Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel hybrid excitation flux switching synchronous machine for a high-speed hybrid electric vehicle applications

Hybrid excitation machines (HEMs) that consist of permanent magnet (PM) and field excitation coil (FEC) as their main flux sources has several attractive features compared to interior permanent magnet synchronous machines (IPMSM) conventionally employed in hybrid electric vehicles (HEVs). Among various types of HEM, the machine with both permanent magnet and field excitation coil located on the stator has the advantage of robust rotor structure similar as switch reluctance machine (SRM). In addition, the variable flux control capabilities from field excitation coil make this machine becoming more attractive to be applied for high-speed motor drive systems, coupled with reduction gear. This HEM can be categorized as hybrid excitation flux switching synchronous machine (HEFSSM). In this paper, a novel 12Slot-10Pole HEFSSM where the field excitation coil is wounded in radial direction in the stator is proposed for traction drives in HEVs. The design target of the proposed machine is a maximum torque of 210Nm with reduction gear ratio of 4:1, a maximum power of 123kW, a maximum power density more than 3.5kW/kg, and a maximum speed of 20,000r/min with similar restrictions and specifications in IPMSM used for LEXUS RX400h. The deterministic design optimization method based on 2D-FEA is used to treat design parameters defined in rotor, armature coil slot and field excitation coil slot until the target performances are achieved, under maximum current density condition for both armature coil and field excitation coil. The final results show that the final design HEFSSM is able to keep the same torque density in existing IPMSM installed on a commercial SUV-HEV.
Relationship between payload and speed in legged locomotion systems

The dependency of payload on vehicle operating speed, which is a problem peculiar to legged locomotion, is examined via a case study of a hexapod using wave gaits. The treatment presented is confined to systems using quasi-statically stable gaits. A set of closed-form analytic expressions describing the payload-speed relationship has been obtained. The solution is based on the assumption of equal leg compliances. The utility of such relationships lies in determining the allowable payload given the vehicle speed and weight or, conversely, in preplanning the payload to be carried and determining the maximum speed at which the vehicle can operate safely. >
Patterns of Sinusitis in Cystic Fibrosis

It has been pediatric dogma that most children with cystic fibrosis (CF) have pansinusitis and few are symptomatic. To reassess this premise, we compared symptoms, clinical examinations, radiographic and surgical findings, and results of treatment in 19 children with cystic fibrosis who had undergone computed tomography at St. Christopher's Hospital (Philadelphia) from 1991 to 1994. We found two distinct patterns of sinus disease: chronic sinusitis (n = 3) and polyposis (n = 12). Two of the patients with polyposis had ethmoid mucoceles and 1 child had no sinus disease at all. Children with chronic sinusitis had headache as a major complaint, while those with polyposis suffered nasal obstruction alone unless a mucocele was present. Surgery provided marked and lasting improvement in the 14 patients who were operated on.
The effect of window length on accuracy of smartphone-based activity recognition.

One of the main approaches for personalization of activity recognition is the generation of the classification model from user annotated data on mobile itself. However, giving the resource constraints on such devices there is a need to examine the effects of system parameters such as the feature extraction parameter that can affect the performance of the system. Thus, this paper examines the effects of window length of the sensor data and varying data set sizes on the classification accuracy of four selected supervised machine learning algorithms running on off the shelf smartphone. Our results show that out of the three window lengths of 32, 64 and 128 considered, the 128 window length yields the best accuracy for all the algorithms tested. Also, the time taken to train the algorithms with samples of this length is minimal compare to 64 and 32 window lengths. A smartphone based activity recognition is implemented to utilize the results in an online activity recognition scenario.
Epidemiology, Antifungal Susceptibility, and Pathogenicity of Candida africana Isolates from the United Kingdom

