Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributed Event-Triggered Secondary Voltage Control for Microgrids With Time Delay

We consider the distributed secondary voltage control problem for microgrids subject to delays in a connected communication topology. For each distributed generator (DG), a distributed event-triggered control law, which uses its own voltage and those of its neighbors, along with a strategy for its triggering, are designed. Under these distributed event-triggered control laws, the magnitudes of the output voltages of all DGs can be synchronized to their reference value subject to a bounded time-varying delay that can be arbitrarily large, and no Zeno behavior will occur. The simulation results illustrate the theoretical conclusions.
Withstanding shock loads in activated sludge treatment by pre‐exposure to low H2S concentrations

Abstract An activated sludge pilot plant was used to acclimatise sludge to a low dose of H2S gas. Sludge samples from different types of treatment works were compared with acclimatised and unacclimatised sludges using batch absorption tests. The effects of sludge source and acclimatisation on the ability of the sludge to withstand shock loads of 50 ml l−1 H2S were evaluated. Sludge that had been acclimatised to 5 ml l−1 H2S in the air supply removed 70% of a 50 ml l−1 load in a batch reactor after three sludge ages of acclimatsation. Pre‐exposure to low H2S concentrations enabled the bacterial community to maintain a sufficient sulphide‐degrading population to retain acclimatisation and degrade subsequent high loads which are toxic to unacclimatised sludge. Acclimatisation to H2S is therefore mainly an effect of selection pressure on the mixed bacterial population, which suggests that the H2S removal capacity of different types of activated sludge will converge after acclimatisation, irrespective of their initial degradative abilities
Physiological and Bifidogenic Effects of Prebiotic Supplements in Infant Formulae

Objectives:This randomized controlled trial involving 110 healthy neonates studied physiological and bifidogenic effects of galactooligosaccharides (GOS), oligofructose, and long-chain inulin (fructooligosaccharides, FOS) in formula. Methods:Subjects were randomized to Orafti Synergy1 (50 oligofructose:50 FOS) 0.4 g/dL or 0.8 g/dL, GOS:FOS (90:10) 0.8 g/dL, or a standard formula according to Good Clinical Practice guidelines. A breast-fed group was included for comparison. Outcome parameters were weight, length, intake, stool characteristics, crying, regurgitation, vomiting, adverse events, and fecal bacterial population counts. Statistical analyses used nonparametric tests. Results:During the first month of life, weight, length, intake, and crying increased significantly in all of the groups. Regurgitation and vomiting scores were low and similar. Stool frequency decreased significantly and similarly in all of the formula groups but was lower than in the breast-fed group. All of the prebiotic groups maintained soft stools, only slightly harder than those of breast-fed infants. The standard group had significantly harder stools at weeks 2 and 4 compared with 1 (P < 0.001 and P = 0.0279). The total number of fecal bacteria increased in all of the prebiotic groups (9.82, 9.73, and 9.91 to 10.34, 10.38, and 10.37, respectively, log10 cells/g feces, P = 0.2298) and more closely resembled the breast-fed pattern. Numbers of lactic acid bacteria, bacteroides, and clostridia were comparable. In the SYN1 0.8 g/dL and GOS:FOS groups, Bifidobacterium counts were significantly higher at D14 and 28 compared with D3 and were comparable with the breast-fed group. Tolerance and growth were normal. Conclusions:Stool consistency and bacterial composition of infants taking SYN1 0.8 g/dL or GOS:FOS–supplemented formula were closer to the breast-fed pattern. There was no risk of dehydration.
A new null model approach to quantify performance and significance for ecological niche models of species distributions

Ecological niche modelling requires robust estimation of model performance and significance, but common evaluation approaches often yield biased estimates. Null models provide a solution but are rarely used in this field. We implemented an important modification to existing null model tests, evaluating null models with the same withheld records that were used to evaluate the real model. We built and evaluated models across a range of modelling scenarios and for various performance measures using the algorithm Maxent and the monk parakeet (Myiopsitta monachus).
Total Hip Arthroplasty with the Charnley Prosthesis in Patients Fifty-five Years Old and Less. Fifteen to Twenty-one-Year Results*

