Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A generalized voltage droop strategy for control of multi-terminal DC grids

This paper proposes a generalized voltage droop (GVD) control strategy for control and power sharing in voltage source converter (VSC)-based multi-terminal DC (MTDC) grids. In the proposed approach, the conventional voltage droop characteristics of voltage-regulating VSC stations are replaced by the GVD characteristics. The proposed GVD control strategy can be operated in three different control modes including conventional voltage droop control, fixed active power control and fixed DC voltage control by proper adjustment of the GVD characteristics of the voltage-regulating converters. The proposed strategy improves the control and power-sharing capabilities of the conventional voltage droop, and enhances its maneuverability. Simulation results, obtained by detailed modeling in a four-terminal high voltage DC grid demonstrated the efficacy of the proposed approach and its flexibility in active power sharing. Moreover, based on the obtained results, switching between operating mode of the GVD control approach does not results in oscillations of the active powers flowing inside the MTDC grids.
Sulfinpyrazone C-Glucuronidation Is Catalyzed Selectively by Human UDP-Glucuronosyltransferase 1A9

The uricosuric agent sulfinpyrazone (SFZ) is metabolized via C-glucuronidation, an uncommon metabolic pathway, in humans. The present study aimed to characterize SFZ glucuronidation by human liver microsomes (HLMs) and identify the hepatic forms of UDP-glucuronosyltransferase responsible for this pathway. Incubations of SFZ with HLMs formed a single glucuronide that was resistant to β-glucuronidase and acid hydrolysis, consistent with formation of a C-glucuronide. Mass spectral analysis confirmed the identity of the metabolite as SFZ glucuronide (sulfinpyrazone β-d-glucuronide; SFZG). SFZ C-glucuronidation by HLMs exhibited Michaelis-Menten kinetics, with mean (±S.D.) Km and Vmax values of 51 ± 21 μM and 2.6 ± 0.6 pmol/min · mg, respectively. Fifteen recombinant human UDP-glucuronosyltransferases (UGTs), expressed in HEK293 cells, were screened for their capacity to catalyze SFZ C-glucuronidation. Of the hepatically expressed enzymes, only UGT1A9 formed SFZG. UGTs 1A7 and 1A10, which are expressed in the gastrointestinal tract, also metabolized SFZ, but rates of metabolism were low compared with UGT1A9. SFZ glucuronidation by UGT1A9 exhibited “weak” negative cooperative kinetics, which was modeled by the Hill equation (S50 16 μM). The data indicate that UGT1A9 is the enzyme responsible for hepatic SFZ C-glucuronidation and that SFZ may be used as a substrate “probe” for UGT1A9 activity in HLMs.
A Comparison of Lexicon-based Approaches for Sentiment Analysis of Microblog Posts

The exponential growth of available online information provides computer scientists with many new challenges and opportunities. A recent trend is to analyze people feelings, opinions and orientation about facts and brands: this is done by exploiting Sentiment Analysis techniques, whose goal is to classify the polarity of a piece of text according to the opinion of the writer. In this paper we propose a lexicon-based approach for sentiment classification of Twitter posts. Our approach is based on the exploitation of widespread lexical resources such as SentiWordNet, WordNet-Affect, MPQA and SenticNet. In the experimental session the effectiveness of the approach was evaluated against two state-of-the-art datasets. Preliminary results provide interesting outcomes and pave the way for future research in the area.
Consumer-Related Food Waste: Causes and Potential for Action

In the past decade, food waste has received increased attention on both academic and societal levels. As a cause of negative economic, environmental and social effects, food waste is considered to be one of the sustainability issues that needs to be addressed. In developed countries, consumers are one of the biggest sources of food waste. To successfully reduce consumer-related food waste, it is necessary to have a clear understanding of the factors influencing food waste-related consumer perceptions and behaviors. The present paper presents the results of a literature review and expert interviews on factors causing consumer-related food waste in households and supply chains. Results show that consumers’ motivation to avoid food waste, their management skills of food provisioning and food handling and their trade-offs between priorities have an extensive influence on their food waste behaviors. We identify actions that governments, societal stakeholders and retailers can undertake to reduce consumer-related food waste, highlighting that synergistic actions between all parties are most promising. Further research should focus on exploring specific food waste contexts and interactions more in-depth. Experiments and interventions in particular can contribute to a shift from analysis to solutions.
Media Coverage of PCB Contamination of Farmed Salmon: The Response of U.S. Import Demand

