Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Linear-Quadratic Zero-Sum Mean-Field Type Games: Optimality Conditions and Policy Optimization

In this paper, zero-sum mean-field type games (ZSMFTG) with linear dynamics and quadratic cost are studied under infinite-horizon discounted utility function. ZSMFTG are a class of games in which two decision makers whose utilities sum to zero, compete to influence a large population of indistinguishable agents. In particular, the case in which the transition and utility functions depend on the state, the action of the controllers, and the mean of the state and the actions, is investigated. The optimality conditions of the game are analysed for both open-loop and closed-loop controls, and explicit expressions for the Nash equilibrium strategies are derived. Moreover, two policy optimization methods that rely on policy gradient are proposed for both model-based and sample-based frameworks. In the model-based case, the gradients are computed exactly using the model, whereas they are estimated using Monte-Carlo simulations in the sample-based case. Numerical experiments are conducted to show the convergence of the utility function as well as the two players' controls.
Environmental Regulations and Technological Change in the Offshore Oil and Gas Industry

Technological progress can play a key role in raising standards of living while improving environmental quality. Well-designed environmental regulations encourage innovation, while poorly designed regulations can inhibit progress. The Porter hypothesis goes further to suggest that tougher environmental regulations could spur innovation, leading to increased productivity of market outputs. We apply frontier production analysis to measure various components of total factor productivity within a joint production model, which considers both market and environmental outputs. We test the causality between technological innovation and environmental regulation and find support for a recast version of the Porter hypothesis. (JEL O38, L71)
On bandwidth

It is easy to argue that real signals must be bandlimited. It is also easy to argue that they cannot be so. This paper presents one possible resolution of this seeming paradox. A philosophical discussion of the role of mathematical models in the exact sciences is given and a new formulation of the 2 WT theorem is presented. The paper is a written version of the second Shannon Lecture given at the 1974 International Symposium on Information Theory. An appendix giving proof of the 2 WT theorem has been added.
Aalborg Universitet Subjective and Objective Quality Assessment of Single-Channel Speech Separation

Previous studies on performance evaluation of single-channel speech separation (SCSS) algorithms mostly focused on automatic speech recognition (ASR) accuracy as their performance measure. Assessing the separated signals by different metrics other than this has the benefit that the results are expected to carry on to other applications beyond ASR. In this paper, in addition to conventional speech quality metrics (PESQ and SNRloss), we also evaluate the separation systems output using different source separation metrics: blind source separation evaluation (BSS EVAL) and perceptual evaluation methods for audio source separation (PEASS) measures. In our experiments, we apply these measures on the separated signals obtained by two well-known systems in the SCSS challenge to assess the objective and subjective quality of their output signals. Comparing subjective and objective measurements shows that PESQ and PEASS quality metrics predict well the subjective quality of separated signals obtained by the separation systems. From the results it is observed that the short-time objective intelligibility (STOI) measure predict the speech intelligibility results.
A new nine-node element for analysing plates with varying thickness using basic displacement functions

The capability of the Finite Element Method in producing accurate and efficient results largely depends on the shape functions adopted to frame the displacement field inside the element. In this paper, a new nine-node Lagrangian element was developed to analyse thin plates with varying cross-sections using the shape functions obtained for non-prismatic straight beams with minimum number of elements. The formulated shape functions, which represent vertical displacements and rotations throughout elements, are rooted from a purely mechanical functions called Basic Displacement Functions (BDFs). These functions are obtained by implementing the force method in Euler–Bernoulli beam theory, which ensures that equilibrium equation is satisfied in all interior points of elements. To verify the competency of the proposed element, solutions for the static analysis of isotropic rectangular plates under various loading conditions, together with free vibration analysis of plates with linear thickness variation were obtained and compared with the previous literature. Results showed that the proposed nine-node Lagrangian element was computationally more cost-effective compared to other competing methods when small number of elements is employed.
INVESTIGATION ON HEAVY METALS CONTENT OF GRAPE CULTIVARS GROWN UNDER ARID ENVIRONMENTS AND TREATED WASTEWATER IRRIGATION

