Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigating the Impacts of Plug-in Hybrid Electric Vehicles on Power Distribution Systems

Despite the economic and environmental advantages of plug-in hybrid electric vehicles (PHEVs), the increased utilization of PHEVs brings up new concerns for power distribution system decision makers. Impacts of PHEVs on distribution networks, although have been proven to be noticeable, have not been thoroughly investigated for future years. In this paper, a comprehensive model is proposed to study the PHEV impacts on residential distribution systems. In so doing, PHEV fundamental characteristics, i.e., PHEV battery capacity, PHEV state of charge (SOC), and PHEV energy consumption in daily trips, are accurately modeled. As some of these effective characteristics depend on vehicle owner's behavior, their behavior and interests are considered in the proposed model. Also, to get a more practical model of PHEVs, the number of vehicles in a residential distribution network, the PHEV penetration level for upcoming years, distribution of PHEVs in the network, and estimation of household load growth for upcoming years are extracted from related published reports. The proposed model is applied to the IEEE 34-node test feeder, and PHEV impacts on residential distribution network are studied in different time horizons. A sensitivity analysis is also performed to demonstrate the effects of PHEV operation modes on the network load profile.
The Swedish Inflation Fan Charts: An Evaluation of the Riksbank?s Inflation Density Forecasts

This paper evaluates the inflation density forecasts published by the Swedish central bank, the Sveriges Riksbank. Realized inflation outcomes are mapped to their forecasted percentiles, which are then transformed to be standard normal under the null that the forecasting model is good. Results suggest that the Riksbank? s inflation density forecasts have a skewness problem, and their longer term forecasts have a kurtosis problem as well.
A comprehensive analysis of polymorphic variants in steroid hormone and insulin‐like growth factor‐1 metabolism and risk of in situ breast cancer: Results from the Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium

We assessed the association between 1,414 single nucleotide polymorphisms (SNPs) in genes involved in synthesis and metabolism of steroid hormones and insulin‐like growth factor 1, and risk of breast cancer in situ (BCIS), with the aim of determining whether any of these were disease specific. This was carried out using 1,062 BCIS cases and 10,126 controls as well as 6,113 invasive breast cancer cases from the Breast and Prostate Cancer Cohort Consortium (BPC3). Three SNPs showed at least one nominally significant association in homozygous minor versus homozygous major models. ACVR2A‐rs2382112 (ORhom = 3.05, 95%CI = 1.72–5.44, Phom = 1.47 × 10−4), MAST2‐rs12124649 (ORhom = 1.73, 95% CI =1.18–2.54, Phom = 5.24 × 10−3), and INSR‐rs10500204 (ORhom = 1.96, 95% CI = 1.44–2.67, Phom=1.68 × 10−5) were associated with increased risk of BCIS; however, only the latter association was significant after correcting for multiple testing. Furthermore, INSR‐rs10500204 was more strongly associated with the risk of BCIS than invasive disease in case‐only analyses using the homozygous minor versus homozygous major model (ORhom = 1.78, 95% CI = 1.30–2.44, Phom = 3.23 × 10−4). The SNP INSR‐rs10500204 is located in an intron of the INSR gene and is likely to affect binding of the promyelocytic leukemia (PML) protein. The PML gene is known as a tumor suppressor and growth regulator in cancer. However, it is not clear on what pathway the A‐allele of rs10500204 could operate to influence the binding of the protein. Hence, functional studies are warranted to investigate this further.
Noncommutative Metafluid Dynamics

In this paper we define a noncommutative (NC) metafluid dynamics.1,2 We applied the Dirac's quantization to the metafluid dynamics on NC spaces. First class constraints were found which are the same obtained in Ref. 4. The gauge covariant quantization of the nonlinear equations of fields on noncommutative spaces were studied. We have found the extended Hamiltonian which leads to equations of motion in the gauge covariant form. In addition, we show that a particular transformation3 on the usual classical phase space (CPS) leads to the same results as of the ⋆-deformation with ν = 0. Besides, we have shown that an additional term is introduced into the dissipative force due to the NC geometry. This is an interesting feature due to the NC nature induced into model.
Versatile cell surface structures of archaea

