Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Feedback-Based Mainstream Traffic Flow Control for Multiple Bottlenecks on Motorways

Mainstream traffic flow control (MTFC) enabled via variable speed limits (VSLs) has been investigated in previous studies, utilizing various control strategies. In this paper, an extended feedback control strategy is proposed for MTFC enabled via VSLs, considering multiple-bottleneck locations. Feedback-based results are compared with optimal control results for the evaluation of the controller using a validated macroscopic model. The performance of the feedback controller is shown to approach the optimal control results, despite the fact that many practical and safety restrictions are additionally considered by the feedback controller.
The Valuation of Information Technology: A Guide for Strategy Development, Valuation, and Financial Planning

From the Publisher: The Valuation of Information Technology demonstrates how to assess the shareholder value created by a system before it is built. Top management consultant Christopher Gardner provides a unique framework for analyzing the value of an IT system in a quantitative fashion. " "This solution-oriented book walks you through every aspect of evaluating an IT system for your business, from concept to shareholder value. Gardner lays out a method that will allow you to not only determine the contribution of a system to shareholder value, but also guide the activities involved in its construction so they create value.
Where a is Ordinary: The Evolution of American College and University Grading, 1940-2009

Background/Context College grades can influence a student's graduation prospects, academic motivation, postgraduate job choice, professional and graduate school selection, and access to loans and scholarships. Despite the importance of grades, national trends in grading practices have not been examined in over a decade, and there has been a limited effort to examine the historical evolution of college grading. Purpose/Objective/Research Question/Focus of Study Here we look at the evolution of grading over time and space at American colleges and universities over the last 70 years. Our data provide a means to examine how instructors’ assessments of excellence, mediocrity, and failure have changed in higher education. Data Collection and Analysis We have collected historical and contemporary data on A–F letter grades awarded from over 200 four-year colleges and universities. Our contemporary data on grades come from 135 schools, with a total enrollment of 1.5 million students. Research Design Through the use of averages over time and space as well as regression models, we examine how grading has changed temporally and how grading is a function of school selectivity, school type, and geographic region. Findings/Results Contemporary data indicate that, on average across a wide range of schools, A's represent 43% of all letter grades, an increase of 28 percentage points since 1960 and 12 percentage points since 1988. D's and F's total typically less than 10% of all letter grades. Private colleges and universities give, on average, significantly more A's and B's combined than public institutions with equal student selectivity. Southern schools grade more harshly than those in other regions, and science and engineering-focused schools grade more stringently than those emphasizing the liberal arts. At schools with modest selectivity, grading is as generous as it was in the mid-1980s at highly selective schools. These prestigious schools have, in turn, continued to ramp up their grades. It is likely that at many selective and highly selective schools, undergraduate GPAs are now so saturated at the high end that they have little use as a motivator of students and as an evaluation tool for graduate and professional schools and employers. Conclusions/Recommendations As a result of instructors gradually lowering their standards, A has become the most common grade on American college campuses. Without regulation, or at least strong grading guidelines, grades at American institutions of higher learning likely will continue to have less and less meaning.
On Mining METEOSAT and ERS Multitemporal Images

The frequency and the resolution of the images acquired by remote sensing techniques are nowadays so high that end-users can get huge volumes of observation data for a same geographic area. In this paper, we propose to use data mining tools for detecting evolutions. More precisely, we explain how to make use of sequential patterns to automatically extract evolutions that are contained in a satellite images series which is considered as a base of sequences. Experiments on optical data from METEOSAT satellite and on Synthetic Aperture Radar (SAR) images from European Remote Sensing (ERS) satellites are presented.
Exploiting Chaos to Control the Future

Recently, Ott, Grebogi and Yorke (OGY) [6] found an effective method to control chaotic systems to unstable fixed points by using only small control forces; however, OGY's method is based on and limited to a linear theory and requires considerable knowledge of the dynamics of the system to be controlled. In this paper we use two radial basis function networks: one as a model of an unknown plant and the other as the controller. The controller is trained with a recurrent learning algorithm to minimize a novel objective function such that the controller can locate an unstable fixed point and drive the system into the fixed point with no a priori knowledge of the system dynamics. Our results indicate that the neural controller offers many advantages over OGY's technique.
Emotional Awareness and Psychophysiological Markers of Performance on the Iowa Gambling Task

