Book Announcement of L. Celentano, Robust Tracking Controllers Design with Generic References for Continuous and Discrete Uncertain Linear SISO Systems, LAP LAMBERT Academic Publishing, 2012

In this book new results on controller design techniques for the tracking of generic reference inputs are presented. They allow the design of a controller for an uncertain process, either continuous or discrete-time, without zeros, and with measurable state. The controller guarantees that the control system is Type 1 and has the desired constant gain and poles or that the control system tracks, with a specified maximum error and with a specified maximum time constant, a generic reference with bounded derivative (variation in the discrete-time case), also in the presence of a generic disturbance with bounded derivative (variation). In addition, it is considered the case in which the reference is known a priori. The utility and the efficiency of the proposed methods are illustrated with attractive and significant examples of motion control and temperature control. This book is useful for the design of control systems, especially for manufacturing systems, that are versatile, fast, precise and robust.

The UK Education System and References for China

The UK education has a long history and is internationally accepted for its qualifications and teaching standards. This essay firstly gives an introduction about the development of British education since the last century, then discusses the basic structure of British education system and finally suggests some references for our education.

Environmeutal sciences update references in Chinese journals

Selected from Acta Scientiac Circumstantiac,ISSN 0253～2468;Environmental Chemistry,ISSN 0254-6108;Acra Ecologia Sinica,ISSN 1000-0933(The address giben in a reference is that of the first named author)

General coarsened measurement references for revelation of a classical world

It has been found that for a fixed degree of fuzziness in the coarsened references of measurements,the quantum-toclassical transition can be observed independent of the macroscopicity of the quantum state.We explore a general situation that the degree of fuzziness can change with the rotation angle between two states（different rotation angles represent different references）.The fuzziness of reference comes from two kinds of fuzziness：the Hamiltonian（rotation frequency）and the timing（rotation time）.For the fuzziness of the Hamiltonian alone,the degree of fuzziness for the reference will change with the rotation angle between two states,and the quantum effects can still be observed with any degree of fuzziness of Hamiltonian.For the fuzziness of timing,the degree of the coarsening reference is unchanged with the rotation angle.During the rotation of the measurement axis,the decoherence environment can also help the classical-to-quantum transition due to changing the direction of the measurement axis.

Neonatal References: Epidemiology and Prognosis in a Malian Context

Neonatal mortality remains a public health problem in Mali. The neonatal referral is a systemic factor determining the neonatal prognosis. This work was initiated to determine the frequency of neonatal referrals and to determine their prognosis. Patients and Methods: A cross-sectional study was carried out from November 1, 2019 to January 31, 2020 in the neonatology service of the pediatrics department of the Gabriel Toure University Hospital in Bamako. All newborns referred by another health structure in the country were included in this stud. All newborns referred by another health structure in the country were included in this study. To determine the risk factors related to the neonatal referral, we performed univariate and multivariate analyzes to determine the odds ratios and fitted with a significant p probability if p < 0.05 and the 95% confidence interval. Results: The frequency of referrals was 54.3%. Newborns came from basic structures in 19.3% of cases, from tertiary structures in 6.7%. The main reason for transfer was prematurity (40.2%) followed by perinatal anoxia (15.3%), malformations (15.3%), respiratory distress (15.2%) and infection neonatal (9.1%). The ambulance was the primary means of transfer in 71.3%. In 80% of cases the transfer had been made within the first 24 hours of life. On admission, a third of the newborns (31.1%) were less than 1500 g, hypothermic in 43.8% and febrile in 15.1%. The evolution was marked by 40.2% of deaths. The analysis of prognostic factors, allowed us to observe that the more the newborn is premature or of low weight the more risk of death was very high with respectively 18.5 times in the less than 28 weeks of amenorrhea (WA) (ORa = 18.5;CI = 1.9 - 180;p = 0.012) and 6.6 times in those less than 1000g (ORa = 6.6;CI = 1.4 - 29.7;p = 0.015). Likewise, any change in body temperature increased risk of death by 1.9 times compared to normothermia. Conclusion: The establishment of a neonatal referral system is necessary to reduce neonatal mortality in our context.

