Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Delay Robustness of an $\mathcal {L}_1$ Adaptive Controller for a Class of Systems With Unknown Matched Nonlinearities

This paper studies the delay robustness of an $\mathcal {L}_1$ adaptive controller designed for systems with unknown matched nonlinearities and unknown input-gain matrices. The analysis establishes rigorously the existence of a positive lower bound for the closed-loop system's time-delay margin (TDM), provided that a filter bandwidth and an adaptive gain are chosen sufficiently large. In this case, if the input delay is below a critical value, then the state and control input of the control system follow those of a nonadaptive, robust reference system closely. The analysis also suggests a way to estimate this lower bound for the delay robustness using Padé approximants. Results from forward simulation are consistent with the Padé estimate and with an explicit upper bound on the TDM which decays to 0 as the filter bandwidth grows without bound.
Predicting behaviours related to marine litter prevention: an empirical case based on junior high school students in Italy

Like many other environmental issues, marine litter represents a growing threat that needs to be tackled appropriately. Young adults can play a crucial role in targeting current and future issues related to marine litter given that they tend to be particularly aware of factors regarding sustainability and the environment in general. The study investigates the willingness of junior high school students to be involved in supporting beach clean-up activities and other awareness programs related to marine litter. The findings show how environmental knowledge, awareness of the consequences, attitudes towards marine environment preservation and social norms predict junior high school students' pro-environmental behaviour towards marine protection. Social norms were found to be the highest predictor of pro-environmental behaviour related to marine litter, whereas personal attitudes had a limited influence. The conclusions highlight the future strategies needed both at policy and managerial levels in order to understand how to motivate and further promote junior high school students' engagement in preserving the marine and coastal environment.
Promotion criteria for clinician-educators in the United States and Canada. A survey of promotion committee chairpersons.

CONTEXT Clinician-educators have concerns about their ability to be promoted and the criteria used by medical school promotion committees. OBJECTIVE To discover the criteria and methods that medical school promotion committees use to make decisions about the promotion of clinician-educators. METHODS In June 1996 we mailed a questionnaire to chairpersons of all medical school promotion committees in the United States and Canada. RESULTS Of 142 schools surveyed, 115 (81%) responded; 45% of respondents had a clinician-educator promotion track. On a scale from 1 (minimally important) to 7 (extremely important), the mean importance ratings of aspects of clinician-educators' performance were the following: teaching skills (6.3), clinical skills (5.8), mentoring (5.7), academic administration (5.3), developing educational programs (5.3), nonresearch scholarship (5.1), clinical research (4.8), service coordination (4.7), and education research (4.5). Methods to evaluate each aspect of performance were rated by respondents for importance and frequency of use. The 4 most important methods for evaluating teaching were awards, peer evaluation, learner evaluation, and teaching portfolio; 70% or more of schools used these frequently or always. The 4 most important methods of evaluating clinical skills were peer evaluation, awards, trainee evaluation, and objective measures, which were used frequently or always by 78%, 65%, 58%, and 29% of schools, respectively. Clinician-educators were expected to have fewer peer-reviewed publications to be promoted than investigators (5.7 vs 10.6, P<.001). Schools with separate clinician-educator tracks differed little in survey responses from schools without such tracks. CONCLUSION Most, but not all, promotion committees now assign high importance to the special contributions of clinician-educators and use a variety of methods to assess these, regardless of whether they have a separate clinician-educator promotion track.
SLOWLY ROTATING GAS-RICH GALAXIES IN MODIFIED NEWTONIAN DYNAMICS (MOND)

