Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On-Line Learning for Planning and Control of Underactuated Robots With Uncertain Dynamics

We present an iterative approach for planning and controlling motions of underactuated robots with uncertain dynamics. At its core, there is a learning process which estimates the perturbations induced by the model uncertainty on the active and passive degrees of freedom. The generic iteration of the algorithm makes use of the learned data in both the planning phase, which is based on optimization, and the control phase, where partial feedback linearization of the active dofs is performed on the model updated on-line. The performance of the proposed approach is shown by comparative simulations and experiments on a Pendubot executing various types of swing-up maneuvers. Very few iterations are typically needed to generate dynamically feasible trajectories and the tracking control that guarantees their accurate execution, even in the presence of large model uncertainties.
Fundamentals of massive MIMO

Written by pioneers of the concept, this is the first complete guide to the physical and engineering principles of Massive MIMO. Assuming only a basic background in communications and statistical signal processing, it will guide readers through key topics in multi-cell systems such as propagation modeling, multiplexing and de-multiplexing, channel estimation, power control, and performance evaluation. The authors' unique capacity-bounding approach will enable readers to carry out effective system performance analyses and develop advanced Massive MIMO techniques and algorithms. Numerous case studies, as well as problem sets and solutions accompanying the book online, will help readers put knowledge into practice and acquire the skill set needed to design and analyze complex wireless communication systems. Whether you are a graduate student, researcher, or industry professional working in the field of wireless communications, this will be an indispensable guide for years to come.
Prognostic Factors in Gastrointestinal Leiomyosarcomas: An Analysis Using the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results (SEER) Database

Background Gastrointestinal leiomyosarcomas (LMSs) from intramural smooth muscle are extremely rare, with limited literature. This paper evaluates the epidemiology and survival and prognostic factors in LMSs of the gastrointestinal tract. Methods Clinical data from the Surveillance, Epidemiology and End Results (SEER) 18 registry from 2001 to 2016 with additional treatment fields were compared between primary tumor sites using the chi-squared test for categorical variables and ANOVA for continuous variables. A five-year survival rate analysis was performed for overall and cancer-specific survival. Hazard ratios (HRs) were calculated using univariate and multivariate Cox proportional models using the variables age group, tumor location, grade, stage, surgery, and chemotherapy. Results We identified a total of 523 patients diagnosed with LMSs of the gastrointestinal tract. The median age of diagnosis was 66 years, with no significant difference between tumor sites for age, sex, and race. The five-year overall survival was 77.3%, and the cancer-specific survival was 90.3%. In the multivariate analysis, grade and stage of tumor were the only factors significantly affecting survival in this cohort. Conclusion While surgical status significantly affected survival in the univariate analysis, when adjusted for other factors, the HR for death was not significantly different by surgical therapy. Grade 3 tumors and tumors with distant metastasis at diagnosis were associated with worse survival among these patients.
BUS RAPID TRANSIT TECHNOLOGIES: ASSISTING DRIVERS OPERATING BUSES ON ROAD SHOULDERS, VOLUME 1

The Federal Transit Administration (FTA) has identified the concept of Bus Rapid Transit as a means to increase the efficiency of transit operations while maintaining transit's proven safety record. According to the FTA website www.fta. dot.gov, "BRT combines the quality of rail transit and the flexibility of buses. It can operate on exclusive transitways, HOV lanes, expressways, or ordinary streets. A BRT system combines intelligent transportation systems technology, priority for transit, cleaner and quieter vehicles, rapid and convenient fare collection, and integration with land use policy. " Because of the limited right-of-way available to build new (and possibly dedicated) lanes for BRT operations, the FTA has identified lane assist as an emerging technology, which will enable deployment of BRT systems. The premise behind lane assist technology is to increase the safety of BRT vehicles as they operate in the more unique environments, such as narrow lanes. Lane assist technology will allow BRT vehicles to operate at the desired higher operating speeds while maintaining the safety of the passengers, BRT vehicle and the motoring public. The primary objective of this project was to equip a Metro Transit bus with driver assistive technology which will enable a driver of a Metro Transit bus to better guide a transit bus on a narrow shoulder, especially under difficult conditions. This driver assistive technology was optimized for the bus driver. The technology associated with the primary objective was aimed primarily at the lane keeping and forward collision avoidance tasks. This objective was met, and is the focus of Volume 1.
Process validation: An essential process in pharmaceutical industry

