Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Coordination of Distributed Energy Resources in Lossy Networks for Providing Frequency Regulation

In this paper, we address the problem of optimally coordinating the response of a set of distributed energy resources (DERs) in a lossy distribution feeder in order to provide frequency regulation services to the bulk grid to which the feeder is connected. The problem objective is to minimize the incremental total network losses, which are approximated by a linear function of the incremental changes in active power provided by the DERs. The amount by which each DER can change its active power is constrained to lie in some interval. In addition, the DER incremental power changes must be such that the incremental change in power at the feeder head is equal to some prescribed value. In order for the DERs to determine their optimal contribution, we propose an iterative distributed algorithm that relies on local computations performed by each DER based on information acquired from other geographically-close DERs. We illustrate the algorithm performance via numerical experiments in a distributed computing platform.
A Probabilistic Model for Binaural Sound Localization

This paper proposes a biologically inspired and technically implemented sound localization system to robustly estimate the position of a sound source in the frontal azimuthal half-plane. For localization, binaural cues are extracted using cochleagrams generated by a cochlear model that serve as input to the system. The basic idea of the model is to separately measure interaural time differences and interaural level differences for a number of frequencies and process these measurements as a whole. This leads to two-dimensional frequency versus time-delay representations of binaural cues, so-called activity maps. A probabilistic evaluation is presented to estimate the position of a sound source over time based on these activity maps. Learned reference maps for different azimuthal positions are integrated into the computation to gain time-dependent discrete conditional probabilities. At every timestep these probabilities are combined over frequencies and binaural cues to estimate the sound source position. In addition, they are propagated over time to improve position estimation. This leads to a system that is able to localize audible signals, for example human speech signals, even in reverberating environments
The Choice of Financial Advisors in Cross-border Acquisitions : Determinants and Consequences *

We examine the decisions of financial advisor hiring by U.S. acquirers in cross-border mergers and acquisitions. Our investigation focuses on the choice between financial advisors indigenous to target home countries (local advisors) and those foreign to target home countries (foreign advisors). We develop and test hypotheses about the determinants and consequences of acquirer choices based on the relative strengths and weaknesses of the two options. We find that acquirers are more likely to retain local advisors in transactions where they face greater information asymmetry and uncertainties as reflected by deal and target home country characteristics, and are more likely to hire foreign advisors in relatively larger deals. These results are consistent with local advisors having an information advantage while foreign advisors having more expertise in handling larger and more complex transactions. Local advisor hiring is also more likely when there is a greater supply of them. Regarding the consequences of local vs. foreign advisor hiring, we find that acquirers advised by local advisors experience significantly higher announcementperiod abnormal returns, but only in deals where acquirers have greater difficulties understanding and valuing targets. We also find that local advisor hiring reduces the propensity of acquirers to use stock as the method of payment.
Reliability and validity of the Persian lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) in a heterogeneous sample of outpatients with lower limb musculoskeletal disorders

Abstract Purpose: The aim was to culturally translate and validate the Persian lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) in a heterogeneous sample of outpatients with lower extremity musculoskeletal disorders (n = 304). Method: This is a prospective methodological study. After a standard forward–backward translation, psychometric properties were assessed in terms of test–retest reliability, internal consistency, construct validity, dimensionality, and ceiling or floor effects. Results: The acceptable level of intraclass correlation coefficient >0.70 and Cronbach’s alpha coefficient >0.70 was obtained for the Persian LEFS. Correlations between Persian LEFS and Short-Form 36 Health Survey (SF-36) subscales of Physical Health component (rs range = 0.38–0.78) were higher than correlations between Persian LEFS and SF-36 subscales of Mental Health component (rs range = 0.15–0.39). A corrected item--total correlation of >0.40 (Spearman's rho) was obtained for all items of the Persian LEFS. Horn’s parallel analysis detected a total of two factors. No ceiling or floor effects were detected for the Persian LEFS. Conclusions: The Persian version of the LEFS is a reliable and valid instrument that can be used to measure functional status in Persian-speaking patients with different musculoskeletal disorders of the lower extremity. Implications for Rehabilitation The Persian lower extremity functional scale (LEFS) is a reliable, internally consistent and valid instrument, with no ceiling or floor effects, to determine functional status of heterogeneous patients with musculoskeletal disorders of the lower extremity. The Persian version of the LEFS can be used in clinical and research settings to measure function in Iranian patients with different musculoskeletal disorders of the lower extremity.
A Dominant Negative Type I Insulin-like Growth Factor Receptor Inhibits Metastasis of Human Cancer Cells*