We have carried out a search for gas-rich dwarf galaxies that have lower rotation velocities in their outskirts than MOdified Newtonian Dynamics (MOND) predicts, so that the amplitude of their rotation curves cannot be fitted by arbitrarily increasing the mass-to-light ratio of the stellar component or by assuming additional undetected matter. With presently available data, the gas-rich galaxies UGC 4173, Holmberg II, ESO 245-G05, NGC 4861, and ESO 364-G029 deviate most from MOND predictions and, thereby, provide a sample of promising targets in testing the MOND framework. In the case of Holmberg II and NGC 4861, we find that their rotation curves are probably inconsistent with MOND, unless their inclinations and distances differ significantly from the nominal ones. The galaxy ESO 364-G029 is a promising target because its baryonic mass and rotation curve are similar to Holmberg II but presents a higher inclination. Deeper photometric and H i observations of ESO 364-G029, together with further decreasing systematic uncertainties, may provide a strong test to MOND.
Facilitatory and Inhibitory Effects of Implicit Spatial Cues on Visuospatial Attention

Previous work suggests that both concrete (e.g., hat, shoes) and abstract (e.g., god, devil) concepts with spatial associations engage attentional mechanisms, affecting subsequent target processing above or below fixation. Interestingly, both facilitatory and inhibitory effects have been reported to result from compatibility between target location and the meaning of the concept. To determine the conditions for obtaining these disparate effects, we varied the task (detection vs. discrimination), SOA, and concept type (abstract vs. concrete) across a series of experiments. Results suggest that the nature of the concepts underlies the different attentional effects. With abstract concepts, facilitation was observed across tasks and SOAs. With concrete concepts, inhibition was observed during the discrimination task and for short SOAs. Thus, the particular perceptual and metaphorical associations of a concept mediate their subsequent effects on visual target processing.
Answer Set Programming as SAT modulo Acyclicity

Answer set programming (ASP) is a declarative programming paradigm for solving search problems arising in knowledge-intensive domains. One viable way to implement the computation of answer sets corresponding to problem solutions is to recast a logic program as a Boolean satisfiability (SAT) problem and to use existing SAT solver technology for the actual search. Such mappings can be obtained by augmenting Clark's completion with constraints guaranteeing the strong justifiability of answer sets. To this end, we consider an extension of SAT by graphs subject to an acyclicity constraint, called SAT modulo acyclicity. We devise a linear embedding of logic programs and study the performance of answer set computation with SAT modulo acyclicity solvers.
Sex differences in the fetal heart rate variability indices of twins

Abstract Aims: To evaluate the differences in linear and complex heart rate dynamics in twin pairs according to fetal sex combination [male-female (MF), male-male (MM), and female-female (FF)]. Methods: Fourteen twin pairs (6 MF, 3 MM, and 5 FF) were monitored between 31 and 36.4 weeks of gestation. Twenty-six fetal heart rate (FHR) recordings of both twins were simultaneously acquired and analyzed with a system for computerized analysis of cardiotocograms. Linear and nonlinear FHR indices were calculated. Results: Overall, MM twins presented higher intrapair average in linear indices than the other pairs, whereas FF twins showed higher sympathetic-vagal balance. MF twins exhibited higher intrapair average in entropy indices and MM twins presented lower entropy values than FF twins considering the (automatically selected) threshold rLu. MM twin pairs showed higher intrapair differences in linear heart rate indices than MF and FF twins, whereas FF twins exhibited lower intrapair differences in entropy indices. Conclusions: The results of this exploratory study suggest that twins have sex-specific differences in linear and nonlinear indices of FHR. MM twins expressed signs of a more active autonomic nervous system and MF twins showed the most active complexity control system. These results suggest that fetal sex combination should be taken into consideration when performing detailed evaluation of the FHR in twins.
Production and reproduction of egg- and meat-type quails reared in different group sizes