ABSTRACT Candida africana was previously proposed as a new species within the Candida albicans species complex, together with C. albicans and C. dubliniensis, although further phylogenetic analyses better support its status as an unusual variant within C. albicans. Here we show that C. africana can be distinguished from C. albicans and C. dubliniensis by pyrosequencing of a short region of ITS2, and we have evaluated its occurrence in clinical samples by pyrosequencing all presumptive isolates of C. albicans submitted to the Mycology Reference Laboratory over a 9-month period. The C. albicans complex constituted 826/1,839 (44.9%) of yeast isolates received over the study period and included 783 isolates of C. albicans, 28 isolates of C. dubliniensis, and 15 isolates of C. africana. In agreement with previous reports, C. africana was isolated exclusively from genital specimens, in women in the 18-to-35-year age group. Indeed, C. africana constituted 15/251 (6%) of “C. albicans” isolates from female genital specimens during the study period. C. africana isolates were germ tube positive, grew significantly more slowly than C. albicans and C. dubliniensis on conventional mycological media, could be distinguished from the other members of the C. albicans complex by appearance on chromogenic agar, and were incapable of forming chlamydospores. Here we present the detailed evaluation of epidemiological, phenotypic, and clinical features and antifungal susceptibility profiles of United Kingdom isolates of C. africana. Furthermore, we demonstrate that C. africana is significantly less pathogenic than C. albicans and C. dubliniensis in the Galleria mellonella insect systemic infection model.
Differentiation trapping screen in live culture for genes expressed in cardiovascular lineages

We have developed a gene trap vector that transduces an EGFP‐neo fusion gene (Eno) to monitor the expression of trapped genes in living cells and embryos. Upon in vitro differentiation, most gene‐trapped embryonic stem (ES) cell clones exhibited detectable green fluorescence in various specialized cell types, which can be followed in the live culture in real time. Populations of ES cell‐derived cardiomyocytes, smooth muscle cells, vascular endothelial cells, and hematopoietic cells were readily recognized by their distinctive morphologies coupled with unique activities, allowing efficient screening for clones with trapped genes expressed in cardiovascular lineages. Applying G418 selection in parallel differentiation cultures further increased detection sensitivity and screening throughput by enriching reporter‐expressing cells with intensified green fluorescent protein signals. Sequence analyses and chimera studies demonstrated that the expression of trapped genes in vivo closely correlated with the observed lineage specificity in vitro. This provides a strategy to identify and mutate genes expressed in lineages of interest for further functional studies. Developmental Dynamics 229:319–327, 2004. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Genome Sequence of Rickettsia bellii Illuminates the Role of Amoebae in Gene Exchanges between Intracellular Pathogens

The recently sequenced Rickettsia felis genome revealed an unexpected plasmid carrying several genes usually associated with DNA transfer, suggesting that ancestral rickettsiae might have been endowed with a conjugation apparatus. Here we present the genome sequence of Rickettsia bellii, the earliest diverging species of known rickettsiae. The 1,552,076 base pair–long chromosome does not exhibit the colinearity observed between other rickettsia genomes, and encodes a complete set of putative conjugal DNA transfer genes most similar to homologues found in Protochlamydia amoebophila UWE25, an obligate symbiont of amoebae. The genome exhibits many other genes highly similar to homologues in intracellular bacteria of amoebae. We sought and observed sex pili-like cell surface appendages for R. bellii. We also found that R. bellii very efficiently multiplies in the nucleus of eukaryotic cells and survives in the phagocytic amoeba, Acanthamoeba polyphaga. These results suggest that amoeba-like ancestral protozoa could have served as a genetic “melting pot” where the ancestors of rickettsiae and other bacteria promiscuously exchanged genes, eventually leading to their adaptation to the intracellular lifestyle within eukaryotic cells.
Learning with the Web: Spotting Named Entities on the Intersection of NERD and Machine Learning

Microposts shared on social platforms instantaneously report facts, opinions or emotions. In these posts, entities are often used but they are continuously changing depending on what is currently trend- ing. In such a scenario, recognising these named entities is a challenging task, for which o-the-shelf approaches are not well equipped. We pro- pose NERD-ML, an approach that unifies the benefits of a crowd entity recognizer through Web entity extractors combined with the linguistic strengths of a machine learning classifier.
Power allocation for social benefit through price-taking behaviour on a CDMA reverse link shared by energy-constrained and energy-sufficient data terminals

