Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel high energetic efficiency multilevel topology with reduced impact on supply network

In this paper, authors propose a novel competitive multilevel topology. It combines advantages of the flying capacitor and the cascaded H-bridge topologies. It presents several advantages which will be thereafter detailed. The proposed topology is characterized by a reduced impact on the utility supply, a good energetic efficiency and a small number of switches and passive components. It presents also the possibility and the simplicity of changing the number of voltage levels only by acting on-line on the ratio of the desired output voltages. An average model of the proposed topology is performed and the control strategy is designed to draw a nearly sinusoidal current in order to avoid the use of filters. The modeling and control strategy of the proposed topology were verified by simulation.
Changes in Wage Structure in Mexico Going Beyond the Mean: An Analysis of Differences in Distribution, 1987-2008

This paper conducts an empirical analysis of the relationship between wage inequality, employment structure, and returns to education in urban areas of Mexico during the past two decades (1987-2008). Applying Melly's (2005) quantile regression based decomposition, we find that changes in wage inequality have been driven mainly by variations in educational wage premia. Additionally, we find that changes in employment structure, including occupation and firm size, have played a vital role. This evidence seems to suggest that the changes in wage inequality in urban Mexico cannot be interpreted in terms of a skill-biased change, but rather they are the result of an increasing demand for skills during that period.
Magnetic gearing effect in vernier permanent magnet synchronous machines

As a promising candidate in direct drive application, Vernier permanent magnet synchronous machines (VPMSMs) feature high torque density due to magnetic gearing effect. This paper reveals the nature of magnetic gearing effect in VPMSMs in depth. Firstly, the general torque production mechanism of Vernier permanent magnet synchronous machines (VPMSMs) with surface mounted PMs are investigated based on the air-gap harmonics accounting for the modulation effect of both flux modulation poles and stator slots. The working harmonic in VPMSMs is identified and validated by finite element analysis (FEA). Then, a FEA-based modified equivalent current sheet model (ECSM) is introduced and applied to a 20-pole-6-slot VPMSM to study the behavior of harmonics under the modulation effect. It reveals that the VPMSM with surface mounted PMs is a mono-harmonic torque production machine. The contribution of gearing effect to the torque is quantified for the first time using FEA-based modified ESCM. Based on the analysis, the magnetic gearing effect in VPMSMs is further explained and the expressions of gear ratios for different topologies are provided. Finally, a prototype is manufactured and tested to validate the FEA results.
What is wrong with compression ratio in lossy image compression?

Editor: We read with interest the article by Dr Ringl and colleagues (1) in the September 2006 issue of Radiology, in which they evaluate the effect of using the lossy image-compression algorithm, Joint Photographic Experts Group (JPEG) 2000, on computed tomographic (CT) images. We found the most interesting part of the article to be in the Discussion section, in which the authors stated that application of the highest acceptable compression ratio (CR) might be restricted because the quality of lossy compressed images depends on the level of image noise and the structural content of the image. We would like to further highlight this important issue that has been often neglected in many studies evaluating lossy image compression in radiology. For diagnostic accuracy, it is of utmost importance that the amount of image detail preservation in lossy image compression is constant, predictable, and controlled. Image compression can be performed by means of two compression modes—namely, a constant quality factor (QF) and a constant CR. The effects of these modes on image detail degradation were studied recently (2). It was demonstrated that image detail degradation greatly depends on image content in a constant CR compression mode. In other words, more image details would be lost on the more complex images and vice versa. On the other hand, constant degree of image detail degradation, which is crucial for diagnostic accuracy, was achieved only with a QF compression mode. However, the scales for adjusting QF with the most often used JPEG and JPEG 2000 lossy compression methods are not standardized, although the methods themselves are ISO (International Organization for Standardization) standards, which makes comparative evaluation of different lossy compression methods infeasible (3). This fact could be the reason that CR has become a de facto standard for expressing the degree of image data reduction in radiology, and it is even used in the U.S. Food and Drug Administration guidance (4). Nevertheless, it has to be emphasized that CR depends not only on the degree of data reduction but also on the image content of original image (2) and noise (5), which is in accordance with the theory of data compression (6). In conclusion, CR is by definition a measure of file size reduction and as such is not suitable to expressing the degree of image detail degradation in lossy image compression.
Fluorometric assessment of Gram‐negative bacterial permeabilization

