Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Contractive Sets of Discrete-Time Switched System with Mode-Dependent Persistent Dwell-Time Constraint

In this paper, we study the contractive set problem of discrete switching systems, where the switching signal is under the constraint of mode-dependent persistent dwell time (MD-PDT). Firstly, the stability condition of the MD-PDT switching sequence is given by the Quasi-time Lyapunov function method. Then the enumeration algorithm of the switching sequence is proposed, and the segmentation of the switching sequence is realized by using the cutting technique, which converts the set calculation problem of infinite sequence into a finite power calculation. Finally, an iterative algorithm for solving the MD-PDT contractive set under state constraints is given, and the related properties of the set are analyzed.
Domain Generalized Solar Cell Defect Segmentation Based on Shape-Aware and Multi-View Meta-Learning

Various defects are inevitably generated in the manufacturing process of solar cells. Deep learning-based methods for defect segmentation under closed situation have achieved remarkable progress. Due to the difference of imaging condition and camera parameter under different production line, there are large differences in brightness distribution of solar cell images. The model trained under closed situation cannot achieve good performance in opened situation such as multi-production lines. In this paper, a new shape-aware and multi-view meta-learning scheme is proposed to improve the model generalization performance for single-domain solar cell defect segmentation. The scheme roots in gradient-based meta-learning. Multi-brightness view information is yielded from the generated augmented images, and explicitly simulating domain shift with virtual meta-train and meta-test during training to mitigate overfitting in single-source domain train and unstable prediction. Importantly, considering tiny and faint solar cell defects are not easily identified under different image brightness conditions, shape edge constraint loss is proposed to encourage shape compactness and shape smoothness of segmentations. Experimental results show that the proposed method has high segmentation accuracy, which outperforms the state-of-the-art methods.
Secular change in stature and body mass in Korea over the last two millennia

Body size of a population is influenced by its environmental conditions and thus reflects the standards of living experienced by individuals within a population. In this research, for the purpose of investigating the standards of living in the Korean societies for the past two millennia, the pattern of secular changes in stature and body mass of the Korean populations were examined using both anthropometric and osteometric data. In addition, because of the necessity of reconstructing body sizes from the skeletal remains, new Koreanspecific equations for stature and body mass estimation were developed using the hybrid method. The newly developed equations presented here provide a better performance in accuracy and precision compared to the previous equations that have been used to estimate stature and body mass in Korea. In regards to stature, a U-shaped secular change pattern was found for both females and males: the average stature decreased after the Three Kingdom period and increased again in the 20th century. The average body mass also increased in the 20th century for both sexes but its pattern of secular change did not exactly follow patterns identified with stature. Sexual difference in the pattern of secular changes were also identified in the 20th century. The pattern of secular changes in stature and body mass was discussed in terms of anthropometric history, occurrence of infectious diseases, quality of life, and cultural practices in Korea. Also, caveats to the newly provided equations are explained. This research is expected to have a positive impact not only on the Korean community but also on worldwide anthropological and anatomical research, both in regards to archaeological and forensic contexts. In archaeology, this research will provide a systematic and appropriate basis to assess standards of living of Korean societies in the past. Moreover, any anthropological research of which topic is related to human variation, anthropometry, and secular changes on a worldwide scale will benefit from the results of this research. Lastly, in forensics, the new equations in this research will produce more accurate body size estimates for Korean victims not only in Korea but also in other countries.
The Deciphering of Growth-Dependent Strategies for Quorum-Sensing Networks in Pseudomonas aeruginosa

