Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On Distributed Control of Multiagent Systems under Adverse Conditions

The objective of this thesis is (1) to show the experimental validation of recently proposed distributed adaptive control architecture for a class of heterogeneous uncertain multiagent systems as well as (2) to theoretically propose a proportional integral controller for multiagent systems having limited resources in the presence of a disturbance with stability analyses. With regard to (1), the distributed adaptive control architecture used in the experiment utilizes a control input having a nominal part and an adaptive augmentation part for each agent to suppress the effect of uncertainties and disturbances effectively. This architecture is capable to provide uniform ultimate boundedness for the output tracking error between each heterogeneous uncertain agent and the leader with unknown dynamics. In addition, if the output of the leader converges to a constant, then the output of each agent asymptotically converges to the output of the leader by this architecture, where the system is subject to matched disturbances and time-invariant system uncertainties over fixed (i.e., time-invariant) and directed graph topology. The experimental setup for validating this architecture is a multiagent mechanical platform composed of two-cart inverted pendulums and a cart. In order to achieve heterogeneity, two carts are attached with different length of pendulums and a cart is used without pendulum. Our mechanical platform involves uncertainties due to friction between pinions of carts and the track. It is observed during the experimental process that the output of agents follow the output of the leader with huge amplitude of oscillations comparing to the control input with adaptive augmentation. This adaptive augmentation minimizes the effect of uncertainties and make the output of agents follow the output of the leader with considerably lower amplitude of oscillations. Several experimental plots are also given to show the efficacy of the proposed distributed adaptive control architecture. We now summarize (2). In contrast to the control architecture used, for example (1), in some reallife scenarios it is not cost-effective to implement a controller into each agent. To address this problem, a proportional integral controller is proposed to implement only one control input into the multiagent system, which is composed of agents executing the distributed information based on the graph topology
PERCUTANEOUS LOCKING PLATES FOR FRACTURES OF THE DISTAL TIBIA: OUR EXPERIENCE AND A REVIEW OF LITERATURE *Asmatullah,

Background: of distal tibial fractures treated with percutaneous locking plates. Methods: classification and stabilized with medial tibial locking plate. Time to fracture union, complications, and outcomes were assessed with the American Orthopedic Footand Ankle So months. Results: Mean were 0.56±0.76. Mean operative time was 82.66±23.56 min while union was 4.98±1.58 months. 44(88%) patients gave satisfactory results. It was found that there is no sign satisfactory result were observed with gender, injury, fracture type, fibula fracture and fibula fixation. Conclusions: complications, and good function complication rates using locking plates.
The use of waste heat recovery (WHR) options to produce electricity, heating, cooling, and freshwater for residential buildings

In recent years, there is a growing attention drawn to the area of building-integrated CCHP systems, due to its high capability in cost and energy saving. In this study, a residential scale multigenerational system is proposed to generate power by using solid oxide fuel cell and gas turbine (hybrid SOFC/GT), heating (by using HRSG), cooling (by using a double-effect absorption chiller) and freshwater (by using a Revers osmose plant). The system is modeled in engineering equation solver and studied from energy, exergy, economic and environmental standpoints. A parametric study is conducted in order to define the crucial decision variables in the system, and their effect on the overall exergy efficiency and unit product cost, along with the rate of freshwater production is observed. Results of the parametric study demonstrated that fuel utilization factor, stack temperature difference, current density, and the pressure ratio of air compressor have the most substantial influence on the behavior of the proposed system. Moreover, obtained results revealed that the energy and exergy efficiency of the system reaches 86.32% and 69.06%, respectively. In addition, the rate of freshwater production and unit product cost of the entire system becomes 256 L/day and 37.78 $/GJ.hr. Furthermore, the emission of the proposed system becomes 0.225 ton/MW.hr, which faces a 31% reduction compared to the standalone power generation system.
IT-based product innovation strategies for small firms

