Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Output feedback stabilization for systems presenting sector-bounded nonlinearities and saturating inputs

Abstract In the present work a systematic methodology for computing output stabilizing feedback control laws for nonlinear systems subject to saturating inputs is presented. In particular, the class of L'ure type nonlinear systems is considered. Based on absolute stability tools and a modified sector condition to take into account input saturation effects, an LMI framework is proposed to design the controller. Both regional (local) and global stabilization results are presented. The controller structure is composed by a linear part, an anti-windup loop and a term associated to the output of the dynamic nonlinearity. Convex optimization problems are proposed in order to compute the controller matrices aiming at the maximization of the basin of attraction, or the performance enhancement with a guaranteed region of stability. A numerical example illustrates the potentialities of the methodology.
Service in a Loop System

The s ta t i s t ica l behavior of a loop service sys tem is s tudied. The sys tem consists of a main s ta t ion , a server and N s ta t ions ar ranged on a loop. Customers arr ive at each s ta t ion according to a r andom process. The server makes successive tours along the loop br inging customers from the N s ta t ions to the main s ta t ion. Two related measures of the grade of service are considered: the average queue length and the average v i r tua l wai t ing t ime at each s ta t ion.
The Topos of Labelled Trees: A Categorical Semantics for SCCS

In this paper a we give a semantics for SCCS using the constructions of the topos of labelled trees. The semantics accounts for all aspects of the original formulation of SCCS, including unbounded non-determinism. Then, a partial solution to the problem of characterizing bisimulation in terms of a class of morphisms is proposed. We define a class of morphisms of the topos of trees, called conflict preserving, such that two trees T and U are bisimilar iff there is a pair of conflict preserving morphisms f : T → U and g : U → T such that fgf = f and gfg = g. It is the first characterization which does not require the existence of a third quotient object. The results can be easily extended to more general transition systems.
Genetic Circuits that Govern Bisexual and Unisexual Reproduction in Cryptococcus neoformans

Cryptococcus neoformans is a human fungal pathogen with a defined sexual cycle. Nutrient-limiting conditions and pheromones induce a dimorphic transition from unicellular yeast to multicellular hyphae and the production of infectious spores. Sexual reproduction involves cells of either opposite (bisexual) or one (unisexual) mating type. Bisexual and unisexual reproduction are governed by shared components of the conserved pheromone-sensing Cpk1 MAPK signal transduction cascade and by Mat2, the major transcriptional regulator of the pathway. However, the downstream targets of the pathway are largely unknown, and homology-based approaches have failed to yield downstream transcriptional regulators or other targets. In this study, we applied insertional mutagenesis via Agrobacterium tumefaciens transkingdom DNA delivery to identify mutants with unisexual reproduction defects. In addition to elements known to be involved in sexual development (Crg1, Ste7, Mat2, and Znf2), three key regulators of sexual development were identified by our screen: Znf3, Spo11, and Ubc5. Spo11 and Ubc5 promote sporulation during both bisexual and unisexual reproduction. Genetic and phenotypic analyses provide further evidence implicating both genes in the regulation of meiosis. Phenotypic analysis of sexual development showed that Znf3 is required for hyphal development during unisexual reproduction and also plays a central role during bisexual reproduction. Znf3 promotes cell fusion and pheromone production through a pathway parallel to and independent of the pheromone signaling cascade. Surprisingly, Znf3 participates in transposon silencing during unisexual reproduction and may serve as a link between RNAi silencing and sexual development. Our studies illustrate the power of unbiased genetic screens to reveal both novel and conserved circuits that operate sexual reproduction.
Long-term population estimates and synchronous variation in two populations of black rat snakes ( Elaphe obsoleta ) in Eastern Ontario