Evaluation of Expression Stability of Candidate References Genes among Green and Yellow Pea Cultivars (<i>Pisum sativum</i>L.) Subjected to Abiotic and Biotic Stress

Dry pea (Pisum sativum L.) is grown as human and animal feed throughout the world. Large yield losses in pea due to biotic and abiotic stresses compel an improved understanding of mechanisms of stress tolerance and genetic determinants conditioning these tolerances. The availability of stably expressed reference genes is a prerequisite for examining differential gene expression. The objective of this study was to examine the expression profile of several candidate reference genes across a broad range of commercial pea cultivars. Expression profiles of five candidate reference genes;18s rRNA, actin, TIF, β tubulin-2 and β tubulin-3 were examined. Relative quantifications of candidate reference genes were estimated from control plants, plants after 48 h of cold treatment, and plants 24 and 48 h after inoculation with Sclerotinia sclerotiorum, the causal agent of white mold disease of pea. RT-qPCR was performed on cDNA synthesized from three food grade spring peas, Ariel, Aragorn, and Sterling, and two spring yellow peas, Delta and Universal, which are used as animal feed. Analysis of variance (ANOVA) of CT values demonstrated significant variation between varieties and treatments under cold and disease conditions. The most abundant transcripts among tested reference genes were for 18s rRNA. Stability analysis indicated that TIF and β tubulin-3 genes were the most stably expressed candidate genes under both cold and disease stress and could serve as reference genes across a wide range of pea cultivars.

A Brief Analysis on Citation Forms of English Journal Titles in References of Animal Science and Veterinary Medicine Journals

In this paper,the problems of citation forms of English journal titles in references of animal science and veterinary medicine journals were described and analyzed. And the English names of animal science and veterinary medicine journals and corresponding abbreviations were listed for reference by authors.

Comparison between English and Chinese Repeated References to the Same Thing and Parallel Structure

Chinese and English are two very different languages; the former belongs to the Sino-Tibetan Language Family and the latter the Indo-European Language Family. In terms of textual organization, they show substantial differences. Chinese is mainly a pragmatic, paratactic and topic-prominent language, while English a grammatical, hypotactic and subject-prominent language. This thesis gives a contrastive study of two problems in English and Chinese. They are repeated references to the same thing and parallel structure. In this way, the translation work will be more succinct and smooth.

Directives and references in selected coronavirus-motivated internet memes

The use of directives in communicating the nature of the pandemic and reference to social experiences were promoted using images on social media platforms.The images or memes are used to create awareness and reinforce the criteria for safety during the pandemic.Previous studies on internet memes have concentrated on humor generation,speaker-hearer shared knowledge,neologism,and multimodality among others,with insufficient attention paid to the use of directives and references in such coronavirus-motivated memes.This paper,therefore,examines how directives and references are employed in conveying expected social responsibilities through coronavirus-motivated internet memes in Nigeria and other socio-cultural contexts.For data,one hundred coronavirus-motivated memes were purposively selected from Facebook,and eight representative memes were subjected to pragmatic analysis using aspects of Jacob Mey’s(2001.Pragmatics:An introduction,2nd edn.USA:Blackwell Publishing)pragmatic acts theory to unearth insights from them.The paper observes that the various spheres of life that are relatable to an online audience help to express what the pandemic is about and enhance the meaning of the pandemic with the context of the use of the memes,giving clearer perspectives on the pandemic.Directives and references are useful tools for conveying social responsibilities to online audience.

Prescribed Performance Tracking Control of Time-Delay Nonlinear Systems With Output Constraints

The problem of prescribed performance tracking control for unknown time-delay nonlinear systems subject to output constraints is dealt with in this paper. In contrast with related works, only the most fundamental requirements, i.e., boundedness and the local Lipschitz condition, are assumed for the allowable time delays. Moreover, we focus on the case where the reference is unknown beforehand, which renders the standard prescribed performance control designs under output constraints infeasible. To conquer these challenges, a novel robust prescribed performance control approach is put forward in this paper.Herein, a reverse tuning function is skillfully constructed and automatically generates a performance envelop for the tracking error. In addition, a unified performance analysis framework based on proof by contradiction and the barrier function is established to reveal the inherent robustness of the control system against the time delays. It turns out that the system output tracks the reference with a preassigned settling time and good accuracy,without constraint violations. A comparative simulation on a two-stage chemical reactor is carried out to illustrate the above theoretical findings.

