Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Discrete-Time Output-Feedback Robust Repetitive Control for a Class of Nonlinear Systems by Additive State Decomposition

The discrete-time robust repetitive control (RC, or repetitive controller, also designated RC) problem for nonlinear systems is both challenging and practical. This paper proposes a discrete-time output-feedback RC design for a class of systems subject to measurable nonlinearities to track reference robustly with respect to the period variation. The design relies on additive state decomposition, by which the output-feedback RC problem is decomposed into an output-feedback RC problem for a linear time-invariant system and a state-feedback stabilization problem for a nonlinear system. Thanks to the decomposition, existing controller design methods in both the frequency domain and time domain can be employed to make the robustness and discretization for a nonlinear system tractable. To demonstrate the effectiveness, an illustrative example is given.
Weight Adjusment for Multi-criteria Ratings in Items Recommendation

In this paper we propose to use implicit ratings of multiple criteria to mitigate the data sparsity problem. The intuition is to predict the overall relevance of an item for a given user, based on her/his own implicit feedback instead of using similar users ratings (commonly used in collaborative filtering). Furthermore, since we believe one criterion may be more important than others, we propose a weighting schema, in which we estimate how interesting is each criterion for a given user, in order to generate a personalized ranking. The weighting schema do not suppose the generation of predicted explicit ratings. Instead, we reorganize the weights in such a way that just the criterion that has rating are weighted. For predicting the weight of each criterion to each user, we propose a genetic programming to predict how interesting is each criterion for a user, in which the initial weight values are randomly generated. In our experiments, we show that when having a sufficient corpus of historical user implicit feedback we can obtain higher precision for ranking items to a user, considering a predicted set of weight.
Photoactive Hybrid Materials of Lanthanide (Eu3+, Tb3+, Sm3+) Beta‐Diketonates and Polymer Resin Through Ionic Liquid Bridge

A special multifunctional ionic liquid compound (1‐methyl‐3‐(2‐(thiocarboxyoxy)‐ethyl)‐2H‐imidazole‐1,3‐diium bromide (SHIL)) is used as the chemical bridge to link lanthanide beta‐diketonates and polymer resin, which are designated as Ln(L)4‐SHIL‐WR/MR (Ln = Eu, Tb, Sm; L = thenoyltrifluoroacetonate (TTA), acetylacetonate (AA), dibenzoylmethane (DBM); WR = Wang resin, MR = Merrifield resin). Among SHIL and polymer resin are assembled to form covalently bonded system through condensation reaction. Then tetrakis lanthanide beta‐diketonates are linked to SHIL through ion‐exchange reaction. Physical characterization and especially the photoluminescent performance of the multicomponent hybrids are studied. The hybrid materials possess good stability and excellent luminescent property. The results provide useful path to obtain luminescent hybrids for further practical application.
Phylodynamic analysis of a viral infection network

Viral infections by sexual and droplet transmission routes typically spread through a complex host-to-host contact network. Clarifying the transmission network and epidemiological parameters affecting the variations and dynamics of a specific pathogen is a major issue in the control of infectious diseases. However, conventional methods such as interview and/or classical phylogenetic analysis of viral gene sequences have inherent limitations and often fail to detect infectious clusters and transmission connections. Recent improvements in computational environments now permit the analysis of large datasets. In addition, novel analytical methods have been developed that serve to infer the evolutionary dynamics of virus genetic diversity using sample date information and sequence data. This type of framework, termed “phylodynamics,” helps connect some of the missing links on viral transmission networks, which are often hard to detect by conventional methods of epidemiology. With sufficient number of sequences available, one can use this new inference method to estimate theoretical epidemiological parameters such as temporal distributions of the primary infection, fluctuation of the pathogen population size, basic reproductive number, and the mean time span of disease infectiousness. Transmission networks estimated by this framework often have the properties of a scale-free network, which are characteristic of infectious and social communication processes. Network analysis based on phylodynamics has alluded to various suggestions concerning the infection dynamics associated with a given community and/or risk behavior. In this review, I will summarize the current methods available for identifying the transmission network using phylogeny, and present an argument on the possibilities of applying the scale-free properties to these existing frameworks.
Responses by four Local Research Ethics Committees to submitted proposals.

