Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimation on the lower confidence limit of the breaking strength percentiles under progressive type-II censoring

The breaking strength information of structure components is highly correlated with the safety manufacturing and much concerned by engineers. Components with deficient safety quality will be rejected to rework or discard due to an unsatisfactory level of the lower critical breaking strength percentile. When the breaking strength of components is assumed to have a Burr type-XII distribution, five parametric bootstrap methods are suggested to adjust the bias of the lower confidence limit estimate of the lower percentile with progressive type-II censored samples. The performance of the proposed bootstrap methods is evaluated through an intensive simulation study. Numerical results show that the hybrid bootstrap method and the bias-corrected and accelerated bias-corrected methods perform better with coverage probabilities near the nominal confidence level for almost all the cases considered. An example of the breaking strength data set of aluminum sheets is used for illustration.
A variant of a recursively unsolvable problem

By a string on a, 6 we mean a row of a's and 6's such as baabbbab. I t may involve only a, or 6, or be null. If, for example, gi, g2, gz represent strings baby aa, b respectively, string g2gigigzg2 on gi, g2, gz will represent, in obvious fashion, the string aababbabbaa on a, 6. By the correspondence decision problem we mean the problem of determining for an arbitrary finite set (gu g{), (g2, g2), • • • , (gM, gi) of pairs of corresponding non-null strings on a, b whether there is a solution in w, iu ii, • • • , in of equation
Object Detection and Recognition Techniques Based on Digital Image Processing and Traditional Machine Learning for Fruit and Vegetable Harvesting Robots: An Overview and Review

The accuracy, speed, and robustness of object detection and recognition are directly related to the harvesting efficiency, quality, and speed of fruit and vegetable harvesting robots. In order to explore the development status of object detection and recognition techniques for fruit and vegetable harvesting robots based on digital image processing and traditional machine learning, this article summarizes and analyzes some representative methods. This article also demonstrates the current challenges and future potential developments. This work aims to provide a reference for future research on object detection and recognition techniques for fruit and vegetable harvesting robots based on digital image processing and traditional machine learning.
IL-33 via PKCμ/PRKD1 Mediated α-Catenin Phosphorylation Regulates Endothelial Cell-Barrier Integrity and Ischemia-Induced Vascular Leakage

Angiogenesis, neovascularization, and vascular remodeling are highly dynamic processes, where endothelial cell–cell adhesion within the vessel wall controls a range of physiological processes, such as growth, integrity, and barrier function. The cadherin–catenin adhesion complex is a key contributor to inner blood–retinal barrier (iBRB) integrity and dynamic cell movements. However, the pre-eminent role of cadherins and their associated catenins in iBRB structure and function is not fully understood. Using a murine model of oxygen-induced retinopathy (OIR) and human retinal microvascular endothelial cells (HRMVECs), we try to understand the significance of IL-33 on retinal endothelial barrier disruption, leading to abnormal angiogenesis and enhanced vascular permeability. Using electric cell-substrate impedance sensing (ECIS) analysis and FITC-dextran permeability assay, we observed that IL-33 at a 20 ng/mL concentration induced endothelial-barrier disruption in HRMVECs. The adherens junction (AJs) proteins play a prominent role in the selective diffusion of molecules from the blood to the retina and in maintaining retinal homeostasis. Therefore, we looked for the involvement of adherens junction proteins in IL-33-mediated endothelial dysfunction. We observed that IL-33 induces α-catenin phosphorylation at serine/threonine (Ser/Thr) residues in HRMVECs. Furthermore, mass-spectroscopy (MS) analysis revealed that IL-33 induces the phosphorylation of α-catenin at Thr654 residue in HRMVECs. We also observed that PKCμ/PRKD1-p38 MAPK signaling regulates IL-33-induced α-catenin phosphorylation and retinal endothelial cell-barrier integrity. Our OIR studies revealed that genetic deletion of IL-33 resulted in reduced vascular leakage in the hypoxic retina. We also observed that the genetic deletion of IL-33 reduced OIR-induced PKCμ/PRKD1-p38 MAPK-α-catenin signaling in the hypoxic retina. Therefore, we conclude that IL-33-induced PKCμ/PRKD1-p38 MAPK-α-catenin signaling plays a significant role in endothelial permeability and iBRB integrity.
The growing norm of sexual harassment in Pakistan’s mainstream and ethnic news media

