Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Furanic compounds in dielectric liquid samples: review and update of diagnostic interpretation and estimation of insulation ageing

Commercial laboratories and electrical equipment owners have used analysis of furanic compounds in dielectric liquids for more than ten years to evaluate the continuing operation of transformers and to estimate the degree of ageing of solid insulation. The solid insulation of transformers is comprised mainly of Kraft paper. As the paper ages, the cellulose polymer chains break down into shorter lengths with a corresponding decrease in both tensile strength and degree of polymerization. Further, the paper breakdown is accompanied by an increase in the content of various furanic compounds in the dielectric liquid. Analysis for furanic compounds allows the laboratory or the owner to make a determination as to whether the breakdown of the paper is an active condition. It further allows a determination as to the relative degree of the paper breakdown that has occurred. This paper reviews the tools that have evolved to help perform these interpretations and presents a system to aid in the assessment of transformer insulation ageing.
Spintronic Memristor as Interface Between DNA and Solid State Devices

Recently biomolecular computing platforms have been widely investigated with great potentials in both biomedical research and practices, such as using molecular structures of DNA to present the data bits and to operate the logic. Emerging CMOS/molecular hybrid (CMOL) circuitry demonstrates many overwhelming advantages compared with pure biomolecular circuitry, including the design flexibility and compatibility with the traditional CMOS process. In this work, spintronic devices are utilized to detect the spatial information of DNA by translating the magnetic signals associated with the DNA pieces to electrical signals. The physical mechanisms and sensing performances of various magnetic sensor structures are discussed and evaluated, including giant magneto-resistance (GMR) spin valve sensors, tunnel magneto-resistance (TMR) sensors and our newly proposed spintronic GMR/TMR memristor sensors. A on-chip readout scheme is also proposed with a telecommunication method-frequency division multiplexing (FDM) technique to efficiently transmit useful information and filtrate the noise which could achieve high SNR up to 70 dB. The new approach can be adopted as not only the interface between the DNA structure and CMOS circuitry, but also a promising sensing mechanism in the DNA hybridization detection technique.
Karyopherin Alpha2 Is Essential for rRNA Transcription and Protein Synthesis in Proliferative Keratinocytes

Karyopherin proteins mediate nucleocytoplasmic trafficking and are critical for protein and RNA subcellular localization. Recent studies suggest KPNA2 expression is induced in tumor cells and is strongly associated with prognosis, although the precise roles and mechanisms of KPNA2 overexpression in proliferative disorders have not been defined. We found that KPNA2 expression is induced in various proliferative disorders of the skin such as psoriasis, Bowen’s disease, actinic keratosis, squamous cell carcinoma, Paget’s disease, Merkel cell carcinoma, and mycosis fungoides. siRNA-mediated KPNA suppression revealed that KPNA2 is essential for significant suppression of HaCaT proliferation under starvation conditions. Ribosomal RNA transcription and protein synthesis were suppressed by starvation combined with knockdown of KPNA (including KPNA2) expression. KPNA2 localized to the nucleolus and interacted with proteins associated with mRNA processing, ribonucleoprotein complex biogenesis, chromatin modification, and transcription, as demonstrated by tandem affinity purification and mass spectrometry. KPNA2 may be an important promoter of ribosomal RNA and protein synthesis in tumor cells.
Low voltage field emission of Cu nanowire with nanogap in air

Field emission properties of single Cu emitter with nanometer scale cathode-anode distance are investigated here. Field emission was achieved below 5 volts under atmospheric conditions with 20 nm gap between the cathode and anode. The turn-on voltage is 2 V and the maximum current reaches to 32.5 nA at 5 V. With the help of focus ion beam etching, the cathode-anode distance was precisely controlled from 20 nm to 80 nm to study the influence of cathode-anode distance on field emission properties. The emission current drops exponentially with increasing cathode-anode distance. Due to the short electrode gap, the applied voltage is much lower than that in previous works and the field emission current is large for a single Cu emitter. This work provides a practical way to design and optimize nanoscale field emission devices such as vacuum field emission transistors.
Universal features of holographic anomalies

