Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Fast Synchrophasor Estimation by Means of Frequency-Domain and Time-Domain Algorithms

This paper presents a performance comparison of two classes of synchrophasor estimators recently proposed in the literature, i.e., the frequency-domain algorithms known as interpolated discrete Fourier transform (IpDFT), and the time-domain algorithms based on the weighted least squares (WLSs) approach. The analysis is focused on fast phasor estimation only and it is performed under steady-state, dynamic, and transient conditions, when the length of the observation interval is equal to one or two nominal cycles of the acquired electric waveform. The considered testing conditions include not only the worst-case scenarios specified in the IEEE Standard C37.118. 1-2011, but they also combine the effect of static and dynamic disturbances. As accuracy performance parameters, the total vector error as well as the amplitude and phase estimation errors are considered and evaluated. Estimator responsiveness is analyzed instead in terms of response times, when amplitude or phase steps occur. The preferable one- and two-cycles IpDFT and WLS algorithms are first determined by choosing the windows and the number of Taylor's series terms (in the WLS case only) assuring the best accuracy. It is shown that, when the time-domain approach is considered and one-cycle or two-cycle intervals are observed, the best accuracy is achieved by the WLS algorithm based on the rectangular window or the two-term one-cycle maximum image tone interference rejection (MIR) window, respectively. Conversely, when the frequency-domain approach is adopted, the best accuracy is achieved by the IpDFT-based on the MIR window related to the observed interval length. The estimates produced by the selected WLS and IpDFT algorithms are then compared against the boundaries specified in the Standard IEEE C37.118. 1-2011 for P-and M-class compliance. During the discussion, advantages and disadvantages of both time-domain and frequency-domain approaches are highlighted.
The effect of interactivity on user's presence in image based virtual reality

The study is aimed to investigate whether mental imagery is a potential element in interactivity for image-based virtual reality (IBVR) environment to enhance the sense of presence. It was hypothesized that, if mental imagery exists in the participant's mind, the feel of sense of presence in the participants also will be high. A total of 31 participants took part in this study. Significant correlations were found between mental imagery and sense of presence (r = 0.94, p <; 0.01). The findings report that, mental imagery in interactivity factors for IBVR environment can be used to enhance the sense of presence among users. As predicted, participants need a picture or image in IBVR environment that can influence their mind to imagine. Therefore, the sense of presence between them will be induced during the experience.
Composition-Preserving Deep Photo Aesthetics Assessment

Photo aesthetics assessment is challenging. Deep convolutional neural network (ConvNet) methods have recently shown promising results for aesthetics assessment. The performance of these deep ConvNet methods, however, is often compromised by the constraint that the neural network only takes the fixed-size input. To accommodate this requirement, input images need to be transformed via cropping, scaling, or padding, which often damages image composition, reduces image resolution, or causes image distortion, thus compromising the aesthetics of the original images. In this paper, we present a composition-preserving deep Con-vNet method that directly learns aesthetics features from the original input images without any image transformations. Specifically, our method adds an adaptive spatial pooling layer upon the regular convolution and pooling layers to directly handle input images with original sizes and aspect ratios. To allow for multi-scale feature extraction, we develop the Multi-Net Adaptive Spatial Pooling ConvNet architecture which consists of multiple sub-networks with different adaptive spatial pooling sizes and leverage a scene-based aggregation layer to effectively combine the predictions from multiple sub-networks. Our experiments on the large-scale aesthetics assessment benchmark (AVA [29]) demonstrate that our method can significantly improve the state-of-the-art results in photo aesthetics assessment.
Standardization of Radiological Evaluation of Dynamic Contrast Enhanced MRI

