Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hierarchial Demand Response for Colocation Data Centers

Demand response is considered as a valuable functionality of the power grid and its potential impacts continue expanding with grid modernization. Colocation data centers (simply called colocation) are recognized as a notably promising resource for demand response due to their high power demand and remarkable potential in demand management. A major challenge of colocation demand response is the split incentive, that is, colocation operators desire demand response for financial compensation while tenants may not embrace demand response due to lack of incentives. To address this challenge, we study a hierarchical demand response scheme, where tenants within a colocation respond to the colocation operator while the operator interacts with the electric power company. We propose that twolevel marketing is suitable to this hierarchical scheme, and design a new market mechanism that results in a win-win situation for the operator and tenants. Specially, tenants who chooses to reduce power demand obtain financial rewards from the operator, while the operator receives financial compensation from the electric power company due to its tenants' demand reduction. An appealing feature of the mechanism is that it provably converges to a unique equilibrium solution. At the equilibrium, neither the operator or tenants can improve their individual economic performance by changing their own strategies. We evaluate the designed mechanism via detailed simulations and the results show the efficacy and validate the theoretical analysis for the mechanism.
Pediatric wrist buckle fractures. Should we just splint and go?

OBJECTIVES The objective of this study was to evaluate the utility of circumferential casting in the emergency department (ED), orthopedic follow-up visits, and radiographic follow-up in the management of children with wrist buckle fractures. METHODS We performed a retrospective medical record review of all children < 18 years of age who presented to our tertiary care children's hospital between July 1, 2000, and June 30, 2001, and were diagnosed with a fracture of the wrist, radius or ulna. Based on the radiology reports, we identified buckle fractures of the distal radius, the distal ulna, or both bones. We excluded children who had other types of fractures. RESULTS We identified 840 children with fractures of the wrist, radius, or ulna. Of these, 309 met our inclusion criteria. The median age of our study cohort was 9.2 years. Emergency physicians immobilized 269 of these fractures in circumferential casts; of these, 30 (11%) had cast complications. Of the 276 subjects who had orthopedic follow-up visits and radiographs, 184 (67%) had multiple visits and 127 (46%) had multiple radiographs performed. No subjects had fracture displacement identified on follow-up. CONCLUSIONS Orthopedic follow-up visits and radiographic follow-up may have minimal utility in the treatment of pediatric wrist buckle fractures. ED casting may pose more risk than benefit for these children. Splinting in the ED with primary care follow-up appears to be a reasonable management strategy for these fractures. A prospective study comparing ED splinting and casting for pediatric wrist buckle fractures is needed.
The relationship between P-wave dispersion and diastolic functions in diabetic children

Abstract Objective The aim of this study was to investigate the relations between the P-wave dispersion and diastolic functions in type 1 diabetic children. Patients A total of 33 diabetic patients without any cardiovascular disease, with a mean age of 12.3 plus or minus 4.2 years, and 29 healthy controls, with a mean age of 10.4 plus or minus 3.9 years were enrolled for this study. Left and right ventricular functions were assessed by using standard pulsed-wave Doppler echocardiography. P-wave dispersion was calculated by measuring minimum and maximum P-wave duration values on the surface electrocardiogram. Results For the diabetic patients, P-wave maximum duration and dispersion was found to be significantly increased compared with healthy controls. Likewise, mitral A velocity and A velocity time integral was significantly increased while the isovolumic contraction time was significantly higher in the diabetics. In tricuspid valve measurements, however, A velocity time integral was found to be significantly higher, whereas the deceleration time was significantly lower in the diabetics. No relation was found between the left ventricle diastolic functions and duration of diabetes, HbA1c levels and P-wave dispersion in the diabetic children. No correlation was found between the diastolic functions and P-wave minimum, maximum duration, and dispersion for all the participants. Conclusion In type-1 diabetic children, the diastolic functions of both the ventricles were observed to be affected negatively together. Diabetes might be causing the prolongation of P-wave dispersion, but there was no relationship between the diastolic functions and P-wave dispersion in the diabetic children.
JOURNAL CLUBS: Prevalence, Format, And Efficacy In PM&R

