Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
BIDIRECTIONAL DC-DC CONVERTER WITH COUPLED INDUCTOR FOR DC-BUS REGULATION IN MICROGRID APPLICATIONS

– This paper presents a theoretical analysis and the experimental results of the bidirectional coupled inductor dc-dc converter for dc-bus voltage regulation and power compensation in dc-microgrid applications. In dc-microgrids, a power distribution system requires a bidirectional converter to control the power ﬂow between dc-bus and batteries. Furthermore, the dc-bus needs to be kept stabilized within certain limits and the converter handles a large range of voltage variation in the accumulators. The proposed topology is also relatively feasible for low-input-voltage applications for interfacing energy storage elements, such as batteries, ultracapacitors with the high voltage dc-bus in electric vehicles. The converter allows greater voltage gain compared to classic non-isolated topologies and can better deal with the wide range of voltage variation imposed by the source/load. The operation principles, the DC voltage gain, the design of the ﬁlters, the voltage/current stresses and a comparison are discussed. The experimental results conﬁrmed and validated the theoretical study as well as the converter performance so that the measurements performed obtained from a 600 W laboratory prototype.
Do Intra-day Auctions Improve Market Liquidity?

Abstract The intra-day auction launched by the London Stock Exchange (LSE) on 21 March 2016 was designed as a mechanism to boost midday liquidity. During the auction time, Multilateral Trading Facilities (MTFs) as competitors of the LSE, continue their normal trading. We examine the midday liquidity changes on both the LSE and MTFs and analyze their implications on platform competition. The intra-day auction in general improves liquidity at midday on both the LSE and MTFs. The intra-day auction helps consolidate the primary status of the LSE by increasing its market share at midday. Liquidity on MTFs drops considerably during the auction and bounces back toward the normal level when the auction ends. Overall, the midday liquidity patterns indicate the LSE's competitive advantages over MTFs in providing market liquidity after the launch of the intra-day auction.
‘Cheap Merchandise’: Atrocity and Undocumented Migrants in Transit in Mexico’s War on Drugs

Undocumented migrants in transit in Mexico are victims of atrocity. The subject has been largely ignored by scholars, however, until recently when a number of migration experts became interested in the matter. Most observers argue that abuses suffered by migrants are the consequence of the ‘securitization’ of Mexican immigration policy. For them, Mexican authorities perceive migrants from Central America as a threat to national security and have hardened laws and migratory practices as a result, but there is insufficient evidence to support these claims. This article looks at the political economy of undocumented migration in transit in Mexico and the violence associated with it. It investigates the abuses suffered by migrants not as the result of supposed security policies but rather as the consequence of the interplay between local and global economies that generate profits from undocumented migration. The article explores the role played by state officials, cartels and ordinary Mexicans in the migration industry.
Adsorption Isotherms and Thermodynamics for Chromium (VI) Using an Anion Exchange Resin

Abstract In the present study, adsorption isotherms and thermodynamics were performed using aqueous solutions of chromium (VI) and an anion exchange resin which was have not yet been characterized for this ion. The adsorption results were fitted to Langmuir, Freundlich, Dubinin-Radushkevich, and Temkin-Pyzhev sorption models. The highest correlation factor (R2) was observed for the Freundlich isotherm which indicates sorption upon a heterogeneous surface. The thermodynamic parameters such as the Gibb’s free energy (ΔG°), the standard enthalpy (ΔH°), and the standard entropy (ΔS°) were determined, indicating that the chromium (VI) adsorption process was spontaneous and endothermic. This study contributes to a clearer understanding of the Cr (VI) adsorption onto the studied anion resin. Our target is to found materials suitable with the world’s growing interest in the treatment of wastewater.
The Effect of Employer Branding on Contractual Employees: Engagement and Discretionary Effort