PurposeThis study connects the theoretical concepts of strategic orientation and information technology (IT)-based product innovation strategy to suggest that several key factors can help small firms to develop IT-based product innovation strategies.Design/methodology/approachWith data from 245 useable questionnaires (response rate 25.18%) from UK-based small firms in the high-tech industry, the research model was tested and validated.FindingsFindings show that information technology support for core competencies mediates the relationship between strategic orientation and IT-enabled product innovation (ITEPI). Specifically, by distinguishing the different types of strategic orientation and information technology support for core competencies, the study finds that IT support for market access competency (ITMA) mediates the market orientation–ITEPI relationship, while IT support for functionality-related competency (ITFR) mediates the technology orientation–ITEPI relationship. Academic implications arising from the findings are discussed and managerial propositions provided.Originality/valueThis study offers a fresh theoretical angle from which to understand the factors that contribute to ITEPI. More specifically, we argue that strategic orientation reflects managers' focus to pursue certain activities, and that ITEPI serves as organizational activity. Further, this study also extends relevant research in the field of strategy, IT and innovation. It provides a more nuanced picture of how strategic orientation affects ITEPI.
Compound Poisson approximations for word patterns under Markovian hypotheses

Consider a stationary Markov chain with state space consisting of the ξ -letter alphabet set Λ= {a 1 , a 2, ···, aξ }. We study the variables M=M(n, k) and N=N(n, k), defined, respectively, as the number of overlapping and non-overlapping occurrences of a fixed periodic k-letter word, and use the Stein–Chen method to obtain compound Poisson approximations for their distribution.
Comparison of Giemsa Staining, Intraperitoneal Injection and Oral Administration Methods in Rat Brain Infected with Toxoplasma Gondii

Background : Toxoplasma gondii is one of the most common protozoan parasites in humans and animals in all countries of the world. The aim of this study was to detect Toxoplasma parasite in the brain of wild rats in Tehran using smear preparation, Giemsa staining, Intraperitoneal injection and oral administration to Souri mice. Materials and Methods : Forty rats were collected from different areas of Tehran. Smears were prepared from rat brains on glass slides and stained using Giemsa. In the second method, a cell suspension was prepared from rat brain and was given orally and injected intraperitoneally into Souri mice. In peritoneal method, peritoneum of the mice was examined for parasites. In oral method, the titer of Toxoplasma antibody in sera of Souri mice was determined using Toxoplasma IgG antibody kit and anti-mouse conjugate of Sigma company. Results : All results were negative in Giemsa staining method. In the second method, the results were negative and no parasites were observed in peritoneum of Souri mice. In oral administration method, after ingestion of suspensions by Souri mice and measuring the IgG titer, 50% of them showed a positive titer after one month. Conclusion : In detection of Toxoplasma gondii , the method of smear preparation on glass slides followed by Giemsa staining, and intraperitoneal injection of brain suspensions to Souri mice are of less value in comparison with oral administration of suspensions and determining the titer of IgG in sera of Souri mice.
A Control Scheme for Grid Integration of the Photovoltaic (PV) Generation System

This paper introduces a fuzzy logic-based controller model for the integration of the photovoltaic system into the utility grid. Recently, the photovoltaic (PV) generation is growing fast as an effective and cheap energy source. In any PV based system, the inverter is an essential part, which can regulate the current flow between the grid and DC. However, the problem of the integration of PV is that it relies on weather conditions. Therefore, there is a necessity for developing control techniques for the grid integration PV system including a method for voltage and current control that stabilizes the voltage and current at the inverter input to guarantee a continuous flow of energy among the grid and the PV system. This paper presents control and simulation for the integration of the PV system into a grid using MATLAB/Simulink. The PV integration is connected to the boost DC/DC converter and the controller system is based on the maximum power point tracking (MPPT) with a fuzzy logic based controller that helps PV to ensure the maximum power in case of fluctuation in the weather, and then integrated into the AC utility grid by DC/AC inverter. The system stability tests for different weather conditions in the PV system. This paper advocate that the proposed fuzzy logic controller gives a good performance over regular control methods.
Running COLLECTIVE NARCISSISM AND COVID-19 SOLIDARITY Collective In-Group Satisfaction, and Solidarity in the Face of COVID-19

