Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Top challenges of LTE to become the next generation railway communication system

Railway environments cannot be away from the current evolution of public communication systems. The Long Term Evolution (LTE) mobile communication system is considered to be the natural evolution for current Global System for Mobile Communications Railways (GSM-R). LTE all IP networking technology plays a key role for the integration and convergence of heterogeneous networks and services, both the specific for the railway operative and the commercial broadband ones for passengers. The adoption of a new generation standard for railway communication must be based on an exhaustive feasibility study of the new system to become the railway mobile communication system. In this paper, LTE’s top challenges to address the specific requirements and features of railway communication services are evaluated. Under this scope, LTE features to implement the required railway functionalities, LTE technical challenges, spectrum harmonization, network deployment considerations and LTE capabilities to meet the railway service Reliability, Availability, Maintainability and Safety (RAMS) requirements, are assessed.
Robustness Analysis of Biochemical Networks using &#956;-Analysis and Hybrid Optimisation

Biological systems which have been experimentally verified to be robust to significant changes in their environments require mathematical models which are themselves robust. In this context, a necessary condition for model robustness is that the model dynamics should not be extremely sensitive to small variations in the model’s parameters. Robustness analysis problems of this type have been extensively studied in the field of robust control theory, and have been found to be very difficult to solve in general. This paper describes how tools from robust control theory and nonlinear optimisation can be used to analyse the robustness of a recently proposed model of the molecular network underlying adenosine 3′,5′-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) oscillations observed in fields of chemotactic Dictyostelium discoideum cells. The network model, which consists of a system of seven coupled nonlinear differential equations, accurately reproduces the spontaneous oscillations in cAMP observed during the early development of D. discoideum. The analysis in this paper reveals, however, that very small variations in the model parameters can effectively destroy the required oscillatory dynamics.
ON THE POLARIZATION PROPERTIES OF MAGNETAR GIANT FLARE PULSATING TAILS

Three giant flares have been detected so far from soft gamma-ray repeaters, each characterized by an initial short hard spike and a pulsating tail. The observed pulsating tails are characterized by a duration of ∼100 s, an isotropic energy of ∼1044 erg, and a pulse period of a few seconds. The pulsating tail emission likely originates from the residual energy after the intense energy release during the initial spike, which forms a trapped fireball composed of a photon-pair plasma in a closed-field-line region of the magnetars. Observationally the spectra of pulsating tails can be fitted by the superposition of a thermal component and a power-law component, with the thermal component dominating the emission in the early and late stages of the pulsating-tail observations. In this paper, assuming that the trapped fireball is from a closed-field-line region in the magnetosphere, we calculate the atmospheric structure of the optically thick trapped fireball and the polarization properties of the trapped fireball. By properly treating the photon propagation in a hot, highly magnetized, electron–positron pair plasma, we tally photons in two modes (O mode and E mode) at a certain observational angle through Monte Carlo simulations. Our results suggest that the polarization degree depends on the viewing angle with respect to the magnetic axis of the magnetar, and can be as high as Π ≃ 30% in the 1–30 keV band, and Π ≃ 10% in the 30–100 keV band, if the line of sight is perpendicular to the magnetic axis.
Multiresolutive reconstruction of magnetoencephalography source distribution

In this paper, an improved technique for multiresolutive reconstruction of magnetoencephalography source distribution is proposed. Using the proposed technique, focal source distribution with higher energy density can be reconstructed. Moreover, the proposed approach is very easy to implement compared with conventional ones. The usefulness of the proposed technique is verified using a cortical patch test for a realistic brain model.
Comparative Study of Some Population-Based Optimization Algorithms on Inverse Scattering of a Two-Dimensional Perfectly Conducting Cylinder in Dielectric Slab Medium