Uptake of the fluorescent probe 1‐N‐phenylnaphthylamine (NPN), as adapted to an automated spectrofluorometer enabling multiwell reading of microtitre plates, was applied to determine permeability changes in Gram‐negative bacteria. An intact outer membrane is a permeability barrier, and excludes hydrophobic substances such as NPN but, once damaged, it can allow the entry of NPN to the phospholipid layer, resulting in prominent fluorescence. With Escherichia coli O157, Pseudomonas aeruginosa, and Salmonella typhimurium as test organisms and ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid and sodium hexametaphosphate as the model permeabilizers, quantitative and highly reproducible NPN uptake levels were obtained that differed characteristically between the test bacteria. Furthermore, citric acid was shown to be a potent permeabilizer at millimolar concentrations, its effect being partly (Ps. aeruginosa, Salm. typhimurium) or almost totally (E. coli O157) abolished by MgCl2, suggesting that part of the action occurs by chelation. Sodium citrate induced weak NPN uptake, which was totally abolished by MgCl2. In conclusion, the NPN uptake assay with the automated spectrofluorometer serves as a convenient method in analysing and quantifying the effects of external agents, including potential food preservatives, on Gram‐negative bacteria.
Study on extraction methods of paddy rice area based on GF-1 satellite image

Two GF-1 WFV images on August 3, 2015 and October 2, 2015 were selected to extract the cultivated area of paddy rice in Jianhu county of Jiangsu Province. Vegetation indexes were extracted from the original spectrum data in order to extract paddy rice area with Maximum Likelihood Classifier (MLC), Support Vector Machine (SVM) and Classification and Regression Trees (CART). The extraction accuracy of paddy rice was verified through on-site GPS measurement of 5 ground samples area with the scale of 1km × 1km. The results showed that the extraction accuracies of three methods were the best on October 2, 2015, and extraction accuracy of SVM was 84.89% which was the highest among three methods. It indicated that the GF-1 satellite image can be used for monitoring the cultivated area of paddy rice and it has higher accuracy and broad application prospects in the field of agriculture remote sensing monitoring.
Ethical Challenges of Randomized Violence Intervention Trials: Examining the SHARE intervention in Rakai, Uganda.

OBJECTIVE We identify complexities encountered, including unanticipated crossover between trial arms and inadequate 'standard of care' violence services, during a cluster randomized trial (CRT) of a community-level intimate partner violence (IPV) and HIV prevention intervention in Uganda. METHODS Concepts in public health ethics - beneficence, social value of research, fairness, standard of care, and researcher responsibilities for post-trial benefits - are used to critically reflect on lessons learned and guide discussion on practical and ethical challenges of violence intervention CRTs. RESULTS Existing ethical guidelines provide incomplete guidance for responding to unexpected crossover in CRTs providing IPV services. We struggled to balance duty of care with upholding trial integrity, and identifying and providing appropriate standard of care. While we ultimately offered short-term IPV services to controls, we faced additional challenges related to sustaining services beyond the 'short-term' and post-trial. CONCLUSION Studies evaluating community-level violence interventions, including those combined with HIV reduction strategies, are limited yet critical for developing evidence-based approaches for effectively preventing IPV. Although CRTs are a promising design, further guidance is needed to implement trials that avoid introducing tensions between validity of findings, researchers' responsibilities to protect participants, and equitable distribution of CRT benefits.
Public Perceptions and Actions towards Sustainable Groundwater Management in the Pacific Northwest Region, USA

