Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Community Energy Storage for Neutral Voltage Rise Mitigation in Four-Wire Multigrounded LV Feeders With Unbalanced Solar PV Allocation

The traditional neutral voltage problem in low-voltage (LV) four-wire multigrounded distribution networks can be aggravated due to an unbalanced allocation of one-phase photovoltaic (PV) units. Inherent limitations restrict the performance of the traditional strategies to mitigate the combined effect of load and PV unbalance. To overcome the shortcoming of traditional approaches, a new dynamic mitigation approach using community energy storage (CES) is proposed in this paper. A power balancing algorithm is developed to perform the balancing operation while minimizing power drawn from the CES. A charge/discharge control strategy is developed that will continuously balance and dynamically adjust the power exchange with the grid in a real time, and mitigate the neutral current and neutral voltage rise. To investigate the applicability of the proposed approach under physical time delays associated with battery and PV systems, a suitable dynamic model is developed. An Australian LV distribution system is used to verify the proposed approach under daylong variations of load and PV, and also during short-term variations of PV output caused by cloud passing.
Early-Life Stress Affects Stress-Related Prefrontal Dopamine Activity in Healthy Adults, but Not in Individuals with Psychotic Disorder

Early life stress may have a lasting impact on the developmental programming of the dopamine (DA) system implicated in psychosis. Early adversity could promote resilience by calibrating the prefrontal stress-regulatory dopaminergic neurotransmission to improve the individual’s fit with the predicted stressful environment. Aberrant reactivity to such match between proximal and distal environments may, however, enhance psychosis disease risk. We explored the combined effects of childhood adversity and adult stress by exposing 12 unmedicated individuals with a diagnosis of non-affective psychotic disorder (NAPD) and 12 healthy controls (HC) to psychosocial stress during an [18F]fallypride positron emission tomography. Childhood trauma divided into early (ages 0–11 years) and late (12–18 years) was assessed retrospectively using a questionnaire. A significant group x childhood trauma interaction on the spatial extent of stress-related [18F]fallypride displacement was observed in the mPFC for early (b = -8.45, t(1,23) = -3.35, p = . 004) and late childhood trauma (b = -7.86, t(1,23) = -2.48, p = . 023). In healthy individuals, the spatial extent of mPFC DA activity under acute psychosocial stress was positively associated with the severity of early (b = 7.23, t(11) = 3.06, p = . 016) as well as late childhood trauma (b = -7.86, t(1,23) = -2.48, p = . 023). Additionally, a trend-level main effect of early childhood trauma on subjective stress response emerged within this group (b = -.7, t(11) = -2, p = . 07), where higher early trauma correlated with lower subjective stress response to the task. In the NAPD group, childhood trauma was not associated with the spatial extent of the tracer displacement in mPFC (b = -1.22, t(11) = -0.67), nor was there a main effect of trauma on the subjective perception of stress within this group (b = .004, t(11) = . 01, p = . 99). These findings reveal a potential mechanism of neuroadaptation of prefrontal DA transmission to early life stress and suggest its role in resilience and vulnerability to psychosis.
Radial artery tonometry demonstrates arterial stiffness in children with type 1 diabetes.

OBJECTIVE To determine if children with type 1 diabetes have increased arterial stiffness by estimating augmentation index with the simple noninvasive technique of radial artery tonometry. RESEARCH DESIGN AND METHODS We studied 98 type 1 diabetic children and 57 healthy control subjects, ages 10-18 years, matched for age, sex, race, and BMI, generating 43 matched pairs. Radial artery tonometry was performed, and blood was collected for analysis of fasting lipids, HbA1c, glucose, and cytokines in all children. RESULTS Children with diabetes had a significantly higher augmentation index corrected to a heart rate of 75 (AI75) than their matched control subjects. Mean AI75 in type 1 diabetic subjects was 1.11 +/- 10.15 versus -3.32 +/- 10.36 in control subjects. The case-control difference was 5.20 +/- 11.02 (P=0.0031). CONCLUSIONS Children with type 1 diabetes have increased arterial stiffness compared with healthy control subjects. Radial artery tonometry is a simple noninvasive technique that could be added to the armamentarium of tests used to provide cardiovascular risk stratification in children with type 1 diabetes.
Quality control of recycled aggregates (RAs) from construction and demolition waste (CDW)

