Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust discrete time observer with application to fault diagnosis

An approach for designing reduced order state estimators for discrete time systems driven by completely unknown exogenous disturbances is provided here. Necessary, as well as necessary and sufficient, conditions for existence of the discrete estimator are given, along with an easy to follow and implement approach for construction of the estimator. Such estimators have been proved useful in a variety of robust control applications, as well as in designing control systems with monitoring and fault detection capabilities. Here, the application of the estimator for actuator fault detection in robotic applications is explored. Also, although the estimator design is carried out in a deterministic setting, the presence of measurement noise is explored and it is shown that the estimator and fault detection strategy can still be very successful even in the presence of random noise.
Assessment of the Antioxidant and Antimicrobial Potential of Ptychotis verticillata Duby Essential Oil from Eastern Morocco: An In Vitro and In Silico Analysis

Ptychotis verticillata Duby, referred to as Nûnkha in the local language, is a medicinal plant that is native to Morocco. This particular plant is a member of the Apiaceae family and has a longstanding history in traditional medicine and has been utilized for therapeutic purposes by practitioners for generations. The goal of this research is to uncover the phytochemical makeup of the essential oil extracted from P. verticillata, which is indigenous to the Touissite region in Eastern Morocco. The extraction of the essential oil of P. verticillata (PVEO) was accomplished through the use of hydro-distillation via a Clevenger apparatus. The chemical profile of the essential oil was then determined through analysis utilizing gas chromatography–mass spectrometry (GC/MS). The study findings indicated that the essential oil of P. verticillata is composed primarily of Carvacrol (37.05%), D-Limonene (22.97%), γ-Terpinene (15.97%), m-Cymene (12.14%) and Thymol (8.49%). The in vitro antioxidant potential of PVEO was evaluated using two methods: the 2,2-diphenyl-1-picrylhydrazyl (DPPH) radical trapping assay and the ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP) method. The data demonstrated considerable radical scavenging and relative antioxidative power. Escherichia coli, Staphylococcus aureus, Listeria innocua, and Pseudomonas aeruginosa were the most susceptible bacterial strains tested, while Geotrichum candidum, Candida albicans, and Rhodotorula glutinis were the most resilient fungi strains. PVEO had broad-spectrum antifungal and antibacterial properties. To elucidate the antioxidative and antibacterial characteristics of the identified molecules, we applied the methodology of molecular docking, a computational approach that forecasts the binding of a small molecule to a protein. Additionally, we utilized the Prediction of Activity Spectra for Substances (PASS) algorithm; Absorption, Distribution, Metabolism, and Excretion (ADME); and Pro-Tox II (to predict the toxicity in silico) tests to demonstrate PVEO’s identified compounds’ drug-likeness, pharmacokinetic properties, the anticipated safety features after ingestion, and the potential pharmacological activity. Finally, our findings scientifically confirm the ethnomedicinal usage and usefulness of this plant, which may be a promising source for future pharmaceutical development.
Spectral identification of hydrated sulfates on Mars and comparison with acidic environments on Earth

We interpret recent spectral data of Mars collected by the Mars Exploration Rovers to contain substantial evidence of sulfate minerals and aqueous processes. We present visible/near-infrared (VNIR), mid-IR and Mössbauer spectra of several iron sulfate minerals and two acid mine drainage (AMD) samples collected from the Iron Mountain site and compare these combined data with the recent spectra of Mars. We suggest that the sulfates on Mars are produced via aqueous oxidation of sulfides known to be present on Mars from Martian meteorites. The sulfate-rich rock outcrops observed in Meridiani Planum may have formed in an acidic environment similar to AMD environments on Earth. Because microorganisms are typically involved in the oxidation of sulfides to sulfates in terrestrial AMD sites, sulfate-rich rock outcrops on Mars may be a good location to search for evidence of life on that planet. Whether or not life evolved on Mars, following the trail of sulfate minerals is likely to lead to aqueous processes and chemical weathering. Our results imply that sulfate minerals formed in Martian soils via chemical weathering, perhaps over very long time periods, and that sulfate minerals precipitated following aqueous oxidation of sulfides to form the outcrop rocks at Meridiani Planum.
Some theorems on minimum variance estimation