A 50-question survey was developed by the land grant universities in the Pacific Northwest to document public awareness, aptitudes, attitudes and actions toward water issues in the states of Alaska, Idaho, Oregon and Washington, USA. Demographic data were also collected about the survey respondents. The statistically designed survey was completed by over 50% of the 1800 residents who were solicited for the study. The public consider clean groundwater a high priority issue. Survey respondents currently consider groundwater quality to be good; however, most people are unaware of groundwater quantity issues. In the last 5 years, a majority of survey respondents have taken voluntary actions both to protect groundwater quality and to conserve the use of this resource. People want the government to focus more attention on groundwater issues; however, they are unwilling to pay increased taxes to achieve this end. Based on this survey, the land grant universities need to increase groundwater education programmes for the public using television, radio, newspapers and the Internet rather than by the traditional workshop delivery methods.
Strategy, organization and leadership in a new “transient-advantage” world

Purpose – In this Masterclass Prof Leavy considers some game changing advice about how to manage the fundamental challenges of the spread of hyper-competition and speed at which knowledge advantages now typically erode. His intent is to advance the dialogue among the corporate strategy, innovation, leadership and entrepreneurship functions. Design/methodology/approach – The concepts and tools of three new books are studied closely: in The End of Competitive Advantage, strategy and innovation guru Rita Gunther McGrath offers a strategy playbook for what she calls the new “transient advantage economy; in Accelerate, change leadership researcher, John Kotter, makes the case for developing a new “strategy operating system” to run in tandem with the traditional “performance operating system,” so that renewal can become continuous rather than episodic; and in The Good Struggle, leadership and ethics expert, Joseph Badarraco turns to five enduring questions of responsible leadership and looks for the emerging an.
The life satisfaction approach to estimating the cost of crime: An individual's willingness-to-pay for crime reduction

This paper is motivated by the need to develop an improved model for estimating the intangible costs of crime. Such a model will assist policy makers and criminal justice researchers to compare the costs and benefits of crime control policies. We demonstrate how the life satisfaction approach may be used to measure an individual’s willingness-to-pay for crime reduction. Results indicate that property crime in one’s local area detracts from an individual’s life satisfaction. On average, an individual is implicitly willing-to-pay $3,213 in terms of annual household income to decrease the annual level of property crime by one offence per 1000 residents in their local area. This equates to a per-capita willingness-to-pay of $1,236.
Arterial pressure in clinically apparent diabetics.

The relationship between arterial blood pressure and clinically apparent diabetes mellitus was examined by measuring blood pressure, under standardised conditions, in 735 ambulant diabetic patients attending St. Mary's and King's College Hospital, London. Other biometric, clinical and family data were also systematically collected. A large proportion of first degree relatives of the diabetics and a control group of first degree relatives of non-diabetics were also seen and examined; they were also tested for the presence of unsuspected diabetes. Blood pressure in diabetics was evaluated in two ways. Mean pressures (systolic and diastolic) were calculated by age and sex and compared with similar data from two British non-diabetic populations. In addition, age and sex adjusted blood pressure "scores" were derived for each of the diabetic propositi and for the relatives by calculating the degree to which their pressures deviated from the mean of a corresponding age/sex group of non-diabetics. These deviations were then made comparable by standardising them for the systematic change in variance with age and sex. Using both "raw pressures" and "adjusted scores" the influence of age, sex, obesity, arm girth, response to diagnosis and ethnic, obstetric and anamnestic features were examined. Analysis of the influence of various characteristics of the diabetic state on blood pressure was made; this included mode of presentation, known duration; insulin dose and degree of metabolic control. Finally the relationship of blood pressure levels to the long-term sequels of diabetes was analysed with special reference to renal disease, eye changes, neuropathy and arterial disease. No systematic difference between arterial blood pressure in diabetics and a suitable control population was detected. Younger patients, females more than males, tended to have somewhat higher mean diastolic pressures but these were balanced by rather lower mean pressures in older diabetics. There was evidence of raised pressure levels at the time of diagnosis of diabetes, particularly in older patients, which "settled" with time for reasons which were not clear. The relationship of arterial pressure with adiposity was comparable to that in non-diabetics. After allowance for age and sex, blood pressures and scores were not related to the mode of onset of the diabetes. In the youngest onset group, however, known duration of diabetes appeared to correlate positively with arterial pressure in excess of the effect of age. Insulin dose and metabolic characteristics of the diabetes showed little clear association with arterial pressure but, as expected, patients with evidence of renal disease had higher mean pressures. However, cause-effect relationship between raised pressure and renal disease in diabetics may operate in both directions. Some elements of retinopathy were positively correlated with blood pressure; others were not. The role of co-existing renal disease in determining this association was examined.
Hospital Comparisons Based on Mortality: Revisiting the Choice of Postadmission Timeframe and Evaluating the Contribution of Cause-of-death Data, France, 2009

