Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Discrete-Time Analysis and Synthesis of Disturbance Observer-Based Robust Force Control Systems

This paper analyses Disturbance Observer- (DOb-) based robust force control systems in the discrete-time domain. The robust force controller is implemented using velocity and acceleration measurements. A DOb is employed in an inner-loop to achieve robustness, and another DOb, viz. Reaction Force Observer (RFOb), is employed in an outer-loop to estimate interaction forces and improve the performance of force control. First, the inner-loop is analysed. It is shown that the DOb works as a phase-lead/lag compensator tuned by the nominal design parameters in the inner-loop. The phase margin of the inner-loop controller and the bandwidth of the velocity-based (i.e., conventional) DOb are constrained not only by noise-sensitivity but also by the waterbed effect. This explains why we observe unstable responses as the bandwidth of the conventional DOb increases in practice. To eliminate the design constraint due to the waterbed effect, this paper proposes an acceleration-based DOb. Then, the robust force controller is analysed. It is shown that the design parameters of the RFOb have a notable effect on the stability of the robust force control system. For example, the robust force controller has a non-minimum phase zero (zeros) when the RFOb is not properly tuned. This may cause severe stability and performance problems when conducting force control applications. By using the stability and robustness analyses, this paper proposes new design tools which enable one to synthesize a high-performance robust force control system. Simulations and experiments are presented to validate the proposed analysis and synthesis methods.
Valid and Reliable Assessment of Upper Respiratory Tract Specimen Collection Skills during the COVID-19 Pandemic

Proper specimen collection is the most important step to ensure accurate testing for the coronavirus disease 2019 (COVID-19) and other infectious diseases. Assessment of healthcare workers’ upper respiratory tract specimen collection skills is needed to ensure samples of high-quality clinical specimens for COVID-19 testing. This study explored the validity evidence for a theoretical MCQ-test and checklists developed for nasopharyngeal (NPS) and oropharyngeal (OPS) specimen collection skills assessment. We found good inter-item reliability (Cronbach’s alpha = 0.76) for the items of the MCQ-test and high inter-rater reliability using the checklist for the assessment of OPS and NPS skills on 0.86 and 0.87, respectively. The MCQ scores were significantly different between experts (mean 98%) and novices (mean 66%), p < 0.001, and a pass/fail score of 91% was established. We found a significant discrimination between checklist scores of experts (mean 95% score for OPS and 89% for NPS) and novices (mean 50% score for OPS and 36% for NPS), p < 0.001, and a pass/fail score was established of 76% for OPS and 61% for NPS. Further, the results also demonstrated that a group of non-healthcare educated workers can perform upper respiratory tract specimen collection comparably to experts after a short and focused simulation-based training session. This study, therefore, provides validity evidence for the use of a theoretical and practical test for upper respiratory specimens’ collection skills that can be used for competency-based training of the workers in the COVID-19 test centers.
Extending the critical period for weed control model to better include weed succession using common sunflower as a mimic weed in high-yielding cotton

Abstract The critical period for weed control (CPWC) adds value to integrated weed management by identifying the period during which weeds need to be controlled to avoid yield losses exceeding a defined threshold. However, the traditional application of the CPWC does not identify the timing of control needed for weeds that emerge late in the critical period. In this study, CPWC models were developed from field data in high-yielding cotton crops during three summer seasons from 2005 to 2008, using the mimic weed, common sunflower, at densities of two to 20 plants per square meter. Common sunflower plants were introduced at up to 450 growing degree days (GDD) after crop planting and removed at successive 200 GDD intervals after introduction. The CPWC models were described using extended Gompertz and logistic functions that included weed density, time of weed introduction, and time of weed removal (logistic function only) in the relationships. The resulting models defined the CPWC for late-emerging weeds, identifying a period after weed emergence before weed control was required to prevent yield loss exceeding the yield-loss threshold. When weeds emerged in sufficient numbers toward the end of the critical period, the model predicted that crop yield loss resulting from competition by these weeds would not exceed the yield-loss threshold until well after the end of the CPWC. These findings support the traditional practice of ensuring weeds are controlled before crop canopy closure, with later weed control inputs used as required. Nomenclature: common sunflower; Helianthus annuus L. HELAN; cotton; Gossypium hirsutum L. GOSHI
Current Omics Trends in Personalised Head and Neck Cancer Chemoradiotherapy

