Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Immune-Algorithm-Based Space-Vector PWM Control Strategy in a Three-Phase Inverter

In this paper, an immune algorithm (IA) is developed for optimization of the harmonic performance of a three-phase inverter under the space-vector pulsewidth-modulation (SVPWM) control strategy. The presented algorithm employs the immune approach as the search method for finding the best optimal control vectors and action time of the three-phase inverter. As a result, the optimal control vectors and action time are calculated to minimize the objective function of the weighted total harmonic distortion of the output voltage waveforms. In addition, an experimental platform based on DSP and field-programmable gate array is built. This paper provides a detailed performance analysis of the method with comparison to the conventional SVPWM. The simulation and experimental results verify the superiority of the best control sequences generated by IA compared with the existing conventional control strategies.
Dilated LMI conditions for the robust analysis of uncertain parameter-dependent descriptor systems

This paper addresses the robust admissibility/ℌ2 performance analysis for continuous-time uncertain parameter-dependent descriptor systems. In order to achieve less conservative results, the proposed approach uses parameter-dependent Lyapunov functions and slack variables. Our main contribution consists in proposing new necessary and sufficient conditions for the admissibility and ℌ2 performance analysis of time-invariant singular systems. These conditions are formulated as a strict linear matrix inequality (LMI) solvability problem and represent a generalization to singular systems of some dilated LMI analysis results developed in the literature for state-space systems. Also, we have extended our results to the analysis of descriptor systems with time-varying parametric uncertainties. A numerical example shows the applicability of our approach.
Denial of racism and its implications for local action

Literature on modern racism identifies denial as one of its key features. This article examines the discourses of denial that feature in the talk of local anti-racism actors in Australia, and asks what drives these discourses. The research draws on qualitative interviews undertaken with participants involved in local anti-racism in two case study areas, one in South Australia and the other in New South Wales. This article explores the way local participants in the case study areas deployed four discourses to deny or minimise racism: temporal deflections; spatial deflections; deflections from the mainstream; and absence discourses. Place defending and the desire to protect one’s local area from being branded a racist space is discussed as a driver of those local denial discourses. Local denial of racism is also linked to national politics of racism and anti-racism. In particular, the Australian government’s retreat from multiculturalism, and the preference for ‘harmony’ rather than ‘anti-racism’ initiatives, was linked to the avoidance of the language of racism within participants’ responses. The way denial discourses narrow the range of possibilities for local anti-racism is discussed, as is the importance of acknowledgement of racism, particularly institutional and systemic racism. Public acknowledgement of these forms of racism will broaden the scope of local anti-racism.
Recognizing Physisorption and Chemisorption in Carbon Nanotubes Gas Sensors by Double Exponential Fitting of the Response

Multi-walled carbon nanotubes (CNTs) have been grown in situ on a SiO2 substrate and used as gas sensors. For this purpose, the voltage response of the CNTs as a function of time has been used to detect H2 and CO2 at various concentrations by supplying a constant current to the system. The analysis of both adsorptions and desorptions curves has revealed two different exponential behaviours for each curve. The study of the characteristic times, obtained from the fitting of the data, has allowed us to identify separately chemisorption and physisorption processes on the CNTs.
Attitudes toward HPV Vaccination among Women Aged 27 to 45

The purpose of this study was to identify attitudes toward HPV vaccination among US women 27 to 45 years of age. A survey was mailed to 2,750 insured US women to assess perceptions of relevance or irrelevance of the HPV vaccine, the underlying reasons, and, for those reporting relevance, the likelihood of vaccination if it became available. Among the 451 eligible respondents, 304 (67.4%) reported that the HPV vaccine was relevant to them, whereas 143 (31.7%) stated that it was not at all relevant. The most common reasons for relevance were protection from cervical cancer (62.8%), vaginal cancer (58.2%), precancerous cells (55.9%), HPV (55.6%), and genital warts (46.4%). Reasons for irrelevance were most commonly being married (54.0%) or in a monogamous relationship (39.6%). Most respondents reporting relevance of the HPV vaccine were likely (33.4%) or extremely likely (37.7%) to receive the vaccine if approved for their age group.
Extended Self-Dual Attribute Profiles for the Classification of Hyperspectral Images

