Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis of measurement set qualitative characteristics for state estimation purposes

This paper presents a method that allows observability analysis and restoration, identification of critical measurements and critical sets as well as the updating of these measurement set qualitative characteristics in real time, based only on the network topology. The identification of critical measurements and sets is carried out in a beforehand basis, that is, they are identified using the network topology properties before running any state estimation. Making a mapping of the system states, and using information concepts, a new state space is obtained where, in a straightforward manner, the desired relationship (information) between measurements and states is obtained. The mentioned mapping and the state information are easily found via triangular factorization of the Jacobian matrix, characterizing the method as numerical. Starting from a base case measurement set, every time a snapshot of measurements has to be analyzed, only refactorization corresponding to the lost measurements has to be made. The sparse structure of such matrix allows the use of sparse techniques speeding up the process. The method was tested in the IEEE-14-bus system, IEEE-30-bus system as well as in one Brazilian real system (the 383-bus system by CHESF-Companhia Hidroeletrica do Sao Francisco). The results proved to be reliable, easy to implement and fast, showing the proposition is a useful tool for power systems real-time operation.
Morphologic Characteristics of the Left Atrial Appendage, Roof, and Septum: Implications for the Ablation of Atrial Fibrillation

Introduction: The left atrium (LA) ablation in different regions, including LA appendage (LAA), LA roof, and LA septum, has recently been proposed to improve the success rate of treating patients with atrial fibrillation (AF). The purpose of this study was to investigate the anatomy of LAA, LA roof, and LA septum, using computed tomography (CT).
Crystal Structure of G Protein-coupled Receptor Kinase 5 in Complex with a Rationally Designed Inhibitor*♦

Background: G protein-coupled receptor kinase 5 (GRK5), a cardiovascular disease target, has not been structurally characterized. Results: The 2.4 Å crystal structure of a GRK5·inhibitor complex was determined. Conclusion: Inhibitor confirms the rational design strategy, and GRK5 C-terminal region adopts a unique membrane-bound conformation. Significance: These results provide new insights into the design of selective inhibitors and how GRK4 subfamily members interact with membranes. G protein-coupled receptor kinases (GRKs) regulate cell signaling by initiating the desensitization of active G protein-coupled receptors. The two most widely expressed GRKs (GRK2 and GRK5) play a role in cardiovascular disease and thus represent important targets for the development of novel therapeutic drugs. In the course of a GRK2 structure-based drug design campaign, one inhibitor (CCG215022) exhibited nanomolar IC50 values against both GRK2 and GRK5 and good selectivity against other closely related kinases such as GRK1 and PKA. Treatment of murine cardiomyocytes with CCG215022 resulted in significantly increased contractility at 20-fold lower concentrations than paroxetine, an inhibitor with more modest selectivity for GRK2. A 2.4 Å crystal structure of the GRK5·CCG215022 complex was determined and revealed that the inhibitor binds in the active site similarly to its parent compound GSK180736A. As designed, its 2-pyridylmethyl amide side chain occupies the hydrophobic subsite of the active site where it forms three additional hydrogen bonds, including one with the catalytic lysine. The overall conformation of the GRK5 kinase domain is similar to that of a previously determined structure of GRK6 in what is proposed to be its active state, but the C-terminal region of the enzyme adopts a distinct conformation. The kinetic properties of site-directed mutants in this region are consistent with the hypothesis that this novel C-terminal structure is representative of the membrane-bound conformation of the enzyme.
The Deconstructed Journal Revisited - A Review of Developments

Developments in net based academic publishing since 1999 are reviewed in light of the requirements of the Deconstructed Journal (DJ) academic publishing model. This model proposes that all the activities of traditionaljournal publishing could be carried out by a group of co-operating independent agents without the necessary requirement of a publisher to co-ordinate them. It is shown that most of the elements required for the DJpublishing model to operate are now available. The one major element missing is the independent Certification Agent (CA). The role of the CA in the DJ model is to provide quality control (refereeing, etc.) and to confirmthis it should affix its ‘seal of approval’ to the document. Document integrity and authentication are described and the operation of Digital Signatures (DSs) reviewed including current usage problems. It is concluded that easy to use DSs or similar tools are needed to allow the emergence of truly independent CAs but the reward will be documents that are completely free.
Design of multi-turn LTCC inductors for high frequency DC/DC converters

This paper focuses on designing of multi-turn spiral inductors with multilayer parallel-connected conductors for high frequency DC/DC converters based on low temperature co-fired ceramic (LTCC) technology. Effects of conductors' arrangements on performance of LTCC inductors are analyzed. Based on observation and analysis, a model to approximate inductance of LTCC inductors is derived. Simulation results are provided to verify accuracy of the model. At last, a prototype is fabricated and tested in a 8MHz switching-mode buck converter.
Multi-Tenant Customizable Databases Master ’ s Thesis