BACKGROUND: There is relatively little research concerning the processes whereby Local Research Ethics Committees discharge their responsibilities towards society, potential participants and investigators. OBJECTIVES: To examine the criteria used by LRECs in arriving at their decisions concerning approval of research protocols through an analysis of letters sent to investigators. DESIGN: Four LRECs each provided copies of 50 letters sent to investigators after their submitted proposals had been considered by the committees. These letters were subjected to a content analysis, in which specific comments and requests for additional information and changes in the protocols were recorded and compared. FINDINGS: Overall 24% of proposals were approved without request for changes or clarifications, but this varied by committee: one committee approved only 6% of proposals without change or clarification while the others ranged from 26% to 32%. The content analyses of responses indicated that they could be placed into four categories: (i) further information for the committee to aid in their deliberations; (ii) requests for changes to the design or justification for the design used; (iii) changes to the information sheets provided to potential participants; and (iv) changes to consent procedures. Of these, alterations to information sheets were the most common type of request. These four types of response could be seen as safeguarding the wellbeing of potential participants (the principle of non-maleficence), of promoting the scientific validity of the research (the principle of beneficence), and of enhancing the rights of potential participants (the principle of autonomy). CONCLUSIONS: The committees were consistent in the types of requests they made of investigators, which can be seen as attempts to protect participants' rights and ensure the scientific validity of studies. Without an analysis of the proposals sent to the committees, however, it is difficult to account for the variation in the requirements set by the committees before approval was given.
Activity-Based Proteomics Reveals Heterogeneous Kinome and ATP-Binding Proteome Responses to MEK Inhibition in KRAS Mutant Lung Cancer

One way cancer cells can escape from targeted agents is through their ability to evade drug effects by rapidly rewiring signaling networks. Many protein classes, such as kinases and metabolic enzymes, are regulated by ATP binding and hydrolysis. We hypothesized that a system-level profiling of drug-induced alterations in ATP-binding proteomes could offer novel insights into adaptive responses. Here, we mapped global ATP-binding proteomes perturbed by two clinical MEK inhibitors, AZD6244 and MEK162, in KRAS mutant lung cancer cells as a model system harnessing a desthiobiotin-ATP probe coupled with LC-MS/MS. We observed strikingly unique ATP-binding proteome responses to MEK inhibition, which revealed heterogeneous drug-induced pathway signatures in each cell line. We also identified diverse kinome responses, indicating each cell adapts to MEK inhibition in unique ways. Despite the heterogeneity of kinome responses, decreased probe labeling of mitotic kinases and an increase of kinases linked to autophagy were identified to be common responses. Taken together, our study revealed a diversity of adaptive ATP-binding proteome and kinome responses to MEK inhibition in KRAS mutant lung cancer cells, and our study further demonstrated the utility of our approach to identify potential candidates of targetable ATP-binding enzymes involved in adaptive resistance and to develop rational drug combinations.
Effects of Acetylsalicylic Acid on Increase of Fibrin Network Porosity and the Consequent Upregulation of Fibrinolysis

