Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Space-Vector PWM-Based Voltage-Balancing Approach With Reduced Current Sensors for Modular Multilevel Converter

Arm voltage and submodule (SM) capacitor voltage balancing is a key factor for the safe and reliable operation of modular multilevel converters (MMCs). The arm voltage balancing is achieved through a zero-sequence voltage controller in carrier pulse-width modulation (CPWM). In this study, a dual space-vector pulse-width modulation (SVPWM) technique is proposed for an MMC, which eliminates the external controller for arm voltage balancing. In this approach, the three-phase top and bottom arms are independently controlled using SVPWM. In addition, the capacitor voltage balancing can be achieved using redundant switching vectors. However, this will increase the computational load on the space-vector modulator. Therefore, an external capacitor voltage-balancing approach is proposed to minimize the computational complexity. The proposed approach uses the direction of load current instead of the arm current in SM selection process. As such, the required number of current sensors is reduced to 50% in a three-phase system. The proposed modulation and voltage-balancing approach are simulated and experimentally verified on the MMC system with three-level flying capacitor (3L-FC) SMs. Simulation and experimental results show the successful balancing of the arm voltage and SM capacitors voltage.
Conservation Genetics of an Endangered Lady’s Slipper Orchid: Cypripedium japonicum in China

Knowledge about the population genetic variation of the endangered orchid, Cypripedium japonicum, is conducive to the development of conservation strategies. Here, we examined the levels and partitioning of inter-simple sequence repeat (ISSR) diversity (109 loci) in five populations of this orchid to gain insight into its genetic variation and population structure in Eastern and Central China. It harbored considerably lower levels of genetic diversity both at the population (percentage of polymorphic loci (PPL) = 11.19%, Nei’s gene diversity (H) = 0.0416 and Shannon’s information index (I) = 0.0613) and species level (PPL = 38.53%, H = 0.1273 and I = 0.1928) and a significantly higher degree of differentiation among populations (the proportion of the total variance among populations (Φpt) = 0.698) than those typical of ISSR-based studies in other orchid species. Furthermore, the Nei’s genetic distances between populations were independent of the corresponding geographical distances. Two main clusters are shown in an arithmetic average (UPGMA) dendrogram, which is in agreement with the results of principal coordinate analysis (PCoA) analysis and the STRUCTURE program. In addition, individuals within a population were more similar to each other than to those in other populations. Based on the genetic data and our field survey, the development of conservation management for this threatened orchid should include habitat protection, artificial gene flow and ex situ measures.
A novel hybrid energy storage system using the multi-source inverter

This paper introduces a new active Hybrid Energy Storage System (HESS) topology which utilizes the multi-source inverter to interconnect a battery and an ultracapacitor directly to the three-phase load without the use of any additional power electronic converters or DC/DC converters. A new control strategy has been developed which periodically switches the operating mode of the multi-source inverter at a high frequency in order to maintain smooth current sharing. A duty cycle can also be selected to bias the use of one energy storage device over another which enables control over the discharge rate of the two sources. Closed-loop control simulations for an Urban Dynamometer Driving Schedule (UDDS) with torque and speed references driving an electric machine have been performed to verify the operation principle of this novel HESS topology. The influence of the additional control parameters on the source currents and their State of Charge (SOC) has been further investigated through simulations. Moreover, experiments in open-loop control with a scaled-down prototype and a R-L load have been carried out and validated the theoretical influence of the new control on the input DC currents. By an appropriate choice of the new control parameters, the average battery current and the battery current ripple can be reduced by up to 90% and 60% respectively compared to traditional electrified powertrains that only uses a single energy source.
The effects of resistance training volume on osteosarcopenic obesity in older women

