Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Control System interaction in the VSC-HVDC Grid Connected Offshore Wind Power Plant

Conventional offshore wind power plants (OWPPs) are due to the combination of the extensive sub-marine cabling and possible low available short-circuit power at the point of common connection (PCC) susceptible to the harmonic instability phenomena. The instability is caused by the resonances in the electrical system which is generally located within the wind turbine generator (WTG) controller bandwidth. Some of the negative impact of the existence of harmonic instability include (but not limited to) accelerated component ageing due to increased thermal stresses and loss of power production before the source of the instability has been identified and mitigation methods have been designed and implemented. This procedure is not straightforward and can have a long lead time. The harmonic instability can have severe economic consequences for the OWPP owner due to the large investment. Harmonic stability or converter interaction studies have therefore become an important part of the system design studies of a high voltage alternating current (HVAC) grid connected OWPP. The voltage sourced converter high voltage direct current (VSC-HVDC) has become a preferred choice for grid connection of remotely located OWPPs. As for the HVAC grid connected OWPPs, there is a need to conduct harmonic stability studies in the design phase of an HVDC grid connected OWPP. As the offshore electrical environment is significantly altered compared to the offshore network in an HVAC connected OWPP, there is a need to define the procedure of the stability study and its application for the HVDC grid connected OWPPs. The purpose of this paper is to investigate the harmonic instability phenomena in HVDC grid connected OWPPs using both frequency and time domain simulations. A good correlation at lower frequencies between the two domains is observed. However, the frequency domain is insufficient at higher frequencies (i.e. in the vicinity of the switching frequency). A combination of the two techniques is thus recommended in the OWPP design phase. Successful application of active filtering to supress possible instabilities is illustrated.
Molecular Identification of Two DNA Methyltransferase Genes and Their Functional Characterization in the Anti-Bacterial Immunity of Antheraea pernyi

Under different physiological conditions, such as microbial infection, epigenetic mechanisms regulate genes at the transcription level in living organisms. DNA methylation is a type of epigenetic mechanism in which DNA methyltransferases modify the expression of target genes. Here, we identified a full-length sequence of DNMT-1 and DNMT-2 from the Chinese oak silkworm, A. pernyi, which was highly similar to the homologous sequences of Bombyx mori. ApDNMT-1 and ApDNMT-2 have unique domain architectures of insect DNMTs, highlighting their conserved functions in A. pernyi. ApDNMT-1 and ApDNMT-2 were found to be widely expressed in various tissues, with the highest levels of expression in hemocytes, the ovary, testis, and fat bodies. To understand the biological role of these genes in microbial resistance, we challenged the fifth instar larvae of A. pernyi by administrating Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria and fungi. The results revealed that transcript levels of ApDNMT-1 and ApDNMT-2 were increased compared to the control group. The inhibition of these genes by a DNMTs inhibitor [5-azacytidine (5-AZA)] significantly reduced bacterial replication and larvae mortality. In addition, 5-AZA treatment modified the expression patterns of antimicrobial peptides (AMPs) in the A. pernyi larvae. Our results suggest that ApDNMT-1 and ApDNMT-2 seem to have a crucial role in innate immunity, mediating antimicrobial peptide responses against bacterial infection in A. pernyi.
Real-time target selection based on electroencephalogram (EEG) signal

Electroencephalogram (EEG)-based mobile system are getting mainstream although the true potential of EEG signals are yet to be discovered. With the help of a specific control paradigm, the success rate of a mobile system to reach to a certain location could be increased. To further extend the existed control paradigm of EEG-Based mobile robotic system, this paper demonstrated the real time target selection of a wireless mobile robot using only human mind. A unique protocol was developed to mimic a scanning process while at the same time allowing subject to make a selection. Our system utilized only single EEG channel with no subject training. We statistically verify that it is feasible to select a target by manipulating only alpha content of EEG. We also show that it is hard to achieve a stable high performance of synchronous EEG-Based BCI application in one trial with a single frequency band. However, we found that the BCI's performance in term of sensitivity is getting more stable with increase in trial.
YbdO Promotes the Pathogenicity of Escherichia coli K1 by Regulating Capsule Synthesis