We study the mechanism by which gravitational actions reproduce the trace anomalies of the holographically related conformal field theories. Two universal features emerge: a) the ratios of type B trace anomalies in any even dimension are independent of the gravitational action being uniquely determined by the underlying algebraic structure b) the normalization of the type A and the overall normalization of the type B anomalies are given by action dependent expressions with the dimension dependence completely fixed.
Analysis of the passive transient damping branch for suppressing the current spike and oscillation

To achieve higher output PWM frequency with limited switching frequency of devices, a topology named parallel frequency-multiplication is employed in this paper, which, however, leads to more serious current spike and oscillation in the turn-on transient because of the parallel of devices. Aiming at this issue, the theoretical analysis of transient process is presented to explain how the current spike and oscillation occur, and on this basis a passive transient damping method is proposed. By use of the different equivalent frequency band between steady and transient states, the damping effect only acts in switching transient process, so that the current spike and oscillation can be suppressed significantly but without additional steady losses. Moreover, the turn-on losses of power devices can be reduced remarkably as well. The experimental results show good agreement with the simulation, and both of them verify the validity of this method.
EphA Receptors Form a Complex with Caspase-8 to Induce Apoptotic Cell Death

EphA7 has been implicated in the regulation of apoptotic cell death in neural epithelial cells. In this report, we provide evidence that EphA7 interacts with caspase-8 to induce apoptotic cell signaling. First, a pull-down assay using biotinylated ephrinA5-Fc showed that EphA7 co-precipitated with wild type caspase-8 or catalytically inactive caspase-8 mutant. Second, co-transfection of EphA7 with caspase-8 significantly increased the number of cleaved caspase-3 positive apoptotic cells under an experimental condition where transfection of EphA7 or caspase-8 alone did not affect cell viability or apoptosis. EphA4 also had a causative role in inducing apoptotic cell death with caspase-8, whereas EphA8 did not. Third, caspase-8 catalytic activity was essential for the apoptotic signaling cascade, whereas tyrosine kinase activity of the EphA4 receptor was not. Interestingly, we found that kinase-inactive EphA4 was well co-localized at the plasma membrane with catalytically inactive caspase-8, suggesting that an interaction between these mutant proteins was more stable. Finally, we observed that the extracellular region of the EphA7 receptor was critical for interacting with caspase-8, whereas the cytoplasmic region of EphA7 was not. Therefore, we propose that Eph receptors physically associate with a transmembrane protein to form an apoptotic signaling complex and that this unidentified receptor-like protein acts as a biochemical linker between the Eph receptor and caspase-8.
INTERACTIVE SONIFICATION MONITORING IN EVOLUTIONARY OPTIMIZATION