ABSTRACT The aim of this study was to analyze the effects of resistance training (RT) performed with 1 or 3 sets per exercise on osteosarcopenic obesity (OSO) syndrome parameters in older women. Sixty-two older women (68.0 ± 4.3 years, 26.8 ± 4.4 kg/m2) participated in a 12-week RT program. Participants were randomly assigned into one of the three groups: two training groups that performed either 1 set (G1S, n = 21) or 3 sets (G3S, n = 20) 3 times weekly, or a control group (CG, n = 21). Body composition was assessed by dual X-ray absorptiometry, strength was evaluated by 1 repetition maximum testing. The G3S presented significantly higher strength changes than G1S. The changes for percentage of body fat were higher for G3S compared to G1S. There was no difference in skeletal muscle mass between G3S and G1S, however both training groups displayed greater increases in this outcome compared to CG. There was no effect for bone mineral density. The overall analysis indicated higher (P < 0.05) positive changes for G3S than G1S (composed Z-score: G3S = 0.62 ± 0.40; G1S = 0.11 ± 0.48). The results suggest that a 12-week RT period is effective to improve the risk factors of OSO, and that 3 sets induce higher improvements than a single set.
Retrospective Analysis of Candida-related Conditions in Infancy and Early Childhood Caries.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to assess whether there is an association between oral thrush or other Candida-related conditions in infancy and early childhood caries (ECC) diagnosed by pediatricians. METHODS We conducted a retrospective cohort study using electronic health records from six national children's hospitals that participate in the PEDSnet research network. There were 1,012,668 children with a visit at ages one to 12 months and another visit at ages 13 to 71 months. The independent variables were diagnosis of thrush or Candida-related conditions in the first year of life, while the dependent variable was diagnosis of ECC between 13 to 71 months old. RESULTS Oral thrush detection was strongly associated with ECC, particularly between 13 and 36 months (rate ratio between 2.7 [95 percent confidence interval (95% CI) equals 2.5 to 2.9; P<. 001] and 3.0 [95% CI, equals 2.8 to 3.4; P<. 001]). A similar trend was observed with other Candida-related conditions. CONCLUSIONS Oral thrush may be a risk factor for early childhood caries.
Differential Expressions of the Alternatively Spliced Variant mRNAs of the µ Opioid Receptor Gene, OPRM1, in Brain Regions of Four Inbred Mouse Strains

The µ opioid receptor gene, OPRM1, undergoes extensive alternative pre-mRNA splicing in rodents and humans, with dozens of alternatively spliced variants of the OPRM1 gene. The present studies establish a SYBR green quantitative PCR (qPCR) assay to more accurately quantify mouse OPRM1 splice variant mRNAs. Using these qPCR assays, we examined the expression of OPRM1 splice variant mRNAs in selected brain regions of four inbred mouse strains displaying differences in µ opioid-induced tolerance and physical dependence: C56BL/6J, 129P3/J, SJL/J and SWR/J. The complete mRNA expression profiles of the OPRM1 splice variants reveal marked differences of the variant mRNA expression among the brain regions in each mouse strain, suggesting region-specific alternative splicing of the OPRM1 gene. The expression of many variants was also strain-specific, implying a genetic influence on OPRM1 alternative splicing. The expression levels of a number of the variant mRNAs in certain brain regions appear to correlate with strain sensitivities to morphine analgesia, tolerance and physical dependence in four mouse strains.
A new six-switch five-level boost-active neutral point clamped (5L-Boost-ANPC) inverter

