Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Disturbance decoupling control design for Boolean control networks: a Boolean algebra approach

The disturbance decoupling problem (DDP) whereby the system outputs become insensitive to exogenous signals or disturbances plays a vital role in systems engineering and biological systems. Notably, many biological signalling systems with multiple outputs are usually susceptible to external environmental changes. The authors investigate the DDP for Boolean control networks (BCNs) and present a novel technique based on Boolean algebra to solve the DDP. In particular, the results on the DDP solvability are derived by transforming the system dynamics to a simplified form called output-friendly form. Furthermore, a constructive procedure based on the Karnaugh map to design all possible feedback controllers such that the states affecting the outputs are free from disturbances is proposed. Moreover, the presented results are extended to switched BCNs, and design all possible mode-independent feedback controllers. Finally, some examples including a Boolean model of Escherichia coli are provided to validate the main findings.
Wildfire and drought moderate the spatial elements of tree mortality

Background tree mortality is a complex process that requires large sample sizes and long timescales to disentangle the suite of ecological factors that collectively contribute to tree stress, decline, and eventual mortality. Tree mortality associated with acute disturbance events, in contrast, is conspicuous and frequently studied, but there remains a lack of research regarding the role of background mortality processes in mediating the severity and delayed effects of disturbance. We conducted an empirical study by measuring the rates, causes, and spatial pattern of mortality annually among 32,989 individual trees within a large forest demography plot in the Sierra Nevada. We characterized the relationships between background mortality, compound disturbances ( ﬁ re and drought), and forest spatial structure, and we inte-grated our ﬁ ndings with a synthesis of the existing literature from around the world to develop a conceptual framework describing the spatio-temporal signatures of background and disturbance-related tree mortality. The interactive effects of ﬁ re, drought, and background mortality processes altered the rate, spatial structuring, and ecological consequences of mortality. Before ﬁ re, spatially non-random mortality was only evident among small (1 < cm DBH ≤ 10)- and medium (10 < cm DBH ≤ 60)-diameter classes; mortality rates were low (1.7% per yr), and mortality was density-dependent among small-diameter trees. Direct ﬁ re damage caused the greatest number of moralities (70% of stems ≥ 1 cm DBH), but the more enduring effects of this disturbance on the demography and spatial pattern of large-diameter trees occurred during the post- ﬁ re mortality regime. The combined effects of disturbance and biotic mortality agents provoked density-dependent mortality among large-diameter ( ≥ 60 cm DBH) trees, eliciting a distinct post-disturbance mortality regime that did not resemble the pattern of either pre- ﬁ re mortality or direct ﬁ re effects. The disproportionate ecological signi ﬁ cance of the largest trees renders this mortality regime acutely consequential to the long-term structure and function of forests. form of spatial structuring (distance and / or density dependence) that was most evident for each process. Competition among post- ﬁ re recruitment was not analyzed
Serum metabolites of broilers fed graded levels of beniseed (Sesamum indicum L.) waste meal in place of maize (Zea mays linn)

A 56-day feeding trial was conducted to investigate the effects of dietary replacement of maize with beniseed waste meal (BSW) on the carcass characteristics, organs weights, hematological and serum biochemical indices of broiler chicken. A total of 180 days old Marshal broiler chicks were randomly allotted to six treatments, each having three replicates of ten birds per replicate. Six experimental diets were formulated as follows; D1 (100% Maize: 0% BSW), D2 (80% Maize: 20% BSW), D3 (60% Maize: 40% BSW), D4 (40% Maize: 60% BSW), D5 (20% Maize: 80% BSW) and D6 (0% Maize: 100% BSW) for both broiler starters and finishers. The live weight, eviscerated weight, dressed weight, neck, thigh, wings and lower back weights were significantly (P 0.05) affected by the dietary treatments. It was concluded that maize could be safely replaced with beniseed waste meal up to 100% level (55% BSW) in broilers diets. Key words: beniseed waste meal, maize, broilers, barcass, health status
Impact of Scenario Selection on Robustness

Multiple plausible future scenarios are being used increasingly in preference to a single deterministic or probabilistic prediction of the future in the long‐term planning of water resources systems. These scenarios enable the determination of the robustness of a system—the consideration of performance across a range of plausible futures—and allow an assessment of which possible future system configurations result in a greater level of robustness. There are many approaches to selecting scenarios, and previous studies have observed that the choice of scenarios might affect the estimated robustness of the system. However, these observations have been anecdotal and qualitative. This paper develops a systematic, quantitative methodology for exploring the influence of scenario selection on the robustness and the ranking of decision alternatives. The methodology is illustrated on the Lake Problem. The quantitative results obtained confirm the qualitative observations of previous works, showing that the selection of scenarios is important, as it has a large influence on the robustness value calculated for each decision alternative. However, we show that it has a relatively small influence on how those decision alternatives are ranked. This implies that despite the difference in robustness values, similar decision outcomes will be reached in this case study, regardless of the basis on which the scenarios are obtained. It is also revealed that the impact of the scenarios on the robustness values is due to complex interactions with the system model and robustness metrics.
Prevention of hyper- and hypotrophic scars through surgical incisions in the direction of the “main folding lines” of the skin