Journal clubs can play an integral part in graduate medical education. They promote critical thinking, dissemination of information, and research and impact clinical practice. Little has been written, however, about how to organize a journal club or improve its efficacy. Although numerous articles discuss how journal clubs can be used to evaluate medical literature, only a few have examined what physicians are actually doing. We surveyed all accredited PM&R program chief residents to ascertain the prevalence, format, and efficacy of PM&R residency journal clubs. All programs that responded (89%) reported having a journal club, with most stating its purpose was to disseminate information from the current literature. Review of classic articles and specialty topics (e.g., electromyography, sports medicine) was fairly uncommon. Eighty-four percent of journal clubs were department-sponsored, and most met monthly for 1 hr during the workday. Typically, four or more articles were presented under the guidance of the chief or other resident. Impacting clinical practice and teaching critical analysis were other important goals of the journal clubs, yet most (76%) lacked an organized method for critical review. This, in addition to poor faculty attendance, was a chief concern of those surveyed. Surprisingly, journal club participation was not felt to significantly alter the amount of reading residents did. Although most felt their journal clubs were successful, improving faculty participation, strengthening critical analysis skills, identifying and incorporating classic articles, improving clinical relevance, and providing a mechanism for feedback may further improve journal club efficacy and participant satisfaction.
Fat mass and fat-free mass as indicators of body composition among Bengalee Muslim children

Background: The composition of fat mass (FM) and fat-free mass (FFM) are now considered to be important indicators of body composition. Aim: This cross-sectional study determines the body composition using FM and FFM among children. Subjects and methods: The study was conducted among 1248 children (619 boys; 629 girls) aged 5–12 years and belonging to the Bengalee Muslim population of West Bengal, India. Anthropometric measurements of height, weight, triceps and sub-scapular skin-folds were recorded and body mass index (BMI) calculated. Body composition was assessed using FM and FFM. Results: The age-specific mean values of FM and FFM ranged from 1.93–3.07 kg (boys) and 1.91–3.62 kg (girls) and from 14.69–23.44 kg (boys) and 14.18–22.87 kg (girls), respectively. Statistically significant sex differences were observed in FM and FFM (p < 0.05). Age- and sex-specific smooth percentile curves were derived for BMI, FM and FFM using the L, M and S modelling approach for further evaluation of body composition. Conclusion: These findings are important for future investigations in the field and in epidemiological and clinical settings so as to accurately identify risk of lower or higher adiposity and body composition using FM and FFM.
Functional diversity of Teleost arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase‐2: is the timezyme evolution driven by habitat temperature?

Arylalkylamine N‐acetyltransferase‐2 (AANAT2) is the enzyme responsible for the rhythmic production of the time‐keeping hormone melatonin. It plays a crucial role in the synchronization of biological functions with changes in the environment. Annual and daily fluctuations in light are known to be key environmental factors involved in such synchronization. Previous studies have demonstrated that AANAT2 activity is also markedly influenced by temperature but the mechanisms through which it impacts the enzyme activity need to be further deciphered. We investigated AANAT2 primary to tertiary structures (3D models) and kinetics in relation to temperature for a variety of Teleost species from tropical to Arctic environments. The results extend our knowledge on the catalytic mechanisms of AANAT enzymes and bring strong support to the idea that AANAT2 diversification was limited by stabilizing selection conferring to the enzyme well conserved secondary and tertiary structures. Only a few changes in amino acids appeared sufficient to induce different enzyme activity patterns. It is concluded that AANAT2 evolution is mainly driven by phylogenetic relationships although catalytic properties (enzyme turnover and substrate affinity) are also under the influence of the respective species normal habitat temperature.
Further evidence for a hypothalamic site of action of atrial natriuretic factor: inhibition of prolactin secretion in the conscious rat.

The presence of atrial natriuretic factor (ANF) in the hypothalamus and pituitary gland suggests a possible neuroendocrine action of the peptide. Because ANF has been shown to alter the activity of hypothalamic neurons and to interact with brain dopamine systems, we examined the possibility that it might be involved in the hypothalamic control of prolactin (PRL) and thyroid-stimulating hormone (TSH) secretion. Neither basal not stimulated release of PRL or TSH from cultured dispersed anterior pituitary cells was altered by doses of ANF ranging from 10(-11) to 10(-6) M. Similarly, the in vitro inhibition of PRL release by dopamine was not affected by the presence of ANF (10(-7) M). Plasma levels of PRL and TSH in conscious male rats infused for 30 min with 0.01 or 0.1 microgram ANF-kg-1.min-1 did not differ significantly from those present in saline infused controls. Third-cerebroventricular injection of saline (2 microL) or saline plus ANF (0.02, 0.1, 1.0, or 2.0 nmol) did not significantly alter TSH secretion; however, injection of the two highest doses of ANF resulted in significant inhibition of PRL release. Levels of PRL remained significantly reduced for 90 min after injection of 2 nmol ANF. The results indicate that ANF can act centrally to alter the release of neural factors responsible for the hypothalamic control of lactotroph function.
Temporal Expression of Alpha–Smooth Muscle Actin and Drebrin in Septal Interstitial Cells during Alveolar Maturation

