Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Innovative Hybrid Wind-Solar and Battery-Supercapacitor Microgrid System—Development and Optimization

This paper presents a methodology for the joint capacity optimization of renewable energy (RE) sources, i.e., wind and solar, and the state-of-the-art hybrid energy storage system (HESS) comprised of battery energy storage (BES) and supercapacitor (SC) storage technology, employed in a grid-connected microgrid (MG). The problem involves multiple fields, i.e., RE, battery technology, SC technology, and control theory, and requires an efficient and precise co-ordination between sub-fields to harness the full benefits, making the problem labyrinthine. The optimization problem is formulated, and it involves a variety of realistic constraints from both hybrid generation and storage, and an objective function is proposed to: 1) minimize the cost; 2) improve the reliability; and 3) curtail greenhouse gases (GHG) emissions. The complex optimization problem is solved innovatively in piecewise fashion to decrease the complexity and computational time. First, sizes of solar photovoltaic (PV) and wind turbine (WT) are determined using an innovative search algorithm, and in the second step, the size of HESS is calculated, finally the optimal solution is determined. A comparison based upon cost, reliability, and GHG emissions is presented which plainly shows the effectiveness of the proposed methodology. The technique is also applied to determine the size of an MG employing PV, WT, and BES operating in grid-connected mode. And a brief cost analysis, reliability assessment, and emission reduction are given for three scenarios: 1) MG with HESS; 2) MG with BES; and 3) MG with conventional generation. It is shown that an MG with HESS is not only economical but also more reliable and has lower GHG emissions.
Reduction of Thermal Imbalances and Hot Spots in Networks-on-Chip Using Proactive Temperature Management

With the progress of deep submicron technology power consumption and temperature related issues have become two of the most critical aspects for chip design. Therefore, very large-scale integrated systems like Systems-on-Chip (SoCs) are exposed to an ever increasing thermal stress. This necessitates effective mechanisms for thermal management. In this paper we propose to precompute and proactively manage onchip temperature of systems based on Networks-on-Chip (NoCs). Thereby, traditional reactive approaches, utilizing the NoC interconnect infrastructure to perform thermal management, can be replaced. For this purpose, an existing simulation environment for NoC-based systems is enhanced with mechanisms to predict and proactively manage on-chip temperature distribution. Simulations show that proactive thermal management achieves improvements of more than 95 % and 80 % regarding reduction of temperature imbalances as well as peak temperatures inside a 4×4 NoC compared to identical reactive approaches.
QUASI-MAXIMUM LIKELIHOOD ESTIMATION WITH COMPLEX SURVEY DATA

Large-scale surveys such as the Current Population Survey, the Panel Study of Income Dynamics and the Health and Retirement Study use complex sample designs. The resulting data violate the familiar i.i. d. assumption. We need to adjust our statistical practice accordingly. This paper explains how the population means, the population linear regression coeecients, and other population parameter values can be consistently estimated with a survey design commonly used in large-scale surveys, and it derives the asymptotic distributions of the estimators. We also discuss estimation of the asymptotic covariance matrices of the estimators, which is essential in making statistical inferences.
Perceptions of the Self and most People’s Reactions towards Innocent and Noninnocent Victims

Abstract Research has shown that: individuals positively distinguish themselves from most other people; being consistent is positively valued; injunctive and descriptive norms are perceived to protect victims. Joining these findings, we argue that individuals present themselves as following injunctive and descriptive norms towards victims to a higher extent and more consistently than most people. In an experimental study 273 university students of both sexes indicated what they and most other people would approve of (injunctive norm) or typically do (descriptive norm) regarding various reactions towards either an innocent or a noninnocent victim. The reactions involved secondary victimization (devaluation/derogation, avoidance, suffering minimization, blaming the victim) and non secondary victimization (valuation, contact, suffering acknowledgment, not blaming the victim). Participants perceived themselves and most people as approving of more non secondary than secondary victimization reactions, except for blaming the noninnocent victim. Participants indicated they approved of most of the normative reactions to a higher extent than most people, which is interpreted as a new instance of the Primus Inter Pares effect. Participants also indicated they would show more consistency between their injunctive and descriptive norms, especially towards the innocent victim. Results suggest that individuals perceive themselves as more immune to perverse norms than most people.
Systemic Bisperoxovanadium Activates Akt/mTOR, Reduces Autophagy, and Enhances Recovery following Cervical Spinal Cord Injury