Multilevel converters have seen an increasing popularity in the last decades, due to the increased power ratings, improved power quality, low switching losses, and reduced Electromagnetic Interference (EMI). Among them, the most popular ones are the Neutral Point Clamped (NPC) and the Flying Capacitor (FC) inverter topologies. Different derivatives of the NPC and FC are prevalent in the literature for various applications. However, the main drawback of the NPC and FC topologies is the high dc-link voltage, which has to be more than twice of the grid peak voltage for grid integration. Therefore, a front-end boost dc-dc converter is normally required before the inverter, which decreases the overall efficiency of the system. Single-stage dc-ac power converters with boost capabilities offer an interesting alternative compared to the two-stage approach. Considering this aspect, a novel 5-Level three-phase boost type inverter is introduced in this paper for general-purpose applications (e.g. rolling mills, fans, pumps, marine appliances, mining, tractions, and most prominently grid-connected renewable energy, etc.) which reduces the dc-link voltage requirement to half of the conventional 5-Level NPC, ANPC and 5-Level FC family. Whilst reducing the dc-link voltage requirement, the number of active and passive components are also reduced. The principle of operation and theoretical analysis supported by key simulation and experimental waveforms of a 1.5 kW prototype are presented to prove the concept of the proposed 5L-Boost-ANPC inverter.
Measurement and Modeling of Wireless Off-Body Propagation Characteristics Under Hospital Environment at 6–8.5 GHz

A measurement-based novel statistical path-loss model with a height-dependent factor and a body obstruction (BO) attenuation factor for off-body channel under a hospital environment at 6–8.5 GHz is proposed. The height-dependent factor is introduced to emulate different access point (AP) arrangement scenarios, and the BO factor is employed to describe the effect caused by different body-worn positions. The height-dependent path-loss exponent is validated to fluctuate from 2 to 4 with AP height increasing by employing both computer simulation and classical two-ray model theory. As further validated, the proposed model can provide more flexibility and higher accuracy compared with its existing counterparts. The presented channel model is expected to provide wireless link budget estimation and to further develop the physical layer algorithms for body-centric communication systems under hospital environments.
Spin-orbitronics : novel interactions and magnetoresistances in ultrathin magnetic films

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Abundance-dependent effects of neighbourhood dissimilarity and growth rank reversal in a neotropical forest

Why tropical forests harbour an exceptional number of species with striking differences in abundances remains an open question. We propose a theoretical framework to address this question in which rare species may have different extirpation risks depending on species ranks in tree growth and sensitivities to neighbourhood interactions. To evaluate the framework, we studied tree growth and its responses to neighbourhood dissimilarity (ND) in traits and phylogeny for 146 species in a neotropical forest. We found that tree growth was positively related to ND, and common species were more strongly affected by ND than rare species, which may help delay dominance of common species. Rare species grew more slowly at the community-wide average ND than common species. But rare species grew faster when common species tended to dominate locally, which may help reduce extirpation risk of rare species. Our study highlights that tree growth rank among species depends on their responses to neighbourhood interactions, which can be important in fostering diversity maintenance in tropical forests.
Effect of the shell material and confinement type on the conversion efficiency of core/shell quantum dot nanocrystal solar cells

In this study, the effects of the shell material and confinement type on the conversion efficiency of core/shell quantum dot nanocrystal (QDNC) solar cells have been investigated in detail. For this purpose, the conventional, i.e. original, detailed balance model, developed by Shockley and Queisser to calculate an upper limit for the conversion efficiency of silicon p–n junction solar cells, is modified in a simple and effective way to calculate the conversion efficiency of core/shell QDNC solar cells. Since the existing model relies on the gap energy () of the solar cell, it does not make an estimation about the effect of QDNC materials on the efficiency of the solar cells, and gives the same efficiency values for several QDNC solar cells with the same . The proposed modification, however, estimates a conversion efficiency in relation to the material properties and also the confinement type of the QDNCs. The results of the modified model show that, in contrast to the original one, the conversion efficiencies of different QDNC solar cells, even if they have the same , become different depending upon the confinement type and shell material of the core/shell QDNCs, and this is crucial in the design and fabrication of the new generation solar cells to predict the confinement type and also appropriate QDNC materials for better efficiency.
Internet of Things Infrastructure for Wireless Power Transfer Systems