Pseudomonas aeruginosa is recognized as a significant cause of morbidity and mortality among nosocomial pathogens. In respiratory infections, P. aeruginosa acts not only as a single player but also collaborates with the opportunistic fungal pathogen Aspergillus fumigatus. This study introduced a QS molecule portfolio as a potential new biomarker that affects the secretion of virulence factors and biofilm formation. The quantitative levels of QS molecules, including 3-o-C12-HSL, 3-o-C8-HSL, C4-HSL, C6-HSL, HHQ, PQS, and PYO, measured using mass spectrometry in a monoculture, indicated metabolic changes during the transition from planktonic to sessile cells. In the co-cultures with A. fumigatus, the profile of abundant QS molecules was reduced to 3-o-C12-HSL, C4-HSL, PQS, and PYO. A decrease in C4-HSL by 50% to 170.6 ± 11.8 ng/mL and an increase 3-o-C12-HSL by 30% up to 784.4 ± 0.6 ng/mL were detected at the stage of the coverage of the hyphae with bacteria. Using scanning electron microscopy, we showed the morphological stages of the P. aeruginosa biofilm, such as cell aggregates, maturated biofilm, and cell dispersion. qPCR quantification of the genome equivalents of both microorganisms suggested that they exhibited an interplay strategy rather than antagonism. This is the first study demonstrating the quantitative growth-dependent appearance of QS molecule secretion in a monoculture of P. aeruginosa and a co-culture with A. fumigatus.
Clinical Observation of Preoperative Oral-Carbohydrate Combined with Individualized Medication in Patients with Type 2 Diabetes Mellitus

: To observe the clinical effect of preoperative oral carbohydrate(POC) combined with individualized medication (oral hypoglycemic agents or/and insulin) that has been used steadily in patients with type 2 diabetes mellitus. Patients undergoing elective laparoscopic non-gastrointestinal surgery were studied. Thirty type 2 diabetic patients with good glycemic control were selected as diabetic group (Group D) and 31 non-diabetic patients were recruited as control group(Group C). In both groups, 400mL carbohydrate drink was taken orally 2 hours before anesthesia. Anti-diabetes medication was given individually in the diabetic group(Group D) according to their daily use. Blood glucose was detected and recorded at the time of fasting (T 0 ), 1 hour after POC (T 1 ), before anesthesia(T 2 ), 15min after pneumoperitoneum(T 3 ), 30min after pneumoperitoneum (T 4 ), and in recovery room (T 5 ) for both groups. Ultrasound of gastric antrum was assessed and semi-quantification of gastric contents(Perlas A scale) was performed. Perioperative hunger, nausea, vomiting and postoperative exhaust time were also recorded. There was no statistically significant difference between two groups above in blood glucose at T 0 and T 5 ( P > 0.05);at T 1 ,T 2 ,T 3 and T
Crime mapping in police departments: The challenges of building a mapping system

This paper identifies the challenges facing police departments that seek to implement computerized crime mapping systems. The first part of the paper highlights the importance of police departments identifying primary "end-users" and then designing systems that accomplish the tasks specific to the needs of their end-users. Data transfer, geocoding, data integration, system customization, and confidentiality issues are discussed. The second part of the paper illustrates the practicalities of implementing geographic mapping systems drawing from our experiences with the Drug Market Analysis Program. We profile the Jersey City, NJ crime mapping system to highlight some of the Address correspondence to: Lorraine Green Mazerolle, Division of Criminal Justice, University of Cincinnati, PO Box 210389, Cincinnati, OH 45221-0389 (e-mail lorraine.Mazerolle@uc.edu). 132 — Lorraine Green Mazerolle et al. difficulties encountered in implementing a computerized crime mapping system for street-level use. The paper concludes that police departments planning to implement computer crime mapping capabilities need to think carefully about who, what, where, when and how the system will be used and then design the system data sources and interfaces accordingly.
Nature-based Tourism in Peripheral Areas: Development or Disaster?

