Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Simulation and experimental research of reactive power management methods in islanded AC microgrid

The microgrids (MGs) integrates renewable energy sources (RESs), energy storages (ESs) and local loads to a one self-control energy system. In 2nd quarter of 2015 the global microgrids capacity reached the 12 GW. That result is a near triple more than in 2nd quarter of 2014 [1]. The MGs are capable to manage energy generation, storage and demand, making the user less dependent of the main grid, but more responsible for energy utilization and generation. It means the advanced control technics have to be applied in MGs. One of the important control issues in MG is related to reactive power sharing. The classical droop control does not provide the appropriate reactive power sharing, what may cause the reactive power circulation. This problem can be easily solved by equal reactive power sharing algorithm, however the limitation of active power resulted from keeping equal reactive power may occur and the converter will not be working with maximum available active powers. In order to provides better exploitation of RESs and to avoid reactive power circulation, the novel proportional reactive power sharing has been developed. The simulation and experimental verification have been performed and the results have been compared.
Pituitary ACTH and adrenocortical secretion in critically ill dogs.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate pituitary-adrenal function in a population of critically ill dogs by measuring serial plasma concentrations of basal cortisol, ACTH-stimulated cortisol, and endogenous ACTH. DESIGN Prospective study. ANIMALS 20 critically ill dogs admitted to an intensive care unit (ICU). PROCEDURE Basal plasma cortisol, ACTH-stimulated cortisol, and endogenous ACTH concentrations were measured for each dog within 24 hours of admission and daily until death, euthanasia, or discharge from the ICU. Established reference ranges for healthy dogs were used for comparison. Survival prediction index (SPI) scores were calculated for each dog within 24 hours of admission. RESULTS No significant difference was found between initial concentrations of basal cortisol, ACTH-stimulated cortisol, and endogenous ACTH in 13 dogs that survived and those in 7 dogs that died. High initial basal endogenous ACTH concentrations were correlated with subsequent high values. Low basal ACTH-stimulated cortisol concentrations were predictive of higher subsequent values. All basal and ACTH-stimulated cortisol concentrations were within or above the reference range in the 52 plasma samples collected from the 20 dogs during hospitalization. The SPI scores correlated with outcome (ie, alive or dead), but none of the plasma hormone concentrations correlated with SPI score or outcome. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Results indicate that none of the critically ill dogs in our study population developed adrenal insufficiency during hospitalization in the ICU.
Assessment of Integration of Disability Content into Social Work Education

ABSTRACT Three hundred members of the Council on Social Work Education (CSWE) responded to a survey regarding the inclusion of disability content in social work courses and supports needed to increase disability content. Although respondents generally agreed that disability content is important in social work education, its inclusion is inconsistent, with most frequent inclusion in courses on diversity and least frequent inclusion in courses on research. Respondents identified barriers to increasing disability content, including lack of resources for teaching, lack of relevant faculty expertise, and an overcrowded curriculum. Strategies and resources for infusing disability content into social work education are discussed.
Space‐Time Co‐Segmentation of Articulated Point Cloud Sequences

Consistent segmentation is to the center of many applications based on dynamic geometric data. Directly segmenting a raw 3D point cloud sequence is a challenging task due to the low data quality and large inter‐frame variation across the whole sequence. We propose a local‐to‐global approach to co‐segment point cloud sequences of articulated objects into near‐rigid moving parts. Our method starts from a per‐frame point clustering, derived from a robust voting‐based trajectory analysis. The local segments are then progressively propagated to the neighboring frames with a cut propagation operation, and further merged through all frames using a novel space‐time segment grouping technqiue, leading to a globally consistent and compact segmentation of the entire articulated point cloud sequence. Such progressive propagating and merging, in both space and time dimensions, makes our co‐segmentation algorithm especially robust in handling noise, occlusions and pose/view variations that are usually associated with raw scan data.
Juros reais e ciclos reais brasileiros

This paper presens a dynamic general equilibrium model to assess the quantitative relation between fluctuations in real interest rates and business cycles in the Brazilian economy. When firms are subject to working capital restrictions, the model is consistent with the cyclical volatilities of national income components as well as with the countercyclical character of real interest rates. Simulations with alternative Taylor rules indicate how econometric estimations of the dynamic IS curve are susceptible to the Lucas critique. The paper suggests how the inflation targeting model currently used by the Central Bank of Brazil should be transformed to incorporate its findings.
Development Process Changes in the Telecommunications Industry

The 2000s have been a time of significant challenge in the telecommunications equipment business. Telecommunications service providers have excess equipment capacity. Many are waiting for next generation telephone switches that will simultaneously lower operating costs and enable additional revenue generation. The large service providers have drastically reduced their capital and expense purchases. Many small service providers, particularly the dot-coms, went bankrupt; much of their equipment is on the secondary market, at a fraction of the original cost. Thus the equipment market has significantly shrunk, and the equipment providers have been reducing expenses, while continuing to deliver software and hardware equipment at the high quality level required by the service providers. This drove many changes in the software development process. While the process changes are reported in two telecommunication equipment development organizations, the changes are applicable in any product development organization.
Homogeneous deposition of particles by absorption on hydrogels

