Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Zero-sequence voltage injection for DC capacitor voltage balancing control of the star-connected cascaded H-bridge PWM converter under unbalanced grid

This paper presents a dc capacitor voltage balancing convtrol method for the star-connected cascaded H-bridge PWM converter in the static synchronous compensator (STATCOM) applications. The proposed control utilizes the zero-sequence voltage injection to accomplish the dc capacitor voltage balancing, and the this operation of zero-sequence voltage does not affect the original reactive power control. The proposed control method also works for the low-voltage ride-through operation. The control algorithm is verified with a 220-V 1kVA STATCOM based on star-connected cascaded PWM converter, and the test results verify that all the dc capacitor voltages are still regulated at the commanded value even as the grid voltage sag occurs.
Synchronized Dual Pulse Gastric Electrical Stimulation Induces Activation of Enteric Glial Cells in Rats with Diabetic Gastroparesis

Objective. The aims of this study were to investigate the effects of synchronized dual pulse gastric electrical stimulation (SGES) on gastric motility in different periods for diabetic rats and try to explore the possible mechanisms of the effects. Methods. Forty-six rats were used in the study. Gastric slow waves were recorded at baseline, 7–14-day diabetes and 56–63-day diabetes before and after stimulation and the age-matched control groups. SGES-60 mins and SGES-7 days (60 mins/day) were performed to test the effects on gastric motility and to evaluate glial marker S100B expression in stomach. Results. (1) Gastric emptying was accelerated in 7–14-day diabetes and delayed in 56–63-day diabetes. (2) The S100B expression in 56–63-day diabetes decreased and the ultrastructure changed. (3) The age-associated loss of EGC was observed in 56–63-day control group. (4) SGES was able to not only accelerate gastric emptying but also normalize gastric slow waves. (5) The S100B expression increased after SGES and the ultrastructure of EGC was partially restored. The effect of SGES-7 days was superior to SGES-60 mins. Conclusions. Delayed gastric emptying due to the growth of age may be related to the EGC inactivation. The effects of the SGES on gastric motility may be associated with EGC activation.
Sunroot mediated synthesis and characterization of silver nanoparticles and evaluation of its antibacterial and rat splenocyte cytotoxic effects

A rapid, green phytosynthesis of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) using the aqueous extract of Helianthus tuberosus (sunroot tuber) was reported in this study. The morphology of the AgNPs was determined by transmission electron microscopy (TEM). Scanning electron microscopy–energy-dispersive spectroscopy (SEM–EDS) and X-ray powder diffraction (XRD) analysis confirmed the presence of AgNPs. Fourier transform infrared spectroscopy (FTIR) analysis revealed that biomolecules in the tuber extract were involved in the reduction and capping of AgNPs. The energy-dispersive spectroscopy (EDS) analysis of the AgNPs, using an energy range of 2–4 keV, confirmed the presence of elemental silver without any contamination. Further, the synthesized AgNPs were evaluated against phytopathogens such as Ralstonia solanacearum and Xanthomonas axonopodis. The AgNPs (1–4 mM) extensively reduced the growth rate of the phytopathogens. In addition, the cytotoxic effect of the synthesized AgNPs was analyzed using rat splenocytes. The cell viability was decreased according to the increasing concentration of AgNPs and 67% of cell death was observed at 100 μg/mL.
Rifampin Induces the in Vitro Oxidative Metabolism, but Not the in Vivo Clearance of Diclofenac in Rhesus Monkeys

