Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Modular Multilevel DC-Link Front-to-Front DC Solid-State Transformer Based on High-Frequency Dual Active Phase Shift for HVDC Grid Integration

This paper proposes a modular multilevel dc-link dc solid-state transformer (MADCT) based on high-frequency dual active phase shift for HVDC grid integration. The proposed MADCT employs one arm of modular multilevel converter as HVDC active front-end interface and dual active bridge as high-frequency power transfer link, which brings many advantages and makes the operation of MADCT quiet different with traditional dc transformers. Compared with the traditional dc transformer schemes, the MADCT not only has good modularity and flexibility but also has good fault handling capacity. Especially, the performances of current stress, power transfer capacitor, and efficiency are improved. The topology, operation principle, voltage, current, power performances, and control and parameter design are presented and analyzed comprehensively in this paper. At last, a MADCT prototype is built and the experimental results verify the correctness and effectively of the proposed solution.
PIV investigation of the flow across a Darrius water turbine

As a part extensive research in the development and application of renewable energy sources in the built environment, this paper presents the experimental studies conducted on a Darrieus turbine model with four-blades and solidity of 0.533, operated in a towing tank. While motivated by the restricted knowledge and difficulties in employing the complex experimental setup and data analysis, this study used PIV technique with advanced timing coordination between turbine rotation, its linear motion, laser illumination, PIV system and torque measurement. In order for the field-of-view of the experiment to cover the entire rotation of the turbine, a dual camera system was used. Series of PIV measurements were conducted for tip speed ratios leading to optimal and non-optimal operating conditions. Depending on the flow configuration, 50 to 160 pairs of PIV images were used to analyze the velocity and vorticity distributions. Phase-locked measurements of each flow configuration conducted in this study were used to quantify the time evolution of the flow structures in the observation plane and learn about the exact location and timing of the vortex shedding from the blade. The unsteady behaviour of the fluid flow around the model is related to the varying incidence (θ) of the blade and the local Reynolds number. The observations of dynamic stall, which progressively occurs as the upstream blade crosses the incoming flow, are consistent with those described in the studies of Fujisawa et al. 2001 and Ferreira et al. 2008. Quantitative results are presented at a range of tip-speed ratio (λ) from 0.5 to 5 and 5 different free-stream velocities between 0.5 m/s to 1,5 m/s, where as qualitative ones are limited to the optimal value of λ for different free stream-velocities.
Quantitative assessment of arm tremor in people with neurological disorders

Abnormal oscillatory movement (i.e. tremor) is usually evaluated with qualitative assessment by clinicians, and quantified with subjective scoring methods. These methods are often inaccurate. We utilized a quantitative and standardized task based on the Fitts' law to assess the performance of arm movement with tremor by controlling a gyration mouse on a computer. The experiment included the center-out tapping (COT) and rectangular track navigation (RTN) tasks. We report the results of a pilot study in which we collected the performance for healthy participants in whom tremor was simulated by imposing oscillatory movements to the arm with a vibration motor. We compared their movement speed and accuracy with and without the artificial “tremor. ” We found that the artificial tremor significantly affected the path efficiency for both tasks (COT: 56.8 vs. 46.2%, p <; 0.05; RTN: 94.2 vs. 67.4%, p <; 0.05), and we were able to distinguish the presence of tremor. From this result, we expect to quantify severity of tremor and the effectiveness therapy for tremor patients.
Speaker Embedding Extraction with Phonetic Information

Speaker embeddings achieve promising results on many speaker verification tasks. Phonetic information, as an important component of speech, is rarely considered in the extraction of speaker embeddings. In this paper, we introduce phonetic information to the speaker embedding extraction based on the x-vector architecture. Two methods using phonetic vectors and multi-task learning are proposed. On the Fisher dataset, our best system outperforms the original x-vector approach by 20% in EER, and by 15%, 15% in minDCF08 and minDCF10, respectively. Experiments conducted on NIST SRE10 further demonstrate the effectiveness of the proposed methods.
Computational Fluid Dynamics ( CFD ) Analysis of Air Based Building Integrated Photovoltaic Thermal ( BIPV / T ) Systems for Efficient Performance