Escherichia coli K1 is the most popular neonatal meningitis-causing Gram-negative bacterium. As a key virulence determinant, the K1 capsule enhances the survival of E. coli K1 in human brain microvascular endothelial cells (HBMECs) upon crossing the blood–brain barrier; however, the regulatory mechanisms of capsule synthesis during E. coli K1 invasion of HBMECs remain unclear. Here, we identified YbdO as a transcriptional regulator that promotes E. coli K1 invasion of HBMECs by directly activating K1 capsule gene expression to increase K1 capsule synthesis. We found that ybdO deletion significantly reduced HBMEC invasion by E. coli K1 and meningitis occurrence in mice. Additionally, electrophoretic mobility shift assay and chromatin immunoprecipitation–quantitative polymerase chain reaction analysis indicated that YbdO directly activates kpsMT and neuDBACES expression, which encode products involved in K1 capsule transport and synthesis by directly binding to the kpsM promoter. Furthermore, ybdO transcription was directly repressed by histone-like nucleoid structuring protein (H-NS), and we observed that acidic pH similar to that of early and late endosomes relieves this transcriptional repression. These findings demonstrated the regulatory mechanism of YbdO on K1 capsule synthesis, providing further insights into the evolution of E. coli K1 pathogenesis and host–pathogen interaction.
Performance Evaluation of the 5G NR Conditional Handover in LEO-based Non-Terrestrial Networks

The development of non-terrestrial networks (NTN) aims to satisfy the requirements of ubiquitous and seamless coverage for fifth-generation (5G) services. Low Earth orbit (LEO) satellites introduce challenging mobility requirements to the 5G New Radio (NR) radio resource management procedures. Current research shows that the baseline 5G NR UE-assisted network-controlled handover (HO) procedure, meant for terrestrial scenarios, fails to ensure continuous and satisfactory service in LEO-based NTN. The conditional handover (CHO), specified by 3GPP in Rel-16, was designed for terrestrial networks to enhance mobility robustness by making HO decisions earlier. In this work, we conduct system-level simulations to evaluate the 5G NR mobility performance of the CHO in a LEO-based NTN with Earth-moving cells scenario. The simulation results show that the CHO procedure reduces the radio link failures and handover failures to 0 but increases the unnecessary HO rate by more than 60% in comparison with the baseline HO, which leads to an increase of the signalling and measurement reporting. Finally, future research directions are identified to address the increase of the signalling overhead by exploiting the predictability of the satellite’s movement.
Promoting an Intrapreneurial Environment in Microfinance institutions as a catalyst to innovation. A Case of Ugandan MFIs.

The purpose of this paper is to examine the extent to which the intrapreneurial environment within Microfinance institutions hereafter referred to as MFIs can enhance innovation. It hypothesizes that an improvement in the level of the intrapreneurial environment will lead to increased levels of innovation in a given MFI. The challenge is, despite the dynamic environment in which MFIs operate, little is known how the concurrent internal environment here in referred to as the intrapreneurial environment enhances innovation which is a critical factor for business’ growth.The paper is extracted from a wider study that mixed quantitative and qualitative methods. The results presented in this paper are based on the quantitative approach. The wider study was anchored in the componential theory of innovation and resource based theory to understand how and the extent to which the intrapreneurial environment influences performance. This paper’s arguments are based on the componential theory. The paper also examines the levels of the intrapreneurial environment and innovation in the studied MFIs.From the results presented in this paper, it is concluded that MFIs need to nurture an environment that allows them to continuously innovate. This requires support of top management for innovative ideas to flow from all units of their organization. Innovation should not be a one off activity in some areas of the organization but should be embedded within the overall organizational vision. There should be support, recognition and reward of innovative ideas through promotion of an intrapreneurial environment. Such reorientation will enable cope with the ever changing dynamic environment.
Effects of regular physical exercise on skin blood flow and cardiovascular risk factors in overweight and obese subjects

