Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing performance of Prony analysis and matrix pencil method for monitoring power system oscillations

Prony analysis and matrix pencil method have been widely used for monitoring power system oscillations. In this paper, a performance study has been made on Prony analysis and matrix pencil method, which utilize single signal, as well as multiple signals, to estimate the dominant modes of oscillations. The performance of the two methods are evaluated on actual data obtained from PMUs interfaced to a real time power system simulator, in which test systems are simulated including the complete dynamical models of the equipment. The widely used WSCC 9-bus system, the 2-area 11-bus system, and the New England 39-bus system are taken as the test beds for the study.
Charge equalization for series-connected battery cells using SIMO DC-DC converter

This paper presents a charge equalization method for series-connected battery cells, using the single-inductor multiple-output (SIMO) DC-DC converter. The battery cells are individually charged according to the corresponding state of charge (SOC) to achieve the charge equalization. The SIMO topology reduces the number of components and circuit size. However, the SIMO DC-DC converter has a cross regulation problem. A novel model predictive current control (MPCC) method is proposed to regulate the SIMO DC-DC converter for suppressing cross regulation. Corresponding current reference assignment algorithms are developed to provide the proper output current references for balancing the battery cells. Simulation studies and comparison are conducted to verify the performance of the proposed charge equalization method.
Neighborhood Poverty, College Attendance, and Diverging Profiles of Substance Use and Allostatic Load in Rural African American Youth

A subset of African American youth who live in impoverished neighborhoods displays resilient profiles academically and behaviorally. We hypothesized that this resilience might be “skin deep,” in that the ongoing efforts needed to achieve success might take a physiological toll on these youth. At age 19, a total of 452 rural African American youth were assessed on broader contextual risk (neighborhood poverty) and external indicators of success (college attendance). One year later, participants were assessed on substance use and cumulative physiological risk (allostatic load). African American youth from more disadvantaged neighborhoods who attended college had lower levels of substance use but higher levels of allostatic load compared with those from less disadvantaged neighborhoods who attended college or with those who did not attend college. These findings indicate that a subset of African American youth from poor neighborhoods exhibits a profile of “skin-deep resilience” characterized by external successes combined with heightened internal physiological risk.
Alumina etch masks for fabrication of high-aspect-ratio silicon micropillars and nanopillars

We introduce using sputtered aluminum oxide (alumina) as a resilient etch mask for fluorinated silicon reactive ion etches. Achieving selectivity of 5000:1 for cryogenic silicon etching and 68:1 for SF6/C4F8 silicon etching, we employ this mask for fabrication of high-aspect-ratio silicon micropillars and nanopillars. Nanopillars with diameters ranging from below 50 nm up to several hundred nanometers are etched to heights greater than 2 µm. Micropillars of 5, 10, 20, and 50 µm diameters are etched to heights of over 150 µm with aspect ratios greater than 25. Processing and characterization of the sputtered alumina is also discussed.
HEAT-INDUCED TAS1 TARGET1 Mediates Thermotolerance via HEAT STRESS TRANSCRIPTION FACTOR A1a–Directed Pathways in Arabidopsis[C][W]

