Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Integrated, Agent-Based, Real-time Control Systems for Transmission and Distribution Networks

Centralized control systems can be easier to design and generally conform to utility industry practices, but have disadvantages in terms of actuation speed and limited robustness to failures. Interoperability among devices and across systems will facilitate decentralized decision-making systems that can react quickly to local problems and, when well designed, are more resilient to failures. This paper describes a conceptual design for the integrated, real-time control of both transmission and distribution systems. The design uses intelligent control agents located at nodes in the grid. To illustrate the utility of decentralized, agent-based, real-time control, we describe two agent-based control algorithms, one designed to mitigate the effects of cascading failures in the transmission system and the other designed to improve distribution circuit performance. After describing the proposed design concepts and presenting some example results, we describe some information technology advances that have the potential to enable an interoperable network of software agents with real-time control capabilities for both transmission and distribution.
Tradespace analysis for multiple performance measures

To meet the changing demands of operational environments, future Department of Defense solutions require the engineering of resilient systems. Scientists, engineers and analysts rely on modeling, simulation, and tradespace analysis to design future resilient systems. During conceptual system design, high performance computing clusters and models from multiple domains are leveraged to conduct large-scale simulation experiments that generate multi-dimensional data for tradespace exploration. Despite recent breakthroughs in computation capabilities, the world's most powerful computers cannot effectively explore a high-dimensional tradespace using a brute-force approach. This paper outlines a viable methodology and process to generate large numbers of variant solutions for tradeoff analysis. Design of experiments is used to efficiently explore a high-dimensional tradespace and identify system design drivers. These drivers are used to identify model inputs that help focus tradespace generation in areas that promise viable solutions. A dashboard illustrates how viable variant exploration can be conducted to illuminate trade decisions.
Combined therapeutic benefit of mitochondria-targeted antioxidant, MitoQ10, and angiotensin receptor blocker, losartan, on cardiovascular function

Objective: Mitochondria-derived reactive oxygen species (ROS) play important roles in the development of cardiovascular disease highlighting the need for novel targeted therapies. This study assessed the potential therapeutic benefit of combining the mitochondria-specific antioxidant, MitoQ10, with the low-dose angiotensin receptor blocker (ARB), losartan, on attenuation of hypertension and left ventricular hypertrophy. In parallel, we investigated the impact of MitoQ10 on cardiac hypertrophy in a neonatal cardiomyocyte cell line. Methods and results: Eight-week-old male stroke-prone spontaneously hypertensive rats (SHRSPs, n = 8–11) were treated with low-dose losartan (2.5 mg/kg per day); MitoQ10 (500 &mgr;mol/l); a combination of MitoQ10 and losartan (M + L); or vehicle for 8 weeks. Systolic pressure and pulse pressure were significantly lower in M + L rats (167.1 ± 2.9 mmHg; 50.2 ± 2.05 mmHg) than in untreated SHRSP (206.6 ± 9 mmHg, P < 0.001; 63.7 ± 2.7 mmHg, P = 0.001) and demonstrated greater improvement than MitoQ10 or low-dose losartan alone, as measured by radiotelemetry. Left ventricular mass index was significantly reduced from 22.8 ± 0.74 to 20.1 ± 0.61 mg/mm in the combination group (P < 0.05). Picrosirius red staining showed significantly reduced cardiac fibrosis in M + L rats (0.82 ± 0.22 A.U.) compared with control (5.94 ± 1.35 A.U., P < 0.01). In H9c2 neonatal rat cardiomyocytes, MitoQ10 significantly inhibited angiotensin II mediated hypertrophy in a dose-dependent manner (500 nmol/l MitoQ10 153.7 ± 3.1 microns vs. angiotensin II 200.1 ± 3.6 microns, P < 0.001). Conclusion: Combining MitoQ10 and low-dose losartan provides additive therapeutic benefit, significantly attenuating development of hypertension and reducing left ventricular hypertrophy. In addition, MitoQ10 mediates a direct antihypertrophic effect on rat cardiomyocytes in vitro. MitoQ10 has potential as a novel therapeutic intervention in conjunction with current antihypertensive drugs.
A Division in PIN-Mediated Auxin Patterning during Organ Initiation in Grasses