The purpose of this work is to present an introduction and general overview on process validation of pharmaceutical manufacturing process especially tablet manufacturing process with special reference to the requirements stipulated by the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA). Quality is always an imperative prerequisite when we consider any product. Therefore, drugs must be manufactured to the highest quality levels. End-product testing by itself does not guarantee the quality of the product. Quality assurance techniques must be used to build the quality into the product at every step and not just tested for at the end. In pharmaceutical industry, Process Validation performs this task to build the quality into the product because according to ISO 9000:2000, it had proven to be an important tool for quality management of pharmaceuticals.
Working time alterations within the Australian construction industry

Purpose: The purpose of this paper is to provide a labour process theory interpretation of four case studies within the Australian construction industry. In each case study a working time intervention (a shift to a five-day working week from the industry standard six days) was implemented as an attempt to improve the work-life balance of employees. ----- ----- Design/methodology/approach: This paper was based on four case studies with mixed methods. Each case study has a variety of data collection methods which include questionnaires, short and long interviews, and focus groups. ----- ----- Findings: It was found that the complex mix of wage- and salary-earning staff within the construction industry, along with labour market pressures, means that changing to a five-day working week is quite a radical notion within the industry. However, there are some organisations willing to explore opportunities for change with mixed experiences. ----- ----- Practical implications: The practical implications of this research include understanding the complexity within the Australian construction industry, based around hours of work and pay systems. Decision-makers within the construction industry must recognize a range of competing pressures that mean that “preferred” managerial styles might not be appropriate. ----- ----- Originality/value:– This paper shows that construction firms must take an active approach to reducing the culture of long working hours. This can only be achieved by addressing issues of project timelines and budgets and assuring that take-home pay is not reliant on long hours of overtime.
Acrylamide Content in Breast Milk: The Evaluation of the Impact of Breastfeeding Women’s Diet and the Estimation of the Exposure of Breastfed Infants to Acrylamide in Breast Milk

Acrylamide in food is formed by the Maillard reaction. Numerous studies have shown that acrylamide is a neurotoxic and carcinogenic compound. The aim of this study was to determine the level of acrylamide in breast milk at different lactation stages and to evaluate the impact of breastfeeding women’s diet on the content of this compound in breast milk. The acrylamide level in breast milk samples was determined by LC–MS/MS. Breastfeeding women’s diet was evaluated based on the 24 h dietary recall. The median acrylamide level in colostrum (n = 47) was significantly (p < 0.0005) lower than in the mature milk (n = 26)—0.05 µg/L and 0.14 µg/L, respectively. The estimated breastfeeding women’s acrylamide intake from the hospital diet was significantly (p < 0.0001) lower than that from the home diet. We found positive—although modest and borderline significant—correlation between acrylamide intake by breastfeeding women from the hospital diet µg/day) and acrylamide level in the colostrum (µg/L). Acrylamide has been detected in human milk samples, and a positive correlation between dietary acrylamide intake by breastfeeding women and its content in breast milk was observed, which suggests that the concentration can be reduced. Breastfeeding women should avoid foods that may be a source of acrylamide in their diet.
Evaluation of fundamental period of low‐rise and mid‐rise reinforced concrete buildings

Fundamental period of vibration appears to be one of the most critical parameter for the seismic design of buildings because this period strongly affects the magnitude of seismic forces. In this paper, an empirical formula for estimating the fundamental period of reinforced concrete structures is recommended, on the basis of the vibration analysis of 20 different real building configurations. These structures have already been constructed in Greece, and they are analyzed by using in detail 3‐D finite element models and modal eigenvalue analysis. These models take into account the presence of external and internal infill walls, which are usually ignored as nonstructural elements. This neglect leads to unreliable evaluation of period because the infill walls' contribution to the lateral stiffness and therefore to the fundamental period of vibration is also ignored. Furthermore, taking into account that the flexibility of soil elongates the fundamental period, the soil–structure interaction effect is also considered. To achieve a unique, simple, and effective empirical expression for the fundamental period of vibration, a comprehensive nonlinear regression analysis is applied for the datasets of buildings under consideration. This empirical expression is also compared with the similar expressions from the pertinent literature. Copyright © 2013 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
The status of S-band RF gun system at SRRC

An S-band RF gun system is being developed at SRRC (Synchrotron radiation research center), Taiwan. An XK-5 klystron (2856 MHz) and a TH2100A klystron (2998 MHz) will be used as the microwave sources. The modulator systems for both klystrons are being constructed at SRRC. The status of the RF gun and modulator systems are reported.
The Impacts of Job Satisfaction on Organizational Commitment: A Survey of Teachers in Gomal University, D. I. Khan (KPK) Pakistan