We have previously shown that LCC6 wild-type (WT) cells, a metastatic variant of MDA-MB-435 cancer cells originally derived from a breast cancer patient, exhibit enhanced motility in response to IGF-I compared with the parent MDA-MB-435 cells. To further understand the role of the type I insulin-like growth factor (IGF) receptor (IGF1R) in cancer metastasis we inhibited signaling via IGF1R using a C-terminal-truncated IGF1R. The truncated receptor retains the ligand binding domain but lacks the autophosphorylated tyrosine residues in the carboxyl terminus. Cells stably transfected with this truncated receptor (LCC6-DN cells) overexpressed the truncated IGF1R messenger RNA nearly 50-fold over endogenous receptor. The truncated receptor in the LCC6-DN cells behaved in a dominant negative manner to inhibit endogenous IGF1R activation by IGF-I. Compared with the LCC6-WT cells, LCC6-DN cells failed to phosphorylate the adaptor proteins insulin receptor substrate-1 and -2 in response to IGF-I and did not activate Akt after exposure to IGF-I. Unlike LCC6-WT cells, LCC6-DN cells did not show enhanced motility in response to IGF-I. To assay for metastasis, LCC6-WT and LCC6-DN cells were injected into the mammary fat pads of mice, and the primary xenograft tumors were removed after 21 days. Mice sacrificed 5 weeks later showed multiple lung metastases derived from LCC-WT xenografts, whereas mice harboring LCC6-DN xenografts showed no lung metastases. Our data show that IGF1R can regulate several aspects of the malignant phenotype. In these cells, metastasis but not proliferation requires IGF1R function.
Specific protein alteration in the soleus following immobilization‐atrophy

To investigate the effect of immobilization in a shortened position on protein alteration in the mouse soleus, total protein from immobilized and control muscle were analyzed by SDS‐PAGE and two‐dimensional polyacrylamide gel electrophoresis. Five‐week‐old male ddY mice (n=22) were used throughout this study. A 67.3 kDa protein was significantly increased by 1.7‐fold in the immobilized muscles in SDS‐PAGE compared to control muscle (P<0.001). This protein had the same mobility as serum albumin. The isoelectric point of the 67.3 kDa protein was pH 6.3, similar to serum albumin (range from pH 6.0 to 6.3). Specific antibody to the 67.3 kDa protein reacted with serum albumin by Western blot analysis. This protein was localized in the interstitial space in the control muscle and accumulated in pathologic areas in the immobilized muscle. It was presumed that this protein was a serum albumin‐like protein.
Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 Infection Is Associated with Increased NK Cell Polyfunctionality and Higher Levels of KIR3DL1+ NK Cells in Ugandans Carrying the HLA-B Bw4 Motif

ABSTRACT Natural killer (NK) cells are important innate effector cells controlled by an array of activating and inhibitory receptors. Some alleles of the inhibitory killer-cell immunoglobulin-like receptor KIR3DL1 in combination with its HLA class I ligand Bw4 have been genetically associated with slower HIV-1 disease progression. Here, we observed that the presence of HLA-B Bw4 was associated with elevated frequencies of KIR3DL1+ CD56dim NK cells in chronically HIV-1-infected individuals from the rural district of Kayunga, Uganda. In contrast, levels of KIR2DL1+ CD56dim NK cells were decreased, and levels of KIR2DL3+ CD56dim NK cells were unchanged in infected subjects carrying their respective HLA-C ligands. Furthermore, the size of the KIR3DL1+ NK cell subset correlated directly with viral load, and this effect occurred only in HLA-B Bw4+ patients, suggesting that these cells expand in response to viral replication but may have relatively poor antiviral capacity. In contrast, no association with viral load was present for KIR2DL1+ and KIR2DL3+ NK cells. Interestingly, chronic HIV-1 infection was associated with an increased polyfunctional response in the NK cell compartment, and, upon further investigation, KIR3DL1+ CD56dim NK cells exhibited a significantly increased functional response in the patients carrying HLA-B Bw4. These results indicate that chronic HIV-1 infection is associated with increased NK cell polyfunctionality and elevated levels of KIR3DL1+ NK cells in Ugandans carrying the HLA-B Bw4 motif.
Differentiated structure and function of cultures from human tracheal epithelium.

