Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Learning Lipschitz Feedback Policies From Expert Demonstrations: Closed-Loop Guarantees, Robustness and Generalization

In this work, we propose a framework in which we use a Lipschitz-constrained loss minimization scheme to learn feedback control policies with guarantees on closed-loop stability, adversarial robustness, and generalization. These policies are learned directly from expert demonstrations, contained in a dataset of state-control input pairs, without any prior knowledge of the task and system model. Our analysis exploits the Lipschitz property of the learned policies to obtain closed-loop guarantees on stability, adversarial robustness, and generalization over scenarios unexplored by the expert. In particular, first, we establish robust closed-loop stability under the learned control policy, where we provide guarantees that the closed-loop trajectory under the learned policy stays within a bounded region around the expert trajectory and converges asymptotically to a bounded region around the origin. Second, we derive bounds on the closed-loop regret with respect to the expert policy and on the deterioration of the closed-loop performance under bounded (adversarial) disturbances to the state measurements. These bounds provide certificates for closed-loop performance and adversarial robustness for learned policies. Third, we derive a (probabilistic) bound on generalization error for the learned policies. Numerical results validate our analysis and demonstrate the effectiveness of our robust feedback policy learning framework. Finally, our results support the existence of a potential tradeoff between nominal closed-loop performance and adversarial robustness, and that improvements in nominal closed-loop performance can only be made at the expense of robustness to adversarial perturbations.
Standing waves at low Mach number laminar bow shocks. [earth-solar wind interaction

Explorer 43 data have been used to study 34 bow shock crossings observed from 5 to 16 RE upstream from the average bow shock location. These shocks have magnetosonic Mach numbers between 1.2 and 2.0, and they display particularly simple laminar structures. In 17 of these cases waves are detected adjacent to and upstream of the shock with amplitudes ranging up to ΔB/B ≃ 1 and period ranging from 6 to 130 s. A variance analysis of the magnetic field data reveals that the vectors of these waves are oriented along the shock normals. The wave polarization relative to the average field direction is right-handed when the crossing is from the interplanetary medium to the magnetosheath but is left-handed when the crossing is made in the opposite direction. On the basis of these observations the waves are identified as the standing whistler waves that have been predicted by the theory of low Mach number oblique shocks. The observed amplitude and the occasional lack of waves are in general agreement with theory, which predicts that decreasing amplitudes should correspond to larger field-shock normal angles and lower plasma betas. Variations in the observed frequencies can be explained by changes in the wavelength of the standing wave as upstream parameters change. Shock velocities calculated from theoretical wavelengths typically range from 10 to 30 km/s, but in one instance the velocity was 150 km/s.
An objective Bayesian analysis for multiple step stress accelerated life tests

This paper derives noninformative priors for scale parameter of exponential distribution when the data are collected in multiple step stress accelerated life tests. We nd the objective priors for this model and show that the reference prior satisfies first order matching criterion. Also, we show that there exists no second order matching prior. Some simulation results are given and using artificial data, we perform Bayesian analysis for proposed priors.
Cosmological attractors and no-hair theorems.

Interest in the attracting property of de Sitter space-time has grown during the 'inflationary era' of cosmology. In this dissertation we discuss the more important attempts to prove the so called 'cosmic no-hair conjecture' ie the proposition that all expanding universes with a positive cosmological constant asymptotically approach de Sitter space-time. After reviewing briefly the standard FRW cosmology and the success of the inflationary scenario in resolving most of the problems of standard cosmology, we carefully formulate the cosmic no-hair conjecture and discuss its limitations. We present a proof of the cosmic no-hair theorem for homogeneous space-times in the context of general relativity assuming a positive cosmological constant and discuss its generalisations. Since, in inflationary cosmology, the universe does not have a true cosmological constant but rather a vacuum energy density which behaves like a cosmological term, we take into account the dynamical role of the inflaton field in the no-hair hypothesis and examine the no-hair conjecture for the three main inflationary models, namely new inflation, chaotic inflation and power-law inflation. A generalisation of a well-known result of Collins and Hawking [21] in the presence of a scalar field matter source, regarding Bianchi models which can approach isotropy is given. In the context of higher order gravity theories, inflation emerges quite naturally without artificially imposing an inflaton field. The conformal equivalence theorem relating the solution space of these theories to that of general relativity is reviewed and the applicability of the no-hair theorems in the general framework of f (R) theories is developed. We present our comments and conclusions about the present status of the cosmic no-hair theorem and suggest possible paths of future research in the field.
Materials Science and Protein Crystallography Using the MX Beamline Control Toolkit

