Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Identification of Virtual Battery Models for Flexible Loads

The increasing prevalence of technologies such as advanced metering and controls and continuously variable power electronic devices are enabling a radical shift in the way frequency regulation is performed in the bulk power system. This is a welcome development in light of the increase of unpredictable and variable generation. The idea of active participation of loads in frequency markets is not new, but the rapidly changing landscape of the power grid requires new techniques for successful integration of new types of resources; this paper works towards that end. Previously, it has been shown that residential HVAC systems can be aggregated and used to provide frequency regulation by utilizing their thermal energy capacity and flexibility of energy consumption. The virtual battery model-a first-order linear dynamical model-was analytically shown to be an accurate and simple model to capture the flexibility of residential HVAC systems. This paper presents a technique for creating the same battery-type models for many other types of systems, which can be much more complex. Our technique is based on stress testing detailed software models of physical systems. A realistic case study involving the terminal building of a small airport is presented as evidence of the effectiveness of the proposed techniques.
Source and supply of sediment to a shoreline salient in a fringing reef environment

Reef‐associated landforms are coupled to the health of the reef ecosystem which produces the sediment that forms and maintains these landforms. However, this connection can make reef‐fronted coastlines sensitive to the impacts of climate change, given that any decline in ecosystem health (e.g. decreasing sediment supply) or changes to physical processes (e.g. sea level rise, increasing wave energy) could drive the sediment budgets of these systems into a net erosive state. Therefore, knowledge of both the sediment sources and transport mechanisms is required to predict the sensitivity of reef‐associated landforms to future climate change. Here, we examine the benthic habitat composition, sediment characteristics (composition, texture, and age), and transport mechanisms and pathways to understand the interconnections between coastal morphology and the reef system at Tantabiddi, Ningaloo Reef, Western Australia. Benthic surveys and sediment composition analysis revealed that although live coral accounts for less than 5% of the benthic cover, coral is the dominant sediment constituent (34% on average). Sediment ages (238U/230Th) were mostly found to be thousands of years old, suggesting that the primary sediment source is relic reef material (e.g. Holocene reef framework). Sediment transport across the lagoon was quantified through measurements of ripple migration rates, which were found to be shoreward migrating and responsible for feeding the large shoreline salient in the lee of the reef. The derived sediment fluxes were comparable with previously measured rates of sediment production by bioerosion. These results suggest that sediment budgets of systems dependent on old (>103 years) source materials may be more resilient to climate change as present‐day reef health and community composition (i.e. sources of ‘new’ carbonate production) have limited influence on sediment supply. Therefore, the vulnerability of reef‐associated landforms in these systems will be dictated by future changes to mechanisms of sediment generation (e.g. bioerosion) and/or physical processes. © 2018 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Change in CXCL10 on treatment with methotrexate similar to that reported with infliximab: comments on the article by Eriksson et al

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Opportunistic exploration of large consumer product spaces

The advent of the Web has brought an unprecedented amount of information together with a large, diverse set of users. Online users are performing a wider variety of tasks than ever before. For example, not only is the Web being used to search conventional databases like Lexis/Nexus, it is also being used to broker Beanie Babies. Today’s common information seeking metaphors (i.e., keyword search and hypertext) cannot be expected to support all these new tasks well. We characterize a new user behavior called opportunistic exploration. We show how it is significantly different than both browsing and searching. A novel visual metaphor for opportunistic exploration, an aquarium, is presented. In an aquarium users may explore a large corpus at any level of granularity. The aquarium’s implementation is discussed and demonstrated on a collection of 12,000 consumer products. The implementation automatically controls granularity based on the history of operations performed by a user.
Quantitative assessment of erythropoiesis and functional classification of anemia based on measurements of serum transferrin receptor and erythropoietin.

