Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nonlinear Feedback Control of a Dual-Stage Actuator System for Reduced Settling Time

This brief presents a nonlinear control method for dual-stage actuator (DSA) systems to track a step command input fast and accurately. Conventional tracking controllers for DSA systems are generally designed to enable the primary actuator to approach the setpoint without overshoot. However, this strategy is unable to achieve the minimal settling time when the setpoints are beyond the secondary actuator travel limit. To further reduce the settling time, we design the primary actuator controller to yield a closed-loop system with a small damping ratio for a fast rise time and certain allowable overshoot. Then, a composite nonlinear control law is designed for the secondary actuator to reduce the overshoot caused by the primary actuator as the system output approaches the setpoint. The proposed control method is applied to an actual DSA positioning system, which consists of a linear motor and a piezo actuator. Experimental results demonstrate that our approach can further reduce the settling time significantly compared with the conventional control.
Enhanced Bag-of-Features model for image classification

Bag-of-Features (BOF) representation is a very popular model for content based image classification. In BOF, term frequency (tf) and inverse document frequency (idf) is a very popular model to compute the weights of the visual vocabularies. However, tf-idf model does not contain the class information of images. Fortunately, chi-square model contains the class information well. So, in order to enhance tf-idf model, we adopt chi-square with an exponent to add the image class information to the tf-idf model, as a result we call this enhanced model tf-idf-chi-exp model. We extract scale invariant feature transform (SIFT) features from images and carry out the experiments and then the outcomes show that the tf-idf-chi-exp model performs better than tf-idf model. According to different environment, if we can set a reasonable exponent of tf-idf-chi-exp model its performance will be somewhat better.
Study on Trust & Perceived Risk Regarding Online Shopping in Pune: A Factor Analysis

The trust and perceived risks are the two vital components which determine the online shopping behavior. According to the review of literature eight types of perceived risks and five components of trusts are found. An attempt has been made by researchers in this paper to find out the elements of perceived risks and trust affect the most to the shopping behavior. This paper is outcome of the primary survey of 208 respondents of the age group between 18- 35 years having different demographic backgrounds of Pune based youth. The finding suggests the six factors, three types each of perceived risks and trusts respectively, impacts the shopping behavior while shopping online. The factor analysis is used as a tool for the study.
Directional broadcast forwarding of alarm messages in VANETs

The performance of general routing schemes for vehicular ad hoc networks (VANETs) is highly affected by the features of the specific medium access control scheme the routing relies upon and by the mobility scenario. In this work, we address the design of position based routing solutions for the support of safety oriented applications in VANETs by focusing on the impact of the MAC layer on the performances of the routing strategies. Namely, we propose a simulation analysis in a realistic highway mobility scenario to assess the routing performance in the two cases where standard IEEE 802.11 technology and a dynamic TDMA scheme are adopted at layer 2 respectively. We discuss on the dimensioning of the routing parameters in both cases and we provide a comparative analysis of the two MAC/routing integrated solutions
Institute for Mathematical Physics Quantum Energy Inequalities in Two–dimensional Conformal Field Theory Quantum Energy Inequalities in Two-dimensional Conformal Field Theory

Quantum energy inequalities (QEIs) are state-independent lower bounds on weighted averages of the stress-energy tensor, and have been established for several free quantum field models. We present rigorous QEI bounds for a class of interacting quantum fields, namely the unitary, positive energy conformal field theories (with stress-energy tensor) on two-dimensional Minkowski space. The QEI bound depends on the weight used to average the stress-energy tensor and the central charge(s) of the theory, but not on the quantum state. We give bounds for various situations: averaging along timelike, null and spacelike curves, as well as over a spacetime volume. In addition, we consider boundary conformal field theories and more general 'moving mirror' models. Our results hold for all theories obeying a minimal set of axioms which—as we show—are satisfied by all models built from unitary highest-weight representations of the Virasoro algebra. In particular, this includes all (unitary, positive energy) minimal models and rational conformal field theories. Our discussion of this issue collects together (and, in places, corrects) various results from the literature which do not appear to have been assembled in this form elsewhere.
AgentCell: a digital single-cell assay for bacterial chemotaxis

