Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Output and aerosol properties of 5 nebulizer/compressor systems with arformoterol inhalation solution.

BACKGROUND Arformoterol, the (R,R) isomer of formoterol, is approved as an inhalation solution for the treatment of bronchoconstriction in patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease. Multiple nebulizer systems are commercially available. Different nebulizers can differ significantly in drug output, which may impact drug delivery and clinical efficacy. This study compared the aerosol properties of arformoterol delivered via 5 commonly used nebulizer systems for the home-care market. METHODS The delivered dose of arformoterol inhalation solution (15 microg/2 mL) was collected in a glass Dreschel-type apparatus. The delivered amount in fine-droplet fraction was assessed with an Andersen cascade impactor, and droplet size (average median diameter and average percent<5 microm) was evaluated via laser diffraction. Compressor flow rate measurements were taken after 1 min and 6 min by placing the flow meter in line with each system. RESULTS The Pari LC Plus, Updraft II Opti-Neb, and NebuTech systems delivered similar amounts of the 15-microg nominal dose (from 23% to 25%). The Pari LC Star and Sidestream systems delivered slightly higher doses (31% and 35%, respectively). The nebulizer/compressor systems differed somewhat with respect to droplet size. The NebuTech delivered the lowest fine-droplet fraction (61%) via Andersen cascade impactor, and the smallest percent of droplets<5 microm (40%) via laser diffraction. The Pari LC Star and Sidestream delivered the highest fine-droplet fraction (100% and 93%, respectively), and the greatest percent of droplets<5 microm (84% and 88%). The fine-droplet fractions for the Updraft II Opti-Neb and Pari LC Plus were 93% and 89%, respectively, and the percent of droplets<5 microm was about 67%. Compressor flow rates ranged from 3.2 L/min (Pari LC Plus) to 5.4 L/min (NebuTech). CONCLUSIONS The results of this study demonstrate that the choice of nebulizer/compressor system can influence the aerosol properties of arformoterol inhalation solution and should be considered when prescribing nebulized medications.
Sliding Mode based Fuzzy Control of Stochastic Systems with Time Delay

This paper focuses on the design of a fuzzy sliding mode controller for stochastic time-delay systems with unknown nonlinearities. The Takagi-Sugeno (T-S) fuzzy model is generalized to describe the stochastic delay system. A sufficient condition is derived such that the sliding mode dynamics is mean-square exponentially stable in the specified switching surface. Then, a sliding mode based control law is synthesized to guarantee the reachability of the specified sliding surface. The stability criterion is formulated by linear matrix inequalities and dependent on the size of time delay. Therefore, the result developed is less conservative than some existing results
Lightweight Software Product Line Based Privacy Protection Scheme for Pervasive Applications

Protecting user's privacy is one of the main concerns for the deployment of pervasive computing systems in the real world. In pervasive environments, the user context information is naturally distributed among different spatial or logical domains. Many efforts have been done to match the service privacy policy with the user's privacy preferences. However, since the pervasive environments are characterized by a large number of available services as well as a large amount of context information, the privacy protection mechanism poses two main requirements. Firstly, policies are created on a per task basis. We argue here that specifying the privacy on a per domain basis facilitates specifying the privacy preferences for the user. Secondly, to ease specifying the user' privacy preferences, an intuitive mechanisms to specifying the context information that can be consumed by services are thus needed. In this paper, and in order to bridge the gap of the context information perception by the developers and by the users, we propose to represent the available context information in each domain as a feature model. In this way, the developers are able to configure this feature model to get the context information they need, the users can easily specify the context features they are willing to share. The result is a domain-oriented user-centric privacy protection scheme.
A PI Controller for Enhancing the Transient Stability of Multi Pulse Inverter Based Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC) With Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage(SMES)

— The power system network is becoming more complex nowadays and it is very difficult to maintain the stability of the system. Today’s enhancement of technology makes it possible to include new energy storage devices in the electric power system. In addition, with the aid of power electronic devices, it is possible to independently exchange active and reactive power flow with the utility grid. The main purpose of this paper proposes a Proportional – Integral (PI) control based 48 – pulse Inverter based Static Synchronous Series Compensator (SSSC) with and without Superconducting Magnetic Energy Storage (SMES) used for enhancing the transient stability and regulating power flow in automatic mode. Using a test power system through the dynamic simulation in Matlab/Simulink platform validates the performance of the proposed SSSC with and without SMES system.
Do Leaders Affect Government Spending Priorities?