Heat response pathways in plants are regulated by heat stress transcription factors (Hsfs) and perhaps by small interfering RNAs, such as TAS1-derived siRNAs, but the key mediators of these pathways are unclear. This report identified HEAT-INDUCED TAS1 TARGET1 (HTT1) and HTT2, which are targets of TAS1 and are directly activated by HsfA1a, thus mediating thermotolerance pathways. Many heat stress transcription factors (Hsfs) and heat shock proteins (Hsps) have been identified to play important roles in the heat tolerance of plants. However, many of the key factors mediating the heat response pathways remain unknown. Here, we report that two genes, which are targets of TAS1 (trans-acting siRNA precursor 1)–derived small interfering RNAs that we named HEAT-INDUCED TAS1 TARGET1 (HTT1) and HTT2, are involved in thermotolerance. Microarray analysis revealed that the HTT1 and HTT2 genes were highly upregulated in Arabidopsis thaliana seedlings in response to heat shock. Overexpression of TAS1a, whose trans-acting small interfering RNAs target the HTT genes, elevated accumulation of TAS1-siRNAs and reduced expression levels of the HTT genes, causing weaker thermotolerance. By contrast, overexpression of HTT1 and HTT2 upregulated several Hsf genes, leading to stronger thermotolerance. In heat-tolerant plants overexpressing HsfA1a, the HTT genes were upregulated, especially at high temperatures. Meanwhile, HsfA1a directly activated HTT1 and HTT2 through binding to their promoters. HTT1 interacted with the heat shock proteins Hsp70-14 and Hsp40 and NUCLEAR FACTOR Y, SUBUNIT C2. Taken together, these results suggest that HTT1 mediates thermotolerance pathways because it is targeted by TAS1a, mainly activated by HsfA1a, and acts as cofactor of Hsp70-14 complexes.
Synergistic interactions between Ca2+ entries through L‐type Ca2+ channels and Na+–Ca2+ exchanger in normal and failing rat heart

We used confocal Ca2+ imaging and the patch‐clamp technique to investigate the interplay between Ca2+ entries through L‐type Ca2+ channels (LCCs) and reverse‐mode Na+–Ca2+ exchange (NCX) in activating Ca2+‐induced Ca2+ release (CICR) from the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) in cardiac myocytes from normal and failing rat hearts. In normal myocytes exposed to N(6),2′‐O‐dibutyryl adenosine‐3′,5′‐cyclic monophosphate (db‐cAMP, membrane‐permeable form of cAMP), the bell‐shaped voltage dependence of cytosolic Ca2+ transients was dramatically broadened due to activation of SR Ca2+ release at high membrane potentials (30–120 mV). This broadening of Ca2+‐transient voltage dependence could be prevented by KB‐R7943, an inhibitor of the reverse‐mode NCX. Trans‐sarcolemmal Ca2+ entries were measured fluorometrically in myocytes during depolarizing steps to high membrane potentials. The total Ca2+ entry (ΔFTot) was separated into two Ca2+ entry components, LCC‐mediated (ΔFLCC) and NCX‐mediated (ΔFNCX), by exposing the cells to the specific inhibitors of LCCs and reverse‐mode NCX, nifedipine and KB‐R7943, respectively. In the absence of protein kinase A (PKA) stimulation the amplitude of the Ca2+‐inflow signal (ΔFTot) corresponded to the arithmetic sum of the amplitudes of the KB‐R7943‐ and nifedipine‐resistant components (ΔFTot=ΔFLCC+ΔFNCX). PKA activation resulted in significant increases in ΔFTot and ΔFLCC. Paradoxically, ΔFTot became ∼threefold larger than the sum of the ΔFNCX and ΔFLCC components. In myocytes from failing hearts, stimulation of PKA failed to induce a shift in Ca2+ release voltage dependence toward more positive membrane potentials. Although the total and NCX‐mediated Ca2+ entries were increased again, ΔFTot did not significantly exceed the sum of ΔFLCC and ΔFNCX. We conclude that the LCC and NCX Ca2+‐entry pathways interact synergistically to trigger SR Ca2+ release on depolarization to positive membrane potentials in PKA‐stimulated cardiac muscle. In heart failure, this new form of Ca2+ release is diminished and may potentially account for the compromised contractile performance and reduced functional reserve in failing hearts.
Beyond Big Bird, Binders, and Bayonets: Humor and Visibility Among Connected Viewers of the 2012 US Presidential Debates