The application of four techniques for the shape reconstruction of a 2-D metallic cylinder buried in dielectric slab medium by measured the scattered fields outside is studied in the paper. The finite-difference time-domain (FDTD) technique is employed for electromagnetic analyses for both the forward and inverse scattering problems, while the shape reconstruction problem is transformed into optimization one during the course of inverse scattering. Then, four techniques including asynchronous particle swarm optimization (APSO), PSO, dynamic differential evolution (DDE) and self-adaptive DDE (SADDE) are applied to reconstruct the location and shape of the 2-D metallic cylinder for comparative purposes. The statistical performances of these algorithms are compared. The results show that SADDE outperforms PSO, APSO and DDE in terms of the ability of exploring the optima. However, these results are considered to be indicative and do not generally apply to all optimization problems in electromagnetics.
Insulin resistance and β-cell function influence postprandial blood glucose levels in Japanese patients with gestational diabetes mellitus

Abstract Aims/introduction: The aim of this study in patients with gestational diabetes mellitus (GDM) was to evaluate the relationship of insulin resistance and secretion to area-under-the-sensor glucose concentration–time curve from before to 120 min postmeal (CGM-AUC0–120 min) as determined with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM). Materials and methods: Immunoreactive insulin and HbA1c were determined in 22 Japanese patients with GDM undergoing a 75 g oral glucose tolerance test. Patients underwent CGM within 3 weeks of receiving a diagnosis of GDM. Results: HbA1c (NGSP) was 5.5 ± 0.4%, BMI was 24.8 ± 5.3 kg/m2, mean sensor glucose by CGM was 94.2 ± 10.3 mg/dL, standard deviation was 17.5 ± 4.4 mg/dL, and CGM-AUC0–120 min was 204.2 ± 23.8 h mg/dL. The insulin resistance indices the homeostasis model assessment ratio (HOMA-R), quantitative insulin sensitivity check index (QUICKI), and the Matsuda Index were correlated with CGM-AUC0–120 min. The disposition index (DI), which was used to evaluate insulin secretion, was negatively correlated with CGM-AUC0–120 min. Conclusions: Not only insulin resistance but also beta cell dysfunction contributes to postprandial hyperglycemia in Japanese patients with GDM.
Black-start dynamic simulation for Taiwan-Penghu interconnection system

If a blackout occurs in the power system, how to restore the grid as soon as possible during the blackout is always a significant issue for the operation of power system. Taiwan power Company (TPC) is planning to connect the Taiwan Grid with the Penghu Island grid, the two-circuit 59km 161-kV submarine cables between Taiwan and Penghu (T-P-cables) will be operated commercially by 2016. The transient behavior of the operation of T-P-Cable may cause the system instability, even cause the system to breakdown. This work proposes the black start energizing process for the Taiwan power system. In the simulation, suitable reactors are timely installed to reduce the system overvoltage when energizing the transmission grid; additionally, STATCOM is also utilized to stabilize the voltage. The simulation results can provide novel black-start paths for TPC after connecting the Taiwan Grid with the Penghu Island grid.
Teaching basic life support: a prospective randomized study on low-cost training strategies in secondary schools

Background Cardiopulmonary resuscitation (CPR) training at school is recommended. Limited school resources prevent implementation. The learning efficacy of low-cost training strategies is unknown. Objective To evaluate the efficacy of different CPR learning strategies using low-cost didactic tools. Methods Children (n=593, 15–16 years) were randomized to four training conditions: (1) manikin+teacher instruction (control group), (2) manikin+video instruction, (3) foam dice+plastic bag+peer training+teacher instruction, and (4) foam dice+plastic bag+peer training+video instruction. After a 50 min training, a 3 min CPR test on a manikin was performed using SkillReporting Software (Laerdal, Norway), and repeated after 6 months. The data of children without previous CPR training were analysed. Analysis of variance and the &khgr;2-test assessed differences between groups. Results Complete data sets were available for 165 pupils. Initially, group 3 scored lower on the mean ventilation volume (P<0.05). The control group scored better than the alternative groups (P<0.05) on the mean compression rate. After 6 months, the differences disappeared. All groups scored equally on ventilation volume (P=0.12), compression depth (P=0.11), compression rate (P=0.10), correct hand position (P=0.46) and number of correct compressions (P=0.76). Ventilation volume was sufficient in 32% of the pupils, 18% had a correct compression depth and 59% had a correct compression rate. Conclusion Training efficacy with low-cost equipment was not different from training with a manikin. The outcome for all training strategies was suboptimal. The basics of CPR can be taught with alternative equipment if manikins are not available.
Exploring the Correlates of Academic Success in Pennsylvania Charter Schools