Since a key function of competitive elections is to allow voters to express their policy preferences, one might take it for granted that when leadership changes, policy change follows. Using a dataset we created on the composition of central government expenditures in a panel of 71 democracies over 1972-2003, we test whether changes in leadership induce significant changes in spending composition, as well as looking at the effect of other political and economic variables. We find that the replacement of a leader tends to have no significant effect on expenditure composition in the short-run. This remains true after controlling for a host of political and economic variables. However, over the medium-term leadership changes are associated with larger changes in expenditure composition, mostly in developed countries. We also find that in established democracies, election years are associated with larger changes in expenditure composition while new democracies, which were found by Brender and Drazen (2005) to raise their overall level of expenditures in election years, tend not to have such changes.
Aerosol indirect effects on continental low-level clouds over Sweden and Finland

Abstract. Aerosol effects on low-level clouds over the Nordic Countries are investigated by combining in situ ground-based aerosol measurements with remote sensing data of clouds and precipitation. Ten years of number size distribution data from two aerosol measurement stations (Vavihill, Sweden and Hyytiala, Finland) provide aerosol number concentrations in the atmospheric boundary layer. This is combined with cloud satellite data from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer and weather radar data from the Baltic Sea Experiment. Also, how the meteorological conditions affect the clouds is investigated using reanalysis data from the European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts. The cloud droplet effective radius is found to decrease when the aerosol number concentration increases, while the cloud optical thickness does not vary with boundary layer aerosol number concentrations. Furthermore, the aerosol–cloud interaction parameter (ACI), a measure of how the effective radius is influenced by the number concentration of cloud active particles, is found to be somewhere between 0.10 and 0.18 and the magnitude of the ACI is greatest when the number concentration of particles with a diameter larger than 130 nm is used. Lower precipitation intensity in the weather radar images is associated with higher aerosol number concentrations. In addition, at Hyytiala the particle number concentrations is generally higher for non-precipitating cases than for precipitating cases. The apparent absence of the first indirect effect of aerosols on low-level clouds over land raises questions regarding the magnitude of the indirect aerosol radiative forcing.
Microfinance Performance and Domestic GDP Growth: Testing the Resiliency of Microfinance Institutions to Economic Change

Microfinance has been a topic of much interest recently, in particular the question of whether microfinance institutions can help poor clients while remaining financially sustainable. Recent research has fed hope that they can, suggesting that microfinance institutions are financially resilient to downturns in the domestic marketplace. Not only does this suggest that microfinance institutions may be good investments for reducing portfolio volatility, but that they may also be able to weather financial storms to effectively serve poor clients in unstable areas of the world. Looking at financial performance, however, is only half the story of microfinance institutions’ overall performance. They also seek to maximize help to the poor, or “outreach. ” This thesis looks at how both the financial and the outreach performance of microfinance institutions varies with domestic GDP growth. Using panel data from the Microfinance Information Exchange (MIX), and OLS regressions controlling for year and country fixed effects, the analysis finds no significant correlation between domestic GDP growth and microfinance performance. This result suggests that microfinance may be an effective means of addressing poverty even in environments of low GDP growth.
Object-Oriented 3D Modeling, Animation and Interaction

Images taken during the animation of the Voronoi algorithm.support a high-level organization of the time and event flow as our approach does with behavior groups based on a time and event layout. Other related systems are TBAG and UGA. TBAG is based on a functional approach. Similar to our approach, TBAG integrates constraints and graphical abstract data types as first-class objects. UGA is one of the first systems with a close integration of geometry and animation. Our approach has been motivated by similar goals, and concentrates more on an object-oriented design of geometry and behavior. 8. CONCLUSIONS AND FUTURE WORK MAM/VRS as an object-oriented framework for 3D modeling, animation and interaction supports behavioral modeling at the same level of abstraction as geometric modeling. It separates geometry nodes from behavior nodes, provides for both a wide range of node classes, and uses constraints to relate them. Geometry graphs represent all graphical aspects of 3D scenes including shape and attribute nodes which visualize and evaluate instances of graphical abstract data types, geometry groups, and image controllers. Behavior graphs explicitly organize the flow of time and events through time modifiers, behavior groups and constraint nodes. Time negotiations and temporal abstract data types allow the developer to specify complex animation processes at a high level. Interaction nodes and event conditions represent a set of elementary toolkit components which can be easily combined to 3D widgets. The polymor-phic nodes of our toolkit facilitate the construction of animated, interactive 3D applications through a fine-grained object-oriented framework. The semantic-oriented class hierarchies guarantee portability and reusability. Due to the C++ and [incr Tcl]/[incr Tk] application programming interfaces, the toolkit can be integrated in an interactive environment for the development of 3D applications. Future directions of our work include the automation of the camera control, the integration of more animation techniques such as physically-based animation, and the addition of high-level behavior nodes for the control of articulated figures.The main program constructs one instance of Voronoi and calls its run method which forces the model controller to initialize the geometry graph and behavior graph: int main(int argc, char** argv) { Voronoi V(argc,argv); V.run(); } 7. RELATED WORK In the last few years several object oriented 3D graphics and animation toolkits have been proposed , e.g. Similar to our approach the architecture of Grams is separated into a rendering layer, a graphics layer, and an application layer. Grams appears to be …
Imbalance Fault Detection of Direct-Drive Wind Turbines Using Generator Current Signals