In this letter, we explore the use of self-dual attribute profiles (SDAPs) for the classification of hyperspectral images. The hyperspectral data are reduced into a set of components by nonparametric weighted feature extraction (NWFE), and a morphological processing is then performed by the SDAPs separately on each of the extracted components. Since the spatial information extracted by SDAPs results in a high number of features, the NWFE is applied a second time in order to extract a fixed number of features, which are finally classified. The experiments are carried out on two hyperspectral images, and the support vector machines and random forest are used as classifiers. The effectiveness of SDAPs is assessed by comparing its results against those obtained by an approach based on extended APs.
Cytotoxicity and genotoxicity of nanosilver in stable GADD45α promoter‐driven luciferase reporter HepG2 and A549 cells

The intense commercial application of silver nanoparticles (AgNPs) has been raising concerns about their potential adverse health effects to human. This study aimed to explore the potency of AgNPs to induce GADD45α gene, an important stress sensor, and its relationships with the cytotoxicity and genotoxicity elicited by AgNPs.
The safety of pomalidomide for the treatment of multiple myeloma

ABSTRACT Introduction: Pomalidomide, a derivative of thalidomide and member of the immunomodulatory drugs is licenced for use in relapsed and refractory multiple myeloma (RRMM) in Europe, USA, Canada and Japan. Areas covered: This review details all published trials in which pomalidomide has been used in the treatment of myeloma including phase I, II and III studies via PubMed searches for randomised control trials, observational cohort, case reports, meta-analysis and reviews. In addition abstract searches from the 2015 IMW and ASH conferences have been included. Drug safety has been a main focus with additional detail outlining the current clinical experience and treatment efficacy. Drug related toxicities and management of such events are covered in detail. Expert opinion: Pomalidomide is well tolerated and has been demonstrated to prolong progression free survival and overall survival in RRMM patients in comparison to other agents commonly used later in the disease. Treatment related toxicities are usually easily managed using treatment interruption, dose modification, prophylactic therapies and blood/platelet transfusions. There is scope for the drug to be used in combination with newer agents at disease presentation, relapse and as a long-term maintenance option. At present trials assessing its use in early disease and maintenance are lacking.
Expected Policy Gradients

We propose expected policy gradients (EPG), which unify stochastic policy gradients (SPG) and deterministic policy gradients (DPG) for reinforcement learning. Inspired by expected sarsa, EPG integrates across the action when estimating the gradient, instead of relying only on the action in the sampled trajectory. We establish a new general policy gradient theorem, of which the stochastic and deterministic policy gradient theorems are special cases. We also prove that EPG reduces the variance of the gradient estimates without requiring deterministic policies and, for the Gaussian case, with no computational overhead. Finally, we show that it is optimal in a certain sense to explore with a Gaussian policy such that the covariance is proportional to the exponential of the scaled Hessian of the critic with respect to the actions. We present empirical results confirming that this new form of exploration substantially outperforms DPG with the Ornstein-Uhlenbeck heuristic in four challenging MuJoCo domains.
Study of the possibilities of using Red Mud as an additive in concrete and grout mortar