The hormone auxin plays a crucial role in plant morphogenesis. In the shoot apical meristem, the PIN-FORMED1 (PIN1) efflux carrier concentrates auxin into local maxima in the epidermis, which position incipient leaf or floral primordia. From these maxima, PIN1 transports auxin into internal tissues along emergent paths that pattern leaf and stem vasculature. In Arabidopsis thaliana, these functions are attributed to a single PIN1 protein. Using phylogenetic and gene synteny analysis we identified an angiosperm PIN clade sister to PIN1, here termed Sister-of-PIN1 (SoPIN1), which is present in all sampled angiosperms except for Brassicaceae, including Arabidopsis. Additionally, we identified a conserved duplication of PIN1 in the grasses: PIN1a and PIN1b. In Brachypodium distachyon, SoPIN1 is highly expressed in the epidermis and is consistently polarized toward regions of high expression of the DR5 auxin-signaling reporter, which suggests that SoPIN1 functions in the localization of new primordia. In contrast, PIN1a and PIN1b are highly expressed in internal tissues, suggesting a role in vascular patterning. PIN1b is expressed in broad regions spanning the space between new primordia and previously formed vasculature, suggesting a role in connecting new organs to auxin sinks in the older tissues. Within these regions, PIN1a forms narrow canals that likely pattern future veins. Using a computer model, we reproduced the observed spatio-temporal expression and localization patterns of these proteins by assuming that SoPIN1 is polarized up the auxin gradient, and PIN1a and PIN1b are polarized to different degrees with the auxin flux. Our results suggest that examination and modeling of PIN dynamics in plants outside of Brassicaceae will offer insights into auxin-driven patterning obscured by the loss of the SoPIN1 clade in Brassicaceae.
DC Offset Modeling and Noise Minimization for Differential Amplifier in Subthreshold Operation

This work presents the rigorous formulation of input referred offset voltage for differential amplifier, having the input pair devices in subthreshold region of operation. The formulation has been verified in 0.35 μm and 0.18 μm CMOS technologies by using Monte Carlo Simulation. Minimization of 1/f noise is the additional advantage of this method.
Future of silicon integrated circuit technology

CMOS technology has been developed into the sub-100 nm range. It is expected that the nano-CMOS technology will governed the IC manufacturing for at least another couple of decades. Though there are many challenges ahead, further down-sizing the device to a few nanometers is still on the schedule of International Technology Roadmap for Semiconductors (ITRS). Several technological options for manufacturing nano-CMOS microchips have been available or will soon be available. This paper reviews the challenges of nano-CMOS downsizing and manufacturing. We shall focus on the recent progress on the key technologies for the nano-CMOS IC fabrication in the next fifteen years.
Ryanodine Receptors Selectively Interact with L Type Calcium Channels in Mouse Taste Cells

Introduction We reported that ryanodine receptors are expressed in two different types of mammalian peripheral taste receptor cells: Type II and Type III cells. Type II cells lack voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) and chemical synapses. In these cells, ryanodine receptors contribute to the taste-evoked calcium signals that are initiated by opening inositol trisphosphate receptors located on internal calcium stores. In Type III cells that do have VGCCs and chemical synapses, ryanodine receptors contribute to the depolarization-dependent calcium influx. Methodology/Principal Findings The goal of this study was to establish if there was selectivity in the type of VGCC that is associated with the ryanodine receptor in the Type III taste cells or if the ryanodine receptor opens irrespective of the calcium channels involved. We also wished to determine if the ryanodine receptors and VGCCs require a physical linkage to interact or are simply functionally associated with each other. Using calcium imaging and pharmacological inhibitors, we found that ryanodine receptors are selectively associated with L type VGCCs but likely not through a physical linkage. Conclusions/Significance Taste cells are able to undergo calcium induced calcium release through ryanodine receptors to increase the initial calcium influx signal and provide a larger calcium response than would otherwise occur when L type channels are activated in Type III taste cells.
A Multicircuit Simulator Based on Inverse Jacobian Matrix Reuse