Synchronous variation describes the pattern that occurs when variables, such as population size, from several separate populations increase or decrease together. It is common in animal populations and is relevant when studying species of conservation interest because synchrony prevents population rescue. We used 23 years of mark-recapture data to test for the presence of synchronous variation in population size for two separate populations of the threatened black rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta) in Eastern Ontario. The Jolly-Seber method was used to estimate population size. The population sizes tended to vary synchronously from 1982 to 2005. Synchronous variation in population size can be attributed to the Moran effect, where two separate populations become synchronous due to common environmental perturbations. Evidence of synchrony has serious conservation implications; this population of black rat snakes is more vulnerable to environmental perturbations because all subpopulations would become rare simultaneously. Introduction Long-term population monitoring plays an essential role in conservation. Examining population trends is the only means to assess species status and to evaluate the efficacy of management actions. Synchronous variation is common in animals (Ranta et al. 1995; Hudson and Cattadori 1999). Subpopulations that vary asynchronously can rescue neighbouring populations through dispersal (Koenig, 1999), lessening the risk of local extinctions. In contrast, subpopulations that vary synchronously may cause the entire population to be more susceptible to extinction. We used 23 years of mark-recapture data to test for population size synchrony among two genetically distinct populations of the threatened black rat snake (Elaphe obsoleta) in Eastern Ontario, thus extending the work of Weatherhead et al. (2002). The black rat snake is limited in Canada to a few disjunct populations along the north shore of Lake Erie and one continuous population on the Frontenac Axis of Eastern Ontario.
Introducing an Intergenerational, Internet-Based Tutoring Program

ABSTRACT Schools face many challenges in preparing students to meet today's state and national academic goals. Intergenerational tutoring programs have been shown to be an excellent resource to help schools and students meet these academic challenges. However, inter-generational tutoring programs can be expensive and face obstacles that include scheduling difficulties and barriers pertaining to physical mobility and transportation needs of older adult tutors. This paper describes an intergenerational, Internet-based tutoring program established to determine whether older adults could successfully tutor middle-school students over the Internet. An asset of this program is that older adults can tutor at convenient times, providing resources that may be unavailable to remote rural areas. Following a brief description of the program, i.e., a reading strategy identified as successful in improving reading comprehension for both older adults and younger students, challenges met in implementing the program are outlined. A description of how those working with intergenerational programs may meet these challenges is then presented.
Frequency Reconfigurable Antenna for Wireless Communications Using GaAs FET Switch

A compact frequency reconfigurable antenna which could be easily switched between a narrowband state and a dual-band state is presented in this letter. The narrowband covers the WLAN (2.4-2.48 GHz) and WiMAX (2.5-2.69 GHz), while the dual-band supports the PCS (1.85-1.99 GHz) and WiMAX (3.4-3.69 GHz). The reconfigurability is achieved by using a single GaAs field effect transistor switch to change the length of the current flow path. The switch can be directly driven by digital signal, and no bias network is needed. The simulated results are in agreement well with the measured results. The proposed antenna is well suited to be integrated within the wireless handheld devices.
Matching Deformable Objects in Clutter

We consider the problem of deformable object detection and dense correspondence in cluttered 3D scenes. Key ingredient to our method is the choice of representation: we formulate the problem in the spectral domain using the functional maps framework, where we seek for the most regular nearly-isometric parts in the model and the scene that minimize correspondence error. The problem is initialized by solving a sparse relaxation of a quadratic assignment problem on features obtained via data-driven metric learning. The resulting matching pipeline is solved efficiently, and yields accurate results in challenging settings that were previously left unexplored in the literature.
Biogeochemistry and Community Composition of Iron- and Sulfur-Precipitating Microbial Mats at the Chefren Mud Volcano (Nile Deep Sea Fan, Eastern Mediterranean)