Chemoradiotherapy remains the most common management of locally advanced head and neck cancer. While both treatment components have greatly developed over the years, the quality of life and long-term survival of patients undergoing treatment for head and neck malignancies are still poor. Research in head and neck oncology is equally focused on the improvement of tumour response to treatment and on the limitation of normal tissue toxicity. In this regard, personalised therapy through a multi-omics approach targeting patient management from diagnosis to treatment shows promising results. The aim of this paper is to discuss the latest results regarding the personalised approach to chemoradiotherapy of head and neck cancer by gathering the findings of the newest omics, involving radiotherapy (dosiomics), chemotherapy (pharmacomics), and medical imaging for treatment monitoring (radiomics). The incorporation of these omics into head and neck cancer management offers multiple viewpoints to treatment that represent the foundation of personalised therapy.
A structural subgrid-scale model for relative dispersion in large-eddy simulation of isotropic turbulent flows by coupling kinematic simulation with approximate deconvolution method

A kinematic simulation with an approximate deconvolution (KSAD) hybrid model is proposed to predict the Lagrangian relative dispersion of ﬂuid particles in a large eddy simulation (LES) of isotropic turbulent ﬂows. In the model, a physical connection between the resolved and subgrid scales is established through the energy ﬂux rate at the ﬁlter width scale. Due to the lack of subgrid-scale (SGS) turbulent structures and SGS model errors, the LES cannot accurately predict the two- and multi-point Lagrangian statistics of the ﬂuid particles. To improve the predictive capability of the LES, we use an approximate deconvolution model (ADM) to improve the resolved scales near the ﬁlter width and a kinematic simulation (KS) to recover the missing velocity ﬂuctuations beneath the subgrid scales. To validate the proposed hybrid model, we compare the Lagrangian statistics of two- and four-particle dispersion with the corresponding results from the direct numerical simulation (DNS) and the conventional LES. It is found that a signiﬁcant improvement in the prediction of the Lagrangian statistics of ﬂuid particles is achieved through the KSAD hybrid model. Furthermore, a parametric study regarding the wavenumbers and orientation wavevectors is conducted to reduce the computational cost. Good results can be obtained using a small number of wavenumber modes and orientation wavevectors. Thus, we can improve the prediction of the Lagrangian dispersion of ﬂuid particles in the LES by applying the KSAD hybrid model at an acceptable computational cost.
Prospective Study Sexually Intrusive Behavior Among Alleged CSA Male Victims : A

Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) is one widely cited risk factor for Sexually Intrusive Behavior (SIB) among boys. To identify variables that moderate the early onset of SIB in a sample of boys, alleged victims of sexual abuse, the current study involved a prospective examination of all investigations of male CSA victims and those of boys aged under 14 who were suspected of committing SIBs on other children in Israel over a 10-year period. Comparing victims with and without SIB records revealed differences on personal and family factors as well as on the characteristics of abuse. A regression model controlling for age and family factors correctly classified over three quarters of the subjects based on reported experiences of abuse. The data help identify characteristics of the abuse that facilitate the early onset of SIB among male victims of CSA.
Endocrinological and Nutritional Implications of Anorexia of Aging