This report presents the results from a study of the possibilities of using red mud, a waste product derived from the digestion of bauxite with a versatile mineralogical composition, as additive in concrete, grout mortar and cement paste. Two types of red mud from China were used in the experiments. Concrete in which 0-30 % of the mass of the binder was replaced by red mud were cast for investigating the effect of red mud addition on the compressive strength and dry shrinkage of concrete. Grout mortars in which 0-30 % of the mass of the binder was replaced by red mud were cast for investigating the effect of red mud addition on the flexural and compressive strengths, dry shrinkage and water permeability of mortar. Cement paste in which 0-30 % of the mass of the binder was replaced by red mud were cast for investigating the effect of red mud addition on the capacity of Cs adsorption and ionic leaching. The results show that addition of red mud does not contribute to nor impair the strength of the concrete or grout mortar but instead acts as inert filler. The decrease in compressive strength of concrete with addition of red mud is mainly due to the increased water-cement ratio. There is no significant increase in dry shrinkage of concrete with addition of red mud, but there is a certain increase in dry shrinkage of grout mortar, especially when more than 20% of the binder is replaced by red mud. Addition of red mud in grout mortar significantly increases the water permeability of the mortar due to the increased water-cement ratio. Owing to the fluctuant results from the adsorption test, it is difficult to draw a conclusion of the adsorption capacity for Cs by addition of red mud in concrete. However, the preliminary results from a quick adsorption test indicated a good adsorption behavior of cement with the addition of red mud, especially at a low initial Cs concentration.
Synthesis and characterization of poly(ethylene terephthalate)/attapulgite nanocomposites

A kind of clay with fibrous morphology, attapulgite (AT), was used to prepare poly (ethylene terephthalate) (PET)/AT nanocomposites via in situ polymerization. Attapulgite was modified with Hexadecyltriphenylphosphonium bromide and silane coupling agent (3-glycidoxypropltrimethoxysilane) to increase the dispersion of clay particles in polymer matrix and the interaction between clay particles and polymer matrix. FTIR and TGA test of the organic-AT particles investigated the thermal stability and the loading quantity of organic reagents. XRD patterns and SEM micrographs showed that the organic modification was processed on the surface of rod-like crystals and did not shift the crystal structure of silicate. For PET/AT nanocomposites, it was revealed in TEM that the fibrous clay can be well dispersed in polymer matrix with the rod-like crystals in the range of nanometer scale. The diameter of rod-like crystal is about 20 nm and the length is near to 500 nm. The addition of the clay particles can enhance the thermal stability and crystallization rate of PET. With the addition of AT in PET matrix, the flexural modulus of those composites was also increased markedly. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Appl Polym Sci 103: 1279–1286, 2007
Misery Has More Company Than People Think: Underestimating the Prevalence of Others’ Negative Emotions

Four studies document underestimations of the prevalence of others’ negative emotions and suggest causes and correlates of these erroneous perceptions. In Study 1a, participants reported that their negative emotions were more private or hidden than were their positive emotions; in Study 1b, participants underestimated the peer prevalence of common negative, but not positive, experiences described in Study 1a. In Study 2, people underestimated negative emotions and overestimated positive emotions even for well-known peers, and this effect was partially mediated by the degree to which those peers reported suppression of negative (vs. positive) emotions. Study 3 showed that lower estimations of the prevalence of negative emotional experiences predicted greater loneliness and rumination and lower life satisfaction and that higher estimations for positive emotional experiences predicted lower life satisfaction. Taken together, these studies suggest that people may think they are more alone in their emotional difficulties than they really are.
An OSSE Framework Based on the Ensemble Square Root Kalman Filter for Evaluating the Impact of Data from Radar Networks on Thunderstorm Analysis and Forecasting

Abstract A framework for Observing System Simulation Experiments (OSSEs) based on the ensemble square root Kalman filter (EnSRF) technique for assimilating data from more than one radar network is described. The system is tested by assimilating simulated radial velocity and reflectivity data from a Weather Surveillance Radar-1988 Doppler (WSR-88D) radar and a network of four low-cost radars planned for the Oklahoma test bed by the new National Science Foundation (NSF) Engineering Research Center for Collaborative Adaptive Sensing of the Atmosphere (CASA). Such networks are meant to adaptively probe the lower atmosphere that is often missed by the existing WSR-88D radar network, so as to improve the detection of low-level hazardous weather events and to provide more complete data for the initialization of numerical weather prediction models. Different from earlier OSSE work with ensemble Kalman filters, the radar data are sampled on the radar elevation levels and a more realistic forward operator based on .
In Vivo Activation of the Intracrine Vitamin D Pathway in Innate Immune Cells and Mammary Tissue during a Bacterial Infection