Employees are the most valuable assets in various types of organizations, and to retain valuable employees, organizations need employer branding strategies. This study examines the effect of employee engagement as a mediator variable of employer branding and discretionary effort relations. The sample used in this study are 110 contractual employees who worked at the State-Owned Enterprises (SOE) Commercial Banks in Kota Malang. The data in this study were collected through direct surveys using questionnaires. Explanatory methods and Structural Equation Modeling (SEM) are used to explain the influence between variables. The results of this study indicate that employer branding has a positive and significant effect on employee engagement of contractual employees and positive but not significant effect on discretionary effort of contractual employees. This study also proves the role of employee engagement that successfully mediates the influence of employer branding on discretionary effort to be positive and significant. The role of employee engagement becomes essential, indicating SOE Commercial Banks should increase contractual employee’s engagement level before expecting an enhancement on discretionary effort through employer
Detection of deforestation and analysis land conversion from high resolution satellite imageries in Bintulu District, Serawak, Malaysia

Primary forests are continuously threatened day to day by urbanisation and the conversion to agricultural plantation such as palm oil production and other land uses being one of the major reasons. In South-East Asia, the widespread of oil palm has boomed over the last two decades, resulting in the downfall of tropical forest land. This change has been particularly prevalent in Borneo with protected lands increasingly developed for palm oil and already deforested lands are being converted into industrial plantations. The primary concerns relating to this pattern of land use change are the short and long-term impacts of logging on our natural environments and ecosystems and how patterns of deforestation are contributing to global environment issues such as climate change. By detecting and mapping logging activities, forestry departments are better able to predict land cover changes in a particular region as a result of development and deforestation. In this study, land cover assessment based on remote sensing techniques was used to analyse changes in the Bintulu district, Borneo especially oil palm growth and its influence on the decline of forest areas between 2016 and 2018. High resolution satellite imageries (3 m spatial resolution) from PlanetScope were used due to the benefits in helping to differentiate several land cover classes over a higher spatial resolution. Results showed that a decline of primary forests in Bintulu is about 26.5% over the past 2 years. With that decline, comes a rise of oil palm growth by 17.6% just within 2 years. An increased in logged areas (36.1%) for conversion to other land-covers with a steady decline of other land cover classes by at least 20% each year was detected. The accuracy of results proved a reasonable accuracy with 90.0% confidence with satellite imagery. Thus, with the result a necessary step can be considered to monitor and prevent deforestation and various encroachment in the forest. With high-resolution satellite data, monitoring at local scales has become possible to resource managers as a way to create timely and reliable assessments.
The Helix-Loop-Helix motif of human EIF3A regulates translation of proliferative cellular mRNAs

Improper regulation of translation initiation, a vital checkpoint of protein synthesis in the cell, has been linked to a number of cancers. Overexpression of protein subunits of eukaryotic translation initiation factor 3 (eIF3) is associated with increased translation of mRNAs involved in cell proliferation. In addition to playing a major role in general translation initiation by serving as a scaffold for the assembly of translation initiation complexes, eIF3 regulates translation of specific cellular mRNAs and viral RNAs. Mutations in the N-terminal Helix-Loop-Helix (HLH) RNA-binding motif of the EIF3A subunit interfere with Hepatitis C Virus Internal Ribosome Entry Site (IRES) mediated translation initiation in vitro. Here we show that the EIF3A HLH motif controls translation of a small set of cellular transcripts enriched in oncogenic mRNAs, including MYC. We demonstrate that the HLH motif of EIF3A acts specifically on the 5’-UTR of MYC mRNA and modulates the function of EIF4A1 on select transcripts during translation initiation. In Ramos lymphoma cell lines, which are dependent on MYC overexpression, mutations in the HLH motif greatly reduce MYC expression, impede proliferation and sensitize cells to anti-cancer compounds. These results reveal the potential of the EIF3A HLH motif in eIF3 as a promising chemotherapeutic target.
Heterosynaptic Plasticity Determines the Set Point for Cortical Excitatory-Inhibitory Balance

