Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust proportional incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion control of a flying-wing tailsitter

Tailsitter unmanned aerial vehicles are utilized extensively nowadays since they merge advantages of both fixed-wing unmanned aerial vehicles and rotary-wing unmanned aerial vehicles. However, their attitude control suffers from unknown nonlinearities and disturbances due to the wide flight envelope. To solve the problems, a robust attitude controller based on a newly designed flying-wing tailsitter is proposed in this paper. By employing the angular acceleration feedback to compensate unmodeled dynamics, the proportional incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion control law is first developed. The proportional incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion strengthens the conventional nominal gain incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion with a proportional term to reflect the change of the angular acceleration more directly. Therefore, the tailsitter has a quicker response and performs better in suppressing model uncertainties and external disturbances. Since the angular acceleration is difficult to measure in practice, an angular acceleration estimation method is then established to provide accurate signals for the proportional incremental nonlinear dynamic inversion. The signals are derived as complementary results of model prediction method and direct differential method. Theoretical analysis and systematic simulations are conducted to corroborate the effectiveness of the developed estimation method as well as the robustness of the proposed controller.
Changes in the growth rates of saline-lake diatoms in response to variation in salinity, brine type and nitrogen form

The growth rates of four saline-lake diatom taxa were measured under varying conditions of salinity (5, 8 and 11‰), brine type (sulfate- versus bicarbonate-dominated) and nitrogen form (NH4 + versus NO3 - ), using a full factorial design. With NO3 - as the nitrogen source, Cyclotella quil- lensis, Cymbella pusilla and Anomoeoneis costata exhibited lower growth rates in the sulfate versus bicarbonate media. The strain of Chaetoceros elmorei used in these experiments, isolated from a sulfate-dominated lake, was unable to grow on NO3 - alone. In the NH4 + treatments, neither salinity nor brine type affected the growth rates of C.quillensis or C.elmorei. When supplied with NH4 + , C.pusilla and A.costata had higher growth rates in the bicarbonate versus sulfate media, although for C.pusilla the difference on NH4 + was not as great as on NO3 -. The impact of brine type on NO3 - use is consistent with the theory that sulfate inhibits molybdate uptake, as molybdenum is required for NO3 - use but not NH4 +. Cymbella pusilla was the only taxon affected by changes in salinity. The four taxa used in these experiments are frequently found in saline lakes and saline-lake sediments, hence they are used in paleoclimate reconstructions; the results presented here provide additional infor- mation that may enhance these diatom-based reconstructions.
Probabilistic risk assessment based on physical models can inform advanced hurricane risk management strategies

Hurricanes, with their strong winds, heavy rainfall, and storm surges, cause much damage and loss of life worldwide. Recent disasters, such as Hurricanes Katrina in 2005 and Sandy in 2012, Cyclone Nargis in 2008, and Typhoon Haiyan in 2013, underscore the significant vulnerability of the United States and the world to landfalling hurricanes. And the impacts of these storms may worsen in the coming decades because of rapid coastal development coupled with sea-level rise and possibly increasing hurricane activity due to climate change. Major advances in hurricane risk management are urgently needed. Given the inherent uncertainties in hurricane activity, such management should be strongly informed by probabilistic risk assessment. Furthermore, hurricane risk assessment cannot rely solely on historical records: to account for projected future changes, it should integrate physical knowledge and models with observational data.
Genetic and Molecular Mechanisms Associated with Antibiotic Resistance in Methicillin Resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA): A Review

Staphylococcus aureus is a bacterium of significant importance because of its ability to cause a wide range of diseases and capacity to adapt to diverse environmental forms [1]. The organism colonizes skin, skin glands and mucous membrane, causing infections both in human and animals such as rashes, inflammations of bones and the meninges as well as septicaemia [2]. In addition, S. aureus causes inflammation of the mammary gland in bovine and the lower part of the foot in poultry [3]. Staphylococcus aureus remains one of the most significant pathogens causing disease in animals and human and methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) is ranked among the most important and common pathogens resistant to multiple antibiotics all over the world. Penicillin and its derivatives, including methicillin have been used for the treatments of infections caused by S. aureus [4]. However, certain strains of S. aureus developed resistance known as methicillin resistant Staphylococcus aureus (MRSA).
Factors affecting the expenditure of domestic and foreign tourists - the evidence from Rijeka and Opatija, Croatia

