Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Interconnection and damping assignment passivity-based control of a PMSG based wind turbine for maximum power tracking

The use permanent magnet synchronous generators (PMSG) in wind turbines has been increase considerably in offshore applications due to its efficiency, low maintenance costs and reliability. PMSG's are connected to the grid by means of frequency converters. Generally a back-to-back full converter structure is preferred. This work presents the application of interconnection and damping assignment passivity-based control (IDA-PBC) in order of a PMSG based wind turbine. This strategy is combined with a mechanical torque estimator in order to track the maximum power point of the system. Simulation results show the operation of the proposed strategy during wind speed variations. Proposed strategy extracts maximum power of wind turbine and injects generated power into the grid.
The application of nonlinear structures to the reconstruction of binary signals

The problem of reconstructing digital signals which have been passed through a dispersive channel and corrupted with additive noise is discussed. The problems encountered by linear equalizers under adverse conditions on the signal-to-noise ratio and channel phase are described. By considering the equalization problem as a geometric classification problem the authors demonstrate how these difficulties can be overcome by utilizing nonlinear classifiers as channel equalizers. The manner in which neural networks can be utilized as adaptive channel equalizers is described, and simulation results which suggest that the neural network equalizers offer a performance which exceeds that of the linear structures, particularly in the high-noise environment, are presented. >
3DTouch: Towards a Wearable 3D Input Device for 3D Applications

Three-dimensional (3D) applications have come to every corner of life. We present 3DTouch, a novel 3D wearable input device worn on the fingertip for interacting with 3D applications. 3DTouch is self-contained, and designed to universally work on various 3D platforms. The device employs touch input for the benefits of passive haptic feedback, and movement stability. Moreover, with touch interaction, 3DTouch is conceptually less fatiguing to use over many hours than 3D spatial input devices such as Kinect. Our approach relies on relative positioning technique using an optical laser sensor and a 9-DOF inertial measurement unit. We implemented a set of 3D interaction techniques including selection, translation, and rotation using 3DTouch. An evaluation also demonstrates the device's tracking accuracy of 1.10 mm and 2.33 degrees for subtle touch interaction in 3D space. With 3DTouch project, we would like to provide an input device that reduces the gap between 3D applications and users.
Second quantization representation for classical many-particle system

The second quantization method is applied to classical many-particle systems. Statistical quantities such as free energy and time correlation functions are expressed in terms of creation and annihilation operators. The method is especially useful for the system in which the number of the composite molecules changes with time, e.g. the system including chemical reaction.
The acquisition of prepositions in Serbian: Factors and mechanisms of development

The study proceeds from the results of the previous studies showing that the distributional characteristics (frequency) of language input are crucial for the acquisition of prepositions (Savic & Anđelkovic, 2005, in preparation). The authors analyze deviations in the distribution of prepositions in children's spontaneous speech from the prediction made on the basis of the distributional characteristics of prepositions in adult language. The results show that, in comparison with adult language, only the prepositions "kod" (at, by, near, beside) and "sa" (with, from, off) deviate from the prediction. It was also found out that the unexpectedly early and frequent use of the preposition "kod" in child speech stemmed from the frequent use of this preposition in child-directed speech. On the other hand, the preposition "sa", which is very frequent in child-directed speech, is not present in children's production at the earliest age, because its homonymy makes it cognitively complex. The analysis of the reasons for such a deviation provided a basis for the discussion about the possible factors and mechanisms of development: the distributional characteristics of adult language are the major factor of acquisition, but the effects of conceptual and structural complexity were recorded as well.
The glue that binds : workplace climate, human resource systems and performance