A 16-bit 18-MSPS flash-assisted SAR ADC with hybrid synchronous and asynchronous control logic

This paper presents a 16-bit,18-MSPS(million samples per second)flash-assisted successive-approximation-register(SAR)analog-to-digital converter(ADC)utilizing hybrid synchronous and asynchronous(HYSAS)timing control logic based on an on-chip delay-locked loop(DLL).The HYSAS scheme can provide a longer settling time for the capacitive digital-to-analog converter(CDAC)than the synchronous and asynchronous SAR ADC.Therefore,the issue of incomplete settling or ringing in the DAC voltage for cases of either on-chip or off-chip reference voltage can be solved to a large extent.In addition,the fore-ground calibration of the CDAC’s mismatch is performed with a finite-impulse-response bandpass filter(FIR-BPF)based least-mean-square(LMS)algorithm in an off-chip FPGA(field programmable gate array).Fabricated in 40-nm CMOS process,the proto-type ADC achieves 94.02-dB spurious-free dynamic range(SFDR),and 75.98-dB signal-to-noise-and-distortion ratio(SNDR)for a 2.88-MHz input under 18-MSPS sampling rate.

The AME2012 atomic mass evaluation(Ⅱ).Tables,graphs and references

This paper is the first of two articles （Part I and Part II） that presents the results of the new atomic mass evaluation, AME2012. It includes complete information on the experimental input data （including not used and rejected ones）, as well as details on the evaluation procedures used to derive the tables with recommended values given in the second part. This article describes the evaluation philosophy and procedures that were implemented in the selection of specific nuclear reaction, decay and mass-spectrometer results. These input values were entered in the least-squares adjustment procedure for determining the best values for the atomic masses and their uncertainties. Calculation procedures and particularities of the AME are then described. All accepted and rejected data, including outweighed ones, are presented in a tabular format and compared with the adjusted values （obtained using the adjustment procedure）. Differences with the previous AME2003 evaluation are also discussed and specific information is presented for several cases that may be of interest to various AME users. The second AME2012 article, the last one in this issue, gives a table with recommended values of atomic masses, as well as tables and graphs of derived quantifies, along with the list of references used in both this AME2012 evaluation and the NUBASE2012 one （the first paper in this issue）.

基于0-1膨胀二项分布的客观贝叶斯分析

在医疗卫生、金融证券等应用领域,经常会同时出现零观测值、一观测值较多的情况。为更好地拟合这类数据,提出一种0-1膨胀二项分布模型并进行客观贝叶斯分析。采用数据扩充策略,基于完全似然函数,得到Jeffreys先验和reference先验。采用WinBUGS软件和R软件进行数值模拟,设定不同的样本量和参数真值,对不同的无信息先验进行评估。对2020年1月28日与2月22日COVID-19死亡人数进行分析,结果表明,在小样本情形下基于客观贝叶斯先验π_(R3)下的拟合效果比π_(R1)和π_(R2)要好。

The space-time references of BeiDou Navigation Satellite System

The BeiDou Navigation Satellite System (BDS) is essentially a precise time measurement and time synchronization system for a large-scale space near the Earth. General relativity is the basic theoretical framework for the information processing in the master control station of BDS. Having introduced the basic conceptions of relativistic space-time reference systems, the space-time references of BDS are analyzed and the function and acquisition method of the Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP) are briefly discussed. The basic space reference of BDS is BeiDou Coordinate System (BDCS), and the time standard is the BDS Time (BDT). BDCS and BDT are the realizations of the Geocentric Terrestrial Reference System (GTRS) and the Terrestrial Time (TT) for BDS, respectively. The station coordinates in the BDCS are consistent with those in International Terrestrial Reference Frame (ITRF)2014 at the cm-level and the difference in scale is about 1.1 × 10^(−8) . The time deviation of BDT relative to International Atomic Time (TAI) is less than 50 ns and the frequency deviation is less than 2 × 10^(−14) . The Geocentric Celestial Reference System (GCRS) and the solar Barycentric Celestial Reference System (BCRS) are also involved in the operation of BDS. The observation models for time synchronization and precise orbit determination are established within the GCRS framework. The coordinate transformation between BDCS and GCRS is consistent with the International Earth Rotation and Reference Systems Service (IERS). In the autonomous operation mode without the support of the ground master control station, Earth Orientation Parameters (EOP) is obtained by means of long-term prediction and on-board observation. The observa-tion models for the on-board astrometry should be established within the BCRS framework.