Unbiased minimum variance estimation is appKcable only in the case of distri tions admitting uniformly minimum variance estimates of parameters. If such statis tics do not exist then we need an additional criterion to choose among a number of alternative unbiased estimates having minimal values of the variance in different regions of the parameter space. Therefore it is of some importance to determine the class of distributions which admit statistics with uniformly minimum variance.
Telling Our Story—A Community-Based Meso-Level Approach to Sustainable Community Development

Engaging diverse stakeholders in dialogue around sustainable development has proven to be a successful strategy to advance sustainable development goals. Without local engagement, sustainable development efforts can fail to accomplish their objectives. Yet, determining the best strategy for engaging diverse stakeholders can be challenging. Similarly challenging can be the transfer of information regarding successful development strategies from one community to another. Local specificity is key to finding sustainable development solutions. Yet, knowledge creation one-community-at-a-time is time consuming and limits the transferability of knowledge. Meso-level approaches are therefore essential to finding transferable solutions. The Five-Pillars approach to development is such a meso-level mixed methods approach. It identifies a manageable set of indicators in five common categories: education, health, environmental quality, social and cultural amenities, and information and transportation access. These indicator categories form the basis for selecting specific locations within a community where local stakeholders engage in writing a collective story about their sustainable development future. This article describes the implementation of the Five Pillars approach in two neighborhoods in Washington D.C. It concludes that the approach offers an effective engagement strategy that gives voice to the sustainable development vision of local stakeholders while providing a framework that can benefit diverse communities.
From pro-$p$ Iwahori–Hecke modules to $(\varphi,\Gamma)$-modules, I

Let ${\mathfrak o}$ be the ring of integers in a finite extension $K$ of ${\mathbb Q}_p$, let $k$ be its residue field. Let $G$ be a split reductive group over ${\mathbb Q}_p$, let $T$ be a maximal split torus in $G$. Let ${\mathcal H}(G,I_0)$ be the pro-$p$-Iwahori Hecke ${\mathfrak o}$-algebra. Given a semiinfinite reduced chamber gallery (alcove walk) $C^{({\bullet})}$ in the $T$-stable apartment, a period $\phi\in N(T)$ of $C^{({\bullet})}$ of length $r$ and a homomorphism $\tau:{\mathbb Z}_p^{\times}\to T$ compatible with $\phi$, we construct a functor from the category ${\rm Mod}^{\rm fin}({\mathcal H}(G,I_0))$ of finite length ${\mathcal H}(G,I_0)$-modules to \'{e}tale $(\varphi^r,\Gamma)$-modules over Fontaine's ring ${\mathcal O}_{\mathcal E}$. If $G={\rm GL}_{d+1}({\mathbb Q}_p)$ there are essentially two choices of ($C^{({\bullet})}$, $\phi$, $\tau$) with $r=1$, both leading to a functor from ${\rm Mod}^{\rm fin}({\mathcal H}(G,I_0))$ to \'{e}tale $(\varphi,\Gamma)$-modules and hence to ${\rm Gal}_{{\mathbb Q}_p}$-representations. Both induce a bijection between the set of absolutely simple supersingular ${\mathcal H}(G,I_0)\otimes_{\mathfrak o} k$-modules of dimension $d+1$ and the set of irreducible representations of ${\rm Gal}_{{\mathbb Q}_p}$ over $k$ of dimension $d+1$. We also compute these functors on modular reductions of tamely ramified locally unitary principal series representations of $G$ over $K$. For $d=1$ we recover Colmez' functor (when restricted to ${\mathfrak o}$-torsion ${\rm GL}_{2}({\mathbb Q}_p)$-representations generated by their pro-$p$-Iwahori invariants)
Social Challenges as a Consequence of the COVID-19 Pandemic among South Florida Preschool Children with Disability and Obesity