 Proposes that in complex decision-making situations that entail reward, punishment, and uncertainty, physiological emotional processes act as biasing markers that influence decisions to an appropriate action.  Antonio Damasio (1994) has shown that patients with lesions in the ventro-medial prefrontal cortex (VMPFC) have particular issues in day-to-day decisionmaking.  Support for the SMH through two main findings:  Typical participants:  Preferred good choices before they had conceptual knowledge of advantageous decisions in the IGT  Produced somatic markers before bad choices  VMPFC Lesion Patients:  No definitive preference of good choices over bad choices through out IGT  Lack of somatic markers before any choices  Neuropsychological mechanisms involved:  In typicals, after experience with the task, reactivation of specific somatosensory patterns occurs when participants encounter certain previously encoded situations (Bechara et al., 2000).  Two proposed pathways: • Body-LoopThe body physically changes in reaction to activation of the VMPFC. These changes are sent to the somatosensory cortices producing a physiological response. • As-if Body Loop Re-activation signals bypass the body and are sent directly to the somatosensory cortices, which produce the appropriate pattern marking a situation good or bad.
Comparison of silicon carbide MOSFET and IGBT based electric vehicle traction inverters

This paper compares Silicon Carbide (SiC) MOSFET and IGBT based electric vehicle (EV) traction inverters by considering the cost and efficiency of these two inverters. Commercially available SiC MOSFET CCS50M12CM2 (1200V / 50A) from Cree and IGBT PM50RL1A120 (1200V / 50A) from Powerex are modeled in detail in PSIM to obtain efficiency curves of inverters under different load conditions. The gained efficiency curves are evaluated using a kinematic model of an EV under three different drive cycles to compare the performance of these two inverters in terms of energy efficiency. Finally, initial cost and operation costs of these two inverters are analyzed.
FREE MARKETS AND MORALITY

A bona fide morality favors a consistent free market capitalist system of law. If there are dangers, if there are dangers and temptations arising from such a society, let the various institutions that can develop amongst free people respond to them. Individuals and their various voluntary organizationsâ€”not governments that have the unique responsibility to use force judiciouslyâ€”ought to take care of our souls, our medical needs, our preservation of monuments, historical buildings, wild parks and the rest. Let those things be taken care of by people in their voluntary interaction, not by some elite that thinks itself to be above the rest of usâ€”even if they do it democratically.
Discovery of a Massive Protostar near IRAS 18507+0121

We have observed the massive star-forming region IRAS 18507+0121 at millimeter wavelengths in 3 mm continuum emission, H13CO+ (J = 1-0) and SiO (v = 0, J = 2-1) line emission, and at near-infrared (NIR) wavelengths between 1.2 and 2.1 μm. Two compact molecular cores are detected: one north and one south, separated by ~40''. The northern molecular core contains a newly discovered, deeply embedded, B2 protostar surrounded by several hundred solar masses of warm gas and dust, G34.4+0.23 MM. Based on the presence of warm dust emission and the lack of detection at NIR wavelengths, we suggest that G34.4+0.23 MM may represent the relatively rare discovery of a massive protostar (e.g., analogous to a low-mass "Class 0" protostar). The southern molecular core is associated with an NIR cluster of young stars and an ultracompact H II region, G34.4+0.23, with a central B0.5 star. The fraction of NIR stars with excess infrared emission indicative of circumstellar material is greater than 50%, which suggests an upper limit on the age of the IRAS 18507+0121 star-forming region of 3 Myr.
Oxidative stress and antioxidant defense mechanisms linked to exercise during cardiopulmonary and metabolic disorders

Oxidative stress has been implicated in the pathophysiology of multiple human diseases, in addition to the aging process. Although various stimuli exist, acute exercise is known to induce a transient increase in reactive oxygen and nitrogen species (RONS), evident by several reports of increased oxidative damage following acute bouts of aerobic and anaerobic exercise. Although the results are somewhat mixed and appear disease dependent, individuals with chronic disease experience an exacerbation in oxidative stress following acute exercise when compared to healthy individuals. However, this increased oxidant stress may serve as a necessary “signal” for the upregulation in antioxidant defenses, thereby providing protection against subsequent exposure to prooxidant environments within susceptible individuals. Here we present studies related to both acute exercise-induced oxidative stress in those with disease, in addition to studies focused on adaptations resulting from increased RONS exposure associated with chronic exercise training in persons with disease.
A study of West Virginia principals: Technology standards, professional development, and effective instructional technology leaders

A Study of West Virginia Principals: Technology Standards, Professional Development, and Effective Instructional Technology Leaders The role of the principal as documented in the literature is critical as the leader of change, the leader of technology reform, and the instructional leader of the school. In order to lead transformational change in technology, principals must be prepared to serve as the role model and hands-on user of technology. The NETS-A provide a framework for principals as they serve as the leaders for schools integrating technology into teaching and learning. This mixed methods study examined West Virginia principals’ perceptions of the importance of the NETS-A, their interest in professional development in the NETS-A, and the implementation of the NETS-A. This study found that West Virginia principals rated the technology standards of high importance to the role of the principal as instructional leader in the school. In addition, the interest in professional development related to the NETS-A indicated a willingness and eagerness of West Virginia principals to build the capacity necessary to lead transformational change in technology implementation in schools. Further, the study provided a look at the implementation of the standards by principals identified as effective technology leaders.
Effective instructional animation in 3D computer graphics education