Objective: it is well known that low omentin levels and reduced bioavailability of nitric oxide (NO) are outgrowth of obesity. Besides, in obese subjects, microvascular dysfunction can be an initial stage of cardiovascular diseases. This situation can be evaluated with skin laser–Doppler flowmetry (LDF). Methods: in this study we investigated the effects of 12 weeks moderate physical exercise on microvascular reactivity and plasma levels of omentin and NO in 25 overweight and obese subjects. Control group was composed of 28 sedentary participants who were neither obese nor overweight. Microvascular reactivity was handled by measurement of skin blood flow from the ring finger of the right hand with LDF, which is a non–invasive method for evaluation. With this method, it was aimed to examine the post–occlusive reactive hyperemia response of the patients. None of the participants in both groups have never followed a regular exercise schedule in their life span.Results: with regular exercise, there was a statistically significant decrease in glucose (p=0.008), cholesterol (p=0.05), and triglyceride (p=0.048) levels, while body mass index, high–density lipoprotein, and low–density lipoprotein levels did not change significantly in overweight/obese group. Also, the omentin level significantly increased (p=0.01), but NO level did not change significantly. Moreover, the amount of change in omentin and NO levels measured before and after the physical exercise were significantly correlated (r=0.57). Considering the microcirculation, rest flow (p=0.001) and peak flow value of LDF (p=0.001) increased after the physical exercise.Conclusion: our study shows that moderate physical exercise affects microvascular reactivity and plasma levels of omentin in overweight and obese subjects.
Sensory Stimuli to Sustainable Social Wellbeing: A Multimodal Approach Based on Warm Scent

Sensory experiences affect individuals’ judgment and behavior through the metaphors that experiences carry. The literature has demonstrated that the perception of warmth activates concepts related to positive meaning and metaphors, such as consideration and gentleness, which increase individuals’ tendency to help or relate to others. This study hypothesized that warm olfactory stimuli influence intention toward prosocial behavior by increasing the need for social connectedness (NSC). The first experiment (n = 123) demonstrated that the actual warm scent increased participants’ intentions for prosocial behavior and that the effect of the actual warm scent was mediated by NSC. Using Amazon Mechanical Turk (MTurk), a second experiment (n = 995) was conducted the showed that warm scent simulated via visual stimuli (i.e., a multimodal approach) led to prosocial behavior intention as well. The results of the study provide academic and managerial insights into how to improve prosocial behavior intention, which is essential for the sustainable development of societies.
Fusing mmWave Radar With Camera for 3-D Detection in Autonomous Driving

Three-dimensional detection is essential for autonomous driving and intelligent transportation system, as it enables vehicles to detect and track surrounding objects. Usually, autonomous vehicles are equipped with multiple sensing modalities to achieve robust and precise detection. This work focuses on fusing millimeter-wave radar data with monocular images, as radar can make up for the lack of explicit depth information. We propose a novel approach that fuses radar data and images at the feature level for 3-D detection. Radar points are first merged into a raw feature map with data set statistics by a novel transformation method. With this transformation, radar features can be extracted by convolutional neural networks and fused with image features. Object properties, including location, dimension, and rotation are regressed from the fused features. In this article, the proposed fusion strategy is implemented with a keypoint-based 3-D detection framework and evaluated on the challenging NuScenes data set. Experimental results suggest that the fusion of radar data promotes 3-D detection capability in public benchmarking.
Concomitant Retinal Alterations in Neuronal Activity and TNFα Pathway Are Detectable during the Pre-Symptomatic Stage in a Mouse Model of Alzheimer’s Disease