Dynamic contrast enhanced MRI is applied as an adjuvant tool for breast cancer detection, diagnosis, and follow-up of therapy. Despite improvements through the years in achieving higher spatial and temporal resolution, it still suffers from lack of scanning and processing standardization, and consequently, high variability in the radiological evaluation, particularly differentiating malignant from benign lesions. We describe here a hybrid method for achieving standardization of the radiological evaluation of breast dynamic contrast enhanced (DCE)-magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) protocols, based on integrating the model based three time point (3TP) method with principal component analysis (PCA). The scanning and image processing procedures consisted of three main steps: 1. 3TP standardization of the MRI acquisition parameters according to a kinetic model, 2. Applying PCA to test cases and constructing an eigenvectors' base related to the contrast-enhancement kinetics and 3. Projecting all new cases on the eigenvectors' base and evaluating the clinical outcome. Datasets of overall 96 malignant and 26 benign breast lesions were recorded on 1.5T and 3T scanners, using three different MRI acquisition parameters optimized by the 3TP method. The final radiological evaluation showed similar detection and diagnostic ability for the three different MRI acquisition parameters. The area under the curve of receiver operating characteristic analysis yielded a value of 0.88 ± 0.034 for differentiating malignant from benign lesions. This 3TP + PCA hybrid method is fast and can be readily applied as a computer aided diagnostic tool of breast cancer. The underlying principles of this method can be extended to standardize the evaluation of malignancies in other organs.
Viral-Induced Mortality of Prokaryotes in a Tropical Monsoonal Estuary

Viruses are recognized as the most abundant and dynamic biological entities in the marine and estuarine environment. However, studies on the dynamics and activity of viruses in transient estuarine systems are limited. This study examines temporal and spatial variations in viral abundance (VA) and viral activity across the salinity gradient in a monsoon-driven tropical estuarine system (Cochin estuary, CE) along the southwest coast of India. Water samples were collected from five stations (with different hydrological settings) every 3 h for 24 h period during two distinct seasons, namely pre-monsoon (PRM, dry season) and monsoon (MON, wet season). Time series measurements were made for a spring and neap tidal cycle for each season at all the stations. The results showed marked spatial and seasonal variability with relatively low diel and tidal variations in VA and lytic activity. Viral activity was found to be distinct in five stations studied with the maximum activity in the mesohaline regions (salinity <20) of the estuary. This region was characterized by high VA, lytic infection and viral production, accompanied by low (BGE) and high bacterial respiration. Based on viral lytic production, lytic viruses were found to be responsible for the release of ca. 72.9 ± 58.5 μg C L−1d−1 of bacterial carbon. The contribution of the viral shunt to the dissolved organic carbon (DOC) pool was higher during the dry season (PRM) than MON. Statistical analysis confirmed a significant association of viruses with the host availability and salinity. This work demonstrates the spatiotemporal distribution of viruses in a tropical estuarine ecosystem and highlights their role in microbial mortality across different salinity gradients. This study forms the first report on viral processes from a monsoon-driven tropical estuarine ecosystem.
Smolign: A Spatial Motifs-Based Protein Multiple Structural Alignment Method

Availability of an effective tool for protein multiple structural alignment (MSTA) is essential for discovery and analysis of biologically significant structural motifs that can help solve functional annotation and drug design problems. Existing MSTA methods collect residue correspondences mostly through pairwise comparison of consecutive fragments, which can lead to suboptimal alignments, especially when the similarity among the proteins is low. We introduce a novel strategy based on: building a contact-window based motif library from the protein structural data, discovery and extension of common alignment seeds from this library, and optimal superimposition of multiple structures according to these alignment seeds by an enhanced partial order curve comparison method. The ability of our strategy to detect multiple correspondences simultaneously, to catch alignments globally, and to support flexible alignments, endorse a sensitive and robust automated algorithm that can expose similarities among protein structures even under low similarity conditions. Our method yields better alignment results compared to other popular MSTA methods, on several protein structure data sets that span various structural folds and represent different protein similarity levels. A web-based alignment tool, a downloadable executable, and detailed alignment results for the data sets used here are available at http://sacan.biomed. drexel.edu/Smolign and http://bio.cse. ohio-state.edu/Smolign.
miR‐140‐5p‐mediated regulation of the proliferation and differentiation of human dental pulp stem cells occurs through the lipopolysaccharide/toll‐like receptor 4 signaling pathway