Data on 240 primary Charnley total hip arthroplasties, performed in 211 patients from October 1968 to July 1974, were recorded prospectively. Fifty-two prostheses were implanted in forty-six patients who were thirty-four to fifty-five years old, and 188 prostheses were implanted in 165 patients who were more than fifty-five years old. The results for the younger patients were compared with those for the older patients. Twenty hips were revised over-all, and all five of the infections and four of the five fractures of the femoral stem that occurred in this group were in the older patients. However, the rate of aseptic loosening was similar for the two age-groups (three of the hips in the younger patients and five in the older patients). The probability of revision after twenty years for the two groups, as determined with Kaplan-Meier analysis, was 11.7 per cent for the younger patients and 10.7 per cent for the older patients. There was no significant difference between the two groups with regard to either the number of revisions or the percentage of patients who had radiographic signs of loosening. The median Charnley hip scores during the course of the study were also similar for the two groups. We recommend that Charnley low-friction arthroplasty be used even in younger patients, as the long-term results were excellent and were comparable with those in the elderly age-group.
Physical and Functional Interaction of the Arabidopsis K+ Channel AKT2 and Phosphatase AtPP2CA Article, publication date, and citation information can be found at www.plantcell.org/cgi/doi/10.1105/tpc.000943.

The AKT2 K+ channel is endowed with unique functional properties, being the only weak inward rectifier characterized to date in Arabidopsis. The gene is expressed widely, mainly in the phloem but also at lower levels in leaf epiderm, mesophyll, and guard cells. The AKT2 mRNA level is upregulated by abscisic acid. By screening a two-hybrid cDNA library, we isolated a protein phosphatase 2C (AtPP2CA) involved in abscisic acid signaling as a putative partner of AKT2. We further confirmed the interaction by in vitro binding studies. The expression of AtPP2CA (β-glucuronidase reporter gene) displayed a pattern largely overlapping that of AKT2 and was upregulated by abscisic acid. Coexpression of AtPP2CA with AKT2 in COS cells and Xenopus laevis oocytes was found to induce both an inhibition of the AKT2 current and an increase of the channel inward rectification. Site-directed mutagenesis and pharmacological analysis revealed that this functional interaction involves AtPP2CA phosphatase activity. Regulation of AKT2 activity by AtPP2CA in planta could allow the control of K+ transport and membrane polarization during stress situations.
Resistance to moxidectin and abamectin in naturally acquired Ostertagia circumcincta infections in sheep

Abstract AIM: To investigate the occurrence of resistance to macrocylic lactone (ML) anthelmintics by Ostertagia circumcincta in lambs on a sheep and cattle property in the North Island of New Zea- land. METHODS: Thirty lambs were randomly allocated to one of five equal-sized groups, consisting of an untreated control and four treatment groups. The treatments, which were administered at the manufacturer's recommended dose rates, included oral moxidectin, oral abamectin (both at 0.2 mg/kg), an albendazole-levamisole combination, and an albendazole-levamisole-ivermectin combination. Post mortem worm counts were undertaken 7 days after treatment to determine the efficacy of each anthelmintic. RESULTS: The albendazole-levamisole and albendazole-levam-isole-ivermectin combinations both reduced O. circumcincta burdens to zero whereas for moxidectin and abamectin efficacies of only 72% and 29%, respectively, were recorded. CONCLUSIONS: These results clearly demonstrated the occurrence of resistance to MLs by O. circumcincta. Although this is not the first occasion where resistance to this anthelmintic family has been detected in this parasite in sheep in New Zealand, it is the first instance that resistance to either moxidectin or abamectin has been reported.
A feminist analysis of neoliberalism and austerity policies in the UK