The COVID-19 pandemic has negatively impacted the childcare industry over the past two years. This study examined how pandemic-related challenges impacted preschool-aged children by disability and obesity status. Participants were 216 children (80% Hispanic, 14% non-Hispanic Black) aged 2 to 5 years in 10 South Florida childcare centers. In November/December 2021, parents completed a COVID-19 Risk and Resiliency Questionnaire, and body mass index percentile (BMI) was collected. Multivariable logistic regression models examined the association of COVID-19 pandemic-related social challenges (transportation, employment) and child BMI and disability status. As compared to normal-weight children, those families with a child who was obese were more likely to report pandemic-related transportation (OR: 2.51, 95% CI: 1.03–6.28) challenges and food insecurity (OR: 2.56, 95% CI: 1.05–6.43). Parents of children with disabilities were less likely to report that food did not last (OR: 0.19, 95% CI: 0.07–0.48) and that they could not afford balanced meals (OR: 0.33, 95% CI: 0.13–0.85). Spanish-speaking caregivers were more likely to have a child who was obese (OR: 3.04, 95% CI: 1.19–8.52). The results suggest that COVID-19 impacts obese preschool children from Hispanic backgrounds, while disability was a protective factor.
Why Do We Need to Reform Higher Education Management in Palestine?

This study aims at evaluating the current status quo of higher education in Palestine. It anticipates the challenges facing the higher education sector in terms of management and administration. This qualitative study was conducted by interviewing 17 of those working in senior leadership positions in higher education institutions. The study finds an urgent need for management reform. The study anticipates a vast number of challenges in terms of higher education institutions’ administration where the majority of Palestinian universities suffer from an identity crisis. The study recommends the need to formulate a management reform model based on the anticipated challenges.
Entropy and Fractal Techniques for Monitoring Fish Behaviour and Welfare in Aquacultural Precision Fish Farming—A Review

In a non-linear system, such as a biological system, the change of the output (e.g., behaviour) is not proportional to the change of the input (e.g., exposure to stressors). In addition, biological systems also change over time, i.e., they are dynamic. Non-linear dynamical analyses of biological systems have revealed hidden structures and patterns of behaviour that are not discernible by classical methods. Entropy analyses can quantify their degree of predictability and the directionality of individual interactions, while fractal dimension (FD) analyses can expose patterns of behaviour within apparently random ones. The incorporation of these techniques into the architecture of precision fish farming (PFF) and intelligent aquaculture (IA) is becoming increasingly necessary to understand and predict the evolution of the status of farmed fish. This review summarizes recent works on the application of entropy and FD techniques to selected individual and collective fish behaviours influenced by the number of fish, tagging, pain, preying/feed search, fear/anxiety (and its modulation) and positive emotional contagion (the social contagion of positive emotions). Furthermore, it presents an investigation of collective and individual interactions in shoals, an exposure of the dynamics of inter-individual relationships and hierarchies, and the identification of individuals in groups. While most of the works have been carried out using model species, we believe that they have clear applications in PFF. The review ends by describing some of the major challenges in the field, two of which are, unsurprisingly, the acquisition of high-quality, reliable raw data and the construction of large, reliable databases of non-linear behavioural data for different species and farming conditions.
Evaluation of Selenomethionine Entrapped in Nanoparticles for Oral Supplementation Using In Vitro, Ex Vivo and In Vivo Models