This case study introduces interactive sonification to evolutionary strategies (ES) for global optimization. We briefly describe the specific strengths of sonification as a tool for monitoring, the emerging trend of interactive sonification, and what it can add to the field of evolutionary computation. Then we line out the background of ES as optimization heuristics, briefly explain the algorithmic procedure of ES and discuss the need to intervene during optimization runs and the current shortcomings in appropriate user feedback. This motivates the development of an auditory closed loop setup that brings the expertise of interactive sonification to the field of monitoring ES algorithms. Further, we present considerations for the sound design and the detailed mapping of parameters from the ES to sound properties. Finally, we discuss the various implemented modes of interaction and their significance for the optimization through ES.
Tracking of physical activity and inactivity in middle school girls.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was to describe and compare the levels of tracking of physical activity and inactivity as assessed by self-report and accelerometry in middle school girls during a 2-yr period. METHODS Participants (n = 951) were from the Trial of Activity for Adolescent Girls (TAAG). The TAAG intervention had minimal effect on physical activity; therefore, both intervention and control participants were included. Inactivity and physical activity were measured by accelerometry (MTI ActiGraph) and self-report (3-d physical activity recall). RESULTS Weighted kappa statistics ranged from 0.14 to 0.17 across inactivity, moderate-to-vigorous physical activity (MVPA), and vigorous physical activity (VPA) for self-report, from 0.13 to 0.20 for 3-d accelerometry, and from 0.22 to 0.29 for a 6-d accelerometry. Intraclass correlations ranged from 0.17 to 0.22 for self-report, 0.06 to 0.23 for 3-d accelerometry, and 0.16 to 0.33 for a 6-d accelerometry. In general, the estimates from the 6-d accelerometry tended to be higher than those from self-report, whereas few differences were observed between 3-d accelerometry and self-report. Odds ratios (OR) for being in the highest quintile at eighth grade for those in the highest quintile at sixth grade compared with those in any other quintile at sixth grade were 3.26 (95% confidence interval = 2.28-4.67), 3.64 (2.55-5.20), and 3.45 (2.42-4.93) for the 6-d accelerometry-measured inactivity, MVPA, and VPA. Corresponding OR from self-report were 2.44 (1.66-3.58) for inactivity, 2.63 (1.83-3.79) for MVPA, and 2.23 (1.54-3.23) for VPA. CONCLUSION Tracking of inactivity and physical activity in middle school girls was fair to moderate. Our results suggest that physical activity and inactivity habits are dynamic for most girls during early adolescence. Population-based efforts should be made in this age group to promote physical activity and offer alternatives to inactivity for all girls.
Large-Scale Variation in Combined Impacts of Canopy Loss and Disturbance on Community Structure and Ecosystem Functioning

Ecosystems are under pressure from multiple human disturbances whose impact may vary depending on environmental context. We experimentally evaluated variation in the separate and combined effects of the loss of a key functional group (canopy algae) and physical disturbance on rocky shore ecosystems at nine locations across Europe. Multivariate community structure was initially affected (during the first three to six months) at six locations but after 18 months, effects were apparent at only three. Loss of canopy caused increases in cover of non-canopy algae in the three locations in southern Europe and decreases in some northern locations. Measures of ecosystem functioning (community respiration, gross primary productivity, net primary productivity) were affected by loss of canopy at five of the six locations for which data were available. Short-term effects on community respiration were widespread, but effects were rare after 18 months. Functional changes corresponded with changes in community structure and/or species richness at most locations and times sampled, but no single aspect of biodiversity was an effective predictor of longer-term functional changes. Most ecosystems studied were able to compensate in functional terms for impacts caused by indiscriminate physical disturbance. The only consistent effect of disturbance was to increase cover of non-canopy species. Loss of canopy algae temporarily reduced community resistance to disturbance at only two locations and at two locations actually increased resistance. Resistance to disturbance-induced changes in gross primary productivity was reduced by loss of canopy algae at four locations. Location-specific variation in the effects of the same stressors argues for flexible frameworks for the management of marine environments. These results also highlight the need to analyse how species loss and other stressors combine and interact in different environmental contexts.
Parton interactions in the Bjorken limit of QCD

We consider the Bjorken limit in the framework of the eectiv e action approach and discuss its similarities to the Regge limit. The proposed eectiv e action allows for a rather simple calculation of the known evolution kernels. We represent the result in terms of two-parton interaction operators involving gluon and quark operators depending on light-ray position and helicity and analyze their symmetry properties.
Persistence of Nosema locustae Spores in Soil as Determined by Fluorescence Microscopy

