism is argued to signal a “feminization of resistance”, characterized by a pronounced propensity for affective and relational groundwork. This argument is substantiated in view of the Network for Decent Work in Academia (NGAWiss), a nation-wide precarious researchers’ network in Germany, and the New Faculty Majority (NFM), an adjunct advocacy group in the US. The aim is twofold: first, the article contributes to a better understanding of contemporary labor activism by elucidating the precarious collective’s incremental achievements, often ignored by the outcome-oriented labor movement literature. Second, by reframing it as a mode of affective resistance, the article extends the analytical scope of the term “feminization”.
Associations between matrix metalloproteinase, tissue inhibitor of metalloproteinase and collagen expression levels in the adjacent rectal tissue of colorectal carcinoma patients

As the commonest type of cancer in Europe and the third most common type of cancer worldwide, colorectal carcinoma (CRC) poses a challenge for numerous scientific studies. At present, the cause of this disease is remains to be elucidated, but early diagnosis is only one solution to prevent serious health complications. As a structural scaffold, the extracellular matrix (ECM) is in direct contact with tumour cells and significantly interferes with tumour progression. During the process of tumorigenesis, the ECM undergoes structural changes in which collagens serve an important role. Their life cycle is regulated by proteolytic enzymes called matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs), which are controlled by tissue inhibitors of metalloproteinases (TIMPs). The present study analysed the gene expression of MMPs (MMP1-2-8-10-13), TIMPs (TIMP1-2-4) and collagens (COL1A1 and COL3A1) and the correlation with biochemical parameters in the adjacent rectal tissue (ART) of patients with CRC. The patients who underwent standard neoadjuvant pre-therapy showed increased concentrations of collagen in the normal ART. The mRNA levels of COL3A1, TIMP1 and TIMP2 were significantly higher in the ART of CRC patients (with or without pre-therapy) when compared with the control group. This finding suggested that TIMPs served an important role in the regulation of MMPs and in the modification of collagen content in the ECM. Despite the small data set, the present study provided insights into the transcriptomic relationships between the individual genes that are an integral part of the ECM.
The 4500 V-750 A planar gate press pack IEGT

This paper presents the 4500 V-750 A planar gate injection enhanced gate transistor (P-IEGT), which has a wide cell width. By increasing the gate width, the planar devices achieve the carrier injection enhancement effect. The wide gate structure shows better characteristics for high voltage planar devices than the conventional IGBT. The on-state voltage drop is 3.8 V at 50 A/cm/sup 2/, T/sub j/=25/spl deg/C. The value is low enough for a 4500 V rated MOS gate transistor. We achieve turn off capability at V/sub ce/ (peak)=4000 V, I/sub c/=1600 A without adding a dV/dt snubber at T/sub j/=125/spl deg/C. The results show that the P-IEGT has a very wide SOA.
Antenna installed performance using diffraction theory

It is the performance of an antenna when installed in a complete system that is important. In situ measurements and measurements on scale models can be impractical or too costly. Computation of the performance of antennas on aircraft or spacecraft has considerable advantages, and may use the method of moments or diffraction theory. The paper concentrates on discussing the use of diffraction theory to compute the radiation patterns of low-gain antennas installed on conducting structures.
Vestigial-sideband payload for high-speed all-optical label-switching network

A novel vestigial-sideband (VSB) payload scheme is proposed for high-speed all-optical label-switching (AOLS) networks. The combination and separation of the VSB payload and the optical label is experimentally demonstrated, and the influences of the power-split ratio, time-delay interference, interferometric noise (IN), and wavelength difference between the payload and the label are analyzed. Simulation and experiment results show that this VSB payload scheme can highly reduce the channel bandwidth and it is easy to realize by using optical filters, so it is a potential technique to be used in optical networks with bit rate of 40 Gb/s.
SUBSOILER SHAPES FOR SITE-SPECIFIC TILLAGE

Shanks designed to operate at a particular depth to disrupt compacted soil profiles may have excessive draft requirements when operated at depths other than originally intended. This may be particularly true for curved shanks, which are designed to operate at a specific depth where draft is minimized. The use of site-specific technology may require that shanks operate at varying depths based on localized soil needs. Comparisons between an angled and a curved shank in two soil bins showed that reduced draft requirements were found for the angled shank in a sandy loam soil with a trend toward reduced draft for the angled shank in the clay loam soil. Similar amounts of soil disruption were found for both shanks with a trend indicating greater disruption for the curved shank. Producers who conduct subsoiling at varying depths throughout their field may want to minimize draft force by using an angled shank, but should recognize that their soil may not be maximally disrupted throughout the soil profile.
Impact of Reaction Parameters and Water Matrices on the Removal of Organic Pollutants by TiO2/LED and ZnO/LED Heterogeneous Photocatalysis Using 365 and 398 nm Radiation