MOTIVATION In recent years, single-cell biology has focused on the relationship between the stochastic nature of molecular interactions and variability of cellular behavior. To describe this relationship, it is necessary to develop new computational approaches at the single-cell level. RESULTS We have developed AgentCell, a model using agent-based technology to study the relationship between stochastic intracellular processes and behavior of individual cells. As a test-bed for our approach we use bacterial chemotaxis, one of the best characterized biological systems. In this model, each bacterium is an agent equipped with its own chemotaxis network, motors and flagella. Swimming cells are free to move in a 3D environment. Digital chemotaxis assays reproduce experimental data obtained from both single cells and bacterial populations.
SUPFAM - a database of potential protein superfamily relationships derived by comparing sequence-based and structure-based families: implications for structural genomics and function annotation in genomes

Members of a superfamily of proteins could result from divergent evolution of homologues with insignificant similarity in the amino acid sequences. A superfamily relationship is detected commonly after the three-dimensional structures of the proteins are determined using X-ray analysis or NMR. The SUPFAM database described here relates two homologous protein families in a multiple sequence alignment database of either known or unknown structure. The present release (1.1), which is the first version of the SUPFAM database, has been derived by analysing Pfam, which is one of the commonly used databases of multiple sequence alignments of homologous proteins. The first step in establishing SUPFAM is to relate Pfam families with the families in PALI, which is an alignment database of homologous proteins of known structure that is derived largely from SCOP. The second step involves relating Pfam families which could not be associated reliably with a protein superfamily of known structure. The profile matching procedure, IMPALA, has been used in these steps. The first step resulted in identification of 1280 Pfam families (out of 2697, i.e. 47%) which are related, either by close homologous connection to a SCOP family or by distant relationship to a SCOP family, potentially forming new superfamily connections. Using the profiles of 1417 Pfam families with apparently no structural information, an all-against-all comparison involving a sequence-profile match using IMPALA resulted in clustering of 67 homologous protein families of Pfam into 28 potential new superfamilies. Expansion of groups of related proteins of yet unknown structural information, as proposed in SUPFAM, should help in identifying 'priority proteins' for structure determination in structural genomics initiatives to expand the coverage of structural information in the protein sequence space. For example, we could assign 858 distinct Pfam domains in 2203 of the gene products in the genome of Mycobacterium tubercolosis. Fifty-one of these Pfam families of unknown structure could be clustered into 17 potentially new superfamilies forming good targets for structural genomics. SUPFAM database can be accessed at http://pauling.mbu. iisc.ernet. in/~supfam.
A new framework for medical image processing — Medical image processing with Imbra and CImg

Medical image processing is important in hospital solutions and DICOM applications. Although there are many open source libraries for DICOM today, there are still no a dominant one adopted by most applications. This paper introduced a new framework that is easy to use and yet powerful in many aspects. It proposed to combine the Imebra Library with the famous CImg Library to do medical image processing. After a brief introduction to the functions of both Libraries, this paper had presented how to design a pipeline to make the two libraries work together. A demonstrating system was presented at the last of the paper to show the works of the pipeline. It was believed that the cooperation of the two libraries provided an excellent solution to medical image processing and will succeed in the future.
Study of bifurcations in current-programmed DC/DC boost converters: from quasiperiodicity to period-doubling

