Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Synoptic Approach of Synchronous Generator on Disconnection Processes in Electric Power Systems Comprising Generator Circuit Breakers

This paper is a sequel to a study by the authors of electric power systems comprising the generator circuit-breakers (GCBs) at power plant generator terminals. A sustainable assessment of the current interruption requirements of a GCB addresses the main stresses on the generator circuit breaker, revealing that the GCB current interruption requirements are significantly higher than for the distribution network circuit breakers. Hence, generator circuit-breakers are subject to unique demanding conditions caused by specific stresses, namely: high asymmetrical fault currents resulting from high d.c. components of the fault current; greater electrical, thermal and mechanical stresses when interrupting longer arcing time faults; and important dielectric stress after the electric arc extinction caused by the transient recovery voltage (TRV). This paper extends other studies of the authors on the energetic and exergetic transformation chain at the interruption current transient process in an electric power system that comprises the generator circuit-breaker, as well as the transient recovery voltage which appears after the interruption of a short-circuit fed by the synchronous generator or by the main step-up transformer. For achieving the TRV equivalent configuration the authors applied the method of operational symmetrical components (o.s.c.), and utilized the operational impedances of the synchronous generator and of the main transformer, depending on the fault location. Modeling the transient recovery voltage of circuits emphasizes aspects with direct implications on commutation equipment. Thus, the o.s. c. method can be applied at the poles of any breaker, for any eliminated fault type, if the network configuration and elements are known. The TRV, which appears after the interruption of a short-circuit fed by the generator, may be considered like an oscillation, where the oscillation factor and the rising rate (RR) of the TRV are established by the electrical machine parameters: resistance, inductance and capacitance. Consequently, modeling of concentrated equivalent parameters of the synchronous generator at perturbations caused by current interruption transient processes is achieved in this study through an approach based on sustainability concepts. These findings allow for simulations of the transient recovery voltage and comparisons with experimental results. Key-Words: electric arc; generator circuit-breaker; sustainability, synchronous generator; transient recovery voltage
TIDALLY INDUCED BROWN DWARF AND PLANET FORMATION IN CIRCUMSTELLAR DISKS

Most stars are born in clusters and the resulting gravitational interactions between cluster members may significantly affect the evolution of circumstellar disks and therefore the formation of planets and brown dwarfs (BDs). Recent findings suggest that tidal perturbations of typical circumstellar disks due to close encounters may inhibit rather than trigger disk fragmentation and so would seem to rule out planet formation by external tidal stimuli. However, the disk models in these calculations were restricted to disk radii of 40 AU and disk masses below 0.1 M☉. Here, we show that even modest encounters can trigger fragmentation around 100 AU in the sorts of massive (∼0.5 M☉), extended (⩾100 AU) disks that are observed around young stars. Tidal perturbation alone can do this; no disk–disk collision is required. We also show that very low mass binary systems can form through the interaction of objects in the disk. In our computations, otherwise non-fragmenting massive disks, once perturbed, fragment into several objects between about 0.01 and 0.1 M☉, i.e., over the whole BD mass range. Typically, these orbit on highly eccentric orbits or are even ejected. While probably not suitable for the formation of Jupiter- or Neptune-type planets, our scenario provides a possible formation mechanism for BDs and very massive planets which, interestingly, leads to a mass distribution consistent with the canonical substellar initial mass function. As a minor outcome, a possible explanation for the origin of misaligned extrasolar planetary systems is discussed.
The effects of superovulation and reproductive aging on the epigenome of the oocyte and embryo

A societal preference of delaying maternal age at first childbirth has increased reliance on assisted reproductive technologies/therapies (ART) to conceive a child. Oocytes that have undergone physiologic aging (≥35 years for humans) are now commonly used for ART, yet evidence is building that suboptimal reproductive environments associated with aging negatively affect oocyte competence and embryo development—although the mechanisms underlying these relationship are not yet well understood. Epigenetic programming of the oocyte occurs during its growth within a follicle, so the ovarian stimulation protocols that administer exogenous hormones, as part of the first step for all ART procedures, may prevent the gamete from establishing an appropriate epigenetic state. Therefore, understanding how oocyte. Therefore, understanding how hormone stimulation and oocyte physiologic age independently and synergistically physiologic age independently and synergistically affect the epigenetic programming of these gametes, and how this may affect their developmental competence, are crucial to improved ART outcomes. Here, we review studies that measured the developmental outcomes affected by superovulation and aging, focusing on how the epigenome (i.e., global and imprinted DNA methylation, histone modifications, and epigenetic modifiers) of gametes and embryos acquired from females undergoing physiologic aging and exogenous ovarian stimulation is affected.
Acute Pain Management in the Older Person