MX is a portable beamline control system that has been described at previous NOBUGS meetings. This talk will briefly review MX and then discuss important changes and improvements made since the last meeting in 2000. For materials science, work has focused on extending the support for multichannel analyzers and for fast data acquisition using quick scans. MX MCA support has focused on the development of interfaces to the X-Ray Instrumentation Associates DXP-2X and X10P (Saturn) MCAs. The MX DXP-2X support has been used by MR-CAT at the Advanced Photon Source to readout a 13-element Ge detector at input count rates of up to 1.5*10^6 counts per second per detector channel. The other major addition is support for quick scans using multichannel scalers. Quick scanning is now routinely used for XAFS and diffraction measurements at MR-CAT and will soon be implemented on some MX crystallography beamlines as well. We have also begun work to allow XIA MCAs to be read out during quick scans. For protein crystallography, we have primarily focused on implementing MX for new beamlines, namely, SER-CAT at the APS and GCPCC at CAMD, with others pending at the APS. Progress has also been made on the integration of MX with vendor CCD and robotics software.
MONOPOLISTIC COMPETITION MODEL WITH ENTRANCE FEE

We study the monopolistic competition model with producer-retailer-consumers two-level interaction. The industry is organized according to the Dixit–Stiglitz model. The retailer is the only monopolist. A quadratic utility function represents consumer preferences. We consider the case of the retailer's leadership; namely, we study two types of behavior: with and without the free entry condition. Earlier, we obtained the result: to increase social welfare and/or consumer surplus, the government needs to subsidize (not tax! ) retailers. In the presented paper, we develop these results for the situation when the producer imposes an entrance fee for retailers.
Easy Diameter Tuning of Silicon Nanowires with Low-Cost SnO2-Catalyzed Growth for Lithium-Ion Batteries

Silicon nanowires are appealing structures to enhance the capacity of anodes in lithium-ion batteries. However, to attain industrial relevance, their synthesis requires a reduced cost. An important part of the cost is devoted to the silicon growth catalyst, usually gold. Here, we replace gold with tin, introduced as low-cost tin oxide nanoparticles, to produce a graphite–silicon nanowire composite as a long-standing anode active material. It is equally important to control the silicon size, as this determines the rate of decay of the anode performance. In this work, we demonstrate how to control the silicon nanowire diameter from 10 to 40 nm by optimizing growth parameters such as the tin loading and the atmosphere in the growth reactor. The best composites, with a rich content of Si close to 30% wt. , show a remarkably high initial Coulombic efficiency of 82% for SiNWs 37 nm in diameter.
Contributions to Hydraulic Control: 5—Lateral Forces on Hydraulic Pistons

Sticking or excessive friction of pistons or valves in their bores has always caused trouble to designers and users of hydraulic equipment. The phenomena involved are complex and incompletely understood. This paper shows that large lateral forces may be caused by hydrodynamic phenomena alone, without the complicating effects of dirt in the oil. It presents expressions describing the lateral force for certain cases of simple geometry, with experimental verification, and discusses other cases qualitatively. Finally, it summarizes briefly present ideas concerning the frictional phenomena involved and lists several questions to which the answers must be obtained by further investigation.
Study on Hydrodynamic Vibration in Dual Bluff Body Vortex Flowmeter