This paper studies the bifurcation paths exhibited by a simple second-order DC/DC boost converter under current-programmed control with and without voltage feedback. Previous work in this area has reported two distinct types of bifurcation paths, namely via regions of quasi-periodic orbits and period-doubling. This paper demonstrates that the two different types of bifurcation paths can, in fact, be viewed as part of another bifurcation in which the quasi-periodic sequence transmutes into the period-doubling sequence, and that such a bifurcation is observed regardless of the presence of the outer voltage feedback loop as long as a suitable set of bifurcation parameters is chosen. The describing iterative map is derived in closed form and is used to develop the main results via a series of computer experiments. The characteristic multipliers are calculated and the first onset of flip-bifurcation is predicted. Computer simulation based on an exact piecewise switched model confirms the predicted bifurcations. The exhibition of quasi-periodic orbits is confirmed by computation of the Lyapunov exponent. Finally, a series of return maps are generated to provide an alternative viewpoint to the reported bifurcations in terms of a transmutation from a tent-like map to a logistic-like map.
Wavelets, its Application and Technique in signal and image processing

Wavelets are functions that satisfy certain mathematical requirement and used in representing data or functions. Wavelets allow complex information such as data compression, signal recognition, signal and image processing, music and computer graphics etc. The wavelet decomposition analysis is used most often in wavelet signal processing. It is used in signal compression as well as in signal identification, although in the latter case, reconstruction of the original is not always required. The decomposition separates a signal into components at various scales corresponding to successive octave frequencies. Each component can be processed individually by a different algorithm. In this work we first try to introduce wavelet and then some of its applications and technique in signal and image processing. Here we also approach a new filtering technique.
Analysis of electron bubble dynamics inside an electrohydrodynamics nozzle using molecular simulation

The dynamics of charge carriers inside an electrospray nozzle for insulating liquids is studied using 3-D molecular dynamics (MD) simulation. The main aim of the present study is to relate the respective contribution of charge carrier to the spray and leakage currents respectively. This paper presents the reasons why the electrical stability of recently introduced side-to-center (STC) electron injection technique is more stable in comparison with parallel injection technique used in the past. The calculation result shows that the dynamics of the EB around the needle tip is different in comparison with that of the region down stream of the flow. These are classified into the large electric field region (around the needle tip) and the weak electric field region (down stream of the flow). In the weak electric field region, the EB becomes an unpredictable random motion and the EB dynamics is dominated by the liquid flow. The dynamics of the EB near the needle tip primarily contributes to the spray current. The space charge inside the nozzle brings the EBs outwards near the nozzle surface from its central region. The EBs, which consists of stable cluster with surrounding liquid molecules contribute to the spray current.
OBESITY AND THE RATE OF TIME PREFERENCE: IS THERE A CONNECTION?

It is hypothesized that recent trends in US and worldwide obesity are, in part, related to an increase in the marginal rate of time preference, where time preference refers to the rate at which people are willing to trade current benefit for future benefit. The higher the rate of time preference, the larger is the factor by which individuals discount the future health risks associated with current consumption. Data from the United States, as well as international evidence, suggest that a relationship between these two variables is plausible. The authors encourage researchers to explore the possible link between obesity and time preference, as important insights are likely to result.
AMP-Activated Kinase Regulates Cytoplasmic HuR

ABSTRACT While transport of RNA-binding protein HuR from nucleus to cytoplasm is emerging as a key regulatory step for HuR function, the mechanisms underlying this process remain poorly understood. Here, we report that the AMP-activated kinase (AMPK), an enzyme involved in responding to metabolic stresses, potently regulates the levels of cytoplasmic HuR. Inhibition of AMPK, accomplished either through cell treatment or by adenovirus infection to express dominant-negative AMPK, was found to increase the level of HuR in the cytoplasm and to enhance the binding of HuR to p21, cyclin B1, and cyclin A mRNA transcripts and elevate their expression and half-lives. Conversely, AMPK activation, achieved by means including infection to express constitutively active AMPK, resulted in reduced cytoplasmic HuR; decreased levels and half-lives of mRNAs encoding p21, cyclin A, and cyclin B1; and diminished HuR association with the corresponding transcripts. We therefore propose a novel function for AMPK as a regulator of cytoplasmic HuR levels, which in turn influences the mRNA-stabilizing function of HuR and the expression of HuR target transcripts.
Blind Source Separation : Recover Signals from Mixtures