Our earlier study in vivo showed that a lower dose of acetylsalicylic acid (ASA) brought greater enhancement in fibrin gel permeability (Ks) than a higher dose. To assess whether this finding related to modifications of fibrinogen clotting property by ASA, purified fibrinogen was incubated with ASA and/or salicylic acid (SA). The fibrinogen product was examined. Fibrinogen “clotting time” was not affected. Shortening of fibrin clot “lysis time” paralleled the increase of fibrin network porosity demonstrated by measurements of liquid permeability (Ks), fibrin fiber thickness, and 3-dimensional microscopic image, in a low ASA concentration-dependent way. Ks levels were not altered by SA alone but significantly decreased in samples treated by both where the concentrations were low for ASA and high for SA. In conclusion, ASA at the concentrations used did not influence the rate of fibrinogen gelation by thrombin. However, assembly of fibrin monomers was most probably altered, leading to enhancement of fibrin fiber thickness. A looser network was constructed by the thicker fibrin fibers, which benefits fibrinolysis. According to the known mechanism that SA interferes with ASA in preventing acetylation of platelet's proteins, an explanation for the low ASA concentration-dependent effects on fibrin network structure may be that fewer molecules of SA-the hydrolytic product of ASA-are generated from lower doses of ASA, which block acetylation of fibrinogen to a smaller extent and thus more significantly impair fibrin formation.
Depression and Anxiety in Parents of Children With ADHD and Varying Levels of Oppositional Defiant Behaviors: Modeling Relationships With Family Functioning

This study investigated the relation between parental anxiety and family functioning. Parental anxiety and depression, child attention deficit hyperactivity disorder (ADHD), and oppositional defiant disorder (ODD) symptoms were all included as predictors of 3 measures of family functioning to examine the independent contributions of each. Using a self-report battery completed by 45 mother-father pairs, 3 family functioning factors were derived: Parental Warmth and Positive Involvement, Intrusiveness and Negative Discipline, and Social Distress. Multilevel modeling simultaneously estimated the unique contributions of parental and child symptoms on family functioning. Results indicated that parental anxiety was negatively associated with Parental Warmth and Positive Involvement, Intrusiveness and Negative Discipline, and Social Distress; parental depression was only negatively associated with Social Distress. Child ODD symptoms had independent associations with all outcomes; no relations were found with ADHD. Sex moderated the effects of parental anxiety on Parental Warmth and Positive Involvement such that only for mothers did greater anxiety lead to less Parental Warmth and Positive Involvement.
Con 2 colic Testing

In this paper, we describe con2colic testing — a systematic testing approach for concurrent software. Based on concrete and symbolic executions of a concurrent program, con2colic testing derives inputs and schedules such that the execution space of the program under investigation is systematically explored. We introduce interference scenarios as key concept in con2colic testing. Interference scenarios capture the flow of data among different threads and enable a unified representation of path and interference constraints. We have implemented a con2colic testing engine and demonstrate the effectiveness of our approach by experiments.
The Effects of Sequence and Delay on Crowd Work

A common approach in crowdsourcing is to break large tasks into small microtasks so that they can be parallelized across many crowd workers and so that redundant work can be more easily compared for quality control. In practice, this can result in the microtasks being presented out of their natural order and often introduces delays between individual microtasks. In this paper, we demonstrate in a study of 338 crowd workers that non-sequential microtasks and the introduction of delays significantly decreases worker performance. We show that interruptions where a large delay occurs between two related tasks can cause up to a 102% slowdown in completion time, and interruptions where workers are asked to perform different tasks in sequence can slow down completion time by 57%. We conclude with a set of design guidelines to improve both worker performance and realized pay, and instructions for implementing these changes in existing interfaces for crowd work.
ADAPTIVE CHROMOSOMAL DIVERGENCE DRIVEN BY MIXED GEOGRAPHIC MODE OF EVOLUTION

Chromosomal inversions are ubiquitous in nature and of great significance for understanding adaptation and speciation. Inversions were the first markers used to investigate the genetic structure of natural populations, leading to the concept of coadapted gene complexes and theories concerning founder effects and genetic drift in small populations. However, we still lack elements of a general theory accounting for the origins and distribution of inversions in nature. Here, we use computer simulations to show that a “mixed geographic mode” of evolution involving allopatric separation of populations followed by secondary contact and gene flow generates chromosomal divergence by natural selection under wider conditions than previous hypotheses. This occurs because inversions arising in allopatry contain a full complement of locally adapted genes. Once gene flow ensues, reduced recombination within inversions keeps these favorable genotypic combinations intact, resulting in inverted genomic regions being favored over collinear regions. This process allows inversions to establish to high frequencies. Our model can account for several classic patterns in the geographic distribution of inversions and highlights how selection on standing genetic variation allows rapid chromosomal evolution without the waiting time for new mutations. As inversion differences often separate closely related taxa, mixed modes of divergence could be common.
Optimizing Queries Across Diverse Data Sources