When a drop containing colloidal particles evaporates on a surface, a circular stain made of these particles is often observed due to an internal flow toward the contact line. To hinder this effect, several approaches have been proposed such as flow modification by addition of surfactants or control of the interactions between the particles. All of these strategies involve the liquid phase while maintaining the drying process. However, substitution of evaporation by absorption into the substrate of the solvent has been investigated less. Here, we show that a droplet containing colloidal particles deposited on swelling hydrogels can lead to a nearly uniform coating. We report experiments and theory to explore the relation between the gel swelling, uniformity of deposition and the adsorption dynamics of the particles at the substrate. Our findings suggest that draining the solvent by absorption provides a robust route to homogeneous coatings.
Government bond yield sensitivity to economic news at the zero lower bound in Canada in comparison with the UK and US

At the zero lower bound of the policy rate, monetary policy can still be effective through unconventional monetary policy measures and forward guidance affecting longer-term interest rates. We study whether the sensitivity of Canadian government bond yields to domestic and US macroeconomic data surprises changed at the zero lower bound, and compare the results with those for the United Kingdom and the United States. We find that the sensitivity of government bond yields to domestic economic news was reduced only at shorter maturities in Canada than in the United Kingdom and the United States. Moreover, we find that it was reduced less strongly in Canada than in the United Kingdom. This suggests that in Canada monetary policy lost less of its effectiveness than in the United Kingdom, and only up to shorter horizons than in the United Kingdom and the United States.
An energy-based circuit parameter extraction method for CRLH leaky wave antennas

An energy based circuit parameter extraction method for composite right/left-handed (CRLH) leaky-wave antennas with a symmetric unit cell is introduced. This method computes the CRLH LCRG equivalent circuit parameters in terms of the stored energy and power loss obtained by a full-wave eigenmode analysis via even and odd current and voltage considerations. In this fashion, the unit cell is accurately characterized for the infinite periodic case, with full account of electromagnetic effects. Compared to previously reported driven mode extraction techniques, the proposed eigenmode method does not require the separation of the series and shunt parts of the cell along with de-embedding, it automatically accounts for mutual coupling between the periodic cells, and accurately determines the radiation parameters (resistance and conductance) to assess the antenna efficiency and bandwidth. Furthermore, the method provides physical insight into the radiation mechanisms of CRLH antennas.
Exploring the Implications of Market Orientation for Hospitality Employees

Abstract When considering the existing body of knowledge in relation to market orientation and brand management, the role of the employee in the process has been strongly advocated (e.g., Gummeson, 1991; Harris and de Chernatony, 2001; McDonald, de Chernatony, and Harris, 2001). However, the exploration of these concepts within the context of hospitality is limited. To explore such issues, the collection of data followed a single case study methodology, analyzing several subunits within a hospitality operation via ten in-depth interviews with managers from each of the divisions within the organization. Data analysis resulted in the identification of several themes such as direction, involvement, employee selection, employee satisfaction, flexibility, management role, influencing role, relevance and comprehension of differences. The findings of this research have advanced our understanding with respect to market orientation and brand management theory within the hospitality sector. As such, the findings of this study offer a number of practical and theoretical implications and lay the foundation for future research.
Applicability and Resilience of a Linear Encoding Scheme for Computing Consensus

Consensus algorithms have a set of network nodes converge asymptotically to a same state which depends on some function of their initial states. At the core of these algorithms is a linear iterative scheme where each node updates its current state based on its previous state and the state of its neighbors in the network. In this paper we review a proposal from control theory which uses linear iterative schemes of asymptotic consensus and observability theory to compute consensus states in a finite number of iterations. This proposal has low communication requirements which makes it attractive to address consensus problems in a limited resource environment such as edge computing. However it assumes static networks contrary to wireless edge computing networks which are often dynamic and prone to attacks. The main purpose of this paper is to assess the network conditions and attack scenarios where this algorithm can still be considered useful in practice to address consensus problems in IoT applications. We introduce some new lower and exact bounds which further improve the communication performance of the algorithm. We also have some technical contributions on how to speed up mitigation of malicious activities and handling network instabilities. Numerical results confirm the communication performance of the algorithm and the existence of scenarios where the system can be considered cost effective resilient to errors injected intentionally or unintentionally.
Effects of First-Time Imprisonment on Postprison Mortality