To date, most of the scholarly and policy debate regarding charter schools has focused on two questions: (a) whether charter schools are using their autonomy to engage in innovative practices and (b) whether students in charter schools, taken as a group, perform better or worse than similar students in noncharter public schools. For the most part, however, scholars have done relatively little to bring these two sets of questions together in order to assess whether some uses of charter school autonomy are more academically productive than others. This study seeks to identify factors that distinguish academically successful charter schools from others. Using a unique data set on Pennsylvania charter schools, the study tests explanations about the correlates of academic success. Using what might best be termed “pseudo-growth curve analysis,” the study finds that charter schools with higher degrees of perceived accountability produce stronger score growth. Similarly, charter schools with higher degrees of teacher mission commitment and leadership stability produce stronger growth rates in reading and math. Schools with higher degrees of classroom autonomy appear to have lower growth rates, perhaps reflecting recent research on the importance of shared professional culture in teaching and learning. Finally, parent volunteerism appears to be negatively associated with score growth, though it is not clear whether this is simply a proxy for poor governance. While conclusions are limited by the properties of available test score data and a small number of cases, the findings from this study provide a useful early foray into an important policy and school-design question. 2 Correlates of Academic Success in Pennsylvania Charter Schools
Media quality control scheme for device collaboration service in home networks

In home networks, the device collaboration service has challenging issues to provide QoS (Quality of Service) for its users with heterogeneous consumer electronic devices. However, existing schemes do not guarantee quality of multimedia contents. To cope with these problems, this paper presents a simple but effective media quality control scheme that can improve quality of collaborative streaming-based media contents. The proposed scheme controls collaboration contents according to the number of available collaboration devices at home and media quality based on available network bandwidth. The experimental result shows that the proposed scheme can significantly improve user-perceived quality.
Isolated low-output-voltage PFC circuit with integrated magnetics: Design for low THD

This paper presents a detailed analysis of a Single-Stage Single-Switch Power Factor Corrector, S4PFC, with Integrated Magnetic, IM. The chosen topology for study for implementing S4PFC is based upon a Boost Converter operating in Discontinuous-Mode for Input Current Shaping, and a Forward Converter for output voltage regulation. Detailed are the modes of converter operation, as well as essential key design equations such as determining line/boost voltage ratio to determine dominant input current harmonics, maximum duty cycle design and Integrated Magnetic design calculations. The analysis presented is applicable to any Boost converter integrated with a Buck-derived converter and very good prediction accuracy is achieved. A 170W prototype has been built to experimentally verify the correspondence between predicted, simulated and measured results. Furthermore, a discussion of the performance data of the S4PFC is presented.
No Detectable Transfer of Dietary Lactoferrin or Its Functional Fragments to Portal Blood in Healthy Adult Rats