Businessestoday need to interrelate data stored in diverse systems with differing capabilities, ideally via a single high-level query interface. We present the design of a query optimizer for Garlic [C 95], a middleware system designedto integrate data from a broad range of data sources with very different query capabilities. Garlic’s optimizer extends the rule-based approach of [Loh88] to work in a heterogeneous environment, by defining generic rules for the middleware and using wrapper-provided rules to encapsulate the capabilities of each data source. This approach offers great advantages in terms of plan quality, extensibility to new sources, incremental implementationof rules for new sources, and the ability to express the capabilities of a diverse set of sources. We describe the design and implementationof this optimizer, and illustrate its actions through an example.
On sampling algorithms in multilevel QR factorization method for magnetoquasistatic analysis of integrated circuits over multilayered lossy substrates

This paper proposes improvements in the row and column samplings of the multilevel QR factorization method known as IES3, a fast integral equation solver previously proposed for efficient three-dimensional (3-D) parameter extraction. First, a rigorous Gram-Schmidt row sampling is developed to replace the row sampling algorithm in IES3, leading to a more stable algorithm. Second, to further enhance the efficiency of column sampling, a new scheme based on the idea of locating the interpolation points is presented. Error analyses indicate that the proposed schemes have higher accuracies than the original sampling in IES3, especially when the number of sampled points is small. The IES3 that uses one of these improved algorithms is called improved multilevel matrix QR factorization (IMLMQRF). These IMLMQRFs are applied in the magnetoquasistatic analysis of printed circuits on multilayered lossy medium for extractions of inductances and resistances. The frequency dependency of such parameters is also illustrated
Improving MU-MIMO performance in LTE-(advanced) by efficiently exploiting feedback resources and through dynamic scheduling

Multi-user MIMO communication can provide significant gains by exploiting spatial multiplexing. However, it requires better feedback to provide accurate channel state information at the transmitter (CSIT) for minimizing the multiuser interference. 3GPP LTE provides support for MU-MIMO, but it is not sufficient to extract sizable gains. In this paper, our primary goal is to efficiently exploit the system's resources for MU-MIMO in LTE. In the existing 3GPP LTE standard (Rel. 8), we observed that the transmission mode 5 (TM5) dedicated for MU-MIMO utilizes wideband feedback method for providing channel directional information/ precoding matrix indicator (CDI/PMI). The standard supports finer granularity feedback i.e. sub-band feedback method, but it's not utilized for MU-MIMO and restricted only to SU-MIMO. Therefore in this work, we propose to exploit the sub-band feedback for providing more frequent update of PMI. However, in order to support this feedback method, we need to propose a new downlink control information (DCI) format for TM5 that will contain additional fields in comparison to the existing DCI format 1D. Furthermore, to extract optimal performance at the system level, we also propose a MAC-layer scheduling algorithm that deals with resource management on sub-band basis. Utilizing these proposed methods, we show considerable gains in MU-MIMO for 3GPP LTE at the system level.
LinkedIn Salary: A System for Secure Collection and Presentation of Structured Compensation Insights to Job Seekers

