Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nine Decades of Salinity Observations in the San Francisco Bay and Delta: Modeling and Trend Evaluations

AbstractThe position of the low salinity zone in the San Francisco Bay Delta—given its correlation with the abundance of several estuarine species—is used for water management in a system that supplies water to more than 20 million people and contains one of the most diverse ecosystems on the Pacific coast. This work consolidates legacy and modern salinity data to develop a reasonably complete daily record spanning nine decades. The position of the low salinity zone, which is effectively characterized by an empirical model that was developed to support data cleaning and filling, reveals statistically significant trends consistent with increasing water demands and introduction of upstream reservoirs, e.g., increasing salinity trends in wet months and decreasing salinity trends in dry months. Reservoir effects are particularly apparent in drier years, with greater seasonal variability in the early part of the record before major reservoirs operated in the watershed. These data provide a basis for further an.
Experimental and theoretical characterizations of very thin coplanar waveguide and coplanar slow-wave structures

A very thin coplanar waveguide and a slow-wave structure using a very thin coplanar strip have been characterized in a wide range of field penetration by comparing the measured transmission characteristics with the theoretical data calculated by the phenomenological loss equivalence method. The measured transmission characteristics show very good agreement with the calculated ones. It is shown that the effect of field penetration into the thin coplanar lines is significant over a wide range of frequency and must be included in the design of monolithic microwave integrated circuits. <<ETX>>
Chondral and Soft Tissue Injuries Associated to Acute Patellar Dislocation: A Systematic Review

Introduction: Chondral and soft tissue injuries can be associated with first time patellar dislocation, but it is unclear how common they are, and which tissues are affected. A systematic review of the literature was performed to investigate the frequency, location, and extent of chondral and medial patellofemoral ligament (MPFL) injuries in patients following first time patellar dislocation. Methods: This systematic review was conducted according to the PRISMA guidelines. PubMed, Google Scholar, Embase, and Web of Science databases were accessed in November 2021. All the published clinical studies reporting the frequency, location, and extent of soft tissue lesions following first time patellar dislocation were accessed. Studies reporting data on habitual, congenital, or recurrent patellofemoral instability were excluded. Results: Data from 42 articles (2254 patients, mean age 21.6 ± 7.3 years) were retrieved. Ninety-eight percent of patients who experienced first time patellar dislocation demonstrated MPFL rupture at MRI. Forty-eight percent of MPFL ruptures were located at the patellar side, 34% at the femoral insertion site, and 18% in the midportion. Eighty-five percent of patients showed signs of patellar chondral damage at MRI, and trochlear chondral injuries were evidenced in 47% of patients. Intra-articular loose bodies were observed in 11.5% of patients. At arthroscopy, the medial facet and the crest of the patella more commonly exhibited chondral lesions than the lateral facet and femoral trochlea. Conclusions: Most patients suffer chondral damage and MPFL tears following after a first time patellar dislocation.
ESPRIT And Uniform Linear Arrays

AbstractÃ¢â‚¬â€? ESPRIT is a recently developed and patented technique for high-resolution estimation of signal parameters. It exploits an invariance structure designed into the sensor array to achieve a reduction in computational requirements of many orders of magnitude over previous techniques such as MUSIC, Burg's MEM, and Capon's ML, and in addition achieves performance improvement as measured by parameter estimate error variance. It is also manifestly more robust with respect to sensor errors (e.g. gain, phase, and location errors) than other methods as well. Whereas ESPRIT only requires that the sensor array possess a single invariance best visualized by considering two identical but other-wise arbitrary arrays of sensors displaced (but not rotated) with respect to each other, many arrays currently in use in various applications are uniform linear arrays of identical sensor elements. Phased array radars are commonplace in high-resolution direction finding systems, and uniform tapped delay lines (i.e., constant rate A/D converters) are the rule rather than the exception in digital signal processing systems. Such arrays possess many invariances, and are amenable to other types of analysis, which is one of the main reasons such structures are so prevalent. Recent developments in high-resolution algorithms of the signal/noise subspace genre including total least squares (TLS) ESPRIT applied to uniform linear arrays are summarized. ESPRIT is also shown to be a generalization of the root-MUSIC algorithm (applicable only to the case of uniform linear arrays of omni-directional sensors and unimodular cisoids). Comparisons with various estimator bounds, including CramerRao bounds, are presented.
THE EFFECTIVE DURATION OF EARTHQUAKE STRONG MOTION