Abstract:Economic decisions-such as where investment is increased and or withdrawn, which services will flourish and which will be run down, whose living standards will be protected or boosted and whose reduced-are not gender neutral. Neoliberal policies in particular have disproportionately affected women, particularly lowincome and BAME women, through their lack of interest in social investment and the cuts they are making to the resources and public services that sustain life. They treat women's unpaid labour as an expandable and costless resource that can absorb all the extra work that results from these cuts. This article discusses some of these effects, drawing in particular on data from the Women's Budget Group and work by feminist political economists. It also makes the case for investment in the social infrastructure as an engine of sustainable economic growth, and argues against a focus solely on investment in physical infrastructure and the creation of paid employment.
Iontophoresis for Anesthesia During Pulsed Dye Laser Treatment of Port‐Wine Stains

Abstract: Port‐wine stains (PWS) are benign, congenital vascular malformations found in approximately 0.3% of newborns. PWS may be effectively treated with the flashlamp pulsed dye laser (FPDL) at 585 nm. However, laser therapy of vascular lesions often produces pain. We performed a prospective double‐blind, placebo‐controlled evaluation of the iontophoresis of lidocaine 5% with epinephrine 1:50,000 and mepivacaine 2% with epinephrine 1:50,000. Thirty‐six patients with facial PWS were included in the study; 13 of them were treated with lidocaine 5% with epinephrine, another 13 were treated with mepivacaine 2% with epinephrine, and the other 13 were treated with preservative‐free 0.9% NaCI. The pain was graded by the patient on a visual analog scale from 0 to 10, comparing the lontophoretically treated area with an adjacent area treated without anesthesia. Pain evaluation by patients demonstrated a significant decrease in the pain of pulsed dye laser impulses using the iontophoresis of lidocaine 5% with epinephrine. No change in the efficacy of pulsed dye laser treatment of PWS or important side effects were observed in our patients, lontophoresis of lidocaine 5% with epinephrine is a safe and effective method of local anesthesia for pulsed dye laser and it is more effective than the iontophoresis of mepivacaine 2% with epinephrine.
Ballast curves for HPS lamps operating on high frequency

The author presents a simple method for designing ballast curves for high pressure sodium (HPS) lamps operating at a frequency >20 kHz. Since the HPS lamp is a complicated plasma device, an approximation can be useful. An approximate model based on a resistive substitution of HPS lamps operating at a high frequency is introduced and used to transform the problem of ballast design to a treatable electronic problem. <<ETX>>
Prepharmacy Predictors of Success in Pharmacy School: Grade Point Averages, Pharmacy College Admissions Test, Communication Abilities, and Critical Thinking Skills

Good admissions decisions are essential for identifying successful students and good practitioners. Various parameters have been shown to have predictive power for academic success. Previous academic performance, the Pharmacy College Admissions Test (PCAT), and specific prepharmacy courses have been suggested as academic performance indicators. However, critical thinking abilities have not been evaluated. We evaluated the connection between academic success and each of the following predictive parameters: the California Critical Thinking Skills Test (CCTST) score, PCAT score, interview score, overall academic performance prior to admission at a pharmacy school, and performance in specific prepharmacy courses. We confirmed previous reports but demonstrated intriguing results in predicting practice‐based skills. Critical thinking skills predict practice‐based course success. Also, the CCTST and PCAT scores (Pearson correlation [pc]=0.448, p<0.001) were closely related in our students. The strongest predictors of practice‐related courses and clerkship success were PCAT (pc=0.237, p<0.001) and CCTST (pc=0.201, p<0.001). These findings and other analyses suggest that PCAT may predict critical thinking skills in pharmacy practice courses and clerkships. Further study is needed to confirm this finding and determine which PCAT components predict critical thinking abilities.
Diclofenac-induced Gastric Ulceration in Rats: Protective Roles of Pantoprazole and Misoprostol