Imbalance faults constitute a significant portion of all faults in wind turbine generators (WTGs). WTG imbalance fault detection using generator current measurements has advantages over traditional vibration-based methods in terms of cost, implementation, and system reliability. However, there are challenges in using current signals for imbalance fault detection due to low signal-to-noise ratio of the useful information in current signals and nonstationary characteristic frequencies of imbalance faults. This paper proposes a method of using generator stator currents for imbalance fault detection of direct-drive WTGs. In the proposed method, the variable shaft rotating frequency of a WTG is estimated from one phase stator current measured from the generator terminal by using a phase-locked loop method. The estimated shaft rotating frequency is then processed by using appropriate upsampling and variable-rate downsampling algorithms. Consequently, the variable characteristic frequencies of imbalance faults in the spectrum of the estimated shaft rotating frequency are converted to constant values. Therefore, the signatures of wind turbine imbalance faults can be clearly identified from power spectral density analysis of the converted shaft rotating frequency signal. Simulation and experimental results show that the proposed method is effective to detect various imbalance faults in direct-drive WTGs.
A Theoretical Model and Empirical Analysis on Attributes Affecting Customer Loyalty of Sportswear Retailing in China

Based on Structural Equation Modeling (SEM), Theory of Five Dimensions of service quality is proved to be suitable in sportswear retailing in China. It analyzes the relationship among five dimensions and puts them in order of importance as to service quality in sportswear retailing. Service quality, customer satisfaction and customer value which are main factors affecting customer loyalty were selected to build a model of service quality affecting customer loyalty and eight hypotheses were put forward in this paper. Demonstration research was given to check the model and hypothesis. The result showed that service quality is the key factor affecting customer loyalty, the second one is customer value, and last is customer satisfaction. Keywords-service quality; customer satisfaction; Theory of Five Dimensions; customer loyalty; sportswear; Structural Equation Modeling (SEM)
Hierarchical common-sense interaction learning

We describe a hierarchical learning approach for effective coordination in repeated games based on a common-sense decomposition of the "coordination problem". In contrast to most other research on mechanism design and game-learning, we concentrate on breaking down the top-level problem into simpler learning tasks concerned with learning utility functions, best-response strategies and cooperation potentials. We also report on empirical results with the layered learning architecture LAYLA that is constructed using these sub-components in a resource-load balancing scenario. The positive results show that the approach deserves further investigation, although a number of (possibly problem-inherent) difficulties illustrate the limitations of learning approaches in real-world applications.
FRAMING CLIMATE CHANGE: A COMPARING ANALYSIS OF CHINESE AND AMERICAN ELITE NEWSPAPER’S COVERAGE ON CLIMATE CHANGE DURING 2009 COPENHAGEN SUMMIT

Climate change is a global issue not only about the natural environment but also international political relations. Different countries have different perspectives on mitigating climate change. The Copenhagen Summit provides a chance for studying different countries' standpoint on climate change. This current paper did a framing study of the news reports about climate change on an elite Chinese newspaper and an elite U.S. newspaper and their view on each country. The results revealed that both the People's Daily and the New York Times tent to cover politics and economics more than other social contexts. Renewable energy was also often discussed. China and the U.S. both had some negative views on each other and the cooperation on climate change issues between the two countries was not so promising currently.
EFFECT OF WATER VELOCITY AND BENTHIC DIATOM MORPHOLOGY ON THE WATER CHEMISTRY EXPERIENCED BY POSTLARVAL ABALONE

Abstract The water bathing postlarval abalone often lies within the diffusive boundary layer (DBL) so its chemistry is greatly influenced by the metabolism of the biofilm on which the abalone feed. This study used microelectrodes to investigate the influence of water velocity and diatom morphology on dissolved oxygen and pH in the DBL. Decreasing water velocity increased the thickness of the DBL, thereby increasing the amplitude of changes in oxygen concentration. Over a film of the prostrate diatom Nitzschia ovalis Arnot, DBL thickness averaged 71, 139, 177, and 406 μm at water velocities of 78, 15, 7, and 1 mm s−1 respectively. Corresponding oxygen concentrations at the biofilm surface under moderate light (75 μE m−2 s−1) and temperature (15°C) averaged 111%, 120%, 125%, and 151% of air saturation respectively, at the four velocities. The presence of a 1-mm tall diatom canopy (Achnanthes longipes Agardh) over a Nitzschia ovalis film thickened the DBL by 3-fold at 1 mm s−1 and 6-fold at ∼80 mm s−1. The thickened DBL and higher diatom biomass generated extreme conditions at the biofilm surface. Dissolved oxygen concentrations as high as 440% of air saturation, and pH as high as 9.8 were recorded beneath the canopy in moderate light (105 μE m−2 s−1) and temperature (15°C) at a water velocity of 1 mm s−1. Changes during darkness were less extreme, with 53% oxygen saturation and pH 7.7 the minima recorded. These measurements demonstrate the extreme water chemistry that can develop in the microhabitat of postlarval abalone. The changes will be amplified by the presence of filamentous diatoms, by increased light intensity, and by lack of water movement. Standard aeration will greatly reduce the extremes experienced by postlarvae by generating water movement sufficient to thin the DBL.
Intelligenz GmbH linking Flat Predicate Argument Structures