Numerous in vitro studies have shown that toll-like receptor signaling induces 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 1α-hydroxylase (1α-OHase; CYP27B1) expression in macrophages from various species. 1α-OHase is the primary enzyme that converts 25-hydroxyvitamin D3 to 1,25-dihydroxyvitamin D3 (1,25(OH)2D3). Subsequently, synthesis of 1,25(OH)2D3 by 1α-OHase in macrophages has been shown to modulate innate immune responses of macrophages. Despite the numerous in vitro studies that have shown 1α-OHase expression is induced in macrophages, however, evidence that 1α-OHase expression is induced by pathogens in vivo is limited. The objective of this study was to evaluate 1α-OHase gene expression in macrophages and mammary tissue during an in vivo bacterial infection with Streptococcus uberis. In tissue and secreted cells from the infected mammary glands, 1α-OHase gene expression was significantly increased compared to expression in tissue and cells from the healthy mammary tissue. Separation of the cells by FACS9 revealed that 1α-OHase was predominantly expressed in the CD14+ cells isolated from the infected mammary tissue. The 24-hydroxylase gene, a gene that is highly upregulated by 1,25(OH)2D3, was significantly more expressed in tissue and cells from the infected mammary tissue than from the healthy uninfected mammary tissue thus indicating significant local 1,25(OH)2D3 production at the infection site. In conclusion, this study provides the first in vivo evidence that 1α-OHase expression is upregulated in macrophages in response to bacterial infection and that 1α-OHase at the site of infection provides 1,25(OH)2D3 for local regulation of vitamin D responsive genes.
Adverse Health Effects of Indoor Moulds

Purpose: It has long been known that eating moldy food is hazardous, and airborne Aspergillus and other fungi can cause life‐threatening illnesses in immunocompromised patients. However, the possible health risks of indoor mold exposure in immunocompetent humans are controversial. This literature review examines the health effects of indoor airborne exposure to mold.Design: Literature review.Materials and Methods: This review was conducted by searching PubMed and other medical databases, as well as reading recent conference reports.Results: Many studies link exposure to damp or moldy indoor conditions to increased incidence and/or severity of respiratory problems such as asthma, wheezing and rhinosinusitis. Stachybotrys produces trichothecenes and other mycotoxins, which can inhibit protein synthesis and induce hemorrhaging disorders. Indoor mold exposure can alter immunological factors and produce allergic reactions. Several studies have indicated that indoor mold exposure can alter brain blood flow, aut.
Response to therapy of papillary thyroid cancer of known BRAF status

A dynamic risk stratification with modified initial estimated risk based on response to therapy and disease course is one of the crucial changes adopted recently by the American Thyroid Association (ATA). This approach focuses on an individualized risk‐adapted approach to the management of differentiated thyroid cancer. The BRAF V600E mutation is the most common genetic alteration in papillary thyroid cancer (PTC). However, the prognostic value of this mutation remains unclear.
Toward an Integrative Perspective on Hippocampal Function: From the Rapid Encoding of Experience to Adaptive Behavior