There is now a substantial body of research examining the relationship between human resources (HR) and organisational performance. During the last decade, this research has focused on the impacts of ‘bundles’ of HR practices. While researchers have consistently found a significant relationship between HR systems and performance, the mechanisms that give rise to this relationship remain poorly conceptualised. Building on the work of Barney (1998), Ferris et al. (1998) and Bowen and Ostroff (2004) we suggest the social context in which such practices are implemented provide the basis for specifying these transmission mechanisms. Workplace climate provides a key social context that induces high levels of effort and dynamic efficiency. Using a large sample we find workplace climate significantly influences the relationship between HR systems and performance.
Reducing Abdominal CT Radiation Dose With Adaptive Statistical Iterative Reconstruction Technique

Purpose:To assess radiation dose reduction for abdominal computed tomography (CT) examinations with adaptive statistical iterative reconstruction (ASIR) technique. Materials and Methods:With institutional review board approval, retrospective review of weight adapted abdominal CT exams were performed in 156 consecutive patients with ASIR and in 66 patients with filtered back projection (FBP) on a 64-slice MDCT. Patients were categorized into 3 groups of <60 kg (n = 42), 61 to 90 kg (n = 100), and ≥91 kg (n = 80) for weight-based adjustment of automatic exposure control technique. Remaining scan parameters were held constant at 1.375:1 pitch, 120 kVp, 55 mm table feed per rotation, 5 mm section thickness. Two radiologists reviewed all CT examinations for image noise and diagnostic acceptability. CT dose index volume, and dose length product were recorded. Image noise and transverse abdominal diameter were measured in all patients. Data were analyzed using analysis of variance. Results:ASIR allowed for an overall average decrease of 25.1% in CT dose index volume compared with the FBP technique (ASIR, 11.9 ± 3.6 mGy; FBP, 15.9 ± 4.3 mGy) (P < 0.0001). In each of the 3 weight categories, CT examinations reconstructed with ASIR technique were associated with significantly lower radiation dose compared with FBP technique (P < 0.0001). There was also significantly less objective image noise with ASIR (6.9 ± 2.2) than with FBP (9.5 ± 2.0) (P < 0.0001). For the subjective analysis, all ASIR and FBP reconstructed abdominal CTs had optimal or less noise. However, 9% of FBP and 3.8% of ASIR reconstructed CT examinations were diagnostically unacceptable because of the presence of artifacts. Use of ASIR reconstruction kernel results in a blotchy pixilated appearance in 39% of CT sans which however, was mild and did not affect the diagnostic acceptability of images. The critical reproduction of visually sharp anatomic structures was preserved in all but one ASIR 40% reconstructed CT examination. Conclusion:ASIR technique allows radiation dose reduction for abdominal CT examinations whereas improving image noise compared with the FBP technique.
Oral administration of Japanese sake yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae sake) promotes non‐rapid eye movement sleep in mice via adenosine A2A receptors

We have demonstrated previously that Japanese sake yeast improves sleep quality in humans. In the present study, we examined the molecular mechanisms of sake yeast to induce sleep by monitoring locomotor activity, electromyogram and electroencephalogram in mice. Oral administration of Japanese sake yeast (100, 200, and 300 mg kg−1) decreased the locomotor activity by 18, 46 and 59% and increased the amount of non‐rapid eye movement (NREM) sleep by 1.5‐, 2.3‐ and 2.4‐fold (to 37 ± 6, 57 ± 8, and 60 ± 4 min from 25 ± 6 min in the vehicle‐administered group, respectively) in a dose‐dependent manner for 4 h after oral administration. However, Japanese sake yeast did not change the amount of rapid eye movement (REM) sleep, the electroencephalogram power density during NREM sleep or show any adverse effects, such as rebound of insomnia, during 24 h postadministration and on the next day. An intraperitoneal pretreatment with an adenosine A2A receptor‐selective antagonist, ZM241385 (15 mg kg−1), reduced the amount of NREM sleep of sake yeast‐administered mice to the basal level, without changing basal amount of sleep. Conversely, an A1 receptor‐selective antagonist, 8‐cyclopentyltheophylline (10 mg kg−1), did not affect the sleep‐promoting effect of Japanese sake yeast. Thus, Japanese sake yeast promotes NREM sleep via activation of adenosine A2A but not A1 receptors.
The role of labor pain and overall birth experience in the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms: a longitudinal cohort study.