Abstract Across time, in a variety of forms and spaces -from homes and workplaces to digital domains of social media- women have become victims of sexual harassment. Over the last couple of years, the world has witnessed appalling cases followed under the #MeToo campaign that has inspired an increasing number of women to share their experiences of sexual harassment in different contexts. Nevertheless, social and family pressures may discourage female journalists operating in conservative societies to express their concerns and experiences. The case of Pakistan is noteworthy. While women constitute a major proportion of the Pakistani society, the country’s men hold power in all major sectors and institutions. Sexual harassment can hinder women’s professional lives in any sector. However, female journalists’ experiences of sexual harassment are hardly documented in the academic literature about the Pakistani news media. Thus, informed by the framework of postcolonial feminist theory and intersectionality, this study aims to contribute an analysis of how sexual harassment is experienced by the Pakistani female journalists in the country’s mainstream, as well as ethnic news media. To achieve this aim, this study uses qualitative methods of in-depth interviews and focus group discussions and offers a thematic analysis of data.
Approaches to Improve EPR-Based Drug Delivery for Cancer Therapy and Diagnosis

The innovative development of nanomedicine has promised effective treatment options compared to the standard therapeutics for cancer therapy. However, the efficiency of EPR-targeted nanodrugs is not always pleasing as it is strongly prejudiced by the heterogeneity of the enhanced permeability and retention effect (EPR). Targeting the dynamics of the EPR effect and improvement of the therapeutic effects of nanotherapeutics by using EPR enhancers is a vital approach to developing cancer therapy. Inadequate data on the efficacy of EPR in humans hampers the clinical translation of cancer drugs. Molecular targeting, physical amendment, or physiological renovation of the tumor microenvironment (TME) are crucial approaches for improving the EPR effect. Advanced imaging technologies for the visualization of EPR-induced nanomedicine distribution in tumors, and the use of better animal models, are necessary to enhance the EPR effect. This review discusses strategies to enhance EPR effect-based drug delivery approaches for cancer therapy and imaging technologies for the diagnosis of EPR effects. The effort of studying the EPR effect is beneficial, as some of the advanced nanomedicine-based EPR-enhancing approaches are currently undergoing clinical trials, which may be helpful to improve EPR-induced drug delivery and translation to clinics.
In-process detection of torque on a drill using magnetostrictive effect

A new method is proposed for in-process detection of torque working on a drill. In this method, torque can be directly detected from a drill itself, which, in principle, allows quick dynamic response. Static experiments were carried out to investigate fundamental characteristics. The possibility of in-process detection of torque on a drill was demonstrated in dynamic experiments. Prototype sensors of solenoidal design showed promising results. >
Re-cycling experiments in the DITE tokamak

Re-cycling is studied in the DITE tokamak by changing the working gas from hydrogen to deuterium and back to hydrogen. The change in the composition of the plasma is followed both during the discharge and from shot to shot by using a scanning Fabry-Perot interferometer, a mass spectrometer and a carbon thermal desorption probe. The results of the three techniques are consistent and show that the gas trapped and desorbed from the wall plays a major part in the re-cycling process. A detailed analytical modelof the principal re-cycling mechanisms is proposed.
High Resolution/High Fidelity Seismic Imaging and Parameter Estimation for Geological Structure and Material Characterization

In this project, we develop new theories and methods for multi-domain one-way wave-equation based propagators, and apply these techniques to seismic modeling, seismic imaging, seismic illumination and model parameter estimation in 3D complex environments. The major progress of this project includes: (1) The development of the dual-domain wave propagators. We continue to improve the one-way wave-equation based propagators. Our target is making propagators capable of handling more realistic velocity models. A wide-angle propagator for transversely isotropic media with vertically symmetric axis (VTI) has been developed for P-wave modeling and imaging. The resulting propagator is accurate for large velocity perturbations and wide propagation angles. The thin-slab propagator for one-way elastic-wave propagation is further improved. With the introduction of complex velocities, the quality factors Qp and Qs have been incorporated into the thin-slab propagator. The resulting viscoelastic thin-slab propagator can handle elastic-wave propagation in models with intrinsic attenuations. We apply this method to complex models for AVO modeling, random media characterization and frequency-dependent reflectivity simulation. (2) Exploring the Information in the Local Angle Domain. Traditionally, the local angle information can only be extracted using the ray-based method. We develop a wave-equation based technique to process the local angle domain information. The approach can avoid the singularity problem usually linked to the high-frequency asymptotic method. We successfully apply this technique to seismic illumination and the resulting method provides a practical tool for three-dimensional full-volume illumination analysis in complex structures. The directional illumination also provides information for angle-domain imaging corrections. (3) Elastic-Wave Imaging. We develop a multicomponent elastic migration method. The application of the multicomponent one-way elastic propagator and the wide-angle correction preserve more dynamic information carried by the elastic waves. The vector imaging condition solves the polarization problem of converted wave imaging. Both P-P and P-S images can be calculated. We also use converted waves to improve the image of steep sub-salt structures. The synthetic data for the SEG/EAGE salt model are migrated with a generalized screen algorithm and for the converted PSS-wave path. All the sub-salt faults are properly imaged.
Coplanar waveguide-fed square slot antenna for broadband circularly polarized radiation