Executive Summary The focus of this paper in on the Blind Source Separation's underdetermined case where three speech signals are mixed in an environment, and the measurements are recorded by two microphones (or sensors). From the research up to date in this area, the assumption that the signals are sufficiently sparse is made. The designing of the binary masks has been made where only one signal was assumed to be active. None of them took into consideration that the musical noise (distortion) was one of the key problems in the separation. In order to solve this problem I propose the combination of the sparseness with the usage of the estimation of mixing matrices. As a first step the geometric approach of finding the times when one source is active is used, and then that gained information is used in the estimation of the mixing matrix, which would lead into the separation of the mixtures into almost noiseless separate signals. The experimental results gained provide evidence that using the mixing matrix estimation and masks for time-frequency leads to much better quality of the separated signal rather than without using the estimating matrix in real world conditions (reverberations present), where in our case the reverberant time was 200ms.
EXAFS study of hydrogen intercalation into ReO 3 using the evolutionary algorithm

In this study we have investigated the influence of hydrogen intercalation on the local atomic structure of rhenium trioxide using a new approach to EXAFS data analysis, based on the evolutionary algorithm (EA). The proposed EA-EXAFS method is an extension of the conventional reverse Monte Carlo approach but is computationally more efficient. It allows one to perform accurate analysis of EXAFS data from distant coordination shells, taking into account both multiple-scattering and disorder (thermal and static) effects. The power of the EA-EXAFS method is first demonstrated on an example of the model system, pure ReO3, and then it is applied to an in situ study of hydrogen bronze HxReO3 upon hydrogen intercalation. The obtained results allow us to detect changes in the lattice dynamics and correlation of atomic motion, and to follow the structural development at different stages of the reaction.
Decreased Cytotoxicity of Peripheral and Peritoneal Natural Killer Cell in Endometriosis

Endometriosis causes significant chronic pelvic pain, dysmenorrhea, and infertility and affects 10% of all women. In endometriosis, ectopic endometrium surviving after retrograde menstruation exhibits an abnormal immune response characterized by increased levels of activated macrophages and inflammatory cytokines. Particularly, dysfunctional natural killer (NK) cells play an important role in the pathogenesis of the disease by either facilitating or inhibiting the survival, implantation, and proliferation of endometrial cells. NK cells in the peritoneum and peritoneal fluid exhibit reduced levels of cytotoxicity in women with endometriosis. Several cytokines and inhibitory factors in the serum and peritoneal fluid also dysregulate NK cell cytotoxicity. Additionally, increased numbers of immature peripheral NK cells and induction of NK cell apoptosis are evident in the peritoneal fluid of women with endometriosis. The high rate of endometriosis recurrence after pharmaceutical or surgical treatment, which is associated with dysfunctional NK cells, indicates that new immunomodulatory management strategies are required. A good understanding of immune dysfunction would enable improvement of current treatments for endometriosis.
Teacher Attrition in Special Education: Perspectives From the Field

In the field of special education, attrition plays a major role in a persistent teacher shortage problem. Over the past few decades, researchers in general education and special education have investigated the various reasons why new teachers leave the field and ways in which they can be better supported to stay in their positions. Despite the increased focus on why new special education teachers leave the field, the knowledge related to teacher attrition in special education is still somewhat limited when compared with the field of general education. For example, previous research has heavily relied on survey research to understand teacher attrition, but these methods may limit some of the important information related to the complexity of why a teacher might leave the field or their job within the first few years. In this study, the authors conduct several Nominal Group Technique (NGT) focus groups to learn more about the perceived needs of new special education teachers. Focus groups are held with three specific groups, preservice special education teachers, new special education teachers, and school administrators to further investigate the potential differences in perceptions about the needs and roles of new special education teachers.
Genetics of Interleukin 1 Receptor-Like 1 in Immune and Inflammatory Diseases