The present study explored the antecedents of solidarity amid the COVID-19 pandemic. Given that solidarity during mass emergencies involves the development of a social identity encompassing those facing a common fate, we examined how national in-group satisfaction (a belief that the national in- group and one’s membership in it are of high value) versus national collective narcissism (a belief that the national in-group is exceptional and entitled to privileged treatment, but not sufficiently recognized by others) predicted solidarity with those affected by the pandemic in Poland. The results of cross-sectional and dynamic analyses from a panel study on a representative sample of Polish adults indicate that in-group satisfaction predicted greater COVID-19 solidarity, whereas collective narcissism predicted reduced COVID-19 solidarity.
Study of medium range reordering by plastic deformation in Cu 46 Zr

The influence of shear in the atomic structure of ternary Cu46Zr46Al8 metallic glass was studied at different temperatures by molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. At temperatures above and below the glass transition temperature the system was subjected to a shear deformation cycle; the shear deformation was carried in the [100] direction and then the original geometry was recovered. The system was analyzed in three states: initial state (before deformation), deformed state (sheared) and final state (recovery). The different states obtained by the atomistic simulations were examined by computing the directional pair distribution functions (dPDF) in the coordinate planes. The results showed by dPDFs of the planes perpendicular to the coordinate axis are apparently isotropic. However, the dPDF disengage when computed perpendicular to rotated axis. This reveals that the anisotropy introduced during the deformation cycles appears in directions [110] and [1 0], tilted 45 with respect to the direction of the applied shear. To analyze the subtle structural change we systematically computed the positions and widths of the dPDF peaks on the rotated directions, thence allowing us to describe in detail the different signatures of anisotropy induced by deformation in the metallic glasses. *Manuscript Click here to view linked References
Effect of somatotropin on survival and diameter of bovine preantral follicles

The aim of this study was to evaluate the effect of Recombinant bovine somatotropin (rbST) on survival and diameter of bovine preantral ovarian follicles (PAOF) cultured in vitro. Ovaries were collected from adult cows and fragments of ovarian cortex were immediately fixed (non-cultured control) or cultured in vitro in α-MEM + alone or containing 10, 50, 100 or 1,000ng/mL rbST. The fragments were processed for Classical Histology and Transmission Electron Microscopy. After one and seven days of culture, the percentage of normal follicles in the non-cultured control was superior (P< 0.05) to the follicles cultured in α-MEM + alone or with different rbST concentrations. The oocyte and follicular mean diameter did not increase during the culture for one and seven days, both in media containing rbST and in the medium without this hormone. The only medium in which there was no reduction in follicular diameter with the time of culture was the medium without rbST. Ultrastructural damage in PAOF cultured in vitro was found. It is concluded that the use of rbST at different concentrations in in situ culture of bovine preantral follicles has no beneficial effects on survival and growth of bovine PAOF.
Asymmetric Computation for Speculative Heterogeneous HPC

—HPC applications on future exascale systems will demand for runtime environments able to transparently manage the complexity of the underlying heterogeneous hardware. In this abstract, we discuss a computation model for speculative HPC applications, able to deliver non-minimal performance increase and signiﬁcant energy savings. This model can be easily adapted to multiple heterogeneous hardware families with minor effort, and it can autonomically and promptly reassign units of work to different hardware classes. Our design jointly targets performance and energy efﬁciency. We also provide a preliminary experimental evaluation of our design.
Geographic Variation in Myosorex longicaudatus (Soricidae) in the Southern Cape Province, South Africa