Archaea are ubiquitously present in nature and colonize environments with broadly varying growth conditions. Several surface appendages support their colonization of new habitats. A hallmark of archaea seems to be the high abundance of type IV pili (T4P). However, some unique non T4 filaments are present in a number of archaeal species. Archaeal surface structures can mediate different processes such as cellular surface adhesion, DNA exchange, motility and biofilm formation and represent an initial attachment site for infecting viruses. In addition to the functionally characterized archaeal T4P, archaeal genomes encode a large number of T4P components that might form yet undiscovered surface structures with novel functions. In this review, we summarize recent advancement in structural and functional characterizations of known archaeal surface structures and highlight the diverse processes in which they play a role.
Draft Genome Sequence of the Sulfonamide Antibiotic-Degrading Microbacterium sp. Strain C448

ABSTRACT We report the draft genome sequence of Microbacterium sp. strain C448, isolated from agricultural soil with a decade of exposure to veterinary antibiotics on the basis of using sulfamethazine and other antibiotics as the sole sources of carbon. The genome sequence revealed that strain C448 harbors several antibiotic resistance genes, including sulI.
Identifying nonlinear spatial dependence patterns by using non-parametric tests: Evidence for the European Union

Accounting for spatial structures in econometric studies is becomingan issue of special interest, given the presence of spatial dependence and spatialheterogeneity problems arising in data. Generally, researchers have been employingparametric tests for detecting spatial dependence structures: Moran’s I and LM testsin spatial regressions are the most popular approaches employed in literature.However,this approach remains misleading in the presence of nonlinear spatial structures,inducing important biases in the estimation of the parameters of the model.In this paper we illustrate that issue by applying three non-parametrical proposalswhen testing for spatial structure in data. Empirical findings for the regions of theEuropean Union show important failures of traditional parametric tests if nonlinearitiescharacterise geo-referenced data. Our results clearly recommend employing newfamilies of tests, beyond parametrical ones, when working in such environments.
Imperfect Competition and the Fiscal Multiplier

The impact of fiscal policy in an economy with a monopolistic output market but a perfectly competitive labor market is examined both in the short run, with a fixed number of firms, and in the long run with free entry. The main innovation of the paper is the generality of the assumptions about preferences and technology, which enable the authors to examine the robustness of the relationship between the degree of monopoly and the fiscal multiplier found by R. Startz (1989), N. G. Mankiw (1988), and H. D. Dixon (1987). The specific results of these papers are found to rest on two assumptions: constant returns and Cobb-Douglas preferences. Copyright 1996 by The editors of the Scandinavian Journal of Economics.
Effective Policy for Reducing Inequality? The Earned Income Tax Credit and the Distribution of Income

In this paper, we examine the effect of the EITC on the employment and income of single mothers with children. We provide the first comprehensive estimates of this central safety net policy on the full distribution of after-tax and transfer income. We use a quasi-experiment approach, using variation in generosity due to policy expansions across tax years and family sizes. Our results show that a policy-induced $1000 increase in the EITC leads to a 7.3 percentage point increase in employment and a 9.4 percentage point reduction in the share of families with after-tax and transfer income below 100% poverty. Event study estimates show no evidence of differential pre-trends, providing strong evidence in support of our research design. We find that the income increasing effects of the EITC are concentrated between 75% and 150% of income-to-poverty with little effect at the lowest income levels (50% poverty and below) and at levels of 250% of poverty and higher. By capturing the indirect effects of the credit on earnings, our results show that static calculations of the anti-poverty effects of the EITC (such as those released based on the Supplemental Poverty Measure, Short 2014) may be underestimated by as much as 50 percent.
Virtual worlds in pre-service teacher education : the introduction of virtual worlds in pre-service teacher education to foster innovative teaching-learning processes