Nosema locustae, a protozoan parasite of grasshoppers, is used as a bioinsecticide. In the present study, the persistence of N. locustae spores in soil and the interaction of these spores with the indigenous soil microflora were examined with various forms of microscopy and staining. Fluorescence microscopy was found to be better than phase-contrast or bright-field microscopy for detecting and viewing spores in soil. Fluorescein isothiocyanate was a better fluorescent stain than acridine orange or fluorescein diacetate; water-soluble aniline blue did not stain spores. The eight bright-field microscopy stains tested (phenolic erythrosin, phenolic rose bengal, malachite green, crystal violet, safranin, Congo red, methyl red, and eosin B) were not satisfactory, as spore staining characteristics were either poor or masked by overstained soil debris. A procedure was developed which allowed spores to be extracted from soil with a peptone-phosphate buffer, recovered on a membrane filter, and stained with fluorescein isothiocyanate for microscopic counting. This procedure was used to assess the persistence of N. locustae spores in field and laboratory soils. The number of N. locustae spores in a laboratory model soil system persisted at a high level for over 8 weeks when the soil was incubated at 5°C but exhibited a 1,000-fold decrease after 1 week of incubation at 27°C. Persistence was related to the temperature-dependent activity of the indigenous soil microflora, which, on the basis of microscopic observations, appeared to prey on N. locustae spores. N. locustae spores were detected in an N. locustae-treated field soil at a low level consistent with the level for laboratory soil incubated at 27°C, and they persisted at this level for over 2 months. No spores were detected on vegetation from this field or in the soil from an adjacent, nontreated control field. N. locustae-like spores were also detected in soil from nontreated fields supporting large grasshopper populations.
High-quality two-level volume rendering of segmented data sets on consumer graphics hardware

One of the most important goals in volume rendering is to be able to visually separate and selectively enable specific objects of interest contained in a single volumetric data set, which can be approached by using explicit segmentation information. We show how segmented data sets can be rendered interactively on current consumer graphics hardware with high image quality and pixel-resolution filtering of object boundaries. In order to enhance object perception, we employ different levels of object distinction. First, each object can be assigned an individual transfer function, multiple of which can be applied in a single rendering pass. Second, different rendering modes such as direct volume rendering, iso-surfacing, and non-photorealistic techniques can be selected for each object. A minimal number of rendering passes is achieved by processing sets of objects that share the same rendering mode in a single pass. Third, local compositing modes such as alpha blending and MIP can be selected for each object in addition to a single global mode, thus enabling high-quality two-level volume rendering on GPUs.
Caffeine consumption, sleep, and affect in the natural environments of depressed youth and healthy controls.

OBJECTIVE Sleep problems are a cardinal symptom of depression in children and adolescents and caffeine use is a prevalent and problematic issue in youth; yet little is known about caffeine use and its effects on sleep in youth with depression. We examined caffeine use and its relation to sleep and affect in youth's natural environments. METHODS Thirty youth with major depressive disorder (MDD) and 23 control youth reported on caffeine use, sleep, and affect in their natural environment using ecological momentary assessment at baseline and over 8 weeks, while MDD youth received treatment. RESULTS Youth with MDD reported more caffeine use and sleep problems relative to healthy youth. Youth with MDD reported more anxiety on days they consumed caffeine. Caffeine use among youth with MDD decreased across treatment, but sleep complaints remained elevated. CONCLUSIONS Findings suggest that both sleep quality and caffeine use are altered in pediatric depression; that caffeine use, but not sleep problems, improves with treatment; and that caffeine may exacerbate daily anxiety among youth with depression.
FUIQA: Fetal Ultrasound Image Quality Assessment With Deep Convolutional Networks

The quality of ultrasound (US) images for the obstetric examination is crucial for accurate biometric measurement. However, manual quality control is a labor intensive process and often impractical in a clinical setting. To improve the efficiency of examination and alleviate the measurement error caused by improper US scanning operation and slice selection, a computerized fetal US image quality assessment (FUIQA) scheme is proposed to assist the implementation of US image quality control in the clinical obstetric examination. The proposed FUIQA is realized with two deep convolutional neural network models, which are denoted as L-CNN and C-CNN, respectively. The L-CNN aims to find the region of interest (ROI) of the fetal abdominal region in the US image. Based on the ROI found by the L-CNN, the C-CNN evaluates the image quality by assessing the goodness of depiction for the key structures of stomach bubble and umbilical vein. To further boost the performance of the L-CNN, we augment the input sources of the neural network with the local phase features along with the original US data. It will be shown that the heterogeneous input sources will help to improve the performance of the L-CNN. The performance of the proposed FUIQA is compared with the subjective image quality evaluation results from three medical doctors. With comprehensive experiments, it will be illustrated that the computerized assessment with our FUIQA scheme can be comparable to the subjective ratings from medical doctors.
Limitation of the load angle in a direct-torque-controlled synchronous machine drive