1. Introduction: Nature-based Tourism and Regional Development in Peripheral Areas - C. Michael Hall & Stephen Boyd Section one: Nature-based Tourism in Alpine, Forest and Sub-Polar Environments 2. Ecotourism and the Resource Hinterland in Northern Ontario - Margaret Johnston & Robert Payne (Lakehead University) 3. Wilderness Discourses and the Development of Nature-Based Tourism in Northern Finland - Jarkko Saarinen (Oulu University) 4. Mountain Scenic Flights A Low Risk, Low Impact Ecotourism Experience Within South Island, New Zealand - Nicholas J Westwood (University of Otago) & Stephen W Boyd 5. Regional Contrasts in Ecotourism in Rainforests - Warwick Frost (Monash University) 6. Destination Image: Victorian Mountain Parks and Resorts in the Summer - Roslyn Russell (RMIT University) & Philippa Thomas (La Trobe University) 7. Winter Tourism in Protected Pleasure Peripheries: Time-Space Use Among Cross-Country Skiers in Abisko (Sweden) and Vercor (France) -Ludovic Dupuis & Dieter K. Muller (Umea University) 8. The importance of health as a factor in achieving sustainability in a high altitude destination of a less developed country - Ghazali Musa (University Malay) 9. Second Home Tourism in the Swedish Mountain Range - Dieter K. Muller (Umea UniversitySection two: Island, Coastal and Marine Environments 10. Pest or Precious Tourism Commodity? The Economic Value of White-Tailed Deer Hunting on Stewart Island / Rakiura - Brent Lovelock & Kevin Robinson (University of Otago) 11. The Economic Benefits of an Ecotourism Project in a Regional Economy - Filipo Tokalau (University of the South Pacific) 12. Growth of Beach Fale Tourism in Samoa: The High Value of Low-Cost Tourism - Regina Scheyvens (Massey University) 13: Doing it right the first time? Ecotourism on the Wild Coast of South Africa - Dorothy Queiros (University of Hertfordshire) & G.D. H. Wilson (University of Pretoria) 14: Penguins as Sights - Penguins as Site: The Problematics of Contestation - Eric J. Shelton (University of Otago) & Hildegard Lubcke (Nature Guides Otago) 15. Dolphins, Whales and Ecotourism In New Zealand: What are the Impacts and how Should the Industry be Managed? - Mark Orams (Massey University) 16. The state of the scenic cruise industry in Doubtful Sound in relation to a key natural resource: bottlenose dolphins - David Lusseau (University of Aberdeen)Section three: Nature-based Tourism in Peripheral Areas: A Tool for Regional development? 17. Ecotourism/Egotourism and Development - Brian Wheeler (Breda University) 18. Nature-based tourism in Peripheral Areas: Making Peripheral Destinations Competitive - Stephen Boyd and C. Michael Hall
Validation and Selection of a Representative Subset from the Ensemble of EURO-CORDEX EUR11 Regional Climate Model Outputs for the Czech Republic

To better understand the impact of climate change at a given location, it is crucial to consider a wide range of climate models that are representative of the area. In this study, we emphasize the importance of the careful validation and selection of climate models most suitable for a particular region. This step is critical to enhance the relevance of climate change impact studies and consequently design appropriate and robust adaptation measures, particularly in agriculture, forestry and water resources management. We propose validation and selection methods for regional climate models that can help identify a smaller group of well-performing models using the Central European area and Czech Republic as examples. In the validation process, 7 out of 19 regional climate models performed poorly. Of the 12 well-performing models, a subset of 7 models was selected to represent the uncertainty in the entire ensemble, which could be used in subsequent studies. The methodology is sufficiently general and may be applied to other climate model ensembles.
Improving Fast Minimum-Norm Attacks with Hyperparameter Optimization

Evaluating the adversarial robustness of machine learning models using gradient-based attacks is challenging. In this work, we show that hyperparameter optimization can improve fast minimum-norm attacks by automating the selection of the loss function, the optimizer and the step-size scheduler, along with the corresponding hyperparameters. Our extensive evaluation involving several robust models demonstrates the improved efficacy of fast minimum-norm attacks when hyper-up with hyperparameter optimization. We release our open-source code at https://github.com/pralab/HO-FMN.
Take-Over Safety Evaluation of Conditionally Automated Vehicles under Typical Highway Segments