BACKGROUND The aim of this prospective study was to investigate the role of labor pain and overall birth experience in the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms in a comprehensive framework. METHODS The study sample (N = 1893) comprised women with a vaginal delivery and was drawn from the Akershus Birth Cohort, which targeted all women scheduled to give birth at Akershus University Hospital in Norway. Questionnaires were given at three different stages: from pregnancy weeks 17 to 32, from the maternity ward, and from 8 weeks postpartum. Data were also obtained from the hospital's birth record. Using structural equation modeling, a prospective mediation model was tested. RESULTS Posttraumatic stress symptoms were significantly related to both labor pain (r = 0.23) and overall birth experience (r = 0.39). A substantial portion (33%) of the effect of labor pain on posttraumatic stress symptoms was mediated by the overall birth experience. CONCLUSIONS Although the results of this study showed that both labor pain and overall birth experience played a role in the development of posttraumatic stress symptoms after childbirth, overall birth experience appeared to be the central factor. The women's birth experience was not only related to posttraumatic stress symptoms directly but also mediated a substantial portion of the effect of labor pain on posttraumatic stress symptoms. Future work should address which areas of birth experience confer protective effects on women to improve clinical care.
Carpal tunnel syndrome : comparative study between sonographic and surgical measurements of the median nerve in moderate and severe cases of disease

* Trabalho realizado no Hospital Universitário Antônio Pedro da Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Niterói, RJ, Brasil. 1. Médico Ortopedista e Cirurgião de Mão, Mestre em Ciências Médicas pela Universidade Federal Fluminense (UFF), Ni-
Determination of aflatoxins B1 and B2 in peanuts and corn based products

A method for the determination of aflatoxins B1 and B2 in peanuts and corn based products is described. The samples were extracted with a mixture of acetonitrile-water (84:16), followed by multifunctional clean-up and liquid chromatography with fluorescence detection. Both calibration curves showed good correlation from 4.0 to 32.0 ppb for aflatoxin B1 (r=0.9999) and 1.2 to 9.6 ppb for aflatoxin B2 (r=0.9997). The detection limit of aflatoxins B1 and B2 were established at 0.1 and 0.03 ppb, respectively, based on signal-to-noise ratio of 3:1. Average recoveries for the determination of aflatoxins B1 and B2 at 10 and 3 ppb spiking levels, respectively ranged from 94.2 to 107.6%. A total of 20 peanut samples and corn based products were then obtained from retail shop and local market around Kuala Terengganu and analyzed for aflatoxins B1 and B2 contents, using the proposed method. Aflatoxins B1 and B2 were detected in 5 out of the 9 peanuts samples and 5 out of the 11 corn based products, at levels ranging from 0.2 to 101.8 ppb.
Genome location and identification of functions defective in the Bartha vaccine strain of pseudorabies virus

We have shown previously (Lomniczi et al., J. Virol. 52:198-205, 1984) that the Bartha vaccine strain of pseudorabies virus has a deletion in the short unique (Us) region of its genome--a deletion that is related to the absence of virus virulence. This strain is, however, also defective in other genes involved in virulence. We show here that virulence can be restored by marker rescue of the Bartha strain to which an intact Us has been restored (but not to the parental Bartha strain) by sequences derived from approximate map units 0.460 and 0.505 of the wild-type virus genome. No difference in the ability to grow in cell culture was observed between parental Bartha, Bartha 43/25a (Bartha to which an intact Us has been restored), or the doubly rescued Bartha strains. However, only the doubly rescued Bartha strain was virulent for both chickens and pigs and replicated to high titers when inoculated directly into the brains of chickens. The sequences that could restore virulence to the Bartha 43/25a strain encode four genes, all of which are involved in processes leading to the assembly of nucleocapsids. Since these sequences rescue virulence, it appears that a function that plays a role in nucleocapsid assembly is defective in the Bartha strain and that this defect contributes to the lack of virulence of this virus.
The use of the dimensionless Womersley number to characterize the unsteady nature of internal flow.