Excitation in neural circuits must be carefully controlled by inhibition to regulate information processing and network excitability. During development, cortical inhibitory and excitatory inputs are initially mismatched but become co-tuned or balanced with experience. However, little is known about how excitatory-inhibitory balance is defined at most synapses or about the mechanisms for establishing or maintaining this balance at specific set points. Here we show how coordinated long-term plasticity calibrates populations of excitatory-inhibitory inputs onto mouse auditory cortical pyramidal neurons. Pairing pre- and postsynaptic activity induced plasticity at paired inputs and different forms of heterosynaptic plasticity at the strongest unpaired synapses, which required minutes of activity and dendritic Ca2+ signaling to be computed. Theoretical analyses demonstrated how the relative rate of heterosynaptic plasticity could normalize and stabilize synaptic strengths to achieve any possible excitatory-inhibitory correlation. Thus, excitatory-inhibitory balance is dynamic and cell specific, determined by distinct plasticity rules across multiple excitatory and inhibitory synapses.
Understanding and predicting future research impact at different career stages—A social network perspective

Performance assessment is ubiquitous and crucial in people analytics. Scientific impact, particularly, plays a significant role in the academia. This paper attempts to understand researchers' career trajectories by considering the research community as a social network, where individuals build ties with each other via coauthorship. The resulting linkage facilitates information flow and affects researchers' future impact. Consequently, we systematically investigate the career trajectories of researchers with respect to research impact using the social capital theory as our theoretical foundation. Specifically, for early‐stage and mid‐career academics, we find that connections with prominent researchers associate with greater impact. Brokerage positions, in addition, are beneficial to a researcher's research impact in the long run. For senior researchers, however, the only social network feature that significantly affects their future impact is the reputation of their recently built ties. Finally, we build predictive models on future research impact which can be leveraged by both organizations and individuals. This paper provides empirical evidence for how social networks provide signals on researchers' career dynamics guided by social capital theory. Our findings have implications for individual researchers to strategically plan and promote their careers and for research institutions to better evaluate current as well as prospective employees.
Parallel iterative stabilized finite element algorithms for the Navier–Stokes equations with nonlinear slip boundary
 conditions

Based on full domain partition technique, some parallel iterative pressure projection stabilized finite element algorithms for the Navier–Stokes equations with nonlinear slip boundary conditions are designed and analyzed. In these algorithms, the lowest equal‐order P1 − P1 elements are used for finite element discretization and a local pressure projection stabilized method is used to counteract the invalidness of the discrete inf‐sup condition. Each subproblem is solved on a global composite mesh with the vast majority of the degrees of freedom associated with the particular subdomain that it is responsible for and hence can be solved in parallel with other subproblems by using an existing sequential solver without extensive recoding. All of the subproblems are nonlinear and are independently solved by three kinds of iterative methods. We estimate the optimal error bounds of the approximate solutions with the use of some (strong) uniqueness conditions. Numerical results are also given to demonstrate the effectiveness of the parallel algorithms.
Facilitating factors for the job placement of workers with intellectual disabilities: supervisors and coworker mentors perspectives

This study aims to contribute to a better understanding of organizational strategies, attitudes and supports that can help people with intellectual disabilities to access competitive jobs through supported employment. ,A multiple case study was carried out based on an intentional sampling involving the coworker mentors of six people with intellectual disabilities currently working in standardized environments. Semi-structured interviews were performed with the participants, and an inductive thematic analysis was used for data analysis. ,The study identified five critical factors in the work of people with intellectual disabilities in standardized work environments, which potentially could act as facilitators or as obstacles, depending on how they were managed. The study also identified two key factors that acted mainly as facilitators and one as an obstacle. ,The study reveals the existence of factors that sometimes act as facilitators and sometimes as obstacles, depending on how they are managed by the company leaders or the disabled worker himself.
Cavity quantum electrodynamics with color centers in diamond