ABSTRACT In this study we determined the composition and biogeochemistry of novel, brightly colored, white and orange microbial mats at the surface of a brine seep at the outer rim of the Chefren mud volcano. These mats were interspersed with one another, but their underlying sediment biogeochemistries differed considerably. Microscopy revealed that the white mats were granules composed of elemental S filaments, similar to those produced by the sulfide-oxidizing epsilonproteobacterium “Candidatus Arcobacter sulfidicus. ” Fluorescence in situ hybridization indicated that microorganisms targeted by a “Ca. Arcobacter sulfidicus”-specific oligonucleotide probe constituted up to 24% of the total the cells within these mats. Several 16S rRNA gene sequences from organisms closely related to “Ca. Arcobacter sulfidicus” were identified. In contrast, the orange mat consisted mostly of bright orange flakes composed of empty Fe(III) (hydr)oxide-coated microbial sheaths, similar to those produced by the neutrophilic Fe(II)-oxidizing betaproteobacterium Leptothrix ochracea. None of the 16S rRNA gene sequences obtained from these samples were closely related to sequences of known neutrophilic aerobic Fe(II)-oxidizing bacteria. The sediments below both types of mats showed relatively high sulfate reduction rates (300 nmol·cm−3·day−1) partially fueled by the anaerobic oxidation of methane (10 to 20 nmol·cm−3·day−1). Free sulfide produced below the white mat was depleted by sulfide oxidation within the mat itself. Below the orange mat free Fe(II) reached the surface layer and was depleted in part by microbial Fe(II) oxidation. Both mats and the sediments underneath them hosted very diverse microbial communities and contained mineral precipitates, most likely due to differences in fluid flow patterns.
The Pricing Kernel Puzzle: Reconciling Index Option Data and Economic Theory

The pricing kernel puzzle of Jackwerth (2000) concerns the fact that the empirical pricing kernel implied in S&P 500 index options and index returns is not monotonically decreasing in wealth as standard economic theory would suggest. Thus, those options are currently priced in a way such that any risk-averse investor would increase his/her utility by trading in them. We provide a representative agent model where volatility is a function of a second momentum state variable. This model is capable of generating the empirical patterns in the pricing kernel, albeit only for parameter constellations that are not typically observed in the real world.
Effects of Gonadal Steroids on Melanocytes in Developing Hamsters

Abstract: The effects of chronically administered 5α‐dihydrotestosterone and estradiol‐17β on the dorsal costovertebral spots and scrotal skin of intact and hypophysectomized prepubertal male Syrian hamsters were analyzed morphometrically. The 5α‐dihydrotestosterone increased pigmentation (optical density) of costovertebral spots and scrotal skin without altering the percentage of pigmented area in intact animals. Spot size and pigment density also increased significantly in hypophysectomized hamsters, but there was no change in the percentage of pigmented area. The 5α‐dihydrotestosterone did not alter the percentage of pigmentation in any area of scrotal skin in hypophysectomized animals. In contrast, estradiol produced a dose‐related decrease in the number of scrotal skin melanocytes in intact animals. The androgen‐induced increase in pigmentation of costovertebral spot hair follicles was reversed by estradiol, which increased pigmentation around the sebaceous glands. These observations suggest that androgenic stimulation of pigmentation in male hamsters is direct, takes place prior to puberty, is probably tissue specific, and is antagonized by estrogens. The differential response to these steroids of melanocytes adjacent to hair follicles and around the perimeter of sebaceous glands may result from changes in the oxidation state of premelanin, an alteration in melanocyte size and shape, or an actual change in the rate of melanin synthesis.
Role of Molecular Biology in Hypertension Research State of the Art Lecture

In this article we will examine the potential impact of molecular biology on hypertension research. We will review the available molecular techniques, which include gene cloning, transient and stable expressions, as well as the use of transgenic animals. To facilitate our discussion, we will focus primarily on research of the renin gene. Renin provides a useful model that illustrates the power of biotechnology in providing detailed structural and biochemical information on a complex protein that exists in low quantities in vivo. Studies of its messenger RNA and gene expression have resulted in an improved understanding of the biology of the renin system and in generating new hypotheses. These approaches can be generalized to studies of other vasoactive hormones, contractile protein, and other gene products related to cardiovascular regulation. To elucidate the role of a specific gene in genetic hypertension, we will discuss the use of genetic markers in cosegregation or linkage analysis. Finally, we will examine the potential of transgenic animals in the study of regulation of gene expression in the whole animal and the contribution of selective genes to hypertension. We believe that molecular biology complements the biochemical and physiological approaches and provides new opportunities for furthering our concept of hypertension mechanisms.
Haplotype analysis of 94 cystic fibrosis mutations with seven polymorphic CFTR DNA markers