Objectives: To examine the effects of first-time imprisonment on postprison mortality. Method: Data are used from a longitudinal study examining criminal behavior and mortality over a 25-year period in a representative group of 2,297 Dutch offenders who had their criminal case adjudicated in 1977. Of these offenders, 597 were imprisoned for the first-time in their lives in 1977. The remaining 1,700 offenders got a noncustodial sentence. Ex-prisoners' mortality rates and causes of death are compared with those in the general population and those in a matched control group of non-imprisoned offenders. Propensity score matching is used to minimize selection bias. Odds ratios with 95% confidence intervals are used to examine whether mortality among the ex-prisoners differ significantly from the general population or from the non-imprisoned controls. Results: About 18 percent of the imprisoned offenders died over the 25-year follow-up period. Compared with the general population (age and gender adjusted), ex-prisoners are three times as likely to die during the 25-year follow-up (odds ratio [OR] = 3.21). Compared with a more appropriate control group of non-imprisoned offenders (matched on age, gender, and propensity score), ex-prisoners are no longer significantly more likely to die (OR = 1.40). Conclusions: The results of the present study emphasize the importance of constructing appropriate comparison groups when examining the effects of imprisonment on postprison mortality.
Customer satisfaction and price acceptance in the case of electricity supply

The paper reports empirical research exploring the relationship between satisfaction and price acceptance in the case of a basic utility. The research is based on a face-to-face questionnaire survey of a representative sample of randomly selected 1384 residential consumers in Hungary. The respondents were asked about their satisfaction with electricity supply and at the same time they were requested to evaluate the prices compared to the perceived value of the service they received. The statistical model developed for the analysis of this relationship proved to be reliable and significant. It proved the existence of the basic hypothesis that satisfied customers have higher price acceptance.
Dust opacities inside the dust devil column in the Taklimakan Desert

Abstract. The distribution of dust aerosols in dust devils (DDs) is quantitatively characterized here based on a field observation. We applied the digital optical method (DOM) with digital still cameras to quantify the opacity of the DDs in the Taklimakan Desert, China. This study presents the following unique and important results: (1) the distinct horizontal distributions of opacity proved the existence of DDs' eye, similarly to the eye of tropical cyclone; (2) the opacity of the DDs decreases with increasing height; however, the dust aerosols do appear to settle out, and the relatively calm eye leads to a minimum in dust opacity at the eye; (3) the horizontal distribution of opacity is quasi-symmetric with a bimodal across the eye of the DDs, which could be resulted from the ambient air conditions; and (4) a new method is developed for characterizing the three-dimensional structure of DDs based on the observed two-dimensional opacity provided by DOM. This study not only proposes a highly reliable, low-cost and efficient methodology to capture the optical structure of DDs, but it could also provide the information on estimation of dust emissions driven by DDs.
Endoscopic ultrasound-guided radiofrequency ablation for management of benign solid pancreatic tumors

Abstract Background Radiofrequency ablation (RFA) has been increasingly employed in experimental and clinical settings for the management of pancreatic lesions. This study aimed to assess the safety and efficacy of endoscopic ultrasound (EUS)-guided RFA for benign solid pancreatic tumors. Methods In a single-center, prospective study, 10 patients with benign solid pancreatic tumors underwent EUS-RFA. After the RFA electrode had been inserted into the pancreatic mass, the radiofrequency generator was activated to deliver 50 W of ablation power. Results Among the 10 patients, 16 sessions of EUS-RFA were successfully performed. Diagnoses included nonfunctioning neuroendocrine tumor (n = 7), solid pseudopapillary neoplasm (n = 2), and insulinoma (n = 1); the median largest diameter of the tumors was 20 mm (range 8 – 28 mm). During follow-up (median 13 months), radiologic complete response was achieved in seven patients. Two adverse events (12.4 %; 1 moderate and 1 mild) occurred. Conclusions EUS-RFA may be a safe and potentially effective treatment option in selected patients with benign solid pancreatic tumors. Multiple sessions may be required if there is a remnant tumor, and adverse events must be carefully monitored.
The future of HR management: Research needs and directions

The contributors to this special issue provide unique perspectives and insights about the future of human resource management, and many of their ideas present opportunities for future research. Our intent is to focus on identifying and briefly discussing the key needs and directions suggested by these articles. The discussion is organized around four general themes: the HR function and its impact, the roles of HR professionals, the value of HR competencies, and the HR implications of globalization. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Finite Step Conjugate Gradients Methods for the Solution of an Impedance Operator Equation Arising in Electromagnetics

A class of finite step iterative methods, conjugate gradients, for the solution of an operator equation, is presented on this paper to solve electromagnetic scattering. The method of generalized equivalent circuit is used to model the problem and then deduce an electromagnetic equation based on the impedance operator. Four versions of the conjugate gradient method are presented and numerical results for an iris structure are given, to illustrate convergence properties of each version. Computational efficiency of these methods has been compared to the moment method.
Spatial and temporal variation in the association between temperature and salmonellosis in NZ