The duration of strong ground shaking during earthquakes can play an important role in the response of foundation materials and structures, particularly when strength or stiffness degradation is encountered. A thorough seismic hazard assessment should therefore include an estimation of the expected duration of strong motion, which first requires criteria to define the part of an accelerogram considered to represent the duration of strong ground motion. Some 30 different definitions of strong motion duration are reviewed and classified into generic groups. Problems that arise with the use of these definitions for duration are highlighted. A new definition of duration is presented using a previously unexplored option which identifies the part of the record where the main energy is contained and constrains this strong shaking phase by absolute criteria. This new definition is shown to give consistently meaningful durations for strong earthquake accelerograms from an engineering viewpoint. The correlations be.
A linear programming model for reducing system peak through customer load control programs

A linear programming (LP) model has been developed to optimize the amount of power system peak load reduction through scheduling of control periods in commercial/industrial and residential load control programs at Florida Power and Light Company, USA. The LP model can be used to determine both long and short term control scheduling strategies and for planning the number of customers which should be enrolled in each program. Results of applying the model to a forecasted late 1990s summer peak day load shape are presented. It is concluded that LP solutions provide a relatively inexpensive and powerful approach to planning and scheduling load control. Also, it is not necessary to model completely general scheduling of control periods in order to obtain near best solutions to peak load reduction.
An algorithm for the fast estimate of the maximum power voltages in PV applications adopting microconverters

Purpose – The purpose of this paper is to discuss the main parameters influencing the performances of Distributed Maximum Power Point Tracking (DMPPT) and to present an algorithm aimed at the maximization of the energetic efficiency of the grid-connected PhotoVoltaic (PV) systems. Such an algorithm is based on the estimate of the optimal operating range of the input inverter voltage and of the optimal operating voltages of the PV modules. Design/methodology/approach – The Fast Estimate of the Maximum Power Voltages algorithm, described in this paper, is based on the idea that the controllers of the DC/DC converters (DMPPT function) and the controller of the inverter (Central MPPT function) must be able to exchange useful data in order to carry out a suitable technique based on the jointed adoption of DMPPT and CMPPT function. Such a technique is essentially based on the knowledge, even if in approximate form, of the Power vs Voltage (P-V) characteristic of a string composed by PV modules and DC/DC convert.
Controller Design for an Unmanned Reconnaissance Aerial Vehicle

The overall objective with this thesis is to evaluate a method for designing nonlinear controllers in aircrafts with concern in robustness against modelling insecurities and also to minimize the design effort. The later objective is of great importance since there exists, in the industry, an ambition to automatize the design for as far extend as possible. The nonlinear method, State Dependent Riccati Equation (SDRE), used in this thesis is a nonlinear version of classic LQ design and both are evaluated and compared for a few flying conditions. Also another nonlinear control method, Two Timescale Separation (TSS), is tested. LQ and SDRE shows equal performance during both looping and more complicated maneuvers, such as high angle of attack wind-vector roll. Further it is possible to automatize the LQ design as well as it is possible for SDRE. Still SDRE is preferable since it will always be somewhat more accurate than LQ. A comparison with the nonlinear method Two Timescale Separation shows results in favor of LQ/SDRE mostly due to relatively slow dynamics and bad accuracy of TSS. A Monte Carlo simulation is made on LQ and SDRE showing that the model is robust against relatively large modelling error of 40%.
Microwave complex conductivity of a square post in rectangular waveguide

A simple measurement technique for the complex conductivity of a square lossy dielectric post loaded in a rectangular waveguide is described. The technique is based on a solution of the reflection coefficient for the incident electric field of the TE/sub 10/ mode. The reflection coefficient can be expressed by a simple formula for the electric fields scattered from the post. Values of complex conductivities of standard materials were calculated by applying an iteration method to this formula with respect to measured values of reflection coefficients. They agreed with the values measured by other techniques. The method is also applicable to measurements related to filling the cross section of the waveguide with a dielectric material. >
A study of the use of corrective switching in transmission systems

This paper reviews several publications on the use of switching operations as a control means to relieve overload in transmission lines/transformers or to solve voltage problems. Previous research efforts dealing with the subject are analysed in relation to the objective of the manoeuvre, priority of this kind of action in relation to the others available and the search procedure employed, besides other implementation details. Some practical issues related to switching as a control option are also addressed in this paper. The purpose is to investigate the reasons why such procedures are adopted only in a few systems, and in most of them rarely employed. Distribution feeder reconfiguration for loss reduction or load balancing is not dealt here, neither are switching sequences for network restorative control.
Epistatic genetic interactions govern morphogenesis during sexual reproduction and infection in a global human fungal pathogen