We allocate power to maximise “social benefit” in the uplink of a CDMA cell populated by data terminals, each with its own data rate, channel gain, willingness to pay (wtp), and link-layer configuration, and with energy supplies that are limited for some, and inexhaustible for others. For both types, appropriate performance indices are specified. The social optimum can be achieved distributively through price-taking behaviour, if prices are based on a terminal's fraction of the total power received. For a given price, a terminal can choose its optimal power fraction without knowing the choices made by others because this fraction directly determines its signal-to-interference ratio (SIR), and hence its performance. By contrast, other schemes produce “games” in which terminals' optimal choices depend on each other. A “decoupled” solution has important technological and “marketing” advantages. The socially-optimal price is common to all terminals of a given energy class, and an energy-constrained terminal pays in proportion to the square of its power fraction.
Etiology of bone and joint infections: a case series of 363 consecutive patients from an orthopaedic infection unit

ABSTRACT Background: Bone and joint infections remain a clinical challenge with potentially serious consequences. Nevertheless there is a lack of studies with strict criteria for diagnosis and etiology. The primary aim of this study was to determine the causative agents in orthopaedic infections using strict diagnostic criteria for infection and etiology. The secondary aim was to assess the timing of post-operative infections in relation to pathogens and to compare causative bacteria in different parts of the body. Methods: A retrospective registry study of 363 consecutive cases of bone and joint infections was performed. Microbiological data on sampling and culture results were registered. Results: Staphylococcus aureus dominated in both operated (45%) and non-operated (44%) patients, followed in frequency by coagulase-negative staphylococci (CoNS) in operated patients (11%) and beta-haemolytic streptococci in non-operated patients (16%) (p < 0.001). There were no polymicrobial infections in non-surgical cases (p < 0.001). For operated patients, Gram-negative bacilli were observed in 6%, almost exclusively isolated from the lower extremity. Propionibacterium spp. was the most common finding after spinal surgery. In 90/363 (25%), the agent responsible for the infection could not be defined according to the strict criteria used. Conclusion: S. aureus dominated as etiological agent in all bone and joint infections, including operated patient given peri-operative prophylaxis. Improved timing of antibiotic prophylaxis seen after the introduction of the Swedish national project PRISS may have changed this. The number of infections with uncertain etiology was high, stressing the importance of more studies on diagnostics, as well as strict diagnostic algorithms.
Bovine Seminal Plasma Proteins PDC-109, BSP-A3, and BSP-30-kDa Share Functional Roles in Storing Sperm in the Oviduct1

Abstract On ejaculation, sperm become coated with proteins secreted by the male accessory sex glands. In the bull, these proteins consist predominantly of the bovine seminal plasma family of proteins (BSPs): PDC-109 (BSP-A1/-A2), BSP-A3, and BSP-30-kDa. PDC-109 plays a role in forming an oviductal sperm reservoir by enabling sperm to bind to oviductal epithelium. Because PDC-109 has high sequence identity with the other BSPs, we tested BSP-A3 and BSP-30-kDa for the capacity to bind sperm to oviductal epithelium. BSP-A3 and BSP-30-kDa each increased binding of epididymal sperm to epithelium and were as effective as PDC-109 in competitively inhibiting binding of ejaculated sperm. Because binding extends the motile life of sperm, BSPs were tested for the ability to maintain sperm motility. BSP-treated epididymal sperm incubated with plasma membrane vesicles from bovine oviductal epithelium maintained progressive motility longer than untreated sperm. To our knowledge, this is the first report of this protective effect of BSPs. Similarities in function among the BSPs were reflected in their three-dimensional structure, whereas surface maps of electrostatic potential indicated differences in binding affinities and kinetics. Such differences may provide sperm with greater adaptability to variations among females. Altogether, these results indicate that BSPs play a crucial role in fertilization by maintaining sperm motility during storage.
The effects of anisotropic Gaussian diffusion in scale invariant feature detection

Many feature detection algorithms use Gaussian scale space in order to locate scale-invariant and rotationally invariant keypoints in an image, including the Scale-Invariant Feature Transform (SIFT) algorithm. During the creation of this scale space, edge information and fine details in an image are often degraded or lost as a result of the Gaussian smoothing operation. In this paper, we study the effects of using edge preserving anisotropic diffusion during the creation of a scale space for use in the SIFT algorithm. We find that preserving edge information and fine details during the creation of a scale space allows SIFT to gather a much larger set of keypoints from images, and these keypoints tend to be far more robust towards scaling and rotation.
Glucagon‐like peptide‐1 analog, liraglutide, improves visceral sensation and gut permeability in rats

