Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Examining Random-Coeffcient Pattern-Mixture Models forLongitudinal Data with Informative Dropout

Missing data commonly arise during longitudinal measurements. Dropout is a particular troublesome type of missingness because inference after the dropout occasion is effectively precluded at the level of the individual without substantial assumptions. If missingness, such as dropout, is related to the unobserved outcome variables, then parameter estimates derived from models which ignore the missingness will be biased. For example, a treatment effect may appear less substantial if poor-performing subjects tend to withdraw from the study. In a general sense, missing data lead to scenarios in which the empirical distribution of observed data is lacking nominal coverage in some areas. Little (1993) proposed a general pattern-mixture model approach in which the moments of the full data distribution were estimated as a finite mixture across the various missing-data patterns. These models and their extensions are flexible and may be estimated using wildly available mixed-modeling software in some special cases. The purpose of this work is to review the relevant missing-data literature and to examine the viability of random-coefficient pattern-mixture models as an option for analysts seeking unbiased inference for longitudinal data subject to pernicious dropout.
Acoustic behavior of gray whales tagged with biologging devices on foraging grounds

Understanding the function of baleen whale acoustic signals requires the investigation of calling behaviors relative to location, timing, and behavioral state. Previous studies of gray whale (Eschrichtius robustus) vocal behavior have principally used passive recorders and been conducted primarily on breeding grounds and along migratory routes, and not areas associated with foraging. We conducted an analysis of accelerometer and acoustic data collected during 12 deployments of animal-borne tags in 2016, 2019, and 2021 on gray whales that return annually to northern Puget Sound, Washington. We identified 141 calls from gray whales in approximately 128 hours of accelerometer and/or acoustic data collected from tag deployments. The most prominent were pulsive ‘rumble-like’ calls, upsweeping tones, and moans. Using the tag’s accelerometer to identify calls produced by tagged animals enabled us to explore the behavioral context behind call production, revealing that vocalizations were made primarily at slow speeds (mean 1.03 ± 0.26 m/s-1), shallow depths (mean 7.63 ± 4.99 m), and temporally proximate to surface behavior (mean 43.3 ± 39.66 sec) most similar to non-foraging associated depth (mean 5.78 ± 1.46 m and speed (mean 1.46 ± 1.11 m/s-1) profiles. Vocalizations originating from the tagged animal occurred closer to the conclusion of a foraging event (mean 87.7 ± 119.32 min) than the beginning, with only 7% of all calls occurring during periods of feeding. This study demonstrates that gray whales remain vocal on foraging grounds and that call-associated accelerometry signals can be a valuable tool in identifying individual callers in animal-borne acoustic data.
Calculating Breit-Wigner Width of Hadrons

This paper shows how Breit-Wigner width of hadrons may be calculated using Vir Theory of Particles. The theory provides formulas for the relationship between mass and spin as well as for width and spin. The width of over 150 particles are calculated with such accuracy that the errors from the actual width are entirely attributable to the width measurement errors. The particles come from 16 families including the lightest family N and the heaviest family Y.
Powerful knowledge in the social studies classroom and beyond

ABSTRACT This article examines how teachers and students connect disciplinary knowledge to contexts outside the classroom in naturally occurring teaching in 80 Nordic lower secondary social studies lessons using a standardized observation manual. We found evidence that teachers often connected disciplinary knowledge to students’ experiences and wider societal issues. However, our findings highlight interesting differences in the extent to which teachers unpack such connections to situations outside of school. Departing from the discussion on powerful knowledge within subject-specific education, we discuss the educational potential and limitations of recontextualising and establishing interactions between horizontal and vertical discourse in social studies teaching. Our findings provide empirical insights that are relevant for the ongoing discussion on powerful knowledge as well as for teachers’ professional development.
Familial Mediterranean Fever in a 28-Year-Old Male Presented as a Painless Massive Pleural Effusion

