Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advanced Demand Response Considering Modular and Deferrable Loads under Time-Variable Rates

As the global energy policy is changing from a demand-driven to a supply-driven approach, demand side management (DSM) is becoming a key component of future energy systems. Indeed, it helps power grids' operators to balance the demand for power with intermittent renewable energy sources such as wind and solar units. DSM consists in optimizing/adapting the power consumption to meet the production through various methods such as improving the energy efficiency by using better equipment and materials, implementing demand response (DR) solutions, etc. DSM mechanisms do not necessarily reduce the total power consumption, but reshape the consumption pattern. Hence, DSM is expected to reduce the need for investments in networks and power plants in order to meet peak demands. In this paper, we propose an advanced DR solution for individual households. Considering a household equipped with various domestic loads, we aim at optimally scheduling the day-ahead power consumption under time-variable rates while taking advantage of modular and deferrable loads, e.g., electric vehicle. For this purpose, we propose an exact approach to solve the problem of energy management within a household under both system's and user's constraints. Our proposal is numerically validated through real- life scenarios, elaborated using an existing simulator of human behavior regarding power consumption.
Towards Systematic Business Model Innovation: Lessons from Product Innovation Management

Although business model innovations are decisive for a company's long-term success or failure, they are still poorly understood compared to product innovations. Thus, their execution is imperfectly supported, and their organizational accountability is insufficiently regulated. In this paper, we systematically investigate similarities and differences between product and business model innovation to assess the potential of transferring insights and best practices. Therefore, we condense key findings of product innovation management into a framework as a basis for the analysis of 11 current cases of business model innovation. This paper intends to contribute to a better understanding of the options that exist for business model innovation. We derive implications for an improved management of business model innovation based on the cases analysed. For the innovation process and its organizational anchoring, we disclose potential benefits of a more structured and holistic approach.
Secured Communication among IoT Devices in the Presence of Cellular Interference

This paper studies confidential message transmission in a relay aided IoT system in the presence of cellular interference. Here the IoT devices share the same spectrum resources as the cellular users (CU) and an eavesdropper attempts to extract the confidential messages from these devices. For this system, the expressions for the mean square errors (MSE) at the legitimate and eavesdropping users have been formulated. The precoding matrices are then optimized in such a manner that the MSEs at the legitimate receivers are kept small, whereas MSE at the eavesdropper is large. The analysis shows that increasing interference from CU can degrade the MSE performance at the eavesdropper. Also, it can be seen that with increasing distance between the devices and the eavesdropper, the MSE at the eavesdropper increases. On the other hand, increasing the distance between the CU and the eavesdropper decreases the MSE at the eavesdropper. Finally, numerical simulation results are provided to verify the validity of the analysis.
Hydrolysis‐Resistant GTP Analogs Stimulate Catecholamine Release from Digitonin‐Permeabilized PC12 Cells

Abstract: The effect of the hydrolysis‐resistant GTP analogs, guanosine 5′‐O‐(3‐thiotriphosphate) (GTPγS) and guanylyl imidodiphosphate (GMPPNP), on norepinephrine (NE) secretion from digitonin‐permeabilized rat pheochromocytoma cells, PC12, was examined. Although secretion in the presence of saturating Ca2+ (10 μM) was not affected by GTP7S or GMPPNP, secretion in the absence of Ca2+ was stimulated by these GTP analogs. Secretion induced by saturating concentrations of GTPγS or GMPPNP was approximately 80% of that induced by 10 μM Ca2+. Half‐maximum stimulation was induced by 30 μM GTPγS or GMPPNP. Both Ca2+‐stimulated and GTPγS‐stimulated secretion were ATP dependent and inhibited by N‐ethylmaleimide. The GTPγS‐stimulated secretion of NE from permeabilized PC12 cells does not appear to result from either the release of Ca2+ or the activation of protein kinase C. Activation of protein kinase C by pretreatment of intact cells with 12‐O‐tetradecanoyl‐phorbol 13‐acetate caused a 50% increase in both Ca2+‐stimulated and GTP7S‐stimulated secretion. Cholera and pertussis toxins did not affect Ca2+‐stimulated or GTPγS‐stim‐ulated NE secretion. Guanosine 5′‐O‐(2‐thiodiphosphate) (GDPβS) and GTP inhibited GTPγS‐stimulated secretion but not Ca2+‐stimulated secretion. The inability of GDPβS to inhibit Ca2+‐stimulated secretion indicates that the process affected by GTPγS is not an essential step in the Ca2+‐stimulated pathway.
Transfusions in the less severely injured: does age of transfused blood affect outcomes?