In this work, the application of high-power LED365nm and commercial, low-price LED398nm for heterogeneous photocatalysis with TiO2 and ZnO photocatalysts are studied and compared, focusing on the effect of light intensity, photon energy, quantum yield, electrical energy consumption, and effect of matrices and inorganic components on radical formation. Coumarin (COU) and its hydroxylated product (7-HC) were used to investigate operating parameters on the •OH formation rate. In addition to COU, two neonicotinoids, imidacloprid and thiacloprid, were also used to study the effect of various LEDs, matrices, and inorganic ions. The transformation of COU was slower for LED398nm than for LED365nm, but r07-HC/r0COU ratio was significantly higher for LED398nm. The COU mineralization rate was the same for both photocatalysts using LED365nm, but a significant difference was observed using LED398nm. The impact of matrices and their main inorganic components Cl− and HCO3− were significantly different for ZnO and TiO2. The negative effect of HCO3− was evident, however, in the case of high-power LED365nm and TiO2, and the formation of CO3•− almost doubled the r07-HC and contributes to the conversion of neonicotinoids by altering the product distribution and mineralization rate.
Frequency dependence and the predictability of evolution in a changing environment

Frequency‐dependent (FD) selection, whereby fitness and selection depend on the genetic or phenotypic composition of the population, arises in numerous ecological contexts (competition, mate choice, crypsis, mimicry, etc.) and can strongly impact evolutionary dynamics. In particular, negative frequency‐dependent selection (NFDS) is well known for its ability to potentially maintain stable polymorphisms, but it has also been invoked as a source of persistent, predictable frequency fluctuations. However, the conditions under which such fluctuations persist are not entirely clear. In particular, previous work rarely considered that FD is unlikely to be the sole driver of evolutionary dynamics when it occurs, because most environments are not static but instead change dynamically over time. Here, we investigate how FD interacts with a temporally fluctuating environment to shape the dynamics of population genetic change. We show that a simple metric introduced by Lewontin, the slope of frequency change against frequency near equilibrium, works as a key criterion for distinguishing microevolutionary outcomes, even in a changing environment. When this slope D is between 0 and –2 (consistent with the empirical examples we review), substantial fluctuations would not persist on their own in a large population occupying a constant environment, but they can still be maintained indefinitely as quasi‐cycles fueled by environmental noise or genetic drift. However, such moderate NFDS buffers and temporally shifts evolutionary responses to periodic environments (e.g., seasonality). Stronger FD, with slope D < –2, can produce self‐sustained cycles that may overwhelm responses to a changing environment, or even chaos that fundamentally limits predictability. This diversity of expected outcomes, together with the empirical evidence for both FD and environment‐dependent selection, suggests that the interplay of internal dynamics with external forcing should be investigated more systematically to reach a better understanding and prediction of evolution.
Great Minds Think Alike, Fools Seldom Differ: An Empirical Analysis of Opportunity Assessment in Technology Entrepreneurs

This study extends the literature on self-employment and entrepreneurship by offering empirical insights into the factors that influence technology entrepreneurs at the early stages of the new venture creation process. Specifically, this research focuses on how technology entrepreneurs assess opportunities at the start of the process. Using data from technology entrepreneurs in Ireland, we analyze differences between part-time entrepreneurs and full-time entrepreneurs and discover that not all entrepreneurs attach importance to activities that were previously considered fundamental. While we confirm that opportunity cost, market assessment, and financial analysis are critical and ever-present, we argue that aspiring technology entrepreneurs must be cognizant that when employment-related costs are included as a dimension of opportunity costs, the level and importance of opportunity costs rise for both part-time and full-time entrepreneurs. We also find that whether nascent entrepreneurs work full-time or part-time on the new venture has an impact on which activities are completed and at what point of the process they are completed. For example, we show that part-time entrepreneurs identify markets earlier than full-time entrepreneurs whereas the opposite is true when it comes to financial data preparation. We argue that a greater understanding of these issues will help technology entrepreneurs to make informed decisions. As a result, our findings may influence an aspiring entrepreneur’s decision to start a new venture. They also have ramifications for investors and support services. Consequently, we discuss theoretical contributions, practical ramifications, and future research possibilities.
A corpus-based study of the distribution of word-final schwa in Standard French and what it teaches us about its phonological status