Gastrointestinal damage caused by diclofenac remains a significant clinical problem. Pantoprazole provides potent and long-lasting inhibition of gastric acid secretion and has proven efficacy in healing diclofenac-associated ulcers, including those with continued exposure to diclofenac. The objective of this study was to prepare and evaluate microbeads of diclofenac sodium coated with sodium alginate and Hydroxypropylmethylcellulose (HPMC) in order to obtain controlled release drug delivery system. The ulcerogenic activity and histopathological effects of the prepared formulation were compared with a marked formula containing the drug with misoprostol which orally administered to male Wistar rats. Ionotropic gelation technique was the technique of choice to encapsulate the drug. IR spectral analysis indicated no interaction between the drug and polymers used. Microbeads which showed a significant reduction in the release of diclofenac at acidic pH of Original Research Article El-Deen et al.; BJPR, 11(3): 1-12, 2016; Article no.BJPR. 24636 2 the stomach as well as maximal release at alkaline pH of the intestine were selected to conduct further in vivo evaluation. The beads were administered to rats in combination with pantoprazole. The obtained ulcer index as well as the histopathological effects of the proposed formulations was compared to marketed formula containing the drug combined with misoprostol. The obtained in vivo results indicate that administration of pantoprazole and diclofenac microbeads has shown efficacy in reducing the risk of GIT ulcerations compared with administration of misoprostol and diclofenac or diclofenac separately.
CADAVERIC STUDY ON NORMAL AND VARIANT ANATOMY OF LEFT CORONARY ARTERY

Address for Correspondence: Dr.Sachin K S, Assistant Professor, Department of Anatomy, K S Hegde Medical Academy, NITTE (Deemed To Be University), Mangaluru, Karnataka, India. PIN – 575018. Tel No: +91-9611206205. E-Mail: drsachinks63@gmail.com Background: Human heart is supplied by coronary arteries – Right and Left coronary artery. The coronary arteries arise from the aortic sinuses and the left coronary artery from the left posterior aortic sinus. The left coronary artery has two branches, the anterior interventricular and circumflex arteries. The anterior interventricular branch is the continuation of left coronary artery, gives off septal branches, right and left ventricular branches. The left ventricular branches are called diagonal arteries. The left circumflex artery gives off left atrial and left ventricular branches. One of these atrial branches supply the sinoatrial node in 35% of subjects and AV node in 10-20% of the subjects. Materials and Methods: The study was carried out in the department of anatomy, Kasturba Medical College, Manipal, India. The study was performed on 50 formalin fixed human hearts of unknown sex and age. The left coronary artery and their branches were carefully dissected. The origin, branches & branching pattern of left coronary artery was observed, noted and photographed. Results: In present study, 49 samples (98%) showed the origin of left coronary artery from left posterior aortic sinus while 01 sample (02%) had no trunk of left coronary artery. Sino-atrial nodal artery was originating form circumflex artery in 13 samples (26%) and atrio-ventricular nodal artery from the circumflex artery in 05 samples (10%). The trunk of left coronary artery was bifurcating in 37 samples (74%) and trifurcating in 12 samples (24%) with one sample (02%) showing absent trunk of left coronary artery. The median artery was present in 12 samples (24%) and posterior interventricular artery was originating from circumflex artery in 05 samples (10%). Conclusion: Left coronary artery commonly originated from left posterior aortic sinus with very few variations. Sino-atrial nodal artery and atrioventricular nodal artery commonly originates from right coronary artery. Bifurcation of left coronary artery is commoner than trifurcation. The present study is useful in better understanding of the normal and variant anatomy of left coronary artery.
Coevolution and compatibility in the snail–schistosome system

In stark contrast to the huge body of theoretical work on the importance of hosts and parasites as selective agents acting on each other, until recently, little systematic empirical investigation of this issue has been attempted. Research on snail–schistosome interactions have, therefore, the potential for making an important contribution to the study of coevolution or reciprocal adaptation. This may be particularly pertinent since snail–schistosomes represent an indirectly transmitted macroparasite system, so often overlooked amongst both theoretical and empirical studies. Here we review ideas and experiments on snail–schistosome interactions, with particular emphasis on those that may have relevance to the potential coevolution between host resistance and parasite infectivity and virulence. We commence with an introduction and definition of the general concepts, before going into detail of some specific studies to illustrate these: evidence of snail–schistosome coevolutionary process in the field; evidence of coevolutionary processes in the laboratory; a general assessment of the applicability of coevolutionary models in snail–schistosome interactions; and finishing with a section on conclusions and areas for further study.
The Kidney, Structure and Function in Health and Disease