Langer’s lines are still the recommendation and matrix for surgical incisions in most surgical textbooks, even if they were never meant to be by their first describer in 1861. To achieve minimal scarring, surgeons should attempt to make incisions parallel to skin tension lines, i.e., in skin folds or skin creases. On the basis of visible stretch marks (striae distensae) in the skin, which always appear in the same direction against skin tension in men and women, the direction of skin tension lines can be manifested also in the skin of children and young patients. These invisible or virtual tension lines are the same as the main folding lines (MFL) in adults and run perpendicular to the stretch marks. While well-established on the face and abdomen, these folding lines may not be obvious on other parts of the body. On chest, back and extremities, optimal direction of surgical skin incisions should take into account the patterns of striae distensae, which develop perpendicular to skin tension lines. MFL should be used in elective incisions in children, adolescents, and young women as a guide for the prevention of later visible hyperor hypotrophic scars.
The role of flow velocity combined with habitat complexity as a top-down regulator in seagrass meadows

Large‐scale losses of seagrass areas have been associated with eutrophication events, which have led to an overproduction of photosynthetic organisms including epiphytes. Grazers that feed on epiphytes can exert a significant top–down control in the system, but the effects of physical factors on grazing activity and feeding behaviour have been rarely examined. We addressed the combination of hydrodynamic regime and seagrass shoot density can alter the feeding and foraging behaviours of mesograzers. A full factorial experiment, with flow velocity (high, medium and low) and shoot density (high versus low) as main factors, was conducted in a racetrack flume using artificial seagrass plots. The results showed that when high flow velocity conditions were combined with low shoot density, consumption of epiphytes by mesograzers was strongly reduced. In contrast, when flow velocity was low or shoot density was high, mesograzers exhibited high feeding rates and vigorous swimming behaviour. These results clearly indicate that hydrodynamic stress reduces the time that mesograzers can spend feeding, since it inhibits their swimming behaviour, and thus indirectly affecting to the density of epiphytes. Therefore, the triggering of trophic cascade effects in seagrass communities under these experimental conditions depended on the interrelationship and feedbacks among shoot density, abiotic (flow velocity) and biotic (epiphytes and mesograzers) compartments, with flow velocity exerting a top–down control on seagrass ecosystems.
Diaspora Investment to Help Achieve the SDGs in Africa: Prospects and Trends

Governments and the private sector have traditionally viewed the diaspora as both ongoing providers of financial capital at the micro level, and, as consumers. While recognition of the diaspora’s role in ‘doing development’ has grown, and the diaspora are increasingly seen as important development stakeholders, they are still not viewed as significant social investors by governments, the private sector, or indeed the diaspora themselves. This represents a missed opportunity for harnessing and seeking to scale up diaspora investments for socio-economic growth, especially given the gap in financing available to deliver the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs). This chapter offers an overview of diaspora investment types and forms, dividing these into four main types, namely: diaspora philanthropy, diaspora remittances, diaspora direct investment (DDI), and diaspora Portfolio Investment (DPI). It argues that governments, financial institutions, the private sector, and the diaspora themselves should view diaspora investments as part of the development financing mix, especially as part of ‘blended finance’ packages.
Academic networks and career trajectory: ‘There’s no career in academia without networks’

ABSTRACT Academic networks have been found to play a significant role in career trajectory via employment opportunities, publishing openings, or being alerted to prospects not widely advertised. These results are reflective of Bourdieu’s notion that social capital can see an individual’s position within a field (in this article the field of academia) increase due to their network’s aggregate resources, which can be leveraged and see them attain success they may not have been able to achieve without their network’s capital and collective field position. This study surveyed more than 100 working academics and found that most participated in some form of academic networking. This article’s significance comes from exploring the lived experiences that have been identified by academics engaging in active network building. The work demonstrates the significant benefits that can result from being involved in well-positioned academic networks, but also reveals how networks are viewed as methods that can subvert merit-based achievements within the field.
Accountable Artificial Intelligence: Holding Algorithms to Account