A new design of a broadband circularly polarized square slot antenna fed by a single coplanar waveguide (CPW) is proposed and experimentally studied. The proposed broadband circular polarization (CP) operation is achieved by protruding a T-shaped metallic strip from the ground plane toward the slot center and feeding the square slot antenna using a 50-/spl Omega/ CPW with a protruded signal strip at 90/spl deg/ to the T-shaped strip. Experimental results of constructed prototypes show that the obtained 3-dB and 1-dB axial-ratio bandwidths can reach as large as 18% and 13%, respectively. The proposed antenna also has a peak antenna gain of about 4 dBi, with gain variations less than 1 dBi for frequencies within the CP bandwidth.
Optimal Treatment Regimes: A Review and Empirical Comparison

A treatment regime is a sequence of decision rules, one per decision point, that maps accumulated patient information to a recommended intervention. An optimal treatment regime maximises expected cumulative utility if applied to select interventions in a population of interest. As a treatment regime seeks to improve the quality of healthcare by individualising treatment, it can be viewed as an approach to formalising precision medicine. Increased interest and investment in precision medicine has led to a surge of methodological research focusing on estimation and evaluation of optimal treatment regimes from observational and/or randomised studies. These methods are becoming commonplace in biomedical research, although guidance about how to choose among existing methods in practice has been somewhat limited. The purpose of this review is to describe some of the most commonly used methods for estimation of an optimal treatment regime, and to compare these estimators in a series of simulation experiments and applications to real data. The results of these simulations along with the theoretical/methodological properties of these estimators are used to form recommendations for applied researchers.
XX.—Some New Results in Maximum Likelihood Factor Analysis

Synopsis Until now the chief obstacle to the application of the maximum likelihood method of estimation to factor analysis has been the lack of any really good numerical method of solution. In this paper we give a brief review of recent work which remedies this defect. Two factor analysis models are considered. In each case we derive results which are of use in connection with new methods of solution. Formulae are given for the large-sample variances and covariances of the estimates of parameters in the first model.
The Macquarie–Strasbourg Connection

Planetary nebulae (PN) are powerful tracers of both stellar and Galactic evolution. The capacity of PN to perform these studies is critically dependent on the size of the population, a major problem with a remarkable advance thanks to Quentin Parker and his team, who from 1997 to 2008 discovered an unprecedented sample of ∼1250 PN with the deep, high resolution AAO/UKST SuperCosmos Halpha Survey (SHS) of the Southern Galactic Plane (Parker et al. 2005), doubling the sample collected over the previous century, and leading to ∼2700 for the number of known PN today. A highly productive collaboration between Quentin and I has been established since 2001. Our complementary levels of expertise and facilities constitute the Macquarie/AAO/Strasbourg H-α Planetary Nebulae Project. The new MASH PN were added to the Centre de Données de Strasbourg as a new PN database continuously updated, and detailed in Parker et al. (2006) and Miszalski et al. (2008). In the framework of a cotutelle agreement between the Strasbourg and Macquarie universities, two PhD projects based on MASH PN have been conducted under the supervision of Quentin and myself, both projects focusing on the mysterious crowded region of the Galactic Bulge. Alan Peyaud proposed new constraints on late stages of stellar evolution and on the dynamics of the Galactic Bulge (defence 21 December 2005, Strasbourg). Brent Miszalski discovered ∼360 new PN (MASH-II) completing the largest and most representative sample of PN towards the Galactic bulge (defence 15 August 2009).
Fast Eating Speed Could Be Associated with HbA1c and Salt Intake Even after Adjusting for Oral Health Status: A Cross-Sectional Study

This study aimed to examine the relationship between eating speed and hemoglobin A1c (HbA1c), considering the number of teeth, using cross-sectional health examination data from community-dwelling older individuals in Japan. We used data from the Center for Community-Based Healthcare Research and Education Study in 2019. We collected data on gender, age, body mass index, blood test results, Salt intake, bone mineral density, body fat percentage, muscle mass, basal metabolic rate, number of teeth, and lifestyle information. Eating speed was evaluated subjectively as fast, normal, or slow. Overall, 702 participants were enrolled in the study and 481 participants were analyzed. Multivariate logistic regression analysis revealed a significant association between fast eating speed and being a male (odds ratio [95% confidence interval]: 2.15 [1.02–4.53]), HbA1c (1.60 [1.17–2.19]), salt intake (1.11 [1.01–1.22]), muscle mass (1.05 [1.00–1.09]), and enough sleep (1.60 [1.03–2.50]). Fast eating may be associated with overall health and lifestyle. The characteristics of fast eaters, after taking oral information into consideration, tended to increase the risk of type 2 diabetes, renal dysfunction, and hypertension. Dental professionals should provide dietary and lifestyle guidance to fast eaters.
Survey of mosquito species and mosquito-borne viruses in residential areas along the Sino–Vietnam border in Yunnan Province in China