We investigated the transfer of dietary bovine lactoferrin (LF) and its functional lactoferricin (LFcin) B-containing fragments to the portal blood of healthy adult rats by using several techniques. After a single administration of 125I-labeled LF, radioactive bands were detected in autoradioluminograms of the portal blood, but similar bands were also observed after the administration of [125I]NaI. Although ovalbumin was detected by ELISA at 3–18 ng/ml in the portal blood plasma after an overnight administration, no LF was detected (≤1.5 ng/ml). The antibody-captured ovalbumin fragments, but not the LF fragments, were detected in the plasma by surface-enhanced laser desorption/ionization affinity mass spectrometry (SELDI affinity MS). We finally attempted to detect the LFcin B-containing fragments by SELDI affinity MS with on-chip LFcin B-conversion, but could not detect them (≤1 ng/ml) in the portal blood after the LF ingestion. The level of LF or its functional fragments transferred to the portal blood was therefore extremely low, if any.
Use of Cinacalcet and 99mTc-sestamibi Imaging During Pregnancy

A case report is reviewed, in which two nontraditional interventions were used in a patient with gestational primary hyperparathyroidism: cinacalcet and technetium-99m methoxyisobutylisonitrile imaging. The rationale for these decisions is considered in view of the available data.
Predictive control of district heating network using fuzzy DMC

This paper presents a concept for controlling the supply temperature in district heating networks (DHN) using model predictive control. Due to the inherent nonlinearity in the response characteristics caused by varying flow rates the use of Fuzzy Direct Matrix Control (DMC) is proposed. The fuzzy regions of the local Finite Impulse Response (FIR) models are determined by an axis-orthogonal, incremental partitioning scheme. It is demonstrated that the Fuzzy DMC performs well for the case study considered. In addition, different set point strategies are applied and the results are evaluated with respect to operational cost. In this context it is shown that the trade-off between pumping and heat loss cost plays an important role in minimizing overall cost.
Automatic generation control of nonreheat-reheat interconnected power system with nonlinearities based on gray wolf optimizer

This paper presents control scheme for Load Frequency Control in a interconnected nonreheat-reheat turbine based power system. A serious attempt has been undertaken aiming at investigating the load frequency control problem in a power system consisting of interconnected power generation unit and multiple variable load units. The problem of controlling the real power output of generating units in response to changes in system frequency and tie-line power interchange within specified limits is known as load frequency control (LFC). The Objectives of LFC are to provide zero steady-state errors of frequency and tie-line power exchange variations, high damping of frequency oscillations and decreasing overshoot of the disturbance so that the system is more stability. Sufficient supply for generation of each connected area to meet the load demand of its customers. In this paper PI controller tuning based on Gray Wolf Optimizer Algorithm (GWOA) is used for better frequency responses. This type of controller is used in power system so reducing the steady state error and overshoot. When uncontrolled case more oscillation, negative overshoot be observed but propose work result gives better performances of dynamic responses in case of nonlinearities generation rate constraint (GRC) and governor dead band (GDB).
Left hepatectomy with simultaneous hepatic artery and portal vein reconstructions in the operation for cholangiocarcinoma: the surgical techniques comprised of step-by-step established procedures.

Hepatectomy needing simultaneous reconstruction of the hepatic artery and the portal vein in the operation for cholangiocarcinoma is a challenging procedure. We experienced three cases of left hepatectomy with simultaneous reconstructions of the right hepatic artery (RHA) and the right portal vein (RPV) in all of which the surgical procedures were performed in the same manner. At the initial step of the procedure, we confirmed that the RHA and the RPV at the porta hepatis as well as the proper hepatic artery and the main portal vein (MPV) proximal to the cancer involvement could be controlled by tapes, which meant the cancer could be resected by means of vascular reconstructions. All the vascular reconstructions were performed under loupe magnification. The mean periods of portal and arterial ischemic time of the remnant liver were 14 min. 32 sec. and 35 min. 58 sec. , respectively. The mean operative time and the intraoperative blood loss were 627 min. and 804 mL, respectively. No serious postoperative complication occurred. By performing step-by-step well-established procedures, this complicated and challenging operation could be safely completed.
Using Factor Analysis to Evaluate Checklist Items