Highways are one of the most suitable scenarios for automated driving technology. For conditionally automated driving, drivers are required to take over the vehicle when the system reaches its boundary. Therefore, it is necessary to evaluate the driver’s takeover performance and take-over safety differences under typical segments of highways. The experiment was conducted in a driving simulator. Three typical highway segments were constructed: a long straight segment, a merging segment and a diverging segment. Under each segment, a 2 × 2 factorial design was adopted, including two traffic densities (high density and low density) and two kinds of time budget (5 s and 7 s). The results showed that time budget and traffic density affected drivers’ take-over performance and safety. As the time budget decreased, the driver’s reaction time decreased and the braking amplitude increased. As traffic density increased, the lateral deviation rate increased. The maximum steering angle and steering wheel reversal rate in general tended to increase with scenario urgency. Meanwhile, drivers paid more attention to the longitudinal control on the long straight segment, which was reflected in the maximum braking amplitude and directional reversal rate. However, drivers paid more attention to the lateral control on the diverging segment, which was reflected in the maximum lateral deviation rate and the minimum steering wheel reversal rate. The study will contribute to the safety assessment of take-over behavior in highway avoidance scenarios and provide a theoretical basis for the design of a human–machine interaction system.
Tumor Progression Reverses Cardiac Hypertrophy and Fibrosis in a Tetracycline-Regulated ATF3 Transgenic Mouse Model

Cardiovascular diseases (CVD) and cancer are the top deadly diseases in the world. Both CVD and cancer have common risk factors; therefore, with the advances in treatment and life span, both diseases may occur simultaneously in patients. It is becoming evident that CVD and cancer are highly connected, establishing a novel discipline known as cardio-oncology. This includes the cardiomyocyte death following any anti-tumor therapy known as cardiotoxicity as well the intricate interplay between heart failure and cancer. Recent studies, using various mouse models, showed that heart failure promotes tumor growth and metastasis spread. Indeed, patients with heart failure were found to be at higher risk of developing malignant diseases. While the effect of heart failure on cancer is well established, little is known regarding the effect of tumors on heart failure. A recent study from our lab has demonstrated that tumor growth and metastasis ameliorate cardiac remodeling in a pressure-overload mouse model. Nevertheless, this study was inconclusive regarding whether tumor growth solely suppresses cardiac remodeling or is able to reverse existing heart failure outcomes as well. Here, we used a regulable transgenic mouse model for cardiac hypertrophy and fibrosis. Cancer cell implantation suppressed cardiac dysfunction and fibrosis as shown using echocardiography, qRT-PCR and fibrosis staining. In addition, tumor growth resulted in an M1 to M2 macrophage switch, which is correlated with cardiac repair. Macrophage depletion using clodronate liposomes completely abrogated the tumors’ beneficial effect. This study highly suggests that harnessing tumor paradigms may lead to the development of novel therapeutic strategies for CVDs and fibrosis.
Discrete-Time Distributed Control of Battery Energy Storage Systems Under Directed Graph

This paper studies the distributed control of battery energy storage systems with directed communication topology. A discrete time distributed control method for SoC(state-of-charge) consensus is proposed based on directed graph. Firstly, a distributed finite-time tracking algorithm is presented to estimate the average unbalanced power given by dispatch center, as well as the average of the variables used to calculate the power of each battery. Secondly, a finite-time iterative method is proposed to make the directed graph be balanced. Then, combined with the multi-rate control, the power allocation and SoC consensus are realized. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed methods is verified through simulation examples.
Engineered acoustic mismatch for anchor loss control in contour mode resonators

