Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Robust controller design for inverter-interfaced distributed generators considering islanded operation of a microgrid

Microgrids consist of multiple distributed generators, which are normally integrated via power inverters and can employ various sustainable energy resources. Therefore, the microgrid is a new promising concept for future power systems with improved energy security, reliability, quality of power, and energy efficiency. To this end, microgrids should survive during severe power system abnormalities so that the sub-areas in the microgrids can be protected all the time. This paper focuses on a robust controller design scheme for inverter-interfaced distributed generators considering various operating modes and loading conditions of microgrids. Especially, during the island mode, the voltage and system frequency can easily change due to instant power mismatch between distributed generators and loads in the microgrid. This paper presents the design procedure of a robust optimal controller against exogenous disturbances such as voltage and frequency variation in microgrids. L1 robust control theory is applied to optimize the robust controller and a Particle Swarm Optimization algorithm is used to solve the optimal problems.
Ambient Air Pollution and Pregnancy-Induced Hypertensive Disorders: A Systematic Review and Meta-Analysis

Pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders can lead to maternal and perinatal morbidity and mortality, but the cause of these conditions is not well understood. We have systematically reviewed and performed a meta-analysis of epidemiological studies investigating the association between exposure to ambient air pollution and pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders including gestational hypertension and preeclampsia. We searched electronic databases for English language studies reporting associations between ambient air pollution and pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders published between December 2009 and December 2013. Combined risk estimates were calculated using random-effect models for each exposure that had been examined in ≥4 studies. Heterogeneity and publication bias were evaluated. A total of 17 articles evaluating the impact of nitrogen oxides (NO2, NOX), particulate matter (PM10, PM2.5), carbon monoxide (CO), ozone (O3), proximity to major roads, and traffic density met our inclusion criteria. Most studies reported that air pollution increased risk for pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders. There was significant heterogeneity in meta-analysis, which included 16 studies reporting on gestational hypertension and preeclampsia as separate or combined outcomes; there was less heterogeneity in findings of the 10 studies reporting solely on preeclampsia. Meta-analyses showed increased risks of hypertensive disorders in pregnancy for all pollutants except CO. Random-effect meta-analysis combined odds ratio associated with a 5-µg/m3 increase in PM2.5 was 1.57 (95% confidence interval, 1.26–1.96) for combined pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders and 1.31 (95% confidence interval, 1.14–1.50) for preeclampsia. Our results suggest that exposure to air pollution increases the risk of pregnancy-induced hypertensive disorders.
Error-trellises for convolutional codes .I. Construction

An error-trellis is a directed graph that represents all the sequences belonging to the coset which contains the symbol-by-symbol detected version of a given received sequence. A modular construction of error-trellises for an (n,k) convolutional code over GF(q) is presented. The trellis is designed on the basis of partitioning the scalar check matrix of the code into submatrices of l rows, accompanied with a corresponding segmentation of the syndrome. The value of the design parameter l is an essentially unconstrained multiple of n-k. For all the cosets of the code, the sections of the error-trellis are drawn from a collection of only q/sup l/ modules; the module for each section is determined by the value of the associated syndrome segment. In case the construction is based on a basic polynomial check matrix, either canonical or noncanonical, then the error-trellis is minimal in the sense that /spl sigma//spl les//spl mu/, where /spl sigma/ is the dimension of the state space of the trellis and /spl mu/ is the constraint length of a canonical generator matrix for the code. For basic check matrices with delay-free columns, the inequality reduces to /spl sigma/=/spl mu/.
zNLP: Identifying Parallel Sentences in Chinese-English Comparable Corpora

This paper describes the zNLP system for the BUCC 2017 shared task. Our system identifies parallel sentence pairs in Chinese-English comparable corpora by translating word-by-word Chinese sentences into English, using the search engine Solr to select near-parallel sentences and then by using an SVM classifier to identify true parallel sentences from the previous results. It obtains an F1-score of 45% (resp. 32%) on the test (training) set.
Metabolic responses to epinephrine stimulation in goldfish hepatocytes: evidence for the presence of alpha-adrenoceptors.