In rat lung, the definitive alveoli are established during development by the outgrowth of secondary septa from the primary septa present in newborn; however, the mechanism of alveolar formation has not yet been fully clarified. In this study, we characterize the septal interstitial cells in developing alveoli. During the perinatal period, alpha-SMA–containing slender cells were found in the primitive alveolar septa. Alpha-SMA–containing cells were detected at the tips of the septa until postnatal day 21, when the alveolar formation was almost completed, but disappeared in adult. Immunoelectron microscopy demonstrated that alpha-SMA is localized mainly in the cellular protrusions, which are connected with the elastic fibers around the interstitial cells. Developmentally regulated brain protein (drebrin) is also located in the cell extensions containing alpha-SMA in immature alveolar interstitial cells. In adult lung, alpha-SMA–positive cells are located only at the alveolar ducts but are not found in the secondary septa. Desmin is expressed only in alpha-SMA–containing cells at the alveolar ducts but not in those at the tip of alveolar septa. These results suggest that a part of the septal interstitial cells are temporarily alpha-SMA– and drebrin-positive during maturation. Alpha-SMA– and drebrin-containing septal interstitial cells (termed septal myofibroblast-like cells) may play an important role in alveolar formation.
Activity of Dalbavancin Tested against Staphylococcus spp. and β-Hemolytic Streptococcus spp. Isolated from 52 Geographically Diverse Medical Centers in the United States

ABSTRACT Dalbavancin is a lipoglycopeptide antimicrobial agent with a potency significantly better than that of vancomycin when tested against staphylococci and streptococci. These two pathogens are common causes of skin and skin structure infections (SSSIs), and dalbavancin has been approved for the treatment of moderate to severe SSSIs. This study generated susceptibility data for staphylococci and β-hemolytic streptococci from 52 U.S. medical centers that locally tested dalbavancin, vancomycin, and other antimicrobial class representatives to assess the potency of dalbavancin and the overall contemporary activities of commonly prescribed agents. Locally generated data showed that oxacillin-resistant staphylococci (57.0% overall) had slightly higher dalbavancin MIC90 values (0.19 μg/ml) than oxacillin-susceptible strains (0.125 μg/ml). This potency was 8- to 16-fold greater than that for vancomycin. β-Hemolytic streptococci had MIC90 values ranging between ≤0.016 and 0.064 μg/ml (highest for group B isolates). Levofloxacin, gentamicin, and tetracycline were active against oxacillin-susceptible staphylococci (82 to 99% susceptible), with lower susceptibility rates seen for the oxacillin-resistant strains. Linezolid coverage was >98% against staphylococci. Erythromycin resistance was high for staphylococci (30.6 to 94.1%) with inducible clindamycin resistance rates of 26.0% and 55.0% for oxacillin-susceptible and -resistant Staphylococcus aureus, respectively. β-Hemolytic streptococci had a 20.2% erythromycin resistance rate and a 60% inducible clindamycin resistance rate but were highly susceptible to other tested agents. Etest reading errors were apparent and skewed results towards slightly higher dalbavancin MICs, requiring further education on how to interpret Etest method results for this compound. Current disk diffusion breakpoint criteria for oxacillin susceptibility for S. aureus showed a very-major-error rate of 2.3% and only a 0.9% minor-error rate when cefoxitin was used to predict oxacillin susceptibility. Dalbavancin demonstrated excellent potency and activity (100% susceptibility at proposed breakpoints) against common causes of SSSI pathogens in this U.S. multicenter study sample.
A general equilibrium analysis of the Eaton and Kortum (2002) trade model

This thesis examines the national welfare consequences of trade liberalization, in the form of changes to import tariff rates, within the Eaton and Kortum (2002) trade model, a 2-sector Ricardian trade model with a novel stochastic specification of national productivity. We first provide a thorough characterization of the general equilibria found in both the mobile labor and immobile labor variants of the Eaton and Kortum (2002) trade model, followed by proofs of the existence and uniqueness of these equilibria. Given the multiple sectors of trade specified in Eaton and Kortum (2002), it is possible for countries to experience trade surpluses in one particular sector of trade, so long as they are balanced by deficits in the other sectors. Welfare consequences of sector specific trade liberalization measures depends on the sectoral trade balance. This thesis provides a characterization of the pattern of national trade balances in the Eaton and Kortum (2002) trade model, and demonstrates that when some regularity conditions are met, countries can be totally ordered by the number of other countries with which they enjoy trade surpluses. Having established the features of the general equilibrium of the Eaton and Kortum trade model, the thesis next examines how the establishment of preferential trade agreements influences national welfare within the context of the model. We do so by consider the elemental case of a country unilaterally changing the tariff rate imposed on imports from some other country, and mathematically describe the amplification process that propogates, via trade in intermediate goods, the initial price shock resulting from the unilateral tariff change to the rest of the world. It was found that in the mobile labor variant of the Eaton and Kortum (2002) model, any country increasing import tariff rates would increase prices in every country, causing all countries to substitute away from imports towards domestic suppliers. Furthermore, global free trade agreements would not be stable within this context, as every country has an incentive to unilaterally deviate from such arrangements by imposing import tariffs. It was also found that rules punishing such unilateral deviations by allowing punitive import tariffs to be imposed against the offending country would be ineffective in removing the incentives for deviation.
Hyalinizing Trabecular Tumors of the Thyroid: A Variant of Papillary Carcinoma?: On: RET/PTC activation in hyalinizing trabecular tumors of the thyroid. Papotti M, Volante M, Giuliano A, et al. Am J Surg Pathol 2000; 24: 1615–1621.