During the 2012 US presidential debates, more than five million connected viewers turned to social media to respond to the broadcast and talk politics with one another. Using a mixed-methods approach, this study examines the prevalence of humor and its relationship to visibility among connected viewers live-tweeting the debates. Based on a content analysis of tweets and accounts, we estimate that approximately one-fifth of the messages sent during the debates consisted of strictly humorous content. Using retweet frequency as a proxy for visibility, we found a positive relationship between the use of humor and the visibility of individual tweets. Not only was humor widespread in the discourse of connected viewers, but humorous messages enjoyed greater overall visibility. These findings suggest a strategic use of humor by political actors seeking greater shares of attention on social media.
Impact of Optimized Electrodes on Generation Characteristics of Vacuum-Discharge Plasmas

Electrode structures have an important effect on the electric-field strength at the cathode tip in vacuum. Effectively increasing the electric-field strength at the cathode tip can contribute to increasing the density and energy of vacuum-arc discharge plasmas. In this paper, a tubular electrode is designed and employed as the anode. The electric-field distribution of the electrode was simulated using the software package Maxwell 3-D. Through a series of simulated experiments, the factors that affect the electric-field distribution were explored, including the length of the tubular anode and the relative positions of the electrodes. In addition, the effect of an insulator situated between the cathode and the anode and optimal designs for the electrode structures are discussed. The plasma parameters and thrust were measured using a Langmuir probe and a piezoelectric thin-film sensor, respectively. The experimental and simulated results indicate that optimizing the electrode structure can effectively reduce the weight of the electrodes, increase the field strength at the cathode tip, and generate higher plasma density and greater thrust.
Empirical Analysis of Factors Affecting Economic Growth in Pakistan

The paper estimates the major factors affecting economic growth in Pakistan over the period of (1985-2011). The Time series properties of variables are tested using backward stepwise regression method by employing SPSS. The secondary World Bank data has been used for analysis purpose. The results of multiple regression indicate that one-dollar increase in the amount of service value added, agriculture value added, industrial value added, gross domestic savings and external debt causes GDP to increase by 1.124, 0.897, 0.702, 0.411 and 0.213 million US dollars respectively that accelerate the growth process. However, one-dollar rise in the amount of exports, FDI and gross fixed capital formation rise the GDP by 0.004, 0.003 and 0.001 million US $ that indicates the positive but insignificant association with GDP. The paper thus focuses on reforms and policies with immediately effect to boost FDI, exports and gross fixed capital formation to remove the barriers of economic growth in Pakistan.
Simultaneous probabilistic localization and learning: A new algorithm for online learning

Indoor localization systems based on existent radio communication networks often make use of received signal strength (RSS) as measured feature. In order to achieve a good accuracy such systems have a huge payload in the called calibration phase, where many labeled measurements are collected and used to build a representative feature map. This paper presents a new algorithm based on previous works from the same authors, where explicit calibration efforts are avoided by unsupervised online learning, while the system is already operational. Using probabilistic localization and non-parametric density estimation, the new approach uses unlabeled measurements to learn a feature map with the probabilistic mass function of the measurements, having as start only a rough initial model based on plausible physical properties. Simulations with artificial generated data and with real measurements validate the introduced algorithm, covering discontinuities on the feature map and multimodal distributions, imposed by a structured indoor environment.
Survival of Mycobacterium tuberculosis in Host Macrophages Involves Resistance to Apoptosis Dependent upon Induction of Antiapoptotic Bcl-2 Family Member Mcl-11

Mcl-1 protein expression was found to be up-regulated during infection with virulent Mycobacterium tuberculosis strain H37Rv. Mcl-1 induction in THP-1 cells was optimal at a multiplicity of infection of 0.8–1.2 bacilli per macrophage and was independent of opsonin coating of the bacteria. Mcl-1 expression was elevated as early as 4 h, peaked at 5.8-fold above control cells at 24 h, and remained elevated at 48 h after infection. In THP-1 cells, mMcl-1 mRNA was induced by infection with live H37Rv but not with attenuated M. tuberculosis strain H37Ra, heat-killed H37Rv, or latex beads. In THP-1 cells and monocyte-derived macrophages (MDMs), Mcl-1 protein was induced by infection with live H37Rv but not with attenuated M. tuberculosis strain H37Ra, heat-killed H37Rv, or latex beads. Treatment of uninfected, H37Ra-infected, and H37Rv-infected THP-1 cells and MDMs with antisense oligonucleotides to mcl-1 reduced Mcl-1 expression by >84%. This resulted in an increase in apoptosis of both MDMs and THP-1 cells that were infected with H37Rv, but not cells that were uninfected or infected with H37Ra. Increased apoptosis correlated with a decrease in M. tuberculosis CFUs recovered from antisense-treated, H37Rv-infected cells at 4 and 7 days after infection. In contrast, CFU recoveries from sense-treated, H37Rv-infected cells or from antisense- or sense-treated, H37Ra-infected cells were unchanged from controls. Thus, the antiapoptotic effect of the induction of Mcl-1 expression in H37Rv-infected macrophages promotes the survival of virulent M. tuberculosis.
Fast, robust and automatic 3D face model reconstruction from videos