The effect of epinephrine on various aspects of cellular metabolism was studied in hepatocytes from the goldfish Carassius auratus. Epinephrine increased cytosolic free calcium ([Ca2+](i)) from a baseline value of 108 +/- 22 nM to a peak value of 577 +/- 127 nM in suspensions of hepatocytes. Responses of single cells ranged from a single spike (66% of hepatocytes) to variable oscillatory patterns (34%). The increase in [Ca(2+)](i) was independent of the presence of extracellular Ca2+ and was prevented by the alpha-adrenergic antagonist phentolamine. Cellular glucose release induced by epinephrine (1.7- to 3.2-fold) was significantly reduced in Ca2+-depleted cells and in the presence of phentolamine, providing evidence for the co-occurrence of alpha-adrenoceptors and a Ca2+-independent, presumably beta-adrenergic, system in these cells. Furthermore, epinephrine stimulated oxygen consumption in a Ca2+-dependent manner, which was not due to stimulated Na(+) pump activity. An increased rate of acid secretion of 50%, evoked by epinephrine, appears to be mediated by enhanced Na(+)/H(+) exchange but did not result in intracellular alkalization.
Influence of the Meridional Overturning Circulation on Tropical-Subtropical Pathways

Abstract An ocean GCM is used for idealized studies of the Atlantic circulation in a square basin. The subtropical, the tropical, and the equatorial gyres are produced by forcing the model with a wind stress profile having only latitudinal dependence. The goal is to understand the effect of the meridional overturning circulation (MOC) on the Atlantic intergyre exchanges. The MOC is imposed by prescribing an inflow all along the southern boundary and an outflow at the northern boundary. The results indicate that the northward flow of the MOC has a crucial effect on the subtropical–tropical pathways. In this idealized configuration the North Atlantic wind field creates a basinwide potential vorticity barrier. Therefore, the water subducted in the North Atlantic has to flow to the western boundary before turning equatorward. This is shown by the trajectories of floats injected in a band of northern latitudes. The warm water return flow of the MOC inhibits this pathway and reduces the inflow of North Atlantic.
Interactions of the DNA Ligase IV-XRCC4 Complex with DNA Ends and the DNA-dependent Protein Kinase*

The DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PK), consisting of Ku and the DNA-PK catalytic subunit (DNA-PKcs), and the DNA ligase IV-XRCC4 complex function together in the repair of DNA double-strand breaks by non-homologous end joining. These protein complexes are also required for the completion of V(D)J recombination events in immune cells. Here we demonstrate that the DNA ligase IV-XRCC4 complex binds specifically to the ends of duplex DNA molecules and can act as a bridging factor, linking together duplex DNA molecules with complementary but non-ligatable ends. Although the DNA end-binding protein Ku inhibited DNA joining by DNA ligase IV-XRCC4, it did not prevent this complex from binding to DNA. Instead, DNA ligase IV-XRCC4 and Ku bound simultaneously to the ends of duplex DNA molecules. DNA ligase IV-XRCC4 and DNA-PKcs also formed complexes at the ends of DNA molecules, but DNA-PKcs did not inhibit ligation. Interestingly, DNA-PKcs stimulated intermolecular ligation by DNA ligase IV-XRCC4. In the presence of DNA-PK, the majority of the joining events catalyzed by DNA ligase IV-XRCC4 were intermolecular because Ku inhibited intramolecular ligation, but DNA-PKcs still stimulated intramolecular ligation. We suggest that DNA-PKcs-containing complexes formed at DNA ends enhance the association of DNA ends via protein-protein interactions, thereby stimulating intermolecular ligation.
Context-adaptive binary arithmetic coding with precise probability estimation and complexity scalability for high-efficiency video coding