The characteristics of the dual bluff body vortex shedding is investigated, and the possibility to use dual bluff body combinations to strengthen the hydrodynamic vibration around the bluff body objects is explored. The numerical and experimental approaches were utilized to examine the time dependent flow field and the pressure oscillation around the bluff bodies. The numerical data were obtained by the advanced large eddy simulation model. The experiment was conducted on a laboratory scale of Karman vortex flowmeter with 40 mm diameter. It is revealed that the optimized dual bluff body combinations strengthened the hydrodynamic vibration. It was also found that the hydrodynamic vibration with 180° phase difference occurred at the axisymmetric points of circular pipe on the lateral faces of the equilateral triangle-section bluff bodies. Using the dual bluff body configuration and the differential sensing technique, a novel prototype of vortex flowmeter with excellent noise immunity and improved sensibility was developed.
Application of an Interactive Diagnosis Ranking Algorithm in a Simulated Vignette-based Environment for General Dermatology

Introduction Diagnostic algorithms may reduce noise and bias and improve interrater agreement of clinical decisions. In a practical sense, algorithms may serve as alternatives to specialist consultations or decision support in store-and-forward tele-dermatology. It is, however, unknown how dermatologists interact with algorithms based on questionnaires. Objectives To evaluate the performance of a questionnaire-based diagnostic algorithm when applied by users with different expertise. Methods We created 58 virtual test cases covering common dermatologic diseases and asked five raters with different expertise to complete a predefined clinical questionnaire, which served as input for a disease ranking algorithm. We compared the ranks of the correct diagnosis between users, analyzed the similarity between inputs of different users, and explored the impact of different parts of the questionnaire on the final ranking. Results When applied by a board-certified dermatologist, the algorithm top-ranked the correct diagnosis in the majority of cases (median rank 1; interquartile range: 1.0; mean reciprocal rank 0.757). The median rank of the correct diagnosis was significantly lower when the algorithm was applied by four dermatology residents (median rank 2–5, P < 0.01). The lowest similarity between inputs of the residents and the board-certified dermatologist was found for questions regarding morphology. Sensitivity analysis showed the highest deterioration in performance after omission of information on morphology and anatomic site. Conclusions A simple questionnaire-based disease ranking algorithm provides accurate ranking for a wide variety of dermatologic conditions. When applied in clinical practice, additional measures may be needed to ensure robustness of data entry for inexperienced users.
Gardenia carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 4a is an efficient tool for biotechnological production of crocins in green and non‐green plant tissues

Summary Crocins are beneficial antioxidants and potential chemotherapeutics that give raise, together with picrocrocin, to the colour and taste of saffron, the most expensive spice, respectively. Crocins are formed from crocetin dialdehyde that is produced in Crocus sativus from zeaxanthin by the carotenoid cleavage dioxygenase 2L (CsCCD2L), while GjCCD4a from Gardenia jasminoides, another major source of crocins, converted different carotenoids, including zeaxanthin, into crocetin dialdehyde in bacterio. To establish a biotechnological platform for sustainable production of crocins, we investigated the enzymatic activity of GjCCD4a, in comparison with CsCCD2L, in citrus callus engineered by Agrobacterium‐mediated supertransformation of multi genes and in transiently transformed Nicotiana benthamiana leaves. We demonstrate that co‐expression of GjCCD4a with phytoene synthase and β‐carotene hydroxylase genes is an optimal combination for heterologous production of crocetin, crocins and picrocrocin in citrus callus. By profiling apocarotenoids and using in vitro assays, we show that GjCCD4a cleaved β‐carotene, in planta, and produced crocetin dialdehyde via C30 β‐apocarotenoid intermediate. GjCCD4a also cleaved C27 β‐apocarotenoids, providing a new route for C17‐dialdehyde biosynthesis. Callus lines overexpressing GjCCD4a contained higher number of plastoglobuli in chromoplast‐like plastids and increased contents in phytoene, C17:0 fatty acid (FA), and C18:1 cis‐9 and C22:0 FA esters. GjCCD4a showed a wider substrate specificity and higher efficiency in Nicotiana leaves, leading to the accumulation of up to 1.6 mg/g dry weight crocins. In summary, we established a system for investigating CCD enzymatic activity in planta and an efficient biotechnological platform for crocins production in green and non‐green crop tissues/organs.
Fabrication of Poly(vinyl alcohol)/Chitosan Composite Films Strengthened with Titanium Dioxide and Polyphosphonate Additives for Packaging Applications