Poor appetite—known as anorexia—is a common condition in aging and is associated with poor outcomes, including reduced survival and impaired quality of life. The anorexia of aging is mainly the result of several complex endocrinological, metabolic, and nutritional changes occurring with later age. The modulation of different peptides and hormones has been identified as an important determinant for the development of low appetite; in particular, an altered imbalance of plasma ghrelin, leptin, and cholecystokinin and increased inflammatory markers are implicated in its pathophysiology, and robust evidence of their involvement in anorexia of aging has been produced in the clinical setting. More recently, researchers identified that the gut microbiome composition significantly varies according to the appetite status. Other important clinical factors may worsen the symptoms of the anorexia in the elderly, in particular the potential concomitant presence of chronic catabolic comorbidities. Importantly, data indicate that anorexia is prevalent in frail older adults, negatively impacting body composition and specifically in altering muscle mass and function. For all these reasons, a prompt and early diagnosis of anorexia in the elderly is crucial to implement personalized metabolic and nutrition interventions to improve the outcomes and ameliorate quality of life.
Using multi-marker DNA metabarcoding to reveal the diet of a scarce woodland bird

Understanding the role diet plays in the structure of food webs is vital, and dietary knowledge is key for conservation management success. There is limited knowledge of the diets of woodland bird species, due largely to difficulties in accurately identifying plant and invertebrate taxa being consumed. Here, we show the effectiveness of multi-marker faecal metabarcoding to provide the most in-depth dietary analysis of a generalist passerine, the Hawfinch (Coccothraustes coccothraustes, Linnaeus), to date. Faecal samples were obtained from 2016-2019 from Hawfinch populations prior to and during the breeding season throughout the UK. DNA was extracted from 263 samples and amplified using Internal Transcribed Spacer 2 (ITS2) and cytochrome C oxidase subunit I (COI) barcodes. Using high-throughput sequencing (HTS), we identified 49 and 97 ITS2 and COI zero radius operational taxonomic units (zOTUs) respectively which equated to reputed dietary items. The herbivorous element of Hawfinch diet was dominated by naturally occurring taxa such as beech (Fagus sylvatica, Linnaeus), hornbeam (Carpinus betulus, Linnaeus) and oak (Quercus sp., Linnaeus). The most taxon rich and commonly recorded invertebrate taxon identified was Lepidoptera. We found Hawfinch diet varied spatially, as well as between sexes. Hawfinch showed broad dietary plasticity and utilised multiple resources within their foraging environments. Our study shows the potential of multi-marker DNA metabarcoding to reveal subtle dietary differences, but also highlights the challenges of studying omnivorous species using metabarcoding methods.
Facial expression recognition by using differential geometric features

ABSTRACT In recent years, a growing interest has been created for improvement of human interaction with computers. Hence, automatic recognition of facial expressions has become one of the active research topics. The purpose of this paper is to identify facial expressions, by using differential geometric features. In the proposed method, only the first and last images are used and differential features are extracted from these two images. Differential geometric features are extracted from changes in the important points of the face in the two images. In this method, the distance between the important points of the face and the reference point was calculated in both directions x and y, for two images, and with the difference between the distance, the differential geometric features between the two images were obtained. Based on the results, with this method, recognition accuracy of six facial expressions in the database was 96.44%, CK +.
Purification of Textile Effluents Containing C.I. Acid Violet 1: Adsorptive Removal versus Hydrogen Peroxide and Peracetic Acid Based Advanced Oxidation