The basic direct torque control (DTC) principle is to rotate the flux linkage forward, if the torque must be increased, and reverse, if the torque must be decreased. The torque is, however, increased only up to a maximum torque of the machine, which corresponds to a load angle of about 90/spl deg/ in a synchronous machine. This paper presents a method to overcome the possible loss of synchronism when using DTC. This requires either that the rotor angle is measured or estimated. Both of these cases are considered. Simulation and laboratory results are presented to show the effectiveness of the presented method.
In-situ measurement based on prior calibration with analogist samples for laser cladding

Based on prior calibration with analogist samples, a system, consisting of a CCD camera, a frame grabber and a computer, is developed to in-situ measure the molten pool parameters during laser cladding. The signals captured by CCD vary with change in substrate or clad material, so that, in order to gain the true data of the molten pool parameters, calibration of the instrument must be performed for every set of substrate and clad materials. In this study, a new strategy for on-line acquisition of molten pool parameters is presented. Before measurement of the objective molten pool, cladding is performed to get some analogist samples of the same materials as those used to generate the objective molten pool. The width of a certain segment of the clad bead on the analogist sample is gauged to calibrate the CCD camera-grabbed image of the molten pool which has solidified to this segment of the clad bead. The pool width in the grabbed image can be confirmed to the gauged bead width times the scaling because the width of the clad bead segment must be equal to the width of the related pool. It is assured which type of area in the grabbed image is located on by the pool, and the CCD is calibrated for this set of substrate and clad materials. After calibration, the CCD system is applied to in-situ measure the molten pool parameters during laser cladding. In the presented experiments, the measured values agree well with the actual ones.
Algorithms for the analysis of ensemble neural spiking activity using simultaneous-event multivariate point-process models

Understanding how ensembles of neurons represent and transmit information in the patterns of their joint spiking activity is a fundamental question in computational neuroscience. At present, analyses of spiking activity from neuronal ensembles are limited because multivariate point process (MPP) models cannot represent simultaneous occurrences of spike events at an arbitrarily small time resolution. Solo recently reported a simultaneous-event multivariate point process (SEMPP) model to correct this key limitation. In this paper, we show how Solo's discrete-time formulation of the SEMPP model can be efficiently fit to ensemble neural spiking activity using a multinomial generalized linear model (mGLM). Unlike existing approximate procedures for fitting the discrete-time SEMPP model, the mGLM is an exact algorithm. The MPP time-rescaling theorem can be used to assess model goodness-of-fit. We also derive a new marked point-process (MkPP) representation of the SEMPP model that leads to new thinning and time-rescaling algorithms for simulating an SEMPP stochastic process. These algorithms are much simpler than multivariate extensions of algorithms for simulating a univariate point process, and could not be arrived at without the MkPP representation. We illustrate the versatility of the SEMPP model by analyzing neural spiking activity from pairs of simultaneously-recorded rat thalamic neurons stimulated by periodic whisker deflections, and by simulating SEMPP data. In the data analysis example, the SEMPP model demonstrates that whisker motion significantly modulates simultaneous spiking activity at the 1 ms time scale and that the stimulus effect is more than one order of magnitude greater for simultaneous activity compared with non-simultaneous activity. Together, the mGLM, the MPP time-rescaling theorem and the MkPP representation of the SEMPP model offer a theoretically sound, practical tool for measuring joint spiking propensity in a neuronal ensemble.