The pre-symptomatic stage of Alzheimer’s disease (AD) is associated with increased amyloid-β (Aβ) precursor protein (APP) processing and Aβ accumulation in the retina and hippocampus. Because neuronal dysfunctions are among the earliest AD-related alterations, we asked whether they are already detectable in the retina during the pre-symptomatic stage in a APPswePS1dE9 (APP/PS1) mouse model. The age chosen for the study (3–4 months) corresponds to the pre-symptomatic stage because no retinal Aβ was detected, in spite of the presence of βCTF (the first cleavage product of APP). We observed an increase in ERG amplitudes in APP/PS1 mice in comparison to the controls, which indicated an increased retinal neuron activity. These functional changes coincided with an increased expression of retinal TNFα and its receptors type-1 (TNFR1). Consistently, the IkB expression increased in APP/PS1 mice with a greater proportion of the phosphorylated protein (P-IkB) over total IkB, pointing to the putative involvement of the NFkB pathway. Because TNFα plays a crucial role in the control of neuronal excitability, it is likely that, as in the hippocampus, TNFα signaling via the TNFR1/NFkB pathway may be also involved in early, AD-associated, retinal neuron hyperexcitability. These results further demonstrate the interest of the retina for early disease detection with a potential to assess future therapeutic strategies.
Green urban areas as ecological indicators: combining in situ data and satellite products

ABSTRACT We investigated whether green urban areas (GUA) improve the urban environment. Field measurements were conducted to record noise and light pollution as well as other environmental characteristics in four GUA in Athens. The biodiversity status of the examined areas was derived from the existing data. Not all GUA represent ecological refuges, mostly depending on their configuration. Special attention should be drawn to planning and designing GUA so that human pressures could not penetrate. Soundscape assessment combined with artificial lighting, environmental and biodiversity status investigation of a site clarifies the edge effect of ecosystems leading to an alternative, integrated, multidimensional management approach.
Adaptive Knowledge Distillation for Lightweight Remote Sensing Object Detectors Optimizing

Lightweight object detector is currently gaining more and more popularity in remote sensing. In general, it is hard for lightweight detectors to achieve competitive performance compared with the traditional deep models, while knowledge distillation (KD) is a promising training method to tackle the issue. Since the background is more complicated and the object size varies extremely in remote sensing images, it will deliver lots of noise and affect the training performance when directly applying the existing KD methods. To tackle the above problems, we propose an adaptive reinforcement supervision distillation (ARSD) framework to promote the detection capability of the lightweight model. First, we put forward a multiscale core features imitation (MCFI) module for transferring the knowledge of features, which can adaptively select the multiscale core features of objects for distillation and focus more on the features of small objects by an area-weighted strategy. In addition, a strict supervision regression distillation (SSRD) module is designed to select the optimal regression results for distillation, which facilitates the student to effectively imitate the more precise regression output of the teacher network. Massive experiments on a large-scale Dataset for Object deTection in Aerial images (DOTA), object DetectIon in Optical Remote sensing images (DIOR), and Northwestern Polytechnical University Very-High-Resolution 10-class (NWPU VHR) datasets prove that ARSD outperforms the existing distillation state-of-the-art (SOTA) methods. Moreover, the performance of the lightweight model trained with our method transcends other classic heavy and lightweight detectors, which beneficiates the development of lightweight models.
The power spectral density of a UWB signal with pulse repetition frequency (PRF) modulation

Expressions are developed for the power spectral density (PSD) of a pulsed ultra wide band (UWB) signal for which the pulse repetition frequency (PRF) is directly modulated by a known time function. Parallels are drawn to the analog frequency-modulation (FM) case. An example for the swept-PRF case is provided. This work is part of a continuing effort to characterize UWB emissions, and was sponsored by the Defense Advanced Research Projects Agency (DARPA) under the NETEX program.
COMPARISON OF METHODS FOR ESTIMATING REFERENCE EVAPOTRANSPIRATION: AN APPROACH TO THE MANAGEMENT OF WATER RESOURCES WITHIN AN EXPERIMENTAL BASIN IN THE BRAZILIAN CERRADO