Secondary damage following primary spinal cord injury extends pathology beyond the site of initial trauma, and effective management is imperative for maximizing anatomical and functional recovery. Bisperoxovanadium compounds have proven neuroprotective effects in several central nervous system injury/disease models, however, no mechanism has been linked to such neuroprotection from bisperoxovanadium treatment following spinal trauma. The goal of this study was to assess acute bisperoxovanadium treatment effects on neuroprotection and functional recovery following cervical unilateral contusive spinal cord injury, and investigate a potential mechanism of the compound's action. Two experimental groups of rats were established to 1) assess twice-daily 7 day treatment of the compound, potassium bisperoxo (picolinato) vanadium, on long-term recovery of skilled forelimb activity using a novel food manipulation test, and neuroprotection 6 weeks following injury and 2) elucidate an acute mechanistic link for the action of the drug post-injury. Immunofluorescence and Western blotting were performed to assess cellular signaling 1 day following SCI, and histochemistry and forelimb functional analysis were utilized to assess neuroprotection and recovery 6 weeks after injury. Bisperoxovanadium promoted significant neuroprotection through reduced motorneuron death, increased tissue sparing, and minimized cavity formation in rats. Enhanced forelimb functional ability during a treat-eating assessment was also observed. Additionally, bisperoxovanadium significantly enhanced downstream Akt and mammalian target of rapamycin signaling and reduced autophagic activity, suggesting inhibition of the phosphatase and tensin homologue deleted on chromosome ten as a potential mechanism of bisperoxovanadium action following traumatic spinal cord injury. Overall, this study demonstrates the efficacy of a clinically applicable pharmacological therapy for rapid initiation of neuroprotection post-spinal cord injury, and sheds light on the signaling involved in its action.
Rate distortion theory for image and video coding

We give the rate distortion function for three image sequence coders: intra-frame, interframe and motion compensating inter-frame. The intensity function distribution is assumed to be Gaussian, and we suppose spatio-temporal separability and an isotropic model for the spatial part of the intensity function. We give quantitative results justi ng the use of the above three coding modes in an image sequence coder. Moreover the obtained results show that the hybrid coding (motion compensating prediction + spatial compression) is more interesting as motion analysis becomes more e ective.
Loss analysis for efficiency improvement of the integrated buck-flyback converter for LED driving applications

In this paper, a study of the losses in the integrated buck-flyback converter (IBFC) used as high-power-factor LED driver is presented. The final goal of this study is to investigate the possibilities of increasing the efficiency of this converter, which is usually in the range of 85–89%. The procedure of the improvement is done by obtaining the equations for the value of the current through each component in terms of the converter parameters. With these equations the converter can be redesigned in order to increase the efficiency. The value of the current is found in average value, or root mean square (RMS) value depending on the type of the parasitic element, whether it is modeled by a parasitic forward voltage source or by a parasitic resistance, respectively. The equations found are proved mathematically and verified by simulation. A chart for the losses in each part is illustrated using the proved formulas and the parasitic model of each element and verified from the designed IBFC prototype. The presented methodology can easily be applied to other integrated converters. Finally, the paper presents some ideas to increase the eificiency of the IBFC.
Optimistic concurrency control by melding trees

This paper describes a new optimistic concurrency control algorithm for tree-structured data called meld. Each transaction executes on a snapshot of a multiversion database and logs a record with its intended updates. Meld processes log records in log order on a cached partial-copy of the last committed state to determine whether each transaction commits. If so, it merges the transaction's updates into that state. Meld is used in the Hyder transaction system and enables Hyder to scale out without partitioning. Since meld is on the critical path of transaction execution, it must be very fast. The paper describes the meld algorithm in detail and reports on an evaluation of an implementation. It can perform over 400K update transactions per second for transactions with two operations, and 130K for transactions with eight operations.
The Review of Economics and Statistics VOL . LXXXIX NUMBER 2 MAY 2007 FIRM STRUCTURE , MULTINATIONALS , AND MANUFACTURING PLANT DEATHS

Plant shutdowns shape industry productivity, the dynamics of employment, and industrial restructuring. Plant closures account for more than half of gross job destruction in U.S. manufacturing. This paper examines the effects of firm structure on U.S. manufacturing plant closures. Plants belonging to multiplant firms and those owned by U.S. multinationals are less likely to exit. However, the superior survival chances are due to the characteristics of the plants rather than the nature of the firms. Controlling for plant and industry attributes, we find that plants owned by multiunit firms and U.S. multinationals are much more likely to close.
Can grapheme-color synesthesia be induced by hypnosis?

