Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Suppression of line voltage related distortion in current controlled grid connected inverters

The influence of selected control strategies on the level of low-order current harmonic distortion generated by an inverter connected to a distorted grid is investigated through a combination of theoretical and experimental studies. A detailed theoretical analysis, based on the concept of harmonic impedance, establishes the suitability of inductor current feedback versus output current feedback with respect to inverter power quality. Experimental results, obtained from a purpose-built 500-W, three-level, half-bridge inverter with an L-C-L output filter, verify the efficacy of inductor current as the feedback variable, yielding an output current total harmonic distortion (THD) some 29% lower than that achieved using output current feedback. A feed-forward grid voltage disturbance rejection scheme is proposed as a means to further reduce the level of low-order current harmonic distortion. Results obtained from an inverter with inductor current feedback and optimized feed-forward disturbance rejection show a THD of just 3% at full-load, representing an improvement of some 53% on the same inverter with output current feedback and no feed-forward compensation. Significant improvements in THD were also achieved across the entire load range. It is concluded that the use of inductor current feedback and feed-forward voltage disturbance rejection represent cost-effect mechanisms for achieving improved output current quality.
Opinion Unaware Image Quality Assessment via Adversarial Convolutional Variational Autoencoder

Image quality assessment is a challenging computer vision task due to the lack of corresponding reference (pristine) images. This no-reference bottleneck has been tack-led with the utilisation of subjective mean opinion scores (MOS) termed as supervised blind image quality assessment (BIQA) methods. However, inaccessible opinion score scenarios limits their applicability. To relieve these limitations, we propose to employ reconstruction based learning trained only on pristine images. This permits an implicit distribution learning of pristine images and the deviation from this learned feature distribution is subsequently utilised for unsupervised image quality assessment. Specifically, an adversarial convolutional variational auto-encoder framework is employed with KL divergence, perceptual and discriminator loss. With state-of-the-art results on four benchmark datasets, we demonstrate the effectiveness of our proposed framework. An ablation study has also been conducted to highlight the contribution of each module i.e. loss and quality metric for an efficient unsupervised BIQA.
Autoimmune concepts of multiple sclerosis as a basis for selective immunotherapy: From pipe dreams to (therapeutic) pipelines

Autoimmune T and B cell responses to CNS antigen(s) are thought to drive the pathogenesis of multiple sclerosis (MS), and thus are logical targets for therapy. Indeed, several immunomodulatory agents, including IFN-β1b, IFN-β1a, glatiramer acetate, and mitoxantrone, have had beneficial clinical effects in different forms of MS. However, because the available treatments are only partially effective, MS therapy needs to be further improved. Selective (antigen-specific) immunotherapies are especially appealing because in theory they combine maximal efficacy with minimal side effects. Indeed, several innovative immunotherapies have been successfully applied in experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis. For example, autoreactive T cells can be selectively targeted by means of antigen, T cell receptor, or activation markers. However, experimental autoimmune encephalomyelitis is far from being a perfect approximation of MS because MS is more heterogeneous and the target antigen(s) is (are) not known. Further advances in MS therapy will depend on our growing understanding of the pathogenesis of this still incurable disease.
Recognition of facial features of fetal alcohol syndrome in the newborn

The diagnosis of an infant, especially a newborn, with fetal alcohol spectrum disorder is difficult due to the fact that not all of the features are apparent at that time. Many cases are also missed due to inadequate knowledge of the mother's drinking pattern and because of the examining physician's lack of experience with the disorder. While conducting a study of the use of maternal blood markers to determine alcohol use in pregnancy, we have evaluated systematically the effects of alcohol on the newborn infant. We have developed a facial scoring system consisting of six of the features commonly seen in children with fetal alcohol syndrome (FAS) and present preliminary data about its use. By using a cutoff of four or more of these six features, there is a significant correlation with the presence of these features and the mother's self‐reported alcohol use. In addition, there has been no significant difference in the frequency of positive scores between newborns of Caucasian or Black ancestry. We propose that this system may be useful in the assessment of newborn infants at high risk because of alcohol exposure during pregnancy. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Series length used during trend analysis affects sensitivity to changes in progression rate in the ocular hypertension treatment study.