This paper proposes a technique, GALAXY, to speed up multicircuit simulation, where each circuit under simulation is identical in schematic but different in some parameters. GALAXY is based on the successive chord method, where the inverse Jacobian matrix (J-1) is reused to simulate many circuits whose solutions are similar. GALAXY also speeds up singlecircuit simulation by reusing J-1 between consecutive time steps. Compared with a traditional Newton-Raphson (NR) simulator, on average, GALAXY reduces runtime of single-circuit and multicircuit simulation by 44% and 71%, without loss of accuracy. The number of NR iterations is reduced by 78%.
Fast Texture Mapping of Photographs on a 3 D Facial Model

This paper presents a new fast method for adding texture on a 3D geometric facial model derived from CT for the application of surgery simulation. Registration of three photographs(front, left-, and right-side), and the 3D geometric model is carried out automatically using edge patterns of landmarks. For reliable registration, those edges (e.g. eyebrow, beard) on the photographs not presented on the CT image are removed in advance. A graphics board with a geometry engine is used for a faster calculation of projections from 3D to 2D images. The computation speed is approximately two minutes per person for registration and texture mapping.
Dynamic logic for belief revision

We show how belief revision can be treated systematically in the format of dynamicepistemic logic, when operators of conditional belief are added. The core engine consists of definable update rules for changing plausibility relations between worlds, which have been proposed independently in the dynamic-epistemic literature on preference change. Our analysis yields two new types of modal result. First, we obtain complete logics for concrete mechanisms of belief revision, based on compositional reduction axioms. Next, we show how various abstract postulates for belief revision can be analyzed by standard modal frame correspondences for model-changing operations.
Wavelet analysis for shadow detection in Fringe Projection Profilometry

Fringe Projection Profilometry (FPP) is the most widely used method for 3D reconstruction. In FPP, the elevation information is deduced from the deformation of the pattern induced by the object. In the shadow areas, no fringe patterns are formed and as a result, the elevation information in these areas cannot be determined resulting in errors in the 3D reconstruction. This paper proposes a new method to detect the occurrences of shadow using the Haar Wavelet for a typical single camera with one projector configuration. The Haar wavelet emphasises the sudden change caused by boundary of the shadow and also shows the non-existence of the pattern in the shadow area. The method detects shadow boundary and differentiates shadow and non-shadow area based on the threshold defined from the statistics of the signal. The method is found more suitable for deformed fringe pattern than Fourier-based shadow detection, as the nature of the signal is non-stationary. The proposed method correctly detects shadow with robustness to the noise power up to 16.9 dB.
Use of condoms: intention and behaviour of adolescents living in juvenile rehabilitation centres

The psychosocial factors associated with condom use intentions and behavior were investigated in a sample of 152 male and female adolescents (mean age 16.05 years) living in juvenile rehabilitation centers in Quebec Canada. Of particular interest was the capability of the Theory of Planned Behavior to explain and predict condom use among youth experiencing social adaptation problems. 92.6% of male and 93.2% of female respondents were sexually active; the mean age at first intercourse was 13.25 years. At baseline the incarcerated adolescents were asked to rate their likelihood of condom use with a new sexual partner in the next 3 months; 3 months later their actual behavior was assessed. Intention at baseline to use condoms was strongly associated with personal normative beliefs perceived behavioral control and frequency of condom use in the past. Negative intenders had significantly lower scores than positive intenders on the normative scale regarding personal feelings of moral obligation to others and anticipated significant obstacles (physical and psychological) to condom use. These findings suggest that interventions aimed at increasing knowledge about the advantages of condom use will have limited effectiveness among juveniles in detention facilities. More important is the development of moral judgment and pro-social values. Experiential techniques such as role plays and small group discussions are also recommended to enhance perceived behavioral control over condom use.
Uncoded acoustic communication in shallow waters with bursty impulsive noise