We argue that there is a need for Multi-Tenant Customizable OLTP systems. Such systems need a Multi-Tenant Customizable Database (MTC-DB) as a backing. To stimulate the development of such databases, we propose the benchmark MTCB. Benchmarks for OLTP exist and multi-tenant benchmarks exist, but no MTC-DB benchmark exists that accounts for customizability. We formulate seven requirements for the benchmark: realistic, unambiguous, comparable, correct, scalable, simple and independent. It focuses on performance aspects and produces nine metrics: aulbach compliance, size on disk, tenants created, types created, attributes created, transaction data type instances created per minute, transaction data type instances loaded by ID per minute, conjunctive searches per minute and disjunctive searches per minute. We present a specification and an example implementation in Java 8, which can be accessed on this public repository: https://bitbucket.org/ actfact/mtcdb-benchmark. In the same repository an implementation can be found for a naive implementation of an MTC-DB where each tenant has its own schema. We believe that this benchmark is a valuable contribution to the community of MTC-DB developers, because it provides objective comparability as well as a precise definition of the concept of MTC-DB.
Organizational structure for emergency departments using OMAS

The multi-agent system has good architecture to support complex, autonomic software systems. When multi-agent system works with specific group of agents to achieve individual, aggregate and social goals, it can be viewed as organizational multi-agent system (OMAS). The organizational multi-agent system can be modeled and designed with Agent-Group-Role i.e. AGR model. The AGR model can create organizational structure and describe organizational dynamics. This model also allows remote communication, migration of agents for achieving goals. In this paper, the AGR model is applied to emergency departments of hospital. In this conceptual research, an emergency department is considered as organizational multi-agent system. All actors will be converted into agents and organizational structure can be created. It is proposed that self-management of emergency department of hospital based on AGR model will increase the efficiency of emergency department. Emergency department of healthcare is a complex department where actors of department have to deal with unidentified scenarios in faster way. This paper shows organizational representation of multi-agent system for self-management of emergency department of hospital.
Phonetic cues are weighted differently when spectral resolution is degraded

An experiment was conducted to test the hypothesis that listeners’ perceptual strategies would change when the spectrum of an input speech signal was degraded. The contrast between tense and lax English vowels (as in the words “heat” and “hit”) was selected because of the known primacy of spectral cues and redundancy of temporal cues used in normal listening situations. Synthesized speech signals varying in two spectral dimensions (initial formant structure and vowel-inherent spectral change) and in one temporal dimension (vowel duration) were presented to listeners with intact spectra or through an 8or 4-channel noise-excited vocoder, used to simulate a cochlear implant. Two-alternative forced choice identification results showed that as the spectrum was degraded, listeners relied less upon the spectral cues, and compensated with greater sensitivity to the temporal cue. Preliminary results with cochlear implant users suggest that results from the simulations are generalizable to a target clinical population; those who experience spectral degradation may employ perceptual strategies that differ from those with normal hearing. PACS numbers: 43.71. Es, 43.71. Ky, 43.71. Gv
Biometric based audio ownership verification using discrete wavelet transform and SVD techniques

The digital revolution in audio industry has brought new ownership verification challenges, as a recording can be copied and distributed easily. Audio watermarking has been proposed as an effective solution to solve or mitigate the impact of these challenges. This paper investigates a previously-reported digital audio watermarking algorithm with the aim of improving its features and performance. The modified algorithm is then used to develop an audio ownership verification system. This is achieved by comgining the advantages of Discrete Wavelet Transform (DWT) and Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) techniques along with utilizing biometric features (thumbprint) of the owner as a digital watermark. A fully functional ownership verification system is developed and its performance is assessed experimentally. When compared to the original algorithm, the suggested system show significant improvements in terms of minimizing the required minimum period of original audio signal, improving quality of watermarked audio signal, and detecting the applied attacks.
Temporal and spatial compression of infrared imagery sequences containing slow moving point targets

Infrared imagery sequences are used for detecting moving targets in the presence of evolving cloud clutter or background noise. This research focuses on slow moving point targets that are less than one pixel in size, such as aircraft at long ranges from a sensor. Since transmitting infrared (IR) imagery sequences to a base unit or storing them consume considerable time and resources, a compression method which maintains the point target detection capabilities is desired. In our previous work, we introduced two temporal compression methods, which preserve the temporal profile properties of the point target, in the form of the discrete cosine transform (DCT) quantization and the parabola fit. In the present work, we continue the compression task method of the DCT quantization by applying spatial compression over the temporally compressed coefficients, followed by bit encoding. We evaluate the proposed compression methods using an SNR-based measure for point target detection. Furthermore, we introduce an automatic detection algorithm of the target tracks that extracts the target location from the SNR scores image, which is acquired during the evaluation process. We previously determined that it is necessary to establish a minimal noise level in the SNR-based measure, to compensate for smoothing that is induced by the compression. Here, the noising process is modified, in order to allow detection of targets traversing all background types.
Estimating Wildlife Viewing Recreational Demand and Consumer Surplus

