Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
MRAC With Adaptive Uncertainty Bounds via Operator-Valued Reproducing Kernels

This letter presents three novel model reference adaptive control (MRAC) systems for nonlinear plants in which the matched, nonparametric uncertainty is only known to reside in a vector-valued reproducing kernel Hilbert space (RKHS). The first MRAC system is based on an extension of the classical projection operator for robust MRAC systems and assures ultimate boundedness of the trajectory tracking error. This MRAC system allows the user to design part of the control input, known as the compensator. The second MRAC method modifies the previous one and, based on an estimate of the largest admissible uncertainty in the RKHS norm, employs a particular choice of the compensator to assure asymptotic convergence of the tracking error to zero. The last MRAC method uses the previous one and, leveraging the error bounding method framework, employs an additional learning law to assure asymptotic convergence of the tracking error without any information on the largest admissible uncertainty. While the conventional approaches to adaptive error bounding methods usually leave it to an analyst to derive the required error bounds on a case-by-case basis, the proposed approaches work for any functional uncertainty that is contained in any native space of vector-valued functions defined in terms of an operator kernel.
The Impact of Network Structure Elements on the Building of Service-Oriented Government in China from the Perspective of Network Governance

Building a service-oriented government to the satisfaction of the people is a basic goal and direction of the development of the Chinese government. In the current era, it has become a consensus for the government and non-governmental organizations to jointly govern public affairs. Network governance focuses on the realization and promotion of public interests as the core value, and pays attention to coordinating the complex interaction of diversified actors. It advocates sharing power in the cooperative network and jointly dealing with all kinds of problems. Compared with the traditional management system, network governance can coordinate and manage cross-border cooperation networks among governments at all levels and departments more effectively. The purpose of this study is to explore the impact of network governance on the building of service-oriented government in China. Through a questionnaire survey of 408 civil servants, this study analyzes the relationship between the network structure elements and the government service effect. The results show that the cooperation network with high stability and high intensity is positively related to the improvement of government service effect. In addition, the the government concept and the network cooperation ability are also closely related to the government service effect. These findings show the important influence of network governance in the process of building a service-oriented government, and put forward the relevant measures for the building of service-oriented government.
Exercise improves intestinal IgA production by T-dependent cell pathway in adults but not in aged mice

Introduction Hypermutated high-affinity immunoglobulin A (IgA), neutralizes toxins and drives the diversification of bacteria communities to maintain intestinal homeostasis although the mechanism underlies the impact of moderate aerobic exercise (MAE) on the IgA-generation via T-dependent (TD) is not fully know. Therefore, the aim of this study was to determine the effect of long-time MAE on the production of IgA through the TD pathway in Peyer´s patches of the small intestine from aged mice. Methods MAE protocol consisted of twenty 3-month-old (young) BALB/c mice running in an endless band at 0° inclination and a speed of 10 m/h for 5 days a week and resting 2 days on the weekend until reaching 6-month-old (adulthood, n=10) or 24-month-old (aging, n=10). Groups of young, adult, or elderly mice were included as sedentary controls (n=10/per group). At 6 or 24 months old, all were sacrificed, and small intestine samples were dissected to prepare intestinal lavages for IgA quantitation by ELISA and to obtain suspensions from Peyer´s patches (PP) and lamina propria (LP) cells for analysis of T, B, and plasma cell subpopulations by flow cytometry and mRNA analysis expression by RT-qPCR of molecular factors related to differentiation of B cells to IgA+ plasma cells, class switch recombination, and IgA-synthesis. Statistical analysis was computed with two-way ANOVA (factor A=age, factor B=group) and p<0.05 was considered for statistically significant differences. Results Compared to age-matched sedentary control, in exercised elderly mice, parameters were either increased (IgA concentration, IL-21, IL-10 and RDH mRNA expression), decreased (α-chain mRNA, B cells, mIgA+ B cells, mIgM+ B cells and IL-4 mRNA) or unchanged (PP mIgA+ plasmablasts and LP cyt-IgA+ plasma cells). Regarding the exercised adult mice, they showed an up-modulation of IgA-concentration, mRNA expression IL-21, IL-10, and RDH and cells (PP B and T cells, mIgM+ plasmablasts and LP cyt-IgA+plasma cells). Conclusion Our findings suggest that MAE restored the IgA production in adult mice via the TD cell pathway but does not in aged mice. Other studies are necessary to know in more detail the impact of long-time MAE on the TD pathway to produce IgA in aging.
Revisiting Trilateration Method Based on Time-of-Flight Measurements for Navigation