Background:In-hospital mortality is widely used to judge the quality of hospital care, but is biased by discharge patterns. Fixed-timeframe indicators have thus been recommended. However, the 30-day postadmission indicator may underestimate hospital-wide mortality, as patients dying in hospital >30 days after admission are considered as survivors. Objectives:To identify the most relevant timeframes and to assess the contribution of cause-of-death data. Methods:The 2009 French hospital discharge database was linked to vital status records and to the causes of death register for 11.5 million hospital stays by beneficiaries of French general health insurance. Correlations and agreements between the 30-day hospital standardized mortality ratio (HSMR) and the in-hospital, 60-, 90-, 180-, and 365-day postadmission HSMRs were estimated. Results:A total of 7.8%, 1.5%, and 0.5% of patients who died during their hospital stay were considered as survivors by the 30-, 60-, and 90-day HSMRs, respectively. The 30-day HSMR correlated strongly with the 60-day HSMR (Pearson coefficient=0.92), and their agreement on outlier status was excellent (&kgr; coefficient=0.80). The association remained substantial at 90 days, but weakened at 180 days and even more so at 365 days. Regardless of the timeframe, exclusion of deaths likely due to independent causes barely modified the indicators. Conclusions:This nationwide study shows that 60- and 90-day HSMRs encompass in-hospital deaths better than the 30-day HSMR, while capturing the same interhospital variations. They should thus be preferred. The contribution of cause-of-death data to hospital-wide indicators seems negligible.
Dynamin 1-like-dependent mitochondrial fission initiates overactive mitophagy in the hepatotoxicity of cadmium

How cadmium (Cd) induces mitochondrial loss in the context of its hepatotoxic effects remains enigmatic. The purpose of the study was to investigate whether mitophagy contributes to mitochondrial loss in cadmium-induced hepatotoxicity and to determine the potential mechanism. In normal human liver L02 cells, we observed that Cd treatment led to a significant increase in LC3-II formation, the number of GFP-LC3 puncta and lysosomal colocalization with mitochondria. These results were associated with mitochondrial loss and bioenergetic deficit. Additionally, the abrogation of excessive mitophagy by ATG5 siRNA treatment efficiently suppressed the mitochondrial loss and cytotoxicity of Cd. Before overactivating mitophagy, Cd induced excessive mitochondrial fragmentation as a result of increasing dynamin 1-like (DNM1L) expression and enhancing the DNM1L mitochondrial translocation. Moreover, reversing the excessive mitochondrial fragmentation via the administration of DNM1L siRNA significantly inhibited the observed overactivation of mitophagy in Cd-induced hepatotoxicity. Notably, the selective DNM1L inhibitor Mdivi-1 blocked abnormal mitophagy and subsequently ameliorated Cd-induced hepatotoxicity in vivo. Together, our data indicated that Cd induces mitochondrial loss via the overactivation of mitophagy following DNM1L-dependent mitochondrial fragmentation. The balanced activity of DNM1L and mitophagy signaling may be a potential therapeutic approach to treat Cd-induced hepatotoxicity.
Adaptive resolution ADC array for neural implant