The present study focuses on the impact of job satisfaction on organizational commitment. This study is a struggle in line with the researcher of the world which focus on the different predictors such as work, pay, supervision, promotion, co-worker and work-environment and their effect on the organizational commitment and overall satisfaction of teachers in Gomal university dera Ismail khan. The main objectives of the study were to explore the levels of job satisfaction and organizational commitment among the employees of a public sector organization (Gomal University, DIK) with a view to analyze the impacts of employees’ satisfaction on their commitment to their work. The research hypotheses that the Independents are highly correlated with Overall Satisfaction & Organizational Commitment, the Predictors Determine Overall Satisfaction (OS) and the Predictors Explain the Organizational Commitment (OC) were tested. The population of this study consists of all the Academicians in Gomal University, DIK, and K.P.K. A sample of 124 respondents was selected using stratified sampling from the groups of professors, associate professors, assistant professors and lecturers. The regression was used for data analysis. The result shows that the correlation between the predictors (work, pay, supervision, promotion, coworker, work environment & overall satisfaction) and criterion variables (Overall Satisfaction & Organizational Commitment) are highly significant and the Predictors Determine Overall Satisfaction (OS) and also the Predictors Explain the Organizational Commitment.
Evaluation of the effect of chronic smoking habit on corneal endothelial cells, central corneal thickness and dry eye tests

Aim: The aim of our study was to evaluate the effects of chronic smoking habit on corneal endothelial cells, central corneal thickness, and dry eye tests. Material and Methods: A total of 160 eyes of 160 chronic smokers and 160 eyes of 160 control cases were included in the study. The smokers were grouped into 4 groups according to pack-year smoking as follows: 0-10, 10-20, 20-30, >30. Endothelial cell density (CD), average cell size (AVG), percentage of hexagonal cell (HEX), and coefficient of variation (CV), central corneal thickness (CCT) were measured using a specular microscope. The Tear Break-Up Time (TUBT) and Schirmer tests were performed. Results: In Group 1 and Group 2, there was no significant difference between the smoker and the control groups in terms of CD, AVG, HEX and CV. In Group 3 and Group 4, there was a significant decrease in CD and HEX values, while there was a significant increase in AVG and CV values. CCT values were not significantly different in the Groups 1,2 and 3, whereas there was a significant decrease in the Group 4. TBUT and Schirmer tests were significantly decreased in all groups. Conclusion: It was found that as the number of pack-year increased, CD and HEX values decreased and AVG and CV values increased. Dry eye tests were affected in a shorter period of time, while CCT was affected in a longer period of time than the time required for CD, HEX, AVG and CV parameters to be affected.
A review of the applicability of the Motivations and Abilities (MOTA) framework for assessing the implementation success of water resources management plans and policies

Abstract. Implementation failure is widely acknowledged as a major impediment to the success of water resource plans and policies, yet there are very few proactive approaches available for analysing potential implementation issues during the planning stage. The Motivations and Abilities (MOTA) framework was established to address this planning stage gap, by offering a multi-stakeholder, multi-level approach to evaluate the implementation feasibility of plans and policies. MOTA is a stepwise process focusing on the relationship between trigger, motivation, and ability. Here we outline the base model of the MOTA framework and review existing MOTA applications in assorted water resource management contexts. From our review we identify the strengths and limitations of the MOTA framework in various institutional implementation and social adoptability contexts. Our findings indicate that the existing MOTA base model framework has been successful in identifying the motivations and abilities of the stakeholders involved in a range of bottom-up water resource planning contexts, and in subsequently providing insight into the types of capacity- or consent-building strategies needed for effective implementation. We propose several complementary add-in applications to complement the base model, which specific applications may benefit from. Specifically, the incorporation of formal context and stakeholder analyses during the problem definition stage (Step 1), could provide a more considered basis for designing the latter steps within the MOTA analyses. In addition, the resolution of the MOTA analyses could be enhanced by developing more nuanced scoring approaches, or by adopting empirically proven ones from well-established published models. Through setting the base model application, additional add-in applications can easily be added to enhance different aspects of the analysis while still maintaining comparability with other MOTA applications. With a robust base model and a suite of add-in applications, there is great potential for the MOTA framework to become a staple tool for optimising implementation success in any water planning and policy-making context.
The influence of levodopa on respiratory function in Parkinson's disease patients: a systematic review and meta-analysis