This paper presents a fully automatic system that recovers 3D face models from sequences of facial images. Unlike most 3D Morphable Model (3DMM) fitting algorithms that simultaneously reconstruct the shape and texture from a single input image, our approach builds on a more efficient least squares method to directly estimate the 3D shape from sparse 2D landmarks, which are localized by face alignment algorithms. The inconsistency between self-occluded 2D and 3D feature positions caused by head pose is ad-dressed. A novel framework to enhance robustness across multiple frames selected based on their 2D landmarks combined with individual self-occlusion handling is proposed. Evaluation on groundtruth 3D scans shows superior shape and pose estimation over previous work. The whole system is also evaluated on an “in the wild” video dataset [12] and delivers personalized and realistic 3D face shape and texture models under less constrained conditions, which only takes seconds to process each video clip.
Transmission and Wind Power Investment

This paper jointly considers wind power investment and transmission reinforcement. The proposed model is a mathematical program with equilibrium constraints (MPEC) that seeks to identify the optimal wind projects to be developed and the required network reinforcements. Under the transmission/system operator perspective, this MPEC seeks to minimize consumer payments and is constrained by investment conditions and the equilibria of the market under different operating conditions. An array of subsidies is considered to promote independent wind power investment. An example and two case studies illustrate the characteristics of the proposed model.
Subcellular location of heme oxygenase 1 and 2 and divalent metal transporter 1 in relation to endocytotic markers during heme iron absorption

Background and Aim: Heme is an important dietary micronutrient, although its absorptive mechanisms are poorly understood. One hypothesis suggests enterocytes take up heme by receptor‐mediated endocytosis (RME) which then undergoes catabolism by heme oxygenase (HO) inside internalized vesicles. This would require the translocation of HO‐1 or HO‐2 to endosomes and/or lysosomes and the presence of a transporter, possibly divalent metal transporter 1 (DMT1), to transfer released iron to the cytoplasm. Currently, the location of HO‐1 and HO‐2 in enterocytes is unknown.
Rehabilitation of Reaching Poststroke: A Randomized Pilot Investigation of Tactile Versus Auditory Feedback for Trunk Control

Background and Purpose: For individuals poststroke, reaching with the paretic limb is often associated with compensatory trunk movement due to limited active arm movement. We conducted a pilot feasibility study to compare the effects of task-related training on reaching with the paretic limb using each of 2 different techniques for providing feedback about trunk position. We hypothesized that the use of an auditory feedback signal in response to pressure (Sensor group) would be more effective than feedback arising from an external device used to restrain the trunk (Stabilizer group). Methods: Sixteen individuals with chronic stroke were enrolled. Participants had scores of 20 to 44 on the Upper-Arm subsection of the Fugl-Meyer Scale and demonstrated some trunk movement during the pretest assessment of the Reaching Performance Scale (RPS). Participants were randomly assigned to either the Sensor or the Stabilizer group. Both groups participated in 12 structured rehabilitation sessions with equal time duration, number of repetitions, and task-related training activities. Feedback was systematically and equally faded for all training. Clinical outcome measures were assessed prior to and following training. Results: Both forms of feedback were associated with changes in active shoulder motion, Wolf Motor Function Test (WMFT), Fugl-Meyer Scale and RPS (near and far) as determined by a 2 × 2 (Group × Time) analysis of variance. An interaction of RPS-near revealed that the Sensor group improved more than the Stabilizer group for this measure. However, sample size may not have been sufficient to identify differences in other measures. Discussion: Although both forms of feedback led to improvements in the majority of outcome measures, the auditory feedback signal was associated with greater improvement in RPS-near scores. Conclusion: In the rehabilitation of reaching function in individuals with stroke, the use of an auditory signaling device appears to be a feasible alternative to imposed trunk stabilization. Additional studies with larger sample sizes are needed to determine whether one approach is superior to the other.
Public managers’ perception of performance information: the evidence from Polish local governments