This paper describes an ADC array for an implantable prosthetic processor which digitizes neural signals sensed by a microelectrode array. The ADC array consists of 96 variable resolution ADC base cells. The base ADC has been implemented in 0. 13μπι CMOS as a 100kS/s SAR ADC whose resolution can be varied from 3 to 8-bits with corresponding power consumption of 0. 23μ\Υ to 0.90^W achieving an ENOB of 7.8 at the 8-bit setting. The resolution of each ADC cell in the array is varied according to neural data content of the signal from the corresponding electrode. Resolution adaptation reduces power consumption by a factor of 2.3 whilst maintaining an effective 7.8-bit resolution across all channels.
Biology Teaching Self-Efficacy Beliefs of the Teacher Candidates

Bu calismanin amaci, ogretmen adaylarinin biyoloji ogretimi oz-yeterlik inanci duzeylerini belirlemek ve cesitli degiskenler acisindan incelemektir. Betimsel yapida olan arastirmada Enochs ve Riggs (1990) tarafindan gelistirilen ve Bikmaz tarafindan 2002 yilinda Turkiye kosullarina uyarlanan “Fen Ogretiminde Oz-yeterlik Inanci Olcegi” kullanilmistir. Calisma grubunu 2003-2004 ogretim yilinda Hacettepe Universitesi Egitim Fakultesi, Biyoloji Egitimi Ana Bilimdali’nda okuyan 159 ogretmen adayi olusturmaktadir. Verilerin analizi ortalama, ANOVA ve t testi ile gerceklestirilmistir. Arastirmada, ogretmen adaylarinin biyoloji ogretiminde ozyeterlik inanclarinin yuksek (X = 3.75) duzeyde oldugu belirlenmistir. Siniflara ve meslek tercih nedenine gore biyoloji ogretmen adaylarinin oz-yeterlik inanci puanlari arasinda . 05 duzeyinde anlamli bir fark bulunmustur. Ogretmen adaylarinin cinsiyet, yas, mezun olunan lise turu, yerlesim birimi, aylik gelir ve basari oz-yeterlik inanclari arasinda anlamli bir farklilik bulunamamistir.
Proportional fairness-based power allocation and user set selection for downlink NOMA systems

The non-orthogonal multiple access (NOMA) has been investigated recently as a candidate radio access technology for the next generation mobile networks. It realizes powerdomain user multiplexing by employing the successive interference cancellation (SIC). This paper focuses on the power allocation and user set selection problems in multi-user downlink NOMA systems with the aim of providing proportional fairness. The theoretical optimal power allocation solution for a candidate user set is derived in closed form. We propose a tree searching-based user set selection scheme in which the redundant user sets are removed by a delicately designed pruning method. The transmission performance of the proposed power allocation and user set selection schemes is evaluated by system-level simulations and verified to be close to the optimal value. The searching complexity for user set selection is significantly reduced compared to the exhaustive searching method. Finally, the performance gains brought by the multi-user NOMA are analyzed considering the practical application.
What is the future of business schools

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to suggest that research can become the main change agent at business schools. Research can foremost take place within undergraduate programs, using philosophical approaches. Graduate programs can to a greater extent use applied approaches, suited for the needs of the business community.Design/methodology/approach – Though an analysis of history of universities and a literature search on knowledge creation and innovation, the author believe that business schools can benefit from using radical approaches in marketing and organizational design when focusing on research.Findings – Undergraduate programs can be more research focused, using insights from the history of universities and recent findings in marketing and organizational design as illustrations. Graduate programs can benefit from being more practically oriented.Research limitations/implications – Future research can benefit from using conceptual foundations to a greater extent, and use concrete business school.