The mammalian hippocampus has been associated with learning and memory, as well as with many other behavioral processes. In this article, these different perspectives are brought together, and it is pointed out that integration of diverse functional domains may be a key feature enabling the hippocampus to support not only the encoding and retrieval of certain memory representations, but also their translation into adaptive behavior. The hippocampus appears to combine: (i) sensory afferents and synaptic mechanisms underlying certain types of rapid learning; and (ii) links to motivational, emotional, executive, and sensorimotor functions. Recent experiments are highlighted, indicating that the induction of hippocampal synaptic plasticity is required to encode rapidly aspects of experience, such as places, into memory representations; subsequent retrieval of these representations requires transmission through the previously modified hippocampal synapses, but no further plasticity. In contrast, slow incremental place learning may not absolutely require hippocampal contributions. The neocortical sensory inputs, especially visuo-spatial information, necessary for hippocampus-dependent rapid learning, are preferentially associated with the septal to intermediate hippocampus. In contrast, connectivity with the prefrontal cortex and subcortical sites, which link the hippocampus to motivational, emotional, executive, and sensorimotor functions, is primarily associated with the intermediate to temporal hippocampus. A model of functional differentiation and integration along the septo-temporal axis of the hippocampus is proposed, describing key hippocampal contributions to adaptive behavior based on information encoded during a single or a few past experiences.
Localization of 3D Near-Field Source Using the Aperture Extension Method and Nonuniform Cross Array

Depending on the aperture extension (AE), a high performance three-dimensional (3D) near-fleld (NF) source localization algorithm is proposed with the nonuniform linear array (NLA). The proposed algorithm flrst generates some flctitious sensors to extend the array aperture by constructing a new Toeplitz matrix, and then obtains a two-dimensional (2D) covariance matrix which only contains the elevation angle and range parameters, and another 3D covariance matrix which contains the elevation/azimuth angle and range parameters. Then based on the 2D covariance matrix, both the elevation angle and range parameters are estimated by using the NLA along the Z axis. With the estimates of both the elevation angle and range parameters and combining the 3D covariance matrix, the estimates of the azimuth angle parameters are obtained using the NLA along the Y axis. The proposed algorithm has four main merits: i) unlike some classical NF source localization algorithms, the quarter-wavelength sensor spacing constraint is not required and more sources can be located simultaneously by the proposed algorithm; ii) the 3D parameters of the proposed algorithm are paired automatically; iii) the 3D search required in conventional 3D multiple signal classiflcation (MUSIC) algorithm is replaced with only one-dimensional (1D) search, and thus the computational burden is reduced; iv) the proposed algorithm gains superior parameter estimation accuracy and resolution.
Body mass but not vitamin D status is associated with bone mineral content and density in young school children in northern Sweden

Background High latitude of residence where sun exposure is limited affects vitamin D status. Although vitamin D levels have been associated with poor bone health, cut-off values for optimising bone health are yet to be decided. Objective To assess vitamin D intake and status among young school children living at latitude 63–64 °N, in northern Sweden and to examine the association between vitamin D status and bone mineral content (BMC) and bone mineral density (BMD). Design In a cross-sectional study, diet was assessed by a 4-day food diary and a food frequency questionnaire in 8- to 9-year-old children (n=120). Energy, vitamin D, and calcium intakes were calculated. Physical activity was assessed using a pedometer for 7 days. Serum 25-hydroxyvitamin D (S-25[OH]D) levels were analysed by high-pressure liquid chromatography-atmospheric pressure chemical ionisation-mass spectrometry (n=113). BMC and BMD were assessed by dual energy X-ray absorptiometry scan. Height and weight were measured by standard procedures and BMI z-score was calculated using WHO AnthroPlus programme. Results The majority of children, 91%, did not reach the recommended vitamin D intake of 7.5 µg/day and 50% had insufficient S-25[OH]D levels defined as <50 nmol/l. The highest concentrations of S-25[OH]D were observed during the summer months (p=0.01). Body mass (p<0.01) but not S-25[OH]D was associated with measures of BMC and BMD. Furthermore, boys had higher total BMC (p=0.01), total body less head BMC (p=0.02), fat free mass (p<0.01), and a higher degree of physical activity (p=0.01) compared to girls. Conclusions Body mass was related to BMC and BMD measures in a population of prepubertal school children living at high latitudes in Sweden. Despite insufficient S-25[OH]D levels and low vitamin D intake, this did not appear to affect bone parameters. Prospective studies with repeated assessment of vitamin D status are needed to examine cut-off values for optimising bone health.