The shallow underwater acoustic channel offers a challenging environment. Besides long delay spreads caused by multiple surface-bottom reflections, the channel is time variant as well. In tropical waters, the problem is compounded further by impulsive noise created by snapping shrimp. Conventionally, the noise process is modeled by white impulsive noise. However, in reality, snapping shrimp noise depicts memory and is thus bursty as well. We investigate the performance of a high-rate uncoded acoustic communication system operating in tropical shallow waters. The stationary α-sub-Gaussian noise with memory order m (αSGN(m)) model is employed as it characterizes both the temporal and amplitude statistics of snapping shrimp noise. We show that there is a stark deviation from the expected performance of the white maximum-likelihood (ML) detector when the ambient noise is αSGN(m) (m > 0). Moreover, we derive the ML detector for the shallow water acoustic channel with additive αSGN(m) and compare its performance to that of its white counterpart.
Analysis of new and existing methods of reducing intercarrier interference due to carrier frequency offset in OFDM

Orthogonal frequency division multiplexing (OFDM) is very sensitive to frequency errors caused by frequency differences between transmitter and receiver local oscillators. This sensitivity is analyzed in terms of the complex weighting coefficients which give the contribution of each transmitter subcarrier to each demodulated subcarrier. Previously described windowing and self intercarrier interference (ICI) cancellation methods are analyzed in terms of these weighting coefficients. New ICI cancellation schemes with very much improved performance are described. A condition for orthogonality of windowing schemes is derived in terms of the discrete Fourier transform (DFT) of the windowing function.
Sharpening coarse-to-fine stereo vision by perceptual learning: asymmetric transfer across the spatial frequency spectrum

Neurons in the early visual cortex are finely tuned to different low-level visual features, forming a multi-channel system analysing the visual image formed on the retina in a parallel manner. However, little is known about the potential ‘cross-talk’ among these channels. Here, we systematically investigated whether stereoacuity, over a large range of target spatial frequencies, can be enhanced by perceptual learning. Using narrow-band visual stimuli, we found that practice with coarse (low spatial frequency) targets substantially improves performance, and that the improvement spreads from coarse to fine (high spatial frequency) three-dimensional perception, generalizing broadly across untrained spatial frequencies and orientations. Notably, we observed an asymmetric transfer of learning across the spatial frequency spectrum. The bandwidth of transfer was broader when training was at a high spatial frequency than at a low spatial frequency. Stereoacuity training is most beneficial when trained with fine targets. This broad transfer of stereoacuity learning contrasts with the highly specific learning reported for other basic visual functions. We also revealed strategies to boost learning outcomes ‘beyond-the-plateau’. Our investigations contribute to understanding the functional properties of the network subserving stereovision. The ability to generalize may provide a key principle for restoring impaired binocular vision in clinical situations.
Living and Dying with Hard Pegs: The Rise and Fall of Argentina's Currency Board

The rise and fall of Argentina's currency board shows the extent to which the advantages of hard pegs have been overstated. The currency board did provide nominal stability and boosted financial intermediation, at the cost of endogenous financial dollarization, but did not foster monetary or fiscal discipline. The failure to adequately address the currency-growth-debt trap into which Argentina fell at the end of the 1990s precipitated a run on the currency and the banks, followed by the abandonment of the currency board and a sovereign debt default. The crisis can be best interpreted as a bad outcome of a high-stakes strategy to overcome a weak currency problem. To increase the credibility of the hard peg, the government raised its exit costs, which deepened the crisis once exit could no longer be avoided. But some alternative exit strategies would have been less destructive than the one adopted.
Resolving the Nature of the LMC Microlensing Event LMC-5