We have analyzed 416 normal and 467 chromosomes carrying 94 different cystic fibrosis (CF) mutations with polymorphic genetic markers J44, IVS6aGATT, IVS8CA, T854, IVS17BTA, IVS17BCA, and TUB20. The number of mutations found with each haplotype is proportional to its frequency among normal chromosomes, suggesting that there is no preferential haplotype in which mutations arise and thus excluding possible selection for specific haplotypes. While many common mutations in the worldwide CF population showed absence of haplotype variation, indicating their recent origins, some mutations were associated with more than one haplotype. The most common CF mutations, ΔF508, G542X, and N1303K, showed the highest number of slippage events at microsatellites, suggesting that they are the most ancient CF mutations. Recurrence was probably the case for 9 CF mutations (R117H, H199Y, R347YH, R347P, L558S, 2184insA, 3272‐26A → G, R1162X, and 3849 + 10kbC → T). This analysis of 94 CF mutations should facilitate mutation screening and provides useful data for studies on population genetics of CF. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Isolating RNA from clinical samples with catrimox‐14 and lithium chloride

RNA is a highly informative molecule that has great potential as a target for diagnostic studies. This potential can be reached only when reliable methods for isolating RNA are available in the clinical environment. Cationic surfactants lyse cells and precipitate nucleic acids. We have described a novel cationic surfactant (tetradecyltrimethylammonium oxalate, Catrimox‐14™), which is particularly effective in precipitating RNA from cells and which can be applied to clinical specimens. We examine the utility of a method of recovering RNA from the surfactant‐nucleic acid precipitate in which 2 M lithium chloride is used to extract the DNA and surfactant from the precipitate; RNA (being insoluble in lithium chloride solution) remains in the pellet.
A Post-editing Interface for Immediate Adaptation in Statistical Machine Translation

Adaptive machine translation (MT) systems are a promising approach for improving the effectiveness of computer-aided translation (CAT) environments. There is, however, virtually only theoretical work that examines how such a system could be implemented. We present an open source post-editing interface for adaptive statistical MT, which has in-depth monitoring capabilities and excellent expandability, and can facilitate practical studies. To this end, we designed text-based and graphical post-editing interfaces. The graphical interface offers means for displaying and editing a rich view of the MT output. Our translation systems may learn from post-edits using several weight, language model and novel translation model adaptation techniques, in part by exploiting the output of the graphical interface. In a user study we show that using the proposed interface and adaptation methods, reductions in technical effort and time can be achieved.
Stroke Detector and Structure Based Models for Character Recognition: A Comparative Study

Characters, which are man-made symbols composed of strokes arranged in a certain structure, could provide semantic information and play an indispensable role in our daily life. In this paper, we try to make use of the intrinsic characteristics of characters and explore the stroke and structure-based methods for character recognition. First, we introduce two existing part-based models to recognize characters by detecting the elastic strokelike parts. In order to utilize strokes of various scales, we propose to learn the discriminative multi-scale stroke detector-based representation (DMSDR) for characters. However, the part-based models and DMSDR need to manually label the parts or key points for training. In order to learn the discriminative stroke detectors automatically, we further propose the discriminative spatiality embedded dictionary learning-based representation (DSEDR) for character recognition. We make a comparative study of the performance of the tree-structured model (TSM), mixtures-of-parts TSM, DMSDR, and DSEDR for character recognition on three challenging scene character recognition (SCR) data sets as well as two handwritten digits recognition data sets. A series of experiments is done on these data sets with various experimental setup. The experimental results demonstrate the suitability of stroke detector-based models for recognizing characters with deformations and distortions, especially in the case of limited training samples.
YAPISAL GÜÇLENDİRME VE PSİKOLOJİK GÜÇLENDİRME ÖLÇEKLERİNİN GEÇERLİLİK VE GÜVENİLİRLİK ANALİZLERİ