Effects of rifampin on in vitro oxidative metabolism and in vivo pharmacokinetics of diclofenac (DF), a prototypic CYP2C9 marker substrate, were investigated in rhesus monkeys. In monkey hepatocytes, rifampin markedly induced DF 4′-hydroxylase activity, with values for EC50 of 0.2 to 0.4 μM and Emax of 2- to 5-fold over control. However, pretreatment with rifampin did not alter the pharmacokinetics of DF obtained after either i.v. or intrahepatic portal vein (i.pv.) administration of DF to monkeys. At the dose studied, plasma concentrations of rifampin reached 10 μM, far exceeding the in vitro EC50 values. Under similar treatment conditions, rifampin was previously shown to induce midazolam (MDZ) 1′-hydroxylation in rhesus monkey hepatocytes (EC50 and Emax values ∼0.2 μM and ∼2- to 3-fold, respectively), and markedly affected the in vivo pharmacokinetics of MDZ (>10-fold decreases in the i.pv. MDZ systemic exposure and its hepatic availability, Fh) in this animal species. In monkey liver microsomes, DF underwent, predominantly, glucuronidation, and, modestly, oxidation; the intrinsic clearance (CLint = Vmax/Km) value for the glucuronidation pathway accounted for >95% (versus about 75% in human liver microsomes) of the total (glucuronidation + hydroxylation) intrinsic clearance value. In monkey hepatocytes, the hydroxylation also was a minor component (≤10%) relative to the glucuronidation, supporting the liver microsomal finding. Collectively, our results suggest that the oxidative metabolism is not the major in vivo clearance mechanism of DF in either untreated or rifampin-treated monkeys and, conceivably, also in humans, raising a question about the utility of DF as an in vivo CYP2C9 probe.
Efficient Optimization of the Optoelectronic Performance in Chemically Deposited Thin Films

Chemical deposition methodology is a well-understood and highly documented category of deposition techniques. In recent years, chemical bath deposition (CBD) and chemical vapor deposition (CVD) have garnered considerable attention as an effective alternative to other deposition methods. The applicability of CVD and CBD for indus- trial-sized operations is perhaps the most attractive aspect, in that thin-film deposition costs inversely scale with the processing batch size without loss of desirable optoelectronic properties in the materials. A downside of the method is that the optoelectronic characteristics of these films are highly susceptible to spurious deposition growth mecha -nisms. For example, increasing the temperature of the chemical deposition bath can shift the deposition mechanisms from ion-by-ion (two dimensional) precipitation to bulk solution cluster-by-cluster (three dimensional) formation which then deposit. This drastically changes the structural, optical, and electrical characteristics of CBD-deposited thin films. A similar phenomenon is observed in CVD deposited materials. Thus, it is of great inter- est to study the coupling between the deposition parameters and subsequent effects on film performance. Such studies have been conducted to elucidate the correlation between growth mechanisms and film performance. Here, we present a review of the current lit erature demonstrating that simple changes can be made in processing conditions to opti- mize the characteristics of these films for optoelectronic applications.
Mechanical Properties of Cu2O Thin Films by Nanoindentation

In this study, the structural and nanomechanical properties of Cu2O thin films are investigated by X-ray diffraction (XRD), atomic force microscopy (AFM), scanning electron microscopy (SEM) and nanoindentation techniques. The Cu2O thin films are deposited on the glass substrates with the various growth temperatures of 150, 250 and 350 °C by using radio frequency magnetron sputtering. The XRD results show that Cu2O thin films are predominant (111)-oriented, indicating a well ordered microstructure. In addition, the hardness and Young’s modulus of Cu2O thin films are measured by using a Berkovich nanoindenter operated with the continuous contact stiffness measurements (CSM) option. Results indicated that the hardness and Young’s modulus of Cu2O thin films decreased as the growth temperature increased from 150 to 350 °C. Furthermore, the relationship between the hardness and films grain size appears to closely follow the Hall-Petch equation.
Learning Transformational Invariants from Natural Movies

We describe a hierarchical, probabilistic model that learns to extract complex motion from movies of the natural environment. The model consists of two hidden layers: the first layer produces a sparse representation of the image that is expressed in terms of local amplitude and phase variables. The second layer learns the higher-order structure among the time-varying phase variables. After training on natural movies, the top layer units discover the structure of phase-shifts within the first layer. We show that the top layer units encode transformational invariants: they are selective for the speed and direction of a moving pattern, but are invariant to its spatial structure (orientation/spatial-frequency). The diversity of units in both the intermediate and top layers of the model provides a set of testable predictions for representations that might be found in VI and MT. In addition, the model demonstrates how feedback from higher levels can influence representations at lower levels as a by-product of inference in a graphical model.
DNA-activated protein kinase functions in a newly observed S phase checkpoint that links histone mRNA abundance with DNA replication