ii Publications arising from this research v List of Figures xi List of Tables xi Editorial Notes xiii Chapter 1 Introduction 1 1.1 Education, Learning and Digital Technology in the 21st Century 1 1.2 Educational Change and Innovation 3 1.3 Critically Evaluating Educational Technology 5 1.4 Pre-­‐service Teacher Education 6 1.5 Virtual Worlds 8 1.6 Aims of the Research 11 1.7 Background to the Research 11 1.8 My Position as a Researcher 14 1.9 Thesis Structure 15 Chapter 2 Educational Context 18 2.1 Change and Innovation 18 2.2 Diffusion and Adoption of Innovation 20 2.3 Educational Change and Innovation 23 2.4 21st Century Learners 25 2.5 Engagement 27 2.6 Learning Theories for a Digital Age 30 2.6. 1 Conversational learning 30 2.6. 2 Immersive learning 32 2.6. 3 Situated learning 35 2.6. 4 Connectivism 36 2.7 Pedagogy, Andragogy, Cybergogy 37 2.8 A New Culture of Learning 39 2.9 Research Need 41 Chapter 3 Technological Context 43 3.1 Introduction 43 3.2 The Effect of Technology on Teaching-­‐Learning Processes 43 3.3 Barriers to Technology Integration and Innovation 44 3.4 Disruptive Innovations 50 3.5 Virtual Worlds 52 3.5. 1 Defining virtual worlds 52 3.5. 2 The evolution of virtual worlds 54 3.5. 3 Affordances of virtual worlds 58 3.5. 4 Virtual worlds in pre-­‐service teacher education 61 3.5. 5 Virtual worlds in K-­‐12 schools 65 3.5. 6 Barriers to the adoption of virtual worlds in education 67 3.6 The Research Potential 70 3.7 Conclusion 73 Chapter 4 Methodology 74 4.1 Research Aim and Questions 74 4.2 Paradigm Within Which the Research is Situated 75 4.3 Complexity as the Theoretical Grounding 77 4.4 Action Research as a Meta-­‐Methodology 79
Shock Efficacy of Subcutaneous Implantable Cardioverter-Defibrillator for Prevention of Sudden Cardiac Death: Initial Multicenter Experience

Background—Recently, subcutaneous implantable cardioverter-defibrillator (S-ICD) has become available. The aim of our study was to assess the efficacy of S-ICD in a clinical setting. Methods and Results—Between June 2010 and July 2011, 40 consecutive patients (42±15 years; body mass index, 27±6 kg/m2; left ventricular ejection fraction, 47±15%; 28 men) received an S-ICD for primary (n=17) or secondary prevention (n=23 [58%]) at 3 institutions in Germany. Intraoperative defibrillation efficacy testing failed in 1 patient with severely reduced left ventricular ejection fraction; testing was effective in all other patients. All episodes stored in the S-ICD were analyzed for appropriate and inappropriate detection, as well as effective shock delivery to convert ventricular tachyarrhythmia into sinus rhythm. During a median follow-up of 229 (interquartile range, 116–305) days, 4 patients experienced 21 episodes, with correct detection of ventricular tachyarrhythmia and subsequent shock therapy. A total of 28 shocks were delivered in these 4 patients. Mixed logistic regression modeling revealed a shock efficacy of 96.4% (95% CI, 12.8%–100%). The efficacy of first shocks, however, was only 57.9% (95% CI, 35.6%–77.4%). Four episodes were incorrectly classified as ventricular tachyarrhythmia, which led to inappropriate shock delivery in 2 patients. Conclusions—Ineffective shock delivery may occur in patients with S-ICD, even after successful intraoperative testing. Multicenter trials are required with close monitoring of safety and efficacy end points to identify patients who may be at risk for shock failure.
A Molecular Chaperone Mediates a Two-protein Enzyme Complex and Glycosylation of Serine-rich Streptococcal Adhesins*