The proportion of older people in society is growing steadily. This particular group is more likely to be admitted to hospital and a number of papers have highlighted the inadequate or inappropriate assessment and management of their pain, particularly in the perioperative period. Pain relief is possible for the majority of people. This paper aims to give an overview of the assessment and management of pain in older people.
Endoplasmic reticulum stress-induced neuronal inflammatory response and apoptosis likely plays a key role in the development of diabetic encephalopathy

We assumed that diabetic encephalopathy (DEP) may be induced by endoplasmic reticulum (ER)-mediated inflammation and apoptosis in central nervous system. To test this notion, here we investigated the neuronal ER stress and associated inflammation and apoptosis in a type 2 diabetes model induced with high-fat diet/streptozotocin in Sprague-Dawley rats. Elevated expressions of ER stress markers, including glucose-regulated protein 78 (GRP78), activating transcription factor-6 (ATF-6), X-box binding protein-1 (XBP-1), and C/EBP homologous protein, and phosphor-Jun N-terminal kinase (p-JNK) were evident in the hippocampus CA1 of diabetic rats. These changes were also accompanied with the activation of NF-κB and the increased levels of inflammatory cytokines, tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) and Interleukin-6 (IL-6). Mechanistic study with in vitro cultured hippocampus neurons exposed to high glucose (HG), which induced a diabetes-like effects, shown by increased ER stress, JNK and NF-κB activation, and inflammatory response. Inhibition of ER stress by 4-phenylbutyrate (4-PBA) or blockade of JNK activity by specific inhibitor or transfection of DN-JNK attenuated HG-induced inflammation and associated apoptosis. To validate the in vitro finding, in vivo application of 4-PBA resulted in a significant reduction of diabetes-induced neuronal ER stress, inflammation and cell death, leading to the prevention of DEP. These results suggest that diabetes-induced neuronal ER stress plays the critical role for diabetes-induced neuronal inflammation and cell death, leading to the development of DEP.
CXCL14 is a candidate biomarker for Hedgehog signalling in idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis

Background Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis (IPF) is associated with aberrant expression of developmental pathways, including Hedgehog (Hh). As Hh signalling contributes to multiple pro-fibrotic processes, Hh inhibition may represent a therapeutic option for IPF. However, no non-invasive biomarkers are available to monitor lung Hh activity. Methods We assessed gene and protein expression in IPF and control lung biopsies, mouse lung, fibroblasts stimulated in vitro with sonic hedgehog (SHh), and plasma in IPF patients versus controls, and cancer patients before and after treatment with vismodegib, a Hh inhibitor. Results Lung tissue from IPF patients exhibited significantly greater expression of Hh-related genes versus controls. The gene most significantly upregulated in both IPF lung biopsies and fibroblasts stimulated in vitro with SHh was CXCL14, which encodes a soluble secreted chemokine whose expression is inhibited in vitro by the addition of vismodegib. CXCL14 expression was induced by SHh overexpression in mouse lung. Circulating CXCL14 protein levels were significantly higher in plasma from IPF patients than controls. In cancer patients, circulating CXCL14 levels were significantly reduced upon vismodegib treatment. Conclusions CXCL14 is a systemic biomarker that could be used to identify IPF patients with increased Hh pathway activity and monitor the pharmacodynamic effects of Hh antagonist therapy in IPF. Trial registration number Post-results, NCT00968981.
Efficient Contextual Bandits in Non-stationary Worlds