Interleukin 1 receptor-like 1 (IL1RL1) is gaining in recognition due to its involvement in immune/inflammatory disorders. Well-designed animal studies have shown its critical role in experimental allergic inflammation and human in vitro studies have consistently demonstrated its up-regulation in several conditions such as asthma and rheumatoid arthritis. The ligand for IL1RL1 is IL33 which emerged as playing an important role in initiating eosinophilic inflammation and activating other immune cells resulting in an allergic phenotype. An IL1RL1 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) was among the most significant results of a genome-wide scan investigating eosinophil counts; in the same study, this SNP associated with asthma in 10 populations. The IL1RL1 gene resides in a region of high linkage disequilibrium containing interleukin 1 receptor genes as well as interleukin 18 receptor and accessory genes. This poses a challenge to researchers interested in deciphering genetic association signals in the region as all of the genes represent interesting candidates for asthma and allergic disease. The IL1RL1 gene and its resulting soluble and receptor proteins have emerged as key regulators of the inflammatory process implicated in a large variety of human pathologies We review the function and expression of the IL1RL1 gene. We also describe the role of IL1RL1 in asthma, allergy, cardiovascular disease, infections, liver disease and kidney disease.
An ecological and life course analysis of binge drinking and problem gambling among Indigenous populations in Canada

iii ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS . iv LIST OF TABLES . vii LIST OF FIGURES . viii LIST OF ABBREVIATIONS . ix CHAPTER 1: INTRODUCTION . 1 Theoretical Framework . 1 Thesis Overview and Methods. 2 Paper 1: Binge Drinking among Indigenous Adolescents . 3 Paper 2: At-Risk Gambling among Indigenous Adults . 6 Results and Significance of Research . 8 CHAPTER 2: LITERATURE REVIEW . 12 Background . 13 Addiction. 16 Social Determinants of Health . 18 An Ecological and Lifecourse Framework . 20 Understanding Alcohol Use among Indigenous Youth . 23 Exposure Variable 1: School Environment. 25 Exposure Variable 2: Extracurricular Activity . 28 Mediator: Peer Risk Behaviour . 31 Understanding Gambling Behaviour among Indigenous Adults . 37 Exposure Variable 1: Job Satisfaction . 42 Exposure Variable 2: Stressful Life Events . 45 Life Course Variable: Past Trauma. 48 Conclusion . 51 CHAPTER 3: THE INFLUENCE OF THE SCHOOL ENVIRONMENT ON ALCOHOL USE AMONG INDIGENOUS ADOLESCENTS (PAPER 1) . 53 Abstract . 53 Introduction . 55 Preventing Binge Drinking using a Theoretical Lens . 56 Influence of the School Environment . 57 Influence of Extracurricular Activities . 58 Meso-level Environments Influence on Binge Drinking . 59 Micro-level Mediating Factor: Peer Risk Behaviour . 60 The Present Study . 61 Methods. 62 Study Design . 62 Measures . 64 Statistical Analysis . 67 Results . 71 Sample Characteristics . 71 Binge drinking . 71
Reductive Dehalogenation of Trichloroacetic Acid byTrichlorobacter thiogenes gen. nov., sp. nov

ABSTRACT A bacterium able to grow via reductive dechlorination of trichloroacetate was isolated from anaerobic soil enrichments. The isolate, designated strain K1, is a member of the δ proteobacteria and is related to other known sulfur and ferric iron reducers. In anaerobic mineral media supplemented with acetate and trichloroacetate, its doubling time was 6 h. Alternative electron donor and acceptors were acetoin and sulfur or fumarate, respectively. Trichloroacetate dehalogenation activity was constitutively present, and the dechlorination product was dichloroacetate and chloride. Trichloroacetate conversion seemed to be coupled to a novel sulfur-sulfide redox cycle, which shuttled electrons from acetate oxidation to trichloroacetate reduction. In view of its unique physiological characteristics, the name Trichlorobacter thiogenes is suggested for strain K1.