Here we describe the conditions which allow cultured human tracheal epithelial cells to retain the ion transport properties and ultrastructure of the original tissue. The order of potency of growth supports and media additives in elevating baseline short-circuit current (Isc) and responses to mediators were vitrogen gel (VIT) greater than extracellular matrix from bovine corneal endothelial cells (ECM) greater than human placental collagen (HPC), and 2% Ultroser G serum substitute (USG) greater than 5% fetal calf serum (FCS) greater than defined growth factors (GF). For all combinations of medium and growth supports, an air interface (AIR) gave better electrical properties than immersion feeding (IMM). As opposed to our earlier conditions (HPC/FCS/IMM), the best new combination (VIT/USG/AIR) produced higher baseline Isc (58.0 +/- 10.6 vs. 5.1 +/- 1.0 microA/cm2) and increased Isc responses to isoproterenol (6.1 +/- 1.5 vs. 0.8 +/- 0.3 microA/cm2) and bradykinin (9.6 +/- 2.0 vs. 1.0 +/- 0.2 microA/cm2), while retaining high transepithelial resistance (227 +/- 5 omega.cm2). VIT/USG/AIR led to the appearance of cilia, an increase in the depth of the cell sheets (50 vs. 10 microns), longer and more frequent apical microvilli, and increased interdigitations of the basolateral membrane. Protein and DNA content were also significantly increased. Secretory granules were present which stained with antibody to goblet cells, but not to serous or mucous gland cells. CF cells grown in VIT/USG/AIR showed high baseline Isc (69 +/- 18 microA/cm2) and a proportionately larger inhibition of Isc by amiloride (70 +/- 10 vs. 34 +/- 3%). Isc did not respond to isoproterenol, and the response to bradykinin was 22% normal.
Vitamin A and cancer prevention II: Comparison of the effects of retinol and β‐carotene

Former blue asbestos workers known to be at high risk of asbestos‐related diseases, particularly malignant mesothelioma and lung cancer, were enrolled in a chemo‐prevention program using vitamin A. Our aims were to compare rates of disease and death in subjects randomly assigned to β‐carotene or retinol. Subjects were assigned randomly to take 30 mg/day β‐carotene (512 subjects) or 25,000 IU/day retinol (512 subjects) and followed up through death and cancer registries from the start of the study in June 1990 till May 1995. Comparison between groups was by Cox regression in both intention‐to‐treat analyses and efficacy analyses based on treatment actually taken. Median follow‐up time was 232 weeks. Four cases of lung cancer and 3 cases of mesothelioma were observed in subjects randomised to retinol and 6 cases of lung cancer and 12 cases of mesothelioma in subjects randomised to β‐carotene. The relative rate of mesothelioma (the most common single cause of death in our study) for those on retinol compared with those on β‐carotene was 0.24 (95% CI 0.07–0.86). In the retinol group, there was also a significantly lower rate for death from all causes but a higher rate of ischaemic heart disease mortality. Similar results were found with efficacy analyses. Our results confirm other findings of a lack of any benefit from administration of large doses of synthetic β‐carotene. The finding of significantly lower rates of mesothelioma among subjects assigned to retinol requires further investigation. Int. J. Cancer 75:362–367, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Human Plasminogen Is Highly Susceptible to Peroxynitrite Inactivation