Significance Cellular development is regulated by a complex web of signaling pathways that respond to both intracellular and extracellular cues. Morphological transitions in pathogenic fungi, such as those observed during sexual reproduction or in response to the host environment, offer tractable models for understanding the principles that govern eukaryotic cell development and morphogenesis. Using the human fungal pathogen Cryptococcus deneoformans as a model and applying quantitative trait locus analysis, we defined genes and gene–gene interactions involved in the yeast–hyphal transition and titanization, two morphological developments that are important for adaptation, pathogenesis, and evolution of this fungal pathogen. Our study highlights the conservation and complexity of key signaling pathways in regulating cell development in fungi, as well as other eukaryotes. Cellular development is orchestrated by evolutionarily conserved signaling pathways, which are often pleiotropic and involve intra- and interpathway epistatic interactions that form intricate, complex regulatory networks. Cryptococcus species are a group of closely related human fungal pathogens that grow as yeasts yet transition to hyphae during sexual reproduction. Additionally, during infection they can form large, polyploid titan cells that evade immunity and develop drug resistance. Multiple known signaling pathways regulate cellular development, yet how these are coordinated and interact with genetic variation is less well understood. Here, we conducted quantitative trait locus (QTL) analyses of a mapping population generated by sexual reproduction of two parents, only one of which is unisexually fertile. We observed transgressive segregation of the unisexual phenotype among progeny, as well as a large-cell phenotype under mating-inducing conditions. These large-cell progeny were found to produce titan cells both in vitro and in infected animals. Two major QTLs and corresponding quantitative trait genes (QTGs) were identified: RIC8 (encoding a guanine-exchange factor) and CNC06490 (encoding a putative Rho-GTPase activator), both involved in G protein signaling. The two QTGs interact epistatically with each other and with the mating-type locus in phenotypic determination. These findings provide insights into the complex genetics of morphogenesis during unisexual reproduction and pathogenic titan cell formation and illustrate how QTL analysis can be applied to identify epistasis between genes. This study shows that phenotypic outcomes are influenced by the genetic background upon which mutations arise, implicating dynamic, complex genotype-to-phenotype landscapes in fungal pathogens and beyond.
Assessment of satellite-based MERRA climate data in AASHTOWare pavement mechanistic-empirical design

The pavement performance system depends on various factors including traffic loading, climate conditions, and material properties. Variations in ambient temperatures and moistures can change material properties and consequently affect the overall pavement performance. Collecting climate data has been a significant challenge. This study compares the pavement performance predictions of Iowa composite pavement systems in AASHTOWare Pavement ME Design (PMED) software using four climate data sources: (1) ground-based weather station, (2) North American Regional Reanalysis and (3) the Modern-Era Retrospective Analysis for Research and Applications (MERRA) version 1 and (4) MERRA version 2. The findings showed disagreement among climate data sources for some of the distresses due to the significant differences in percent sunshine hourly measurements. Database for ‘synthetic’ percent sunshine is developed using surface shortwave radiation (SSR) estimates directly provided by MERRA to improve pavement performance predictions. This study recommends the use of SSR as an input in PMED.
What Long-Term Care Interventions and Policy Measures Have Been Studied During the Covid-19 Pandemic? Findings from a Rapid Mapping Review of the Scientific Evidence Published During 2020

pandemic, long-term care researchers have aimed to generate evidence rapidly to inform the pandemic response. It is unclear which areas were prioritised during this period of rapid evidence generation. Objectives: We aimed to map the international scientific evidence on interventions and policy measures to mitigate the impacts of the Covid-19 pandemic on people who use and provide long-term care. Methods: We conducted a pragmatic, rapid mapping review of international evidence to identify the range of interventions, policies, and measures in long-term care studied during the Covid-19 pandemic and published throughout 2020. Studies were primarily identified from two academic databases (MEDLINE; Web of Science). Findings: We included 137 studies from 22 countries, mostly focusing on the United States, Europe, and Canada. Half of the studies focused on preventing or controlling Covid-19 infections. Other common types of interventions were measures to treat Covid-19 or improve access to general healthcare and studies of possible targets for policies and interventions, such as care home ownership. Only 13 studies covered home-based or community-based care. Limitations: This was a pragmatic review that aimed to map key areas of research in long-term care during the pandemic, rather than a systematic review of all available studies. Implications: During the first year of the Covid-19 pandemic, a substantial body of evidence on interven tions to mitigate impacts of the pandemic in the long-term care sector emerged. However, reflecting the context and speed with which they were carried out, most studies did not apply an analytical lens and instead provided descriptive findings only. There were very few studies on home-based or community-based care settings. As countries assess the lessons that can be learnt from the pandemic and improve the preparedness of their long-term care systems for future pandemics and other shocks, it will be important to consider the importance of facilitating rapid generation of more robust evidence.
Modeling the Influence of Human Factors on the Perception of Renewable Energies. Taking Geothermics as Example