BACKGROUND Prior studies have demonstrated that transfusion of older stored blood is associated with an increased risk of multiple organ failure, infection, and death. These reports were primarily comprised of severely injured patients, and it remains unknown whether this phenomenon is observed in relatively less injured patients. The purpose of this study was to evaluate the association between the age of stored blood and the morbidity and mortality in a mild to moderately injured patient cohort. METHODS Blunt trauma patients with Injury Severity Score <25 admitted to a Trauma Intensive Care Unit during 7.5 years who received no blood during the first 48 hours of hospitalization were selected for inclusion. Patients who died within 48 hours of admission were excluded from analysis. Odds ratios (ORs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated for the association between morbidity or mortality and the age and amount of blood transfused (>48 hours postadmission), adjusted for age, sex, injury severity, thoracic injury, mechanical ventilation, and transfusion volume. RESULTS During 7.5 years, 1,624 patients met the study criteria. The mean Injury Severity Score was 14.4. Receipt of blood stored beyond 2 weeks was associated with mortality (OR 1.12 [CI 1.02-1.23]), renal failure (OR 1.18 [CI 1.07-1.29]), and pneumonia (OR 1.10 [CI 1.04-1.17]). No such associations were identified, however, concerning the transfusion of blood with a lesser storage age. CONCLUSION In a mild to moderately injured intensive care unit patient cohort, the receipt of blood stored beyond 2 weeks was independently associated with mortality, renal failure, and pneumonia. The deleterious effect of older blood on patient outcome does not appear to be limited to the severely injured.
Japanese ratification of the Kyoto Protocol

Abstract This paper discusses Japan's quantitative Kyoto target in the context of the country's socio-economic and political background and its desire to express international leadership. Japan's initial negotiating target was developed as a compromise between domestic industrial considerations and its international ambitions, and was strengthened further under the pressures to achieve success at Kyoto. The original projections relied heavily upon nuclear expansion that will not be realized. Though economic stagnation has helped emissions to decline from their mid-1990s peak, it has also reduced the attention devoted to climate change and the willingness to bear costs, and Japan's commitment remains daunting. Japanese bureaucrats and diplomats are called to work closer together and in an integrated manner in order to develop a new, more realistic policy package for achieving their target. This report analyses various scenarios for additional policies for Japan, including fuel switching, carbon taxation and emissions trading, and concludes that the introduction of gas in the context of energy market liberalization is a key possibility. It also considers the sink and the nuclear energy issues both of high importance for the country.
Sequence of the flaA (cheC) locus of Escherichia coli and discovery of a new gene

The flaA (cheC) locus from Escherichia coli is important in controlling the rotational direction of flagella during chemotaxis. The locus was sequenced, and a site of transcriptional initiation was determined. Two reading frames, flaAI and flaAII, span the locus. flaAII corresponds to certain flaA and cheC mutations, and has some unusual features in the predicted secondary structure. flaAI, however, has not been identified previously, but a flaAI deletion, which produced a truncated FlaAI peptide in minicells, clearly identified the FlaAI protein.
Theory and application of risk analysis in an agricultural development setting: A Moroccan case study