Abstract It has been shown that diabetic patients have up to three-fold increases in plasma nitrated tyrosine. We hypothesize that nitration of plasminogen could impair its catalytic properties and be a factor in diabetic thrombogenicity. To test this hypothesis, in this study we addressed the effects of the peroxynitrite donor 3-morpholinosydnonimine (SIN-1) on human streptokinase-induced plasmin activity. Given the link between glycation and oxidation we also explored whether peroxynitrite enhances the effect of fructose (1–5 mmol/l) and glucose (5–50 mmol/l) on plasminogen. We provide evidence that plasminogen, but not antithrombin III, is quickly inactivated by exogenously generated peroxynitrite (0–20 mmol/l SIN-1), in a timeand dose-dependent manner. The effect occurs even when the molar ratio of other plasma proteins and key antioxidants is respected. In our system, peroxynitrite did not enhance the effect of the sugars. Preincubation of the sugars with peroxynitrite also failed to produce any effect. This suggests that in conditions and times approaching the in vivo situation, plasminogen is more susceptible to peroxynitrite damage than to carbonyl damage. Plausibly, nitration of tyrosine should play a critical role in either conformational or functional changes. If proven in ulterior in vivo studies, this factor would provide another mechanism by which nitrosative stress participates in diabetic complications.
The Use of Social Networking Sites for Relationship Maintenance in Long-Distance and Geographically Close Romantic Relationships

Social networking sites (SNS) play an increasingly important role in maintaining geographically close romantic relationships (GCRR). However, knowledge about SNS use in long-distance romantic relationships (LDRR) is still lacking. The present study examined the relative importance of SNS in maintaining LDRR compared to GCRR, particularly with regard to the use of SNS to express involvement (via relational maintenance behaviors) and to gauge a partner's involvement (via partner surveillance and jealousy) in the relationship. An online survey was conducted among predominantly young adult Facebook users who were in a romantic relationship (N=272). Results showed that participants who were in a LDRR reported higher levels of relational maintenance behaviors through SNS than participants who were in a GCRR. Also, as compared to participants who were in a GCRR, participants who were in a LDRR used SNS more for partner surveillance and experienced higher levels of SNS jealousy.
Compact modeling of high-frequency distortion in bipolar transistors

The high-frequency distortion behavior of diff erent integrated bipolar transistor types, that were fabricated in a state-of-the-art process, is investigated experimentally and theoretically. The measured data are compared to the advanced compact model HICUM showing excellent agreement over input power, bias and frequency. In addition, a simplified model is used together with a Volterra-series like approach to identify the nonlinear effects that are most important at high frequencies.
A 500m WRF hindcast of a microburst event in The Netherlands

Official meteorological observation sites are not present in the direct vicinity of Vethuizen. Therefore, the operator of the high voltage lines asked Meteo Group to numerically investigate the magnitude of the wind gusts. For this purpose, Meteo Group used WRF (v3.2.1) with 3 nests (500m, 1km and 3km) in a 9km mother domain. Since the extreme weather event moved fairly fast, a 5 minute output interval was used. Most attention was paid to the simulated radar reflectivity and the maximum wind in the past 5 minutes.
Detection of Antibodies to the Feline Leukemia Virus (FeLV) Transmembrane Protein p15E: an Alternative Approach for Serological FeLV Detection Based on Antibodies to p15E

ABSTRACT The aim of this report was to investigate whether the diagnosis of feline leukemia virus (FeLV) infection by serology might be feasible and useful. Among the various viral proteins, the FeLV env-gene product (SU) and the envelope transmembrane protein p15E were considered promising candidates for the serological diagnosis of FeLV infection. Thus, we evaluated p15E and three other FeLV antigens, namely, a recombinant env-gene product, whole FeLV, and a short peptide from the FeLV transmembrane protein, for their potential to detect FeLV infection. To evaluate possible exposure of cats to FeLV, we tested serum and plasma samples from experimentally and naturally infected and vaccinated cats for the presence of antibodies to these antigens by enzyme-linked immunosorbent assays (ELISAs). The serological results were compared with the p27 and proviral real-time PCR results. We found that p15E displayed a diagnostic sensitivity of 95.7% and a specificity of 100% in experimentally infected cats. In naturally infected cats, p15E showed a diagnostic sensitivity of 77.1% and a specificity of 85.6%. Vaccinated cats displayed minimal antibody levels to p15E, suggesting that anti-p15E antibodies indicate infection rather than vaccination. The other antigens turned out to be too unspecific. The lower specificity in cats exposed to FeLV under field conditions may be explained by the fact that some cats become infected and seroconvert in the absence of detectable viral nucleic acids in plasma. We conclude that p15E serology may become a valuable tool for diagnosing FeLV infection; in some cases, it may replace PCR.
The role of regulatory T cells in the control of natural killer cells: relevance during tumor progression