ABSTRACT: This study aimed to compare methods for estimating reference evapotranspiration using an experimental basin in the Brazilian Cerrado, for water management purposes. For that, we estimated daily reference evapotranspiration over a certain period (time series between 1982 and 2012) through different empirical methods. These methods consisted of Blaney-Criddle (BC), Hargreaves & Samani (HS), ASCE Penman-Monteith (ASCE- PM), Penman (1948/1963) (PO), Priestley-Taylor (PT), which were all compared to the standard Penman-Monteith FAO-56 (PM-FAO56). Based on statistics, ASCE- PM, P and BC methods should be recommended for cerrado areas, either in rainy or dry seasons. After these, the PT also stood out. Among the less complex methods, based on temperature and energy data, PT method is recommended whether climatological data are scarce either in rainy or dry seasons. Yet, HS reached the greatest errors, a broad data spread and low estimate accuracy, but showing better performance in dry periods, thus remaining under restricted use.
Belarus, Kazakhstan and Alliance Security Dilemmas in the Former Soviet Union: Intra-Alliance Threat and Entrapment After the Ukraine Crisis

Abstract Following the 2014 Ukraine crisis, Belarus and Kazakhstan appear caught in an alliance security dilemma characterised by intra-alliance threat and entrapment, as both are potential targets of militarised hybrid warfare by their vastly more powerful ally, Russia. Despite having sought foreign policy flexibility between the two increasingly opposed geopolitical camps of the West and Russia, Minsk and Nur-Sultan appear drawn further towards Moscow. Utilising their pre- and post-2014 national security documents, reinforced by an examination of their rhetoric and policies, this essay demonstrates how both countries reassessed their security environment in the wake of the annexation of Crimea and the initial war in the Donbas region.
Enhanced Marketing Plan for Wensha Spa Center: A Case in Pasay City, Metro Manila

The marketing plan is an outline of the company’s overall marketing effort that used to focus on resources and plan for its growth and success. The marketing mix is the utmost ultimate concept that consists of various components of marketing tools, which helps to determine a clear and effective strategy to bring a product to market. The main purpose of this study is to assess and analyze the customer’s satisfaction using 6P’s of the marketing mix. The marketing mix is frequently vital when shaping a product or brand’s offer and is mostly related to the four P’s: price, product, promotion, and place. In service marketing, yet, the four Ps are extended to the six P’s or 6 Ps of Marketing to address the diverse nature of services. This study aimed to enhance the marketing strategies of Wensha Spa in Pasay City to improve competitiveness in the market. It determined the profile of the respondents in terms of age, gender, and educational attainment. It ascertained the significant difference in the assessment of the marketing strategy of the respondents when grouped according to profile. The investigation is quantitative using the descriptive method and survey questionnaire as the main tool distributed to the guests after proper validation and reliability testing using Cronbach Alpha. Ethical consideration and proper statistical tools were used, such as frequency, percentage, weighted mean, T-test, and F-Test. The findings help enhanced the 6p’s marketing mix of Wensha Spa, which leads to guest satisfaction and makes it competitive, resulting from attaining more customers and gaining additional revenue. Based on the analysis, the researchers were able to come up with an enhanced marketing plan that will benefit and improve their current marketing strategies to further provide the needed satisfaction of their guests.
First report of genetic data from two invasive Watersipora (Bryozoa) species in the central California coast rocky intertidal

Several taxa forming a species complex within the bryozoan genus Watersipora are successful global marine invaders that are common in marine fouling communities in bays and harbors. This species complex has recently been recorded spreading to natural intertidal and subtidal habitats on the central California outer coast near the San Francisco Bay, suggesting that its invasive potential is greater than previously believed. To determine the species and clades present in these outer coast populations, and their relationship to populations in nearby bays and harbors, we produced COI sequences for a set of new Watersipora specimens sampled from four rocky intertidal sites, for which there is currently no published genetic data. Watersipora subtorquata and Watersipora new species were both identified at rocky intertidal sites. All haplotypes identified in this analysis have previously been reported in California harbors and marinas, suggesting that intertidal populations may be sourced from existing populations in harbors, rather than representing independent invasions. Field observations of intertidal populations support Watersipora ’s year-round persistence at rocky intertidal sites , which has significant implications for invasion dynamics and invasion management strategies. Continued sequencing of outer coast Watersipora samples will be crucial to further characterize the genetic diversity and structure of these coastal populations and describe the dynamics of Watersipora ’s outer coast spread.