The appearance of a treatise on the kidney by Homer Smith is an event of the first importance to physiologists and physicians alike, since no one in this era has contributed more brilliantly than Smith to basic knowledge of the functions of the kidney. The wealth of material in the volume can be estimated from the facts that it contains 889 pages of text, 153 pictures, 3 plates and a bibliography of 2,300 references. As a compendium and reference book alone the volume is indispensable. It is, as the title implies, concerned with the kidney, almost to the exclusion of the animal which this organ serves. This is both surprising and disappointing from Smith, who has made such fascinating contributions to the comparative physiology of the kidney and its adaptation to evolutionary and environmental vicissitudes. The present volume opens with a short chapter on the anatomy of the kidney. Consideration of comparative physiology is postponed to page 520, although experimental data from all species are cited earlier. The treatment of the subject is almost purely categorical. Lacking also throughout the book are the philosophical attitude and the sprightly style that have lent so much charm to everything that Smith has written, not only Kamongo, once a Book-of-the-Month Club selection, and that gem, Plato and Clementine, but also his Physiology of the Kidney, and his special scientific articles. Despite the 2,300 references, this is essentially an autobiography or record of the accomplishments of the Smith school with the aid of clearance techniques. In fact, after a cursory consideration of the classical work of Richards and his associates, the reader encounters 200 pages devoted to a detailed description of the principle of renal clearances , techniques for their measurement, and the clearances of a great variety of substances. This is the thesis of the volume. The use of the clearance technique is made the criterion of validity. In fact, the field is still further narrowed by the establishment of special ground rules. For example, on page 61 studies on falling plasma curves are disparaged. While the difficulties of measuring clearances under these conditions must be recognized, the possibility cannot be denied that the reactions of the kidney to rising and falling concentrations of solutes may not be identical. This kidney of Smith's seems to have a fence about it with a No Trespassing sign on it. In discussions of Wolf's studies, these …
Preparation and Characterization of Linear Low Density Polyethylene/Carbon Nanotube Nanocomposites

Linear low‐density polyethylene (LLDPE)/multiwalled carbon nanotube (MWNT) nanocomposites were prepared via melt blending. The morphology and degree of dispersion of nanotubes in the polyethylene matrix were investigated using scanning electron microscopy (SEM). Both individual and agglomerates of MWNTs were evident. The rheological behavior and mechanical and electrical properties of the nanocomposites were studied using a capillary rheometer, tensile tester, and Tera ohm‐meter, respectively. Both polyethylene and its nanocomposites showed non‐Newtonian behavior in almost the whole range of shear rate. Addition of carbon nanotubes increased shear stress and shear viscosity. It was also found that the materials experience a fluid‐solid transition below 1 wt% MWNT. Flow activation energy for the nanocomposites was calculated using an Arrhenius type equation. With increasing nanotube content, the activation energy of flow increases. A decrease of about 7 orders of magnitude was obtained in surface and volume resistivity upon addition of 5 wt% MWNT. In addition, a difference between electrical and rheological percolation thresholds was observed. The results confirm the expected nucleant effect of nanotubes on the crystallization process of polyethylene. A slight increase in Young's modulus was also observed with increasing MWNT content.
Behavioral analysis of Vibrio parahaemolyticus variants in high- and low-viscosity microenvironments by use of digital image processing

Digital image analysis and light microscopy were used to study and quantify the growth and behavior of two variants and selected flagellar mutants of Vibrio parahaemolyticus in glass flow cells under high- and low-viscosity conditions. The observations showed a series of surface-associated behaviors, including attachment, microcolony formation, migration, chemotactic movements, and aggregation, indicating a substantial degree of adaptive flexibility and multicellular behavior during growth of V. parahaemolyticus at interfaces.