Objective: Modelling the relationship between weather, climate and infectious diseases can help identify high‐risk periods and provide understanding of the determinants of longer‐term trends. We provide a detailed examination of the non‐linear and delayed association between temperature and salmonellosis in three New Zealand cities (Auckland, Wellington and Christchurch).
Koncepcje pomiaru efektywności funkcjonowania organizacji–zastosowanie metody DEA w ocenie efektywności organizacji

Wstep Celem opracowania jest zaprezentowanie metody DEA (ang. Data Envelopment Analysis) jako nieparametrycznej metody pomiaru efektywności funkcjonowania organizacji. Obok charakterystyki podstawowych grup metod oceny efektywności organizacji, w opracowaniu skoncentrowano sie na zidentyfikowaniu genezy pomiaru efektywności funkcjonowania organizacji wedlug metody DEA. Przyblizona zostala takze jej istota oraz zaprezentowano na przykladzie procedure obliczania wskaźnika efektywności wzglednej i wyznaczanie tzw. granicy efektywności. W opracowaniu zaprezentowano ponadto przyklady zastosowania metody DEA w roznych dziedzinach ludzkiej aktywności. Glowną metodą badawczą wykorzystaną na potrzeby opracowania byl przegląd literatury krajowej i zagranicznej. W ten sposob poszukiwano odpowiedzi na postawione pytanie badawcze: jak nieparametrycznie mozna mierzyc efektywnośc funkcjonowania organizacji?
Coronary artery bypass graft surgery in New Zealand's Auckland region: a comparison between the clinical priority assessment criteria score and the actual clinical priority assigned.

AIMS To describe the cohort of patients waiting for Coronary Artery Bypass Graft (CABG) surgery in the Auckland region; compare the Clinical Priority Assessment Criteria (CPAC) score with the actual priority assigned; and to assess the impact of a patient's demographic characteristics on the CPAC score and the assigned priority. METHODS An electronic register was developed to capture all patients who had a CPAC form completed for isolated CABG surgery during the period June 2002 to September 2004 in the Auckland region. CPAC scores and clinical priority assigned were collected from the CABG booking form. Demographic characteristics came from the booking form (age, gender) or linkage via the National Health Index (NHI) number (ethnicity, deprivation score). RESULTS The cohort displayed severe coronary artery disease and symptoms: 70% had class 3 or class 4 angina; 89% had their ability to work, live independently, or care for dependents threatened; 65% had three-vessel coronary disease; and 26% had left-main coronary disease. The CPAC score correlated only modestly with the actual clinical priority assigned, with an extremely wide range of scores for any given clinical priority. The mean CPAC score varied by the age of the patient, level of deprivation, and ethnicity--with higher mean scores among male patients who were Maori, Pacific, or more socioeconomically deprived. Clinical priority varied less by demographic characteristics than did the CPAC score, except more women than men were assigned the 'emergency' category. Despite higher CPAC scores for Maori and Pacific men, these did not translate to greater urgency in clinical priority. CONCLUSIONS The CPAC scoring system is used to limit access onto the CABG surgery waiting list in Auckland, but is not used to prioritise patients as to the urgency of surgery once on the list. The challenge is to determine why clinicians do not consider that the CPAC score is adequate to prioritise the urgency of surgery and to build in a process whereby any such score can be continuously evaluated and improved. We have demonstrated that the establishment of an electronic register of such patients can provide timely analysis of patterns of practice and could be used on a national scale to improve future CPAC scoring systems.
A Unified Convergence Analysis of Block Successive Minimization Methods for Nonsmooth Optimization

The block coordinate descent (BCD) method is widely used for minimizing a continuous function $f$ of several block variables. At each iteration of this method, a single block of variables is optimized, while the remaining variables are held fixed. To ensure the convergence of the BCD method, the subproblem of each block variable needs to be solved to its unique global optimal. Unfortunately, this requirement is often too restrictive for many practical scenarios. In this paper, we study an alternative inexact BCD approach which updates the variable blocks by successively minimizing a sequence of approximations of $f$ which are either locally tight upper bounds of $f$ or strictly convex local approximations of $f$. The main contributions of this work include the characterizations of the convergence conditions for a fairly wide class of such methods, especially for the cases where the objective functions are either nondifferentiable or nonconvex. Our results unify and extend the existing convergence results .
An ultra broadband antenna (UWB) loaded with defected ground structure (DGS)

In this letter, an ultra broadband antenna (UWB) loaded with defected ground structure (DGS) is presented. The UWB antenna with circle radiation patch is fed with 50Ohm mictostrip line. The DGS structure is introduced to the ground under the feed line and hence the frequency selectivity is also introduced to this UWB antenna. Finally, a compact UWB antenna loaded with DGS is designed, simulated and measured. All the results reveal the effectiveness of the design scheme.