Egg- and meat-type quails were reared in groups of different sizes with a fixed female-to-male ratio of 2 to 1 and an area of 158 cm2 per bird. The aim was to investigate the influence of group size on quail production and reproductive variables. To this end, 360 quails (180 meat and 180 egg-type quails) were assigned in a completely randomized experimental design to one of three treatments with ten replicates each. The treatments consisted of groups with nine, six, or three quails per cage. Birds were observed for three cycles of 14 days. Daily feed intake and feed conversion ratio were influenced (p < 0.05) by group size in both types of quails. Quail type influenced (p < 0.05) daily feed intake, feed conversion, and egg weight due to the typical differences between meat and egg-type birds. Despite the observed differences in production parameters, the mean values observed were typical of meat- and egg-type quails. The number of hydrolysis points (holes) per mm2 on the vitelline membrane on the germinal disc area was higher in meat quails (2.89 ± 0.21) than in egg quails (2.15 ± 0.13). This parameter was not influenced by the number of birds per cage, which suggests that the number of males inside the cage did not modify the spermatozoa pool inside the female oviduct. We concluded that a ratio of two females per male in cages with three, six, and nine birds/cage is recommended, as no deleterious effect on quail reproduction was observed.
The hypertensive role of the kidney in spontaneously hypertensive rats.

1. Spontaneously hypertensive and normotensive rats were selectively bred from a single Wistar strain. 2. Cross-transplantation of kidneys from hypertensive to normotensive rats and vice versa was performed, the sole remaining kidney of the recipient later being excised. Kidneys were also transplanted from normotensive donors into normotensive recipients and from hypertensive to hypertensive. 3. Normotensive rats receiving a kidney from either a hypertensive or normotensive donor showed unchanged blood pressure on normal salt diet. High-salt diet produced a greater rise in recipients of hypertensive than in recipients of normotensive kidneys. 4. Normotensive kidneys reduced the blood pressure of hypertensive recipients, but transplanted hypertensive kidneys had no such effect.
New results for exponential stability of delayed cellular neural networks

This brief presents new sufficient conditions for the global exponential stability of the equilibrium point for delayed cellular neural networks (DCNNs). It is shown that the use of a more general type of Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional enables us to derive new results for exponential stability of the equilibrium point for DCNNs. The results establish a relation between the delay time and the parameters of the network. The results are also compared with one of the most recent results derived in the literature.
Economic and productivity considerations in ASIC test and design-for-test

The results of a test and DFT (design-for-test) productivity study are presented. A questionnaire consisting of over 30 questions was distributed to design engineers. From the 30 responses received, predictive models were developed for important areas of test and DFT. Using these models the life-cycle cost of a product can be estimated before the project is undertaken. The models can also be used to select methodologies and techniques that will put the project at the economic test point. The models are used to evaluate various strategies for implementing an ASIC (application-specific integrated circuit) product optimizing its total life-cycle cost. The estimates that are performed can be used in the product planning phase to help make decisions about such factors as design styles, DFT approaches, manpower, and schedules so that market commitments are satisfied in the most cost-effective manner. <<ETX>>
Predictive maintenance of moving systems

In this paper, we propose to optimize both the assignment of missions and the maintenance scheduling of moving systems (e.g. trains) in a Prognostics and Health Management (PHM) context. The problem is to associate a system to each mission and to integrate the necessary maintenance operations in the schedule according to the real state of health of systems. This problem, which falls within the decision part of PHM, is proposed to be solved using an optimal approach based on Linear Programming. Results based on computational experiments assess the efficiency of the resolution method.
The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes

"The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes" by Arthur Conan Doyle are the complete adventures of the original and best detective, containing four novels and fifty-six short stories about the most engaging detective of all time, with a foreword by crime writer Ruth Rendell. The detective Sherlock Holmes - who continues to enthral millions in film and TV adaptations starring actors like Robert Downey Jr and Benedict Cumberbatch - was the creation of Arthur Conan Doyle, whose crime stories have thrilled readers for well over a century. Sherlock Holmes is not only the most famous character in crime fiction, but arguably the most famous character in all fiction. In sixty adventures that pit his extraordinary wits and courage against foreign spies, blackmailers, cultists, petty thieves, murderers, swindlers, policemen (both stupid and clever), and his arch-nemesis Moriarty, Sherlock Holmes, together with his faithful sidekick Doctor John H. Watson, proves himself to be not only the quintessential detective but also the most engaging and entertaining company any reader could ask for. "The Penguin Complete Sherlock Holmes" allows readers to experience the entire case-history of Holmes and Dr. Watson from start to finish - the stories that have spawned such infamous characters as the devilish Moriarty, the devious Irene Adler and, of course, the legendary hound of the Baskervilles.This edition includes a foreword written by crime writer Ruth Rendell. "Penguin" also publishes, in individual volumes, "A Study in Scarlet", "The Sign of Four", "The Adventures of Sherlock Holmes", "The Memoirs of Sherlock Holmes", "The Hound of the Baskervilles", "The Valley of Fear", "His Last Bow" and "The Case-Book of Sherlock Holmes". "The immense talent, passion and literary brilliance that Conan Doyle brought to his work give him a unique place in English letters. Personally, I'd walk a million miles in tight boots just to read his letters to the milkman". (Stephen Fry). "Holmes has a timeless intelligence that puts him head, shoulders and deer-stalker above all other detectives". (Alexander McCall Smith). "Now, as in his lifetime, cab drivers, statesmen, academics, and raggedy-assed children sit spellbound at his feet. No wonder, then, if the pairing of Holmes and Watson has triggered more imitators than any other duo in literature". (John Le Carre). Sir Arthur Conan Doyle (1859-1930) studied medicine at Edinburgh University, where he became the clerk to a surgeon whose diagnostic methods provided the model for the science of deduction perfected by Sherlock Holmes. He set up as a doctor and it was while waiting for patients that he began to write. Sherlock Holmes first appeared in "A Study in Scarlet" (1887). The Holmes stories soon attracted such a following that Conan Doyle felt the character overshadowed his other work. In "The Final Problem" (1893) Conan Doyle killed him off, but was obliged by public demand to restore the detective to life.
Ausländische Direktinvestitionen in Lateinamerkia: Enttäuschte Hoffnungen trotz attraktiver Standortbedingungen?

Trotz des Booms auslandischer Direktinvestitionen in Lateinamerika klafft zwischen Wunsch und Wirklichkeit immer noch eine erhebliche Lucke. Bei vielen Standortfaktoren fallt die Region weiterhin hinter die Attraktivitat asiatischer Konkurrenten zuruck. Auch innerhalb Lateinamerikas variiert die Anziehungskraft fur Direktinvestitionen erheblich. Die Hoffnungen lateinamerikanischer Gastlander, durch Direktinvestitionen von starken gesamtwirtschaftlichen Wachstumsimpulsen zu profitieren, haben sich kaum erfullt. Die zentrale wirtschaftspolitische Herausforderung besteht in einer weltmarktgerechten Spezialisierung der lateinamerikanischen Gastlander, da diese nicht nur als unternehmerisches Investitionsmotiv wichtiger werden durfte, sondern auch als Faktor, der die Wachstumseffekte von Direktinvestitionen pragt. Die Standortdebatte in Lateinamerika sollte aber uber spezifisch wirtschaftspolitische Masnahmen hinaus auch politische und institutionelle Faktoren ins Kalkul ziehen.
Results Differentiation of Blast Cells to Secondary Lymphocytes .