Most contextual bandit algorithms minimize regret against the best fixed policy, a questionable benchmark for non-stationary environments that are ubiquitous in applications. In this work, we develop several efficient contextual bandit algorithms for non-stationary environments by equipping existing methods for i.i. d. problems with sophisticated statistical tests so as to dynamically adapt to a change in distribution. We analyze various standard notions of regret suited to non-stationary environments for these algorithms, including interval regret, switching regret, and dynamic regret. When competing with the best policy at each time, one of our algorithms achieves regret $\mathcal{O}(\sqrt{ST})$ if there are $T$ rounds with $S$ stationary periods, or more generally $\mathcal{O}(\Delta^{1/3}T^{2/3})$ where $\Delta$ is some non-stationarity measure. These results almost match the optimal guarantees achieved by an inefficient baseline that is a variant of the classic Exp4 algorithm. The dynamic regret result is also the first one for efficient and fully adversarial contextual bandit. Furthermore, while the results above require tuning a parameter based on the unknown quantity $S$ or $\Delta$, we also develop a parameter free algorithm achieving regret $\min\{S^{1/4}T^{3/4}, \Delta^{1/5}T^{4/5}\}$. This improves and generalizes the best existing result $\Delta^{0.18}T^{0.82}$ by Karnin and Anava (2016) which only holds for the two-armed bandit problem.
18F-Choline PET/MRI: The Additional Value of PET for MRI-Guided Transrectal Prostate Biopsies

We assessed the value of fusion 18F-fluoromethylcholine (18F-choline) PET/MRI for image-guided (targeted) prostate biopsies to detect significant prostate cancer (Gleason ≥ 3 + 4) compared with standard (systematic 12-core) biopsies. Methods: Within an ongoing prospective clinical trial, hybrid 18F-choline PET/CT and multiparametric 3T MRI (mpMRI) of the pelvis were performed in 36 subjects with a rising prostate-specific antigen for known (n = 15) or suspected (n = 21) prostate cancer before a prostate biopsy procedure. PET and T2-weighted MR volumes of the prostate were spatially registered using commercially available software. Biopsy targets were selected on the basis of visual appearance on MRI and graded as low, intermediate, or high risk for significant disease. Volumes of interest were defined for MR-identified lesions. 18F-choline uptake measures were obtained from the MR target and a mirrored background volume of interest. The biopsy procedure was performed after registration of real-time transrectal ultrasound with T2-weighted MR and included image-guided cores plus standard cores. Histologic results were determined from standard and targeted biopsy cores as well as prostatectomy specimens (n = 10). Results: Fifteen subjects were ultimately identified with Gleason ≥ 3 + 4 prostate cancer, of which targeted biopsy identified significantly more (n = 12) than standard biopsies (n = 5; P = 0.002). A total of 52 lesions were identified by mpMRI (19 low, 18 intermediate, 15 high risk), and mpMRI-assigned risk was a strong predictor of final pathology (area under the curve = 0.81; P < 0.001). When the mean 18F-choline target-to-background ratio was used, the addition of 18F-choline to mpMRI significantly improved the prediction of Gleason ≥ 3 + 4 cancers over mpMRI alone (area under the curve = 0.92; P < 0.001). Conclusion: Fusion PET/MRI transrectal ultrasound image registration for targeted prostate biopsies is clinically feasible and accurate. The addition of 18F-choline PET to mpMRI improves the identification of significant prostate cancer.
Hindfoot Arthritis Progression and Arthrodesis Risk After Total Ankle Replacement

Background: The purpose of this study was to assess the radiographic progression of subtalar and talonavicular degenerative joint disease in a series of patients who had undergone TAA (total ankle arthroplasty) with minimum follow-up of 5 years. Methods: TAA patient radiographs from a single institution were analyzed for peritalar arthritic changes by extrapolating the modified Kellgren Lawrence (KL) grades of the knee to the subtalar and talonavicular joints. Patients were included if they had a minimum of 5 years of follow-up. Patients who had undergone prior arthrodesis of the talonavicular or subtalar joints were excluded. A total of 140 patients with average follow-up of 6.5 years (range, 5.0-8.9 years) were included. Results: Overall, 27% of patients advanced 1 KL grade at the subtalar joint and 31% of patients increased 1 KL grade at the talonavicular joint. Furthermore, 60% and 66% of patients showed no progression in the subtalar and talonavicular joints, respectively. Two patients progressed greater than 2 KL subtalar arthritis grades and only 2 patients with talonavicular arthritis progressed to the same extent. Sixteen patients went on to require a subtalar arthrodesis compared to 2 requiring a talonavicular fusion (P < .05). Conclusion: This study suggests a moderate but nominal radiographic increase in adjacent subtalar and talonavicular arthritis over a minimum of 5 years after TAA. Future studies require a comparative control group of ankle fusion, but these data may suggest the motion preserved with an arthroplasty diminishes the stresses and compensatory motion incurred during tibiotalar arthrodesis. Level of Evidence: Level IV, retrospective case series.
In vitro bone engineering based on polycaprolactone and polycaprolactone–tricalcium phosphate composites