This paper revisits trilateration in three-dimensional positioning. Specifically, range between a positioning target and the reference points through time-of-flight (ToF) measurements. In a ToF, range is yielded by multiplying the time required by a wave to travel between two points and its propagation speed. Position of the target can be then estimated once the number of references are adequate, i.e. at least three for two-dimensional positioning and four for three-dimensional one. In this paper, the positioning is considered for navigation where the target moves following a trajectory whilst the ToFs take place in a certain period. The target position at the time is computed based on the ToFs through least square estimation. Through a numerical simulation, it is shown that the trilateration can track a target’s trajectory despite the decreasing performance at the end of the course.
The Role of Systemic Inflammation in Acquired Nasolacrimal Duct Obstruction

Objectives: This study aims to investigate the influence of systemic inflammation on adult patients with acquired nasolacrimal duct obstruction (ANLDO). Methods: Peripheral venous blood analysis was performed on adult patients who underwent dacryocystorhinostomy for ANLDO between June 2020 and December 2022, during their remission period just before the surgery. Platelet, Neutrophil, Lymphocyte, Monocyte, White Blood Cell (WBC) count, Platelet/Lymphocyte ratio (PLR), Neutrophil/Lymphocyte ratio (NLR), Monocyte/Lymphocyte ratio (MLR), and systemic inflammatory index (SII) (calculated as platelet × (neutrophil/lymphocyte)) were compared with a volunteer control group. Results: The study included 54 adult patients with ANLDO and 54 individuals in the control group. The mean age was 42.5±14.4 years in the ANLDO group and 37.8±12.3 years in the volunteer control group. There was no significant difference in age between the groups (p=0.064). Platelet value (295.9±70.9→254.7±43.9), PLR value (143.8±77.7→119.0±36.1), and SII value (534.7±192.0→442.6±212.2) in the ANLDO group were significantly higher compared to the Control group (p=0.000, p=0.023, p=0.020, respectively). Neutrophil, lymphocyte, monocyte, NLR, MLR, and WBC values did not exhibit significant differences between the case and control groups (p=0.299, p=0.469, p=0.125, p=0.419, p=0.143, and p=0.465, respectively). Conclusion: The study revealed elevated systemic platelet counts in ANLDO patients, resulting in higher PLR and SII values. The authors suggest that a histopathological examination to assess the local impact of platelets or other inflammatory processes in nasolacrimal duct obstruction could offer valuable insights into the etiopathology of ANLDO.
Automated Construction Site Monitoring Based on Improved YOLOv8-seg Instance Segmentation Algorithm

Utilizing Unmanned Aerial Vehicles (UAV) and instance segmentation for construction site monitoring(such as construction machinery and operation surfaces) offers a significant leap in management efficiency over traditional manual supervision methods. However, in UAV-based remote sensing images, the subtle presence of construction machinery and the image features resemblances among various operational surfaces make it difficult to segment instances. To address these challenges, this study proposed a novel instance segmentation model based on the YOLOv8-seg model. Given the unique challenges, the proposed model makes three improvements to the original YOLOv8-seg model. First, the paper incorporates the FocalNext module, which extends the sense field of the convolutional kernel to capture contextual data and integrates multilevel features, enhancing the perception of local details. Second, the paper incorporates the Efficient Multiscale Attention (EMA) module, which refines image features by emphasizing spatial-channel interactions and adeptly contrasts patterns across scales to detect nuances overlooked by conventional models, aiding in distinguishing similar construction operation surfaces. Last, given the intricate nature of construction site images, this paper incorporates the Context Aggregation module, which enhances pixel analysis by intelligently modulating feature weights to highlight essential global contexts. The ablation experiment demonstrates that the enhancements perform well on the YOLOv8-seg two variants model. Comparative experimental results show that the improved model significantly outperforms existing instance segmentation models regarding model performance, complexity, and inference speed. Overall, the improved YOLOv8-seg model balances model performance and computational complexity to meet the needs of edge device deployment in field monitoring.
Smartphone Use of University Students: Patterns, Purposes, and Situations

In order to integrate smartphones into educational settings effectively, there is need to describe routine use of smartphones by university students in detail. This study aimed to describe smartphone use of university students in a developing country, focusing on the purpose, the patterns and the situations of smartphone use. The participants of this study were 842 university students studying in 101 different universities. A cross-sectional survey method was employed in the study. Regarding use patterns, majority of university students have been using their smartphones for about 3 years, mostly at nights and/or in the evenings, and approximately 5 hours a day. Also, they connect to the Internet about 4 hours via their smartphones a day, and check their smartphones about 32 times a day. The results indicated that the most frequent smartphone use purpose is texting and talking with someone, followed by checking social media and doing Internet search while the less frequent purpose is shopping. Smartphones are mostly used by university students to spend free time when bored, alone, and/or waiting for someone. Educational implications and recommendations are provided.
Assessing the impact of external determinants on the social performance of Islamic banks