Abstract. An improved context-based adaptive binary arithmetic coding (CABAC) is presented. The idea for the improvement is to use a more accurate mechanism for estimation of symbol probabilities in the standard CABAC algorithm. The authors’ proposal of such a mechanism is based on the context-tree weighting technique. In the framework of a high-efficiency video coding (HEVC) video encoder, the improved CABAC allows 0.7% to 4.5% bitrate saving compared to the original CABAC algorithm. The application of the proposed algorithm marginally affects the complexity of HEVC video encoder, but the complexity of video decoder increases by 32% to 38%. In order to decrease the complexity of video decoding, a new tool has been proposed for the improved CABAC that enables scaling of the decoder complexity. Experiments show that this tool gives 5% to 7.5% reduction of the decoding time while still maintaining high efficiency in the data compression.
Patulin biodegradation by marine yeast Kodameae ohmeri

Patulin contamination of fruit- and vegetable-based products had become a major challenge for the food industry. Biological methods of patulin control can play an important role due to their safety and high efficiency. In this study, a strain of marine yeast with high patulin degradation ability was screened. The yeast was identified as Kodameae ohmeri by the BioLog identification system and partial 26S rRNA gene sequencing. The degradation products of patulin were identified as (E)- and (Z)-ascladiol through HPLC and LC-TOF/MS. High patulin tolerance at 100 μg ml–1 and a high degradation rate at 35°C at a pH between 3 and 6 indicates the potential application of K. ohmeri for patulin detoxification of apple-derived products. Graphical Abstract
Effect of Turbulence Models on Simulated Iced Aircraft Airfoil

The present work describes a computational study of aerodynamic characteristics of GLC305 airfoil clean and with 16.7 min ice shape (rime 212) and 22.5 min ice shape (glaze 944). The performance of turbulence models SA, Kε, Kω Std, and Kω SST model are observed against experimental flow fields at different Mach numbers 0.12, 0.21, 0.28 in a range of Reynolds numbers 3x10, 6x10, and 10.5x10 on clean and iced aircraft airfoil GLC305. Numerical predictions include lift, drag and pitching moment coefficients at different Mach numbers and at different angle of attacks were done. Accuracy of solutions with respect to the effects of turbulence models, variation of Mach number, initial conditions, grid resolution and grid spacing near the wall made the study much sensitive. Navier Stokes equation based computational technique is used. Results are very close to the experimental results. It has seen that SA and SST models are more efficient than Kε and Kω standard in under study problem. Keywords—Aerodynamics, Airfoil GLC305, Iced Airfoil, Turbulence Model
On-Chip Electrical Breakdown of Metallic Nanotubes for Mass Fabrication of Carbon-Nanotube-Based Electronic Devices

A mass fabrication scheme for carbon-nanotube (CNT)-based electronic devices is developed by combining the semiconductor wafer electrical sorting with selective burning of metallic CNT wires. By applying a millisecond electrical pulse to CNTs with the optimized logical scheme of voltage stress, we successfully removed the metallic CNTs but not the high-performance semiconductor CNTs. The fabrication scheme implemented with a probe card achieved a 100 % gross yield of CNT-based sensors with a short process time.
A High-Resolution Absolute-Dated Late Pleistocene Monsoon Record from Hulu Cave, China

Oxygen isotope records of five stalagmites from Hulu Cave near Nanjing bear a remarkable resemblance to oxygen isotope records from Greenland ice cores, suggesting that East Asian Monsoon intensity changed in concert with Greenland temperature between 11,000 and 75,000 years before the present (yr. B.P.). Between 11,000 and 30,000 yr. B.P., the timing of changes in the monsoon, as established with 230Th dates, generally agrees with the timing of temperature changes from the Greenland Ice Sheet Project Two (GISP2) core, which supports GISP2's chronology in this interval. Our record links North Atlantic climate with the meridional transport of heat and moisture from the warmest part of the ocean where the summer East Asian Monsoon originates.
An Overview of the State of the Art in Atomistic and Multiscale Simulation of Fracture

The emerging field of nanomechanics is providing a new focus in the study of the mechanics of materials, particularly in simulating fundamental atomic mechanisms involved in the initiation and evolution of damage. Simulating fundamental material processes using first principles in physics strongly motivates the formulation of computational multiscale methods to link macroscopic failure to the underlying atomic processes from which all material behavior originates. This report gives an overview of the state of the art in applying concurrent and sequential multiscale methods to analyze damage and failure mechanisms across length scales.
Successful treatment of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in guinea pigs with homologous myelin basic protein.