A glucagon‐like peptide‐1 analog, liraglutide, has been reported to block inflammatory somatic pain. We hypothesized that liraglutide attenuates lipopolysaccharide (LPS)‐induced and repeated water avoidance stress (WAS)‐induced visceral hypersensitivity and tested the hypothesis in rats.
Excavation of Pid3 Orthologs with Differential Resistance Spectra to Magnaporthe oryzae in Rice Resource

Twenty-six orthologs of the rice blast resistance gene Pid3 from cultivated varieties and wild rice accessions distributed in different areas were cloned by allele mining. Sequence analysis showed that while each of the orthologous genes from indica varieties and most wild accessions encodes a complete NBS-LRR protein, each of the proteins encoded by those from japonica varieties and few wild rice accessions presents a premature termination. Eleven of the 26 orthologs were selected for blast resistance testing by transforming into the blast susceptible rice variety TP309, respectively. Inoculation of 23 M. oryzae strains collected from diverse regions of China to the respective transgenic plants revealed that 6 Pid3 orthologs showed susceptible to all the tested strains, while the other 5 orthologs showed differential resistance spectra in a gradually spectrum-widen order as Pid3-W3, Pid3-W4, Pid3-I3, Pid3-W5 and Pid3-I1. Amino acid sequences alignment of these orthologs indicated that the sequence diversities between the blast resistance orthologs were mostly located in the LRR domain such as the substitutions of Q694H,D856H,Q896R,D899E etc. However, the differences between the resistance orthologs and the susceptible ones were mostly located in the NBS domain. The present experiments provide an example of that the ortholog evaluation of plant R genes could be an efficient way to expand the rice blast resistance and some other plant disease resistance as well for breeding.
Lattice thermal conductivity of self-assembled PbTe-Sb2Te3 composites with nanometer lamellae

In the system of PbTe and Sb<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub>, a metastable compound Pb<sub>2</sub>Sb<sub>6</sub>Te<sub>11</sub> appears by solidification processing. It has been reported that heat treatments decomposes this compound into two immiscible thermoelectric materials forming nanosized lamellar structure. The fraction transformed and the inter-lamellar spacing was systematically investigated. In this work, the thermal conductivities and the electrical resistivities have been measured as functions of annealing time through the transformation and the coarsening processes to clarify the effect of the fraction transformed and the inter-lamellar spacing. The thermal conductivity of Pb<sub>2</sub>Sb<sub>6</sub>Te<sub>11</sub> is lower than that after the decomposition. The lattice part of the thermal conductivity of PbTe/Sb<sub>2</sub>Te<sub>3</sub> lamellar samples decreases with decreasing inter-lamellar spacing. This is considered to be due to the coarsening of the microstructure.
An Undergraduate Laboratory Exercise to Study Weber’s Law

Weber’s Law describes the relationship between actual and perceived differences in stimulus intensity. To observe the relationship described in this law, we developed an exercise for undergraduate students, as experiential learning is an integral part of scientific education. We describe the experimental methods used for determining the subject’s discriminative capacity at multiple vibrotactile amplitudes. A novel four-point stimulator (designed and fabricated at the University of North Carolina) was used for the study. Features of the device, such as automated skin detection, make it feasible to perform this laboratory exercise in a reasonable lab period. At the conclusion of the lab exercise, students will thoroughly understand the principle of Weber’s Law as well as fundamental quantitative sensory testing concepts. This introduction to sensory testing will provide a suitable foundation for the undergraduate neuroscience student to investigate other aspects of sensory information processing in subsequent lab exercises.
Transparent elastic capacitive pressure sensors based on silver nanowire electrodes