This study was carried out during the years 2008 and 2009 at the Research and Agricultural Experimental Station in Dirab, King Saud University, Saudi Arabia in order to study the comparative effect of some grapevine cultivars grown under arid environments and irrigated with treated domestic wastewater on leaf petiole mineral and fruit heavy metals content. The data indicated that the leaf petiole N content of Thompson seedless Perlette, Des El-Anz and White Shatta were similar and lower than that of Flame seedless, King Ruby, Soltany, Halawany and Red Glop. Flame seedless had lower P content than all other cultivars, except Taify, Des El-Anz and Perlette. Flame seedless, Perlette and Thompson seedless had similar and significantly lower leaf petiole K content than all other cultivars. Flame seedless and Thompson seedless had similar and lower Ca2+ content than all other cultivars, except Des El-Anz and Halawany. Thompson seedless had significantly higher leaf petiole Mg than white Shatta, Perlette, Des El-Anz, Taify, Soltany and Red Glop cultivars. Sodium content in Red Glop, Perlette and King Ruby was similar and higher than all other cultivars. In addition, Taify had significantly higher Fe than King Ruby, Des El-Anz and Soltany cultivars. Flame seedless had significantly higher Zn and Mn than all other cultivars, except White Shatta and Soltany. The Des El-Anz, Taify, Kamaly, Soltany and White Shatta cultivars had similar and higher fruit Cu content than Thompson seedless, Flame seedless, Red Glop and King Ruby. Moreover, Des El-Anz had significantly higher fruit Cd content than all other cultivars, except Taify, Soltany and Halawany. Fruit NO3-of Flame seedless and Kamaly was similar and higher than those of all other cultivars, except Soltany and King Ruby. Kamaly, Flame seedless and Soltany had similar and higher fruit NO2- than King Ruby, Red Glop, Perlette and Thompson seedless. A significant interaction effect between the different cultivars and years on leaf petiole mineral (except Na and Cu) and fruit NO3, and Cd contents was obtained.
Developing good practice in the provision of outdoor education in the early years

This study is an investigation into the relationship between children's use of the outdoor environment and the early years curriculum. An action research approach was used in which cycles of observation, reflection and intervention led to deeper understandings about children's learning and the way it can be facilitated through the use of outdoor learning experiences. The findings highlight the potential an outdoor space can offer children as a base for learning and demonstrate how learning outdoors enables children to develop dispositions which are vital for their future achievements. I set the research in the historical context by drawing on the work of people in the past who have influenced the development of early years education and whose work is still relevant today. The research process has included a major action research cycle through which the outdoor environment of the setting was developed from a small nursery garden to a full forest school experience using the schools grounds and beyond.
A Joint Duty-Cycle and Transmission Power Management for Energy Harvesting WSN

In this paper, we propose a global power management approach for energy harvesting sensor nodes. Our approach is based on a joint duty-cycle optimization and transmission power control. By simultaneously adapting both parameters, the node can maximize the number of transmitted packets while respecting the limited and time-varying amount of available energy. We obtain a high-packet delivery by using an original predictive transmission power control that can efficiently adapt the transmission power to the wireless channel conditions. To accurately model the wireless channel and the node communication hardware, a waveform-level radio frequency simulator has been developed. Simulation results show 6.5 times improvement in energy efficiency and a packet reception ratio which is 9 times more efficient than a recently published technique. A 15% increase in energy efficiency, with respect to a fixed transmission power configuration, has also been observed. Finally, the global power management strategy has been validated on a real wireless sensor networks platform. Experimental results are very similar to those obtained in simulations, and thus confirm the efficiency of our power management approach.
Acclimation effects on thermal tolerance in ameronothrid mites at sub-Antarctic Marion Island