There is no consensus in the literature about the influence of levodopa on respiratory disorders, which are the main cause of death in Parkinson’s disease patients. Thus, the aim of this study was to conduct a systematic review and meta-analysis to assess the influence of levodopa on lung function in patients with Parkinson’s disease. A systematic search was performed in the MEDLINE-PubMed, Lilacs, IEEE Xplore Digital Library and Cochrane Library databases, until July 2020. Eligibility, screening, data extraction and quality assessment of the studies found were conducted independently by a minimum of two reviewers. The meta-analysis was made using RevMan 5, using standardized difference of means (SDM) with the random effects model and 95% confidence interval. The presence of heterogeneity was evaluated through the percentage of i². In total, 78 studies were identified; of these,7 were included in the review and meta-analysis after considering the inclusion and exclusion criteria. By comparing the 'on' and 'off' levodopa states, in the outcomes of interest found in the included studies, the following results were obtained in the meta-analysis: FVC (SMD of 0.12, p = 0.41); FEV1 (SMD of 0.10, p = 0.47); PEF (SMD of -0.00, p = 0.99); FEV1/FVC (SMD 0.04, p = 0.76). The conducted study suggested that there was no influence of levodopa treatment on any of the pulmonary variables assessed in patients with Parkinson’s disease.
Ti(C,N) and WC-Based Cermets: A Review of Synthesis, Properties and Applications in Additive Manufacturing

In recent years, the use of cermets has shown significant growth in the industry due to their interesting features that combine properties of metals and ceramics, and there are different possible types of cermets, depending on their composition. This review focuses on cemented tungsten carbides (WC), and tungsten carbonitrides (WCN), and it is intended to analyze the relationship between chemical composition and processing techniques of these materials, which results in their particular microstructural and mechanical properties. Moreover, the use of cermets as a printing material in additive manufacturing or 3D printing processes has recently emerged as one of the scenarios with the greatest projection, considering that they manufacture parts with greater versatility, lower manufacturing costs, lower raw material expenditure and with advanced designs. Therefore, this review compiled and analyzed scientific papers devoted to the synthesis, properties and uses of cermets of TiC and WC in additive manufacturing processes reported thus far.
A Phase Generation Shifting Algorithm for Prosumer Surplus Management in Microgrids using Inverter Automated Control

Four-wire low voltage microgrids supply one-phase consumers with continuously changing electricity demand. For addressing climate change concerns, governments implemented incentive schemes for residential consumers, encouraging the installation of home PV panels for covering self-consumption needs. In the absence of sufficient storage capacities, the surplus is sold back by these entities, called prosumers, to the grid operator or in local markets, to other consumers. While these initiatives encourage the proliferation of green energy resources, and ample research is dedicated to local market designs for prosumer-consumer trading, the main concern of distribution network operators is the influence of power flows generated by prosumer surplus injection on the operating states of microgrids. The change in power flow amount and direction can greatly influence the economic and technical operating conditions of radial grids. This paper proposes a metaheuristic algorithm for prosumer surplus management that optimizes the power surplus injections using the automated control of three-phase inverters, with the aim of improving the active power losses and balancing the phase voltage profiles. A case study is performed on two real distribution networks with distinct layouts and load profiles and the algorithm shows its efficiency in both scenarios.
Beyond the workplace : managing industrial relations in the multi-establishment enterprise

Preface Chapter 1: Strategy, Structure and Choice Chapter 2: The Enterprises in Profile Chapter 3: The Structure and Function of Personnel Management Chapter 4: The Management of Employees Chapter 5: Trade Unions, Pay Bargaining and Industrial Action Chapter 6: The Management of Industrial Relations and New Technology Chapter 7: Centralised Control or Establishment Autonomy? Chapter 8: Differences in Perceptioins Between Establishment an Higher Level Managers Conclusions, References, Index.
Paris: a Desire Named Streetcar

On the southern part of the Parisian Marechaux' boulevards, the old bus line Petite Ceinture has been replaced by a modern tramway (T3). Simultaneously, the road-space has been narrowed by about a third. A survey conducted on 1,000 users of the T3 shows that the tramway hardly generated any modal report from the private cars (PC) towards the public transit (PT). However, it did generate important intra-modal transfers: from bus and subways towards tramway concerning the PT, surely from Marechaux' boulevards towards the Parisian Ring-Road (boulevard peripherique, PRR) and/or adjacent streets for the PC. The various benefits and costs of these changes are evaluated in this research. The welfare gains made by PT users are more than compensated by the time losses of the motorists, and in particular, by the additional cost of road congestion on the PRR. The same conclusion applies with regard to CO2 emissions: the reductions saved with the replacement of the busses and some (few) PC are less important than the increased pollution induced by the lengthening of the automobile trips and the increased congestion on the PRR. Even if one ignores the initial investment of 350 M€, the social impact of the T3 project, illustrated by its Clear Discount Value (CDV), is strongly negative. This is especially true for suburbanites. Concerning the lonely inhabitants (electors) of Paris, our analysis shows that they pocket the main part of the benefits while supporting a weak fraction of the costs.