Background Relatively little research has been published examining the use of factor analytic techniques to improve the psychometric qualities of performance assessments. The purpose of the current investigation is to illustrate the potential use of structural equation modeling (SEM) with scores from a standardized patient examination. Method Checklist items for a single case were examined to compare two models within a SEM framework: a single, underlying “data gathering” construct and a two-factor model consisting of medical history interviewing and physical examination maneuvers. Results The &khgr;2 statistics obtained were statistically significant for both the single factor (&khgr;2 = 1645.8, p < .001) and the two-factor model, (&khgr;2 = 1373.1; p < .001), indicating marginal model-data fit. A difference statistic was calculated (&khgr;2 = 320.9; p < .001), suggesting that the two-factor model has better fit. Conclusions The parameters estimated by each model could be used to evaluate checklist item performance. The results of this investigation illustrate the utility of this method in the analysis of checklist item data.
Directing clinical care using lower extremity biomechanics in patients with ankle osteoarthritis and ankle arthroplasty

Ankle osteoarthritis is a debilitating disease with approximately 50,000 new cases per year leading to skeletal deformity, severe and recurrent pain, cartilage breakdown, and gait dysfunction limiting patient mobility and well‐being. Although many treatments (total ankle arthroplasty [TAA], ankle fusion [arthrodesis], and ankle distraction arthroplasty) relieve pain, it is not clear that these procedures significantly improve patient mobility. The goal of the research presented here is to summarize what is presently known about lower extremity gait mechanics and outcomes and to quantify the impact of ankle osteoarthritis and TAA have on these measures using an explicitly holistic and mechanistic approach. Our recent studies have explored physical performance and energy recovery and revealed unexpected patterns and sequelae to treatment including incomplete restoration of gait function. These studies demonstrated for the first time the extreme levels and range of gait and balance dysfunction present in ankle osteoarthritis patients as well as quantifying the ways in which the affected joint alters movement and loading patterns not just in the painful joint, but throughout both the ipsilateral and contralateral lower extremity. Through this work, we determined that relieving pain alone through TAA is not enough to restore normal walking mechanics and balance due to underlying causes including limited ankle range of motion and balance deficits leading to long‐term disability despite treatment. The results indicate the need to consider additional therapeutic interventions aimed at restoring balance, ankle range of motion, and movement symmetry in order to improve long‐term health and function. © 2017 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 35:2345–2355, 2017.
MANAGING THE RESOLUTION OF SIMULATION MODELS

A novel approach based on inflation and deflation is proposed for managing the resolution of simulation models. Different methods are proposed for manual or automatic deflation. An example is given how a topology description language can be extended to support the inflation/deflation concept. Dynamic management of the model resolution is introduced using the method called inflate-the-next and also two of its possible improvements.
The Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey: X.The relationship between cold dust and molecular gas content in Virgo spirals

Using the far-infrared emission, as observed by the Herschel Virgo Cluster Survey (HeViCS), and the integrated HI and CO brightness, we infer the dust and total gas mass for a magnitude limited sample of 35 metal rich spiral galaxies in Virgo. The CO flux correlates tightly and linearly with far-infrared fluxes observed by Herschel. Molecules in these galaxies are more closely related to cold dust rather than to dust heated by star formation or to optical/NIR brightness. We show that dust mass establishes a stronger correlation with the total gas mass than with the atomic or molecular component alone. The dust-to-gas ratio increases as the HI deficiency increases, but in highly HI deficient galaxies it stays constant. Dust is in fact less affected than atomic gas by weak cluster interactions, which remove most of the HI gas from outer and high latitudes regions. Highly disturbed galaxies, in a dense cluster environment, can instead loose a considerable fraction of gas and dust from the inner regions of the disk keeping constant the dust-to-gas ratio. There is evidence that the molecular phase is also quenched. This quencing becomes evident by considering the molecular gas mass per unit stellar mass. Its amplitude, if confirmed by future studies, highlights that molecules are missing in Virgo HI deficient spirals, but to a somewhat lesser extent than dust.