Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Adaptive Output Feedback NN Control of a Class of Discrete-Time MIMO Nonlinear Systems With Unknown Control Directions

In this paper, adaptive neural network (NN) control is investigated for a class of block triangular multiinput-multioutput nonlinear discrete-time systems with each subsystem in pure-feedback form with unknown control directions. These systems are of couplings in every equation of each subsystem, and different subsystems may have different orders. To avoid the noncausal problem in the control design, the system is transformed into a predictor form by rigorous derivation. By exploring the properties of the block triangular form, implicit controls are developed for each subsystem such that the couplings of inputs and states among subsystems have been completely decoupled. The radial basis function NN is employed to approximate the unknown control. Each subsystem achieves a semiglobal uniformly ultimately bounded stability with the proposed control, and simulation results are presented to demonstrate its efficiency.
The Ability of Young Adults to Estimate Portion Size and Calorie Content

This study describes the ability of young adults (N = 177, 75% female) aged 16–26 years to estimate the size and calories in typical portions of common foods. Participants served themselves typical portion sizes of 8 foods at breakfast (n = 63) or 6 foods at lunch or dinner (n = 114). Portion size selections were unobtrusively weighed and converted to volume measures. Calories in the portions were then calculated. Only 34% of volume and 22% of calorie estimates were within 25% of their actual amounts. Nearly half the volume estimates were more than 25% greater than actual amounts. Approximately one third of the calorie estimates were underestimated by 26% or more.
Relativised Equivalence in Equilibrium Logic and its Applications to Prediction and Explanation: Preliminary Report

For a given semantics, two nonmonotonic theories Π1 and Π2 can be said to be equivalent if they have the same intended models and strongly (resp., uniformly) equivalent if for any Σ, Π1∪Σ and Π2∪Σ are equivalent, where Σ is a set of sentences (resp., literals). In the general case, no restrictions are placed on the language (signature) of Σ. Relativised notions of strong and uniform equivalence are obtained by requiring that Σ belongs to a specified sublanguage L of the theories Π1 and Π2. For normal and disjunctive logic programs under stablemodel semantics, relativised strong and uniform equivalence have been defined and characterised in previous work by Woltran. Here, we extend these concepts to nonmonotonic theories in equilibrium logic and discuss applications in the context of prediction and explanation.
Moral Perception, Cognition, and Dialogue

The aim of the paper is to analyse the concept of moral perception. Moral perception gets characterized as a distinctive, non-inferential moral response to concrete situations. In order to relate moral perception with a suitable model of moral cognition the position labelled morphological rationalism is elaborated. Moral judgment follows a dynamical model of reasons, according to which reasons are situated in an agent’s structured morphological background, chromatically illuminating the judgment. The key claim is that such a model is particularly well-suited to accommodate moral perception. From such a perspective some practical implications are elaborated (disagreement, intercultural dialogues).
Incremental learning approach and SAT model for boolean matching with don’t cares

In this paper, we will propose an incremental learning approach to solve Boolean matching for incompletely specified functions. This approach can incrementally analyze current feasible partial mappings, detect and eliminate redundant manipulations in a proactive way. A new type of signature exploiting single variable symmetries is also given to reduce the searching space. Moreover, a SAT model of Boolean matching will be proposed to handle large Boolean functions. Through the utilization of these novel mechanisms, a drastic improvement on the performance of our Boolean matching algorithms are achieved. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness and efficiency of the proposed learning-based and SAT-based Boolean matching algorithms on many large benchmarking circuits.
Amygdala reactivity to emotional faces predicts improvement in major depression

Behavioral studies suggest that emotional reactivity in depressed persons predicts subsequent symptom reduction. Using functional magnetic resonance imaging in a prospective study, we show that greater amygdala activation to emotional facial expressions among depressed patients predicts symptom reduction 8 months later, controlling for initial depression severity and medication status. Functional magnetic resonance imaging may thus be used as a method to identify neural markers in depressed patients at risk for poor outcome.
English medium instruction in universities: A collaborative experiment in Turkey

We report on a study exploring the level of success of collaboration in lesson planning between English language specialists and content teachers in Turkish universities where academic subjects are being taught through the medium of English. Although some previous research exists on collaboration of this kind at the secondary education level, and there is some reference to it in Content and Language Integrated Learning in Europe, no research to date has explored the potential for collaboration between specialists at the tertiary level. Using pre- and post intervention interviews with nine “collaborating pairs” of teachers using a “collaborative planning tool” we additionally explored content teachers’ beliefs about their students’ language competence, their conceptualization of language as a medium for understanding content, and their knowledge and beliefs about the preparatory English programme. Our findings on the whole suggest that collaboration of this sort can be highly beneficial and we provide case studies of both successful and less successful aspects of the intervention.
Hypercapnic Acidosis Attenuates Lung Injury Induced by Established Bacterial Pneumonia