The filling of bone defects in load-bearing areas requires scaffolds possessing physical properties that are in the range of those of the host bone. In this report, composite scaffolds comprising medical-grade polycaprolactone and tricalcium phosphate (mPCL-TCP) (80:20), which have been designed for load-bearing applications, are characterized and compared with mPCL scaffolds, using in vitro studies. The composite scaffolds exhibited improved hydrophilicity, compressive modulus and strength. Human alveolar osteoblasts (AOs) grown on the composite achieved higher seeding efficiencies and more uniform distribution when compared with mPCL preparations alone. AOs demonstrated better proliferation, denser multilayered cell-sheets and showed earlier expression of bone matrix-related proteins on the composite than on mPCL during 28 days in vitro culture. The calcium content in the media decreased in both scaffold/cell constructs. Alkaline phosphatase activity increased significantly in mPCL matrices after osteogenic induction but no distinct change was observed in the composite. Osteocalcin expression was down-regulated by induction in the composite but was up-regulated in mPCL at both RNA and protein level. Immuno-reactive signals for osteopontin and collagen type I, in combination with mineral nodules were found to be stronger in mPCL-TCP scaffolds. We conclude that the composite scaffolds were more hydrophilic and had improved mechanical properties over mPCL scaffolds. Moreover, the primary AOs achieved better cell proliferation, and showed earlier and different matrix protein expression patterns on the composite scaffolds than on the mPCL scaffolds. Copyright © 2006 Society of Chemical Industry
Uptake of Bowel Scope (Flexible Sigmoidoscopy) Screening in the English National Programme: the first 14 months

Objective To examine uptake in the first six pilot centres of the English Bowel Scope Screening (BSS) programme, which began in early 2013 and invites adults aged 55 for a one off Flexible Sigmoidoscopy. Methods Between March 2013 and May 2014 the six pilot centres sent 21,187 invitations. Using multivariate logistic regression analysis, we examined variation in uptake by gender, socioeconomic deprivation (using the Index of Multiple Deprivation), area-based ethnic diversity (proportion of non-white residents), screening centre, and appointment time (routine: daytime vs out-of-hours: evening/weekend). Results Uptake was 43.1%. Men were more likely to attend than women (45% vs 42%; OR 1.136, 95% CI 1.076, 1.199, p < 0.001). Combining data across centres, there was a socioeconomic gradient in uptake, ranging from 33% in the most deprived to 53% in the least deprived quintile. Areas with the highest level of ethnic diversity also had lower uptake (39%) than other areas (41–47%) (all p < 0.02), but there was no gradient. Individuals offered a routine appointment were less likely to attend than those offered an out-of-hours appointment (42% vs. 44%; OR 0.931, 95% CI 0.882, 0.983, p = 0.01). Multivariate analyses confirmed independent effects of deprivation, gender, and centre, but not of ethnic diversity or appointment time. Conclusion Early indications of uptake are encouraging. Future efforts should focus on increasing public awareness of the programme and reducing socioeconomic inequalities.
Effectiveness of Hydrocolloid Dressing in Postoperative Hip and Knee Surgery: Literature Review and Our Experience

Hydrocolloid dressings are impermeable dressings that provide an optimal environment for wound healing. These dressings are very effective in healing chronic wounds but evidence regarding their use for the post-operative knee and hip surgery is scarce. Our experience shows that hydrocolloid dressing (Duoderm®) helps in preventing not only superficial surgical site infection (SSSI) but also blister formation in patients undergoing lower limb orthopaedic surgery.
DCNN and DNN based multi-modal depression recognition