The purpose of this research was to analyse tourist expenditure determinants using a survey of domestic and foreign tourists visiting Rijeka and the Opatija Riviera during summer 2014. This study had two aims. The first was to investigate the differences, if any, between domestic and foreign tourist expenditures (both daily expenditure and total expenditure during the whole stay). The other aim was to determine the impact of a set of relevant control variables on daily tourist expenditure in the destination, separately for domestic and foreign tourists. Tourist characteristics and trip-related variables are used to identify the determinants of expenditures. In addition, tourist satisfaction levels were included in the models as explanatory variables. Descriptive statistical analysis was performed on the socioeconomic, demographic, travel and attitudes-related variables to obtain frequencies. Simple linear regression was performed to test for statistically significant differences between domestic and foreign tourist expenditures. Furthermore, multiple regression analyses were carried out separately on domestic and foreign respondents to determine what factors affect their respective expenditure. The findings provide evidence of the differences in expenditure between domestic and foreign tourists as well as the existence of different determinants of their daily expenditure levels. The study provides valuable information for tourism management since it reveals the type of tourists that have a higher economic impact on a destination. Research results could serve as guidelines for modifying tourism management and marketing policies, strategies and plans in order to attract the most interesting type of tourists and ensure their repeat visits.
Winter Sentinel‐1 Backscatter as a Predictor of Spring Arctic Sea Ice Melt Pond Fraction

Spring melt pond fraction (fp) has been shown to influence September sea ice extent and, with a growing need to improve melt pond physics in climate and forecast models, observations at large spatial scales are needed. We present a novel technique for estimating fp on sea ice at high spatial resolution from the Sentinel‐1 satellite during the winter period leading up to spring melt. A strong correlation (r = −0.85) is found between winter radar backscatter and fp from first‐year and multiyear sea ice data collected in the Canadian Arctic Archipelago (CAA) in 2015. Observations made in the CAA in 2016 are used to validate a fp retrieval algorithm, and a fp prediction for the CAA in 2017 is made. The method is effective using the horizontal transmit and receive polarization channel only and shows promise for providing seasonal, pan‐Arctic, fp maps for improved understanding of melt pond distributions and forecast model skill.
A Life Cycle Assessment of Two Residential Buildings Using Two Different LCA Database-Software Combinations: Recognizing Uniformities and Inconsistencies

Traditionally, the emissions embodied in construction materials have not been considered important; however, they are becoming crucial due to the short time-frame in which the emissions should be reduced. Moreover, evaluating the environmental burden of construction materials has proven problematic and the reliability of the reported impact estimates is questionable. More reliable information from the construction sector is thus urgently needed to back and guide decision-making. Currently, the building sector environmental impact assessments predominantly employ commercial software with environmental impact databases and report results without knowledge about the impact of the software/database choice on the results. In this study, estimates for the embodied environmental impacts of residential construction from the two most widely used life cycle assessment (LCA) database-software combinations, ecoinvent with SimaPro software and GaBi, are compared to recognize the uniformities and inconsistencies. The impacts caused by two residential buildings of different types, a concrete-element multi-story residential building and a detached wooden house, both located in Finland, were assessed, including all building systems with a high level of detail. Based on the ReCiPe Midpoint method, fifteen impact categories were estimated and compared. The results confirm that the tool choice significantly affects the outcome. For the whole building, the difference is significant, around 15%, even in the most widely assessed category of Climate Change, and yields results that lean in different directions for the two cases. In the others, the estimates are entirely different, 40% or more in the majority of the categories and up to several thousand percentages of difference. The main conclusion is that extensive work is still urgently needed to improve the reliability of LCA tools in the building sector in order to provide reliable and trustworthy information for policy-making.
Monte-Carlo simulations of the full-energy-peak efficiency for a broad-energy germanium detector—a comparison between GEANT4 and FLUKA

The detection efficiency of a broad-energy germanium detector was determined empirically and compared to predictions by the Monte-Carlo software GEANT4 and FLUKA . The considered source geometries were point-like, filter paper and a water beaker. Calculations were performed in the photon energy range of 30–1836 keV . Simulated detection efficiencies obtained from both Monte-Carlo software were found to be in a good agreement (typically <5%) with experimental results for the considered source geometries. A comparison between the detection efficiencies obtained with GEANT4 and FLUKA codes exhibited a good agreement with a robust average of approximately 1%.
Cloning of Chondroitinase ABC from Bacteroides stercoris HJ-15, a Human Intestinal Anaerobic Bacterium

