Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Estimating the Maximum Potential Revenue for Grid Connected Electricity Storage: Arbitrage and Regulation

The valuation of an electricity storage device is based on the expected future cash ow generated by the device. Two potential sources of income for an electricity storage system are energy arbitrage and participation in the frequency regulation market. Energy arbitrage refers to purchasing (stor- ing) energy when electricity prices are low, and selling (discharging) energy when electricity prices are high. Frequency regulation is an ancillary service geared towards maintaining system frequency, and is typically procured by the independent system operator in some type of market. This paper outlines the calculations required to estimate the maximum potential revenue from participating in these two activities. First, a mathematical model is presented for the state of charge as a function of the storage device parameters and the quantities of electricity purchased/sold as well as the quantities oered into the regulation market. Using this mathematical model, we present a linear programming optimization approach to calculating the maximum potential revenue from an elec- tricity storage device. The calculation of the maximum potential revenue is critical in developing an upper bound on the value of storage, as a benchmark for evaluating potential trading strate- gies, and a tool for capital nance risk assessment. Then, we use historical California Independent System Operator (CAISO) data from 2010-2011 to evaluate the maximum potential revenue from the Tehachapi wind energy storage project, an American Recovery and Reinvestment Act of 2009 (ARRA) energy storage demonstration project. We investigate the maximum potential revenue from two dierent scenarios: arbitrage only and arbitrage combined with the regulation market. Our analysis shows that participation in the regulation market produces four times the revenue compared to arbitrage in the CAISO market using 2010 and 2011 data. Then we evaluate several trading strategies to illustrate how they compare to the maximum potential revenue benchmark. We conclude with a sensitivity analysis with respect to key parameters.
The Docking of Arg2 of Angiotensin II with Asp281 of AT1 Receptor Is Essential for Full Agonism (*)

The structural model of AT1 angiotensin receptor contains seven-transmembrane α-helices with three interhelical loops on either side of the membrane. The angiotensin II binding pocket within the receptor is not clearly defined. We showed earlier that Lys199 in transmembrane-helix-5 of the AT1 receptor binds the COOH-terminal α-carboxyl group of angiotensin II (Noda, K., Saad, Y., Kinoshita, A., Boyle, T. P., Graham, R. M., Husain, A., and Karnik, S. S.(1995) J. Biol. Chem. 270, 2284-2289). We now show that His183 and Asp281, both located in the extracellular domain of the AT1 receptor, are involved in binding the NH2-terminal Asp1 and Arg2 residues of angiotensin II, respectively. The Asp1/His183 interaction appears to be weak and is unlikely to be important for agonism. But the loss of Arg2/Asp281 interaction leads to partial agonism of the receptor. The action of non-peptide agonists is not affected by Asp281 mutations. These results suggest that several independent interactions between angiotensin II and AT1 receptor are necessary for full agonism. Since L-162,313 the non-peptide agonist of the AT1 receptor is a partial agonist that does not make contact with Asp281, we speculate that the degree of agonism may be increased if it is redesigned to make contacts with Asp281.
Widely Tunable GaSb-Based External Cavity Diode Laser Emitting Around 2.3$mu$m

We report on a widely tunable external cavity GaSb-based diode laser (ECL) in Littrow-configuration. The low (44deg full-width at half-maximum) fast axis beam divergence of the quantum-well diode laser employed allowed an efficient coupling to the external cavity, which resulted in a wide tuning range of 177 nm around the central emission wavelength of 2.30 mum. The maximum output power of the fiber coupled ECL system varied only moderately between 16.5 mW at 2.23 mum and 9 mW at the long-wavelength limit at 2.39 mum
Social Justice and Capability Approach. A note on theses of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum about the importance of pursuing goals of social justice through the capability approach