This paper presents CFD study of BIPV/T systems with forced convection using air as a coolant with various air flow rates (air velocities). Predictions of the PV’s back surface, the air inside the channel and the insulation temperature profiles were compared with experimentally obtained temperature profiles. COMSOL Multiphysics finite element analysis (FEA) software was used to develop CFD models for a BIPV/T system; and to investigate the accuracy of predictions of temperature profiles using the k-ε and k-ω turbulence models. Turbulent flows were considered with Reynolds number ranging from 2577 to 9392. Predictions of the PV’s back surface temperature, the temperature of the flowing air and the insulation temperature agreed very well with the measured temperatures. The results indicate that CFD could be used to obtain temperature profiles in order to establish relationships between the average/local convective heat transfer coefficients and air flow velocity. The relationships obtained will be useful for simple mathematical models that facilitate the design and optimization of different parts of the BIPV/T system.
Convolutional Neural Networks for Skull-stripping in Brain MR Imaging using Consensus-based Silver standard Masks

Convolutional neural networks (CNN) for medical imaging are constrained by the number of annotated data required in the training stage. Usually, manual annotation is considered to be the"gold standard". However, medical imaging datasets that include expert manual segmentation are scarce as this step is time-consuming, and therefore expensive. Moreover, single-rater manual annotation is most often used in data-driven approaches making the network optimal with respect to only that single expert. In this work, we propose a CNN for brain extraction in magnetic resonance (MR) imaging, that is fully trained with what we refer to as silver standard masks. Our method consists of 1) developing a dataset with"silver standard"masks as input, and implementing both 2) a tri-planar method using parallel 2D U-Net-based CNNs (referred to as CONSNet) and 3) an auto-context implementation of CONSNet. The term CONSNet refers to our integrated approach, i.e., training with silver standard masks and using a 2D U-Net-based architecture. Our results showed that we outperformed (i.e., larger Dice coefficients) the current state-of-the-art SS methods. Our use of silver standard masks reduced the cost of manual annotation, decreased inter-intra-rater variability, and avoided CNN segmentation super-specialization towards one specific manual annotation guideline that can occur when gold standard masks are used. Moreover, the usage of silver standard masks greatly enlarges the volume of input annotated data because we can relatively easily generate labels for unlabeled data. In addition, our method has the advantage that, once trained, it takes only a few seconds to process a typical brain image volume using modern hardware, such as a high-end graphics processing unit. In contrast, many of the other competitive methods have processing times in the order of minutes.
Material Specificity Drives Medial Temporal Lobe Familiarity But Not Hippocampal Recollection

The specific role of the perirhinal (PRC), entorhinal (ERC) and parahippocampal cortices (PHC) in supporting familiarity‐based recognition remains unknown. An fMRI study explored whether these medial temporal lobe (MTL) structures responded in the same way or differentially to familiarity as a function of stimulus type at recognition. A secondary aim was to explore whether the hippocampus responds in the same way to equally strong familiarity and recollection and whether this is influenced by the kind of stimulus involved. Univariate and multivariate analyses revealed that familiarity responses in the PRC, ERC, PHC and the amygdala are material‐specific. Specifically, the PRC and ERC selectively responded to object familiarity, while the PHC responded to both object and scene familiarity. The amygdala only responded to familiarity memory for faces. The hippocampus did not respond to stimulus familiarity for any of the three types of stimuli, but it did respond to recollection for all three types of stimuli. This was true even when recollection was contrasted to equally accurate familiarity. Overall, the findings suggest that the role of the MTL neocortices and the amygdala in familiarity‐based recognition depends on the kind of stimulus in memory, whereas the role of the hippocampus in recollection is independent of the type of cuing stimulus. © 2016 The Authors Hippocampus Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Functional Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy: The “New” MRS for Cognitive Neuroscience and Psychiatry Research

Proton magnetic resonance spectroscopy (1H MRS) is a well-established technique for quantifying the brain regional biochemistry in vivo. In most studies, however, the 1H MRS is acquired during rest with little to no constraint on behavior. Measured metabolite levels, therefore, reflect steady-state concentrations whose associations with behavior and cognition are unclear. With the recent advances in MR technology—higher-field MR systems, robust acquisition techniques and sophisticated quantification methods—1H MRS is now experiencing a resurgence. It is sensitive to task-related and pathology-relevant regional dynamic changes in neurotransmitters, including the most ubiquitous among them, glutamate. Moreover, high temporal resolution approaches allow tracking glutamate modulations at a time scale of under a minute during perceptual, motor, and cognitive tasks. The observed task-related changes in brain glutamate are consistent with new metabolic steady states reflecting the neural output driven by shifts in the local excitatory and inhibitory balance on local circuits. Unlike blood oxygen level differences-base functional MRI, this form of in vivo MRS, also known as functional MRS (1H fMRS), yields a more direct measure of behaviorally relevant neural activity and is considerably less sensitive to vascular changes. 1H fMRS enables noninvasive investigations of task-related glutamate changes that are relevant to normal and impaired cognitive performance, and psychiatric disorders. By targeting brain glutamate, this approach taps into putative neural correlates of synaptic plasticity. This review provides a concise survey of recent technological advancements that lay the foundation for the successful use of 1H fMRS in cognitive neuroscience and neuropsychiatry, including a review of seminal 1H fMRS studies, and the discussion of biological significance of task-related changes in glutamate modulation. We conclude with a discussion of the promises, limitations, and outstanding challenges of this new tool in the armamentarium of cognitive neuroscience and psychiatry research.
Influence of Body Composition and Nutrition Parameters in Handgrip Strength: Are There Differences by Sex in Hemodialysis Patients?