PURPOSE Trend analysis techniques to detect glaucomatous progression typically assume a constant rate of change. This study uses data from the Ocular Hypertension Treatment Study to assess whether this assumption decreases sensitivity to changes in progression rate, by including earlier periods of stability. METHODS Series of visual fields (mean 24 per eye) completed at 6-month intervals from participants randomized initially to observation were split into subseries before and after the initiation of treatment (the "split-point"). The mean deviation rate of change (MDR) was derived using these entire subseries, and using only the window length (W) tests nearest the split-point, for different window lengths of W tests. A generalized estimating equation model was used to detect changes in MDR occurring at the split-point. RESULTS Using shortened subseries with W = 7 tests, the MDR slowed by 0.142 dB/y upon initiation of treatment (P < 0.001), and the proportion of eyes showing "rapid deterioration" (MDR <-0.5 dB/y with P < 5%) decreased from 11.8% to 6.5% (P < 0.001). Using the entire sequence, no significant change in MDR was detected (P = 0.796), and there was no change in the proportion of eyes progressing (P = 0.084). Window lengths 6 ≤ W ≤ 9 produced similar benefits. CONCLUSIONS Event analysis revealed a beneficial treatment effect in this dataset. This effect was not detected by linear trend analysis applied to entire series, but was detected when using shorter subseries of length between six and nine fields. Using linear trend analysis on the entire field sequence may not be optimal for detecting and monitoring progression. Nonlinear analyses may be needed for long series of fields. (ClinicalTrials.gov number, NCT00000125.).
Exploring E-readiness on E-commerce adoption of SMEs: Case study South-East Asia

This study explores information technology (IT) readiness on E-commerce adoption of Small and Medium-sized Enterprises (SMEs) in South-East Asia. Some studies point out that the SME take more advantages of E-commerce than large companies. However, due to limited resource for SME, E-commerce adoption should be treated in different business strategy. SMEs need to consider some factors and measure E-readiness before adopting E-commerce into their business. This paper utilizes an AHP method to evaluate IT readiness priority which critical to support the adoption of E-commerce. Using extended Technology-Organization-Environment (TOE) framework and Asia-Pacific Economic Cooperation (APEC) E-readiness Assessment, this study aims to explore the consideration on E-commerce adoption and what should be prioritized by 17 CEOs of SMEs in South-East Asia.
High‐dose cytosine arabinoside in the treatment of acute myeloid leukemia

The use of high‐dose cytosine arabinoside (HDAraC) during induction may improve outcomes in patients with acute myeloid leukemia (AML) compared with standard‐dose AraC (SDAraC). The objective of this review was to assess the impact of HDAraC during induction therapy for patients with AML based on results from randomized trials.
Harbour Porpoises Phocoena phocoena in the Eastern Scheldt: A Resident Stock or Trapped by a Storm Surge Barrier?

Coastal protection measures are planned and executed worldwide to combat the effects of global warming and climate change, in particular the acceleration of sea level rise, higher storm surge flooding and extensive coastal inundation. The extent to which these defensive measures may impact coastal and estuarine ecosystems is still poorly understood. Since the building of a storm surge barrier, movement of harbour porpoises Phocoena phocoena in and out of the Eastern Scheldt tidal bay (SW-Netherlands) may be limited. To measure residency, porpoises stranded along the Dutch North Sea coast between 2006 and 2008 were sampled for muscle (n = 102) and bone tissue (n = 118), of which 9 muscle (8.8%) and 12 bone samples (10.2%) were collected from animals stranded within the Eastern Scheldt. Stable carbon (δ13C) was analysed to get insight into the habitat use and residency of porpoises in the Eastern Scheldt. Our data showed significantly higher δ13C values in the muscle of porpoises stranded within the Eastern Scheldt (µ = −17.7‰, SD = 0.4‰) compared to animals stranded along the Dutch coast (µ = −18.3‰, SD = 0.5‰). This suggests that most porpoises stranded in the Eastern Scheldt foraged there for a longer period. The distinct δ13C signature of animals from the Eastern Scheldt was not observed in bone tissue, suggesting a relatively recent shift in habitat use rather than life-long residency of porpoises within the Eastern Scheldt. The high number of strandings within the Eastern Scheldt suggests a higher mortality rate compared to the Dutch coastal zone. Our study indicates that along with other changes in the physical environment, the storm surge barrier may play an important role in determining the residency of porpoises in the Eastern Scheldt, and that the area might act as an ecological trap for porpoises entering it.
Comparison of different methods for extraction of phycocyanin from cyanobacterium Arthrospira maxima (Spirulina)