Background: Hypercapnic acidosis protects against lung injury after ischemia–reperfusion, endotoxin-induced and ventilation-induced lung injury. The effects of hypercapnic acidosis in the setting of established pulmonary sepsis are not known. The authors investigated whether hypercapnic acidosis—induced by adding carbon dioxide to inspired gas—would be beneficial or deleterious in established Escherichia coli pneumonia in an in vivo model, in the presence and absence of antibiotic therapy. Methods: Adult male Sprague-Dawley rats were anesthetized and ventilated. In the first set of experiments, rats were anesthetized, E. coli (5–6.4 × 109/ml colony-forming units) was instilled intratracheally, and the animals were allowed to recover. After 6 h, during which time a severe pneumonia developed, they were reanesthetized and randomly assigned to normocapnia (fraction of inspired carbon dioxide [Fico2] = 0.00, n = 10) or hypercapnic acidosis (Fico2 = 0.05, n = 10). The second set of experiments was performed in a manner identical to that of series 1, but all rats (n = 10 per group) were given intravenous ceftriaxone (30 mg/kg) at randomization. All animals received normocapnia or hypercapnic acidosis for 6 h, and the severity of lung injury was assessed. Results: In the absence of antibiotic therapy, hypercapnic acidosis reduced the pneumonia-induced increase in peak airway pressure and the decrease in static lung compliance compared with control conditions. In the presence of antibiotic therapy, which substantially reduced lung bacterial counts, hypercapnic acidosis significantly attenuated the extent of pneumonia-induced histologic injury. Conclusions: Hypercapnic acidosis reduced the magnitude of the lung injury induced by established E. coli pneumonia.
Multi-channel wireless sensor networks : protocols, design and evaluation

Pervasive systems, which are described as networked embedded systems integrated with everyday environments, are considered to have the potential to change our daily lives by creating smart surroundings and by their ubiquity, just as the Internet. In the last decade, “Wireless Sensor Networks” have appeared as one of the real-world examples of pervasive systems by combining automated sensing, embedded computing and wireless networking into tiny embedded devices. A wireless sensor network typically comprises a large number of spatially distributed, tiny, battery-operated, embedded sensor devices that are networked to cooperatively collect, process, and deliver data about a phenomenon that is of interest to the users. Traditionally, wireless sensor networks have been used for monitoring applications based on low-rate data collection with low periods of operation. Current wireless sensor networks are considered to support more complex operations ranging from target tracking to health care which require efficient and timely collection of large amounts of data. Considering the low-bandwidth, low-power operation of the radios on the sensor devices, interference and contention over the wireless medium and the energy-efficiency requirements due to the battery-operated devices, fulfilling the mentioned data-collection requirements in complex applications becomes a challenging task. This thesis focuses on the efficient delivery of large amounts of data in bandwidth-limited wireless sensor networks by making use of the multi-channel capability of the sensor radios and by using optimal routing topologies. We start with experimenting the operation of the sensor radios to characterize the behavior of multi-channel communication. We propose a set of algorithms to increase the throughput and timely delivery of the data and analyze the bounds on the data collection capacity of the wireless sensor networks.
A pilot questionnaire to evaluate functional competencies related to HIV transmission

Epidemiological research has shown that a high percentage of diseases have a psychological origin, and that situational rather than cognitive factors are of importance. The article describes the design and characteristics of a pilot questionnaire aimed at the evaluation of functional competencies related to HIV transmission. The questionnaire is based on an inter-behavioural theoretical approach and has as basis the Psychological Model of Biological Health as well as Contingential Analysis. The questionnaire consists of107 items, aimed at identifying variables related to risky sexual behaviour in transmitting HIV. The questionnaire assesses three different dimensions, namely knowledge, attitudes, and skills. With this design it is possible to establish the degree of correspondence among what participants know,what they believe and what they do regarding HIV prevention.
Load shedding control strategy for power system voltage regulation in distribution networks

Due to the impact of disturbances in power system voltage stability. An advanced method is introduced using sensitivity analysis to preserve the voltage within the secure limits when the power system faces disturbance. The objective is to compute firstly the static sensitivity index during small disturbance, without considering the difference between static and dynamic load shedding. Then, obtain the dynamic sensitivity index when a large disturbance occurred in the system. Finally, describe the difference between static and dynamic load shedding during large disturbance. Simulation was implemented on IEEE-33 test bus system, the results showed that this method is reasonable and efficient.
Raising high-density lipoprotein cholesterol with inhibitors of cholesteryl ester transfer protein – a new approach to coronary artery disease