We evaluated the quantitative value of a simple model of erythropoiesis, based on the basic assumptions that the red blood cell (RBC) mass determines erythropoietin (Epo) production, which in turn stimulates erythropoietic activity. The RBC mass was quantitated by direct isotopic measurement (RCM), Epo production by serum Epo levels, and erythropoiesis by the ferrokinetic measurement of the erythron transferrin uptake (ETU), the serum transferrin receptor (TfR) level, and the reticulocyte (retic) index, and was completed by an evaluation of overall marrow erythron cellularity. We studied a total of 195 subjects, including 31 normal individuals, 38 patients with polycythemia, and 126 patients with various forms of anemia. Instead of only quantitating Epo and erythropoiesis in absolute terms, we also evaluated them in relation to the degree of anemia or polycythemia, and expressed the results as a ratio of observed values to values predicted from the regression equations between hematocrit (Hct) on the one hand, and Epo, TfR, and ETU on the other, obtained in a carefully selected subpopulation. The slope of the regression of TfR (as well as ETU) versus Hct was very similar to the slope of the regression of Epo versus Hct. Average EPO and TfR (as well as ETU) values predicted from the regression equations were quite comparable to observed values in most groups of subjects, with exceptions predictable from knowledge of the pathophysiology of these hematologic disorders. We identified four major patterns of erythropoiesis, ie, normal, hyperdestruction (with variants of hemolysis or ineffective erythropoiesis), intrinsic marrow hypoproliferation, and defective Epo production. Dissecting out groups of patients showed much greater heterogeneity than when patients were analyzed by group. This was particularly true in the case of a hypoproliferative component being combined with hyperdestruction, giving what we called a "mixed disorder of erythropoiesis. " We conclude that the pathophysiology of anemia can be assessed by a simple measurement of Hct, retic index, Epo, and TfR levels, with Epo and TfR being more informative when expressed in relation to the degree of anemia. The model is particularly useful for detecting the presence of multiple mechanisms of anemia in the same patient. However, it has limitations inherent to the relative invalidity of TfR in iron deficiency, the imprecision of a retic count, and the difficulty in distinguishing hemolysis from ineffective erythropoiesis in some patients and in recognizing a component of hyperdestruction in hypoproliferative anemia.
Advanced Bit Manipulation Instruction Set Architecture

Microprocessor instruction set architectures currently offer support for operations on full processor words and, more recently, on subwords of 8, 16, 32 or 64 bits. However, there is little support for bit-oriented operations beyond the bitwise logical operators and shift operators. Some ISAs, such as PA-RISC and Itanium, offer more advanced instructions such as extract and deposit that combine mask and shift operations in one instruction.
The effect of the European union (MPP6) infrastructural development on the productivity of food crop farmers and development of rural areas in Imo state

The study examined the effect of the European Union infrastructural development on the productivity of food crop farmers and development of rural areas in Imo State. The specific objectives were to describe the socioeconomic characteristics of respondents, determine the extent of infrastructural development in the area and ascertain the impact of the scheme on the productivity of the rural food crop farmers. Primary data were collected with the aid of structured and validated questionnaire from 240 respondents comprising of farmers in the beneficiary and non-beneficiary communities using the multi-stage sampling technique. The data retrieved from the questionnaire were analysed with the use of the descriptive statistics, the infrastructural index model and the ordinary least squares regression model. The mean infrastructural index for the beneficiary and the non-beneficiary communities was 0.84 and 1.01, respectively; these figures were used to rank communities based on their level of development. The study showed that 18.2, 72.7 and 9.1% of the sampled beneficiary communities were developed, moderately developed and underdeveloped, respectively while 81.8 and 18.2% of the non-beneficiary communities were moderately developed and underdeveloped, respectively. The pooled result of the ordinary least square regression model showed a good fit at p < 0.05, that a reduction in distance and cost of accessing the infrastructural facilities in the benefiting communities would increase food crop production in the area. The null hypothesis that the EU (MPP6) infrastructural facilities has no significant influence on the value of food crop production in the beneficiary communities was rejected as the F-cal obtained was greater than the F-tab at p 0.01 level. European Union through their Micro Project Programmes (MPP6) should expand it geographical scope to ensure that more infrastructural facilities are provided particularly in the non –beneficiary communities as this will bring about an increase in the productivity level of food crop farmers and the development of the rural areas. Key words : rural infrastructure, agricultural productivity, infrastructural index, European Union Micro Project Program
A Machine-Learning Approach to Automated Negotiation and Prospects for Electronic Commerce

This paper shows how a system of artificial adaptive agents, using a genetic algorithm-based learning technique, can learn strategies that enable it to effectively participate in stylized business negotiations. The negotiation policies learned are evaluated on several dimensions including joint outcomes, nearness to the efficient frontier, and similarity to outcomes of human negotiations. The results are promising for integrating such agents into practicable electronic commerce systems. What a system might look like is discussed, as are ways in which particular classes of business negotiations could be supported or even entirely automated.
Eye Movements and Verbal Report in a Single Case of Visual Neglect

In this single case study, visuospatial neglect patient P1 demonstrated a dissociation between an intact ability to make appropriate reflexive eye movements to targets in the neglected field with latencies of <400 ms, while failing to report targets presented at such durations in a separate verbal detection task. In contrast, there was a failure to evoke the usually robust Remote Distractor Effect in P1, even though distractors in the neglected field were presented at above threshold durations. Together those data indicate that the tight coupling that is normally shown between attention and eye movements appears to be disrupted for low-level orienting in P1. A comparable disruption was also found for high-level cognitive processing tasks, namely reading and scene scanning. The findings are discussed in relation to sampling, attention and awareness in neglect.
Regulation of human bone marrow stromal cell proliferation and differentiation capacity by glucocorticoid receptor and AP-1 crosstalk