This paper examines theses of Amartya Sen and Martha Nussbaum about the importance of pursuing goals of social justice through the capability approach. Are considered here the reasons of such a method, whose aim is to reach development of the capabilities of every human being. It is discussed also if the ends proposed by Sen and Nussbaum – that can be appreciated and culturally supported – can be considered fruit of a neutral contractarian approach, as behind a Rawlsian ‘veil of ignorance’, to which Nussbaum makes explicit reference. Neutral approach, that is of subjects without awareness of their specific interests in the process of bargaining. Or instead proposals intuitively established, rationally justifiable only ex-post, that could find their implementation as the contractarian outcome of a real confrontation among social actors, supporters of specific diversified interest in a liberal and democratic society.
The Orchestration of Disengagement

In the clamor of many institutional and special interest “orchestras,” it is possible to lose sight of their common object of concern-human welfare and dignity. In the sphere of scientific endeavor, this problem can show itself as a mistaken attempt to separate theory from technique and practice. Disclaimers that Disengagement Theory is “only a theory,” not a policy statement, are regarded here as inaccurate and naive when the effects of the theory are examined. Other areas of criticism pertain to activity-passivity dynamics, the appreciation of coping behavior in later life, and, in general, the inadequate representation within Disengagement Theory of the full spectrum of experience, behavior, and dynamics, both personal and social, in the lives of elderly people.
Secure cloud storage and search scheme for mobile devices

In this paper, we consider the problem of securing mobile-cloud storage services. We design and develop a novel and secure searchable encryption scheme for mobile devices. In the proposed algorithm, a content based index is constructed and a locality sensitive hashing is used to allow the user to store his files on the cloud in a secure way and then perform a secure query and a fuzzy search. Moreover, the scheme allows to rank the results while maintaining the privacy and confidentiality of the user and to save storage space and computation resources of his mobile phone. To quantify the performance of the proposed scheme, a range of tests are performed and experimental results demonstrate that the proposed system is suitable for a secure, fast and searchable storage mobile-cloud system.
Dyadic Green's functions of a laminar plate

We introduce the concept of dyadic Green's functions of a laminar plate. These functions generalize classical Green's functions. In addition to relating displacements and stresses at the surface of a medium, they relate these quantities at both the top and the bottom surfaces of a medium of finite thickness and infinite extent in the transverse directions. We describe here the calculation of these functions in the spectral domain and provide some academic examples demonstrating their interest.
Acute, subacute, and chronic myocardial infarction: quantitative comparison of 2D and 3D late gadolinium enhancement MR imaging.

PURPOSE To assess a late gadolinium enhancement (LGE) single-breath-hold three-dimensional (3D) inversion recovery magnetic resonance (MR) imaging sequence for the quantification of myocardial scar mass and transmurality in comparison with a clinically established two-dimensional (2D) sequence. MATERIALS AND METHODS All patients gave written informed consent to participate in this institutional review board-approved study. Ninety patients (84 men; mean age, 54.4 years ± 10.8 [standard deviation]) with acute (n = 30), subacute (n = 30), or chronic (n = 30) myocardial infarction were included. Imaging was performed by using a 1.5-T clinical MR imaging system. Spatial resolution was identical for 3D and 2D images (1.5 × 1.5 mm(2); section thickness, 8 mm; no section gap). Quantitative comparisons of myocardial mass (in grams), scar mass (in grams), and scar transmurality (on a five-point scale) were performed by using the Pearson correlation and Bland-Altman analysis (for myocardial and scar mass) or κ statistics (for transmurality). RESULTS There were no significant differences between 2D and 3D data sets in terms of mean myocardial mass (2D: 148.3 g ± 35.1; 3D: 148.1 g ± 34.6; P = .76) and scar tissue mass (2D: 31.8 g ± 14.6; 3D: 31.6 g ± 15.5; P = .39), with strong and significant correlation regarding both myocardial mass (r = 0.982; P < .001) and scar tissue mass (r = 0.980; P < .001). Bland-Altman analysis showed a mean difference of 0.21 g ± 6.64 (range, -19.64 to 18.44 g) for myocardial mass and a mean difference of 0.26 g ± 2.88 (range, -7.15 to 7.74 g) for scar mass between the 2D and 3D data sets. Agreement regarding scar transmurality was good (κ = 0.75). Acquisition time was significantly shorter for 3D data sets (26.7 seconds ± 4.4 vs 367.7 seconds ± 56.4; P < .001). CONCLUSION Three-dimensional LGE MR imaging enables quantitative evaluation of scar tissue mass and transmurality in patients with acute, subacute, or chronic myocardial infarction at significantly reduced acquisition times compared with 2D LGE MR imaging.
Use of vitamin B12 in joint lavage for determination of dilution factors of canine synovial fluid.