Although the low-density lipoprotein (LDL) cholesterol-lowering statins reduce the mortality and morbidity associated with coronary artery disease, considerable mortality and morbidity remains. Increasing high-density lipoprotein (HDL) cholesterol reduces coronary artery disease mortality and morbidity. In healthy subjects with mild dyslipidaemia, treatment with JTT-705 decreased cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) activity, increased HDL-cholesterol and decreased LDL-cholesterol. Similarly, another CETP inhibitor, torcetrapib 120 mg/day has recently been shown to increase HDL-cholesterol by 46%, decrease LDL-cholesterol by 8% and have no effect on triglycerides in subjects with HDL-cholesterol < 1 mmol/l. In subjects treated with atorvastatin to lower their LDL-cholesterol levels, torcetrapib further lowered LDL-cholesterol while increasing HDL-cholesterol. In conclusion, raising HDL-cholesterol with inhibitors of CETP is a new approach to coronary artery disease that requires further investigation, especially in patients with coronary artery disease.
How neuropsychology helps us understand normal cognitive function

Neuropsychological results are increasingly cited in cognitive theories although their methodology has been severely criticised. The book argues for an eclectic approach but particularly stresses the use of single-case studies. A range of potential artifacts exists when inferences are made from such studies to the organisation of normal function for example, resource differences among tasks, premorbid individual differences, and reorganisation of function. The use of "strong" and "classical" dissociations minimises potential artifacts. The theoretical convergence between findings from fields where cognitive neuropsychology is well developed and those from the normal literature strongly suggests that the potential artifacts are not critical. The fields examined in detail in this respect are short-term memory, reading, writing, the organisation of input and output speech systems, and visual perception. Functional dissociation data suggest that not only are input systems organised modularly, but so are central systems. This conclusion is supported by findings on impairment of knowledge, visual attention, supervisory functions, memory, and
How do galactic winds affect the Lyα forest

ABSTRACT We investigatethe eﬀect ofgalacticwinds onthe Lyα forestin cosmologicalsimulationsof structure and galaxy formation. We combine high resolution N-body simulationsof the evolution of the dark matter with a semi-analytic model for the formation andevolution of galaxies which includes detailed prescriptions for the long-term evolutionof galactic winds. This model is the ﬁrst to describe the evolution of outﬂows as atwo-phase process (an adiabatic bubble followed by a momentum–driven shell) and toinclude metal–dependent cooling of the outﬂowing material. We ﬁnd that the mainstatistical properties of the Lyα forest, namely the ﬂux power spectrum P(k) and theﬂux probability distribution function (PDF), are not signiﬁcantly aﬀected by windsand so do not signiﬁcantly constrain wind models. Winds around galaxies do, however,produce detectable signatures in the forest, in particular, increased ﬂux transmissivityinside hot bubbles, and narrow, saturated absorption lines caused by dense cooledshells. We ﬁnd that the Lyα ﬂux transmissivity is highly enhanced near strongly wind–blowing galaxies, almost half of all high-redshift galaxies in our sample, in agreementwith the results of Adelberger et al. (2005). Finally, we propose a new method toidentify absorption lines potentially due to wind shells in the Lyα forest: we calculatethe abundance of saturated regions in spectra as a function of region width and weﬁnd that the number with widths smaller than about 1 ˚A at z = 3 and 0.6 ˚A at z = 2may be more than doubled. This should be detectable in real spectra.Key words: cosmology: theory – intergalactic medium – quasars: absorption lines
An automatic and customized support based on artificial ants

In recent years, the distance learning has become as a new approach to complete the training. Unfortunately, and despite all its advantages, it still suffers of a significant drop-out rate which is due, in particular, in the absence of an appropriate monitoring and support in learning. We propose to achieve an intelligent tutoring system able to classify learners into groups representing their learning profiles through their interactions, by taking into account their evolution during the learning. For then associate each learner with a tutor of the same profile that can react to its actions, providing them support and appropriate accompaniment throughout their learning The classification of learners in the profiles was carried out following several steps. Indeed, the profile derived by the classification algorithm cannot be considered as a correct profile, we have to consider the mood of learner, the personal and professional constraints that can significantly influence his performance and behavior. Thus, it is essential to continue to monitor his progress and to deduce his exact profile following behavior which dominates throughout his apprenticeship. However, the need of support by a tutor with a good knowledge of the needs and expectations of learner appears in his first contact with the apprenticeship system. Thus we have to be able to deduce his exact profile while associating an intelligent tutor providing ongoing support and as relevant as possible from the start of training. Due to the large number of learners, we propose a method for classification based on the behavior of ants; it is an improvement of the unsupervised algorithm ANTCLUST. The choice landed on the artificial ants because they are known for their dynamic and evolutionary aspects that will allow us to continue to supervise the development of learners.
The Simulation and Analysis of Recess-Gated GaN/AlGaN MOSFET RF Characteristics for Green-Energy Automobile Applications