What is commonly considered as an epenthetic vowel can actually refer to at least two different realities: phonological epenthesis or phonetic excrescence. French schwa, noted [ә], is a vowel alternating with zero and limited to unstressed syllables that can appear word-internally or word-finally. This paper presents an extensive description of the distribution of word-final schwa in Standard French in order to shed light on its nature: is it an intrusive vowel or a full epenthetic vowel? To that extent, three large corpora of French containing more than 110 hours of speech were used to establish the presence of word-final schwa as a function of sociolinguistics, orthography, phonotactics and phonetics. Our conclusions are that word-final schwa is impacted by speech style, gender, orthography, phonotactics (i.e., the number of adjacent consonants and their sonority profile), and the phonological properties of the codas. However, speech rate does not impact word-final schwa realization. The specific results lead us to suggest that word-final schwa in Standard French shares similarities with intrusive vowels but ultimately behaves like a legit epenthetic vowel.
MOTIONS OF A SPAR BUOY IN RANDOM SEAS: COMPARING PREDICTIONS AND MODEL TEST RESULTS

Abstract Abstract This study compares the analytically predicted motions of a floating spar buoy platform with the results of wave tank experiments. Results studied include extreme conditions in both the Gulf of Mexico and the North Sea. Base-case predictions combine nonlinear diffraction loads and a linear, multi-degree-of-freedom model of the spar stiffness and damping characteristics. Refined models add the effect of wave-drift damping, and of viscous forces as well. Consistent choices of damping and wave input are considered in some detail. These successive model refinements are generally found to improve agreement with the model test results.
Dynamic Loads during Discharge for Wheat, Barley and Canola in a Smooth and a Corrugated-Walled Model Bin

Abstract Lateral pressures and the resultant vertical forces on the bin walls were measured for wheat, barley and canola in two steel bins 1·5 m high x 1·0 m diameter, one smooth-walled and one corrugated-walled. When grain was discharged from bins through a centrally located 60 mm diameter circular orifice, both lateral pressures and the resultant vertical forces increased immediately after the discharge gate opened. Maximum dynamic lateral pressures during discharge were 56%, 13% and 27% higher than static pressures for wheat, barley and canola, respectively, in the smooth-walled bin, and 45%, 21% and 33% in the corrugated-walled bin. Increases in the resultant vertical force during discharge were 39%, 19% and 29% for the three grains, respectively, in the smooth-walled bin, and 16%, 16% and 18% in the corrugated bin. Peak lateral pressure and peak resultant vertical force did not occur at the same time. Lateral pressure reached its peak within 0·7 s, whereas the peak resultant vertical force occurred in 7 s.
Anaerobic Co-Digestion of Cow Manure and Palm Oil Mill Effluent (POME): Assessment of Methane Production and Biodegradation Efficiency

The performance of anaerobic co-digestion of cow manure and POME was evaluated. The anaerobic composting process was carried out by using semi-continuous reactors under the mesophilic condition (35 ± 1℃). The addition of POME to the on-going anaerobic composting of cow manure was applied stepwise within a cycle of HRT (20 days). Results showed that the anaerobic co-digestion reactor could produce methane at about six times higher (7.2 L CH4) than the control reactor (1.3 L CH4). An increasing of POME loaded to the on-going anaerobic composting cow manure culture (4% to 64%) did not affect pH of the culture in which pH was still stable between 7.11 and 7.5. Assessment of biodegradation efficiency revealed that nitrogen removal of the anaerobic co-digestion reactor was six times higher (21%) than the nitrogen removal of the control reactor (3.4%). This suggested that the anaerobic co-digestion reactor performed sufficiently well in which no organic acid as well as ammonia accumulated in the reactor that could be effective to decompose the organic matters.
Coupling of dynamic building simulation with stochastic modelling of occupant behaviour in offices – a review-based integrated methodology

A comprehensive modular behavioural model for office buildings and its coupling to building simulation software is introduced, developed to be used in energy uncertainty analysis in a straightforward manner. The model includes the inherent variability in behaviour amongst individuals by defining representative active and passive users. The ratio of the latter serves as an input for the uncertainty analysis. The behavioural model consists of submodels for occupancy, use of shading system, window operation, control of artificial lighting, heat gains by appliances and the control of heating and cooling set points. All these submodels are selected from a literature review. The review revealed a lack of validation and intercomparison of the models as the principal weakness of the research field. The methodology is applied in a Monte Carlo analysis of the uncertainty on the simulated energy demands of an office building at the building level, yielding moderate uncertainties.