This article evaluates the effects of extensive media coverage of a study published in 2004 regarding the presence of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) and other organic contaminates in farmed salmon on U.S. import demand for fresh farmed salmon. The study indicated that levels of PCBs differed according to source, with highest PCB levels found in salmon from Northern Europe and lowest in those from Chile. Using a newspaper article index as a proxy for information, a two-stage demand model is estimated. In the first stage, total U.S. import demand for fresh farmed salmon is estimated to determine the overall effect of the information, while the second stage determines if there were any significant changes in market shares of source countries. Results indicate that imports declined by approximately one-third of what would have been in the absence of the PCB media stories during 2004–2006, and that some changes in exporters’ market shares occurred. Health implications for U.S. seafood consumers are discussed.
Measuring the operational performance of international tourist hotels in Taiwan: A Simar and Wilson approach

This paper used data envelopment analysis (DEA) to evaluate the operational performance of international tourist hotels in Taiwan from 2003 to 2007 by combining operational and financial variables. In this paper an innovative DEA two-stage procedure proposed by Simar and Wilson[14] was used. In the first stage, a DEA model was used to estimate the efficiency scores of hotels. While in the second stage, a bootstrap truncated regression was used to induce the drivers of efficiency. The regressions can be tested the roles played, respectively, by the factors of location, whether to join an international hotel chain, and the annual number of inbound tourists. Some implications of the results were deduced.
Fever as an Initial Manifestation of Enthesitis-Related Arthritis Subtype of Juvenile Idiopathic Arthritis: Retrospective Study

Objective We wished to determine the prevalence of fever as one of the first symptoms of the enthesitis-related arthritis (ERA) subtype of juvenile idiopathic arthritis. Also, we wished to ascertain if ERA patients with fever at disease onset differed from those without fever. Methods Consecutive cases of ERA were diagnosed and followed in a retrospective observational study from 1998 to 2013. Information about clinical/laboratory data, medications, magnetic resonance imaging (MRI), and disease activity during the study period was also recorded. Results A total of 146 consecutive ERA patients were assessed. Among them, 52 patients (35.6%) had fever as one of the first symptoms at disease onset. Compared with ERA patients without fever at disease onset, patients with fever had significantly more painful joints (3.5 vs. 2.8), more swollen joints (1.1 vs. 0.8), and more enthesitis (1.0 vs. 0.4) (p<0.05 for all comparisons). Patients with fever had significantly higher mean values of erythrocyte sedimentation rate, C-reactive protein, platelet count, and child health assessment questionnaire (CHAQ) scores (40.8 vs. 26.4 mm/h; 20.7 vs. 9.7 mg/dL; 353.2×109/L vs. 275.6×109/L; 1.0 vs. 0.8, respectively; all p<0.05). During two-year follow-up, CHAQ score, number of flares, as well as the number of patients treated with oral non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drugs, corticosteroids and combination therapy with disease-modifying anti-rheumatic drugs, were significantly higher in ERA patients with fever. Conclusions Fever was a frequent manifestation of ERA. ERA patients with fever had more active disease at disease onset and poorer outcomes than ERA patients without fever.
Neutral production of hydrogen isocyanide (HNC) and hydrogen cyanide (HCN) in Titan's upper atmosphere