Although marrow adipocytes and osteoblasts derive from a common bone marrow stromal cells (BMSCs), the mechanisms that underlie osteoporosis‐associated bone loss and marrow adipogenesis during prolonged steroid treatment are unclear. We show in human BMSCs (hBMSCs) that glucocorticoid receptor (GR) signaling in response to high concentrations of glucocorticoid (GC) supports adipogenesis but inhibits osteogenesis by reducing c‐Jun expression and hBMSC proliferation. Conversely, significantly lower concentrations of GC, which permit hBMSC proliferation, are necessary for normal bone mineralization. In contrast, platelet‐derived growth factor (PDGF) signaling increases both JNK/c‐Jun activity and hBMSC expansion, favoring osteogenic differentiation instead of adipogenesis. Indeed, PDGF antagonizes the proadipogenic qualities of GC/GR signaling. Thus our results reveal a novel c‐Jun‐centered regulatory network of signaling pathways in differentiating hBMSCs that controls the proliferation‐dependent balance between osteogenesis and adipogenesis. © 2010 American Society for Bone and Mineral Research.
Inhibition of Host Cell Lysosome Spreading by Trypanosoma cruzi Metacyclic Stage-Specific Surface Molecule gp90 Downregulates Parasite Invasion

ABSTRACT Successful infection by Trypanosoma cruzi, the agent of Chagas' disease, is critically dependent on host cell invasion by metacyclic trypomastigote (MT) forms. Two main metacyclic stage-specific surface molecules, gp82 and gp90, play determinant roles in target cell invasion in vitro and in oral T. cruzi infection in mice. The structure and properties of gp82, which is highly conserved among T. cruzi strains, are well known. Information on gp90 is still rather sparse. Here, we attempted to fill that gap. gp90, purified from poorly invasive G strain MT and expressing gp90 at high levels, inhibited HeLa cell lysosome spreading and the gp82-mediated internalization of a highly invasive CL strain MT expressing low levels of a diverse gp90 molecule. A recombinant protein containing the conserved C-terminal domain of gp90 exhibited the same properties as the native G strain gp90: it counteracted the host cell lysosome spreading induced by recombinant gp82 and exhibited an inhibitory effect on HeLa cell invasion by CL strain MT. Assays to identify the gp90 sequence associated with the property of downregulating MT invasion, using synthetic peptides spanning the gp90 C-terminal domain, revealed the sequence GVLYTADKEW. These data, plus the findings that lysosome spreading was induced upon HeLa cell interaction with CL strain MT, but not with G strain MT, and that in mixed infection CL strain MT internalization was inhibited by G strain MT, suggest that the inhibition of target cell lysosome spreading is the mechanism by which the gp90 molecule exerts its downregulatory role.
Short-Run Subsidies and Long-Run Adoption of New Health Products: Evidence from a Field Experiment

Short-run subsidies for health products are common in poor countries. How do they affect long-run adoption? A common fear among development practitioners is that one-off subsidies may negatively affect long-run adoption through reference-dependence: People might anchor around the subsidized price and be unwilling to pay more for the product later. But for experience goods, one-off subsidies could also boost long-run adoption through learning. This paper uses data from a two-stage randomized pricing experiment in Kenya to estimate the relative importance of these effects for a new, improved antimalarial bed net. Reduced form estimates show that a one-time subsidy has a positive impact on willingness to pay a year later inherit. To separately identify the learning and anchoring effects, we estimate a parsimonious experience-good model. Estimation results show a large, positive learning effect but no anchoring. We black then discuss the types of products and the contexts inherit for which these results may apply.
The Evolution of Emergent Organization in Immune System Gene Libraries

A binary model of the immune system is used to study the eeects of evolution on the genetic encoding for antibody molecules. One feature of this encoding is that, unlike typical genetic algorithm experiments, not all genes found in the genotype are expressed in the phenotype. We report experiments which show that the evolution of immune system genes, simulated by the genetic algorithm, can induce a high degree of genetic organization even though that organization is not explicitly required by the tness function. We hypothesize about the nature of this organization and introduce a measure called Ham-ming Separation to observe its change during the evolution of the immune system.
Insights into the molecular etiology of exercise-induced inflammation: opportunities for optimizing performance