This case describes the first patient with familial Mediterranean fever (FMF) with massive left pleural effusion as the first clinical manifestation, to whom a video-assisted thoracoscopic surgery was performed to support the diagnosis. The patient was a 28-year-old male, who presented with dry cough and dyspnea but no fever. The lab findings showed hypoxemia (partial pressure of oxygen = 65 mm Hg) accompanied by elevated inflammatory markers, including C-reactive protein at 7 mg/dl (<0.5 mg/dl), erythrocyte sedimentation rate of 46 mm/h (<20 mm/h), and serum amyloid at 56.7 mg/L (<10 mg/L). X-ray indicated the left pleural effusion was part of a bilateral recurrent painless pleuritis, as the right pleural thickening implied. Numerous biopsies were taken during the thoracoscopy, and the histopathology examination reported non-specific fibrous pleurisy. Colchicine administration, at first empirically for upcoming pericarditis, at the end was a significant clue for the diagnosis. Positive molecular testing for mutations in the familial Mediterranean fever (MEFV) gene contributed to the diagnosis of FMF, which was based on the Tel-Hashomer clinical criteria. The purpose of this article is hopefully to raise further awareness about patients with FMF presented with unusual manifestations of the disease.
ASPIICS shadow position sensors digital twin and illumination testbed

The PROBA-3 double-spacecraft formation flying mission of the European Space Agency (ESA) has been presented in recent papers with details about the mission profile, the operation objectives, and the implemented technologies. PROBA-3 will fly the externally occulted coronagraph ASPIICS (Association of Spacecraft for Polarimetric and Imaging Investigation of the Corona of the Sun), with the telescope on one satellite and the occulter on the other one, at 144m. The scientific objective is to realize an artificial total solar eclipse to observe the lower Sun corona. The high accuracy metrology control is the core of the mission and several sub-systems will be verified and validated to realize the coronagraphic formation. Between these, the Shadow Position Sensors (SPS), composed of eight photo-multipliers mounted around the ASPIICS entrance pupil monitoring the solar penumbra symmetry, will return the 3D positioning of the formation with the highest accuracy. The SPS on-ground calibration was completed in 2021 and one of the main aspects of the test has been the implementation of an illumination scheme to simulate the same conditions the SPS will experience in flight. This was realized using a suite of LED sources properly assembled in a testbed used to reproduce the expected observation configurations. This testbed is supported by a dedicated software able to simulate the different illumination conditions and to drive the control of the LEDs in order to feed each SPS sensor with the proper light flux. In this paper, we review the SPS metrology system, the calibration testbed setup, and we discuss the interface control software, the simulation tool, and the data acquisition procedure adopted to calibrate the LED sources. Additional presentation content can be accessed on the supplemental content page.
Efficient Genomic Prediction of Yield and Dry Matter in Hybrid Potato

There is an ongoing endeavor within the potato breeding sector to rapidly adapt potato from a clonal polyploid crop to a diploid hybrid potato crop. While hybrid breeding allows for the efficient generation and selection of parental lines, it also increases breeding program complexity and results in longer breeding cycles. Over the past two decades, genomic prediction has revolutionized hybrid crop breeding through shorter breeding cycles, lower phenotyping costs, and better population improvement, resulting in increased genetic gains for genetically complex traits. In order to accelerate the genetic gains in hybrid potato, the proper implementation of genomic prediction is a crucial milestone in the rapid improvement of this crop. The authors of this paper set out to test genomic prediction in hybrid potato using current genotyped material with two alternative models: one model that predicts the general combining ability effects (GCA) and another which predicts both the general and specific combining ability effects (GCA+SCA). Using a training set comprising 769 hybrids and 456 genotyped parental lines, we found that reasonable a prediction accuracy could be achieved for most phenotypes with both zero common parents (ρ=0.36−0.61) and one (ρ=0.50−0.68) common parent between the training and test sets. There was no benefit with the inclusion of non-additive genetic effects in the GCA+SCA model despite SCA variance contributing between 9% and 19% of the total genetic variance. Genotype-by-environment interactions, while present, did not appear to affect the prediction accuracy, though prediction errors did vary across the trial’s targets. These results suggest that genomically estimated breeding values on parental lines are sufficient for hybrid yield prediction.
Ocean model skill assessment in the NW Mediterranean using multi-sensor data