Evidence for widespread ecological impacts due to rapid climate change is on the increase, with further warming predicted over the next century. This increase in warming has lead to organisms adjusting their distribution range and where this is not possible organisms must cope with the stressful environments in a different way. One potential way to handle environmental stress is via a mechanism known as phenotypic plasticity, which allows an organism to express different phenotypes depending on the biotic or abiotic environment in a way that may alter that organism's fitness. Acclimation temperatures can potentially cause plastic (reversible and irreversible) changes in the response of individuals to stressful experimental conditions that could increase their survival. The issue of whether this acclimation will be beneficial to the organism or not remains contentious, with support offered both for and against the idea of beneficial acclimation. The aims of the investigation were to determine the thermal limits of five ameronothrid mite species (Halozetes marinus, H marionensis, H belgicae, H. fulvus and Podacarus auberti) from varying terrestrial habitats and to test whether there is beneficial acclimation on the thermal traits. Along with the beneficial acclimation hypothesis several alternative hypotheses were also tested. In addition, locomotor performance was determined as it has been suggested that locomotion performance is a reliable and practical measure of potential fitness of animals. The same hypotheses testing the effects of acclimation temperature on the thermal limits were tested on three performance traits; performance breadth, optimum speed and optimum temperature. Support for beneficial acclimation was found in the performance breadth and optimum speed traits for all species except for Halozetes marinus. For the optimum temperature trait the prediction for the compensation hypothesis was met and that of the beneficial acclimation hypothesis rejected, with the only exception again being that of H marinus. In the case of the locomotor performance traits the prediction for the iii Stellenbosch University http://scholar.sun.ac.za
EFFECTIVE CLARIFICATION OF POMEGRANATE JUICE USING LACCASE TREATMENT OPTIMIZED BY RESPONSE SURFACE METHODOLOGY FOLLOWED BY ULTRAFILTRATION

Phenolic compounds of pomegranate juice, which are responsible for haze formation and browning during storage, could be selectively removed by combined enzyme-ultrafiltration process. The pomegranate juice was treated with Fomes fomentarius laccase at various enzyme concentrations (0.5–5 U/mL), temperatures (20–50C) and times (30–300 min). The effect of these enzymatic treatments on total phenol content and clarity of the juice were evaluated using a central composite design. The optimum treatment conditions were: enzyme concentration 5 U/mL; time 300 min; and temperature 20C. Their application led to a 40% reduction of total phenols but induced a threefold decrease of the juice clarity. This drawback was overcome by ultrafiltration of the laccase-treated juice. The pomegranate juice obtained was clear, stable and characterized by total phenolics = 864 mg/L, clarity (A650 nm × 1,000) = 86 and color (A420 nm × 1,000) = 236 versus 1,681, 127 and 382, respectively, for untreated juice. PRACTICAL APPLICATIONS The tendency for hazes to develop in pomegranate juices during storage is a persistent problem in the fruit juice industry. In this work, laccase treatment optimized by response surface methodology followed by ultrafiltration was used to clarify the pomegranate juice. The application of the optimum enzymatic treatment conditions (enzyme concentration 5 U/mL; time 300 min; and temperature 20C) followed by ultrafiltration (cutoff value 15 KDa) decreases the total phenolics of about 50% and the antioxidant capacity of about 20% and, increases the clarity of about 30% versus untreated juice.
HARGA SAHAM, NILAI TUKAR MATA UANG DAN TINGKAT SUKU BUNGA ACUAN DALAM MODEL AUTOREGRESSIVE DISTRIBUTED LAG (ARDL)