Background: An enzyme complex consisting of glycosyltransferases Gtf1 and Gtf2 is required for glycosylation of streptococcal adhesins. However, the underlying mechanism is unknown. Results: Gtf2 interacts with Gtf1, stabilizes Gtf1, and modulates the enzymatic activity of Gtf1 via a novel domain. Conclusion: Gtf2 is a molecular chaperone. Significance: The conserved chaperone activity for protein glycosylation can be explored to design new therapeutics. Serine-rich repeat glycoproteins identified from streptococci and staphylococci are important for bacterial adhesion and biofilm formation. Two putative glycosyltransferases, Gtf1 and Gtf2, from Streptococcus parasanguinis form a two-protein enzyme complex that is required for glycosylation of a serine-rich repeat adhesin, Fap1. Gtf1 is a glycosyltransferase; however, the function of Gtf2 is unknown. Here, we demonstrate that Gtf2 enhances the enzymatic activity of Gtf1 by its chaperone-like property. Gtf2 interacted with Gtf1, mediated the subcellular localization of Gtf1, and stabilized Gtf1. Deletion of invariable amino acid residues in a conserved domain of unknown function (DUF1975) at the N terminus of Gtf2 had a greater impact on Fap1 glycosylation than deletion of the C-terminal non-DUF1975 residues. The DUF1975 deletions concurrently reduced the interaction between Gtf1 and Gtf2, altered the subcellular localization of Gtf1, and destabilized Gtf1, suggesting that DUF1975 is crucial for the chaperone activity of Gtf2. Homologous GtfA and GtfB from Streptococcus agalactiae rescued the glycosylation defect in the gtf1gtf2 mutant; like Gtf2, GtfB also possesses chaperone-like activity. Taken together, our studies suggest that Gtf2 and its homologs possess the conserved molecular chaperone activity that mediates protein glycosylation of bacterial adhesins.
Explaining Self and Vicarious Reactance

Research shows that people experience a motivational state of agitation known as reactance when they perceive restrictions to their freedoms. However, research has yet to show whether people experience reactance if they merely observe the restriction of another person’s freedom. In Study 1, we activated realistic vicarious reactance in the laboratory. In Study 2, we compared people’s responses with their own and others’ restrictions and found the same levels of experienced reactance and behavioral intentions as well as aggressive tendencies. We did, however, find differences in physiological arousal: Physiological arousal increased quickly after participants imagined their own freedom being restricted, but arousal in response to imagining a friend’s freedom being threatened was weaker and delayed. In line with the physiological data, Study 3’s results showed that self-restrictions aroused more emotional thoughts than vicarious restrictions, which induced more cognitive responses. Furthermore, in Study 4a, a cognitive task affected only the cognitive process behind vicarious reactance. In contrast, in Study 4b, an emotional task affected self-reactance but not vicarious reactance. We propose a process model explaining the emotional and cognitive processes of self- and vicarious reactance.
An Innovative Scheme of Symmetric Multilevel Voltage Source Inverter With Lower Number of Circuit Devices

In this paper, an advanced configuration for a symmetric multilevel voltage source inverter is proposed. The authority of the proposed inverter versus the conventional cascaded H-bridge inverter and those most recently introduced is verified with provided comparisons. The proposed inverter is able to generate the desired voltage levels using a lower number of circuit devices, including power semiconductor switches and related gate driver circuits of switches. As a result, the total cost is considerably reduced, and the control scheme gets simpler. Moreover, the reduced amount of on-state switches in the suggested configuration decreases voltage drops. Furthermore, power losses are diminished. The given simulation results confirm the feasibility of the proposed configuration. To approve the practicability of the proposed inverter, a prototype of the proposed topology has been implemented. Finally, simulation and experimental results are compared, and the provided comparison shows that the obtained results are in good agreement.
Interorganizational Collaboration in a Statewide Doctoral Program: A Lesson in the Construction of Meaning

This article explores interorganizational collaboration using case study methodology. The study examines a statewide doctoral program for the preparation of educational leaders involving several public universities in a midwestern state. Building upon a theoretical framework focused on interorganizational relations (IORs), findings clustered around three themes are reported: (1) reasons for engaging in IORs, (2) factors that enhance or constrain collaboration, and (3) evidence of collaboration. The findings advance our understanding of reasons for creating an IOR and the nature of social processes that reflect collaborative relationships that occurred within it. The results of this study may be beneficial to those who seek to engage in similar collaborative efforts.
NOX4 regulates autophagy during energy deprivation

NADPH oxidase is a cellular enzyme devoted to the production of reactive oxygen species (ROS). NOX4 and NOX2 are the main isoforms of NADPH oxidase in the cardiovascular system. In our recent study, we demonstrated that NOX4, but not NOX2, is a critical mediator of the cardiomyocyte adaptive response to energy stress. NOX4 activity and protein levels are increased in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) but not in mitochondria of cardiomyocytes during the early phase of energy deprivation. NOX4-derived production of ROS in the ER is a critical event that activates autophagy through stimulation of the EIF2AK3/PERK-EIF2S1/eIF-2α-ATF4 pathway. NOX4-dependent autophagy is an important mechanism to preserve cellular energy and limit cell death in energy-deprived cardiomyocytes. Aside from elucidating a crucial physiological function of NOX4 during cellular energy stress, our study dissects a novel signaling mechanism that regulates autophagy under this condition.
Design of fuzzy-logic-based terminal guidance law