Phycocyanin is an interesting alternative for synthetic food colorants. For extraction of phycocyanin from representatives of cyanobacterial genus Arthrospira various methods have been described in literature including ultrasonication, glass bead extraction and freeze-thawing. In this work, three optimized methods for the extraction of phycocyanin from A. maxima were applied in order compare the effectiveness of the different processes. After harvesting the biomass, he extractions were carried out using ultrasonication followed by �occulation with chitosan in different organic acid solutions, glass bead extraction and freeze-thawing, both followed by centrifugation. The obtained extracts were analysed using spectrophotometry in the wavelength spectrum of 280 to 800 nm. The highest C-PC contents of 17.03 ± 0.53 % and 15.21 ± 0.41 % were achieved with the freeze-thawing and the ultrasonication method, respectively. The highest purity value of 2.02 ± 0.01 was achieved with ultrasonication and �occulation with chitosan in acetic acid. Using citric or lactic acid for �occulation with chitosan resulted in greenish extracts containing high amounts of chlorophyll. In conclusion, �occulation with chitosan in acetic acid can be an interesting alternative for centrifugation providing highly puri�ed phycocyanin extracts.
A precipiton‐based approach to model hydro‐sedimentary hazards induced by large sediment supplies in alluvial fans

Mountain ranges are frequently subjected to mass wasting events triggered by storms or earthquakes and supply large volumes of sediment into river networks. Besides altering river dynamics, large sediment deliveries to alluvial fans are known to cause hydro‐sedimentary hazards such as flooding and river avulsion. Here we explore how the sediment supply history affects hydro‐sedimentary river and fan hazards, and how well can it be predicted given the uncertainties on boundary conditions. We use the 2D morphodynamic model Eros with a new 2D hydrodynamic model driven by a sequence of flood, a sediment entrainment/transport/deposition model and a bank erosion law. We first evaluate the model against a natural case: the 1999 Mount Adams rock avalanche and subsequent avulsion on the Poerua river fan (West Coast, New Zealand). By adjusting for the unknown sediment supply history, Eros predicts the evolution of the alluvial riverbed during the first post‐landslide stages within 30 cm. The model is subsequently used to infer how the sediment supply volume and rate control the fan aggradation patterns and associated hazards. Our results show that the total injected volume controls the overall levels of aggradation, but supply rates have a major control on the location of preferential deposition, avulsion and increased flooding risk. Fan re‐incision following exhaustion of the landslide‐derived sediment supply leads to sediment transfer and deposition downstream and poses similar, but delayed, hydro‐sedimentary hazards. Our results demonstrate that 2D morphodynamics models are able to capture the full range of hazards occurring in alluvial fans including river avulsion aggradation and floods. However, only ensemble simulations accounting for uncertainties in boundary conditions (e.g., discharge history, initial topography, grain size) as well as model realization (e.g., non‐linearities in hydro‐sedimentary processes) can be used to produce probabilistic hazards maps relevant for decision making. Copyright © 2017 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Learning to remove multipath distortions in Time-of-Flight range images for a robotic arm setup

Range images captured by Time-of-Flight (ToF) cameras are corrupted with multipath distortions due to interaction between modulated light signals and scenes. The interaction is often complicated, which makes a model-based solution elusive. We propose a learning-based approach for removing the multipath distortions for a ToF camera in a robotic arm setup. Our approach is based on deep learning. We use the robotic arm to automatically collect a large amount of ToF range images containing various multipath distortions. The training images are automatically labeled by leveraging a high precision structured light sensor available only in the training time. In the test time, we apply the learned model to remove the multipath distortions. This allows our robotic arm setup to enjoy the speed and compact form of the ToF camera without compromising with its range measurement errors. We conduct extensive experimental validations and compare the proposed method to several baseline algorithms. The experiment results show that our method achieves 55% error reduction in range estimation and largely outperforms the baseline algorithms.
INVITED PAPER Special Issue on Distributed Processing for Controlling Telecommunications Systems Comparison of Adaptive Internet Multimedia Applications