A number of instructional animation are discussed for teaching 3D computer graphics. They are effective in their assigned task because they focus on concepts and processes that are difficult or impossible to see without animation. They also use a minimalist approach making the animations as simple as possible, focussed on what is relevant, and interactive. One animation is a program that allows students to explore viewing systems, two are concerned with ray tracing transparent objects, and one visualises the formation of marble.
Notice of Violation of IEEE Publication PrinciplesOnline Epilepsy Diagnosis Based on Analysis of EEG Signals by Hybrid Adaptive Filtering and Higher-order Crossings

This paper presents a novel epilepsy diagnosis algorithm based on analysis of EEG signals by hybrid adaptive filtering (HAF) and higher-order crossings (HOC). In this algorithm, HAF is developed to isolate the seizure and non-seizure EEG characteristics and facilitating the task of the feature vector extraction. Furthermore, HOC analysis is employed to select the effective feature from the HAF-filtered signals. The extracted features by HAF-HOC scheme can create maximum distinction between two classes. Finally, Quadratic Discriminant Analysis (QDA) and Mahalanobis Distance (MD) is used for classification and recognition of seizures through EEG signals. The proposed algorithm is implemented on CHB dataset and its performance has been evaluated for three measures. The results indicate that the algorithm can recognize the seizure with smaller delay and higher good detection rate that are important factors from a clinical viewpoint.
Sensorless control of induction motor drives

Controlled induction motor drives without mechanical speed sensors at the motor shaft have the attractions of low cost and high reliability. To replace the sensor the information on the rotor speed is extracted from measured stator voltages and currents at the motor terminals. Vector-controlled drives require estimating the magnitude and spatial orientation of the fundamental magnetic flux waves in the stator or in the rotor. Open-loop estimators or closed-loop observers are used for this purpose. They differ with respect to accuracy, robustness, and sensitivity against model parameter variations. Dynamic performance and steady-state speed accuracy in the low-speed range can be achieved by exploiting parasitic effects of the machine. The overview in this paper uses signal flow graphs of complex space vector quantities to provide an insightful description of the systems used in sensorless control of induction motors.
Inverse, protean, and ligand‐selective agonism: matters of receptor conformation

Concepts regarding the mechanisms by which drugs activate receptors to produce physiological response have progressed beyond considering the re¬ceptor as a simple on‐off switch. Current evidence suggests that the idea that agonists produce only vary¬ing degrees of receptor activation is obsolete and must be reconciled with data to show that agonist efficacy has texture as well as magnitude. Thus, agonists can block system constitutive response (inverse agonists), behave as positive and inverse agonists on the same receptor (protean agonists), and differ in the stimulus pattern they produce in physiological systems (ligand‐selective agonists). The molecular mechanism for this seemingly diverse array of activities is the same, namely, the selective microaffinity of ligands for different conformational states of the receptor. This paper reviews evidence for the existence of the various types of agonism and the potential therapeutic utility of differ¬ent agonist types. —Kenakin, T. Inverse, protean, and ligand‐selective agonism: matters of receptor confor¬mation. FASEB J. 15, 598‐611 (2001)
Dietary Fish Oil Can Change Sperm Parameters and Fatty Acid Profiles of Ram Sperm during Oil Consumption Period and after Removal of Oil Source

Objective The effects of dietary fish oil on semen quality and sperm fatty acid profiles during consumption of n-3 fatty acids as well as the persistency of fatty acids in ram’s sperm after removing dietary oil from the diet were investigated. Materials and Methods In this experimental study, we randomly assigned 9 Zandi rams to two groups (isoenergetic and isonitrogenous diets): control (CTR; n=5) and fish oil (FO; n=4) for 70 days with a constant level of vitamin E in both groups. Semen was collected at the first week and at the last week of the feeding period (phase 1). After the feeding period, all rams were fed a conventional diet and semen samples were collected one and two months after removal of FO (phase 2). The sperm parameters and fatty acid profiles were measured by computer assisted semen analyzer (CASA) and gas chromatography (GC), respectively. The completely randomized design was used and data were analyzed with SPSS version 16. Results Dietary FO had significant positive effects on all sperm quality and quantity parameters compared with the CTR during the feeding period (p<0.05). The positive effects of FO on sperm concentration and total sperm output were observed at one and two months after removal of FO (p<0.05), whereas other sperm parameters were unaffected. Before feeding, C14 (myristic acid), C16 (palmitic acid), C18 (stearic acid), C18:1 (oleic acid) and C22:6 (docosahexaenoic acid: DHA) were the primary sperm FA. FO in the diet increased sperm DHA, C14:0 and C18:0 during the feeding period (p<0.05). Conclusion The present study showed not only manipulation of ram sperm fatty acid profiles by dietary FO and sperm parameters during the feeding period, but also the persistency of unique effects of dietary omega-3 fatty acids up to two months following its removal from the diet. Also, we recommend that sperm fatty acid profiles should be comprehensively analyzed and monitored.
A novel approach to sports oriented video games with real-time motion streaming