Human dental pulp stem cells (DPSCs) are oral mesenchymal stem cells with potential to differentiate into various cell types. Recent studies of DPSCs have focused on microRNAs (miRNAs), a class of small noncoding RNAs that play crucial roles in regulating DPSC phenotypes. In the current study, the expression of miR-140-5p was significantly decreased during lipopolysaccharide (LPS)-mediated differentiation of DPSCs in vitro. Overexpression of miR-140-5p enhanced proliferation of DPSCs and inhibited DPSC differentiation, whereas suppression of miR-140-5p produced the opposite effect. Moreover, the expression of toll-like receptor 4 (TLR-4), a critical regulator of DPSCs, was negatively correlated with the levels of miR-140-5p. A luciferase reporter analysis confirmed that miR-140-5p could regulate TLR-4 by directly binding to the 3'-untranslated region (3'-UTR) of the TLR4 mRNA. Additionally, we suppressed TLR-4 expression by treating cells with a TLR-4 inhibitor, CLI-095, and demonstrated that the effect of the miR-140-5p inhibitor on DPSC proliferation and differentiation could be partially reversed by blocking TLR-4. Taken together, our data suggest that miR-140-5p is a novel miRNA that regulates DPSC proliferation and differentiation.
Haloquadratum walsbyi : Limited Diversity in a Global Pond

Background Haloquadratum walsbyi commonly dominates the microbial flora of hypersaline waters. Its cells are extremely fragile squares requiring >14%(w/v) salt for growth, properties that should limit its dispersal and promote geographical isolation and divergence. To assess this, the genome sequences of two isolates recovered from sites at near maximum distance on Earth, were compared. Principal Findings Both chromosomes are 3.1 MB in size, and 84% of each sequence was highly similar to the other (98.6% identity), comprising the core sequence. ORFs of this shared sequence were completely synteneic (conserved in genomic orientation and order), without inversion or rearrangement. Strain-specific insertions/deletions could be precisely mapped, often allowing the genetic events to be inferred. Many inferred deletions were associated with short direct repeats (4–20 bp). Deletion-coupled insertions are frequent, producing different sequences at identical positions. In cases where the inserted and deleted sequences are homologous, this leads to variant genes in a common synteneic background (as already described by others). Cas/CRISPR systems are present in C23T but have been lost in HBSQ001 except for a few spacer remnants. Numerous types of mobile genetic elements occur in both strains, most of which appear to be active, and with some specifically targetting others. Strain C23T carries two ∼6 kb plasmids that show similarity to halovirus His1 and to sequences nearby halovirus/plasmid gene clusters commonly found in haloarchaea. Conclusions Deletion-coupled insertions show that Hqr. walsbyi evolves by uptake and precise integration of foreign DNA, probably originating from close relatives. Change is also driven by mobile genetic elements but these do not by themselves explain the atypically low gene coding density found in this species. The remarkable genome conservation despite the presence of active systems for genome rearrangement implies both an efficient global dispersal system, and a high selective fitness for this species.
A data recomputation approach for reliability improvement of scratchpad memory in embedded systems

Scratchpad memory (SPM) is extensively used as the on-chip memory in modern embedded processors alongside of the cache memory or as its alternative. Soft errors in SPM are one of the major contributors to system failures, due to ever-increasing susceptibility of SPM cells to energetic particle strikes. Since a large fraction of soft errors occurs in the shape of Multiple-Bit Upsets (MBUs), traditional memory protection techniques, i.e., Error Correcting Code (ECCs), are not affordable for SPM protection; mainly because of their limited error coverage and/or their high overheads. This paper proposes a novel algorithm that efficiently protects SPM with high error correction capability and minimum overheads. This proposed data recomputation algorithm recomputes the correct value whenever an error is detected in the SPM. The simulation results show that the proposed algorithm significantly reduces the vulnerability of SPM from 91.7% to 8.4%. Moreover, the proposed algorithm imposes no area overhead and no hardware modification, meanwhile its performance overhead is less than 1%.
The effect of vitamin K supplementation on circulating osteocalcin (bone Gla protein) and urinary calcium excretion.