DNA and histone synthesis are coupled and ongoing replication is required to maintain histone gene expression. Here, we expose S phase–arrested cells to the kinase inhibitors caffeine and LY294002. This uncouples DNA replication from histone messenger RNA (mRNA) abundance, altering the efficiency of replication stress–induced histone mRNA down-regulation. Interference with caffeine-sensitive checkpoint kinases ataxia telangiectasia and Rad3 related (ATR)/ataxia telangiectasia mutated (ATM) does not affect histone mRNA down- regulation, which indicates that ATR/ATM alone cannot account for such coupling. LY294002 potentiates caffeine's ability to uncouple histone mRNA stabilization from replication only in cells containing functional DNA-activated protein kinase (DNA-PK), which indicates that DNA-PK is the target of LY294002. DNA-PK is activated during replication stress and DNA-PK signaling is enhanced when ATR/ATM signaling is abrogated. Histone mRNA decay does not require Chk1/Chk2. Replication stress induces phosphorylation of UPF1 but not hairpin-binding protein/stem-loop binding protein at S/TQ sites, which are preferred substrate recognition motifs of phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase–like kinases, which indicates that histone mRNA stability may be directly controlled by ATR/ATM- and DNA-PK–mediated phosphorylation of UPF1.
Does psychological well-being mediate the association between experiences of acts of offensive behaviour and turnover among care workers? A longitudinal analysis.

AIM To investigate whether the psychological well-being of care workers in the Danish eldercare services mediated the association between experiences of acts of offensive behaviour and actual turnover. BACKGROUND Research suggests that experiences of acts of offensive behaviour are associated with risk of turnover. However, little is known about the longitudinal associations between experiences of different types of offensive behaviour (threats, violence, bullying, and unwanted sexual attention) and risk of actual turnover. DESIGN A prospective cohort study. METHODS The study was conducted among employees in the eldercare services in Denmark. Employees aged 55 or more and non-care staff were excluded from the study. Employees who were working in eldercare at baseline (2005) and no longer worked in eldercare at follow-up (2006) were interviewed through questionnaires. Respondents to this questionnaire were coded as cases of turnover (N = 608) and were compared with employees who had not changed jobs during follow-up (N = 4330). Data on experiences of acts of offensive behaviour and well-being were measured at baseline. Data were analysed using logistic regression analysis. RESULTS Frequent and occasional experiences of bullying and threats and occasional experiences of unwanted sexual attention at baseline entailed a significantly increased risk of turnover at follow-up. Further analyses showed that psychological well-being significantly reduced the risk of turnover and that well-being partially mediated the association between bullying and turnover and fully mediated the association between threats, unwanted sexual attention, and turnover. CONCLUSION Prevention of threats, unwanted sexual attention and - especially - bullying may contribute towards improving well-being and reducing turnover among eldercare staff.
Repetitive transcranial magnetic stimulation modulates the impact of a negative mood induction

Abstract High frequency repetitive Transcranial Magnetic Stimulation (rTMS) over the left dorsolateral prefrontal cortex (DLPFC) has been found to alleviate depressive symptoms. However, the mechanisms driving these effects are still poorly understood. In the current study, we tested the idea that this intervention protects against negative mood shifts following emotional provocation. We furthermore explored changes in EEG activity (frontal alpha asymmetry) and effects on attentional processing (emotional Stroop). To this end, 23 healthy individuals participated in two sessions separated by one week, whereby they once received 15 min of 10Hz rTMS stimulation (1500 pulses) at 110% of the individual motor threshold, and once sham stimulation. Then, negative mood was induced using sad movie clips. The results revealed a significantly stronger mood decline following rTMS compared to sham stimulation. No changes were observed in frontal alpha asymmetry and attentional processing. Our findings are at odds with the view that high frequency rTMS over the left DLPFC directly protects against the induction of negative mood, but rather suggest that it enhances the effects of emotional provocation. Possibly, in healthy young individuals, this stimulation protocol heightens susceptibility to mood induction procedures in general.
Inhibition of WNT signaling in the bone marrow niche prevents the development of MDS in the Apcdel/+ MDS mouse model.