OBJECTIVE To test a modified saline (0.9% NaCl) solution joint washing (lavage) technique that includes the use of vitamin B12 as an internal marker for the evaluation of synovial fluid dilution in lavage samples from canine joints. SAMPLE POPULATION 9 plasma samples obtained from blood samples of 9 healthy dogs and 9 synovial fluid samples aspirated from stifle joints of 9 cadaveric dogs. PROCEDURE Photometric absorbances of 25% vitamin B12 solution, canine synovial fluid, and canine plasma were measured in a spectrophotometer to establish an optimal wavelength for analysis. Canine synovial fluid and plasma samples were mixed with the 25% vitamin B12 solution to obtain 1%, 3%, 5%, 10%, 20%, and 50% solutions of synovial fluid or plasma. Diluted synovial fluid and plasma samples were used to simulate joint lavage samples and to examine the possible interference of these substances (synovial fluid or plasma) with the absorbance of the 25% vitamin B12 solution in photometric analysis. RESULTS The optimal wavelength was found to be at 550 nm. Canine synovial fluid and plasma samples did not interfere with the absorbance measurements of the 25% vitamin B12 solution up to a 50% dilution of plasma or synovial fluid. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE The modified saline solution joint lavage method with the use of a 25% vitamin B12 solution as an internal standard provides an accurate and reliable technique for the evaluation of synovial fluid dilution in lavage samples from canine joints.
An Improvement of Extreme Learning Machine for Compact Single-Hidden-Layer Feedforward Neural Networks

Recently, a novel learning algorithm called extreme learning machine (ELM) was proposed for efficiently training single-hidden-layer feedforward neural networks (SLFNs). It was much faster than the traditional gradient-descent-based learning algorithms due to the analytical determination of output weights with the random choice of input weights and hidden layer biases. However, this algorithm often requires a large number of hidden units and thus slowly responds to new observations. Evolutionary extreme learning machine (E-ELM) was proposed to overcome this problem; it used the differential evolution algorithm to select the input weights and hidden layer biases. However, this algorithm required much time for searching optimal parameters with iterative processes and was not suitable for data sets with a large number of input features. In this paper, a new approach for training SLFNs is proposed, in which the input weights and biases of hidden units are determined based on a fast regularized least-squares scheme. Experimental results for many real applications with both small and large number of input features show that our proposed approach can achieve good generalization performance with much more compact networks and extremely high speed for both learning and testing.
Active sensing and damage detection using piezoelectric zinc oxide-based nanocomposites

This study investigated the design and performance of piezoelectric nanocomposite-based interdigitated transducers (IDTs) for active sensing and damage detection. First, thin films that are highly piezoelectric and mechanically flexible were designed by embedding zinc oxide (ZnO) nanoparticles in a poly(vinylidene fluoride–trifluoroethylene) (PVDF–TrFE) piezo-polymer matrix. Second, the suspended nanoparticle solutions were then spin coated onto patterned comb electrodes to fabricate the IDTs. The films were then poled to align their electric domains and to increase their permanent piezoelectricity. Upon IDT fabrication, its sensing and actuation of Lamb waves on an aluminum pipe was validated. These results were also compared to data obtained from commercial Macro Fiber Composite IDT transducers. In the last phase of this work, damage detection was demonstrated by mounting these nanocomposite sensors and actuators (using a pitch-catch setup) onto an aluminum pipe and plate. Damage was simulated by tightening a band clamp around the pipe and by drilling holes in the plate. A damage index calculation was used to compare results corresponding to different levels of damage applied to the plate (i.e., different drilled hole depths), and good correlation was observed. Thus, ZnO/PVDF–TrFE transducers were shown to have the potential for use as piezoelectric transducers for structural health monitoring and damage detection.
Identification and characterization of pbpA encoding Bacillus subtilis penicillin-binding protein 2A