Portfolio analysis, using nonlinear risk programming, was applied to identify the risk-efficient crop portfolios for a group of subsistence farmers. On average these individuals operated 6.5 hectares of crop land. It was shown that E-V approximations could be developed, using quadratic programming, which provide close estimates to maximum expected utility at various risk-aversion levels. The appropriate utility function form and an approximation of the level of risk aversion exhibited by small farmers were identified. Results suggest these farmers may be far less risk averse than previously believed. Coauthors are Ahmed Driouchi, Bernard V. Tew and Donald W. Reid. Copyright 1993 by Oxford University Press.
Empirical modeling methods using partial data

Methods were developed to calculate empirical models for device error behavior from data sets with missing data. These models can be used to develop reduced test point testing procedures for the devices. Normally, models are built from only full data measurement sets, and partial data sets are discarded. For models built from noisy data, the accuracy of the models improves as more data is used. This paper explores methods to use partial data sets. Both real and simulated data results are described. Simulations show that the proposed partial data methods improve the accuracy of the models for some test points. When these methods are applied to real data where the underlying model has changed, the improvement is less than the simulations predict.
Investigating Standard Setting: Accounting for the United Kingdom's Private Finance Initiative

This paper provides a case study of the use of Walker and Robinson's (1993) model of the elements of an accounting standard setting process. The objective of the paper is to extend the existing literature through an examination of the process by which accounting regulation was developed in the context of the private sector and subsequently adopted by the public sector, including consideration of the interaction between the rule-making bodies of the two sectors. The empirical element of the paper draws upon the development of rules of accounting for the Private Finance Initiative (PFI) in the U.K. The empirical material illustrates the difficulty of conducting research into accounting regulation as documentation that is in the public domain reveals, but does not disclose, the presence of other significant influences. Walker and Robinson provide a useful model to analyse the process of standard setting. The case study supports their view that research addressing the genesis of any accounting standard will be deficient to the extent that it does not include reference to the influences that are not publicly revealed. Failure to include consideration of all the forces weakens any claimed causal links, a weakness that is not overcome simply by acknowledging the existence of other, uninvestigated aspects. This must be balanced against a recognition that it will never be possible to identify and weight all of the forces acting in a political process and so it is not possible fully to meet all of the standards of investigation set by Walker and Robinson.
Synchronous movements of the longitudinal and circular muscle during peristalsis in the isolated guinea‐pig distal colon

1 Peristalsis, which involves enteric nervous reflexes, is the co‐ordinated movements of the longitudinal (LM) and circular (CM) muscle layers that propel intraluminal contents down the bowel. Although the movements of the CM during peristalsis are reasonably clear the relative movements of the LM are poorly understood. 2 We studied the oral and anal movements of the LM and CM during a peristaltic wave in isolated segments of guinea‐pig distal colon. Dissection techniques were used to prevent mechanical interactions between the LM and CM; also, the colonic segment was passed through a partition to prevent mechanical disturbances created by a peristaltic wave in the bulk of the colon from influencing the end from which recordings were made. 3 Peristalsis was generated by slowly filling the lumen of the colon with fluid. At threshold, the LM and CM synchronously contracted oral (ascending excitation) to, and relaxed anal (descending inhibition) to, a peristaltic wave. The anal relaxation was followed by a contraction (descending excitation) of both muscle layers. 4 Atropine (1 μm) in the recording chamber reduced both the oral (LM by 40 % and CM by 27 %) and anal (LM by 36 % and CM by 36 %) contractile responses as well as the anal relaxation response in both muscle layers. Hexamethonium (300 μm) almost blocked the oral contractile responses of the LM and CM but had no affect on the anal responses of either muscle layer. 5 N ω‐nitro‐L‐arginine (L‐NA; 100 μm) reduced the oral contractile response of the LM and CM by 50 %, the anal contractile response of the LM by 30 %, and the anal relaxation response of the LM and CM by about 30 %. The anal contractile response of the CM was unaffected by L‐NA. 6 Apamin (0.5 μm) also reduced the evoked anal relaxation of both the LM and CM by about 50 %. Further addition of L‐NA nearly abolished the relaxation response in the LM, but did not cause any further reduction in the relaxation response of the CM observed in apamin alone. 7 It is concluded, that the LM and CM exhibit synchronous movements during peristalsis in the colon. Also, peristalsis consists of activation of ascending excitatory, and descending inhibitory and excitatory nervous pathways to the LM and CM, which are cholinergic and non‐cholinergic, respectively. Nitric oxide is an important neuromodulator within the intrinsic nervous pathways.
Media coverage of corporate social responsibility