Various studies have shown that recycled aggregate (RA) can be used to make new concrete. However, in the same way as with natural aggregate (NA), RA also needs to be assessed in terms of grain-size distribution, absorption, abrasion, etc., for it to comply with national standards. In order to evaluate the use of RA, standards and guidelines from 16 countries have been analyzed and compared to determine the most important quality criteria for the physical and mechanical properties of concrete. The results of this analysis have led to the proposal of the set of recommendations included in this chapter.
High Reinforcing Efficacy of Nicotine in Non-Human Primates

Although tobacco appears highly addictive in humans, there has been persistent controversy about the ability of its psychoactive ingredient nicotine to induce self-administration behavior in laboratory animals, bringing into question nicotine's role in reinforcing tobacco smoking. Because of ethical difficulties in inducing nicotine dependence in naïve human subjects, we explored reinforcing effects of nicotine in experimentally-naive non-human primates given access to nicotine for periods of time up to two years. Five squirrel monkeys with no experimental history were allowed to intravenously self-administer nicotine by pressing one of two levers. The number of presses on the active lever needed to obtain each injection was fixed (fixed-ratio schedule) or increased progressively with successive injections during the session (progressive-ratio schedule), allowing evaluation of both reinforcing and motivational effects of nicotine under conditions of increasing response cost. Over time, a progressive shift toward high rates of responding on the active lever, but not the inactive lever, developed. The monkeys' behavior was clearly directed toward nicotine self-administration, rather than presentation of environmental stimuli associated with nicotine injection. Both schedules of reinforcement revealed a high motivation to self-administer nicotine, with monkeys continuing to press the lever when up to 600 lever-presses were needed for each injection of nicotine. Thus, nicotine, by itself, in the absence of behavioral or drug-exposure history, is a robust and highly effective reinforcer of drug-taking behavior in a non-human primate model predictive of human behavior. This supports the use of nicotinic ligands for the treatment of smokers, and this novel preclinical model offers opportunities to test future medications for the treatment of nicotine dependence.
Time to Treatment and Patient Outcomes among TB Suspects Screened by a Single Point-of-Care Xpert MTB/RIF at a Primary Care Clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa

Introduction In December 2010, the World Health Organization recommended a single Xpert MTB/RIF assay as the initial diagnostic in people suspected of HIV-associated or drug resistant tuberculosis. Few data are available on the impact of this recommendation on patient outcomes. We describe the diagnostic follow-up, clinical characteristics and outcomes of a cohort of tuberculosis suspects screened using a single point-of-care Xpert. Methods Consecutive tuberculosis suspects at a primary care clinic in Johannesburg, South Africa were assessed for tuberculosis using point-of-care Xpert. Sputum smear microscopy and liquid culture were performed as reference standards. Xpert-negatives were evaluated clinically, and further assessed at the discretion of clinicians. Participants were followed for six months. Results From July-September 2011, 641 tuberculosis suspects were enrolled, of whom 69% were HIV-infected. Eight percent were positive by a single Xpert. Among 116 individuals diagnosed with TB, 66 (57%) were Xpert negative, of which 44 (67%) were empirical or radiological diagnoses and 22 (33%) were Xpert negative/culture-positive. The median time to tuberculosis treatment was 0 days (IQR: 0–0) for Xpert positives, 14 days (IQR: 5–35) for those diagnosed empirically, 14 days (IQR: 7–29) for radiological diagnoses, and 144 days (IQR: 28–180) for culture positives. Xpert negative tuberculosis cases were clinically similar to Xpert positives, including HIV status and CD4 count, and had similar treatment outcomes including mortality and time to antiretroviral treatment initiation. Conclusions In a high HIV-burden setting, a single Xpert identified less than half of those started on tuberculosis treatment, highlighting the complexity of TB diagnosis even in the Xpert era. Xpert at point-of-care resulted in same day treatment initiation in Xpert-positives, but had no impact on tuberculosis treatment outcomes or mortality.
The Neural Correlates of Empathy: Experience, Automaticity, and Prosocial Behavior