Stretchable conductive films were produced by embedding silver nanowires onto the surface of biocompatible polydimethylsiloxane (PDMS) elastomeric membranes with low cost solution based processes. The films showed low sheet resistance (<;12Ω/□) and good transparency (40% at 550nm). By laminating two films together, transparent elastic capacitive pressure sensors were made, which present higher sensitivity to that using Al foil as the electrode. A higher concentration of silver nanowire solution was also shown to be able to improve the sensitivity.
Reduced numbers of IL‐7 receptor (CD127) expressing immune cells and IL‐7‐signaling defects in peripheral blood from patients with breast cancer

Interleukin‐7‐receptor‐signaling plays a pivotal role in T‐cell development and maintenance of T‐cell memory. We studied IL‐7Rα (CD127) expression in PBMCs obtained from patients with breast cancer and examined IL‐7 receptor‐mediated downstream effects defined by STAT5 phosphorylation (p‐STAT5). Reduced numbers of IL‐7Rα‐positive cells were identified in CD4+ T‐cells as well as in a CD8+ T‐cell subset defined by CD8α/α homodimer expression in patients with breast cancer. PBMCs obtained from healthy donors (n = 19) and from patients with breast cancer (n = 19) exhibited constitutive p‐STAT5 expression in the range of 0–6.4% in CD4+ T‐cells and 0–4% in CD8+ T‐cells. Stimulation with recombinant human IL‐7 for 15 min increased p‐STAT5 expression up to 36–97% in CD4+T‐cells and to 26–90% in CD8+T‐cells obtained from healthy control donors (n = 19). In contrast, PBMCs obtained from 13/19 patients with breast cancer did not respond to IL‐7 as defined by STAT5 phosphorylation, despite expression of IL‐7Rα on T‐lymphocytes. T‐cells were further characterized for IL‐ 2 and IFN‐γ production induced by PMA/Ionomycin. PBMCs from 9/19 patients with breast cancer showed decreased IL‐2 and IFN‐γ production combined with IL‐7‐signaling defects; PBMCs from 4 patients with breast cancer exhibited deficient IL‐7‐signaling, yet intact cytokine production. Reduced numbers of IL‐7Rα‐positive cells and nonresponsiveness to IL‐7, defined by lack of STAT5 phosphorylation, characterizes the immunological profile in T‐cells from patients with breast cancer. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Neural Variability, Detection Thresholds, and Information Transmission in the Vestibular System

A fundamental issue in neural coding is the role of spike timing variation in information transmission of sensory stimuli. Vestibular afferents are particularly well suited to study this issue because they are classified as either regular or irregular based on resting discharge variability as well as morphology. Here, we compared the responses of each afferent class to sinusoidal and random head rotations using both information theoretic and gain measures. Information theoretic measures demonstrated that regular afferents transmitted, on average, two times more information than irregular afferents, despite having significantly lower gains. Moreover, consistent with information theoretic measures, regular afferents had angular velocity detection thresholds that were 50% lower than those of irregular afferents (∼4 vs 8°/s). Finally, to quantify the information carried by spike times, we added spike-timing jitter to the spike trains of both regular and irregular afferents. Our results showed that this significantly reduced information transmitted by regular afferents whereas it had little effect on irregular afferents. Thus, information is carried in the spike times of regular but not irregular afferents. Using a simple leaky integrate and fire model with a dynamic threshold, we show that differential levels of intrinsic noise can explain differences in the resting discharge, the responses to sensory stimuli, as well as the information carried by action potential timings of each afferent class. Our experimental and modeling results provide new insights as to how neural variability influences the strategy used by two different classes of sensory neurons to encode behaviorally relevant stimuli.
3D‐ultramicroscopy utilizing aspheric optics

Using a combination of achromatic aspheric optical elements and achromatic cylindrical lenses, we developed an improved laser light sheet generator for two‐side illumination ultramicroscopy. This light sheet generator has a much longer Rayleigh range, a more uniform spatial intensity distribution along x ‐, y ‐ and z‐axis, and reduced aberrations than the standard system consisting of a slit aperture and a single cylindrical lens, which is commonly used in light sheet microscopy. As there is no truncation of the beam by a slit aperture in our design the laser energy is used more efficiently. Applying this light sheet generator to ultramicroscopy of chemically cleared biological samples, such as Drosophila, dissected mouse hippocampi, and entire mouse brains, we achieved a markedly improved resolution of fine details. (© 2014 WILEY‐VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA, Weinheim)