Abstract Artificial intelligence (AI) algorithms govern in subtle yet fundamental ways the way we live and are transforming our societies. The promise of efficient, low‐cost, or “neutral” solutions harnessing the potential of big data has led public bodies to adopt algorithmic systems in the provision of public services. As AI algorithms have permeated high‐stakes aspects of our public existence—from hiring and education decisions to the governmental use of enforcement powers (policing) or liberty‐restricting decisions (bail and sentencing)—this necessarily raises important accountability questions: What accountability challenges do AI algorithmic systems bring with them, and how can we safeguard accountability in algorithmic decision‐making? Drawing on a decidedly public administration perspective, and given the current challenges that have thus far become manifest in the field, we critically reflect on and map out in a conceptually guided manner the implications of these systems, and the limitations they pose, for public accountability.
IoT-Based Smart Plug for Residential Energy Conservation: An Empirical Study Based on 15 Months’ Monitoring

The study examines the implications of educating prosumers regarding Internet of Things (IoT) use and monitoring to reduce power consumption in the home and encourage energy conservation, sustainable living, and behavior change. Over 15 months, 125 households and household owners received training regarding IoT plug equipment, usage monitoring, and energy reduction. A face to face survey was then conducted regarding power consumption reductions, frequency of monitoring, and user satisfaction compared to the previous year. The study found that participating households used around 5% less energy compared to average households. The reduction rate was found to have increased when more appliances were connected to smart plugs and their power usage was monitored more frequently. Power usage also fell in a greater level when participants were more satisfied with being given smart plugs and related education. Moreover, energy reduction rates increase when smart plugs were used for cooling and heating appliances as well as video, audio, and related devices. The results suggest that this program can be used to reduce energy use, which can be beneficial for smart homes and smart cities. The study demonstrates the importance of education from the perspective of energy conservation and related policies.
Stability and Uniqueness of the Equilibrium Point in Chemical Reaction Systems

It has recently been established that equilibria are stable in the large for coupled chemical reaction systems of arbitrary complexity and arbitrary mixtures of orders, so long as the rates of change of the amounts of the species present are derivable from mass‐action rate equations. The proof, employing Liapunov's direct method, is entirely kinetic. It is now shown that there can never be a continuum of equilibrium points accessible to a reaction system. An argument based on stability in the large is used to show that if there were a second equilibrium point accessible to a reaction system, there would have to be a continuum of equilibrium points connecting the two. Consequently, there cannot be more than one equilibrium point for any given reaction system. A proof that there must be at least one equilibrium point has also been given, based on Brouwer's fixed‐point theorem. Thus, each reaction system has one, and only one, equilibrium point.
Fractality and Multifractality in a Stock Market’s Nonstationary Financial Time Series

A financial time series, such as a stock market index, foreign exchange rate, or a commodity price, fluctuates heavily and shows scaling behaviors. Scaling and multi-scaling behaviors are measured for a nonstationary time series, such as stock market indices, high-frequency stock prices of individual stocks, or the volatility time series of a stock index. We review the fractality, multi-scaling, and multifractality of the financial time series of a stock market. We introduce a detrended fluctuation analysis of the financial time series to extract fluctuation patterns. Multifractality is measured using various methods, such as generalized Hurst exponents, the generalized partition function method, a detrended fluctuation analysis, the detrended moving average method, and a wavelet transformation.
Location Design of Electrification Road in Transportation Networks for On-Way Charging

Electric vehicles tend to be a great mobility option for the potential benefits in energy consumption and emission reduction. On-way charging (OWC) has been recognized to be a promising solution to extend driving range for electric vehicles. Location of the electrification road (ER) is a critical issue for future urban traffic management to accommodate the new mobility option. This paper proposes a mathematical program with equilibrium constraint (MPEC) approach to solve this problem, which minimizes the total travel time with a limited construction budget. To describe the drivers’ routing choice, a path-constrained network equilibrium model is proposed to minimize their travel time and prevent running out of charge. We develop a modified active set algorithm to solve the MPEC model. Numerical experiments are presented to demonstrate the performance of the model and the solution algorithm and analyze the impact of charging efficiency, battery size, and comfortable range.
An Evaluation of Block-Maximum-Based Estimation of Very Long Return Period Precipitation Extremes with a Large Ensemble Climate Simulation