Amino acid sequence analysis of tryptic peptides derived from purified penicillin-binding protein PBP2a of Bacillus subtilis identified the coding gene (now termed pbpA) as yqgF, which had been sequenced as part of the B. subtilis genome project; pbpA encodes a 716-residue protein with sequence similarity to class B high-molecular-weight PBPs. Use of a pbpA-lacZ fusion showed that pbpA was expressed predominantly during vegetative growth, and the transcription start site was mapped using primer extension analysis. Insertional mutagenesis of pbpA resulted in no changes in the growth rate or morphology of vegetative cells, in the ability to produce heat-resistant spores, or in the ability to trigger spore germination when compared to the wild type. However, pbpA spores were unable to efficiently elongate into cylindrical cells and were delayed significantly in spore outgrowth. This provides evidence that PBP2a is involved in the synthesis of peptidoglycan associated with cell wall elongation in B. subtilis.
Establishment of conditional reporter mouse lines at ROSA26 locus for live cell imaging

A series of conditional reporter mouse lines were established in which specific organelles were labeled with fluorescent proteins. Subcellular localization and intensity of 28 fluorescent fusion‐protein constructs were surveyed in cell lines, and 16 constructs then were selected to generate mouse lines. The fusion cDNAs were inserted into the ROSA26 genomic locus next to the stop sequences flanked with loxP so that fluorescent proteins were expressed under the ubiquitous ROSA26 transcriptional machinery when the loxP sequences were recombined with Cre. The subcellular localization and intensity of the fusion product in each reporter mouse line were examined by ubiquitously expressing them in E7.5 embryos. Twelve reporter lines, that mark nucleus, mitochondria, Golgi apparatus, plasma membrane, microtubule, actin filament, and focal adhesion, were found suitable for live imaging. Distinct double staining was demonstrated for nucleus and plasma membrane or Golgi apparatus; clear time‐lapse live images were obtained for nucleus and plasma membranes; conditional expression was confirmed on Lyn‐Venus and H2B‐mCherry lines in notochord with Not‐Cre. genesis, 49:579–590, 2011. © 2011 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The political construction of elderly care markets : comparing Denmark, Finland and Italy

In Europe over the last two decades, marketization has become an important policy option in elder care. Comparative studies predominantly adopt an institutional perspective and analyze the politics and policies of marketization. This analysis takes a step back and examines the fundamental ideas underpinning the policies of marketization, using the ‘What's the problem? ’ approach by Carol Bacchi. The central question is how the market was discursively framed as the solution to the perceived problems of three different systems of elder care, and how such processes are similar or different across the three countries. The analysis includes two extreme types of elder care systems, the Nordic public systems in Denmark and Finland, and the Southern European family-based model in Italy. Empirically, the analysis offers interesting insights into processes of constructing and legitimating markets at the level of discourse; this occurs by defining specific problem representations, underlying assumptions and silences. In all three countries, marketization is presented as a solution which builds on rather than challenges dominant ideas of care. Conceptually, in addition to its institutions, it is crucial to understand the ideas behind the marketization of elder care. Ideas emerge as a key leverage for making policies and practices of marketization acceptable and which decision makers and other influential political/societal actors use in policy and public debates. The importance of ideas is further underlined by the fact that they do not necessarily relate to the institutions of elder care systems in a linear way.
The Nexus between Finance, Growth and Poverty in India: The Cointegration and Causality Approach1

The paper examines the causal nexus between financial development, economic growth and poverty reduction in India during 1951-2008. The empirical analysis is based on cointegration and causality test. The cointegration test finds the presence of long run equilibrium relationship between financial development, economic growth and poverty reduction. The Granger causality test at the end confirms the presence of unidirectional causality from poverty reduction to economic growth, economic growth to finance development, financial development to poverty reduction and economic growth to poverty reduction. It also finds no causality between finance development and economic growth, and poverty reduction and finance development. The paper suggests that economic growth is considered as the policy variable to accelerate finance development and both could be used as the policy variable to reduce poverty in the economy.
The role of T‐type calcium channels in the subiculum: to burst or not to burst?

