Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Comparing the performance of HVDC schemes sourced from pluto to different receiving end points within the Western Cape Network

High Voltage Direct Current (HVDC) offer better capability for long distance, bulk power transmission compared to ac lines. Among the reasons for this is that HVDC does not suffer from stability limitations that ac lines experience. Also, the power that is required to be sent via HVDC lines can be scheduled as desired, whereas the power flowing through ac lines is directly influenced by the topology and impedances of equipment forming the system. In this paper, the possibility of introducing HVDC lines into the Cape system in order to improve the voltage stability limit of the system is investigated. In particular, the impact of the receiving end point in the load area chosen for the HVDC schemes is evaluated. Two receiving end points in the Cape network, namely Omega (scenario 1) and Kappa (scenario 2) substations are evaluated on the basis of loadflows, active power system losses, and voltage stability improvements. It is shown that the choice of the receiving end points can have profound impact of the techno-economic performance of the HVDC scheme commissioned to improve transfer capability.
A solution to solve the dilemma of high frequencies and LCD screen for SSVEP responses

Brain-Computer Interfaces (BCI) based on the detection of Steady-State Visual Evoked Potentials have proven to be highly efficient. Compared to other BCI paradigm, they usually provide the best information transfer rate. However, this type of BCI requires visual stimuli. These stimuli can be on LEDs or on a computer screen. LEDs can allow flickering lights of high frequencies while flickering lights on an LCD screen can be an integrated as a part of the user interface. We propose a new method for enabling reliable visual stimuli over 20Hz on a classical LCD screen.
Typhoon: a middleware for epidemic propagation of software updates

Applications for mobiles devices are subject to very frequent updates for fixing security vulnerabilities, ensuring compatibility with new hardware and APIs or enhancing functionalities. Getting the new version of an application involves the download of a significant amount of data, which is not practical through low-bandwidth/high-cost links. As a consequence, mobile device users often fail to update their applications. This paper introduces a collaborative and epidemic updating scheme to improve software updates distribution. In our approach, updates are distributed by the surrounding devices, eliminating the need for costly resources. Moreover, the packaging of these updates, which consists in delivering binary patches of the difference with a previous version, dramatically reduces the amount of data to download. Preliminary experimental results based on real contact traces show that our approach offers an efficient selection and recovery of patches, ensuring a fast update for each participating device.
The Notch targets Esr1 and Esr10 are differentially regulated in Xenopus neural precursors

The HES family of bHLH repressors plays a key role in regulating the differentiation of neural precursors in the vertebrate embryo. Members of the HES gene family are expressed in neural precursors as targets of the Notch signaling pathway, but how this occurs in the context of neurogenesis is not known. Here, we address this issue by identifying enhancers driving Notch-dependent gene expression of two Hes5-like genes expressed in Xenopus called Esr1 and Esr10. Using frog transgenesis, we identify enhancer elements driving expression of Esr1 and Esr10 in neural precursors or in response to ectopic expression of the proneural protein, Xngnr1. Using deletion and mutation analysis, we define motifs required for enhancer activity of both genes, namely Notch-responsive elements and, in the case of Esr10, E-box motifs. We find that Esr1 and Esr10 are differentially regulated both in terms of Notch input and its interaction with heterologous factors. These studies reveal inputs required for proneural expression of genes encoding bHLH repressors in the developing vertebrate nervous system.
Path Selection Method for the Statistical Filtering-Based Sensor Networks Using a Security Evaluation Function

Summary Many sensor network applications are dependent on the secure operation of sensor networks, and will have serious consequences if the network is compromised or disrupted. Fabricated reports can be injected through compromised nodes, which can lead not only to false alarms but also to the depletion of limited energy resources in battery powered networks. Ye et al. proposed the statistical en-route filtering scheme to detect and drop such fabricated reports during the forwarding process. In this scheme, every node has a limited amount of information that is used to verify against injected false data, the detection power is affected by the selection of routing paths. In this paper, we propose a path selection method to improve the detection power of the statistical filtering. Each node evaluates the detection power of each incoming path from the base station and chooses the most secure path for data delivery against false data injection attacks. We compare our proposed method with the statistical enroute filtering scheme and the simulation results show that our proposed method protects against false data injection attacks.
Seasonal polar motion excitation from numerical models of atmosphere, ocean, and continental hydrosphere