SUMMARY The current Internet does not offer any quality of service guarantees or support to Internet multimedia applications such as Internet telephony and video-conferencing, due to the best-effort nature of the Internet. Their performance may be adversely affected by networkcongestion. Also, since these applications commonly employ the UDP transport protocol, which lacks congestion control mechanisms, they may severely overload the networkand starve other applications. We present an overview of recent research efforts in developing adaptive delivery models for Internet multimedia applications, which dynamically adjust the transmission rate according to networkconditions. We classify the approaches used to develop adaptive delivery models with brief descriptions of representative research work. We then evaluate the approaches based on important design issues and performance criteria, such as the scalability of the control mechanism, responsiveness in detecting and reacting to congestion, and ability to accommodate receiver heterogeniety. Some conclusions are developed regarding the suitability of particular design choices under various conditions.
Identification and Expression Analysis of Polygalacturonase Family Members during Peach Fruit Softening

Polygalacturonase (PG) is an important hydrolytic enzyme involved in pectin degradation during fruit softening. However, the roles of PG family members in fruit softening remain unclear. We identified 45 PpPG genes in the peach genome which are clustered into six subclasses. PpPGs consist of four to nine exons and three to eight introns, and the exon/intron structure is basically conserved in all but subclass E. Only 16 PpPG genes were expressed in ripening fruit, and their expression profiles were analyzed during storage in two peach cultivars with different softening characteristics. Eight PGs (PpPG1, -10, -12, -13, -15, -23, -21, and -22) in fast-softening “Qian Jian Bai” (QJB) fruit and three PGs (PpPG15, -21, and -22) in slow-softening “Qin Wang” (QW) fruit exhibited softening-associated patterns; which also were affected by ethylene treatment. Our results suggest that the different softening characters in QW and QJB fruit is related to the amount of PG members. While keeping relatively lower levels during QW fruit softening, the expression of six PGs (PpPG1, -10, -12, -11, -14, and -35) rapidly induced by ethylene. PpPG24, -25 and -38 may not be involved in softening of peach fruit.
Mitochondrial Import and Accumulation of α-Synuclein Impair Complex I in Human Dopaminergic Neuronal Cultures and Parkinson Disease Brain*

α-Synuclein, a protein implicated in the pathogenesis of Parkinson disease (PD), is thought to affect mitochondrial functions, although the mechanisms of its action remain unclear. In this study we show that the N-terminal 32 amino acids of human α-synuclein contain cryptic mitochondrial targeting signal, which is important for mitochondrial targeting of α-synuclein. Mitochondrial imported α-synuclein is predominantly associated with the inner membrane. Accumulation of wild-type α-synuclein in the mitochondria of human dopaminergic neurons caused reduced mitochondrial complex I activity and increased production of reactive oxygen species. However, these defects occurred at an early time point in dopaminergic neurons expressing familial α-synuclein with A53T mutation as compared with wild-type α-synuclein. Importantly, α-synuclein that lacks mitochondrial targeting signal failed to target to the mitochondria and showed no detectable effect on complex I function. The PD relevance of these results was investigated using mitochondria of substantia nigra, striatum, and cerebellum of postmortem late-onset PD and normal human brains. Results showed the constitutive presence of ∼14-kDa α-synuclein in the mitochondria of all three brain regions of normal subjects. Mitochondria of PD-vulnerable substantia nigra and striatum but not cerebellum from PD subjects showed significant accumulation of α-synuclein and decreased complex I activity. Analysis of mitochondria from PD brain and α-synuclein expressing dopaminergic neuronal cultures using blue native gel electrophoresis and immunocapture technique showed the association of α-synuclein with complex I. These results provide evidence that mitochondrial accumulated α-synuclein may interact with complex I and interfere with its functions.
Flowable composites for bonding orthodontic retainers.