Dimensionless numbers are very useful in characterizing mechanical behavior because their magnitude can often be interpreted as the relative importance of competing forces that will influence mechanical behavior in different ways. One dimensionless number, the Womersley number (Wo), is sometimes used to describe the unsteady nature of fluid flow in response to an unsteady pressure gradient; i. e. , whether the resulting fluid flow is quasi-steady or not. Fluids surround organisms which themselves contain fluid compartments; the behaviors exhibited by these biologically-important fluids (e.g. air, water, or blood) are physiologically significant because they will determine to a large extent the rates of mass and heat exchange and the force production between an organism and its environment or between different parts of an organism. In the biological literature, the use of the Womersley number is usually confined to a single geometry: the case of flow inside a circular cylinder. We summarize the evidence for a broader role of the Womersley number in characterizing unsteady flow than indicated by this geometrical restriction. For the specific category of internal flow, we show that the exact analytical solution for unsteady flow between two parallel walls predicts the same pattern of fluid behavior identified earlier for flow inside cylinders; i.e., a dichotomy in fluid behavior for values of Wo < 1 and Wo > 1. When Wo < 1, the flow is predicted to faithfully track the oscillating pressure gradient, and the velocity profiles exhibit a parabolic shape such that the fluid oscillating with the greatest amplitude is farthest from the walls ("quasi-steady" behavior). When Wo > 1, the velocity profiles are no longer parabolic, and the flow is phase-shifted in time relative to the oscillating pressure gradient. The amplitude of the oscillating fluid may either increase or decrease as Wo > 1, as described in the text.
Weighting-based Classifier for Protein Subcellular Localization

Protein subcellular localization prediction plays an important role for understanding the functions and biological processes that proteins are involved in. By using protein sequence information, we can predict where a protein belongs to. In this paper, we propose a new linear classifier for predicting subcellular localizations of proteins using improved features extracted from protein sequences. In a simple inductive learning setting, the difference in class probability in the records containing versus not containing feature fj can be a good metric for the contribution of fj in determining the class or localization for a protein. The combination of all feature weights in a given record can be a good measure to estimate the localization class membership of that record. The proposed classifier relies on a new feature weighting technique and represents the closeness of a protein to a subcellular localization site. The weight of a feature represents the difference in class probability before and after seeing the feature. The classifier is an inductive parametric method that depends on classes and feature priors. We evaluated the method using four datasets from bacteria, gram-negative and gram-positive, plant, and nonplant proteins and compared the results with the Naïve Bayes classifier. The evaluation results showed that the method is promising and competitive for predicting protein localizations.
Managing knowledge in international consulting firms

Purpose – At the pinnacle of the knowledge management hype, international consulting firms were widely viewed as the undisputed champions of the discipline. They were the ones that pioneered the development of innovative knowledge management systems, they were at the forefront of creating knowledge management cultures and they recognized the productive potential of knowledge workers. While knowledge continues to be prominent on the strategic agenda of leading consulting firms, several knowledge management challenges remain unsolved. To shed light on this matter the paper aims to investigate how knowledge management is really embedded in their organizations and with which critical issues these firms still struggle . Design/methodology/approach – The paper presents a qualitative empirical study based on 37 in-depth interviews with representatives from international consulting firms in different locations around the world. Findings – It is found that the promise of knowledge management can only be realized if people are open to changing business processes and adopt new ways of thinking. Practical implictions – The study sheds fresh light on the knowledge management practices that have emerged in the consulting industry, and provides insights into the interplay of people and systems, the structuring of knowledge management, the divide between knowledge generalists and specialists, and the knowledge management strategy. Originality/value – The paper presents a general approach to embedding knowledge management along the dimensions of people, systems and business processes and develops an integrative framework that links knowledge management strategies to a typical consulting project cycle. In addition, it sheds light on individual perceptions on the benefits from knowledge management.
Synthesis and Characterization of 125I-α-Conotoxin ArIB[V11L;V16A], a Selective α7 Nicotinic Acetylcholine Receptor Antagonist