We are currently observing a paradigm shift in virtual reality and simulation technologies. From being predominantly entertainment focused, these technologies are now finding a much wider use in the so-called "serious games" space, where playing a game teaches the player some useful skills applicable in the physical world. While this trend is booming in military simulations, training and even education, surprisingly enough, there is hardly any work available in the domain of sports. Most sports oriented video games do not teach skills that can be later reused in the physical game environment and thus there are minimal benefits to the player's "real-world" performance. Performing key sports actions such as shooting a basketball or hitting a tennis ball are normally done via actions (like pressing keyboard buttons or swinging a game controller) that have little correspondence to the movement that needs to be performed in the game's physical environment. In this paper we advocate a new era where it is possible to play simulated sports games that are not only enjoyable and fun, but can also improve the athletic skills required for the real-world performance of that sport. We illustrate the possibility of this idea via state of the art inertial motion capture equipment. To highlight the key aspects of our approach we have developed a basketball video game where a player pantomimes dribbling and shooting in a virtual world with a virtual ball. Importantly, the virtual world of the game responds to a player's motions by simulating the complex physical interactions that occur during a physical game of basketball. For example, if a player attempts to score a basket, the simulated ball will leave the player's hand at the appropriate time with realistic force and velocity, as determined by motion capture and the physics system of the selected game platform. We explain how this game was developed and discuss technical details and obtained results.
Competing Auctions of Skills

We generalize McAfees (1993) game of competing sellers to the case of heterogeneous sellers. In the generalized McAfee (GM) game, the equilibrium expected job offer distribution of each worker (seller) type evolves over time as a function of stochastic events. We derive a tractable method of solving the GM game. We estimate, using non-parametric methods, a close fit between a benchmark GM game and a cross-section of Danish data on productivity and unemployment. The theoretical properties of the GM game, which relate to on-the-job search, assortative matching, aggregate and match specific shocks, and the equivalence of alternative games, are also characterized.
Error Control Mechanisms using CODEC

Today’s communication system is susceptible to many types of errors and interferences. There are different types of error detection and correction mechanisms proposed by many authors. One of the important methods of error control is by means of encoding/decoding techniques at source/destination. In this context, we propose an evaluation process of convolutional encoder and decoder (CODEC), for the various constraint lengths and for different generator polynomials, for the given messages considering burst errors and distributed errors in the received messages. The ½ rate and hard decision coding is considered in this paper. Performance evaluation in terms of error correction capability of CODEC is shown through simulation using two burst error recovery techniques.
Supplement to Asymptotic Inference about Predictive Accuracy using High Frequency Data ∗

This supplement contains three appendices. Appendix A contains proofs of results in the main text. Appendix B provides details for the stepwise procedures discussed in Section 5 of the main text. Appendix C contains some additional simulation results. ∗Contact address: Department of Economics, Duke University, 213 Social Sciences Building, Box 90097, Durham NC 27708-0097, USA. Email: jl410@duke.edu and andrew.patton@duke.edu.
Measuring and modeling the lifetime of nitrous oxide including its variability

The lifetime of nitrous oxide, the third‐most‐important human‐emitted greenhouse gas, is based to date primarily on model studies or scaling to other gases. This work calculates a semiempirical lifetime based on Microwave Limb Sounder satellite measurements of stratospheric profiles of nitrous oxide, ozone, and temperature; laboratory cross‐section data for ozone and molecular oxygen plus kinetics for O(1D); the observed solar spectrum; and a simple radiative transfer model. The result is 116 ± 9 years. The observed monthly‐to‐biennial variations in lifetime and tropical abundance are well matched by four independent chemistry‐transport models driven by reanalysis meteorological fields for the period of observation (2005–2010), but all these models overestimate the lifetime due to lower abundances in the critical loss region near 32 km in the tropics. These models plus a chemistry‐climate model agree on the nitrous oxide feedback factor on its own lifetime of 0.94 ± 0.01, giving N2O perturbations an effective residence time of 109 years. Combining this new empirical lifetime with model estimates of residence time and preindustrial lifetime (123 years) adjusts our best estimates of the human‐natural balance of emissions today and improves the accuracy of projected nitrous oxide increases over this century.