OBJECTIVE To test the null hypothesis that there are no statistically significant differences between flowables and an orthodontic adhesive tested in terms of shear bond strength (SBS) and pullout resistance. MATERIALS AND METHODS To test the SBS of Light Bond, FlowTain, Filtek Supreme, and Tetric Flow were applied to the enamel surfaces of 15 teeth. Using matrices for application, each composite material was cured for 40 seconds and subjected to SBS testing. To test pullout resistance, 15 samples were prepared for each composite in which a wire was embedded; then the composite was cured for 40 seconds. Later, the ends of the wire were drawn up and tensile stress was applied until the resin failed. Findings were analyzed using an ANOVA and a Tukey HSD test. RESULTS The SBS values for Light Bond, FlowTain, Filtek Supreme, and Tetric Flow were 19.0 +/- 10.9, 14.7 +/- 9.3, 22.4 +/- 16.3, and 16.8 +/- 11.8 MPa, respectively, and mean pullout values were 42.2 +/- 13.0, 24.0 +/- 6.9, 26.3 +/- 9.4, and 33.8 +/- 18.0 N, respectively. No statistically significant differences were found among the groups in terms of SBS (P > .05). On the other hand, Light Bond yielded significantly higher pullout values compared with the flowables Filtek Supreme and Flow-Tain (P < .01). However, there were no significant differences among the pullout values of flowables, nor between Light Bond and Tetric Flow (P > .05). CONCLUSIONS The hypothesis is rejected. Light Bond yielded significantly higher pullout values compared with the flowables Filtek Supreme and FlowTain. However, flowable composites provided satisfactory SBS and wire pullout values, comparable to a standard orthodontic resin, and therefore can be used as an alternative for direct bonding of lingual retainers.
Hepatic Hydrothorax

AbstractHepatic hydrothorax is an important and difficult-to-manage complication of cirrhosis and portal hypertension. Here, we aimed to study its clinical features and natural history. Complete clinical data, including outcomes, were abstracted from hospital records of patients with cirrhosis and ascites admitted to University of Texas Southwestern University teaching hospitals from January 2001 to July 2012. Hepatic hydrothorax was diagnosed based on currently accepted clinical characteristics of the disease, including a known diagnosis of cirrhosis, the presence of portal hypertension, pleural fluid analysis, and the absence of primary cardiopulmonary disease.Seventy-seven of 495 (16%) hospitalized cirrhotic patients with pleural effusion (28 female; mean age, 52 yr) met the criteria for diagnosis of hepatic hydrothorax. Resting dyspnea and cough were the most prominent presenting symptoms, occurring in 34% and 22% of patients, respectively. Pleural effusions were most often right-sided (56/77; 73%), followed by left-sided only (13/77; 17%) and bilateral effusions (8/77; 10%); 7 (9%) patients did not have detectable ascites. The mean Model for End-Stage Liver Disease (MELD) score at presentation was 16. The serum to pleural fluid albumin gradient (SPAG) was ≥1.1 in all 48 patients in whom it was measured. Most patients (64/77; 83%) were managed with diuretics and/or thoracentesis, while 8 (10%) underwent transjugular intrahepatic portosystemic shunt (TIPS) and 5 (7%) underwent liver transplant. A total of 44 of 77 (57%) patients died during a mean follow-up of 12 months. The average time from presentation to death for all patients was 368 days, while for those after TIPS it was 845 days. No deaths were reported in the liver transplant group. The data indicate that a substantial number of patients with hepatic hydrothorax had what may be considered atypical presentations, including left-sided only effusions, or pleural effusion without ascites. Here, we propose that the term “serum to pleural fluid albumin gradient (SPAG)” be used to describe the gradient between serum and pleural fluid albumin levels and suggest that not only is it consistent with the portal hypertensive pathophysiology of hepatic hydrothorax, but also it is a useful criterion for diagnosis of hepatic hydrothorax. Finally, the overall outcome of hepatic hydrothorax was extremely poor, except in those undergoing TIPS or liver transplantation.