Summary: Tumor immunosurveillance relies on cognate immune effectors [lymphocytes and interferon‐γ (IFN‐γ)] and innate immunity [natural killer (NK) cells, natural killer group 2, member D (NKG2D) ligands, perforin/granzyme, and tumor necrosis factor‐related apoptosis‐inducing ligand]. In parallel, tumor cells promote the expansion of CD4+CD25+ regulatory T cells (Tregs) that counteract T‐cell‐based anti‐tumor immunity. Moreover, accumulating evidence points to a critical role for Tregs in dampening NK cell immune responses. This review summarizes the findings showing that Tregs suppress NK cell effector functions in vitro and in vivo, i.e. homeostatic proliferation, cytotoxicity, and interleukin‐12‐mediated IFN‐γ production. The molecular mechanism involve selective expression of membrane‐bound transforming growth factor‐β on Tregs, which downregulate NKG2D expression on NK cells in vitro and in vivo. The regulatory events dictating NK cell suppression by Tregs have been studied and are discussed. The pathological relevance of the Treg–NK cell interaction has been brought up in tumor models and in patients with cancer. Consequently, inhibition of Tregs through pharmacological interventions should be considered during NK‐cell‐based immunotherapy of cancer.
SNP-Based Heritability Estimates of Common and Specific Variance in Self- and Informant-Reported Neuroticism Scales.

OBJECTIVE Our study aims to estimate the proportion of the phenotypic variance of Neuroticism and its facet scales that can be attributed to common single-nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in two adult populations from Estonia (EGCUT; N = 3,292) and the Netherlands (Lifelines; N = 13,383). METHOD Genomic-relatedness-matrix restricted maximum likelihood (GREML) using genome-wide complex trait analysis (GCTA) software was employed. To build upon previous research, we used self- and informant reports of the 30-facet NEO personality inventories and analyzed both the usual sum scores and the residual facet scores of Neuroticism. RESULTS In the EGCUT cohort, the proportion of phenotypic variance explained by the additive effects of common genetic variants in self- and informant-reported Neuroticism domain scores was 15.2% (p = .070, SE = .11) and 6.2% (p = .293, SE = .12), respectively. The SNP-based heritability estimates at the level of Neuroticism facet scales differed greatly across cohorts and modes of measurement but were generally higher (a) for self- than for informant reports, and (b) for sum than for residual scores. CONCLUSIONS Our findings indicate that a large proportion of the heritability of Neuroticism is not captured by additive genetic effects of common SNPs, with some evidence for Gene × Environment interaction across cohorts.
Aligning and Soldering Pure-Copper Nanowires for Nanodevice Fabrication

Pure-copper nanowires (NWs) were aligned and soldered without using N2 as protection gas in the alignment and soldering processes. Unlike other research works that used segmented NWs for easier wetting and connection, this paper demonstrates soldering pure-copper NWs on microelectrodes using triethanolamine as soldering agent in the high-temperature soldering environment. The results of the electrical conductivity measurement show that the contact resistance between the microelectrodes bridged by NWs was remarkably reduced by the nanosoldering. Moreover, the resistance between two electrodes changed from 1.53 × 105 to 136 Ω. The methods introduced in this paper are anticipated to be useful to nanodevice fabrication.
Distributional and translational solutions to the visualization of semantic differences between translated and non-translated Dutch

This paper aims to visualize the semantic field of inchoativity in Dutch, for both translated and non-translated language. Two methodological solutions, a context-ba sed and a translation-based approach, will be assessed and co nsequently compared to each other. Such a comparison can possi bly generate interesting insights into the accuracy of the results of both the context-based and the translation-based me thod. Keywords—Corpus-based Translation Studies, semantic mirroring, distributional semantics, translation-ba sed, inchoativity