Motivated by the increasing popularity of wildlife viewing and a growing emphasis on management for nontimber outputs, wildlife viewing demand was assessed. Specific objectives included determining factors affecting participation and frequency of use, and furthermore, deriving 2006 nationwide wildlife viewing consumer surplus estimates. With the travel cost method as the theoretical basis, the empirical estimation method employed was a two-step sample selection model that included a probit first step and a negative binomial second step. Consumer surplus per trip estimates ranged from $215.23 to $739.07 while aggregate national estimates ranged from $44.5 billion to $185.1 billion. Results reveal that age, race, and urban residence affect participation and frequency similarly. This research can help policymakers in particular better understand determinants of wildlife viewing participation and frequency. The value of wildlife viewing access can be used to justify funding initiatives aimed at protecting or managing for this use.
Trends in intravenous drug abuse as reflected in national hepatitis reporting.

A procedure for obtaining an indicator of trends in illicit intravenous (I.V.) drug use-a form of drug use which is very harmful and difficult to measure-has been developed using national hepatitis surveillance data. Hepatitis reports are separated into two groups: one containing mostly cases related to transmission via I.V. drug use and the other containing cases related to transmission via personal contact and blood transfusion. The analysis of ten years of national hepatitis reporting (1966 to 1975) shows an almost ten-fold rise in drug-related hepatitis cases from 1966 to 1972. In the last three years the number of cases has declined but remains substantially greater than the pre-epidemic levels. The rise in I.V. drug-related cases began in the 1960's among minority groups living in the center cities of the East and West Coasts and spread during the 1970's into the suburbs of these cities and into metropolitan areas throughout the United States. Limitations of this indicator of I.V. drug use relate to the characteristics of the surveillance system and to the underlying relationship of hepatitis to I.V. drug use.
Evaluation of a Joint Hysteresis Model in a Robot Actuated by Pneumatic Muscles

Passively compliant drives are interesting alternatives to classical stiff actuators in emerging fields like human– robot cooperation, service and rehabilitation robotics. Pneumatic muscles have been found to be interesting low–cost actuators for such purposes. To fully realize the (desired) higher sensitivity and at the same time maintain a good control quality, detailed models of the robot’s own components are required. For pneumatic muscles, their hysteresis characteristic is a challenging property. In this paper we present a hysteresis model based on a Prandtl–Ishlinskii operator approach and evaluate the resulting performance when the inverse model is used for compensation in the position controller. The evaluation is done on a real multi–axes robot arm.
Subjectivism and the Mental

This paper defends the view that one's own mental states are metaphysically privileged vis-a-vis the mental states of others, even if only subjectively so. This is an instance of a more general view called Subjectivism, according to which reality is only subjectively the way it is. After characterizing Subjectivism in analogy to two relatively familiar views in the metaphysics of modality and time, I compare the Subjectivist View of the Mental with Egocentric Presentism, a version of Subjectivism recently advocated by Caspar Hare. I argue that the Subjectivist View of the Mental goes a considerable way towards solving (or dissolving) certain long-standing philosophical puzzles having to do with the unity of consciousness, the contents of self-awareness and the intransmissibility of experiential knowledge through testimony.
Instructions for use Title Analysis of the risk factors for early death due to disease recurrence or progression within 1 year afterhepatectomy in patients with hepatocellular carcinoma

Background: Liver resection for hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC) has the highest local controllability among all local treatments and results in a good survival rate. However, the recurrence rates of HCC continue to remain high even after curative hepatectomy Moreover, it has been reported that some patients with HCC have an early death due to recurrence. We analyzed the preoperative risk factors for early cancer death. Methods: Between 1997 and 2009, 521 consecutive patients who underwent hepatectomy for HCC at our center were assigned to group ED (death due to HCC recurrence or progression within 1 year after hepatectomy) and group NED (alive over 1 year after hepatectomy). Risk factors for early cancer death were analyzed. Results: Group ED included 48 patients, and group NED included 473 patients. The cause of death included cancer progression (150; 78.1%), operation-related (1; 0.5%), hepatic failure (15; 7.8%), and other (26; 13.5%). Between the ED and NED groups, there were significant differences in albumin levels, Child-Pugh classifications, anatomical resections, curability, tumor numbers, tumor sizes, macroscopic vascular invasion (portal vein and hepatic vein), alpha-fetoprotein (AFP) levels, AFP-L3 levels, protein induced by vitamin K absence or antagonism factor II (PIVKA-II) levels, differentiation, microscopic portal vein invasion, microscopic hepatic vein invasion, and distant metastasis by univariate analysis. Multivariate analysis identified specific risk factors, such as AFP level> 1,000 ng/ml, tumor number≥ 4, tumor size≥ 5 cm, poor differentiation, and portal vein invasion. With respect to the preoperative risk factors such as AFP level, tumor number, and tumor size, 3 (1.1%) of 280 patients with no risk factors, 12 (7.8%) of 153 patients with 1 risk factor, 24 (32.9%) of 73 patients with 2 factors, and 9 (60.0%) of 15 patients with 3 risk factors died within 1 year of hepatectomy (p< 0.0001). Conclusions: Hepatectomy should be judiciously selected for patients with AFP level> 1,000 ng/ml, tumor number≥ 4, and tumor size≥ 5 cm, because patients with these preoperative risk factors tend to die within 1 year after hepatectomy; these patients might be better treated with other therapy.
The pig as a model for human nutrition.