This paper derives a state-space model of wireless power transfer (WPT) systems to be used for the purpose of state estimation and controller design considering the internet of things (IoT) communication networks. After expressing the WPT systems into a state-space linear equation, the elements of IoT, such as sensors are deployed to obtain the state information. Then, an innovative IoT based communication infrastructure is proposed for sensing, actuating, and transmitting the information to the control center. In order to know the operating condition of the WPT systems, the Kalman filter based dynamic state estimation algorithm is proposed considering the IoT infrastructure. Afterwards, the optimal controller is designed to regulate the system states. Simulation results indicate that the proposed approaches can accurately estimate and stabilise the WPT states. Therefore, the developed frameworks are valuable in designing the IoT based smart control center for WPT systems.
Zika virus infection in immunocompetent pregnant mice causes fetal damage and placental pathology in the absence of fetal infection

Zika virus (ZIKV) infection during human pregnancy may cause diverse and serious congenital defects in the developing fetus. Previous efforts to generate animal models of human ZIKV infection and clinical symptoms often involved manipulating mice to impair their Type I interferon (IFN) signaling, thereby allowing enhanced infection and vertical transmission of virus to the embryo. Here, we show that even pregnant mice competent to generate Type I IFN responses that can limit ZIKV infection nonetheless develop profound placental pathology and high frequency of fetal demise. We consistently found that maternal ZIKV exposure led to placental pathology and that ZIKV RNA levels measured in maternal, placental or embryonic tissues were not predictive of the pathological effects seen in the embryos. Placental pathology included trophoblast hyperplasia in the labyrinth, trophoblast giant cell necrosis in the junctional zone, and loss of embryonic vessels. Our findings suggest that, in this context of limited infection, placental pathology rather than embryonic/fetal viral infection may be a stronger contributor to adverse pregnancy outcomes in mice. Our finding demonstrates that in immunocompetent mice, direct viral infection of the embryo is not essential for fetal demise. Our immunologically unmanipulated pregnancy mouse model provides a consistent and easily measurable congenital abnormality readout to assess fetal outcome, and may serve as an additional model to test prophylactic and therapeutic interventions to protect the fetus during pregnancy, and for studying the mechanisms of ZIKV congenital immunopathogenesis.
Tumor suppressor BAP1 is essential for thymic development and proliferative responses of T lymphocytes

The nuclear deubiquitinase BAP1 promotes cell cycle progression and expansion in thymocytes and in peripheral T cells. Fueling T cell proliferation Previous studies on BRCA1-associated protein-1 (BAP1) have documented its importance in suppressing development of myeloid leukemia. BAP1 is a deubiquitinase (DUB) that acts on histone H2A monoubiquitinated at Lys119 (H2AK119ub), a chromatin modification associated with gene repression. Arenzana et al. report that BAP1 is essential for development of T cells in the thymus and for promoting peripheral T cell proliferation. The authors report that deletion of BAP1 impaired expression of genes associated with cell cycle progression in thymocytes and in peripheral T cells. In both cases, the effect of BAP1 deletion was dependent on the DUB activity of BAP1, calling for a closer examination of the role of H2AK119ub in T cell development and differentiation. Loss of function of the nuclear deubiquitinating enzyme BRCA1-associated protein-1 (BAP1) is associated with a wide spectrum of cancers. We report that tamoxifen-induced BAP1 deletion in adult mice resulted in severe thymic atrophy. BAP1 was critical for T cell development at several stages. In the thymus, BAP1 was required for progression through the pre–T cell receptor checkpoint. Peripheral T cells lacking BAP1 demonstrated a defect in homeostatic and antigen-driven expansion. Deletion of BAP1 resulted in suppression of E2F target genes and defects in cell cycle progression, which was dependent on the catalytic activity of BAP1, but did not require its interaction with host cell factor-1 (HCF-1). Loss of BAP1 led to increased monoubiquitination of histone H2A at Lys119 (H2AK119ub) throughout the T cell lineage, in particular in immature thymocytes, but did not alter trimethylation of histone H3 at Lys27 (H3K27me3). Deletion of BAP1 also abrogated B cell development in the bone marrow. Our findings uncover a nonredundant function for BAP1 in maintaining the lymphoid lineage.
Simulating fail-stop in asynchronous distributed systems