Empathy is a critical aspect of human emotion that influences the behavior of individuals as well as the functioning of society. Although empathy is fundamentally a subjective experience, no studies have yet examined the neural correlates of the self-reported experience of empathy. Furthermore, although behavioral research has linked empathy to prosocial behavior, no work has yet connected empathy-related neural activity to everyday, real-world helping behavior. Lastly, the widespread assumption that empathy is an automatic experience remains largely untested. It is also unknown whether differences in trait empathy reflect either variability in the automaticity of empathic responses or the capacity to feel empathy. In this study, 32 participants completed a diary study of helping behavior followed by an fMRI session, assessing empathic responses to sad images under three conditions: watching naturally, under cognitive load, and while empathizing. Across conditions, higher levels of self-reported experienced empathy were associated with greater activity in medial PFC (MPFC). Activity in MPFC was also correlated with daily helping behavior. Self-report of empathic experience and activity in empathy-related areas, notably MPFC, were higher in the empathize condition than in the load condition, suggesting that empathy is not a fully automatic experience. Additionally, high trait empathy participants displayed greater experienced empathy and stronger MPFC responses than low trait empathy individuals under cognitive load, suggesting that empathy is more automatic for individuals high in trait empathy. These results underline the critical role that MPFC plays in the instantiation of empathic experience and consequent behavior.
Accurate Measurement and Characterization of Organic Solar Cells

Methods to accurately measure the current–voltage characteristics of organic solar cells under standard reporting conditions are presented. Four types of organic test cells and two types of silicon reference cells (unfiltered and with a KG5 color filter) are selected to calculate spectral‐mismatch factors for different test‐cell/reference‐cell combinations. The test devices include both polymer/fullerene‐based bulk‐heterojunction solar cells and small‐molecule‐based heterojunction solar cells. The spectral responsivities of test cells are measured as per American Society for Testing and Materials Standard E1021, and their dependence on light‐bias intensity is reported. The current–voltage curves are measured under 100 mW cm–2 standard AM 1.5 G (AM: air mass) spectrum (International Electrotechnical Commission 69094‐1) generated from a source set with a reference cell and corrected for spectral error.
Reactive Muller Glia as Potential Retinal Progenitors

Regenerative medicine has become a driving force in the treatment of disease and injury over the last decade [1]. This is due to the accumulation of knowledge in several key areas; 1) the mechanisms of disease processes, 2) creation of stem cells/induced pluripotent stem cells that might be used for therapeutic purposes, and 3) factors that are necessary for the proper differentiation of specific cell types. In any tissue, it might be possible to regenerate lost cells from exogenous stem cells, endogenous stem or progenitor cells, or endogenous cells that can dedifferentiate, proliferate and re-differentiate. Several endogenous populations of cells localized to the eye have been shown to be capable of replacing some or all retinal cell types in various species; 1) an endogenous population of progenitor cells in the periphery of the eye referred to as the ciliary marginal zone (CMZ), 2) the retinal pigmented epithelium, 3) nonpigmented cells adjacent to peripheral retina, 4) NG2+ glial progenitors of the optic nerve, and finally 5) Müller glia of the retina [2]. This chapter will focus specifically on the responsiveness of Müller glia to disease or injury to the retina with a special emphasis on signals that have been shown to lead to the injury response and changes to the extracellular matrix that play a role in dedifferentiation and proliferation.
Investigation of Moisture Transport Properties of Knitted Materials Intended for Warm Underwear