The recurring devastation caused by extreme events underscores the need for reliable estimates of their intensity and frequency. Operational frequency and intensity estimates are very often obtained from generalized extreme value (GEV) distributions fitted to samples of annual maxima. GEV distributed random variables are “max-stable,” meaning that the maximum of a sample of several values drawn from a given GEV distribution is again GEV distributed with the same shape parameter. Long-period return value estimation relies on this property of the distribution. The data to which the models are fitted may not, however, be max-stable. Observational records are generally too short to assess whether max-stability holds in the upper tail of the observations. Large ensemble climate simulations, from which we can obtain very large samples of annual extremes, provide an opportunity to assess whether max-stability holds in a model-simulated climate and to quantify the impact of the lack of max-stability on very long period return-level estimates. We use a recent large ensemble simulation of the North American climate for this purpose. We find that the annual maxima of short-duration precipitation extremes tend not to be max-stable in the simulated climate, as indicated by systematic variation in the estimated shape parameter as block length is increased from 1 to 20 years. We explore how the lack of max-stability affects the estimation of very long period return levels and discuss reasons why short-duration precipitation extremes may not be max-stable.
Modified Decision Tree Technique for Ransomware Detection at Runtime through API Calls

Ransomware (RW) is a distinctive variety of malware that encrypts the files or locks the user’s system by keeping and taking their files hostage, which leads to huge financial losses to users. In this article, we propose a new model that extracts the novel features from the RW dataset and performs classification of the RW and benign files. The proposed model can detect a large number of RW from various families at runtime and scan the network, registry activities, and file system throughout the execution. API-call series was reutilized to represent the behavior-based features of RW. The technique extracts fourteen-feature vector at runtime and analyzes it by applying online machine learning algorithms to predict the RW. To validate the effectiveness and scalability, we test 78550 recent malign and benign RW and compare with the random forest and AdaBoost, and the testing accuracy is extended at 99.56%.
Dynamic Viscosity and Transverse Ultrasonic Attenuation of Engineering Materials

In this paper, ultrasonic attenuation of the transverse waves of engineering materials is evaluated, covering metals, ceramics, polymers, fiber-reinforced plastics, and rocks. After verifying experimental methods, 273 measurements are conducted and their results are tabulated. Fifty of the tests are for the longitudinal mode. Attenuation behavior is determined over broadband spectra. The attenuation spectra are characterized in four patterns, with 2/3 of the tests showing linear frequency dependence and another ¼ linear spectrum plus Rayleigh scattering (Mason-McSkimin relation). The longitudinal and transverse damping factors varied from 0.004 to 0.065, which are 1/3 to 5 times those of polymethyl methacrylate, suggesting that almost all the engineering materials tested may be viscoelastic. The present test results make the term dynamic viscosity more appropriate for exploring the underlying processes. The observed results were compared between the longitudinal and transverse modes and among similar material types. In more than a half of the tests, the transverse attenuation coefficients were higher than the corresponding longitudinal attenuation coefficients by 1.5× or more. Some material groups had similar attenuation coefficients for the two modes. Since the physical basis for viscous damping is hardly understood, especially in hard solids, further studies from new angles are keenly desired. This collection of new attenuation data will be of value for such works. Practically, this will assist in materials selection and in designing structural health monitoring and non-destructive inspection protocols.
QTL mapping for stripe rust and powdery mildew resistance in Triticum durum–Aegilops speltoides backcross introgression lines

Abstract Wheat, a major food crop, faces significant yield constraints due to losses caused by various diseases, especially rusts and powdery mildew. Since the causal organisms are always evolving, there is a never-ending hunt for new genes/quantitative trait loci (QTLs) for resistance to control the damage. For this purpose, Triticum durum–Aegilops speltoides backcross introgression lines (DS-BILs) developed in our wide hybridization programme were screened against stripe rust and powdery mildew at both seedling and adult plant stages. DS-BILs showed complete to moderate resistance at the adult plant stage while varying resistance and susceptibility at the seedling stage. A total of 1095 single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) identified on 14 chromosomes of T. durum, using genotyping by sequencing, were used for QTL mapping. Eleven unique QTLs, across six chromosomes (chr1B, chr2A, chr2B, chr3B, chr6B and chr7B) were identified for resistance, four QTLs for field mixture of stripe rust pathotypes, two QTLs for stripe rust pathotype 78S84 and five QTLs for field mixture of powdery mildew pathotypes using stepwise regression-based likelihood ratio test for additive effect of markers and single-marker analysis. Eleven DS-BILs carrying multiple QTLs were identified which will serve as a useful resource to transfer the respective resistance to susceptible cultivars to develop all stage resistant elite cultivars where QTL for stripe rust resistance QYrAs.pau-2A.1 (LOD 3.8, PVE 24.51 linked to SNP S2A_16016633) and QTL for powdery mildew resistance QPmAs.pau-6B (logarithm of the odds (LOD) 3.2, phenotypic variation explained (PVE) 17.75 linked to SNP S6B_26793381) are major targets of the transfer.