Selenium methionine (SeMet) is an essential micronutrient required for normal body function and is associated with additional health benefits. However, oral administration of SeMet can be challenging due to its purported narrow therapeutic index, low oral bioavailability, and high susceptibility to oxidation. To address these issues, SeMet was entrapped in zein-coated nanoparticles made from chitosan using an ionic gelation formulation. The high stability of both the SeMet and selenomethionine nanoparticles (SeMet-NPs) was established using cultured human intestinal and liver epithelial cells, rat liver homogenates, and rat intestinal homogenates and lumen washes. Minimal cytotoxicity to Caco-2 and HepG2 cells was observed for SeMet and SeMet-NPs. Antioxidant properties of SeMet were revealed using a Reactive Oxygen Species (ROS) assay, based on the observation of a concentration-dependent reduction in the build-up of peroxides, hydroxides and hydroxyl radicals in Caco-2 cells exposed to SeMet (6.25–100 μM). The basal apparent permeability coefficient (Papp) of SeMet across isolated rat jejunal mucosae mounted in Ussing chambers was low, but the Papp was increased when presented in NP. SeMet had minimal effects on the electrogenic ion secretion of rat jejunal and colonic mucosae in Ussing chambers. Intra-jejunal injections of SeMet-NPs to rats yielded increased plasma levels of SeMet after 3 h for the SeMet-NPs compared to free SeMet. Overall, there is potential to further develop SeMet-NPs for oral supplementation due to the increased intestinal permeability, versus free SeMet, and the low potential for toxicity.
Approximate trajectory tracking of input‐disturbed PVTOL aircraft with delayed attitude measurements

In this paper, we address the flight‐trajectory tracking problem of an input‐disturbed planar vertical take‐off and landing (PVTOL) aircraft with delayed attitude measurements. By applying the first‐order Padé approximation to deal with the time delay functions, the problem is reduced to the output tracking of a new non‐minimum‐phase system without delay. A tracking controller, consisting of a linear static‐state feedback term, a switching control term and a nonlinear auxiliary input term, is proposed for robust stabilization of the output‐tracking errors together with the internal dynamics. Numerical simulations are performed to show the main results. Copyright © 2009 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Celastrol Supplementation Ablates Sexual Dimorphism of Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Formation in Mice

Background: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) are permanent dilations of the abdominal aorta with 4–5 times greater prevalence in males than in females. The aim of this study is to define whether Celastrol, a pentacyclic triterpene from the root extracts of Tripterygium wilfordii, supplementation influences angiotensin II (AngII)-induced AAAs in hypercholesterolemic mice. Methods: Age-matched (8–12 weeks old) male and female low-density lipoprotein (Ldl) receptor-deficient mice were fed a fat-enriched diet supplemented with or without Celastrol (10 mg/kg/day) for five weeks. After one week of diet feeding, mice were infused with either saline (n = 5 per group) or AngII (500 or 1000 ng/kg/min, n = 12–15 per group) for 28 days. Results: Dietary supplementation of Celastrol profoundly increased AngII-induced abdominal aortic luminal dilation and external aortic width in male mice as measured by ultrasonography and ex vivo measurement, with a significant increase in incidence compared to the control group. Celastrol supplementation in female mice resulted in significantly increased AngII-induced AAA formation and incidence. In addition, Celastrol supplementation significantly increased AngII-induced aortic medial elastin degradation accompanied by significant aortic MMP9 activation in both male and female mice compared to saline and AngII controls. Conclusions: Celastrol supplementation to Ldl receptor-deficient mice ablates sexual dimorphism and promotes AngII-induced AAA formation, which is associated with increased MMP9 activation and aortic medial destruction.
Steady-state Burgers turbulence with large-scale forcing

Steady-state Burgers turbulence supported by white-in-time random forcing at low wave numbers is studied analytically and by computer simulation. The peak of the probability distribution function (pdf) Q(ξ) of velocity gradient ξ is at ξ=O(ξf), where ξf is a forcing parameter. It is concluded that Q(ξ) displays four asymptotic regimes at Reynolds number R≫1: (A) Q(ξ)∼ξf−2ξexp(−ξ3/3ξf3) for ξ≫ξf (reduction of large positive ξ by stretching); (B) Q(ξ)∼ξf2|ξ|−3 for ξf≪−ξ≪R1/2ξf (transient inviscid steepening of negative ξ); (C) Q(ξ)∼|Rξ|−1 for R1/2ξf≪−ξ≪Rξf (shoulders of mature shocks); (D) very rapid decay of Q for −ξ⩾O(Rξf) (interior of mature shocks). The typical shock width is O(1/Rkf). If R−1/2≫rkf≫R−1, the pdf of velocity difference across an interval r is found to be P(Δu,r)∝r−1Q(Δu/r) throughout regimes A and B and into the middle of C.
The Merger of Mesoscale Datasets into a Common Cartesian Format for Efficient and Systematic Analyses