The study of exercise-induced muscle damage (EIMD) is of paramount importance not only because it affects athletic performance but also because it is an excellent model to study the mechanisms governing muscle cachexia under various clinical conditions. Although, a large number of studies have investigated EIMD and its associated inflammatory response, several aspects of skeletal muscles responses remain unclear. In the first section of this article, the mechanisms of EIMD are reviewed in an attempt to follow the events that result in functional and structural alterations of skeletal muscle. In the second section, the inflammatory response associated with EIMD is presented with emphasis in leukocyte accumulation through mechanisms that are largely coordinated by pro- and anti-inflammatory cytokines released either by injured muscle itself or other cells. The practical applications of EIMD and the subsequent inflammatory response are discussed with respect to athletic performance. Specifically, the mechanisms leading to performance deterioration and development of muscle soreness are discussed. Emphasis is given to the factors affecting individual responses to EIMD and the resulting interindividual variability to this phenomenon.
Sound localisation with a silicon cochlea pair

A neuromorphic sound localisation system is proposed. It employs two microphones and a pair of silicon cochleae with address event interface for front-end processing. This allows subsequent processing to be implemented with spike-based algorithms. The system is adaptive and supports online learning. Its localisation capability was tested with white noise and pure tone stimuli, with an average error of around 3° in the −45° to 45° range.
Blended interaction: envisioning future collaborative interactive spaces

Blended Interaction is interaction in physical environments including meeting rooms, design studios, or libraries, that are augmented with new UI technologies to blend the power of digital computing with natural work practices and collaboration styles. It combines the virtues of physical and digital artifacts so that desired properties of each are preserved and computing is integrated in a considered manner. Since rapid technological advances constantly challenge existing designs, we believe that HCI should move beyond creating new technologies, single applications, and novel interaction techniques towards an overarching unified vision and theory of Blended Interaction. Our workshop will bring together leading experts in cognitive theories and post-WIMP designs and technologies to create this unified view of Blended Interaction in a multidisciplinary approach.
Non-coding RNA derived from the region adjacent to the human HO-1 E2 enhancer selectively regulates HO-1 gene induction by modulating Pol II binding

Recent studies have disclosed the function of enhancer RNAs (eRNAs), which are long non-coding RNAs transcribed from gene enhancer regions, in transcriptional regulation. However, it remains unclear whether eRNAs are involved in the regulation of human heme oxygenase-1 gene (HO-1) induction. Here, we report that multiple nuclear-enriched eRNAs are transcribed from the regions adjacent to two human HO-1 enhancers (i.e. the distal E2 and proximal E1 enhancers), and some of these eRNAs are induced by the oxidative stress-causing reagent diethyl maleate (DEM). We demonstrated that the expression of one forward direction (5′ to 3′) eRNA transcribed from the human HO-1 E2 enhancer region (named human HO-1enhancer RNA E2-3; hereafter called eRNA E2-3) was induced by DEM in an NRF2-dependent manner in HeLa cells. Conversely, knockdown of BACH1, a repressor of HO-1 transcription, further increased DEM-inducible eRNA E2-3 transcription as well as HO-1 expression. In addition, we showed that knockdown of eRNA E2-3 selectively down-regulated DEM-induced HO-1 expression. Furthermore, eRNA E2-3 knockdown attenuated DEM-induced Pol II binding to the promoter and E2 enhancer regions of HO-1 without affecting NRF2 recruitment to the E2 enhancer. These findings indicate that eRNAE2-3 is functional and is required for HO-1 induction.
Levels and Risk Assessment of Polychlorinated Biphenyls (PCBS) in Soils from Informal E-Waste Recycling Sites in Cameroun

This study assessed the levels and human health risk of polychlorinated biphenyls (PCBs) in soils of e-waste recycling sites in Douala, Cameroun. Surface soil samples from these sites were collected and analyzed by Gas Chromatography- Electron Capture Detector to quantify the levels of 30 PCBs (including 10 dioxin-like PCBs). The investigated 30 PCBs were detected in all the soil samples. The mean and standard deviation of the total PCBs in Makea, Ngodi and New Bell recycling sites were 32.1±4.48, 31.9±0.10 and 72.8±13.5 ng/g, respectively. Between 26-46% of the Ʃ30 PCB concentrations were comprised of the dioxin-like PCB congeners. The toxic equivalent (TEQ) values of 10 dioxin-like PCBs were lower than the Canadian soil quality guidelines of dioxin (4 pg TEQ g−1). Human health risk through ingestion, dermal contact, and inhalation was lower than the values of cancer risk (10−6) indicating low adverse effects of PCBs in the recycling sites.