Following the first detection of hydrogen isocyanide (HNC) in Titan's atmosphere, we have devised a new neutral chemical scheme for hydrogen cyanide (HCN) and hydrogen isocyanide (HNC) in the upper atmosphere of Titan. To improve the chemistry of HNC and HCN, a careful review of the literature has been performed to retrieve critical reaction rates and to evaluate their uncertainty factors. We have also estimated the reaction rates of 48 new reactions using simple capture theory. Our photochemical model gives abundances of HNC and HCN in reasonable agreement with observations. An uncertainty propagation study shows large uncertainties for HNC. A global sensitivity analysis pinpoints some key reactions to study as a priority to improve the predictivity of the model. In particular, our knowledge of the isomerization of HNC via the reaction H + HNC ! HCN + H and the chemistry of H2CN needs to be improved [9].
H.264 Intra Frame Coding and JPEG 2000-based Predictive Multiple Description Image Coding

In this paper, two prediction compensated multiple description coding algorithms are proposed based on H.264 intra frame coding and JPEG 2000, respectively. The image is split into two parts. Each forms the base layer of one description. The prediction residual of the other part is encoded in each description as the enhancement layer. In the H.264-based approach, we use the H.264 intra frame prediction to estimate the other description, and we investigate the performances of different partitions of the image. In the JPEG 2000-based approach, the least-squares algorithm is used for inter-description prediction. Image coding results show that performances of the proposed methods are comparable with that of the latest MDC results while the complexity is reduced.
Thickness of retinal layers in the foveas of children with anisometropic amblyopia

Purpose To use highly precise spectral-domain optical coherence tomography (SD-OCT) to determine whether there were structural abnormalities in the layers of different regions of the fovea in children with anisometropic amblyopia. Methods Eighteen children (mean age 7.8 years old; range 5–11 years) with unilateral anisometropic amblyopia and 18 age-matched control subjects participated. Foveal thickness was measured with an enhanced depth imaging system, SD-OCT and segmented into layers using custom developed software. The thickness of each layer of the fovea was compared among amblyopic eyes, fellow eyes and control eyes with optical magnification correction for axial length and statistical correction for age and sex. Results The total thickness and each intra-ocular layer of the central fovea were the same for each group. However, the amblyopic eyes were significantly thicker than the normal control eyes in 2 of 4 quadrants of the peripheral retina. Exploring intra-retinal layers in these two quadrants, the nasal nerve fiber layer (NFL) and inferior inner nuclear layer (INL)were significantly thicker in amblyopic eyes than in control eyes (p = 0.01 and 0.012, respectively, by ANCOVA). Conclusion The SD-OCT data revealed marginal differences in some foveal layers at peripheral locations and indicated that structural differences might exist between individuals with amblyopia and visually normal control subjects. However, the differences were scattered and represented no identifiable pattern. More studies with large samples and precise locations of the retinal layers must be performed to extend the present results.
Efficient Deduplication Techniques for Modern Backup Operation

In this work, we focus on optimizing the deduplication system by adjusting the pertinent factors in fingerprint lookup and chunking, the factors which we identify as the key ingredients of efficient deduplication. For efficient fingerprint lookup, we propose fingerprint management scheme called LRU-based Index Partitioning. For efficient chunking, we propose Incremental Modulo-K(INC-K) algorithm which is optimized Rabin's algorithm where we significantly reduce the number of arithmetic operations exploiting the algebraic nature of modulo arithmetic. LRU-based Index Partitioning uses the notion of tablet and enforces access locality of the fingerprint lookup in storing fingerprints. We maintain tablets with LRU manner to exploit temporal locality of the fingerprint lookup. To preserve access correlation across the tablets, we apply prefetching in maintaining tablet list. We propose Context-aware chunking to maximize chunking speed and deduplication ratio. We develop prototype backup system and performed comprehensive analysis on various factors and their relationship: average chunk size, chunking speed, deduplication ratio, tablet management algorithms, and overall backup speed. By increasing the average chunk size from 4 KB to 10 KB, chunking time increases by 34.3 percent, deduplication ratio decreases by 0.66 percent and the overall backup speed increases by 50 percent (from 51.4 MB/sec to 77.8 MB/sec).
Restructuring Schooling: Learning from Ongoing Efforts.