Online professional social networks such as LinkedIn have enhanced the ability of job seekers to discover and assess career opportunities, and the ability of job providers to discover and assess potential candidates. For most job seekers, salary (or broadly compensation) is a crucial consideration in choosing a new job. At the same time, job seekers face challenges in learning the compensation associated with different jobs, given the sensitive nature of compensation data and the dearth of reliable sources containing compensation data. Towards the goal of helping the world's professionals optimize their earning potential through salary transparency, we present LinkedIn Salary, a system for collecting compensation information from LinkedIn members and providing compensation insights to job seekers. We present the overall design and architecture, and describe the key components needed for the secure collection, de-identification, and processing of compensation data, focusing on the unique challenges associated with privacy and security. We perform an experimental study with more than one year of compensation submission history data collected from over 1.5 million LinkedIn members, thereby demonstrating the tradeoffs between privacy and modeling needs. We also highlight the lessons learned from the production deployment of this system at LinkedIn.
Iron mapping method based on 2 μ m absorption parameters using SIR2 data on-board Chandrayaan-1

The quantified analysis of iron on the surface provides constrains on initial temp and pressure conditions under which the planetary body formed as well as on the crystallization process which led to the present chemical composition of the crust. The iron content of lunar minerals can be measured by laboratory analysis of lunar meteorites and returned samples from Apollo and Luna missions or by remote sensing using gamma, neutron and x-ray methods. Among the remote sensing techniques, infra-red reflectance spectroscopy allows high spatial resolution (up to few tens of meters) measurements with high signal to noise ratio. The absorption bands and slope of the infra-red reflectance spectra gives the information about the mineralogical composition of a surface. However space weathering weakens the absorption band depth and reddens the continuum slope which makes the detection of minerals and therefore indirect measurement of FeO wt% challenging [2]. Various attempts have been made to separate maturity or space weathering effects from its mineral composition using 1μm absorption band for Clementine or telescopic data sets. Lucey [3] developed a method considering reflectance ratio of 950 and 750 nm bands, Shkuratov [6] presented a 3D correlation method for simultaneous measurements of Fe, Ti and maturity. Le Mouélic [5] used a correlation of the 1μm band depth with the continuum slope. The main limitation so far was a limited number of spectral channels available for comparison with laboratory measured high resolution lunar sample’s spectra. We correlate iron abundance to 2μm absorption band parameters to generate iron abundance map using a high resolution near-infrared spectrometer, SIR2 data set on board Chandrayaan-1. The SIR-2 wavelength range is 0.94 to 2. 41μm with spectral resolution of 0. 06μm and spatial resolution of 200 m from 100 km altitude. The data-set is measured at a constant detector temperature which provided us a uniFigure 1: SIR-2 orbits plotted on LROC image (http://wms.lroc.asu.edu/lroc), SIR-2 data selected for 9S to 11S and 17W to 20W
Smart Moves Bright Bodies: A Rural Adaptation to Combat Obesity among African-American Teenagers in Wilcox and Lowndes Counties, Alabama

Obesity is a significant problem in the United States; however, it is a burgeoning epidemic among youth in the United States. As of 2016, Alabama is the second-most obese state in the nation and 16% of Alabama adolescents are obese. While obesity is a significant problem across all ethnic groups, minorities bear a disproportionate burden in Alabama: one in five African-American adolescents is obese. This disproportionate burden is demonstrated in two Alabama counties: Wilcox and Lowndes. Both counties are predominately African-American and rank in the bottom ten counties, statewide, for overall health outcomes. Nearly 50% of residents in both counties are obese compared to the national average of 36.5%. Several health indicators have been identified as possible contributors to the obesity epidemic in these counties: food insecurity, unemployment rates, poverty, poor dietary practices and physical inactivity. To mitigate the obesity prevalence among African-American teenagers in these counties, the Alabama Department of Public Health will implement the Smart Moves Bright Bodies program. Smart Moves Bright Bodies is a weight management program designed for obese and overweight adolescents. The program includes three components: physical activity, nutrition education, and behavior modification. The program is also designed to strengthen the family unit as parents and students are encouraged to identify healthier coping strategies and to prepare meals with healthier ingredients. Various partners such as the YMCA and local grocery stores will also help with reinforcement of sessions. The aim of the program is to help teenagers maintain a healthy weight while encouraging uptake of healthier lifestyle behaviors.