STUDY OBJECTIVE To determine whether vitamin K administration affects urinary calcium excretion in postmenopausal women. DESIGN Before- and after-trials with a 2-week treatment period. SUBJECTS Healthy postmenopausal women (55 to 75 years old) were recruited from the convents in and around Maastricht. Controls (25 to 40 years old) were healthy premenopausal volunteers. INTERVENTION Daily administration of 1 mg of vitamin K for 2 weeks. MEASUREMENTS Serum immunoreactive osteocalcin: hydroxylapatite binding (HAB) capacity of serum immunoreactive osteocalcin; excretion of calcium, hydroxyproline, and creatinine in the urine during the last 2 h of a 16-h fasting period. RESULTS In premenopausal women, no effect of vitamin K administration was seen. In the postmenopausal group, vitamin K induced increased serum immunoreactive osteocalcin concentration; normalization of the HAB capacity of serum immunoreactive osteocalcin (this marker was less than 50% that of the controls in the pretreatment samples); a decrease in urinary calcium excretion, notably in the "fast losers" of calcium; and a parallel decrease in urinary hydroxyproline excretion in the fast losers of calcium. CONCLUSIONS The serum immunoreactive osteocalcin level may vary with vitamin K status. This variance should be taken into consideration if osteocalcin is used as a marker for osteoblast activity. Vitamin K is one factor that may play a role in the loss of bone mass in postmenopausal osteoporosis.
A bidirected generalization of network matrices

We define binet matrices, which furnish a direct generalization of totally unimodular network matrices and arise from the node‐edge incidence matrices of bidirected graphs in the same way as network matrices do from directed graphs. We develop the necessary theory, give binet representations for interesting sets of matrices, characterize totally unimodular binet matrices and discuss the recognition problem. We also prove that binet constraint matrices guarantee half‐integral optimal solutions to linear programs. © 2006 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. NETWORKS, Vol. 47(4), 185–198 2006
Effective graph clustering for path queries in digital map databases

Clustering for Path Queries in Digital Map Databases * Ning Jingt Elke A. Rundensteiner Changsha Institute of Technology University of Michigan jning@eecs.umiclt. edu rtmdenst@eecs.umich. edu In this paper, we present an experimental evaluation of graph clustering strategies in terms of their effectiveness in optimizing I/O for path query processing in digital map databases. Clustering optimization is attractive because it does not incurs any run-time cost, and is complimentary to many of the existing techniques in path query optimization. We first propose a novel graph clustering technique, called Spatial Partition Clustering (SPC), that creates balanced partitions of links based on the spatial proximity of their origin nodes. We then select three alternative clustering techniques from the literature, namely two-way partitioning, approximately topological clustering, and random clustering, to compare their performance in path query processing with SPC. Experimental evahration indicates that our SPC performs the best for the high-locality graphs (such as GIS maps), whereas the two-way partitioning approach performs the best for no-locality random graphs.
Comparison of Psychological Androgyny within a Sample of Female College Athletes Who Participate in Sports Traditionally Appropriate and Traditionally Inappropriate for Competition by Females

Female participants in sports traditionally inappropriate (basketball and Softball) and traditionally appropriate (tennis and swimming) for competition by females were compared on the personality trait of psychological androgyny. 49 university female athletes were administered the Bern Sex-role Inventory anonymously. A chi-squared test and phi coefficient showed no significant difference between the categorized two sport groups on psychological androgyny. However, a t test between masculinity scores of athletes in the two sports groups showed a significant difference.
Alterations in local chromatin environment are involved in silencing and activation of subtelomeric var genes in Plasmodium falciparum

