Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Active and Reactive Observability Restoration Subproblems in Generalized Power System State Estimation

This paper presents a new observability restora- tion algorithm based on Gram matrix factorization that is suitable to be used with the generalized state estimation model. The Gram matrix factorization is also used to build a method to identify physical islands of the system, which is required in the present proposed observability restoration method. A brief study concerning the availability of voltage magnitude measurements and the need to execute both active and reactive observability restoration is presented. The pro- posed method is robust, computationally efficient and tests with a generalized 6-bus system are shown.
Allelic haplotype combinations at the MS-P1 region, including P-class pentatricopeptide repeat family genes, influence wide phenotypic variation in pollen grain number through a cytoplasmic male sterility model in citrus

In citrus breeding programs, male sterility is an important trait for developing seedless varieties. Sterility associated with the male sterile cytoplasm of Kishu mandarin (Kishu-cytoplasm) has been proposed to fit the cytoplasmic male sterility (CMS) model. However, it remains undetermined whether CMS in citrus is controlled by interactions between sterile cytoplasm and nuclear restorer-of-fertility (Rf) genes. Accordingly, mechanisms underlying the control of the wide phenotypic variation in pollen number for breeding germplasm should be elucidated. This study aimed to identify complete linkage DNA markers responsible for male sterility at the MS-P1 region based on fine mapping. Two P-class pentatricopeptide repeat (PPR) family genes were identified as candidates for Rf based on predicted mitochondrial localization and higher expression in a male fertile variety/selected strain than in a male sterile variety. Eleven haplotypes (HT1–HT11) at the MS-P1 region were defined based on genotyping of DNA markers. Association analysis of diplotypes at the MS-P1 region and the number of pollen grains per anther (NPG) in breeding germplasms harboring Kishu-cytoplasm revealed that the diplotypes in this region influenced NPG. Among these haplotypes, HT1 is a non-functional restorer-of-fertility (rf) haplotype; HT2, a less-functional Rf; HT3–HT5 are semi-functional Rfs; and HT6 and HT7 are functional Rfs. However, the rare haplotypes HT8–HT11 could not be characterized. Therefore, P-class PPR family genes in the MS-P1 region may constitute the nuclear Rf genes within the CMS model, and a combination of the seven haplotypes could contribute to phenotypic variation in the NPG of breeding germplasms. These findings reveal the genomic mechanisms of CMS in citrus and will contribute to seedless citrus breeding programs by selecting candidate seedless seedlings using the DNA markers at the MS-P1 region.
Inherent differences of small airway contraction and Ca2+ oscillations in airway smooth muscle cells between BALB/c and C57BL/6 mouse strains

BALB/c and C57BL/6 mouse strains are widely used as animal model in studies of respiratory diseases, such as asthma. Asthma is characterized by airway hyperresponsiveness, which is eventually resulted from the excessive airway smooth muscle (ASM) contraction mediated by Ca2+ oscillations in ASM cells. It is reported that BALB/c mice have inherently higher airway responsiveness, but show no different contractive response of tracheal ring as compared to C57BL/6 mice. However, whether the different airway responsiveness is due to the different extents of small airway contraction, and what’s underlying mechanism remains unknown. Here, we assess agonist-induced small airway contraction and Ca2+ oscillations in ASM cells between BALB/c and C57BL/6 mice by using precision-cut lung slices (PCLS). We found that BALB/c mice showed an intrinsically stronger extent of small airway narrowing and faster Ca2+ oscillations in ASM cells in response to agonists. These differences were associated with a higher magnitude of Ca2+ influx via store-operated Ca2+ entry (SOCE), as a result of increased expression of SOCE components (STIM1, Orai1) in the ASM cells of small airway of BALB/c mice. An established mathematical model and experimental results suggested that the increased SOC current could result in increased agonist-induced Ca2+ oscillations. Therefore, the inherently higher SOC underlies the increased Ca2+ oscillation frequency in ASM cells and stronger small airway contraction in BALB/c mice, thus higher airway responsiveness in BALB/c than C57BL/6 mouse strain.
A novel tannase from Klebsiella pneumoniae KP715242 reduces haze and improves the quality of fruit juice and beverages through detannification

The presence of high tannin content in fruit juices and other beverages generates bitterness and haze formation with a concomitant deterioration of their quality. This problem could be circumvented by treating these food products with the enzyme tannase (tannin acyl hydrolase EC 3.1.1.20), which contains the ability to hydrolyze the ester and depside linkages present in hydrolyzable tannins. In the present study, a low molecular weight (38.20 kDa) tannase purified from Klebsiella pneumoniae KP715242 was used for clarification and detannification of orange juice, beer, and tea cream solubilization. The initial tannin content of orange juice was reduced to 42.45% upon treatment with 4.5 U/mL of purified tannase at 35°C for 3.5 h. Beer haze was clarified by incubating the colloidal suspension with the purified enzyme. Under the optimum condition of temperature (30°C), incubation time (3.5 h), and enzyme concentration (4.5 U/mL), the initial tannin content of beer was reduced to 46.47%. Tea cream solubilization was achieved by treating the tea extract with varying enzyme concentrations at different time intervals and temperatures. The maximum reduction in the tea tannin content (55%) was observed at 35°C when the enzyme was incubated for 3 h at a concentration of 6.0 U/mL. The results of this investigation could be further exploited at an industrial scale in the detannification of fruit juice, beer, and tea.
SISMIKO: INGV operational task force for rapid deployment of seismic network during earthquake emergencies