Baltusnikaitė J, Abraitienė A, Stygienė L, Krauledas S, Rubežienė V, Varnaitė-Žuravliova S. Investigation of Moisture Transport Properties of Knitted Materials Intended for Warm Underwear. FIBRES & TEXTILES in Eastern Europe 2014; 22, 4(106): 93-100. Investigation of Moisture Transport Properties of Knitted Materials Intended for Warm Underwear Julija Baltusnikaitė, Ausra Abraitienė, Laimutė Stygienė, Sigitas Krauledas, Vitalija Rubežienė, Sandra Varnaitė-Žuravliova
High fat diet mouse model in the study of nonalcoholic fatty liver disease and hepatocellular carcinoma

Nonalcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) is considered the hepatic manifestation of metabolic syndrome and is characterized by excessive triglyceride (TG) accumulation in the absence of “significant” alcohol consumption and is closely associated with metabolic dysregulation such as obesity, diabetes, hyperlipidemia, and cardiovascular disease. NAFLD is composed of a spectrum of liver pathology ranging from simple steatosis to nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH), which has been identified as an important risk factor for the development of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) and cirrhosis. Long-term high-fat (HF) diet consumption is one of the risk factors of NAFLD and feeding HF diet is widely used to produce hepatic steatosis and NASH in experimental animals. In this review, we focused on the current application of HF diet mouse model on the study of NAFLD/NASH and HCC.
Monetary policy and defaults in the US DIW

This paper uses a structural VAR model to study the effect of monetary policy on the delinquency rate of business loans and consumer credit. The VAR is identified using at the same time several external instruments, which cover different approaches from the literature. Delinquency rates, defined as the rate of loans whose repayment is overdue for more than a month relative to total loans, are found to decrease in response to a monetary expansion. The results are consistent with a general equilibrium effect formalized in the paper using a standard model of optimal defaults. According to the model, the decrease in defaults is driven by the fact that monetary expansions increase aggregate demand and push up profits and income, thereby improving the repayment possibility of borrowers.
Non-monotonic robust H2 fuzzy observer-based control for discrete time nonlinear systems with parametric uncertainties

A non-monotonic Lyapunov function (NMLF) is deployed to design a robust H2 fuzzy observer-based control problem for discrete-time nonlinear systems in the presence of parametric uncertainties. The uncertain nonlinear system is presented as a Takagi and Sugeno (T–S) fuzzy model with norm-bounded uncertainties. The states of the fuzzy system are estimated by a fuzzy observer and the control design is established based on a parallel distributed compensation scheme. In order to derive a sufficient condition to establish the global asymptotic stability of the proposed closed-loop fuzzy system, an NMLF is adopted and an upper bound on the quadratic cost function is provided. The existence of a robust H2 fuzzy observer-based controller is expressed as a sufficient condition in the form of linear matrix inequalities (LMIs) and a sub-optimal fuzzy observer-based controller in the sense of cost bound minimization is obtained by utilising the aforementioned LMI optimisation techniques. Finally, the effectiveness of the proposed scheme is shown through an example.
The NextGen Study: patient motivation for participation in genome sequencing for carrier status

While translational genomic sequencing research is increasing, few studies have been limited to healthy individuals; most have focused on patients with a disease or a strong family history of a disorder. The limited studies that have included healthy individuals have focused on the disclosure of medically actionable secondary results, rather than carrier status, to assess reproductive risks. To address this important gap, we conducted the NextGen study, which focuses on carrier status and medically actionable secondary findings in a population of women planning a pregnancy.
Both Complement and IgG Fc Receptors Are Required for Development of Attenuated Antiglomerular Basement Membrane Nephritis in Mice1