Plasmodium falciparum erythrocyte membrane protein 1 (PfEMP1), encoded by the var gene family, undergoes antigenic variation and plays an important role in chronic infection and severe malaria. Only a single var gene is transcribed per parasite, and epigenetic control mechanisms are fundamental in this strategy of mutually exclusive transcription. We show that subtelomeric upsB var gene promoters carried on episomes are silenced by default, and that promoter activation is sufficient to silence all other family members. However, they are active by default when placed downstream of a second active var promoter, underscoring the significance of local chromatin environment and nuclear compartmentalization in var promoter regulation. Native chromatin covering the SPE2‐repeat array in upsB promoters is resistant to nuclease digestion, and insertion of these regulatory elements into a heterologous promoter causes local alterations in nucleosomal organization and promoter repression. Our findings suggest a common logic underlying the transcriptional control of all var genes, and have important implications for our understanding of the epigenetic processes involved in the regulation of this major virulence gene family.
Acute Renal Failure Due to Acute Tubular Necrosis Caused by Direct Invasion of Orientia tsutsugamushi

ABSTRACT We describe a scrub typhus patient with acute renal failure for whom a diagnosis was made based on serology as well as immunohistochemical (IHC) staining and an electron microscopic examination (EM) of a renal biopsy specimen. For our case, we demonstrated by IHC staining and EM that renal failure was caused by acute tubular necrosis due to a direct invasion of Orientia tsutsugamushi.
Automated T2 relaxometry of the hippocampus for temporal lobe epilepsy

Hippocampal sclerosis (HS), the most common cause of refractory temporal lobe epilepsy, is associated with hippocampal volume loss and increased T2 signal. These can be identified on quantitative imaging with hippocampal volumetry and T2 relaxometry. Although hippocampal segmentation for volumetry has been automated, T2 relaxometry currently involves subjective and time‐consuming manual delineation of regions of interest. In this work, we develop and validate an automated technique for hippocampal T2 relaxometry.
Effects of Lower-Limb Plyometric Training on Body Composition, Explosive Strength, and Kicking Speed in Female Soccer Players

Sedano Campo, S, Vaeyens, R, Philippaerts, RM, Redondo, JC, De Benito, AM, and Cuadrado, C. Effects of lower-limb plyometric training on body composition, explosive strength, and kicking speed in female soccer players. J Strength Cond Res 23(6): 1714-1722, 2009-The aim of the present study was to examine how explosive strength, kicking speed, and body composition are affected by a 12-week plyometric training program in elite female soccer players. The hypothesis was that this program would increase the jumping ability and kicking speed and that these gains could be maintained by means of regular soccer training only. Twenty adult female players were divided into 2 groups: control group (CG, n = 10, age 23.0 ± 3.2 yr) and plyometric group (PG, n = 10; age 22.8 ± 2.1 yr). The intervention was carried out during the second part of the competitive season. Both groups performed technical and tactical training exercises and matches together. However, the CG followed the regular soccer physical conditioning program, which was replaced by a plyometric program for PG. Neither CG nor PG performed weight training. Plyometric training took place 3 days a week for 12 weeks including jumps over hurdles, drop jumps (DJ) in stands, or horizontal jumps. Body mass, body composition, countermovement jump height, DJ height, and kicking speed were measured on 4 separate occasions. The PG demonstrated significant increases (p < 0.05) in jumping ability after 6 weeks of training and in kicking speed after 12 weeks. There were no significant time × group interaction effects for body composition. It could be concluded that a 12-week plyometric program can improve explosive strength in female soccer players and that these improvements can be transferred to soccer kick performance in terms of ball speed. However, players need time to transfer these improvements in strength to the specific task. Regular soccer training can maintain the improvements from a plyometric training program for several weeks.
Acoustic communication and vocal learning in belugas (Delphinapterus leucas)

ii PREFACE. iii TABLE OF CONTENTS . iv LIST OF TABLES . vii LIST OF FIGURES. viii GLOSSARY . xi ACKNOWLEDGMENTS. xiii DEDICATION. xvi 1.GENERAL INTRODUCTION. 1 1.1 Vocal learning . 2 Mimicry and vocal learning. 6 1.2 What do we know about vocal learning in belugas? 7 1.3 What do we know about beluga social structure? 9 1.4 What do we know about the acoustic behaviour of belugas? 12 1.5 Thesis objectives and organization . 18 2.VOCAL DEVELOPMENT IN A BELUGA CALF (DELPHINAPTERUS LEUCAS). 19 2.