The editors of this volume aim to help educators make better decisions about their efforts at restructuring by showing what has and has not worked in some of the most widely known experiments. Because the programmes examined have been in place for several years, the cases offer richness of detail and a wealth of ideas. This book's insights and practical detail will benefit educators both in schools and at district level, as well as students and academics in the field.
Multilevel Optical Systems With MLSD Receivers Insensitive to GVD and PMD

This paper analyzes optical transmission systems based on high-order modulations such as phase-shift keying signals and quadrature amplitude modulations. When the channel is affected by group velocity dispersion (GVD), polarization mode dispersion (PMD), and phase uncertainties due to the laser phase noise, the optimal receiver processing based on maximum-likelihood sequence detection and its practical implementation through a Viterbi processor is described without a specific constraint on the receiver front end. The implementation issues are then faced, showing that at least a couple of widely known front ends, with proper modifications, can be used to extract the required sufficient statistics from the received signal. The aspects related to the receiver adaptivity, the complexity reduction of the Viterbi processor, and the possibility of employing polarization diversity at the transmitter end are also discussed. It is demonstrated that, as long as a sufficient number of Viterbi processor trellis states is employed, GVD and PMD entail no performance degradation with respect to the case of no channel distortions (the back-to-back case).
A Note on Bertrand Competition under Quadratic Cost Functions

The authors focus on a model of competition known in economics as Bertrand competition. They investigate how the outcome of Bertrand competition changes when linear cost functions are replaced by quadratic functions in the model. Named after French mathematician Joseph Louis Francois Bertrand (1822-1900), Bertrand competition describes interactions among firms and a market situation in which firms make their output and pricing decisions based on the assumption that their competitors will not change their own prices. Prokop, Ramsza and Wiśnicki show that the introduction of quadratic cost functions in the model leads to a qualitative change in competition between firms. In this case, the standard assumption that a firm with a lower price is interested in taking over the entire market is not only unrealistic (even in the absence of capacity constraints), but also irrational from the profit-maximization viewpoint, the authors say. Therefore the results of previous studies are misleading, according to Prokop, Ramsza and Wiśnicki. They argue that the so-called Bertrand duopoly model should be adjusted to better capture the behavior of firms under quadratic cost functions. The authors relax the assumption that the output of firms is determined by existing demand. They offer a modified Bertrand duopoly model in which firms competing in prices are free to choose their level of production depending on the market demand for their products at specific prices. “Under the modified assumptions, the static price competition game of identical duopolists has no symmetric equilibrium in pure stra- tegies,” the authors conclude. Their research shows that, under quadratic cost functions, it is possible to expect price fluctuations on oligopolistic markets rather than a stable equilibrium situation described by the standard model of price competition.
Resistant Starches Protect against Colonic DNA Damage and Alter Microbiota and Gene Expression in Rats Fed a Western Diet123

Resistant starch (RS), fed as high amylose maize starch (HAMS) or butyrylated HAMS (HAMSB), opposes dietary protein-induced colonocyte DNA damage in rats. In this study, rats were fed Western-type diets moderate in fat (19%) and protein (20%) containing digestible starches [low amylose maize starch (LAMS) or low amylose whole wheat (LAW)] or RS [HAMS, HAMSB, or a whole high amylose wheat (HAW) generated by RNA interference] for 11 wk (n = 10/group). A control diet included 7% fat, 13% protein, and LAMS. Colonocyte DNA single-strand breaks (SSB) were significantly higher (by 70%) in rats fed the Western diet containing LAMS relative to controls. Dietary HAW, HAMS, and HAMSB opposed this effect while raising digesta levels of SCFA and lowering ammonia and phenol levels. SSB correlated inversely with total large bowel SCFA, including colonic butyrate concentration (R2 = 0.40; P = 0.009), and positively with colonic ammonia concentration (R2 = 0.40; P = 0.014). Analysis of gut microbiota populations using a phylogenetic microarray revealed profiles that fell into 3 distinct groups: control and LAMS; HAMS and HAMSB; and LAW and HAW. The expression of colonic genes associated with the maintenance of genomic integrity (notably Mdm2, Top1, Msh3, Ung, Rere, Cebpa, Gmnn, and Parg) was altered and varied with RS source. HAW is as effective as HAMS and HAMSB in opposing diet-induced colonic DNA damage in rats, but their effects on the large bowel microbiota and colonocyte gene expression differ, possibly due to the presence of other fiber components in HAW.
Macroeconomic Trends and Reforms in Germany