Issues of social acceptance, such as lack of awareness and negative community perceptions, can considerably affect technology development and rollout. For this purposes a deeper understanding of underlying mechanisms that influence acceptance is urgently needed in the context of renewable energies when the goal is to reduce CO2 emission by 20% until the year 2020. The associated project of this study - TIGER - has the aim to develop a communication strategy to implement renewable energy technologies like geothermics. As a first step this research focuses on analyzing factors that determine the perception and thus acceptance of deep geothermal energy technologies. A study was conducted with a sample of 360 participants in the western part of Germany. The TPB (Theory of planned behavior) was expanded with further variables such as environmental attitudes and attitudes towards renewable energies. A structural equation model was used to analyze the correlation between proposed psychological antecedents and further moderating factors on the acceptance of geothermal power plants in the own neighborhood. Results show that underlying motives as well as barriers significantly affect the acceptance of geothermal energy. Behavioral control appeared as an important moderating effect in this model whereas the influence of environmental attitudes is not apparent. Furthermore, results also reveal that especially the scope of information plays an important role in acceptance of geothermal energy, meaning informed people show a significantly higher acceptance and less skepticism than not-informed people. This emphasizes the urgent need for information and communication in the context of relatively unknown technologies like geothermal energy.
Propagation dynamics and causes of hydrological drought in response to meteorological drought at seasonal timescales

According to the widely accepted definition of drought, meteorological and hydrological droughts originally develop from rainfall and runoff deficits, respectively. Runoff deficit is mainly derived from rainfall deficit, and the propagation from meteorological drought to hydrological drought is critical for agricultural water management. Nevertheless, the characteristics and dynamics of drought propagation in the spatiotemporal scale remain unresolved. To this end, the characteristics and dynamics of drought propagation in different seasons and their linkages with key forcing factors are evaluated. In this study, meteorological and hydrological droughts are characterized by the Standardized Precipitation Index (SPI) and the Standardized Runoff Index (SRI), respectively. Propagation time is identified by the corresponding timescale of the maximum correlation coefficient between the SPI and the SRI. Then, a 20-year sliding window is adopted to explore the propagation dynamic in various seasons. Furthermore, the multiple linear regression model is established to quantitatively explore the influence of meteorological factors, underlying surface features and teleconnection factors on the propagation time variations. The Wei River Basin, a typical Loess Plateau watershed in China, is selected as a case study. Results indicate the following: (1) the propagation time from meteorological to hydrological drought is shorter in summer (2 months) and autumn (3 months), whereas it is longer in spring (8 months) and winter (13 months). Moreover, the propagation rates exhibit a decreasing trend in warm seasons, which, however, show an increasing trend in cold seasons; (2) a significant slowing propagation in autumn is mainly caused by the decreasing soil moisture and precipitation, whereas the non-significant tendency in summer is generally induced by the offset between insignificant increasing precipitation and significant decreasing soil moisture; (3) the replenishment from streamflow to groundwater in advance prompts the faster propagation from meteorological to hydrological drought in spring and winter and (4) teleconnection factors have strong influences on the propagation in autumn, in which Arctic Oscillation, El Niño-Southern Oscillation and Pacific Decadal Oscillation mainly affect participation, arid index and soil moisture, thereby impacting drought propagation.
The application of an empowerment model

In this study we applied an empowerment model that focuses on (a) the need for empowerment in light of organizational strategy, (b) job design issues such as job enlargement and job enrichment that facilitate empowerment, and (c) the abilities, and (d) the attitudes of workers that make empowerment work. We applied the model in the manufacturing department of a firm that produces catheters for medical use and interviewed managers and supporting staff and surveyed 231 operators. The leading performance indicators in this firm are efficiency and quality. The reassignment of 12 out of 33 tasks was believed to contribute to these organizational objectives. For most workers, their abilities and their attitudes toward empowerment proved to be no major barrier to the reallocation of these tasks. However, for temporary workers, mainly working in a “short shift,” the leeway to learn skills is limited, which probably impedes empowerment. The study shows that our model helps to diagnose the need for empowerment, to design work structures that facilitate empowerment, and to select appropriate human resource management practices. Further validation in other organizational settings is desirable. © 2001 John Wiley & Sons, Inc.
Benefit/cost framework for evaluating modular energy storage : a study for the DOE energy storage systems program.

The work documented in this report represents another step in the ongoing investigation of innovative and potentially attractive value propositions for electricity storage by the United States Department of Energy (DOE) and Sandia National Laboratories (SNL) Energy Storage Systems (ESS) Program. This study uses updated cost and performance information for modular energy storage (MES) developed for this study to evaluate four prospective value propositions for MES. The four potentially attractive value propositions are defined by a combination of well-known benefits that are associated with electricity generation, delivery, and use. The value propositions evaluated are: (1) transportable MES for electric utility transmission and distribution (TD plus a generation capacity credit in all years, and (4) electric utility end-user cost management during times when peak and critical peak pricing prevail.