Myosorex longicaudatus is endemic to the southern Cape Province, South Africa, where it occurs in the Langeberg Mountains and widely in the Knysna Forest. Its long tail and set of paired or triple median palatal fissures are the most conspicuous features distinguishing it from both Myosorex varias and Myosorex cafer , but it differs from these species also in cranial configuration. A geographically isolated population in the Boosmansbos Forest (Langeberg Mountains) differs in size, external proportions, and cranial configuration from populations in the Knysna Forest and is described as a new subspecies whose IUCN conservation status should be considered “vulnerable. ”.
Genomic profiling of thymoma using a targeted high-throughput approach

Introduction: Thymomas and thymic carcinoma (TC) are the most common neoplasms localised in the thymus. These diseases are poorly understood, but progress made in next-generation sequencing (NGS) technology has provided novel data on their molecular pathology. Material and methods: Genomic DNA was isolated from formalin-fixed paraffinembedded tumour tissue. We investigated somatic variants in 35 thymoma patients using amplicon-based TruSeq Amplicon Cancer Panel (TSACP) that covers 48 cancer related genes. We also analysed three samples from healthy individuals by TSACP platform and 32 healthy controls using exome sequencing. Results: The total number of detected variants was 4447, out of which 2906 were in the coding region (median per patient 83, range: 2-300) and 1541 were in the non-coding area (median per patient 44, range: 0-172). We identified four genes, APC, ATM, ERBB4, and SMAD4, having more than 100 protein-changing variants. Additionally, more than 70% of the analysed cases harboured protein-changing variants in SMAD4, APC, ATM, PTEN, KDR, and TP53. Moreover, this study revealed 168 recurrent variants, out of which 15 were shown to be pathogenic. Comparison to controls revealed that the variants we reported in this study were somatic thymoma-specific variants. Additionally, we found that the presence of variants in SMAD4 gene predicted shorter overall survival in thymoma patients. Conclusions: The most frequently mutated genes in thymoma samples analysed in this study belong to the EGFR, ATM, and TP53 signalling pathways, regulating cell cycle check points, gene expression, and apoptosis. The results of our study complement the knowledge of thymoma molecular pathogenesis.
Nematodes from the Victoria Land coast, Antarctica and comparisons with cultured Panagrolaimus davidi

Abstract Morphological and genetic information was used to determine the species identity and relationships of four species of nematodes from the Victoria Land coast, Antarctica; and between laboratory and field populations of Panagrolaimus davidi Timm. The 18S and D3 expansion segments of 28S rRNA were successfully amplified from the four species: Scottnema lindsayae Timm, Plectus murrayi Yeates, Eudorylaimus spp. and Panagrolaimus davidi. The four species from field populations mapped to three different nematode clades, indicating that if they are survivors in, rather than colonizers of, Antarctica they originate from several Gondwanan ancestors. The laboratory culture of P. davidi is shown to be a different species to that of the field samples of P. davidi, which were genetically identical to each other. There are several possible explanations for this observation, which require further investigation.
Implications of Genetic Distance to Reference and De Novo Genome Assembly for Clinical Genomics in Africans