Textile effluent containing azo dyes such as C.I. Acid Violet 1 (AV1) can be degraded to toxic aromatic amines in the environment. Thus, there is a legitimate need to treat such effluents before they are discharged to surface waters. Two methods were proposed to remove AV1 from aqueous solutions: adsorption and advanced oxidation processes (AOPs). The sorption capacity of the strongly basic anion exchanger Purolite A520E of the polystyrene matrix determined from the Langmuir isotherm model was found to be 835 mg/g, while that of Lewatit S5428 of the polyacrylamide matrix Freundlich model seems to be more appropriate for describing the experimental data. The pseudo-second-order kinetic model and external diffusion are the rate limiting steps of adsorption. The removal efficiency of AV1 by the anion exchangers was higher than 99% after 40 minutes of phase contact time. AOPs involved the usage of hydrogen peroxide and peracetic acid (PAA) as oxidizing agents, while Fe2+ and simulated sunlight were used as oxidizing activators. AV1 oxidation followed the pseudo-first-order kinetics, and the systems with the highest values of the rate constants turned out to be those in which Fe2+ was present. The efficiency of oxidation measured by the degree of decolorization in the systems with Fe2+ was higher than 99% after 10–60 minutes. AV1 mineralization was slower, but after 120 minutes of oxidation it was higher than 98% in the H2O2/Fe2+, PAA/Fe2+ and PAA/Fe2+/sunlight systems.
RANS Computation of the Mean Forces and Moments, and Wave-Induced Six Degrees of Freedom Motions for a Ship Moving Obliquely in Regular Head and Beam Waves

Ship maneuvering performance in waves has attracted much attention in recent years. One of main research efforts for this problem has been devoted to the high-accuracy computation of hydrodynamic forces and moments, as well as wave-induced motions, for ships performing maneuvering motions in waves. The objective of this article is to present a numerical study on the computation of the mean forces and moments, and wave-induced six degrees of freedom motions for a ship moving obliquely in regular head and beam waves. The RANS (Reynolds-Averaged Navier-Stokes) solver based on OpenFOAM is used for this purpose. The RANS computations herein are carried out in a horizontal coordinate system. The numerical wave maker with prescribing values of flow variables on the domain boundaries is applied for the wave generation in the computational domain. However, in order to prevent wave reflection, relaxed zones adjacent to the wave maker boundaries are set up. A new program module is inserted into OpenFOAM to update the flow velocity and wave evaluation on the wave-maker boundaries and in the relaxed zones during the RANS computation. The mesh deformation method is employed to allow the ship to perform motions in space. However, a virtual spring system is attached to the ship so as to restrain the surge, sway and yaw, while heave, pitch and roll are completely free, so that the ship is able to oscillate periodically around a certain position in space. The computed mean forces and moments with the inertia effects agree fairly well with the experimental data, and the computed wave-induced motions are also in quite reasonable agreement with the experimental data. This study shows a very successful computation, as well as the procedure of the RANS results processing.
Efficient Visible–Near‐Infrared Hybrid Perovskite:PbS Quantum Dot Photodetectors Fabricated Using an Antisolvent Additive Solution Process

Organometal lead‐halide perovskites demonstrate excellent photovoltaic performance in the visible (Vis) region. However, their lack of response in the near‐infrared (NIR) region limits their applications in broadband photodetectors. Herein, an efficient Vis–NIR perovskite photodetector (PePD) created by doping PbS quantum dots (QDs) in perovskite precursors via an antisolvent additive solution process is reported. By changing the volume of the antisolvent additive, perovskite hybrid films of MAPbI3:PbS QDs with good crystallinity and uniform grain size are created. The resultant Vis–NIR PePD exhibits a specific detectivity of 1012 and 1011 Jones in the visible and NIR regions, respectively. These results suggest that the antisolvent additive solution process can disperse PbS QDs between perovskite grain boundaries and control the perovskite crystallinity and morphology, providing a simple method to broaden the spectral response range of PePDs.
Alkaline-earth tri-mercurides AIIHg3 (AII=Ca, Sr, Ba): binary intermetallic compounds with a common and a new structure type