Bu calisma Laschinger’in Yapisal Guclendirme Olcegi (Calisma Etkililigi Kosullari Anketi / Conditions Of Work Effectiveness Questionnaire-II, CWEQ-II) ile Spreitzer’in Psikolojik Guclendirme Olceginin (Psychological Empowerment Scale, PES) Turkce’ye uyarlanmasi amaciyla gerceklestirilen gecerlilik ve guvenilirlik analizlerini icermektedir. Analizler sonucunda, yapisal guclendirme olceginin orijinal halinin oldukca iyi uyum degerleri gosterdigi; bununla birlikte zorlanmis alti faktorlu yapinin yapisal guclendirme kavramini olcmekte daha basarili oldugu bulgulanmistir. Psikolojik guclendirme olceginin ise orijinal hali uygun bir yapi olarak dogrulanmistir.
Dulaglutide

Objective: To review the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, safety, and efficacy of the glucagon-like peptide-1 receptor agonist (GLP-1 RA), dulaglutide, in the treatment of type 2 diabetes mellitus (T2D). Data Sources: A PubMed search was completed to identify publications from 1947 to October 2014 using the search terms dulaglutide and LY2189265. References were reviewed to identify additional resources. Study Selection and Data Extraction: Articles were included if they evaluated the pharmacology, pharmacokinetics, safety, or efficacy of dulaglutide. Data Synthesis: Dulaglutide reduces both glycosylated hemoglobin (A1C) and weight by stimulating insulin secretion and suppressing glucagon in a glucose-dependent manner, delaying gastric emptying, and promoting satiety. Dulaglutide consists of 2 GLP-1 analogues that have been modified to make it a long-acting, once-weekly agent. Dulaglutide has been studied as monotherapy and in combination with metformin, glimepiride, pioglitazone, and insulin lispro. It has demonstrated superior A1C reduction compared with placebo, metformin, insulin glargine, sitagliptin, and twice-daily exenatide. It demonstrated noninferiority in A1C reduction to liraglutide. Dulaglutide changed A1C by −0.78% to −1.51%, and it changed weight by −0.35 kg to −3.03 kg. The most common adverse effects in clinical studies were nausea, vomiting, and diarrhea. Conclusions: Dulaglutide is the fifth GLP-1 RA approved for T2D in the United States. It is an attractive option because it is dosed once-weekly, provides A1C lowering similar to liraglutide, weight reduction similar to exenatide, and has an adverse effect profile similar to exenatide and liraglutide.
Detection of glaucoma using scanning laser polarimetry with enhanced corneal compensation.

PURPOSE To evaluate and compare the diagnostic accuracies for glaucoma detection of scanning laser polarimetry (SLP) with enhanced corneal compensation (GDx ECC) and variable corneal compensation (GDx VCC; both by Carl Zeiss Meditec, Dublin, CA), according to different levels of disease severity and presence of atypical retardation patterns. METHODS The study included 102 eyes of 68 patients with glaucoma and 94 eyes of 55 normal subjects. All patients underwent SLP imaging with ECC and VCC methods on the same day. Severity of disease was based on the AGIS (Advanced Glaucoma Intervention Study) visual field score. An ROC regression model was fitted to evaluate the influence of disease severity and atypical retardation patterns (typical scan score [TSS]) on the diagnostic performance of the SLP parameters for both methods. RESULTS GDx ECC performed significantly better than GDx VCC in glaucoma detection in patients with more severe atypical retardation patterns. For average disease severity and arbitrarily chosen TSS values of 20, 50, 70, and 100, the ROC curve areas for GDx ECC were 0.910, 0.935, 0.948, and 0.964. Corresponding values for GDx VCC were 0.684, 0.850, 0.920, and 0.975. For lower values of TSS and lower AGIS scores, GDx ECC performed significantly better than GDx VCC. CONCLUSIONS GDx ECC performed significantly better than VCC for diagnosing glaucoma in patients with more severe atypical patterns of retardation and at earlier stages of disease.