Pharmacological, molecular and genetic data indicate a prominent role of low‐voltage‐activated T‐type calcium channels (T‐channels) in the firing activity of both pyramidal and inhibitory interneurons in the subiculum. Pharmacological inhibition of T‐channels switched burst firing with lower depolarizing stimuli to regular spiking, and fully abolished hyperpolarization‐induced burst firing. Our molecular studies showed that CaV3.1 is the most abundantly expressed isoform of T‐channels in the rat subiculum. Consistent with this finding, both regular‐spiking and burst firing patterns were profoundly depressed in the mouse with global deletion of CaV3.1 isoform of T‐channels. Selective inhibition of T‐channels and global deletion of CaV3.1 channels completely suppressed development of long‐term potentiation (LTP) in the CA1–subiculum, but not in the CA3–CA1 pathway.
Review on Lean Tools used in Manufacturing Process Improvement (I)

Lean thinking is a contemporary paradigm that has been acknowledged as a requirement for continuous process improvement and excellence in manufacturing and service organizations around the world. Lean concept refers to the effective management of an organization’s production processes by eliminating waste i.e. processes that do not add value and are not required. Lean is related to creating more value for customers and consuming fewer resources by minimizing waste. An organization where lean is implemented understands customer value and focuses its key processes to continuously increase it. In this paper is made a review on 15 relevant Lean tools used for process improvement in manufacturing. For each Lean tool the review is focusing on description and on establishing main characteristics. The paper is useful for business specialists who seek implementing Lean and for scholars who intent to explore the applicative part of Lean.
Cellular Basis of Itch Sensation

A Separate System for Itch Processing It has been a long-standing question if itch is a subquality of pain involving the same neuronal elements or if distinct, so-called labeled lines exist in the nervous system for both sensations. To address this question directly, Sun et al. (p. 1531, published online 6 August) destroyed neurons in the superficial spinal dorsal horn that express the gastrin-releasing peptide receptor. This receptor is known to be involved in mediating itch but not pain sensations. In various animal models, ablation of gastrin-releasing peptide receptor-expressing spinal dorsal horn neurons reduced itch without changing pain perception. Thus, itch and pain indeed appear to be mediated by distinct labeled lines in the central nervous system. Itch, but not pain sensation, is abolished by selective ablation of a small subpopulation of spinal neurons. Itch and pain are two distinct sensations. Although our previous study suggested that gastrin-releasing peptide receptor (GRPR) is an itch-specific gene in the spinal cord, a long-standing question of whether there are separate neuronal pathways for itch and pain remains unsettled. We selectively ablated lamina I neurons expressing GRPR in the spinal cord of mice. These mice showed profound scratching deficits in response to all of the itching (pruritogenic) stimuli tested, irrespective of their histamine dependence. In contrast, pain behaviors were unaffected. Our data also suggest that GRPR+ neurons are different from the spinothalamic tract neurons that have been the focus of the debate. Together, the present study suggests that GRPR+ neurons constitute a long-sought labeled line for itch sensation in the spinal cord.
Impervious land classification using bootstrap principal component analysis

This paper proposes the bootstrap principal component analysis for the classification of an impervious land area. The impervious surface is closely related to the urban development area, and therefore, crucial to the urban planning of the city. In this paper, we use the remote sensing technology to map each pixel of the images as impervious land, water area, or empty lands. The case study is the Jabodetabek area in Indonesia, which is a megapolitan area consisting of megacities of Jakarta, Bogor, Depok, Tangerang, and Bekasi. The area is the political and economic center of the country. We evaluate the model using Cohen’s kappa coefficient, which shows that the model has excellent performance in classifying those three land-cover classes.