[1] Effective angular momentum functions from atmosphere, oceans, and terrestrial water storage are obtained from European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts atmospheric data and corresponding simulations with the Ocean Model for Circulation and Tides and the Land Surface and Discharge Model (LSDM). Mass exchanges among the subsystems are realized by means of freshwater fluxes, causing the total ocean mass to vary predominantly annually. Variations in total ocean mass affect the oceanic excitations of the annual wobble by almost 1 milliarc second (mas) for both prograde and retrograde components, whereas the motion term contributions of terrestrial water flow derived from LSDM are found to be 3 orders of magnitude smaller. Since differences to geodetic excitations are not substantially reduced and regional decompositions demonstrate the large spatial variability of contributions to seasonal polar motion excitation that compensate each other when integrated globally, it is concluded that the closure of the seasonal excitation budget is still inhibited by remaining model errors in all subsystems.
Features and Spatial Analysis of Illegal Housing in Greece

Land use changes in Greece have been the outcome of combining forces with mostly economic, socio-cultural and institutional origin. During the last 50 years, growing demand for urban (residential and industrial) space has resulted in unplanned residential development and illegal dwelling construction to the expense of agricultural and forest land uses. This situation idiosyncratic to Greece tents to become an acute problem with serious economic, social and environmental implications. Impacts are great and pressuring ranging from aesthetic deteriorations of landscape qualities, biotic diversity threats, desertification and forest and open land “squeeze” to increased vulnerability to human settlements, local water contamination, as well as to cultural degradation issues. In this article, the above problem is approached in an integrated manner although some emphasis is placed upon its spatial dimension. In particular, by using real data a comparative analysis regarding Greek prefectures is curried out, the most problematic areas are identified and categorized and the major driving forces that fuel the phenomenon of illegal development are described. The article concludes by commenting on likely policy action to be taken in order to contain or eliminate the problem.
Securing Vehicular Ad Hoc Networks

Ad hoc networks are a new wireless networking paradigm for mobile hosts. In this paper, we designed an intelligent transport system. The ITS (intelligent transport system) includes two big function modules: Information processing application system and Road condition information transferring system. The main task of the road condition information transferring module is in charge of the information exchange of the car inside, car to car and car to road. The module works in ad hoc network, we call the network VANET (vehicular ad-hoc network) . Vehicular networks are likely to become the most relevant form of mobile ad hoc networks. For the sake of insuring the system can run normally, the information can be transferring correctly and fleetly, the security of VANET (vehicular ad-hoc network) of the road condition information transferring system is crucial. So integrate the characteristics of ad hoc network itself, in the ITS of this paper, we concern the security issues of VANETs from some aspects and provide the appropriate solving measures. To make sure the ITS can be used under the security pattern.
Fracture and debonding of a thin film on a stiff substrate: analytical and numerical solutions of a 1d variational model

We study multifissuration and debonding phenomena of a thin film bonded to a stiff substrate us- ing the variational approach to fracture mechanics. We consider a reduced one-dimensional membrane model where the loading is introduced through uniform inelastic (e.g. thermal) strains in the film or imposed dis- placements of the substrate. Fracture phenomena are accounted for by adopting a Griffith model for debonding and transverse fracture. On the basis of energy minimization arguments, we recover the key qualitative prop- erties of the experimental evidences, like the periodicity of transverse cracks and the peripheral debonding of each regular segment. Phase diagrams relate the maximum number of transverse cracks that may be created before debonding takes place as a function of the material properties and the sample's geometry. The theo- retical results are illustrated with numerical simulations obtained through a finite element discretization and a regularized variational formulation of the Ambrosio-Tortorelli type, which is suited to further extensions in two-dimensional settings. Thin film systems are widely present in today's engineering solutions. Coatings, surface treatments, thermal barriers and paintings are just to mention some. These systems are often characterized by the presence of a substrate, whose duty is to support the structural loading, and one or several layers, somehow bonded to the substrate, meant to impart a particular superficial behavior to the final assembly. The layer, or "film", as it will be called henceforth, and the substrate are often of very different material and geometric characteristics. Usually, the film is much thinner than the substrate and its stiffness and thermal expansion coefficients may differ from those of the substrate by several orders of magnitude. Because of the assembly procedures of the final system and multi-physical loadings under working conditions (e.g. thermal loads or humidity), this mismatch may lead to significant stresses in the film and eventually lead to material failure, which can be manifested by a plethora of different and complex modes of cracking.
Critical evaluation of reduced models for stability analysis on the GB transmission system

Energy and environmental issues are among the greatest challenges facing the world. In response to energy needs and environmental concerns, renewable energy technologies are now considered the future technologies of choice. Renewable energy is produced from freely available and non-polluting natural sources; however, its utilization is not without challenge. There is much interest in Great Britain (GB) among generation developers in the construction of new large-scale onshore and offshore wind farms, especially in Scotland. Here, a range of dynamic stability analysis techniques is evaluated with regard to disturbances in the transmission system using reduced models of the GB transmission system. The impact of embedded high voltage DC links in parallel with the existing AC system and in combination with a number of installations of series compensation, with regard to active power flow, voltage and reactive power flow is investigated. Both an initial steady state analysis and subsequently the dynamic and transient analysis of the proposed solutions were applied as a first step towards integration of wind farms into the power grid. The most important point is to ensure the stability of the GB system when a credible contingency occurs.
Comparative Proteome Analysis of Porcine Jejunum Tissues in Response to a Virulent Strain of Porcine Epidemic Diarrhea Virus and Its Attenuated Strain