Improving the quality factor (Q) of electromechanical resonators is of paramount importance for different applications, ranging from RF filtering to sensing. In this paper, we present a modified fabrication process flow for contour mode resonators to simultaneously obtain the (i) Q insensitive to the Si undercut geometry and (ii) in-phase reflectors for anchor loss control and Q optimization. To assess the potential of the reflector, we vary its distance from the resonator's anchor. This results in a periodic trend of Q when the distance between the anchor and the reflector changes. Further confirmation of the trend is obtained via a finite element (FE) model. Interestingly, when in the FE model, the step between consecutive reflectors is decreased by a factor of 6× with respect to the experimental step, we observe a fast modulation of Q, superimposed onto that seen experimentally. The origin of this fast modulation is likely the coexistence of waves with different wavelengths traveling through the released region. Our results show that the profile of the region undergoing Si undercutting (released area) can be easily set by design. Furthermore, engineering the introduced acoustic mismatch provides unprecedented control of anchor loss.Improving the quality factor (Q) of electromechanical resonators is of paramount importance for different applications, ranging from RF filtering to sensing. In this paper, we present a modified fabrication process flow for contour mode resonators to simultaneously obtain the (i) Q insensitive to the Si undercut geometry and (ii) in-phase reflectors for anchor loss control and Q optimization. To assess the potential of the reflector, we vary its distance from the resonator's anchor. This results in a periodic trend of Q when the distance between the anchor and the reflector changes. Further confirmation of the trend is obtained via a finite element (FE) model. Interestingly, when in the FE model, the step between consecutive reflectors is decreased by a factor of 6× with respect to the experimental step, we observe a fast modulation of Q, superimposed onto that seen experimentally. The origin of this fast modulation is likely the coexistence of waves with different wavelengths traveling through the releas.
Antibiotic Prescribing for Lower Respiratory Tract Infections and Community-Acquired Pneumonia: An Italian Pediatric Emergency Department’s Real-Life Experience

Background: Lower respiratory tract infections (LRTIs) and community-acquired pneumonia (CAP) are among the most frequent reasons for referrals to the pediatric emergency department (PED). The aim of this study is to describe the management of antibiotic prescription in febrile children with LRTI or CAP admitted to a third-level PED and to investigate the different variables that can guide physicians in this decision-making. Methods: This is an observational, retrospective, monocentric study including patients < 14 years old who were presented to the PED for a febrile LRTI or CAP during the first six months of the year 2017. Demographic and clinical data, PED examinations, recommended therapy, and discharge modality were considered. Two multivariate logistic regression analyses were performed on patients with complete profiles to investigate the impact of demographic, laboratory, and clinical variables on antibiotic prescription and hospital admission. Results: This study included 584 patients with LRTI (n = 368) or CAP (n = 216). One hundred and sixty-eight individuals (28.7%) were admitted to the hospital. Lower age, higher heart rate, and lower SpO2 were associated with an increased risk of hospitalization. Antibiotics were prescribed to 495 (84.8%) patients. According to the multivariate logistic regression, the diagnosis and duration of fever were substantially linked with antibiotic prescription. Conclusions: The present study reports real-life data about our PED experience. A high rate of antibiotic prescription was noted. In the future, it is necessary to improve antibiotic stewardship programs to increase clinical adherence to guidelines.
It’s Time for Entropic Clocks: The Roles of Random Chain Protein Sequences in Timing Ion Channel Processes Underlying Action Potential Properties

In recent years, it has become clear that intrinsically disordered protein segments play diverse functional roles in many cellular processes, thus leading to a reassessment of the classical structure–function paradigm. One class of intrinsically disordered protein segments is entropic clocks, corresponding to unstructured random protein chains involved in timing cellular processes. Such clocks were shown to modulate ion channel processes underlying action potential generation, propagation, and transmission. In this review, we survey the role of entropic clocks in timing intra- and inter-molecular binding events of voltage-activated potassium channels involved in gating and clustering processes, respectively, and where both are known to occur according to a similar ‘ball and chain’ mechanism. We begin by delineating the thermodynamic and timing signatures of a ‘ball and chain’-based binding mechanism involving entropic clocks, followed by a detailed analysis of the use of such a mechanism in the prototypical Shaker voltage-activated K+ channel model protein, with particular emphasis on ion channel clustering. We demonstrate how ‘chain’-level alternative splicing of the Kv channel gene modulates entropic clock-based ‘ball and chain’ inactivation and clustering channel functions. As such, the Kv channel model system exemplifies how linkage between alternative splicing and intrinsic disorder enables the functional diversity underlying changes in electrical signaling.