Coherent interfaces between optical photons and long-lived matter qubits form a key resource for a broad range of quantum technologies. Cavity quantum electrodynamics (cQED) offers a route to achieve such an interface by enhancing interactions between cavity-confined photons and individual emitters. Over the last two decades, a promising new class of emitters based on defect centers in diamond has emerged, combining long spin coherence times with atom-like optical transitions. More recently, advances in optical resonator technologies have made it feasible to realize cQED in diamond. This article reviews progress towards coupling color centers in diamond to optical resonators, focusing on approaches compatible with quantum networks. We consider the challenges for cQED with solid-state emitters and introduce the relevant properties of diamond defect centers before examining two qualitatively different resonator designs: micrometer-scale Fabry–Perot cavities and diamond nanophotonic cavities. For each approach, we examine the underlying theory and fabrication, discuss strengths and outstanding challenges, and highlight state-of-the-art experiments.
Partitioning assimilatory nitrogen uptake in streams: an analysis of stable isotope tracer additions across continents

Headwater streams remove, transform, and store inorganic nitrogen (N) delivered from surrounding watersheds, but excessive N inputs from human activity can saturate removal capacity. Most research has focused on quantifying N removal from the water column over short periods and in individual reaches, and these ecosystem-scale measurements suggest that assimilatory N uptake accounts for most N removal. However, cross-system comparisons addressing the relative role of particular biota responsible for incorporating inorganic N into biomass are lacking. Here we assess the importance of different primary uptake compartments on reach-scale ammonium (NH4+-N) uptake and storage across a wide range of streams varying in abundance of biota and local environmental factors. We analyzed data from 17 15N-NH4 tracer addition experiments globally, and found that assimilatory N uptake by autotrophic compartments (i.e., epilithic biofilm, filamentous algae, bryophytes/macrophytes) was higher but more variable than for heterotrophic microorganisms colonizing detrital organic matter (i.e., leaves, small wood, and fine particles). Autotrophic compartments played a disproportionate role in N uptake relative to their biomass, although uptake rates were similar when we rescaled heterotrophic assimilatory N uptake associated only with live microbial biomass. Assimilatory NH4+-N uptake, either estimated as removal from the water column or from the sum uptake of all individual compartments, was four times higher in open- than in closed-canopy streams. Using Bayesian Model Averaging, we found that canopy cover and gross primary production (GPP) controlled autotrophic assimilatory N uptake while ecosystem respiration (ER) was more important for the heterotrophic contribution. The ratio of autotrophic to heterotrophic N storage was positively correlated with metabolism (GPP:ER), which was also higher in open- than in closed-canopy streams. Our analysis shows riparian canopy cover influences the relative abundance of different biotic uptake compartments and thus GPP:ER. As such, the simple categorical variable of canopy cover explained differences in assimilatory N uptake among streams at the reach scale, as well as the relative roles of autotrophs and heterotrophs in N storage. Finally, this synthesis links cumulative N uptake by stream biota to reach-scale N demand and provides a mechanistic and predictive framework for estimating and modeling N cycling in other streams. This article is protected by copyright. All rights reserved.
Identification of Risk Factors and Machine Learning-Based Prediction Models for Knee Osteoarthritis Patients

Knee Osteoarthritis (KOA) is a multifactorial disease that causes low quality of life, poor psychology and resignation from life. Furthermore, KOA is a big data problem in terms of data complexity, heterogeneity and size as it has been commonly considered in the literature with most of the reported studies being limited in the amount of information they can adequately process. The aim of this paper is: (i) To provide a robust feature selection (FS) approach that could identify important risk factors which contribute to the prediction of KOA and (ii) to develop machine learning (ML) prediction models for KOA. The current study considers multidisciplinary data from the osteoarthritis initiative (OAI) database, the available features of which come from heterogeneous sources such as questionnaire data, physical activity indexes, self-reported data about joint symptoms, disability and function as well as general health and physical exams’ data. The novelty of the proposed FS methodology lies on the combination of different well-known approaches including filter, wrapper and embedded techniques, whereas feature ranking is decided on the basis of a majority vote scheme to avoid bias. The validation of the selected factors was performed in data subgroups employing seven well-known classifiers in five different approaches. A 74.07% classification accuracy was achieved by SVM on the group of the first fifty-five selected risk factors. The effectiveness of the proposed approach was evaluated in a comparative analysis with respect to classification errors and confusion matrices to confirm its clinical relevance. The results are the basis for the development of reliable tools for the prediction of KOA progression.
Short Note: Crossability Between Pinus uliginosa and its Putative Parental Species Pinus sylvestris and Pinus mugo