Purpose Explaining the sources of the differences in social performance among Islamic banks (IBs) is the motivation for this research. Consequently, the purpose of this paper is to investigate the relationship between the development of Islamic finance regulation, the development of an Islamic financial system, the proportions of affected Muslim populations and the level of competition, on the one hand, and the social performance of IBs, on the other. To the best of the authors' knowledge, this is the first study that investigates the impact of the development of regulation and the Islamic financial system on the social performance of IBs. Design/methodology/approach A balanced panel of annual data for 40 banks from 13 countries is applied, spanning 2012–2018. A social performance index with eight dimensions is constructed and measures the social performance of IBs. The index based on qualitative and quantitative data derives from IBs’ annual reports and financial statements. The linear scaling transformation method articulates the quantitative dimensions of the index. In hypotheses testing, the authors use OLS, LSDV, FEM and Random Effect Model to estimate Model (1) and panel-corrected standard errors with Prais–Winsten transformation to estimate Model (2). Findings This unique research confirms the positive impact of the development of Islamic finance regulation on the social performance of IBs. The results show that the development of Islamic finance regulation is consistently significant on all standard significance levels. IBs’ age and the presence of Muslim populations in the country are also significant in most estimators. Research limitations/implications The results of this research highlight a significant value for regulators, shareholders and the management of IBs. Without proper regulation, these banks can hardly operate under the principles and expectations of the Islamic moral economy. Originality/value This is pioneering research that explores the development of Islamic finance regulation and market concentration as a determinant of social performance of IBs. Development of Islamic finance regulation has proved significant in all estimated models, which confirms that a new variable has been discovered among determinants of the social performance of IBs.
Insight into the Inhibitory Mechanism of Embryonic Ectoderm Development Subunit by Triazolopyrimidine Derivatives as Inhibitors through Molecular Dynamics Simulation

Inhibition of the Embryonic Ectoderm Development (EED) subunit in Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) can inhibit tumor growth. In this paper, we selected six experimentally designed EED competitive Inhibitors of the triazolopyrimidine derivatives class. We investigated the difference in the binding mode of the natural substrate to the Inhibitors and the effects of differences in the parent nuclei, heads, and tails of the Inhibitors on the inhibitory capacity. The results showed that the binding free energy of this class of Inhibitors was close to or lower compared to the natural substrate, providing an energetic basis for competitive inhibition. For the Inhibitors, the presence of a strong negatively charged group at the 6-position of the parent nucleus or the 8′-position of the head would make the hydrogen atom on the head imino group prone to flip, resulting in the vertical movement of the parent nucleus, which significantly decreased the inhibitory ability. When the 6-position of the parent nucleus was a nonpolar group, the parent nucleus would move horizontally, slightly decreasing the inhibitory ability. When the 8′-position of the head was methylene, it formed an intramolecular hydrophobic interaction with the benzene ring on the tail, resulting in a significant increase in inhibition ability.
Alternative weir design using circular crested type and vlughter type energy dissipators on the Yeh Empas Longstorage in Tabanan Regency

Climate change affects seasonal changes throughout the world, including in Indonesia a tropical country that experiences rainy and dry seasons with the possibility of facing drought or flood disasters. The long storage construction has an objective to overcome the problem of water availability during the dry and rainy seasons. The Yeh Empas long storage is one of the construction weirs with rubber as a barrier and a movable gate in the Yeh Empas River as a reservoir for raw water for Tabanan Regency. The utilization of movable gates and rubber weir bodies has disadvantages in terms of cost and construction time due to the ordering time. The objective of the current study is to design an alternative weir using circular crested type and Vlughter type energy dissipators without replacing the long storage function. The weir was designed by implementing a 100-year return period flood discharge of 163.29 m3/dt. The design result depicts the dimensions of weir elements consisting of the crest radius, the crest height, the energy dissipator length, the upstream slope, the downstream slope, and the effective width is 1.00 m, 3.30 m, 5.70 m, 2:3, 1:1, and 26.31 m, respectively.
The Impact of Genetically Engineered Crops on Farm Sustainability in the United States