BACKGROUND Hemodialysis (HD) patients are vulnerable to multiple metabolic and nutrition derangements, leading to changes in body composition. Handgrip strength (HGS) has been used as a nutrition marker. We aimed to evaluate the relationship between HGS and lean tissue mass (LTM) with several parameters in HD patients and develop HGS predictive equations. METHODS Cross-sectional study with 155 patients in HD treatment for ≥3 months. Body composition was assessed through bioimpedance spectroscopy. HGS was measured with a hydraulic hand dynamometer. Biochemical parameters were evaluated. Data were analyzed by sex. RESULTS Ninety-four were men, and mean age was 64.4 ± 14.7 years. We found positive correlation of HGS with LTM, lean tissue index, and body cell mass and negative correlation between HGS, age, and overhydration in both sexes. Serum albumin level presented a positive correlation and magnesium a negative correlation with HGS only in men. The LTM presented a positive correlation with protein intake, serum albumin level, and body cell mass and a negative correlation with age in both groups. A significant positive correlation with magnesium and a negative correlation with overhydration were observed in men. The predictability of the models was R2 = 0.618 for men and R2 = 0.500 for women. CONCLUSION HGS is highly correlated with LTM, and both differ between sexes and are, therefore, differently correlated with the parameters studied. Body composition, overhydration, and some biochemical parameters explain changes in HGS. Predictive models including body composition and biochemical parameters may explain at least 50% of the variance of HGS.
Culicoides species abundance and potential over-wintering of African horse sickness virus in the Onderstepoort area, Gauteng, South Africa.

In South Africa, outbreaks of African horse sickness (AHS) occur in summer; no cases are reported in winter, from July to September. The AHS virus (AHSV) is transmitted almost exclusively by Culicoides midges (Diptera: Ceratopogonidae), of which Culicoides imicola is considered to be the most important vector. The over-wintering mechanism of AHSV is unknown. In this study, more than 500 000 Culicoides midges belonging to at least 26 species were collected in 88 light traps at weekly intervals between July 2010 and September 2011 near horses in the Onderstepoort area of South Africa. The dominant species was C. imicola. Despite relatively low temperatures and frost, at least 17 species, including C. imicola, were collected throughout winter (June-August). Although the mean number of midges per night fell from > 50 000 (March) to < 100 (July and August), no midge-free periods were found. This study, using virus isolation on cell cultures and a reverse transcriptase polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) assay, confirmed low infection prevalence in field midges and that the detection of virus correlated to high numbers. Although no virus was detected during this winter period, continuous adult activity indicated that transmission can potentially occur. The absence of AHSV in the midges during winter can be ascribed to the relatively low numbers collected coupled to low infection prevalence, low virus replication rates and low virus titres in the potentially infected midges. Cases of AHS in susceptible animals are likely to start as soon as Culicoides populations reach a critical level.
Solving the interior problem of computed tomography using a priori knowledge

A case of incomplete tomographic data for a compactly supported attenuation function is studied. When the attenuation function is a priori known in a subregion, we show that a reduced set of measurements are enough to uniquely determine the attenuation function over all the space. Furthermore, we found stability estimates showing that reconstruction can be stable near the region where the attenuation is known. These estimates also suggest that reconstruction stability collapses quickly when approaching the set of points that is viewed under less than 180°. This paper may be seen as a continuation of the work ‘Truncated Hilbert transform and image reconstruction from limited tomographic data’ (Defrise et al 2006 Inverse Problems 22 1037). This continuation tackles new cases of incomplete data that could be of interest in applications of computed tomography.
Impact of Rotavirus Vaccine Introduction and Vaccine Effectiveness in the Republic of Moldova.