Eco-innovation through the development of intelligent materials for food packaging is evolving, and it still has huge potential to improve food product safety, quality, and control. The design of such materials by the combination of biodegradable semi-synthetic polymers with natural ones and with some additives, which may improve certain functionalities in the targeted material, is continuing to attract attention of researchers. To fabricate composite films via casting from solution, followed by drying in atmospheric conditions, certain mass ratios of poly(vinyl alcohol) and chitosan were used as polymeric matrix, whereas TiO2 nanoparticles and a polyphosphonate were used as reinforcing additives. The structural confirmation, surface properties, swelling behavior, and morphology of the xerogel composite films have been studied. The results confirmed the presence of all ingredients in the prepared fabrics, the contact angle of the formulation containing poly(vinyl alcohol), chitosan, and titanium dioxide in its composition exhibited the smallest value (87.67°), whereas the profilometry and scanning electron microscopy enlightened the good dispersion of the ingredients and the quality of all the composite films. Antimicrobial assay established successful antimicrobial potential of the poly(vinyl alcoohol)/chitosan-reinforced composites films against Staphylococcus aureus, Methicillin-resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA), Escherichia coli, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Candida albicans. Cytotoxicity tests have revealed that the studied films are non-toxic, presented good compatibility, and they are attractive candidates for packaging applications.
New-Onset Atrial Fibrillation in Acute Myocardial Infarction Is a Different Phenomenon than Other Pre-Existing Types of That Arrhythmia

(1) Background: Atrial fibrillation (AF) in acute myocardial infarction (AMI) could worsen the prognosis. Yet, there is no definitive answer to whether new-onset AF (NOAF) is a more aggravating diagnosis than other types of that arrhythmia. The purpose of our study was to compare in-hospital clinical course and outcomes of NOAF patients contrary to patients with other pre-existing types of AF. (2) Methods: AMI patients hospitalized in the high-volume cardiological center within 2017–2018 were included in the study. NOAF was noticed in 106 (11%) patients, 95 (10%) with an AF history and AF during AMI formed the AF group, 60 (6%) with an AF history but without AF during AMI constituted the Prior-AF group, and 693 (73%) patients were without an AF before and during AMI. Medical history, routinely monitored clinical parameters, and in-hospital outcomes were analyzed between the groups. (3) Results: NOAF patients, contrary to others, initially had the highest high-sensitivity troponin I (hsTnI), B-type natriuretic peptide (BNP), C-reactive protein (CRP), and glucose levels, and the lowest potassium concentration, with the worst profile of changes for that parameter within the first four days of hospitalization. NOAF patients had the highest rate of ST-elevated AMI (40%), the longest hospitalization (p < 0.001), and the highest in-hospital mortality (p < 0.001). Not NOAF, but other AF groups (AF and Prior-AF groups) were more burdened with the previous comorbidities. (4) Conclusions: NOAF could be a distinct phenomenon in AMI patients, identifying those with the worst clinical in-hospital course and outcomes as compared to other types of AF.
Ultra-Fast Approximate Inference Using Variational Functional Mixed Models

ABSTRACT While Bayesian functional mixed models have been shown effective to model functional data with various complex structures, their application to extremely high-dimensional data is limited due to computational challenges involved in posterior sampling. We introduce a new computational framework that enables ultra-fast approximate inference for high-dimensional data in functional form. This framework adopts parsimonious basis to represent functional observations, which facilitates efficient compression and parallel computing in basis space. Instead of performing expensive Markov chain Monte Carlo sampling, we approximate the posterior distribution using variational Bayes and adopt a fast iterative algorithm to estimate parameters of the approximate distribution. Our approach facilitates a fast multiple testing procedure in basis space, which can be used to identify significant local regions that reflect differences across groups of samples. We perform two simulation studies to assess the performance of approximate inference, and demonstrate applications of the proposed approach by using a proteomic mass spectrometry dataset and a brain imaging dataset. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
The Positive and Negative Synergistic Airflow-Type Jujube Fruit Harvester (P-N JH)