Grapheme-color synesthesia is a perceptual experience where graphemes, letters or words evoke a specific color, which are experienced either as spatially coincident with the grapheme inducer (projector sub-type) or elsewhere, perhaps without a definite spatial location (associator sub-type). Here, we address the question of whether synesthesia can be rapidly produced using a hypnotic color suggestion to examine the possibility of “hypnotic synesthesia”, i.e., subjectively experienced color hallucinations similar to those experienced by projector synesthetes. We assess the efficacy of this intervention using an “embedded figures” test, in which participants are required to detect a shape (e.g., a square) composed of local graphemic elements. For grapheme-color synesthetes, better performance on the task has been linked to a higher proportion of graphemes perceived as colored. We found no performance benefits on this test when using a hypnotic suggestion, as compared to a no-suggestion control condition. The same result was found when participants were separated according to the degree to which they were susceptible to the suggestion (number of colored trials perceived). However, we found a relationship between accuracy and subjective reports of color in those participants who reported a large proportion of colored trials: trials in which the embedded figure was accurately recognized (relative to trials in which it was not) were associated with reports of more intense colors occupying a greater spatial extent. Collectively, this implies that hypnotic color was only perceived after shape detection rather than aiding in shape detection via color-based perceptual grouping. The results suggest that hypnotically induced colors are not directly comparable to synesthetic ones.
Coordinated Regulation of Retinoic Acid Signaling Pathway by KDM5B and Polycomb Repressive Complex 2

Polycomb repressive complex 2 (PRC2) is a critical epigenetic regulator in many biological processes, including maintenance of cell identity, stem cell self‐renewal, differentiation, and deregulation of PRC2 is often observed in human cancers and diseases. Here we report that KDM5B (PLU‐1/JARID1B), a histone lysine demethylase of Jumonji family, associates with PRC2 and colocalizes with PRC2 in nuclear bodies, and their physical association is dependent on direct interaction between KDM5B and the SUZ12 component of PRC2. Interestingly, co‐occupancy of KDM5B and PRC2 was evidenced at the conserved cis‐regulatory DNA element on retinoic acid (RA) responsive genes. Transcription readout and in vitro pull‐down experiments suggest that KDM5B is an essential co‐activator, but not a co‐repressor, for the RA signaling, and the interface between KDM5B's JMJC domain and retinoic acid receptor α (RARα) is crucial for RA‐mediated gene expression. Detailed chromatin immunoprecipitation assays addressed the seemingly paradox by revealing a biphasic effect of KDM5B on RA‐induced gene activation through decoupled H3K4me3 demethylation and PRC2‐antagonizing activities. These results demonstrate that KDM5B and PRC2 regulate RA signaling cascade in a cooperative and orchestrated fashion. J. Cell. Biochem. 115: 1528–1538, 2014. © 2014 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Improving Transfer Rates in Brain Computer Interfacing: A Case Study

In this paper we present results of a study on brain computer interfacing. We adopted an approach of Farwell & Donchin [4], which we tried to improve in several aspects. The main objective was to improve the transfer rates based on offline analysis of EEG-data but within a more realistic setup closer to an online realization than in the original studies. The objective was achieved along two different tracks: on the one hand we used state-of-the-art machine learning techniques for signal classification and on the other hand we augmented the data space by using more electrodes for the interface. For the classification task we utilized SVMs and, as motivated by recent findings on the learning of discriminative densities, we accumulated the values of the classification function in order to combine several classifications, which finally lead to significantly improved rates as compared with techniques applied in the original work. In combination with the data space augmentation, we achieved competitive transfer rates at an average of 50.5 bits/min and with a maximum of 84.7 bits/min.
A Hidden Feedback in Signaling Cascades Is Revealed

Cycles involving covalent modification of proteins are key components of the intracellular signaling machinery. Each cycle is comprised of two interconvertable forms of a particular protein. A classic signaling pathway is structured by a chain or cascade of basic cycle units in such a way that the activated protein in one cycle promotes the activation of the next protein in the chain, and so on. Starting from a mechanistic kinetic description and using a careful perturbation analysis, we have derived, to our knowledge for the first time, a consistent approximation of the chain with one variable per cycle. The model we derive is distinct from the one that has been in use in the literature for several years, which is a phenomenological extension of the Goldbeter-Koshland biochemical switch. Even though much has been done regarding the mathematical modeling of these systems, our contribution fills a gap between existing models and, in doing so, we have unveiled critical new properties of this type of signaling cascades. A key feature of our new model is that a negative feedback emerges naturally, exerted between each cycle and its predecessor. Due to this negative feedback, the system displays damped temporal oscillations under constant stimulation and, most important, propagates perturbations both forwards and backwards. This last attribute challenges the widespread notion of unidirectionality in signaling cascades. Concrete examples of applications to MAPK cascades are discussed. All these properties are shared by the complete mechanistic description and our simplified model, but not by previously derived phenomenological models of signaling cascades.
Evaluation of Subject-Specific Heuristics for Initial Learning Environments: A Pilot Study