ABSTRACT This paper showcases the one year-long (2014) multi-parameter skill assessment of Iberia-Biscay-Ireland (IBI) operational ocean forecasting system. The investigation is focused on a specific subdomain in the Northwestern Mediterranean where several observational networks encompassing both in situ and remote sensing instruments are available. This region is relevant since it includes two harbours and a marine protected area, the Ebro River Delta. Class-1 and class-2 skill metrics are used in concert to quantitatively evaluate the quality of hourly IBI surface fields. The impact of riverine discharges on the coastal circulation is investigated by comparing the signal of the Ebro River freshwater outflow in both observed (high-frequency radar (HFR)) and modelled (IBI) current maps. The ability of the HFR and IBI to detect the presence of coastal eddies is also qualitatively estimated by calculating surface vorticity maps. According to the results, basic circulation features are statistically reproduced by IBI in reference to mean and variance, despite some model drawbacks in terms of reduced energy content in surface currents. IBI has proven to be a robust model solution in the study area, able to act as a consistent large-scale ‘father’ system in future downscaling approaches by providing coherent open boundary conditions to nested high-resolution coastal models.
Approximate Statistical Limits for a Gamma Distribution

This study develops methods for constructing some important statistical limits of a gamma distribution. First, we construct upper prediction limits and tolerance limits for a gamma distribution. In addition, upper prediction limits for at least p of m measurements from a gamma distribution at each of r locations are constructed. This problem often arises in the field of environmental monitoring, as well as quality control. For each problem discussed in this study, the inferential procedure based on the generalized fiducial method is outlined and a simulation is conducted to assess its performance. Real data are used to demonstrate the proposed methods. In addition to the prediction and tolerance limits, our proposed methods can also be applied to the stress-strength problem involving two independent gamma random variables. Our investigation shows that the proposed methods perform uniformly well and they outperform existing methods.
Neural Network-Based Adaptive Control for Pure-Feedback Stochastic Nonlinear Systems With Time-Varying Delays and Dead-Zone Input

For a class of stochastic nonlinear systems in pure-feedback form with dead-zone input and multiple time-varying delays, a novel neural network (NN)-based adaptive control approach is presented in this paper through the use of backstepping approach and dynamic surface technique. By choosing proper Lyapunov–Krasovskii functionals, utilizing the characteristic of hyperbolic tangent functions and adopting the function separation technique, difficulties of controller design that introduced by the time-varying delays can be dealt with properly. Moreover, all unknown nonlinear functions are lumped together and approximated by the NN. Additionally, any information over the boundedness of dead-zone parameters is not needed in the process of controller design. The control scheme proposed in this paper ensures the boundedness in probability of all signals in the closed-loop system, besides, excellent performance of arbitrarily small tracking error will be achieved by selecting control parameters appropriately. At last, two numerical simulation examples are provided to verify the validity of the designed algorithm.
Dwarf irregular galaxy Leo A extends even farther, according to HST WFC3 photometry

Context. Leo A is an isolated gas-rich dwarf irregular galaxy of low stellar mass and metallicity residing at the outskirts of the Local Group. Ages of the stellar populations in Leo A range from ~10 Myr to ~10 Gyr. A large stellar halo (up to the deprojected distance of ~1.7 kpc) was discovered based on Subaru wide-field photometry of red giant branch stars. Aims. We aim to study stellar populations at the very outer region of the Leo A galaxy. Methods. We analysed HST WFC3 archive observation data in the field that is partly located beyond the previously known limits of the Leo A galaxy. We performed photometry of star-like objects in the F475W and F814W passbands and studied the spatial distribution of the Leo A stars below the horizontal branch. Results. We report a discovery of stellar halo populations (subgiants and faint red giants) in the Leo A galaxy extending up to ~2.3 kpc deprojected distance from the galaxy centre. Analysis of the colour-magnitude diagram suggests old (>5 Gyr) stellar populations of very low metallicity (Z ~ 0.0001).
Factors Affecting Digital Marketing Adoption in Pakistani Small and Medium Enterprises