This paper recounts the main developments in the German economy since the turn of the 1990s, and in particular the structural reforms enacted first to correct the disequilibria generated by national unification and then, with the inception of European Monetary Union, to enhance the flexibility of the productive economy and the fiscal system. The German performance is compared with that of the other euro-area economies, focusing in particular on the current account imbalances that have arisen since the turn of the century. 1 We retrace the recent debate on how to correct those imbalances, recalling the arguments for and against the thesis that the countries with a current payments surplus, above all Germany, must also play an active role in fostering the adjustment of the deficit countries. A possible synthesis is proposed, based on an analysis of the formation of national income and the use of resources according to the national accounts system. The paper is organized as follows. The first section traces Germany’s real economic performance in the 1990s, dominated during the first five years by the effects of unification and subsequently by the start of the correction of the consequent disequilibria. The second section describes the main macroeconomic developments from the launch of monetary union to the eve of the global crisis, recalling the role of the major structural reforms to the real economy during the first few years of the new century. The third section covers the steep global recession of
A statistical study of 233 pulsar proper motions

We present and analyse a catalogue of 233 pulsars with proper motion measurements. The sample contains a wide variety of pulsars including recycled objects and those associated with globular clusters or supernova remnants. After taking the most precise proper motions for those pulsars for which multiple measurements are available, the majority of the proper motions (58 per cent) are derived from pulsar timing methods, 41 per cent using interferometers and the remaining 1 per cent using optical telescopes. Many of the one-dimensional (1D) and two-dimensional (2D) speeds (referring to speeds measured in one coordinate only and the magnitudes of the transverse velocities, respectively) derived from these measurements are somewhat lower than earlier estimates because of the use of the most recent electron density model in determining pulsar distances. The mean 1D speeds for the normal and recycled pulsars are 152(10) and 54(6) km s −1 , respectively. The corresponding mean 2D speeds are 246(22) and 87(13) km s −1 . PSRs B2011+38 and B2224+64 have the highest inferred 2D speeds of ∼1600 km s −1 . W estudy the mean speeds for different subsamples and find that, in general, they agree with previous results. Applying a novel deconvolution technique to the sample of 73 pulsars with characteristic ages less than 3 Myr, we find the mean threedimensional (3D) pulsar birth velocity to be 400(40) km s −1 . The distribution of velocities is well described by a Maxwellian distribution with 1D rms σ = 265 km s −1 . There is no evidence for a bimodal velocity distribution. The proper motions for PSRs B1830−08 and B2334+61 are consistent with their proposed associations with the supernova remnants W41 and G114.3+0.3, respectively. Ke yw ords: stars: kinematics ‐ pulsars: general.
Media Exposure , Company Size , Industry , and Social Disclosure Practices

Substantial insights have been gained over the past 20 years into factors related to companies' social disclosure practices. Unfortunately researchers have yet to respond to Ullmann's (1985) criticism that the field is plagued by the absence of a comprehensive theory explaining why companies make social disclosures. The present study begins to address Ullmann's criticism by collecting data that tests political economy's notion that public pressure motivates companies to make social disclosures in their annual reports. Data about companies' exposure is collected by perusing media sources for news stories on companies and then relating this exposure data to the companies' annual report disclosures. Consistent with political economy theory, strong correlations are found between company exposure and annual report social disclosures. There is, however, one major caveat: the link between exposure and disclosure does not apply equally to all companies. In particular, while the exposure and disclosure relationship exists for large companies, it fails to operate for small companies. The possibility of the existence of a size threshold is an interesting matter and hopefully will alert researchers to the potential dangers of the past practice of generalising large company-based findings to small companies.