Abstract During the 1981 summer season within a 70 000 km2 area surrounding Miles City, Montana, researchers from approximately twenty institutions participated in the Cooperative Convective Precipitation Experiment (CCOPE). The measurements collected during this project comprise one of the most comprehensive datasets ever acquired in and around individual convective storms on the high plains of North America. Principal data systems utilized during CCOPE included 8 ground-based radar (7 of which had Doppler capability), 12 instrumented research aircraft, and a network of 123 surface stations. A major data processing goal has been to combine these independently acquired mesoscale measurements into a numerical description of observed atmospheric conditions at any point in time. Using the CCOPE data archive as an example, this paper describes the procedures used to reduce these high resolution observations to a common spatial and temporal framework. The final product is a digital description of the environme.
Hubble Space Telescope STIS Observations of the Accreting White Dwarfs in BW Sculptoris, BC Ursae Majoris, and SW Ursae Majoris

We have observed the short-period dwarf novae BW Scl, BC UMa, and SW UMa using the Hubble Space Telescope Space Telescope Imaging Spectrograph (STIS). In all three systems, the white dwarf is the dominant source of far-ultraviolet flux, even though in BC UMa and SW UMa an additional continuum component contributes ~10% and ~20% of the 1400 Å flux, respectively. Fitting the data with detailed white dwarf model spectra, we determine the effective temperatures to be 14,800 ± 900 K (BW Scl), 15,200 ± 1000 K (BC UMa), and 13,900 ± 900 K (SW UMa). The additional continuum component in BC UMa and SW UMa is equally well described by either a blackbody or a power law, which could be associated with emission from the hot spot or from an optically thin accretion disk (or an optically thin layer on top of a colder optically thick disk), respectively. Modeling the narrow metal lines detected in the STIS spectra results in subsolar abundances of carbon, oxygen, and silicon for all three systems and also suggests substantial suprasolar abundances of aluminum. The narrow absorption line profiles imply low white dwarf rotation rates, v sin i ≲ 300 km s-1 for the three white dwarfs. SW UMa is the only system that shows significant short-term variability in the far-ultraviolet range, which is primarily associated with the observed emission lines.
Self-triggering-based sliding-mode control for linear systems

The authors discuss here the robust stabilisation of a linear time-invariant system using sliding-mode control (SMC) with the self-triggering strategy. In self/event-triggering, the control is not updated in a periodic manner like in classical sampled-date system. The SMC with self-triggering mechanism achieves robust stability with increased control execution time period. In comparison to an event-triggering, the self-triggering technique does not require additional dedicated hardware for continuous state measurement to determine the next possible triggering instant. Here, a strategy is developed to find the next possible triggering instant using past sampled state information only and guaranteed that even in the presence of disturbance the closed-loop system is stable. It has been shown that the system performance is improved in terms of the number of the control updates and hence the control execution requires less resource. The numerical simulation results are provided to validate the theoretical analysis.
Physical Layer Security of Cooperative NOMA Systems with an Untrusted User

Non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) can be combined with physical layer security technology to greatly improve spectral efficiency while tackling security issues for the Internet of Things (IoT) networks. This paper investigates the security performance in a fifth-generation (5G) downlink NOMA system with an untrusted user in the presence of imperfect successive interference cancellation (SIC). Analytical expressions of secrecy outage probability (SOP) and connection outage probability (COP) are derived as performance metrics to evaluate the secrecy of the proposed system. In order to further improve the secrecy performance, we propose an optimal power allocation scheme based on two users' different quality of service (QoS) requirements and obtain a closed-form solution of the optimal parameter. Through numerical simulations and exhaustive search algorithm, we validate the correctness of the derived analytical results. It is proved that the proposed power allocation scheme can achieve the optimal secrecy performance.