Evaluating the performance of genomic selection on purebred population by incorporating crossbred data in pigs

Genomic selection(GS)has been widely used in livestock,which greatly accelerated the genetic progress of complex traits.The population size was one of the significant factors affecting the prediction accuracy,while it was limited by the purebred population.Compared to directly combining two uncorrelated purebred populations to extend the reference population size,it might be more meaningful to incorporate the correlated crossbreds into reference population for genomic prediction.In this study,we simulated purebred offspring(PAS and PBS)and crossbred offspring(CAB)base on real genotype data of two base purebred populations(PA and PB),to evaluate the performance of genomic selection on purebred while incorporating crossbred information.The results showed that selecting key crossbred individuals via maximizing the expected genetic relationship(REL)was better than the other methods(individuals closet or farthest to the purebred population,CP/FP)in term of the prediction accuracy.Furthermore,the prediction accuracy of reference populations combining PA and CAB was significantly better only based on PA,which was similar to combine PA and PAS.Moreover,the rank correlation between the multiple of the increased relationship(MIR)and reliability improvement was 0.60-0.70.But for individuals with low correlation(Cor(Pi,PA or B),the reliability improvement was significantly lower than other individuals.Our findings suggested that incorporating crossbred into purebred population could improve the performance of genetic prediction compared with using the purebred population only.The genetic relationship between purebred and crossbred population is a key factor determining the increased reliability while incorporating crossbred population in the genomic prediction on pure bred individuals.

Deciphering the population structure and genetic basis of growth traits from whole-genome resequencing of the leopard coral grouper(Plectropomus leopardus)

The leopard coral grouper(Plectropomus leopardus)is a species of significant economic importance.Although artificial cultivation of P.leopardus has thrived in recent decades,the advancement of selective breeding has been hindered by the lack of comprehensive population genomic data.In this study,we identified over 8.73 million single nucleotide polymorphisms(SNPs)through whole-genome resequencing of 326 individuals spanning six distinct groups.Furthermore,we categorized 226 individuals with high-coverage sequencing depth(≥14×)into eight clusters based on their genetic profiles and phylogenetic relationships.Notably,four of these clusters exhibited pronounced genetic differentiation compared with the other populations.To identify potentially advantageous loci for P.leopardus,we examined genomic regions exhibiting selective sweeps by analyzing the nucleotide diversity(θπ)and fixation index(FST)in these four clusters.Using these high-coverage resequencing data,we successfully constructed the first haplotype reference panel specific to P.leopardus.This achievement holds promise for enabling high-quality,cost-effectiveimputationmethods.Additionally,we combined low-coverage sequencing data with imputation techniques for a genome-wide association study,aiming to identify candidate SNP loci and genes associated with growth traits.A significant concentration of these genes was observed on chromosome 17,which is primarily involved in skeletal muscle and embryonic development and cell proliferation.Notably,our detailed investigation of growth-related SNPs across the eight clusters revealed that cluster 5 harbored the most promising candidate SNPs,showing potential for genetic selective breeding efforts.These findings provide a robust toolkit and valuable insights into the management of germplasm resources and genome-driven breeding initiatives targeting P.leopardus.

Styrax japonicus functional genomics:an efficient virus induced gene silencing(VIGS)system

VIGS(Virus-induced gene silencing),a method for posttranscriptional gene silencing,is an effective technique for investigating the activities of genes in plants.Since there is no report for available VIGS system in Styrax japonicus,the application of a VIGS approach that results in a gene knockdown to study gene function is limited.In this study,we compared the characteristics that could affect the viability of VIGS in S.japonicus,including the acetosyringone(AS)concentration,the Agrobacterium’s optical density and the inoculation method.The stable reference genes of S.japonicus were selected to validate the gene’s knockdown by quantitative PCR.As a result,we successfully constructed 2 VIGS systems based on TRV virus:vacuum with AS concentration of 200μmol·L^(-1)and OD600of 0.5,and friction-osmosis with AS concentration of 200μmol·L^(-1)and OD600of 1.0,which silencing efficiency was 83.33%and 74.19%,respectively.The successfully applied VIGS method provides a rapid and effective reverse gene functional analysis approach in S.japonicus to identify unknown gene functions.