To elucidate the mechanisms of glomerulonephritis, including Goodpasture’s syndrome, mouse models are used that use heterologous Abs against the glomerular basement membrane (GBM) with or without preimmunization with foreign IgG from the same species. These studies have revealed the requirement of either FcγR or complement, depending on the experimental model used. In this study, we provide evidence that both FcγR and complement are obligatory for a full-blown inflammation in a novel attenuated passive model of anti-GBM disease. We demonstrate that administration of subnephritogenic doses of rabbit anti-GBM Abs followed by a fixed dose of mouse mAbs to rabbit IgG, allowing timing and dosing for the induction of glomerulonephritis, resulted in reproducible complement activation via the classical pathway of complement and albuminuria in wild-type mice. Because albuminuria was absent in FcR-γ-chain−/− mice and reduced in C3−/− mice, a role for both FcγR and complement is postulated. Because C1q−/− and C4−/− mice lacking a functional classical and lectin pathway did develop albuminuria, we suggest involvement of the alternative pathway of complement. Anti-GBM glomerulonephritis occurs acutely following the administration of mouse anti-rabbit IgG, and proceeds in a chronic fashion dependent on both FcγR and complement. This novel attenuated model allows elucidating the relative contribution of different mediator systems of the immune system to the development of renal injury, and also provides a platform for the assessment of different treatment protocols and evaluation of drugs that ultimately may be beneficial for the treatment of anti-GBM mediated glomerulonephritides.
Extruded Starch/PVA Composites: Water Resistance, Thermal Properties, and Morphology

Poor processability and strong hydrophilicity are the main disadvantages of starch/PVA (SP) composites. Thermoplastic SP composites are prepared by a single-screw extruder in this study. The influence of the formulation on the hydrophilicity of SP composites is studied by an orthogonal array and the analysis of variance (ANOVA). The results of ANOVA show that the water absorption (WA) of the SP composites with increasing amount of starch, but glycerol and citric acid (CA) are useful in decreasing the WA of the SP composites. Some interactions between the factors occur, the most important one being the interaction between WCA and WB. When the content of PVA is <30%, it shows good compatibility with starch, but the starch granules coalesce significantly according to the thermal analysis and SEM analysis. Increasing the amount of CA and borax can improve the mechanical properties of SP composites and decrease the WA of SP composites by cross-linking starch and PVA.
Identification of Guanylyl Cyclases That Function in Thermosensory Neurons of Caenorhabditis elegans

The nematode Caenorhabditis elegans senses temperature primarily via the AFD thermosensory neurons in the head. The response to temperature can be observed as a behavior called thermotaxis on thermal gradients. It has been shown that a cyclic nucleotide-gated ion channel (CNG channel) plays a critical role in thermosensation in AFD. To further identify the thermosensory mechanisms in AFD, we attempted to identify components that function upstream of the CNG channel by a reverse genetic approach. Genetic and behavioral analyses showed that three members of a subfamily of gcy genes (gcy-8, gcy-18, and gcy-23) encoding guanylyl cyclases were essential for thermotaxis in C. elegans. Promoters of each gene drove reporter gene expression exclusively in the AFD neurons and, moreover, tagged proteins were localized to the sensory endings of AFD. Single mutants of each gcy gene showed almost normal thermotaxis. However, animals carrying double and triple mutations in these genes showed defective thermotaxis behavior. The abnormal phenotype of the gcy triple mutants was rescued by expression of any one of the three GCY proteins in the AFD neurons. These results suggest that three guanylyl cyclases function redundantly in the AFD neurons to mediate thermosensation by C. elegans.
Complications of the treatment of malignant external otitis

Malignant external otitis is an aggressive, potentially lethal infection of the temporal bone, the treatment of which is often fraught with complications. Among the reasons for these complications are the difficulty in assessing the extent of this disease, the uncertainty in determining the point at which treatment can be terminated, the toxic nature of the antibiotics used, and the technical difficulty of performing any surgery on the infected tissues. In those patients who receive inadequate initial therapy, the further extension of the disease itself represents a complication of treatment.