Ret proto-oncogene rearrangements are common in papillary thyroid carcinoma. The relationship of hyalinizing trabecular tumors (HTT) to papillary thyroid carcinoma (PTC) was analyzed in a recent report in which the presence of RET rearrangements was detected by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction (RT-PCR) and immunohistochemistry in several HTT. This commentary examines this report and related studies in the literature emphasizing the limitations of these approaches and the practical implications of these findings.
Testosterone promotes paternal behaviour in a monogamous mammal via conversion to oestrogen

Although high testosterone (T) levels inhibit paternal behaviour in birds breeding in temperate zones many paternal mammals have a very different breeding biology, characterized by a post-partum oestrus. In species with post-partum oestrus, males may engage in T-dependent behaviours such as aggression and copulation simultaneously with paternal behaviour. We previously found that T promotes paternal behaviour in the California mouse, Peromyscus californicus. We examine whether this effect is mediated by the conversion of T to oestradiol (E2) by aromatase. In the first experiment, gonadectomized males treated with T or E2 implants showed higher levels of huddling and pup grooming behaviour than gonadectomized males treated with dihydrotestosterone or empty implants. In the second experiment, we used an aromatase inhibitor (fadrozole) (FAD) to confirm these results. Gonadectomized males treated with T + vehicle or E2 + FAD showed higher levels of huddling and pup grooming behaviour than gonadectomized males treated with T + FAD or empty implants. Although E2 is known to promote the onset of maternal behaviour to our knowledge our results are the first to demonstrate that E2 can promote paternal behaviour in a paternal mammal. These results may explain how mammals express paternal behaviour while T levels are elevated.
Topology Control Schema for Better QoS in Hybrid RF/FSO Mesh Networks

The practical limitations and challenges of radio frequency (RF) based communication networks have become increasingly apparent over the past decade, leading researchers to seek new hybrid communication approaches. One promising strategy that has been the subject of considerable interest is the augmentation of RF technology by Free Space Optics (FSO), using the strength of each communication technology to overcome the limitations of the other. In this article, we introduce a new scheme for controlling the topology in hybrid Radio-Frequency/Free Space Optics (RF/FSO) wireless mesh networks. Our scheme is based on adaptive adjustments to both transmission power (of RF and FSO transmitters) and the optical beam-width (of FSO transmitters) at individual nodes, with the objective of meeting specified Quality of Service (QoS) requirements, specifically end-to-end delay and throughput. We show how one can effectively encode the instantaneous objectives and constraints of the system as an instance of Integer Linear Programming (ILP). We demonstrate that the technique of Lagrangian Relaxation (LR), augmented with iterative repair heuristics, can be used to determine good (albeit sub-optimal) solutions for the ILP problem, making the approach feasible for mid-sized networks. We make the proposed scheme viable for large-scale networks in terms of number of nodes, number of transceivers, and number of source-destination pairs by solving the ILP problem using a Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) implementation.
Flashover performance of ice-covered post insulators with booster sheds using experiments and partial arc modeling

The main objective of this paper is to present a new analysis, founded on partial arc activities, for evaluating the flashover performance of EHV post station insulators equipped with booster shed (BS) under heavy icing conditions. Based on observations from ordinary and high-speed cameras, novel discussions on partial arc characteristics, ice-free leakage distances, and flashover arc path were presented. Moreover, innovative axisymmetric simulations of partial arcs were implemented by using COMSOL Multiphysics™ in order to calculate their effects on potential distributions during the flashover process of the 4-, 5-, and 6-BS configurations. Simulation results of the BS configurations showed a redistribution of voltage drops along the air gaps after the appearance of the partial arc along the first air gap. This redistribution of voltage drop leads to the occurrence of partial arcs along the other air gaps which may somewhat explain occurrence of the flashover. The presented experimental and simulation studies can provide better designs for practical application of booster sheds.