Background: A substantial portion of the world’s population owns and utilizes computers and mobile devices, contributing to the rapid expansion of digital advertising. Marketers swiftly recognized the communicative benefits of social media platforms like Facebook, YouTube, Twitter, Instagram, Snapchat, Pinterest, and LinkedIn. Considering the importance of social media platforms and digital modes of marketing, it is considered especially significant for small firms to integrate these platforms into their business strategies in order to improve performance. Methods: Based on this aim, this study collected data from 363 owners/managers of SMEs in Pakistan. Structural equation modeling is used to check the hypothesized model of the study. Results: The results show that compatibility, owner/manager support, employee IT skills, financial cost, government policies, and social influence significantly affect adoption of digital marketing by SMEs in Pakistan. Conclusions: Furthermore, digital marketing also positively affects SME performance. This paper discusses the study’s findings as well as managerial and academic implications, including its limitations and future research avenues.
Screening of wild species and transcriptome profiling to identify differentially regulated genes in response to late blight resistance in potato

Late blight (Phytophthora infestans) is a serious disease of potatoes. The aim of this study was to screen wild potato species and identify differentially expressed genes (DEGs) associated with late blight resistance. Wild potato species such as PIN45 (Solanum pinnatisectum), CPH62 (Solanum cardiophyllum), JAM07 (Solanum jamesii), MCD24 (Solanum microdontum), PLD47 (Solanum polyadenium), and cv. Kufri Bahar (control) were tested by artificial inoculation of P. infestans under controlled conditions. Transcriptomes of the leaf tissues (96 h post-inoculation) were sequenced using the Illumina platform. Statistically significant (p < 0.05) DEGs were analyzed in wild species by comparison with the control, and upregulated (>2 log2 fold change, FC) and downregulated (<−2 log2 FC) genes were identified. DEGs were functionally characterized with Gene Ontology (GO) terms and Kyoto Encyclopedia of Genes and Genomes (KEGG) pathways. Selected genes were validated by real-time PCR analysis to confirm RNA-seq results. We identified some upregulated genes associated with late blight resistance in wild species such as cytochrome P450, proline-rich protein, MYB transcription factor MYB139, ankyrin repeat-containing protein, and LRR receptor-like serine/threonine-protein kinase in PIN45; glucosyltransferase, fructose-bisphosphate aldolase, and phytophthora-inhibited protease 1 in CPH62; steroid binding protein and cysteine proteinase 3 in JAM07; glycine-rich cell wall structural protein 1 and RING finger protein in MCD24; and cysteine proteinase 3 and major latex protein in PLD47. On the other hand, downregulated genes in these species were snakin-2 and WRKY transcription factor 3 in PIN45; lichenase and phenylalanine ammonia-lyase 1 in CPH62; metallothionein and LRR receptor-like serine/threonine-protein kinase in JAM07; UDP-glucoronosyl/UDP-glucosyl transferase family protein and steroid binding protein in MCD24; and cytoplasmic small heat shock protein class I and phosphatase PLD47. Our study identified highly resistant wild potato species and underlying genes such as disease resistance, stress response, phytohormones, and transcription factors (e.g., MYB, WRKY, AP2/ERF, and AN1) associated with late blight resistance in wild potato species.
De Novo Assembly, Characterization and Comparative Transcriptome Analysis of the Gonads of Jade Perch (Scortum barcoo)