ABSTRACT Performance management requires wise utilization of performance information to generate expected results. The framework of Performance Information Utilization (PIU) explains why and how performance information is used in the public sector, although it does so without recognizing the role of the information user’s perception. This article adapts the information system theories to conceptualize perception of performance information (PPI). Statistical analysis confirmed the validity of the construct and showed a significant relationship between quality and usefulness of performance information, and usefulness of multiple performance information systems. Tested model offers new insights in explaining the use of performance information in local governments.
Immunobiology of CR2, the B lymphocyte receptor for Epstein-Barr virus and the C3d complement fragment.

The complement system is the primary mediator of the biological conse­ quences of antigen-antibody reactions. It consists of at least 20 chemically and immunologically distinct plasma and cell membrane proteins which acquire the ability to interact with one another, with antibody, and with cell membranes after activation of the system (1, 2). These interactions directly generate the various biologic activities that complement mediates and which range from lysis of different kinds of cells, bacteria, and viruses to direct mediation of inflammatory processes. In addition, complement is able to enlist the participation of other humoral and cellular effector systems and to induce histamine release from mast cells, directed migration of leukocytes, phagocytosis, and release of lysosomal constituents from phagocytes. Complement also possesses immunoregulatory actions which are, as yet, poorly understood. With the exception of its membrane disrupting, cytolytic functions, all of the biological activities of the complement system -are mediated through complement receptors. Complement receptors are cell surface structures that specifically interact with complement protein cleavage products pro­ duced during the activation process (2-4). There are one or more distinct complement receptors on the surface of most types of circulating cells and
Antiproliferative effects on colon adenocarcinoma cells induced by co-administration of vitamin K1 and Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG.

Vitamin K (VK), an essential nutrient associated with the clotting cascade, has also been demonstrated to have anticancer properties in various cancer cells including colon cancer cells. Also probiotics have gained interest as potential anticancer agents. Among them, Lactobacillus rhamnosus GG (L.GG) has been shown to inhibit cell proliferation and polyamine biosynthesis as well as to induce apoptosis in different human gastrointestinal cancer cells. Nevertheless, the exact mechanisms involved in these actions are not completely elucidated. Therefore, the aims of the present study were to evaluate in three differently graded human colon cancer cells (namely Caco-2, HT-29 and SW480) the effects of increasing VK1 concentrations, administered alone or in combination with viable L.GG, on the cell proliferation evaluated by MTT test, apoptosis investigated by Bax/Bcl-2 ratio and the percentage of the apoptotic cells, and the cell cycle evaluated by MUSE cell analyzer. Both VK1 and L.GG administered alone up to 72 h, caused inhibition of proliferation, induction of apoptosis and the cell cycle arrest in all the tested colon cancer cells. When VK1 and L.GG were co-administered, the addition of increasing VK1 concentrations potentiated the probiotic antiproliferative effect in a dose-dependent manner, being also related to the individual features of each cell line. The effect was more evident in Caco-2 and HT-29 cells compared to the less differentiated SW480. The enhanced antiproliferative efficacy due to co-administration of L.GG and VK1 could represent a suitable option in a functional food strategy for cancer growth inhibition and chemoprevention.