Porcine epidemic diarrhea virus (PEDV), a predominant cause of acute enteric infection, leads to severe dehydrating diarrhea and mortality in piglets all over the world. A virulent PEDV YN13 strain, isolated in our laboratory, was attenuated to yield an attenuated PEDV strain YN144. To better understand the pathogenesis mechanism and the virus-host interaction during infection with both PEDV YN13 and YN144 strains, a comparative proteomic analysis was carried out to investigate the proteomic changes produced in the primary target organ, using isobaric tags for relative and absolute quantitation (iTRAQ) labeling, followed by liquid chromatography tandem-mass spectrometry (LC-MS/MS). A total of 269 and 301 differently expressed proteins (DEPs) were identified in the jejunum tissues of the piglets inoculated with YN13 and YN144, respectively. Bioinformatics analysis revealed that these proteins were involved in stress responses, signal transduction, and the immune system. All of these involved interferon-stimulated genes (ISGs) which were up-regulated in jejunums by both of the PEDV-infected groups. Based on the comparative analysis, we proposed that different changes induced by YN13 and YN144 in heterogeneous nuclear ribonucleoprotein A1 (hnRNPA1), eukaryotic initiation factor 4G1 (eIF4G1), and some members in the heat shock protein (HSP) family, may be responsible for differences in their pathogenicity.
Modulation of oscillatory neuronal synchrony in the beta band by motor set 1

Oscillatory neuronal synchrony is thought to play an essential role in the neuronal processing of information. Modulation of these ongoing oscillations is a possible mechanism by which processing can selectively be biased. Evidence is presented for a modulation of oscillatory neuronal synchrony by motor set, obtained with magnetoencephalography. Subjects performed a bilateral isometric contraction and were cued in some trials to respond at the event of the imperative go-cue with a left and in others with a right wrist extension. The analysis of the period in which subjects could expect the go-cue to occur (stimulation period) revealed that beta power (15-30 Hz) was lower over the motor cortex when it was contralateral to the expected response side compared to when it was contralateral to the side of which no response was required. This difference did not exist in the baseline period in which the go-cue could not occur. The effect was due to a decrease in beta power in the stimulation period compared to baseline that was bigger for the motor cortex driving the cued side. Force output was equal in the two conditions and stratification of the EMG signals did not change the results. The location of the maximal cortico-muscular coherence in an independent data set was highly similar to the location of the maximal decrease in beta power, and analysis within these channels also showed the same results. We conclude that motor set results in a selective modulation of beta power during a steady bilateral contraction.
Image processing in airborne applications using multicore embedded computers

More autonomous flying platforms will have to rely on on-board image processing performed in real time due more sophisticated applications like more autonomous landing or collision sensing, object detection, recognition and identification. This work is an effort to investigate whether modern COTS multicore embedded computers are suitable to perform state-of-the-art image processing applications, such as object recognition, on-board an aircraft. This paper presents requirements of avionics, challenges of implementing such algorithms, the characteristics of possible hardware platforms, and their programing model considerations that influence the performance of such applications. The paper presents an experimental implementation of core algorithm blocks on multicore platforms from Freescale. It shows that modern multi-core processors still need a performance boost for demanding real-time image processing.
Cardiopulmonary exercise testing as a risk assessment method in non cardio‐pulmonary surgery: a systematic review

This study reviews the predictive value of maximum oxygen consumption () and anaerobic threshold, obtained through cardiopulmonary exercise testing, in calculating peri‐operative morbidity and mortality in non‐cardiopulmonary thoraco‐abdominal surgery. A literature review provided nine studies that investigated either one or both of these two variables across a wide range of surgical procedures. Six of the seven studies that reported sufficiently detailed results on peak oxygen consumption and four of the six studies that reported sufficiently detailed results on anaerobic threshold found them to be significant predictors. We conclude that peak oxygen consumption and possibly anaerobic threshold are valid predictors of peri‐operative morbidity and mortality in non‐cardiopulmonary thoraco‐abdominal surgery. These indicators could potentially provide a means of allocating increased care to high‐risk patients.
Novel Dynamic and Static Methods for Out-of-Band Power Suppression in SC-OFDM

Novel dynamic and static out-of-band (OoB) suppression methods for single carrier (SC)-orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) are proposed in this letter. In the dynamic approach, symbols at designated positions from the previous block are inserted at predetermined positions in the current block to maintain continuity between blocks. In the static method, a fixed sequence of symbols is inserted in an SC-OFDM block for OoB power suppression. In both approaches, OoB power can be suppressed significantly by controlling design parameters.
Intelligent Marketing and Merchandising Techniques for an Internet Shopping Mall