Mosquitoes are capable of carrying complex pathogens, and their feeding habits on the mammalian blood can easily mediate the spread of viruses. Surveillance of mosquito-based arbovirus enables the early prevention and control of mosquito-borne arboviral diseases. The climate and geography of Yunnan Province in China are ideal for mosquitoes. Yunnan shares borders with several other countries; therefore, there exists a high risk of international transmission of mosquito-mediated infectious diseases. Previous studies have focused more on the Sino–Laos and Sino–Myanmar borders. Therefore, we focused on the neighborhoods of Malipo and Funing counties in Wenshan Prefecture, Yunnan Province, China, which are located along the Sino–Vietnam border, to investigate the species of mosquitoes and mosquito-borne viruses in the residential areas of this region. This study collected 10,800 mosquitoes from 29 species of 8 genera and grouped to isolate mosquito-borne viruses. In total, 62 isolates were isolated and classified into 11 viral categories. We demonstrated a new distribution of mosquito-borne viruses among mosquitoes in border areas, including Tembusu and Getah viruses, which can cause animal outbreaks. In addition, Dak Nong and Sarawak viruses originating from Vietnam and Malaysia, respectively, were identified for the first time in China, highlighting the complexity of mosquito-borne viruses in the Sino–Vietnam border region. The awareness of the importance of viral surveillance and prevention measures in border areas should be further encouraged to prevent future outbreaks of potentially infectious diseases.
Seeking truth in personality science: reconciling trait theory and psychological type

ABSTRACT Two rival paradigms compete for acceptance as representing objective reality concerning the structure of the human personality: the Five-Factor (Trait) model and the Myers-Briggs (Type) model. In this review, the common features of the two schemes are identified and the points of difference examined. It is concluded that a harmonised scheme could be achieved if both sides gave some ground. The Type community could relinquish its contention that every individual has a clear either-or preference for (for example) Extraversion or Introversion. It could also acknowledge the speculative nature of Type Dynamics. The Trait community could relinquish the value-judgements inherent in its current scheme and accept that (for example) introversion is not merely a deficit of extraversion but a distinct quality with positive potential. Given the many similarities of the two present paradigms, a unified approach would have a good claim to be the best current portrayal of personality.
A passivity-based adaptive sliding mode position-force control for robot manipulators

Based on a novel orthogonalized sliding mode error co-ordinate system, a passivity-based adaptive sliding mode control that yields the global exponential convergence of position and force tracking errors is proposed. The holonomic constraint is efficiently manipulated to derive two orthogonal transformations at the velocity level. These transformations are used to propose a convenient representation of error modelling such that simple proofs of passivity and stability are established. Sliding modes arise on the tangential and normal subspaces at the contact point. The parametric uncertainty is compensated via an adaptive control loop and the sliding modes allow one to conclude the exponential convergence. Computer simulation data show a robust performance.
Millimeter Interferometer Observations of the Magnetar 4U 0142+61

The Anomalous X‐ray Pulsar 4U 0142+61 is the only neutron star where it is believed that one of the long searched‐for ‘fallback’ disks has been detected in the mid‐IR by Wang et al. [1] using Spitzer. Such a disk originates from material falling back to the NS after the supernova. We search for cold circumstellar material in the 90 GHz continuum using the Plateau de Bure Interferometer. No millimeter flux is detected at the position of 4U 0142+61, the upper flux limit is 150 μJy corresponding to the 3σ noise rms level. The re‐processed Spitzer MIPS 24μm data presented previously by Wang et al. [2] show some indication of flux enhancement at the position of the neutron star, albeit below the 3σ statistical significance limit. At far infrared wavelengths the source flux densities are probably below the Herschel confusion limits.
A Comparison of Stratified Two-Stage Sampling Systems

Abstract This paper deals with an empirical investigation of various stratified two-stage sampling systems for estimating totals of certain agricultural items of North Carolina. The 1940 Agricultural Census data were used for stratification, selection and estimation purposes. The observed data were the results of the 1945 Agricultural Census. Theory for the selection of n primary sampling units from a stratum with probability proportional to some measure of size but without replacement has already been developed by the senior author [11]. The principal contribution in this paper is the application of this theory to the selection of two primary sampling units without replacement from a stratum, where one of the units is selected with probability proportional to size and the other with equal probability. These results are compared with sampling systems (i) where both units are selected with probability proportional to size but with replacement and (ii) where an equal number of primary sampling units are sel.