Simple Summary Jade perch (Scortum barcoo) has been affirmed as an economically important species for aquaculture. However, research on its sex and reproductive regulation is still lacking. Herein, the first gonad transcriptomes of juvenile jade perch were identified through Illumina Novaseq technology. According to the comparative transcriptome data of ovaries and testis, a large number of differential expression genes (DEGs) mainly involved in the steroidogenesis pathway, gonad development and differentiation, gametogenesis and gamete maturation were identified. As predicted, the expression patterns of these DEGs in jade perch were similar to well-known sex-related genes in other species. These results will provide valuable information for further studies on sex determination and gonadal development in teleost fish. Abstract Due to the high meat yield and rich nutritional content, jade perch (Scortum barcoo) has become an important commercial aquaculture species in China. Jade perch has a slow growth rate, taking 3–4 years to reach sexual maturity, and has almost no difference in body size between males and females. However, the study of its gonad development and reproduction regulation is still blank, which limited the yield increase. Herein, the gonad transcriptomes of juvenile males and females of S. barcoo were identified for the first time. A total of 107,060 unigenes were successfully annotated. By comparing male and female gonad transcriptomes, a total of 23,849 differentially expressed genes (DEGs) were identified, of which 9517 were downregulated, and 14,332 were upregulated in the testis. In addition, a large number of DEGs involved in sex differentiation, gonadal development and differentiation and gametogenesis were identified, and the differential expression patterns of some genes were further verified using real-time fluorescence quantitative PCR. The results of this study will provide a valuable resource for further studies on sex determination and gonadal development of S. barcoo.
ON ENDOMORPHISM RINGS OF B1-GROUPS THAT ARE NOT B2-GROUPS

Finite rank Butler groups are pure subgroups of completely decomposable groups of finite rank and were defined by M.C. R. Butler. Extending this concept to infinite rank groups, Bican and Salce gave various possible descriptions: A B 2 -group G is a union of an ascending chain of pure subgroups G α such that for every α we have G α+1 = G α + H α for some finite rank Butler group H α . A B 1 -group is a torsion-free group G satisfying Bext 1/ℤ (G,T) = 0 for all torsion groups T. While the class of B 2 -groups is contained in the class of Bi-groups, it is in general undecidable in ZFC if the two classes coincide. In this paper we study the endomorphism rings of Bi-groups which are not B 2 -groups working in a model of ZFC that satisfies 2 No = N 4 .
Sparse Proximal Reinforcement Learning via Nested Optimization

We consider the tasks of feature selection and policy evaluation based on linear value function approximation in reinforcement learning problems. High-dimension feature vectors and limited number of samples can easily cause over-fitting and computation expensive. To prevent this problem, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\ell _{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-regularized method obtains sparse solutions and thus improves generalization performance. We propose an efficient <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\ell _{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-regularized recursive least squares-based online algorithm with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${O}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>(<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${n} ^{{2}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) complexity per time-step, termed <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\ell _{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-RC. With the help of nested optimization decomposition, <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\ell _{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-RC solves a series of standard optimization problems and avoids minimizing mean squares projected Bellman error with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\ell _{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-regularization directly. In <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\ell _{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-RC, we propose RC with iterative refinement to minimize the operator error, and we propose an alternating direction method of multipliers with proximal operator to minimize the fixed-point error. The convergence of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\ell _{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-RC is established based on ordinary differential equation method and some extensions are also given. In empirical computations, some state-of-the-art <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\ell _{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-regularized methods are chosen as the baselines, and <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\ell _{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-RC are tested in both policy evaluation and learning control benchmarks. The empirical results show the effectiveness and advantages of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">${\ell _{1}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>-RC.
Dimension properties of the regularity of jump diffusion processes

In this dissertation, we study various dimension properties of the regularity of jump di usion processes, solution of a class of stochastic di erential equations with jumps. In particular, we de- scribe the uctuation of the Holder regularity of these processes and that of the local dimensions of the associated occupation measure by computing their multifractal spepctra. e Hausdor dimension of the range and the graph of these processes are also calculated.In the last chapter, we use a new notion of “large scale” dimension in order to describe the asymptotics of the sojourn set of a Brownian motion under moving boundaries