In this paper, we propose an audio visual multimodal depression recognition framework composed of deep convolutional neural network (DCNN) and deep neural network (DNN) models. For each modality, corresponding feature descriptors are input into a DCNN to learn high-level global features with compact dynamic information, which are then fed into a DNN to predict the PHQ-8 score. For multi-modal depression recognition, the predicted PHQ-8 scores from each modality are integrated in a DNN for the final prediction. In addition, we propose the Histogram of Displacement Range as a novel global visual descriptor to quantify the range and speed of the facial landmarks' displacements. Experiments have been carried out on the Distress Analysis Interview Corpus-Wizard of Oz (DAIC-WOZ) dataset for the Depression Sub-challenge of the Audio-Visual Emotion Challenge (AVEC 2016), results show that the proposed multi-modal depression recognition framework obtains very promising results on both the development set and test set, which outperforms the state-of-the-art results.
A survey on trajectory clustering analysis

This paper comprehensively surveys the development of trajectory clustering. Considering the critical role of trajectory data mining in modern intelligent systems for surveillance security, abnormal behavior detection, crowd behavior analysis, and traffic control, trajectory clustering has attracted growing attention. Existing trajectory clustering methods can be grouped into three categories: unsupervised, supervised and semi-supervised algorithms. In spite of achieving a certain level of development, trajectory clustering is limited in its success by complex conditions such as application scenarios and data dimensions. This paper provides a holistic understanding and deep insight into trajectory clustering, and presents a comprehensive analysis of representative methods and promising future directions.
Is Graphology Useful in Assessing Major Depression?

This study aimed to develop a handwriting analysis protocol for assessing severe major depressive disorder, in order to evaluate whether graphological analysis could be considered an objective tool and hence if it could be useful for clinicians in their early diagnosis. We modified and improved the methodology described by Lorusso et al. by proposing different graphic indexes based both on the literature and on the observation of a preliminary sample of 13 handwritings of patients affected by major depressive disorder. Then, we recruited 80 participants, divided into two groups: clinical sample (n = 44) and control group (n = 36). We used Cohen's Kappa to evaluate the reliability of agreement among four professional graphologists and the consensus between the psychiatric assessment and the ratings given by the judges. We found satisfactory results. Using our protocol, we obtained higher values for Cohen’s Kappa as compared with Lorusso et al. The agreement among graphologists is K = . 62, while the K values for the agreement between psychiatric assessment and graphologists range between . 47 and . 60. The substantial improvements obtained in comparison with Lorusso et al. are encouraging and support further attempts.
MYO9A deficiency in motor neurons is associated with reduced neuromuscular agrin secretion

Abstract Congenital myasthenic syndromes (CMS) are a group of rare, inherited disorders characterized by compromised function of the neuromuscular junction, manifesting with fatigable muscle weakness. Mutations in MYO9A were previously identified as causative for CMS but the precise pathomechanism remained to be characterized. On the basis of the role of MYO9A as an actin-based molecular motor and as a negative regulator of RhoA, we hypothesized that loss of MYO9A may affect the neuronal cytoskeleton, leading to impaired intracellular transport. To investigate this, we used MYO9A-depleted NSC-34 cells (mouse motor neuron-derived cells), revealing altered expression of a number of cytoskeletal proteins important for neuron structure and intracellular transport. On the basis of these findings, the effect on protein transport was determined using a vesicular recycling assay which revealed impaired recycling of a neuronal growth factor receptor. In addition, an unbiased approach utilizing proteomic profiling of the secretome revealed a key role for defective intracellular transport affecting proper protein secretion in the pathophysiology of MYO9A-related CMS. This also led to the identification of agrin as being affected by the defective transport. Zebrafish with reduced MYO9A orthologue expression were treated with an artificial agrin compound, ameliorating defects in neurite extension and improving motility. In summary, loss of MYO9A affects the neuronal cytoskeleton and leads to impaired transport of proteins, including agrin, which may provide a new and unexpected treatment option.