Homologous myelin basic protein has been used successfully for treatment of experimental allergic encephalomyelitis (EAE) in NIH and strain 13 guinea pigs. Response of strain 13 guinea pigs to both induction and treatment of EAE was more consistent than response of outbred, NIH guinea pigs. Serum levels of antibasic protein antibody were related to the amount of mycobacteria used for sensitization rather than to disease severity or success of treatment.
A Randomized Controlled Trial of the embrace Advanced Scar Therapy Device to Reduce Incisional Scar Formation

Background: Scarring represents a significant biomedical burden in clinical medicine. Mechanomodulation has been linked to scarring through inflammation, but until now a systematic approach to attenuate mechanical force and reduce scarring has not been possible. Methods: The authors conducted a 12-month, prospective, open-label, randomized, multicenter clinical trial to evaluate abdominoplasty scar appearance following postoperative treatment with the embrace Advanced Scar Therapy device to reduce mechanical forces on healing surgical incisions. Incisions from 65 healthy adult subjects were randomized to receive embrace treatment on one half of an abdominoplasty incision and control treatment (surgeon’s optimal care methods) on the other half. The primary endpoint for this study was the difference between assessments of scar appearance for the treated and control sides using the visual analogue scale scar score. Results: Final 12-month study photographs were obtained from 36 subjects who completed at least 5 weeks of dressing application. The mean visual analogue scale score for embrace-treated scars (2.90) was significantly improved compared with control-treated scars (3.29) at 12 months (difference, 0.39; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.14 to 0.66; p = 0.027). Both subjects and investigators found that embrace-treated scars demonstrated significant improvements in overall appearance at 12 months using the Patient and Observer Scar Assessment Scale evaluation (p = 0.02 and p < 0.001, respectively). No serious adverse events were reported. Conclusions: These results demonstrate that the embrace device significantly reduces scarring following abdominoplasty surgery. To the authors’ knowledge, this represents the first level I evidence for postoperative scar reduction. CLINICAL QUESTION/LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: Therapeutic, II.
An Efficient, Rapid, and Recyclable System for CRISPR-Mediated Genome Editing in Candida albicans

Candida albicans is the major fungal pathogen of humans and is the subject of intense biomedical and discovery research. Until recently, the pace of research in this field has been hampered by the lack of efficient methods for genome editing. We report the development of a highly efficient and flexible genome editing system for use with C. albicans. This system improves upon previously published C. albicans CRISPR systems and enables rapid, precise genome editing without the use of permanent markers. This new tool kit promises to expedite the pace of research on this important fungal pathogen. ABSTRACT Candida albicans is the most common fungal pathogen of humans. Historically, molecular genetic analysis of this important pathogen has been hampered by the lack of stable plasmids or meiotic cell division, limited selectable markers, and inefficient methods for generating gene knockouts. The recent development of clustered regularly interspaced short palindromic repeat(s) (CRISPR)-based tools for use with C. albicans has opened the door to more efficient genome editing; however, previously reported systems have specific limitations. We report the development of an optimized CRISPR-based genome editing system for use with C. albicans. Our system is highly efficient, does not require molecular cloning, does not leave permanent markers in the genome, and supports rapid, precise genome editing in C. albicans. We also demonstrate the utility of our system for generating two independent homozygous gene knockouts in a single transformation and present a method for generating homozygous wild-type gene addbacks at the native locus. Furthermore, each step of our protocol is compatible with high-throughput strain engineering approaches, thus opening the door to the generation of a complete C. albicans gene knockout library. IMPORTANCE Candida albicans is the major fungal pathogen of humans and is the subject of intense biomedical and discovery research. Until recently, the pace of research in this field has been hampered by the lack of efficient methods for genome editing. We report the development of a highly efficient and flexible genome editing system for use with C. albicans. This system improves upon previously published C. albicans CRISPR systems and enables rapid, precise genome editing without the use of permanent markers. This new tool kit promises to expedite the pace of research on this important fungal pathogen.
Towards a hyperlinked society: A critical review of link studies