Abstract Results of artificial fertilization of P. uliginosa with P. sylvestris and P. mugo are presented and discussed. P. sylvestris and P. mugo are thought to be the parental species of P. uliginosa. Two grafts of one P. uliginosa clone from Arboretum of the Institute of Dendrology in Kórnik, Poland were used as mother individuals. One individual of P. sylvestris and one individual of P. mugo were the pollen donors. Three mature cones were obtained as the result of artificial pollination of P. uliginosa with P. mugo pollen. Out of 107 seeds, 68 were filled what gives 63%. P. uliginosa conelets pollinated with P. sylvestris pollen were all aborted. Based on obtained data, close phylogenetic relationship between P. uliginosa and P. mugo complex is suggested.
Epigenetic Regulation of Germline Development in C. elegans

Author(s): Gaydos, Laura | Advisor(s): Strome, Susan | Abstract: To retain cell identity during development, cells must remember patterns of gene expression through cell division. The MES proteins in Caenorhabditis elegans are key regulators of gene expression in the germline and are necessary in parents for fertility in the next generation. MES-2, MES-3, and MES-6 form the C. elegans Polycomb Repressive Complex 2 (PRC2) and generate a repressive histone modification, methylation on Lysine 27 of Histone H3 (H3K27me), on genes repressed in the germline. MES-4 generates a different histone modification, H3K36me, on genes expressed in the germline. To further define the targets of MES protein regulation, determine if they work together to regulate gene expression, and investigate when they are important during germline development, I used genomics, genetics, and microscopy approaches. Transcript profiling of dissected mutant germlines revealed that MES-2/3/6 and MES-4 cooperate to promote expression of germline genes and repress somatic genes and genes on the X chromosome. Loss of MES-4 from germline genes causes H3K27me3 to spread to germline genes, resulting in reduced H3K27me3 elsewhere on the autosomes and especially on the X. This finding supports the model that methylation of H3K36 antagonizes methylation of H3K27 on the same histone tails. My finding that loss of MES-2, 3, or 6 results in expression from the X chromosomes and sterility, unless the X chromosome is repressed by other means, showed that the essential role of MES-2/3/6 in worms is repression of the X chromosomes in germ cells. I determined that repressive H3K27me3 is transmitted to embryos by both sperm and oocytes. By generating embryos containing some chromosomes with and some lacking H3K27me3, I showed that in embryos lacking MES-2/3/6 function, H3K27me3 is transmitted to daughter chromatids through several rounds of cell division. In embryos with MES-2/3/6 function, the mosaic pattern of H3K27me3 is perpetuated through embryogenesis. Subsequently, during germline proliferation in larval stages, H3K27me3 accumulates on all chromosomes. During germline proliferation in larvae is also when I found MES-3 to be most important for germline development in the next generation. These latter two findings suggest that germline memory is reset during germline proliferation. Taken together, my findings support a "germline memory model" in which MES-4 and H3K36me act as a memory of germline gene expression and help concentrate MES-2/3/6 repression on the X chromosome. MES-2/3/6 and H3K27me3 act as a memory of germline gene repression, most importantly on the X chromosomes. The germline memory generated by the MES proteins is epigenetically transmitted across generations and is critical for the proper development of nascent germ cells.