Beberapa penelitian terdahulu telah banyak yang membuktikan adanya pengaruh antara nilai tukar Rupiah terhadap Dolar Amerika dan BI Rateterhadap IHSG. Namun dengan menggunakan pendekatan model Autoregressive Distributed Lag(ARDL) dalam penelitian ini lebih dalam lagi melihat dinamika hubungan jangka panjang maupun jangka pendek untuk variabel nilai tukar Rupiah terhadap Dolar Amerika, BI Ratedan IHSG. Untuk dapat menangkap dinamika tersebut diperlukan seleksi model ARDL terbaik dengan beberapa prosedur pengujian. Periode penelitian dimulai dari Juli 2005 sampai dengan Desember 2017, dimana dalam rentang waktu tersebut banyak terjadi pergolakan global yang memberikan dampak yang cukup besar terhadap Indonesia, salah satunya adalah pelemahan nilai tukar Rupiah terhadap Dolar Amerika. Mekanisme suku bunga acuan beberapa kali juga dipilih oleh Pemerintah Indonesia untuk menghadapi pergerakan nilai tukar Rupiah terhadap Dolar Amerika. Namun sebagaimana nilai tukar dan tingkat suku bunga acuan akan memberikan pengaruh kepada perekonomian secara keseluruhan dan terlebih lagi terhadap pasar modal yang juga merupakan indikator ekonomi suatu negara. Dalam penelitian ini, melalui model ARDL nilai tukar Rupiah terhadap Dolar Amerika, BI Ratedan IHSG terbukti memiliki kointegrasi jangka panjang atau bergerak bersama – sama dalam jangka panjang. Namun tidak hanya jangka panjang, ketiga variabel tersebut juga mempunyai dinamika hubungan jangka pendek yang mempunyai kecepatan penyesuaian menuju keseimbangan yang cukup tinggi perbulannya.Kata kunci : Nilai tukar, BI Rate, IHSG, Autoregressive Distributed Lag Model.
Multi-Version Coding—An Information-Theoretic Perspective of Consistent Distributed Storage

In applications of distributed storage systems to distributed computing and implementation of key-value stores, the following property, usually referred to as consistency in distributed computing, is an important requirement: as the data stored changes, the latest version of the data must be accessible to a client that connects to the storage system. Motivated by technological trends where key-value stores are increasingly implemented in high-speed memory, an information theoretic formulation called multi-version coding is introduced in this paper in order to understand and minimize the memory overhead of consistent distributed storage. Multi-version coding is characterized by <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\nu$ </tex-math></inline-formula> totally ordered versions of a message and a storage system with <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$n$ </tex-math></inline-formula> servers. At each server, values corresponding to an arbitrary subset of the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\nu$ </tex-math></inline-formula> versions are received and encoded. For any subset of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$c$ </tex-math></inline-formula> servers in the storage system, the value corresponding to the latest common version or a later version, as per the total ordering, among the <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$c$ </tex-math></inline-formula> servers is required to be decodable. An achievable multi-version code construction via linear coding and a converse result that shows that the construction is asymptotically tight when <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\nu |(c-1)$ </tex-math></inline-formula> are provided. An implication of the converse is that there is an inevitable price, in terms of storage cost, to ensure consistency in distributed storage systems.
Experimental and numerical analysis of three-dimensional surface tension and buoyancy-driven flows in cavities

Surface tension and buoyancy-driven convection in a fluid cell filled with 10 cs silicone oil is studied experimentally and numerically. The experiments are carried out with a facility equipped with two "surface heaters" and two "bulk heaters" controlled independently by circulating water from four independent thermostats. The diagnostic system consist of a thermographic visualisation system based on an infrared thermocamera (a thermocamera with wavelengths 8-12 mm has been employed that does not make the silicone oil transparent allowing thus a direct investigation of the surface behaviour of the temperature field) and of a videocamera that captures images of different vertical planes, illuminated with a 1mm thick light sheet. A PIV (particle image velocimetry technique) is used to obtain the velocity field. The complex three-dimensional flow structure, due to the combined effect of buoyancy and Marangoni flow is, investigated by three-dimensional, time-dependent numerical solutions of the model equations and by on ground experimentation. The field equations are numerically solved with three-dimensional control volume methods in a staggered uniform grid. The numerical results, in agreement with the experimental ones, show that the flow field structure may be very complex depending on the presence and relative orientation (parallel or antiparallel) of the surface and bulk temperature gradients. In the case of concurrent buoyancy and Marangoni effects a complex three-dimensional flow and temperature pattern arises, showing the existence on the free surface of “temperature fingers” protruding from the hot side toward the cold side of the interface. The numerical and experimental analyses show that the number of spots is related to the value of the applied temperature gradients.
Complex angular and torsional deformities (distal femoral malunions)