The media in a democratic society has an important function to provide the citizens with timely and accurate information, as well as to furnish them with poignant elaboration and analysis of the issues involved. This is the report of the first phase of a study to examine how well the print media performed this function in relation to the conce responsibility following the BP Gulf of Mexico oil disaster on April 20, 2010. Although the results show that there was really no discernible increase in addressing this concept, further research needs to be followed to put this find
Investment dynamics in a DSGE model with heterogeneous firms and corporate taxation

In this paper I study a new business cycle fact recently documented by Bachmann and Bayer (2011): the dispersion of the distribution of investment rates across firms is procyclical. Using data from German firm, the authors find a correlation coefficient between the standard deviation of investment distribution and the cyclical component of output of 0.45. They also report a correlation coefficient for US economy of 0.33. Using a model similar to Khan and Thomas's (2003), that is standard to heterogeneous firms literature, I obtain a correlation coefficient of 0.57. In the model I also consider a government sector that collects taxes on corporate profits. In such model, with a corporate tax of 23.5%, which corresponds to German economy, I obtain a correlation coefficient of 0.46 and when I consider a corporate tax rate of 18.79% that corresponds to US economy I find a correlation coefficient of 0.51.
Factors associated with unsuccessful utilization and early failure of the arterio-venous fistula for hemodialysis.

BACKGROUND Arteriovenous fistulae survive longer than grafts and catheters. However, their short term outcomes may not be as good. We sought to determine whether fistulae created in patients referred to a nephrologist less than 3 months before dialysis start show higher risk of unsuccessful use and early failure. METHODS All patients receiving a new vascular access over a six-year period at three centres were enrolled. Logistic and Cox's regression techniques were used to model late referral on successful utilization for <6 consecutive HD-sessions and time to failure within the first month from access creation, adjusting for demographics, comorbidities and surgical strategies. RESULTS Among the 535 subjects enrolled, 513 received a fistula. Without considering revisions, 119 fistulae (23.2%) were not successfully used and 61 (11.9%) failed early. Independent predictors of unsuccessful utilization were late referral (Odds Ratio 2.15 [95% Confidence Interval 1.23, 3.75]), vascular diseases (1.86 [1.16, 2.97]), absence of treated hypertension (2.07 [1.17, 3.68]), and heart failure limited to late referrals (10.74 [4, 28.82]). Late referral (Hazard Ratio 1.72 [1.05, 2.81]), absence of treated hypertension (1.80 [1.02, 3.18]) and heart failure (2.34 [1.34, 4.08]) also predicted primary early failure. CONCLUSIONS Late patient referral and presence of cardiovascular diseases, particularly heart failure, are potentially modifiable risk factors for short-term outcomes improvement of hemodialysis fistulae.
New Bayesian Algorithm for Sea Ice Detection With QuikSCAT

The authors propose a new sea ice detection method for a rotating Ku-band scatterometer with dual-polarization capability, such as SeaWinds on the Quick Scatterometer (QuikSCAT), based on probabilistic distances to ocean wind and sea ice geophysical model functions (GMFs) and evaluate its performance against other active and passive microwave algorithms. All the methods yield similar results during the sea ice growth season but show substantial differences during the spring and summer months. A detailed comparison based on high-resolution synthetic aperture radar and optical imagery shows that major discrepancies relate to newly formed, low-concentration, and water-saturated sea ice species. The new GMF-based algorithm for sea ice detection with QuikSCAT improves on the misclassification scores that affect other algorithms and provides daily sea ice masks at a 25-km resolution for use in ground processors that require the effective removal of sea ice contaminated pixels all year round.
Active Dendrites and Differential Distribution of Calcium Channels Enable Functional Compartmentalization of Golgi Cells