There is accumulating evidence that functional alteration(s) of the bone marrow (BM) microenvironment contribute to the development of some myeloid disorders, such as myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) and acute myeloid leukemia (AML). In addition to a cell-intrinsic role of WNT activation in leukemia stem cells, WNT activation in the BM niche is also thought to contribute to the pathogenesis of MDS and AML. We previously showed that the Apc-haploinsufficient mice (Apcdel/+ ) model MDS induced by an aberrant BM microenvironment. We sought to determine whether Apc, a multifunctional protein and key negative regulator of the canonical β-catenin (Ctnnb1)/WNT-signaling pathway, mediates this disease through modulating WNT signaling, and whether inhibition of WNT signaling prevents the development of MDS in Apcdel/+ mice. Here, we demonstrate that loss of 1 copy of Ctnnb1 is sufficient to prevent the development of MDS in Apcdel/+ mice and that altered canonical WNT signaling in the microenvironment is responsible for the disease. Furthermore, the US Food and Drug Administration (FDA)-approved drug pyrvinium delays and/or inhibits disease in Apcdel/+ mice, even when it is administered after the presentation of anemia. Other groups have observed increased nuclear CTNNB1 in stromal cells from a high frequency of MDS/AML patients, a finding that together with our results highlights a potential new strategy for treating some myeloid disorders.
MEKK1-dependent phosphorylation of calponin-3 tunes cell contractility

ABSTRACT MEKK1 (also known as MAP3K1), which plays a major role in MAPK signaling, has been implicated in mechanical processes in cells, such as migration. Here, we identify the actin-binding protein calponin-3 as a new MEKK1 substrate in the signaling that regulates actomyosin-based cellular contractility. MEKK1 colocalizes with calponin-3 at the actin cytoskeleton and phosphorylates it, leading to an increase in the cell-generated traction stress. MEKK1-mediated calponin-3 phosphorylation is attenuated by the inhibition of myosin II activity, the disruption of actin cytoskeletal integrity and adhesion to soft extracellular substrates, whereas it is enhanced upon cell stretching. Our results reveal the importance of the MEKK1–calponin-3 signaling pathway to cell contractility. Summary: Phosphorylation of calponin-3 by MEKK1, which is regulated by actomyosin contraction, leads to an increase in cell-generated traction stress, forming a new positive-feedback loop in the cellular contractile machinery.
The leadership concept in Iranian nursing.

BACKGROUND Although greater emphasis has been placed on leadership skills in nursing management in the last decade, the concepts are often confused or used erroneously by Iranian nurses. At the same time we have observed that wide variations in nurses' clinical practice appeared to be related to the presence or absence of leadership skills among senior nurses. AIM To begin to identify the concepts used for expressing leadership in nursing within the Iranian cultural context. METHODS A qualitative approach was adopted using content analysis of semi-structured interviews carried out with 10 nurse managers from hospitals in Teheran. The data were analysed using the constant comparative method. FINDINGS Fifty-five primary codes were identified from the respondents' experiences and from these three main themes were abstracted for describing the leadership concept. These were 'personality traits', 'being a model', and 'being a spiritual guide for the nursing profession'. CONCLUSION Implementing the culture of patient safety and dignity needs leadership. From Iranian nurse managers' perspectives a leader as a spiritual guide should empower nurses spiritually; it means he/she has a vision for nursing; has clear and explicit objectives; and has a commitment to nursing. Nurses who are confident about the underlying concepts of leadership in their culture can help to adapt nursing to an ever-changing healthcare environment.
On compensation of wave reflections in transmission lines and applications to the overvoltage problem AC motor drives