Low operation efficiency and poor working performance are the main reasons that restrict the application of pneumatic date pickers. In this study, it is proposed to use positive pressure air flow blowing and negative pressure air flow suction to pick jujube fruit and to use inertia air flow to remove impurities and design a positive and negative collaborative air flow type date fruit harvester (P-N JH). The second-order regression model of test factors and response indexes was established by using the central composite design method, and the operating performance of P-N JH was evaluated and comprehensively optimized, and the optimal combination of operating parameters was obtained: positive pressure wind speed, negative pressure wind speed, and travel speed were 16.8 m·s−1, 34.0 m·s−1, and 1.5 m·s−1, respectively. In addition, the verification test results show that the pickup rate, impurity rate, damage rate, and operating efficiency are 97.21%, 2.15%, 1.08%, and 2170 kg/h, respectively. The operating performance of P-N JH not only meets the requirements of jujube picking but also significantly improves the operating efficiency compared with the traditional air-suction jujube harvester. This study can provide theoretical and technical reference for the harvesting of air-suctioned dates; it also provides a new way of thinking for jujube fruit picking.
Effectiveness of Chinese herbal medicine Zhi Shi Xiao Pi Wan on adult diabetic gastroparesis: a systematic review and meta-analysis

Chinese herbal medicine formula Zhi Shi Xiao Pi Wan (ZSXPW) is commonly used for gastrointestinal diseases. Previous research showed ZSXPW also suggested for diabetic gastroparesis (DGP) treatment. The aim of this study is to evaluate the effectiveness and safety of ZSXPW in treating adult DGP. Six databases, including Pubmed, Cochrane Library, EMBASE, China Network Knowledge Infrastructure (CNKI), Wanfang, and Chinese Scientific Journals were searched from their inceptions to November 2021. Only randomized control trials (RCTs) evaluating ZSXPW for adult DGP were included in this review. Two investigators independently evaluated and extracted the data. Total 11 RCTs and 802 participants were included in the review. In these studies, ZSXPW was compared with oral cisapride, domperidone, and mosapride citrate tablets. The outcomes of effective rate, stomach emptying time, stomach emptying rate, motilin, gastrin, somatostatin, vasoactive intestinal peptide, and adverse events were analyzed. The effective rate of ZSXPW is higher than other pharmacotherapies (RR:1.24, 95% CI [1.16,1.32]). The results showed intervention group has better effect on gastric emptying time used (MD: -0.51, 95% CI [-0.81, -0.21]) and gastric emptying rate (MD: 19.32, 95% CI [12.82, 25.83]) than the comparison group. The meta-analysis results showed ZSXPW is effective on adult DGP.
From healthy communities to toxic debates: Disqus’ changing ideas about comment moderation

Abstract This article examines how the commenting platform Disqus changed the way it speaks about commenting and moderation over time. To understand this evolving self-presentation, we used the Internet Archive Wayback Machine to analyse the company’s website and blog between 2007 and 2021. By combining interpretative close-reading approaches with computerised distant-reading procedures, we examined how Disqus tried to advance online discussion and dealt with moderation over time. Our findings show that in the mid-2000s, commenting systems were supposed to help filter and surface valuable contributions to public discourse, while ten years later their focus had shifted to the proclaimed goal of protecting public discourse from contamination with potentially harmful (“toxic”) communication. To achieve this, the company developed new tools and features to keep communities “healthy” and to facilitate and semi-automate active and interventive forms of moderation. This rise of platform interventionism was fostered by a turn towards semantics of urgency in the company’s language to legitimise its actions.