This report presents an approach to enriching flat and robust predicate argument structures with more fine-grained semantic information, extracted from underspecified semantic representations and encoded in Minimal Recursion Semantics (MRS). Such representations are provided by a hand-built HPSG grammar with a wide linguistic coverage. A specific semantic representation, called linked predicate argument structure (LPAS) , has been worked out, which describes the explicit embedding relationships among predicate argument structures. LPAS can be used as a generic interface language for integrating semantic representations with different granularities. Some initial experiments have been conducted to convert MRS expressions into LPASs. A simple constraint solver is developed to resolve the underspecified dominance relations between the predicates and their arguments in MRS expressions. LPASs are useful for high-precision information extraction and question answering tasks because of their fine-grained semantic structures. In addition, I have attempted to extend the lexicon of the HPSG English Resource Grammar (ERG) exploiting WordNet and to disambiguate the readings of HPSG parsing with the help of a probabilistic parser, in order to process texts from application domains. Following the presented approach, the HPSG ERG grammar can be used for annotating some standard treebank, e.g., the Penn Treebank, with its fine-grained semantics. In this vein, I point out opportunities for a fruitful cooperation of the HPSG annotated Redwood Treebank and the Penn PropBank. In my current work, I exploit HPSG as an additional knowledge resource for the automatic learning of LPASs from dependency structures.
Recent Advances in Real-Time Load-Pull Systems

In this paper, some of the latest advances in real-time load-pull technologies will be described. A recently introduced ultralow-loss directional coupler, which has been designed and realized by the authors, provides a number of advantages when used in load-pull test sets. This device has been called the load-pull head. The new ultralow-loss load-pull head can transform any passive precalibrated load-pull system into an easily calibrated and accurate real-time load-pull test set, without losing high-reflection-coefficient capabilities. Moreover, if used to realize an active loop, the load-pull head reduces the risks of oscillations and the amount of the loop amplifier output power. As an example application, measurements with a passive real-time load-pull setup of a 30-W laterally diffused MOS (LDMOS) transistor are presented. Furthermore, some advice to bypass the remaining unavoidable losses due to probes and cables is given. We will show, with measurements and with very simple calculations, that the combined use of load-pull heads, a passive tuner, and an active loop not only boosts the available GammaL but also decreases the loop amplifier output power, with a sensible reduction in the overall cost of the system.
Water use trade‐offs and optimal adaptations to pulse‐driven arid ecosystems

1 We introduce a hydraulic soil‐plant model with water uptake from two soil layers; one a pulse‐dominated shallow soil layer, the other a deeper soil layer with continuous, but generally less than saturated soil moisture. Water uptake is linked to photosynthetic carbon assimilation through a photosynthesis model for C3 plants. 2 A genetic algorithm is used to identify character suites that maximize photosynthetic carbon gain for plants that experience a particular soil moisture pattern. The character suites include allocation fraction to stem, leaves and shallow root, stem capacitance and stem water storage capacity, maximal leaf conductance and sensitivity of leaf conductance to plant water potential, and a critical soil water potential at which shallow roots cease to transfer water. 3 We find that if pulse water is a more important water source than deeper soil water in the environment, optimal phenotypes lean towards adaptations that maximize pulse water use (small root : shoot ratio, predominantly shallow root system, high leaf conductance with high stomatal sensitivity to plant water status). If deeper soil water is more important, phenotypes lean towards adaptations that maximize deeper soil water use (large root : shoot ratio, predominantly deep root system, lower leaf conductance with low stomatal sensitivity). Stem succulence is adaptive only when deeper soil water is unavailable. 4 From among the continuum of derived phenotypes, four phenotypes are selected that resemble the character suites of winter annuals, drought‐deciduous perennials, evergreen perennials and stem succulents. Under common conditions, these phenotypes reproduce many of the responses to drought and water pulse observed in their respective life‐form counterparts. The comparison also highlights the differences in plant life‐form sensitivity to summer and winter drought conditions. 5 Based on these results, we discuss the possible role of annual precipitation patterns in shaping plant adaptations and determining the plant composition of arid and semi‐arid environments.