Abstract The alkaline-earth tri-mercurides AHg3 (A=Ca, Sr, Ba) were yielded from stoichiometric melts of the elements in pure phase (in the case of Sr with Sr11Hg54 as a by-product) and their structures were determined by means of single crystal X-ray data. As reported long ago from powder data, CaHg3 and SrHg3 crystallize in the Ni3Sn-type (P63/mmc, a=662.26(2)/689.39(3), c=501.64(2)/510.38(3) pm, Z=2, R1=0.0233/0.0306 for A=Ca/Sr). The structure consists of a hexagonal close packing of ordered layers AHg3 or a dense packing of anti-cuboctahedra [AHg12] (as cation coordination polyhedra, CCP) and [Hg6] octahedra fused via opposite faces to form columns along c. BaHg3 crystallizes in a unique structure type (P4/ncc, a=1193.04(3), c=958.02(5) pm, Z=12, R1=0.0461). It contains three crystallographically different Hg atoms, which form layers of distorted flat square pyramids. In contrast to the layers of the BaAl4-type, 15${1 \over 5}$ of the pyramids are missing. Due to the 45 degree rotation of adjacent layers, the connection between the layers is not a ‘apical-to-apical’ one like in BaAl4, but is established by ‘apical-to-basal’ bonds. Compared to the Ca and Sr compound, the CCPs of the two different Ba atoms, which are embedded between the pyramid layers, are increased to 12+4 and 14+2 (for Hg+Ba). For all title compounds and the Li phase LiHg3, which is isotypic to CaHg3, the electronic band structures were calculated within the framework of the FP-LAPW DFT method. Even though the compounds are metals and exhibit only very slight minima of the tDOS at the Fermi level, the electron transfer from the alkali/alkaline-earth element towards mercury is almost complete. Thus, Coulomb interactions and the optimized size and arrangement of the A CCPs, besides the flexible Hg–Hg bonding within the polyanion, determine the structure formation.
MW-Assisted Synthesis of Eight New 6-Nitrilmethyl Pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-Ones via a Domino Process: aza Diels–Alder/N-Acylation/Aromatization

An efficient Microwave (MW)-assisted synthesis of eight new 6-nitrilmethyl-pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-ones via a domino process: aza Diels–Alder/N-acylation/aromatization (dehydration–decarboxylation) from their corresponding 2-aminonitrile-oxazoles and maleic anhydride are described. The use of MW as a heat source and scandium (III) triflate as a catalyst to promote the cycloaddition process was crucial to construct these polyfunctionalized products in very good yields (51–79%), considering both their molecular complexity and that only one domino-type experimental procedure was required for their synthesis. It is worth noting that all products reported herein have not been synthesized nor isolated anywhere. However, they can be of high interest for the synthetic and medicinal chemistry community because pyrrolo[3,4-b]pyridin-5-one is the structural core of various bioactive compounds. In the same context, it can be considered as a privileged aza analogue of the isoindolin-1-one, which in turn is the core of numerous anticancer agents.
Tingkat Kepuasan Mahasiswa Terhadap Kualitas Pelayanan Angkot di Kota Medan

In general, urban transportation experiences similar problem, which is the low level of public transport occupancy. There are numerous factors that can cause such condition, of which can be summarized in the form of service quality shortcoming. Service quality of such public facility is measured and evaluated based on user experience, and planners utilize it to plan for future improvements. Importance-Performance Analysis is used in this research to identify aspects of service that are expected to be on top of enhancement priority list. Based on 159 studentsâ€™ responses, it was found that six service criterias are in high-priority-quadrant. These are crowding, sitting comfort, hygiene, driver behavior, driver cleanliness, and security. Specifically, driver behavior aspect is regarded as highly prioritized, whereas on the contrary angkot fare and operating time are considered good enough and thus placed on low-priority list.
Compound nouns do not always fulfill the conjunction thesis: An analysis using the mental model theory

This paper is intended to show that the properties classical logic attributes to conjunction are not always found in real compound nouns in natural language. This fact is described by means of several examples taken from different natural languages. The main conclusion is that perhaps a better option to understand human language and communicative phenomena is to assume a basically semantic approach with the mental model theory proposed as a more suitable alternative. This is because the fact that the logical properties that are not always present in real compound nouns is not considered a problem under the framework of this theory.