In clinical genomics, variant calling from short-read sequencing data typically relies on a pan-genomic, universal human reference sequence. A major limitation of this approach is that the number of reads that incorrectly map or fail to map increase as the reads diverge from the reference sequence. In the context of genome sequencing of genetically diverse Africans, we investigate the advantages and disadvantages of using a de novo assembly of the read data as the reference sequence in single sample calling. Conditional on sufficient read depth, the alignment-based and assembly-based approaches yielded comparable sensitivity and false discovery rates for single nucleotide variants when benchmarked against a gold standard call set. The alignment-based approach yielded coverage of an additional 270.8 Mb over which sensitivity was lower and the false discovery rate was higher. Although both approaches detected and missed clinically relevant variants, the assembly-based approach identified more such variants than the alignment-based approach. Of particular relevance to individuals of African descent, the assembly-based approach identified four heterozygous genotypes containing the sickle allele whereas the alignment-based approach identified no occurrences of the sickle allele. Variant annotation using dbSNP and gnomAD identified systematic biases in these databases due to underrepresentation of Africans. Using the counts of homozygous alternate genotypes from the alignment-based approach as a measure of genetic distance to the reference sequence GRCh38.p12, we found that the numbers of misassemblies, total variant sites, potentially novel single nucleotide variants (SNVs), and certain variant classes (e.g., splice acceptor variants, stop loss variants, missense variants, synonymous variants, and variants absent from gnomAD) were significantly correlated with genetic distance. In contrast, genomic coverage and other variant classes (e.g., ClinVar pathogenic or likely pathogenic variants, start loss variants, stop gain variants, splice donor variants, incomplete terminal codons, variants with CADD score [≥]20) were not correlated with genetic distance. With improvement in coverage, the assembly-based approach can offer a viable alternative to the alignment-based approach, with the advantage that it can obviate the need to generate diverse human reference sequences or collections of alternate scaffolds.
The Association between Influenza Vaccination and the Risk of SARS-CoV-2 Infection, Severe Illness, and Death: A Systematic Review of the Literature

We reviewed the association between seasonal influenza vaccination and the risk of SARS-CoV-2 infection or complicated illness or poor outcome (e.g. severe disease, need for hospitalization or ventilatory support, or death) among COVID-19 patients. None of the studies that were reviewed (n=12) found a significant increase in the risk of infection or in the illness severity or lethality, while some reported significantly inverse associations. Our findings support measures aimed at raising influenza vaccination coverage in the coming months.
Onset, duration, and persistence of taste and smell changes and other COVID-19 symptoms: longitudinal study in Israeli patients

Objectives: The multifaceted disease manifestation of COVID-19 requires longitudinal characterization of symptoms, to aid with screening and disease management. Methods: Phone interviews and follow-ups were completed with 112 mild COVID-19 RT-PCR-positive adult patients, over a 6 week period. Results: More than one symptom at disease onset was experienced by ~70 of the patients. Over one third of patients experienced fever, dry cough, headache, or muscle ache as the first symptom. If fatigue was reported, it was usually the first symptom to appear. Smell and taste changes had occurred 3.9 {+/-} 5.4 and 4.6 {+/-} 5.7 days (mean {+/-} SD) since disease onset and emerged as first symptoms in 15% and 18% of patients, respectively. Fever was the shortest lasting symptom (5.8 {+/-} 8.6 days (mean {+/-} SD), and smell and taste changes were the most long-lasting symptoms (24.3 {+/-} 22.9 days and 19.4 {+/-} 19.1 (mean {+/-} SD), respectively), with longer smell recovery correlated with smell change severity. In one third of patients who reported cough, smell and taste changes, these symptoms persisted after negative RT-PCR tests. Conclusions: Each symptom can occur as first or later, though some are more likely to appear as firsts, and typically more than one symptom occurs at disease onset. The severity of olfactory change is associated with its recovery time. Lack of chemosensory recuperation in recovered patients is common. These findings can aid patients through their illness and provide expected recovery patterns.
Content Analysis of Textbooks via Natural Language Processing: Findings on Gender, Race, and Ethnicity in Texas U.S. History Textbooks

Cutting-edge data science techniques can shed new light on fundamental questions in educational research. We apply techniques from natural language processing (lexicons, word embeddings, topic models) to 15 U.S. history textbooks widely used in Texas between 2015 and 2017, studying their depiction of historically marginalized groups. We find that Latinx people are rarely discussed, and the most common famous figures are nearly all White men. Lexicon-based approaches show that Black people are described as performing actions associated with low agency and power. Word embeddings reveal that women tend to be discussed in the contexts of work and the home. Topic modeling highlights the higher prominence of political topics compared with social ones. We also find that more conservative counties tend to purchase textbooks with less representation of women and Black people. Building on a rich tradition of textbook analysis, we release our computational toolkit to support new research directions.