The hyperlink is a fundamental feature of the web. This paper investigates how hyperlinks have been used as research objects in social sciences. Reviewing a body of literature belonging to sociology, political sciences, information sciences, geography or media studies, it particularly reflects on the study of hyperlinks as indicators of other social phenomena. Why are links counted and hyperlink networks measured? How are links interpreted? The paper then focuses on barriers and limitations to the study of links. It addresses the issue of unobtrusiveness, the importance of interpreting links in context, and the possibilities of large-scale, automatic link studies. We finally argue that beyond the apparent diversity and ad hoc methodologies that the reviewed studies propose, a unified framework exists. It combines quantitative link counts, qualitative inquiries and valuation of field expertise to support link interpretation.
X-ray photogeneration in amorphous selenium: Geminate versus columnar recombination.

Amorphous selenium (a-Se) is a photoconductor used for both optical and x-ray imaging. Its optical photogeneration efficiency has been understood in terms of the Onsager theory of geminate recombination. However, x-ray photogeneration in a-Se has not been understood well. A previous argument has dismissed the Onsager theory of geminate recombination in the context of carrier generation in a-Se by high-energy radiation. Instead, columnar recombination has been proposed. In this paper we examine this argument and the predictions of the two recombination mechanisms. We find that the argument which dismissed the Onsager theory of geminate recombination is unwarranted, and that the Onsager theory is generally consistent with available experimental data. On the other hand, the columnar recombination theory is inconsistent with experiment. We have extended the Onsager theory in a form appropriate for x-ray photogeneration in a-Se to reflect that there should be a broad distribution of electron-hole separations.
Computer Assisted Transcription of Handwritten Text Images

To date, automatic handwriting recognition systems are far from being perfect and often they need a post editing where a human intervention is required to check and correct the results of such systems. We propose to have a new interactive, on-line framework which, rather than full automation, aims at assisting the human in the proper recognition- transcription process; that is, facilitate and speed up their transcription task of handwritten texts. This framework combines the efficiency of automatic handwriting recognition systems with the accuracy of the human transcriptor. The best result is a cost-effective perfect transcription of the handwriting text images.
A study on energy efficient cluster-based network coding protocol for aggregated-data gathering in wireless sensor networks

This paper proposes a cluster-based network coding data gathering (CNCDG) protocol used for the aggregated-data gathering scenario in wireless sensor networks, where the sink only wants an aggregated result of all the data sensed from an area. CNCDG integrates cluster-based routings with network coding. It aims to save more energy than flat-based network coding protocols by permitting cluster heads to perform some aggregation so as to reduce the amount of packets transmitted. This paper theoretically analyzes the feasibility of CNCDG and presents its energy consumption function in a regular rectangular grid network, and further demonstrates the fact that CNCDG will be energy efficient in most environments by simulations in random-deployed networks.
Allele frequencies for six STR in a Chilean population.

A sample of Chilean individuals from the northern area of Santiago, the capital of Chile, was studied. The current Chilean population was sprung from the admixture between aborigine populations of mongoloid origin (Amerindians) and Spanish conquerors of Caucasian origin. Blood samples from unrelated blood donors were randomly collected in the Hospital San Jose. An appropriate informed consent was obtained from all of them according to the Ethical Board of the Medicine School of the University of Chile.
Putting Web Tables into Context

Web tables are a valuable source of information used in many application areas. However, to exploit Web tables it is necessary to understand their content and intention which is impeded by their ambiguous semantics and inconsistencies. Therefore, additional context information, e.g. text in which the tables are embedded, is needed to support the table understanding process. In this paper, we propose a novel contextualization approach that 1) splits the table context in topically coherent paragraphs, 2) provides a similarity measure that is able to match each paragraph to the table in question and 3) ranks these paragraphs according to their relevance. Each step is accompanied by an experimental evaluation on real-world data showing that our approach is feasible and effectively identifies the most relevant context for a given Web table.