The use of GE crops in the United States has been through 14 years since their introduction and several National Research Council(NRC) reports have addressed the effects of GE crops on the environment and on human health during 2000 to 2004.However,the effects of agricultural biotechnology at the farm level have received much less attention.To fill that information gap,the NRC initiated the study and released the first comprehensive assessment of the effects of GE-crop adoption on farm sustainability in the United States.This report addresses just the scientific questions and is based on peer-reviewed literature to form conclusions and recommendations.In general,the committee finds that genetic-engineering technology has produced substantial net environmental and economic benefits to U.S.farmers;however the social effects of agricultural biotechnology have largely been unexplored.This report details the challenges and opportunities for future GE crops and offers recommendations on how crop-management practices and future research and development efforts can help to realize the full potential offered by genetic engineering.
Establishing northern red oak on a degraded upland site in northeastern Pennsylvania: Influence of seedling pedigree and quality

Enrichment plantings using large oak seedlings of regional sources may promote superior survival and growth compared to direct seeding or standard nursery seedling material. This study evaluated the survival and growth of planted 1-0 northern red oak (Quercus rubra L.) seedlings among 11 families and 3 seedling size classes (small, average, and premium). Seedlings were planted in April 2005 in a deer exclosure in a failed clearcut in Pike County, PA. After 7 years, survival averaged 84 percent and was greater in the premium than either the small or average size classes in 2 of the 11 families. Total height and ground-level diameter of premium seedlings were greater in five and eight of the families, respectively, than seedlings in either the average or small size classes. Results suggest that selecting premium seedlings from certain mother trees can improve planted seedling survival and growth and have ramifications for seed orchard construction.
Development and Modal Analysis of Bioinspired CNT/EPOXY Nanocomposite MAV Flapping Wings

The aim of the present work is the development and modal analysis of hummingbird inspired MAV flapping wings. Carbon nanotubes (CNTs)/epoxy nanocomposite is chosen as the material for wing fabrication. The nanocomposite has been developed and characterized using dynamic mechanical analyzer for its dynamic viscoelastic properties. Wing designing is done by obtaining the data points from 2D full-flexed giant hummingbird wing image using digitizer. The fabrication of wings is done using molding manufacturing technique. Wing mold is made out of Perspex sheet using laser engraving machine. Modal analysis has been performed in air/normal environment and vacuum chamber. The results are used for determining the repeatability of wing manufacturing technique, too. A 3D model of wing is used for computational modal analysis using commercial finite element software ANSYS. The results from experiments and ANSYS simulations are compared and found in good agreement with each other.
Vertical GaN-on-GaN Trench Junction Barrier Schottky Diodes With a Slanted Sidewall

In this work, vertical gallium nitride (GaN) trench Junction Barrier Schottky (JBS) diodes fabricated with a novelty slanted p-GaN sidewall on a 2-inch free-standing GaN (FS-GaN) substrate were demonstrated. The slanted sidewall on edge of devices was conducted to suppress the peak of electric field distributions at high voltage. By realizing an off-state breakdown voltage <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{BR}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 2 kV and an on-state resistance <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$R_{on}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 1.34 <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\text{m}\Omega \bullet $ </tex-math></inline-formula>cm2, the devices fabricated in this work achieved the highest power device figure-of-merit <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$V_{BR}^{2}/R_{on}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> of 3.0 GW/cm2 in the reported vertical GaN JBS diodes which showed great potential in high voltage applications.
Growth, Metal Accumulation Potential and Antioxidant Enzyme Responses of Ricinus communis L. Genotypes Exposed to Cement Industry Effluent

The current study was carried out to delineate the effect of cement industry effluent on the two screened varieties of R. communis(Castor) viz. MSC-55 and Western-6. A number of analyses such as growth parameters, photosynthetic pigment, metal accumulationand antioxidant enzyme were performed on both the varieties. With respect to T0 (100% tap water), an increase of 86.84, 90.97 and80.15% was noticed in the fresh weight (FW) of roots of MSC-55 variety at 30, 60 and 90 DAS, respectively, when irrigated with T2 (50%effluent+50% tap water). The results obtained significantly differed between T0 and T2 and T0 and T4 (at p ≤ 0.05). MSC-55 variety wasobserved to contain an increased amount of total chlorophyll and carotenoids up to T2 concentration which declined at higher effluentconcentration i.e., T4 (100% effluent). Increased concentration of Cement Industry Effluent (CIE) enhanced the generation of someantioxidant compounds like Guaiacol peroxidase (GPX) and Ascorbate peroxidase (APX) in both the varieties up to certain treatmentconcentrations viz. MSC-55 and Western-6. As the effluent concentration increased in both the varieties, the amount of malondialdehyde(MDA) in the leaves and roots also rose. With increasing effluent concentrations, Catalase (CAT) and Superoxide dismutase (SOD)also increased. MSC-55 variety of R. communis was observed to have a strong antioxidant defence system against CIE and could berecommended for cultivation during metal-contaminated industrial effluent condition.