Interneurons are essential to controlling excitability, timing, and synaptic integration in neuronal networks. Golgi cells (GoCs) serve these roles at the input layer of the cerebellar cortex by releasing GABA to inhibit granule cells (grcs). GoCs are excited by mossy fibers (MFs) and grcs and provide feedforward and feedback inhibition to grcs. Here we investigate two important aspects of GoC physiology: the properties of GoC dendrites and the role of calcium signaling in regulating GoC spontaneous activity. Although GoC dendrites are extensive, previous studies concluded they are devoid of voltage-gated ion channels. Hence, the current view holds that somatic voltage signals decay passively within GoC dendrites, and grc synapses onto distal dendrites are not amplified and are therefore ineffective at firing GoCs because of strong passive attenuation. Using whole-cell recording and calcium imaging in rat slices, we find that dendritic voltage-gated sodium channels allow somatic action potentials to activate voltage-gated calcium channels (VGCCs) along the entire dendritic length, with R-type and T-type VGCCs preferentially located distally. We show that R- and T-type VGCCs located in the dendrites can boost distal synaptic inputs and promote burst firing. Active dendrites are thus critical to the regulation of GoC activity, and consequently, to the processing of input to the cerebellar cortex. In contrast, we find that N-type channels are preferentially located near the soma, and control the frequency and pattern of spontaneous firing through their close association with calcium-activated potassium (KCa) channels. Thus, VGCC types are differentially distributed and serve specialized functions within GoCs. SIGNIFICANCE STATEMENT Interneurons are essential to neural processing because they modulate excitability, timing, and synaptic integration within circuits. At the input layer of the cerebellar cortex, a single type of interneuron, the Golgi cell (GoC), carries these functions. The extent of inhibition depends on both spontaneous activity of GoCs and the excitatory synaptic input they receive. In this study, we find that different types of calcium channels are differentially distributed, with dendritic calcium channels being activated by somatic activity, boosting synaptic inputs and enabling bursting, and somatic calcium cannels promoting regular firing. We therefore challenge the current view that GoC dendrites are passive and identify the mechanisms that contribute to GoCs regulating the flow of sensory information in the cerebellar cortex.
Insulin stimulates NaCl transport in isolated perfused MTAL of Henle's loop of rabbit kidney.

To elucidate the mechanism of Na+ retention by insulin in vivo, the direct tubular effect of insulin on NaCl transport in the in vitro microperfused medullary thick ascending limb of Henle (MTAL) was examined. Insulin at 10(-6) mol/l in the bath increased transepithelial voltage (Vte) from 3.1 +/- 0.3 to 5.7 +/- 0.3 mV (n = 12, P < 0.0001). The effect of insulin on Vte was dependent on its concentration, and the half-maximal effect of insulin was observed at 5 x 10(-9) mol/l. Insulin at 10(-6) mol/l also caused a significant decrease of luminal Cl- concentration from 85.4 +/- 5.0 to 62.8 +/- 3.0 mmol/l (n = 5, P < 0.002) when the lumen was microperfused constantly at less than 1 nl/min. Insulin at 10(-6) mol/l also increased net lumen-to-bath Cl- flux (JCl) from 143 +/- 15 to 292 +/- 37 pmol.mm-1.min-1 (n = 5, P < 0.004). When the Na(+)-K(+)-adenosinetriphosphatase (Na(+)-K(+)-ATPase) in the basolateral membrane was blocked by 10(-4) mol/l ouabain, the insulin-mediated increase in Vte was completely suppressed. When the Na(+)-K(+)-2Cl- cotransporter in the luminal membrane of the MTAL was blocked by 10(-4) mol/l furosemide, the insulin-mediated increase in Vte was also abolished. To test whether adenosine 3',5'-cyclic monophosphate (cAMP) contributes to the action of insulin, we examined the effect of cAMP analogue and cAMP-dependent protein kinase inhibitor on the action of insulin. A maximal concentration (5 x 10(-4) mol/l) of dibutyryl-cAMP (DBcAMP) increased Vte and JCl. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)