Glycosaminoglycans (GAGs), a group of linear, acidic polysaccharides composed of repeating disaccharide units of galactosamine (or glucosamine) and uronic acid (typically iduronic acid), are found in the extracellular matrix of intestinal cells [3]. GAGs have numerous biological functions, including mechanochemical switching and growth regulation [6, 7, 16]. One GAG, chondroitin sulfate, is classified into three types based on structure; chondroitin sulfate A, dermatan sulfate (chondroitin sulfate B), and chondroitin sulfate C. Chondroitinase ABC, which can degrade chondroitin sulfates A, B, and C, has been purified from the gastrointestinal bacterial species such as Proteus vulgaris [12] and Bacteroides stercoris HJ-15 [1, 5] and soil bacterial species such as Flavobacterium heparinum [16], and the genes encoding chondroitinase ABC have been cloned from P. vulgaris [12], Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron [13], Flavobacterium heparinum [16], and Yersinia pseudotuberculosis [8]. Although the native HJ-15 chondroitinase ABC has been purified, the gene has not yet been cloned. Therefore, here, we attempted to clone the chondroitinase ABC gene from HJ-15 to characterize the biochemical and genetic properties of chondroitinase ABC. The chondroitinase ABC gene of HJ-15 was cloned based on two internal amino acid sequences of the purified enzyme [5]. PCR was performed using primers csl ABC-1 and csl ABC-2 at an annealing temperature of 52C for 30 cycles. An approximately 670-bp PCR product was amplified, which was labeled with DIG (Roche, Switzerland) and used as a hybridization probe. To determine the full-length nucleotide sequence, positive clones from the genomic DNA library screened twice. In the first and second screenings, the genomic library was prepared by digestion with HindIII and KpnI (Takara, Japan), respectively. A portion of the digested chromosomal fragments (2.5−4.5 kbp) was extracted and ligated into the pKF3 vector (Takara), which was then transformed into E. coli TH2 competent cells (Takara). Positive clones were screened by Southern blotting and confirmed by DNA sequencing. To express the cloned chondroitinase ABC, the fulllength chondroitinase ABC gene from B. stercoris HJ-15 The gene encoding chondroitinase ABC from a genomic library of Bacteroides stercoris HJ-15, which was isolated from human feces, was cloned. The cloned gene consisted of 3,090 bp and was predicted to encode a 1,029−amino-acid protein. The B. stercoris chondroitinase ABC gene was not homologous to other chondroitinase ABC genes; however, its amino acid sequence showed 71% homology to that of Bacteroides thetaiotaomicron. The gene was cloned in the pET-26b+ expression vector and expressed under the T7 promoter in Escherichia coli BL21(DE3). The purified recombinant chondroitinase ABC degraded chondroitin sulfates A, B, and C.
Dynamics of 14C-labeled glucose and ammonium in saline arable soils

Organic matter dynamics and nutrient availability in saline agricultural soils of the State of Guanajuato might provide information for remediation strategies. 14C labeled glucose with or without 200 mg kg-1 of NH4+-N soil was added to two clayey agricultural soils with different electrolytic conductivity (EC), i.e. 0.94 dS m-1 (low EC; LEC) and 6.72 dS m-1 (high EC; HEC), to investigate the effect of N availability and salt content on organic material decomposition. Inorganic N dynamics and production of CO2 and 14CO2 were monitored. Approximately 60 % of the glucose-14C added to LEC soil evolved as 14CO2, but only 20 % in HEC soil after the incubation period of 21 days. After one day, 500 mg 14C from HEC soil. No N mineralization occurred in the LEC and HEC soils and glucose addition reduced the concentrations of inorganic N in unamended soil and soil amended with NH4+-N. The NO2- and NO3- concentrations were on average higher in LEC than in HEC soil, with exception of NO2- in HEC amended with NH4+-N. It was concluded that increases in soil EC reduced mineralization of the easily decomposable C substrate and resulted in N-depleted soil.
Initial assessment of parasite load in Clarias batrachus, Glossogobius giuris and Oreochromis niloticus in Lake Taal (Philippines)

ish parasites are ecologically important because they shape community and ecosystem structure by influencing trophic interactions, host fitness, and food webs. We surveyed fish parasitofauna from Lake Taal and provided initial quantitative and qualitative measures of parasite burden. This was then correlated with fish size, as a preliminary attempt to relate parasitism with fish overall fitness. A total of 60 specimens of
Shrub Encroachment Shapes Soil Nutrient Concentration, Stoichiometry and Carbon Storage in an Abandoned Subalpine Grassland

Soil nutrient stoichiometry plays a substantial role in terrestrial carbon and nutrient cycling. However, the changes in soil nutrient stoichiometry with shrub encroachment (SE) remain poorly understood, especially in subalpine areas. We examined the changes in soil nutrient concentration, nutrient stoichiometry, and organic carbon (OC) storage (at a depth of 0–5, 5–10 and 10–20 cm) in three successional shrub encroachment stages (early, mid and late) in an abandoned subalpine Eulalia pallens (Hackel) Kuntze grassland. An ANOVA showed that SE did not produce serious soil acidification, but significantly increased the soil OC and total phosphorous (TP) concentration, and improved the stoichiometry ratio of soil OC to total nitrogen (OC:TN) in all layers. OC storage tended to increase with SE. SE thus did not indicate degradation of the grassland. A redundancy analysis (RDA) and partial RDA revealed that the shrub relative cover and soil water content were the most important factors affecting the soil nutrient concentration, that the soil available phosphorous (AP), nitrogen, potassium, calcium (ACa), and magnesium concentration and shrub relative cover were the most important factors influencing soil nutrient stoichiometry ratios, and that soil OC:TN, TN:TP, OC:TN:TP, and AP:ACa ratios, bulk density, and pH were the most important factors influencing soil OC storage over SE. Our study provides insights into SE in grassland areas, and potentially provides a useful reference for ongoing grassland conservation and restoration in subalpine regions.
A novel smart assistive knee brace incorporated with shape memory alloy wire actuator