In order to intercept the high-speed maneuverable target in three-dimensional space, a terminal guidance law based on self-tuning fuzzy logic systems is presented. When constructing the model of the relative movement between target and interceptor, guidance knowledge base which including fuzzy data and rules is obtained. Moreover, considering the time-variant and nonlinear factors in the thrust vector control system, the interceptor's mass is identified in real time. By using learning algorithms, the logic rules are also revised correspondingly according to the fuzzy performance index. Simulation results show that this method can implement efficiently the precise guidance of the interceptor as well as preferable robust stability.
3G wireless communications for mobile robotic tele-ultrasonography systems

Mobile healthcare (m-health) is a new paradigm that brings together the evolution of emerging wireless communications and network technologies with the concept of 'connected healthcare' anytime and anywhere. In this article, we present the performance analysis of an end-to-end mobile tele-echography using an ultra-light robot (OTELO), over the third-generation (3G) mobile communications network. The experimental setup of the OTELO system over a 3G connectivity link used to measure the system performance is described. The performance of the relevant medical data and the relevant quality of service (QoS) issues defined in terms of the average throughput, delta-time packet delay, and jitter delay are investigated. The real-time 3G performance results show the successful operation of this bandwidth demanding robotic m-health system.
Crystal structure of NucB, a biofilm-degrading endonuclease

Abstract Bacterial biofilms are a complex architecture of cells that grow on moist interfaces, and are held together by a molecular glue of extracellular proteins, sugars and nucleic acids. Biofilms are particularly problematic in human healthcare as they can coat medical implants and are thus a potential source of disease. The enzymatic dispersal of biofilms is increasingly being developed as a new strategy to treat this problem. Here, we have characterized NucB, a biofilm-dispersing nuclease from a marine strain of Bacillus licheniformis, and present its crystal structure together with the biochemistry and a mutational analysis required to confirm its active site. Taken together, these data support the categorization of NucB into a unique subfamily of the ββα metal-dependent non-specific endonucleases. Understanding the structure and function of NucB will facilitate its future development into an anti-biofilm therapeutic agent.
Regulation of Phosphate Homeostasis by MicroRNA in Arabidopsis[W]

In this study, we reveal a mechanism by which plants regulate inorganic phosphate (Pi) homeostasis to adapt to environmental changes in Pi availability. This mechanism involves the suppression of a ubiquitin-conjugating E2 enzyme by a specific microRNA, miR399. Upon Pi starvation, the miR399 is upregulated and its target gene, a ubiquitin-conjugating E2 enzyme, is downregulated in Arabidopsis thaliana. Accumulation of the E2 transcript is suppressed in transgenic Arabidopsis overexpressing miR399. Transgenic plants accumulated five to six times the normal Pi level in shoots and displayed Pi toxicity symptoms that were phenocopied by a loss-of-function E2 mutant. Pi toxicity was caused by increased Pi uptake and by translocation of Pi from roots to shoots and retention of Pi in the shoots. Moreover, unlike wild-type plants, in which Pi in old leaves was readily retranslocated to other developing young tissues, remobilization of Pi in miR399-overexpressing plants was impaired. These results provide evidence that miRNA controls Pi homeostasis by regulating the expression of a component of the proteolysis machinery in plants.
Effects of 2-D Preprocessing on Feature Extraction

Feature extraction assumes a number of forms in a number of applications. In this paper, we improve feature extraction by not only increasing the number of quality features that one can extract but also ensuring that the features we do extract are, indeed, representative high-quality features instead of false, minute, or noise features. We show that higher frequencies do not, for the purposes of feature extraction, necessarily represent human-salient features and that the combination of contrast enhancement, decimation, and lowpass filtering achieve more robust feature extraction than simple high-frequency boosting. Our ideal feature extractor therefore incorporates a decimator for reduction to an idealized size, contrast enhancement through stretched dynamic range, and frequency-domain filtering with a Gaussian lowpass filter.