Summary Objective: To describe the surgical technique of complex distal femoral deformity correction with the aid of stereolithography apparatus (SLA) biomodels, stabilized with locking plate fixation. Methods: Full-size replica epoxy bone bio-models of the affected femurs (4 dogs/5 limbs) were used as templates for surgical planning. A rehearsal procedure was performed on the biomodels aided by a guide wire technique and stabilized with locking plate fixation. Surgery performed in all dogs was guided by the rehearsal procedure. All pre-contoured implants were subsequently used in the definitive surgical procedure with minimal modification. Results: All dogs had markedly improved, with near normal functional outcomes; all but one had a mild persistent lameness at the final in-hospital follow-up examination (mean: 54.4 weeks; range: 24–113 weeks after surgery). All femurs healed without complications (mean: 34 weeks, median: 12 weeks; range: 8–12 weeks for closing osteotomies, and 26–113 weeks for opening wedge osteotomies). Long-term follow-up examination (mean: 28.6 months; range: 5–42 months) revealed all but one owner to be highly satisfied with the outcome. Complications were observed in two dogs: prolonged tibiotarsal joint decreased flexion that resolved with physical therapy. In one of these dogs, iatrogenic transection of the long digital extensor tendon was repaired, and the other had a peroneal nerve neurapraxia. Clinical significance: Stereolithography apparatus biomodels and rehearsal surgery simplified the definitive surgical corrections of complex femoral malunions and resulted in good functional outcomes. Online supplementary material is available for this paper at: http://dx.doi. org/10.3415/VCOT-15-08-0145
Practice of Epidemiology An Augmented Data Method for the Analysis of Nosocomial Infection Data

The analysis of nosocomial infection data for communicable pathogens is complicated by two facts. First, typical pathogens more commonly cause asymptomatic colonization than overt disease, so transmission can be only imperfectly observed through a sequence of surveillance swabs, which themselves have imperfect sensitivity. Any given set of swab results can therefore be consistent with many different patterns of transmission. Second, data are often highly dependent: the colonization status of one patient affects the risk for others, and, in some wards, repeated admissions are common. Here, the authors present a method for analyzing typical nosocomial infection data consisting of results from arbitrarily timed screening swabs that overcomes these problems and enables simultaneous estimation of transmission and importation parameters, duration of colonization, swab sensitivity, and ward- and patient-level covariates. The method accounts for dependencies by using a mechanistic stochastic transmission model, and it allows for uncertainty in the data by imputing the imperfectly observed colonization status of patients over repeated admissions. The approach uses a Markov chain Monte Carlo algorithm, allowing inference within a Bayesian framework. The method is applied to illustrative data from an interrupted time-series study of vancomycin-resistant enterococci transmission in a hematology ward.
Wrapper induction: Efficiency and expressiveness (Extended abstract)

Recently, many systems have been built that automatically interact with Internet information resources. However, these resources are usually formatted for use by people; e.g., the relevant content is embedded in HTML pages. Wrappers are often used to extract a resource’s content, but hand-coding wrappers is tedious and error-prone. We advocate wrapper induction, a technique for automatically constructing wrappers. We have identified several wrapper classes that can be learned quickly (most sites require only a handful of examples, consuming a few CPU seconds of processing), yet which are useful for handling numerous Internet resources (70% of Surveyed sites can be handled by our techniques).