A normally-off recess-gated GaN/AlGaN MOSFET which applicable at green-energy system and automobile SoC technology has been demonstrated. By recess-gated process, the transistor is operated as a normally-off device which has advantages for less power loss, and easy circuit design. After the GaN/AlGaN MOSFET device design, the DC and RF characteristics are extracted and analyzed by TCAD simulation process. The Ion of 250 mA/mm, SS of 200 mV/dec, VB of 60 V, fT of 2 GHz, and fmax of 2.5 GHz are obtained.
The 7 th International Conference on Ambient Systems , Networks and Technologies ( ANT 2016 ) Impact of execution modes on finding Android failures

The iMPAcT tool combines the benefits of existing user recurring behaviour (User Interface Patterns) on mobile applications to facilitate the test automation of Android mobile applications. It uses an automatic exploration process combined with reverse engineering to identify the existing user interface patterns on a mobile application and then tests those patterns with generic test strategies (designated Test Patterns). The Test Patterns are defined in a catalogue that can be reused for testing other applications. However the results obtained by the iMPAcT tool depend on the exploration mode and on the order in which the test strategies are applied. This paper describes an experiment conducted to evaluate the impact of using different exploration modes and of changing the order by which UI patterns are searched and subsequently tested on the failures found and on the number of events fired. c © 2016 The Authors. Published by Elsevier B.V. Peer-review under responsibility of the Conference Program Chairs.
Women Police

Abstract This study investigated the use of force by and against women police officers using survey data from a large sample of female and male officers in six departments. Results suggested that female officers and same-gender female-female officer pairs used less force, and were less likely to use physical force, in police-citizen encounters when compared to their male counterparts. There was no evidence supporting the proposition that citizens used less force against female officers compared with male officers. In fact, the findings indicated that citizens used significantly more force against female officers relative to male officers in domestic calls. Although female officers were more likely to engage in underpredicted policing; that is, use less force than the situation would normally dictate, underpredicted policing was not related to an increase in the likelihood of officer injury. Implications for women officers, police use of force, and the institution of policing are discussed.
The topology of compact Lie group actions through the lens of finite models

Given a compact, connected Lie group $K$, we use principal $K$-bundles to construct manifolds with prescribed finite-dimensional algebraic models. Conversely, let $M$ be a compact, connected, smooth manifold which supports an almost free $K$-action. Under a partial formality assumption on the orbit space and a regularity assumption on the characteristic classes of the action, we describe an algebraic model for $M$ with commensurate finiteness and partial formality properties. The existence of such a model has various implications on the structure of the cohomology jump loci of $M$ and of the representation varieties of $\pi_1(M)$. As an application, we show that compact Sasakian manifolds of dimension $2n+1$ are $(n-1)$-formal, and that their fundamental groups are filtered-formal. Further applications to the study of weighted-homogeneous isolated surface singularities are also given.
Sexual exploitation: swimming coaches' perceptions and the development of role conflict and role ambiguity

Public awareness about sexual abuse and sexual harassment in sport has greatly increased over the last 10 years. In England, the sport of swimming has been especially affected, first because of several high profile cases of swimming coaches being convicted of sexual abuse, and secondly because the Amateur Swimming Association (ASA) has taken a proactive stance to protect children in swimming. Much of the previous research examining sexual exploitation in sport has been from the perspective of the athlete. This qualitative study was designed to examine swimming coaches' constructions of appropriateness about coach/swimmer sexual relationships. Nineteen coaches participated in either an elite, national, or county level focus group. Coaches discussed the appropriateness of coach/athlete relationships as presented in 7 vignettes. Analysis was conducted in accordance with the constructivist revision of Grounded Theory (Charmaz, 1990; Strauss & Corbin, 1998) and organised with the assistance of the software programme, QSR NVIVO. The coaches report that sex with an athlete below the legal age of consent is inappropriate. Coaches' perceptions regarding "legal" relationships vary according to whether the coach is talking about himself versus other coaches. The emergent themes influencing perceptions of appropriateness are: reducing opportunities for false allegations, the influence of public scrutiny, evaluating consequences of relationships, maintaining professional boundaries, and reluctance to judge fellow coaches. After completing the initial analysis, the emergent themes were further explored in individual unstructured interviews with three purposively selected coaches. One coach was in a long-term relationship with a swimmer, another served a prison term for child sexual abuse of a swimmer he coached, and the third had allegations against him dropped. The secondary analysis reveals that the themes about appropriateness relate to the broader issue of coaches' attempts to resolve perceived role conflict and role ambiguity that has arisen from increased awareness of child protection. This is examined with reference to how awareness of sexual abuse in sport has provoked coaches to question their roles and coaching boundaries. Results are discussed in relation to organisational psychology theories of role conflict and role ambiguity and directions for future research are suggested.