The Application of Permanent Magnet Synchronous Motor with Small Electrical Time Constant in Fiber Positioner

With the development of cutting-edge multi-object spectrographs,fiber positioners located in the focal plane are being scaled down in size,and miniature hollow-cup Permanent Magnet motors are now being considered as a suitable replacement for Faulhaber Precistep stepper motors.However,the small electrical time constant of such coreless motors poses a challenge,as the problem of severe commutation torque ripple in a fiber positioner running a position loop has been tricky.To overcome this challenge,it is advised to increase the Pulse Width Modulation(PWM)frequency as much as possible to mitigate the effects of the current fluctuation.This must be done while ensuring adequate resolution of the PWM generator.By employing a voltage open-loop field-oriented control based on a modulation frequency of 1 MHz,the drive current only costs 25 m A under a 3.3 V power supply.The sine degree of phase current is immaculate,and the repeat positioning accuracy can reach 2μm.Moreover,it is possible to further shrink the bill of devices and the layout area of the Printed Circuit Board,especially in sizesensitive applications.This device has been developed under the new generation of The Large Sky Area MultiObject Fiber Spectroscopic Telescope.

Polio eradication surveillance in Sri Lanka,2019-2023

Objective:To evaluate the polio laboratory surveillance carried out from January,2019 to May,2023 by the Polio Regional Reference Laboratory,Sri Lanka.Methods:This retrospective study analyzed all stool samples received under the acute flaccid paralysis(AFP)and immunodeficient vaccine-derived poliovirus(VDPV)surveillance at Polio Regional Reference Laboratory,Sri Lanka from January,2019 to May,2023.The results of the testing methodologies were extracted from the laboratory data system,i.e.,poliovirus virus isolation,intra-typic differentiation/VDPV real time reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction(ITD/VDPV rRTPCR)and sequencing,along with the data on timing of reporting results,stool adequacy and socio-demographics.Data was analyzed using descriptive statistics.Results:A total of 2141 stool samples from 1644 cases were received for AFP surveillance from Sri Lanka(93.61%),Maldives(1.52%),and immunodeficient VDPV(4.86%)surveillance.Both polioviruses(19/1644,1.15%)and non-polio enteroviruses(73/1644,4.44%)were isolated,while Sabin-like 3 virus was detected in majority(12/19,63.15%)among the poliovirus isolated.Wild polioviruses or circulating VDPVs were not detected among the cases.During all years of the study,the non-polio AFP detection rate was>1/100000 in children aged less than 15 years,whereas stool adequacy rate was>80%.All results were reported within 14 days of receipt,ensuring timely reporting as per global guidelines.Conclusions:The Polio Regional Reference Laboratory,Sri Lanka plays a vital role in maintaining the polio-free status in the country through its robust laboratory surveillance,while adhering to the surveillance indicators.Non-detection of wild polioviruses and circulating VDPV during the study period reinforces the polio-free status in the country.

Stepwise Ecological Restoration:A framework for improving restoration outcomes

Ecosystem degradation is one of the critical constraints for the sustainable development of our planet.However,recovering an ecosystem to a pre-impairment condition is often not practical.The International Restoration Standards provide the first framework for practical guidance on what constitutes the process of ecological repair and how this repair process can be influenced to improve net ecological benefits.In these Standards,Restorative Continuum is highlighted and it recognises that many do not,yet there is still value in aspiring to improvements to the highest extent possible,with some sites potentially being able to be improved in a stepwise manner.Here we elaborate on these Standards by providing a cross-ecosystem theoretical framework of Stepwise Ecological Restoration(STERE)for promoting higher environmental benefits.STERE allows the selection of suitable restorative modes by considering the degree of degradation while encouraging a transition to a higher state.These models include environmental remediation for completely modified and degraded ecosystems,ecological rehabilitation for highly modified and degraded ecosystems,and ecological restoration for degraded native ecosystems.STERE requires selecting tailored restorative modes,setting clear restorative targets and reference ecosystems,applying a systematic-thinking approach,and implementing a continuous monitoring program at all process stages to achieve a resilient trajectory.STERE allows adaptive management in the context of climate change,and when the evidence is available,to“adapt to the future”to ensure climate resilience.The STERE framework could assist in initiating and implementing restoration projects worldwide,especially in developing countries.