BACKGROUND The Republic of Moldova was the first low- to middle-income country in the World Health Organization European Region to introduce rotavirus vaccine (July 2012). We aimed to assess the impact of the rotavirus vaccine program and estimate vaccine effectiveness (VE). METHODS Surveillance for rotavirus gastroenteritis was conducted in 2 hospitals in the capital city of Chisinau starting in September 2009. Monthly rotavirus admissions by age were examined before and after introduction of rotavirus vaccination using interrupted time-series analyses. We performed a case-control study of VE by comparing rotavirus case patients with test-negative controls. RESULTS Coverage with at least 1 dose of vaccine increased from 35% in year 1 to 55% in year 2 for children <1 year of age. The percentage of hospital admissions positive for rotavirus fell from 45% in the prevaccine period to 25% (rate reduction, 36%; 95% confidence interval [CI], 26%-44%) and 14% (rate reduction, 67%; 95% CI, 48%-88%) in the first and second years after vaccine introduction, respectively, among children aged <5 years. Reductions were most pronounced among those aged <1 year. Significant reductions among cohorts too old to be vaccinated suggest indirect benefits. Two-dose VE was 79% (95% CI, 62%-88%) against rotavirus hospitalization and 84% (95% CI, 64%-93%) against moderate to severe rotavirus. CONCLUSIONS These results consistently point to profound direct and herd immunity impacts of the rotavirus vaccine program in young children in the Republic of Moldova. Vaccine coverage was modest in these early years following introduction, so there remains potential for further disease reductions.
The Role of N-Glycosylation in Folding, Trafficking, and Functionality of Lysosomal Protein CLN5

CLN5 is a soluble lysosomal protein with unknown function. Mutations in CLN5 lead to neuronal ceroid lipofuscinosis, a group of inherited neurodegenerative disorders that mainly affect children. CLN5 has eight potential N-glycosylation sites based on the Asn-X-Thr/Ser consensus sequence. Through site-directed mutagenesis of individual asparagine residues to glutamine on each of the N-glycosylation consensus sites, we showed that all eight putative N-glycosylation sites are utilized in vivo. Additionally, localization studies showed that the lack of N-glycosylation on certain sites (N179, N252, N304, or N320) caused CLN5 retention in the endoplasmic reticulum, indicating that glycosylation is important for protein folding. Interestingly, one particular mutant, N401Q, is mislocalized to the Golgi, suggesting that N401 is not important for protein folding but essential for CLN5 trafficking to the lysosome. Finally, we analyzed several patient mutations in which N-glycosylation is affected. The N192S patient mutant is localized to the lysosome, indicating that this mutant has a functional defect in the lysosome. Our results suggest that there are functional differences in various N-glycosylation sites of CLN5 which affect folding, trafficking, and lysosomal function of CLN5.
A Long QT Mutation Substitutes Cholesterol for Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-Bisphosphate in KCNQ1 Channel Regulation

Introduction Phosphatidylinositol-4,5-bisphosphate (PIP2) is a cofactor necessary for the activity of KCNQ1 channels. Some Long QT mutations of KCNQ1, including R243H, R539W and R555C have been shown to decrease KCNQ1 interaction with PIP2. A previous study suggested that R539W is paradoxically less sensitive to intracellular magnesium inhibition than the WT channel, despite a decreased interaction with PIP2. In the present study, we confirm this peculiar behavior of R539W and suggest a molecular mechanism underlying it. Methods and Results COS-7 cells were transfected with WT or mutated KCNE1-KCNQ1 channel, and patch-clamp recordings were performed in giant-patch, permeabilized-patch or ruptured-patch configuration. Similar to other channels with a decreased PIP2 affinity, we observed that the R243H and R555C mutations lead to an accelerated current rundown when membrane PIP2 levels are decreasing. As opposed to R243H and R555C mutants, R539W is not more but rather less sensitive to PIP2 decrease than the WT channel. A molecular model of a fragment of the KCNQ1 C-terminus and the membrane bilayer suggested that a potential novel interaction of R539W with cholesterol stabilizes the channel opening and hence prevents rundown upon PIP2 depletion. We then carried out the same rundown experiments under cholesterol depletion and observed an accelerated R539W rundown that is consistent with this model. Conclusions We show for the first time that a mutation may shift the channel interaction with PIP2 to a preference for cholesterol. This de novo interaction wanes the sensitivity to PIP2 variations, showing that a mutated channel with a decreased affinity to PIP2 could paradoxically present a slowed current rundown compared to the WT channel. This suggests that caution is required when using measurements of current rundown as an indicator to compare WT and mutant channel PIP2 sensitivity.