The fail-stop failure model appears frequently in the distributed systems literature. However, in an asynchronous distributed system, the fail-stop model cannot be implemented. In particular, it is impossible to reliably detect crash failures in an asynchronous system. In this paper, we show that it is possible to specify and implement a failure model that is indistinguishable from the fail-stop model from the point of view of any process within an asynchronous system. We give necessary conditions for a failure model to be indistinguishable from the fail-stop model, and derive lower bounds on the amount of process replication needed to implement such a failure model. We present a simple one-round protocol for implementing one such failure model, which we call simulated fail-stop. <<ETX>>
Are subjective memory complaints mandatory for the diagnosis of mild cognitive impairment?

Mild cognitive impairment (MCI) is considered to refer to a transitional zone between normal cognitive function and dementia. Many researchers have utilized a variety of criteria for defining cognitive impairment, but it remains under debate whether or not subjective memory complaints are mandatory for the diagnosis of MCI. Since subjective memory deficits may be associated with the level of awareness, it should be determined whether or not the subjects with MCI have impaired awareness. In order to clarify this issue, we examined the level of awareness of memory deficits in patients with MCI and compared with that in patients with Alzheimer’s disease (AD). We included 37 patients with mild AD, a score of 20 or above on the Mini-Mental State Examination (MMSE), and 44 patients with amnestic MCI. AD was defined from the NINCDS-ADRDA criteria for probable AD (1), and amnestic MCI was defined by an operationalization of the criteria of Petersen et al (2). Subjects have objective memory impairment, while nonmemory cognitive domains, including language, executive function, visuospatial skills, and other higher cortical functions are preserved. The unawareness of memory impairment was evaluated with a standardized questionnaire system based on the Everyday Memory Checklist (EMC) (3, 4). The EMC consisted of 13 questions concerning areas of daily life and each answer was rated as never (0 points), sometimes (1 points), usually (2 points), or always (3 points). Thus, higher scores indicate more severe impairment. The EMC scores for the patient’s own rating, the caregivers’ rating and the unawareness score, defined as the discrepancy between these (caregiver rating-patient rating), were analyzed. The reliability and validity of the EMC in amnestic patients, including AD, have been demonstrated to be acceptable (3). Values are expressed as means±SD. Statistical analysis was performed using Student’s t-test, χ test, and the MannWhitney U test. No significant differences between AD and MCI groups were found in terms of age (77.9±6.5 years vs. 78.0±5.7 years), gender (men/women, 15/22 vs. 20/24), and education
Teachers' Views on Cyberloafing and Impression Management Tactics.

The aim of this study is to identify secondary school teachers’ employed in Nevsehir central district views on impression management tactics and cyberloafing. It also aims to determine whether there is a significant relationship between their views. The study was conducted in relational screening model. On the other hand, the universe of the study consisted of 316 secondary school teachers employed in Nevsehir central district during 2015-2016 academic year. Of the participants 55,4 % were females and 44.6 % were males. 40.5 % of them had 1-10 years experience, 50 % of them had 11-20 years experience and 9.5 % had 21 and more years experience. 18 % of the participants aged between 20-30; 62.3 % of them aged between 31-40; 17.1 % aged between 41-50 and finally 2.2% were 51 and over. Considering their graduation 94.3 % had undergraduate while only 5.7 % of them had graduate degree. Data were collected through Impression Management Tactics Scale and Cyberloafing Scale. In the analysis of the data, means and standard deviations were calculated; Mann Whitney U, Kruskal Wallis H and Spearman’s Rho correlation analysis were conducted. According to results of the study, teachers apply to impression management tactics but not very frequently and the level of cyberloafing behavior was “occasionally”. A positive low level significant relationship was found between teachers’ views on impression management and cyberloafing. Keywords: Impression management, cyberloafing, teacher.