In this paper, intelligent marketing and merchandising methods utilizing data mining and Web mining techniques are proposed for online retailers to survive and succeed in gaining competitive advantage in a highly competitive environment. The first part of this paper explains the procedures of one-to-one marketing based on customer relationship management (CRM) techniques and personalized recommendation lists generation. The second part illustrates Web merchandising methods utilizing data mining techniques, such as association and sequential pattern mining. We expect that our Web marketing and merchandising methods will both provide a currently operating Internet shopping mall with more selling opportunities and give more useful product information to customers. Keyword: Electronic commerce; Customer relationship management; Data mining; Web mining; Internet Marketing and Merchandising.
Noninvasive in vivo magnetic resonance measures of glutathione synthesis in human and rat liver as an oxidative stress biomarker

Oxidative stress (OS) plays a central role in the progression of liver disease and in damage to liver by toxic xenobiotics. We have developed methods for noninvasive assessment of hepatic OS defenses by measuring flux through the glutathione (GSH) synthesis pathway. 13C‐labeled GSH is endogenously produced and detected by in vivo magnetic resonance after administration of [2‐13C]‐glycine. We report on a successful first‐ever human demonstration of this approach as well as preclinical studies demonstrating perturbed GSH metabolism in models of acute and chronic OS. Human studies employed oral administration of [2‐13C]‐glycine and 13C spectroscopy on a 3T clinical magnetic resonance (MR) imaging scanner and demonstrated detection and quantification of endogenously produced 13C‐GSH after labeled glycine ingestion. Plasma analysis demonstrated that glycine 13C fractional enrichment achieved steady state during the 6‐hour ingestion period. Mean rate of synthesis of hepatic 13C‐labeled GSH was 0.32 ± 0.18 mmole/kg/hour. Preclinical models of acute OS and nonalcoholic steatohepatitis (NASH) comprised CCl4‐treated and high‐fat, high‐carbohydrate diet‐fed Sprague‐Dawley rats, respectively, using intravenous administration of [2‐13C]‐glycine and observation of 13C‐label metabolism on a 7T preclinical MR system. Preclinical studies demonstrated a 54% elevation of GSH content and a 31% increase in flux through the GSH synthesis pathway at 12 hours after acute insult caused by CCl4 administration, as well as a 23% decrease in GSH content and evidence of early steatohepatitis in the model of NASH. Conclusion: Our data demonstrate in vivo 13C‐labeling and detection of GSH as a biomarker of tissue OS defenses, detecting chronic and acute OS insults. The methods are applicable to clinical research studies of hepatic OS in disease states over time as well as monitoring effects of therapeutic interventions. (Hepatology 2014;59:2321–2330)
Systematic review of site of obstruction identification and non‐CPAP treatment options for children with persistent pediatric obstructive sleep apnea

Although adenotonsillectomy is accepted as a first‐line therapy for pediatric obstructive sleep apnea (OSA), there is currently no consensus regarding optimal methods for identifying the sites of obstruction or treatment of children with persistent disease after surgery. With this in mind, our aim was to systematically review the English‐language literature pertaining to these issues.
"Hang In There: " Lexical and Visual Analysis to Identify Posts Warranting Empathetic Responses

In the past few years, social media has risen as a platform where people express and share personal incidences about abuse, violence and mental health issues. There is a need to pinpoint such posts and learn the kind of response expected. For this purpose, we understand the sentiment that a personal story elicits on different posts present on different social media sites, on the topics of abuse or mental health. In this paper, we propose a method supported by hand-crafted features to judge if the post requires an empathetic response. The model is trained upon posts from various web-pages and corresponding comments, on both the captions and the images. We were able to obtain 80% accuracy in tagging posts requiring empathetic responses.
Spectrum-Sensing Algorithms for Cognitive Radio Based on Statistical Covariances

Spectrum sensing, i.e., detecting the presence of primary users in a licensed spectrum, is a fundamental problem in cognitive radio. Since the statistical covariances of the received signal and noise are usually different, they can be used to differentiate the case where the primary user's signal is present from the case where there is only noise. In this paper, spectrum-sensing algorithms are proposed based on the sample covariance matrix calculated from a limited number of received signal samples. Two test statistics are then extracted from the sample covariance matrix. A decision on the signal presence is made by comparing the two test statistics. Theoretical analysis for the proposed algorithms is given. Detection probability and the associated threshold are found based on the statistical theory. The methods do not need any information about the signal, channel, and noise power a priori. In addition, no synchronization is needed. Simulations based on narrow-band signals, captured digital television (DTV) signals, and multiple antenna signals are presented to verify the methods.