We present the results from an analysis of Hubble Space Telescope High Resolution Camera data for the Large Magellanic Cloud microlensing event MACHO-LMC-5. By determining the parallax and proper motion of this object we find that the lens is an M dwarf star at a distance of 578(+65/-53)pc with a proper motion of 21.39 +/- 0.04 mas/yr. Based on the kinematics and location of this star it more likely to be part of the Galactic thick disk than thin disk population. We confirm that the microlensing event LMC-5 is a jerk-parallax event.
Technetium-99m-Labeled Autologous Serum Albumin: A Personal-Exclusive Source of Serum Component

Technetium-99m human serum albumin (99mTc-HSA) is an important radiopharmaceutical required in nuclear medicine studies. However, the risk of transfusion-transmitted infection remains a major safety concern. Autopreparation of serum component acquired from patient provides a “personal-exclusive” source for radiolabeling. This paper is to evaluate the practicality of on-site elusion and subsequent radiolabeling efficacy for serum albumin. Results showed that the autologous elute contained more albumin fraction than serum without extraction procedure. Good radiochemical purity and stability were demonstrated after radiolabeling. Biodistribution study showed that labeled albumin accumulated immediately in the lung, liver, and kidney. It was cleared steadily and excreted in the urine. The biologic half-life was defined, and all samples passed the pyrogenicity and sterility tests. In conclusion, autoalbumin could be extracted and radiolabeled properly in a nuclear medicine setting. Moreover, the risk of transfusion-transmitted infection associated with nonautologous, multisource 99mTc-HSA agents can be reduced.
LOTIS Search for Early-Time Optical Afterglows: GRB 971227

We report on the very early time search for an optical afterglow from GRB 971227 with the Livermore Optical Transient Imaging System (LOTIS). LOTIS began imaging the "original" BATSE error box of GRB 971227 ~14 s after the onset of gamma-ray emission. Continuous monitoring of the position throughout the evening yielded a total of 499 images (10 s integration). Analysis of these images revealed no steady optical afterglow brighter than R = 12.3 ± 0.2 in any single image. Co-addition of the LOTIS images also failed to uncover transient optical emission. In particular, assuming a constant early-time flux, no optical afterglow brighter than R = 14.2 ± 0.2 was present within the first 1200 s, and no optical afterglow brighter than R = 15.0 ± 0.2 was present in the first 6.0 hr. Follow-up observations by other groups revealed a likely X-ray afterglow and a possible optical afterglow. Although subsequent deeper observations could not confirm a fading source, we show that these transients are not inconsistent with our present knowledge of the characteristics of gamma-ray burst afterglows. We also demonstrate that with the upgraded thermoelectrically cooled CCDs, LOTIS is capable of either detecting very early time optical afterglow or placing stringent constraints on the relationship between the gamma-ray emission and the longer wavelength afterglow in relativistic blast-wave models.
Study on Internet Traffic Prediction Models

The predictability of network traffic is of significant interest in many domains, including adaptive applications [1], congestion control [2], admission control [3], wireless and network management [4]. An accurate traffic prediction model should have the ability to capture the prominent traffic characteristics, e.g. short and long dependence, self similarity in large-time scale and multifractal in small-time scale. For these reasons time series models are introduced in network traffic simulation and prediction. Accurate traffic prediction may be used to optimally smooth delay sensitive traffic [5] or dynamically allocate bandwidth to traffic streams [6]. The problem of traffic prediction is a standard time series prediction task, the goal of which is to approximate the function that relates the future values of a variable of the previous observations of that variable. The estimation value is given by:
Exact Algorithms for 0-1 Integer Programs with Linear Equality Constraints

In this paper, we show $O(1.415^n)$-time and $O(1.190^n)$-space exact algorithms for 0-1 integer programs where constraints are linear equalities and coefficients are arbitrary real numbers. Our algorithms are quadratically faster than exhaustive search and almost quadratically faster than an algorithm for an inequality version of the problem by Impagliazzo, Lovett, Paturi and Schneider (arXiv:1401.5512), which motivated our work. Rather than improving the time and space complexity, we advance to a simple direction as inclusion of many NP-hard problems in terms of exact exponential algorithms. Specifically, we extend our algorithms to linear optimization problems.