In several practical applications actuators are interconnected to a controlled plant through long cables. If the actuator operates at a fast sampling rate (with respect to the propagation delay of the cable) and its impedance cannot be neglected, wave reflections will occur and the transmitted pulse will be deformed-degrading the control quality. In this note, exploiting the scattering variables representation of the transmission line, we provide a framework for the design of active compensators to reduce the wave reflection problem. The compensators, implementable with regulated current and voltage sources, can be placed either on the actuator side or the plant side, and the only required prior knowledge is the transmission line characteristic impedance and the propagation delay. An adaptive implementation that obviates the need of the lines characteristic impedance, but still requires the knowledge of the propagation delay, is also presented. We prove the existence of an ideal scheme that transforms the line into a pure delay transfer which, unfortunately, yields an ill-posed interconnection and therefore has to be approximated for its practical application. The proposed design method is illustrated with a benchmark ac drives example consisting of a pulsewidth modulation inverter and an induction motor.
Evaluating domains of everyday functioning in people with developmental disabilities

Abstract Objective: To examine the relationship among (a) quality of activities of daily living (ADL) task performance, (b) quality of social interaction, and (c) the extent of discrepancy between the person’s and the occupational therapist’s perspectives; and explore patterns of strengths and challenges among people with developmental disabilities (DD). Methods: Fifty-eight adults with different types of DD, living in northern Sweden, were evaluated using the Assessment of Motor and Process Skills (AMPS), the Evaluation of Social Interaction (ESI) and the Assessment of Compared Qualities – Occupational Performance (ACQ-OP) and Assessment of Compared Qualities – Social Interaction (ACQ-SI). The relationships among assessments were analysed using Pearson correlation analyses. Cluster analysis was used to group participants based on their evaluation results. Results The quality of ADL task performance and the quality of social interaction demonstrated weak to moderate positive relationships while the ACQ-OP and ACQ-SI demonstrated a strong positive relationship. The cluster analysis resulted in identifying three distinct groups that differed significantly from one another. Conclusion: The findings support the clinical use of multiple assessment tools, including observation and self-report, to evaluate different aspects of occupational performance. Comprehensive and relevant evaluation supports collaborative goal setting and intervention planning.
Economic analyses of respiratory syncytial virus immunoprophylaxis in high-risk infants: a systematic review.

OBJECTIVE To systematically review all published economic analyses of the only 2 available agents for respiratory syncytial virus immunoprophylaxis in high-risk infants: respiratory syncytial virus immunoglobulin intravenous and palivizumab. DATA SOURCES Economic evaluations of respiratory syncytial virus immunoprophylactic agents were identified from the MEDLINE and HealthSTAR databases using various combinations of the following search terms: respiratory syncytial virus immunoglobulin intravenous, palivizumab, cost, and cost-effectiveness. The search was limited to articles published in English between January 1, 1990, and August 31, 2001. Additional studies were obtained by searching bibliographies of all relevant identified articles. STUDY SELECTION Only studies that performed an economic analysis of either or both of these agents in an infant population were included. Letters to the editor and commentaries that included informal economic analyses were excluded. Twelve of the 21 identified studies met the selection criteria. DATA EXTRACTION Two of us (S.K.-B. and J.D.) independently reviewed the articles and extracted summary information using a standardized abstraction form, with differences resolved by consensus. DATA SYNTHESIS Estimates ranging from cost savings to considerable incremental costs per hospitalization avoided with use of either agent were observed across studies. Studies comparing the 2 agents reported mixed results about their relative cost-effectiveness in different infant subgroups. The divergent results may be explained by differences in the study methods and assumptions, but they also reflect the poor quality of some of the economic analyses. CONCLUSION In light of the issues identified in this review, providers, payers, and health policymakers need to critically appraise and judiciously interpret cost-effectiveness research on these agents.