The α7 nicotinic acetylcholine receptors (nAChRs) are widely expressed both in the central nervous system (CNS) and periphery. In the CNS, 125I-α-bungarotoxin is commonly used to identify α7 nAChRs specifically. However, α-bungarotoxin also interacts potently with α1* and α9α10 nAChRs, two receptor subtypes in peripheral tissues that are colocalized with the α7 subtype. [3H]Methyllycaconitine is also frequently used as an α7-selective antagonist, but it has significant affinity for α6* and α9α10 nAChR subtypes. In this study, we have developed a highly α7-selective α-conotoxin radioligand by iodination of a naturally occurring histidine. Both mono- and diiodo derivatives were generated and purified (specific activities were 2200 and 4400 Ci mmol-1, respectively). The properties of the mono- and diiodo derivatives were very similar to each other, but the diiodo was less stable. For monoidodo peptide, saturation binding to mouse hippocampal membranes demonstrated a Kd value of 1.15 ± 0.13 nM, similar to that of 125I-α-bungarotoxin in the same preparations (0.52 ± 0.16 nM). Association and dissociation kinetics were relatively rapid (kobs for association at 1 nM was 0.027 ± 0.007 min-1; koff = 0.020 ± 0.001 min-1). Selectivity was confirmed with autoradiography using α7-null mutant tissue: specific binding was abolished in all regions of α7-/- brains, whereas wild-type mice expressed high levels of labeling and low nonspecific binding. 125I-α-conotoxin ArIB[V11L; V16A] should prove useful where α7 nAChRs are coexpressed with other subtypes that are also labeled by existing ligands. Furthermore, true equilibrium binding experiments could be performed on α7 nAChRs, something that is impossible with 125I-α-bungarotoxin.
Monitoring Histone Deacetylase Inhibition In Vivo: Noninvasive Magnetic Resonance Spectroscopy Method

Histone deacetylase inhibitors (HDACis) are emerging as promising and selective antitumor agents. However, HDACis can lead to tumor stasis rather than shrinkage, in which case, traditional imaging methods are not adequate to monitor response. Consequently, novel approaches are needed. We have shown in cells that 19F magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS)-detectable levels of the HDAC substrate Boc-Lys-TFA-OH (BLT) are inversely correlated with HDAC activity. We extended our investigations to a tumor xenograft model. Following intraperitoneal injection of BLT, its accumulation within the tumor was monitored by in vivo 19F MRS. In animals treated with the HDACi suberoylanilide hydroxamic acid (SAHA), tumoral BLT levels were higher by 77% and 132% on days 2 and 7 of treatment compared with pretreatment levels (n = 6; p < .05). In contrast, tumoral BLT levels remained unchanged in control animals and in normal tissue. Thus, 19F MRS of BLT detected the effect of HDACi treatment as early as day 2 of treatment. Importantly, tumor size confirmed that SAHA treatment leads to inhibition of tumor growth. However, difference in tumor size reached significance only on day 6 of treatment. Thus, this work identifies BLT as a potential molecular imaging agent for the early noninvasive MRS detection of HDAC inhibition in vivo.
Electrooptic effects in an InGaAs/InAlAs multiquantum well structure

The field-induced refractive index change of an InGaAs/InAlAs MQW waveguide is examined for various wavelengths and TE/TM modes using a MZ modulator. The quadratic EO coefficients in the MQW waveguide for both TE and TM modes due to quantum confined Stark effect (QCSE) is on the order of 10/sup -18/ (m/sup 2//V/sup 2/), which is dominant compared with the linear EO effect. An effective linear EO effect, however, is significant because of the bias field arising from the built-in potential. This effect is more than one order greater than the conventional laser EO effect, which may suggest new device applications for QCSE. <<ETX>>