The knee plays a significant role in locomotion and stability of the entire body through supporting the body weight and assisting the lower body kinematics during walking. However, the knee is at constant risk of becoming weakened due to disease, age, and accidents. One approach to treating weakened knee is wearing an assistive knee brace. To design a clinical knee brace, many factors such as weight and compliant mechanism should be considered. In this study, a novel smart assistive knee brace mechanism incorporated with wire actuators made of shape memory alloys is proposed to ameliorate the issues associated with weight and flexibility of existing brace designs. Unlike earlier studies, the proposed orthosis includes pressure sensor, shape memory actuator, and smart linkage. Furthermore, two distinct shape memory alloy actuator design concepts with improved stiffness are developed, and the best option is chosen systematically and prototyped. The novel mechanism proposed in this research overcomes the weight of the lower limb during swing phase using the combined shape memory alloy actuation and feed-forward controller design. As such, it can be used as a potential replacement to its conventional counterparts when the higher weight reduction as well as a flexible and controllable mechanism are simultaneously sought.
Proportion and Associated Factors of Low Vision among Adult Patients Attending at University of Gondar Tertiary Eye Care and Training Center, Gondar Town, Ethiopia

Introduction Low vision is a worldwide health problem in both developing and developed countries. A national survey of low vision and blindness in Ethiopia showed that the prevalence of low vision was 3.7% and that of blindness was 1.6%, whereas there is no evidence in the study area. Purpose The study was aimed to assess the proportion and associated factors of low vision at the University of Gondar tertiary eye care and training center. Methods A hospital-based cross-sectional study was conducted on 727 study participants with a systematic random sampling technique from April 18 to May 16, 2019. Data were collected through the use of a structural questionnaire and physical eye examination. Data were entered into Epi Info version 7, and analysis was performed by using statistical package for social science (SPSS) version 20. The binary logistic regression model was fitted to identify factors associated with low vision, and variables with a P value of <0.05 in a multivariable binary logistic regression were considered as statistically significant. Results A total of 715 study participants have participated in this study with a mean age of 49.39 ± 19.93 years. The prevalence of low vision was 35.7% (95% CI: 32.3, 39.3). Being female (AOR = 1.58; 95% CI: 1.10, 2.28), no formal educational level (AOR = 2.24; 95% CI: 1.25, 4.02), history of cataract surgery (AOR = 2.58; 95% CI: 1.53, 4.36), and age ≥ 70 years (AOR: 3.96; 95% CI: 2.21, 7.10) were significantly associated with low vision. Conclusion and Recommendation. The prevalence of low vision found in this study was high as compared with the national and global magnitude. Older age, being female, previous history of cataract surgery, and no formal education were independently and significantly associated with low vision. Cataract and uncorrected refractive errors were identified as the main causes of low vision. Therefore, it requires a plan to provide an eye care education to the community, increasing the quality of cataract surgery and refractive service for the community in the catchment area.
Some contributions to the theory of denumerable Markov chains

1 deals with the statistical regularity properties of a denumerable number of particles, all moving about the states of a Markov chain according to the same transition probabilities. 2 deals with the problem of obtaining a sharper version of a strong limit theorem proved independently by Harris and Levy. Introduction. We shall be concerned throughout with a sequence of random variables { X, I}, n = 0, 1, * , which assume only integer values(2) and which have the property that
Race in the Marketplace and COVID-19

In the United States alone, COVID-19 has claimed tens of thousands of lives. And though it is no respecter of wealth, social status, or national boundary, initial claims that “We are all in this together! ” have fallen flat. Such universalizing claims have proven unable to camouflage the extreme inequality in suffering, just as history would suggest (De Waal 2020). This essay appears at a critical moment, in the throes of a public health crisis, wherein four decades of racialized fiscal austerity have proven to be fundamentally corrosive to any notion of public health and, by extension, social life (see Ahlberg et al. 2019). In response, we offer brief comments here in the form of a plea for more policy-oriented scholarship, particularly that which documents and theorizes the myriad connections between marketplace actors and racial inequality (and its intersection with other forms). We offer these comments as members of the Race in the Marketplace Research Network, which conducts and mobilizes marketplace research to that end. Given editorial limits, we restrict comments to a few topics and limit their scope to the United States, where ethnic and racial inequality are acute, particularly in health.