Heuristic evaluation is a “discount” technique for finding usability problems in well-established domains. This paper presents thirteen suggested heuristics for initial learning environments (ILEs). To investigate the usefulness of these heuristics to other developers, we conducted a pilot study that compared two groups of evaluators: one using an older, generalised set of heuristics from the literature, and one using our domain-specific heuristics. In this study, we compare not just the number of problems found, but the way in which the problem reports were expressed. There was a significant difference in the length of written comments when problems were found (those from the new set being longer). New-set reviews touch on more themes – many make suggestions about what would improve the problem; many comments refer to a suggested cause-and-effect relationship. As designers, we find this detail helpful in understanding problems. Quantitative data from this study is not large enough to support any robust conclusions about the relative thoroughness of the heuristics at this time, but we plan to use lessons learned from this study in a larger version shortly.
EXCUSE ME, DO YOU SPEAK ENGLISH? AN INTERNATIONAL EVALUATION

Globalization and market integration have made languages an essential tool for worldwide communication. Nowadays, English knowledge is spread internationally, its importance is growing, and educational systems introduce students in English learning at an increasingly early age. However, until now, very little was known about which the determinants of English competences are, which differences are linked to country specific factors and which policy educational measures can be taken to improve the English level of students at the end of compulsory education. This paper uses data from the European Survey of Language Competences (ESLC), which allows to make the first study that addresses these queries. By making use of an educational production function, where the `outcome' is the level of English acquired in the evaluated competences, we can infer which the determinants of English performance are at the end of compulsory education. English class size is a particularly important feature of the educational systems because it can be quite easily modified by policy makers. Following Woessmann (EP, 2005) class size European study in sciences cognitive skills, and implementing similar techniques, previously developed by Angrist and Lavy (QJE, 1999), we obtain a statistically significant causal result: bigger English classes perform better on average than smaller ones in Reading and Writing competences. Ester Núñez de Miguel Banco Santander ester.nunez@gruposantander.com
Bouncing between Model and Data: Stability, Passivity, and Optimality in Hybrid Dynamics

ABSTRACT Rhythmically bouncing a ball with a racket is a seemingly simple task, but it poses all the challenges critical for coordinative behavior: perceiving the ball's trajectory to adapt position and velocity of the racket for the next ball contact. To gain insight into the underlying control strategies, the authors conducted a series of studies that tested models with experimental data, with an emphasis on deriving model-based hypotheses and trying to falsify them. Starting with a simple dynamical model of the racket and ball interactions, stability analyses showed that open-loop dynamics affords dynamical stability, such that small perturbations do not require corrections. To obtain this passive stability, the ball has to be impacted with negative acceleration—a strategy that subjects adopted in a variety of conditions at steady state. However, experimental tests that applied perturbations revealed that after perturbations, subjects applied active perceptually guided corrections to reestablish steady state faster than by relying on the passive model's relaxation alone. Hence, the authors derived a model with active control based on optimality principles that considered each impact as a separate reaching-like movement. This model captured some additional features of the racket trajectory but failed to predict more fine-grained aspects of performance. The authors proceed to present a new model that accounts not only for fine-grained behavior but also reconciles passive and active control approaches with new predictions that will be put to test in the next set of experiments.
Proposal of a Bulk HTSC Staggered Array Undulator

We proposed a new type of undulator based on bulk high‐Tc superconductors (HTSC) which consists of a single solenoid and a stacked array of bulk HTSC. The main advantage of this configuration is that a mechanical structure is not required to produce and control the undulator field. In order to perform a proof of principle experiment, we have developed a prototype of bulk HTSC staggered array undulator using 11 pairs of DyBaCuO bulk superconductors and a normal conducting solenoid. Experimental results obtained by using the prototype undulator and numerical results obtained by a loop current model based on the Bean mode for a type‐II superconductor were compared.
Shear-Flexible Finite-Element Models of Laminated Composite Plates and Shells.

Abstract : Several finite-element models are applied to the linear static, stability, and vibration analysis of laminated composite plates and shells. The study is based on linear shallow-shell theory, with the effects of shear deformation, anisotropic material behavior, and bending-extensional coupling included. Both stiffness (displacement) and mixed finite-element models are considered. Discussion is focused on the effects of shear deformation and anisotropic material behavior on the accuracy and convergence of different finite-element models. Numerical studies are presented which show the effects of (a) increasing the order of the approximating polynomials, (b) adding internal degrees of freedom, and (c) using derivatives of generalized displacements as nodal parameters.
Estimating Part Pose Statistics With Application to Industrial Parts Feeding and Shape Design: New Metrics, Algorithms, Simulation Experiments and Datasets

Part feeders take an unsorted bulk of identical parts and output them in a uniform orientation. Common feeders sort out those items that settle initially on one specific face, and further reorient them as desired. Quick estimators of the probability of settling on a given face facilitate the design of parts for efficient feeding and of the feeding lines themselves. Nevertheless, the evaluation and the development of such estimators have been hindered by the lack of data. Here, I create and analyze a large, simulated dataset; evaluate estimators available in the literature by comparing their predictions to simulation results with the help of a custom-made metric; and propose new estimation algorithms. The new estimators offer viable alternative to the direct dynamic simulation of parts due to their low average errors.