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Re-visiting the Health Care Luxury Good Hypothesis: Aggregation, Precision, and Publication Biases?

While a growing literature examining the relationship between income and health expenditures suggests that health care is a luxury good, this conclusion is contentiously debated due to heterogeneity of the existing results. This paper tests the luxury good hypothesis (namely that income elasticity exceed unity) using meta-regression analysis, taking into consideration publication selection and aggregation bias. The findings suggest that publication bias exists, a result that is robust to the meta-regression model employed. Publication selection and aggregation bias also appear to play a role in the generation of estimates. The corrected income elasticity estimates range from 0.4 to 0.8, which cast serious doubt on the validity of luxury good hypothesis. Nonetheless, due to the importance of aggregation, we cannot reject the luxury good hypothesis for aggregate time series data.
On interference analysis of self-organized femtocells in indoor deployment

The co-channel interference arising from the unplanned deployment and autonomous operation of self-organized femtocells is the most challenging obstacle to the viability of such architecture. Herein, we provide an analytical framework for assessing the uplink interference of indoor deployment scenario. The proposed model resorts to Gauss-Hermite quadrature to obtain an approximation to the total interference perceived by a tagged receiver, and stochastic geometry to model the distribution of nodes and their relative separation distances. Furthermore, the benefit of coordinating nearby femtocells so as to perform interference avoidance is also assessed. We observe that analytical results match well with simulation results. And yet, through coordination, it is possible to improve spatial reuse, reduce outage, and attain not only higher spectral efficiency, but also increased capacity.
Doing qualitative research on suicide in a developing country: practical and ethical challenges.

BACKGROUND This article describes and discusses the challenges faced by researchers who conducted a qualitative interview study on attitudes toward suicide among the Baganda, Uganda. Many of the challenges addressed in this article have not been described earlier in suicide research conducted in the developing world. AIMS The aim of this study was to explore attitudes and cultural responses toward suicide among the Baganda, Uganda. METHODS Data were collected and analyzed using grounded theory. A total of 28 focus group discussions and 30 key informant interviews were conducted. RESULTS The findings of this study are organized under two broad categories: community access challenges and expectation challenges. Community access challenges entailed cultural, legal, rapport, informed consent, language, and other research process related issues that could hinder effective access to the study respondents. Expectation challenges concerned how to deal with the immediate and strategic needs of the study communities. CONCLUSIONS This study demonstrates that culturally sensitive approaches to data collection can reduce ethical challenges and, through innovative approaches, practical challenges faced during data collection can be minimized.
Spectral Methods for Accurate Identification and Quantification of Memory Effects of Wideband RF Power Amplifiers

In this paper, a spectral method based on the memoryless predistortion technique is presented to identify accurately the memory effects of wideband RF power amplifiers stimulated by practical modulated signals. According to this new definition of the memory effects, a novel metric to measure quantitatively the memory effects in wideband power amplifiers is proposed. With the proposed memory effect metrics, the intensity of the memory effects for different power amplifiers, under a variety of the excitation modulated signals, can be quantitatively evaluated.
Radar polarimetry with interleaved dual-orthogonal and time-multiplexed signals: The PARSAX radar setup and preliminary results

Radars capable of measuring targets' Polarimetrie characteristics provide valuable supplementary information for a more reliable detection, identification and physical parameters estimation. The novelty of this work lies in that it had not been previously possible to perform measurements for a comparison of polarimetric orthogonal simultaneous vs time-multiplexed sequential sounding signals in real-time, because of the time delay required to reconfigure a system to cater for the different waveform types. During this time delay, an observed non-stable target(s) would have had substantially moved, yielding both measurements not directly comparable. In this paper we present the polarimetric interleaved simultaneous-time-multiplexed waveform, justifications for the PARSAX radar setup upgrade, and the system implementation with a focus on the receiver FPGA. Preliminary results from the comparison are revealed. The data and results will be used for a future detailed comparative analysis of sounding waveforms and their impact on polarimetric target characteristics.