After rejection of tissue allografts, animals acquire immunological memory to the transplantation antigens of the graft (1). The memory thus acquired manifests itself in several distinct reactions: (a) Accelerated rejection of a second graft antigenically similar to the first transplant (second set effect) (1). (b) Enhanced rejection of tissue grafts by normal animals receiving lymphocytes from immunized donors (1,:2). (c) Greater efficiency in breakdown of tolerance in animals receiving lymphocytes from immunized donors (3). (d) Accelerated transformation of lymphocytes re-exposed to the sensitizing cells in vitro (4). The immunological memory has been attributed to the clonal progeny of lymphocytes which responded to the antigens of the primary graft. Thus, the increase in number of specific antigen-reactive cells seemed to account for the enhanced response in sensitized animals. On the basis of this, one would expect lymphocytes from animals presensitized to histocompatibility antigens to react more vigorously than normal lymphocytes in both graft vs. host and the mixed lymphocyte culture reactions. However, this is not the case (4, 5), suggesting that immunological memory may be based on changes in the lymphocytes themselves, rather than on an increased number of specific antigen-reactive lymphocytes (6). To analyze the behavior and properties of memory cells, one needs pure populations of such cells, preferably in an in vitro system. In previous studies (7-9) we showed that blast cells, obtained by stimulation of rat lymphocytes with phytomitogens, redifferentiate, after removal of the mitogen, to small lymphocytes termed "secondary lymphocytes. " Studies on the pattern of responsiveness of these lymphocytes led us to the conclusion that the secondary lymphocytes obtained by stimulation with pokeweed mitogen (PWM) 1 represented a population of memory cells specific to PWM (9, 10). Blast cells have also been obtained by sensitizing rat lymphocytes to xenogeneic or allogeneic fibroblast monolayers (11, 12). In this paper we show that these blasts, when removed from the foreign sensitizing monolayers and replated on syngeneic fibroblasts, transformed to secondary lymphocytes.
Heart Failure Medications Detection and Prescription Status Classification in Clinical Narrative Documents

Angiotensin Converting Enzyme Inhibitors (ACEI) and Angiotensin II Receptor Blockers (ARB) are two common medication classes used for heart failure treatment. The ADAHF (Automated Data Acquisition for Heart Failure) project aimed at automatically extracting heart failure treatment performance metrics from clinical narrative documents, and these medications are an important component of the performance metrics. We developed two different systems to detect these medications, rule-based and machine learning-based. The rule-based system used dictionary lookups with fuzzy string searching and showed successful performance even if our corpus contains various misspelled medications. The machine learning-based system uses lexical and morphological features and produced similar results. The best performance was achieved when combining the two methods, reaching 99.3% recall and 98.8% precision. To determine the prescription status of each medication (i.e., active, discontinued, or negative), we implemented a SVM classifier with lexical features and achieved good performance, reaching 95.49% accuracy, in a five-fold cross-validation evaluation.
Stratifying the Risk of Developing Clinical Hypocalcemia after Thyroidectomy with Parathyroid Hormone

Objective To identify the risk of clinical hypocalcemia in the first hours after thyroidectomy. Study Design Prospective observational study. Setting Single-institution tertiary hospital in Madrid, Spain. Subjects and Methods A total of 123 patients who underwent total or completion thyroidectomy between June 2010 and March 2012 were included. Pre- and postoperative intact parathyroid hormone (iPTH) levels were obtained. Patients remain hospitalized a minimum of 48 hours until blood calcium stabilized. Calcium and/or vitamin D supplements were prescribed only when signs or symptoms of hypocalcemia developed. Receiver operating characteristic curve analysis was employed to evaluate the postoperative iPTH level and the pre- to postoperative decrease in iPTH levels. Two cutoff values were determined to stratify the risk of developing clinical hypocalcemia into 3 groups. Results The areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve were 0.991 for the postoperative iPTH and 0.998 for the decrease in iPTH. An iPTH decrease of 80% had 100% sensitivity to detect patients who developed clinical hypocalcemia, while a postoperative iPTH <3 pg/mL had 100% specificity. Thus, patients with an iPTH decrease ≤80% are at a very low risk of clinical hypocalcemia, and patients with a postoperative iPTH <3 pg/mL are at a very high risk. Patients with an iPTH decrease >80% and a postoperative iPTH ≥3 pg/mL are at intermediate risk. No significant correlation was found between the time when the sample was obtained and iPTH values. Conclusion This study stablishes a very accurate test to stratify the risk of clinical postthyroidectomy hypocalcemia based on pre- and postoperative iPTH levels.