The National Institute of Geophysics and Volcanology (INGV, Istituto Nazionale di Geofisica e Vulcanologia), is an italian public research institute established in 1999. Since its inception, the mission of INGV included seismic surveillance and earthquake monitoring in Italy. INGV is part of the Civil Defence system (Margheriti et al., 2021). INGV has offices in different parts of Italy and operates the Italian National Seismic Network (Rete Sismica Nazionale—RSN; INGV Seismological Data Centre, 2006) and other networks at national scale (Michelini et al., 2017). INGV also operates a temporary seismic network infrastructure, a pool of instruments used to densify seismic networks for scientific experiments or in response to damaging earthquakes and to increase monitoring capabilities during seismic sequences. SISMIKO is the operational task force of INGV whose core purpose is to rapidly deploy temporary seismic stations in response to moderate—large magnitude earthquakes or in areas where a seismic sequence is causing concerns and/or scientific interest (Moretti et al., 2016). By reducing the spatial distance between the seismic stations, temporary deployments can improve the RSN detection capability and the accuracy of the earthquake locations. SISMIKO was established in 2015 by Lucia Margheriti and Milena Moretti, so they became responsible for INGV emergency deployments of the temporary networks. SISMIKO involves INGV technicians and researchers from all over Italy, from Milano to Catania (see acknowledgments), grouped together by common interest technical and scientific issues. SISMIKO coordinates all INGV groups working on seismic emergencies (Figure 1). The data acquired by the SISMIKO temporary networks, are made available to the scientific community, without any restrictions, via italian node of the European Integrated Data Archive portal (EIDA; Danecek et al., 2021). Datasets are archived in near real-time in the “Standard for the Exchange of Earthquake Data (SEED)” format and have an associated Digital Object Identifier (DOI). The data are used for monitoring, surveillance and for scientific research. Since its establishment, SISMIKO has installed seven temporary seismic networks, including the one used to monitor the 2016–2018 seismic sequence in central Italy (Moretti OPEN ACCESS
Seasonal dynamics of sediment organic carbon storage for the upper streams of the Yangtze River

Introduction Forest streams reserve more than 90% of the organic carbon (OC) in sediments, thus playing crucial roles in the global carbon cycle. Although forest streams are widely distributed across various forest regions, seasonal dynamics of OC in forest sediments have not been fully investigated. Methods Here, we sampled soils (0–5 cm) in 15 representative forest stream sediments for 5 critical periods (snowmelt season, early growing season, growing season, late growing season, and seasonal snow cover season) during a one-year investigation in a geologically fragile subalpine coniferous forest catchment in the upper reaches of the Yangtze River in Sichuan province and the OC concentrations were measured by potassium dichromate external heating method. Results The OC concentration of stream sediments ranged from 6.39 to 458.93 g kg−1, and the average was 84.56 g kg−1 for 15 streams in 5 critical periods during a 1-year investigation. Correspondingly, their stocks ranged from 2.05 to 310.56 kg m−2, and the average was 46.03 kg m−2. The maximum and minimum OC stocks were consistently observed during the late growing season and the snowmelt season, respectively. Otherwise, the OC stocks ranged from 1.31 to 218.05, 1.29 to 182.64, and 0.99 to 190.38 kg m−2 for the upstream, midstream, and downstream sediments, and the average was 39.36, 36.58, and 37.93 kg m−2, respectively. The average ratios of the OC stocks of the upstream and downstream ranged from 0.10–6.31, with an average of 1.43, during 5 critical periods, which indicated that the forest stream sediments may play crucial roles as carbon sources. Discussion Furthermore, based on regression analysis, we found that the seasonal dynamics of OC concentrations and stocks were mainly regulated by precipitation, temperature, sediment depth, and litter carbon input to the streams together. These findings demonstrate that forest stream sediments may play crucial roles in the carbon biogeochemical cycle of subalpine forests and adjoining streams.
Overlapping exposure effects of pathogen and dimethoate on honeybee (Apis mellifera Linnaeus) metabolic rate and longevity

Introduction: Declines in honeybee abundance have been observed worldwide during last decades. This is partly due to plant protection agents used in intensive farming, landscaping and infrastructure maintenance. Another type of factors negatively affecting honeybees is the spread of diseases caused by different pathogens and pests. Lately, more focus has been paid to the interactions between different overlapping stressors affecting honeybee health, the combination of these often being more detrimental compared to individual stressors. The most widely used stress-evaluating methods take into account lethal- or motorial changes of the individuals or colonies. Comparatively little honeybee research has examined changes in initial recovery potential and physiological symptoms of toxification. The aim of this study was to examine the combined effect of Nosema apis and N. ceranae (according to a newer classification Vairimorpha apis and V. ceranae), the common causes of nosemosis in the honeybee Apis mellifera L. , with the insecticide dimethoate. Methods: In this study, honeybee mortality and metabolic rate were used to assess the combined effects interactions of Nosema ssp. and dimethoate. Results: Our results showed that exposure to the low concentration of either dimethoate, either one or both species of Nosema ssp as single factors or in the combination had no significant effect on honeybee metabolic rate. The mortality increased with the two Nosema spp. , as well as with infection by N. ceranae alone. The effect of dimethoate was observed only in combination with N. apis infection, which alone had no effect on individual honeybee mortality. Conclusion: This study demonstrates that the overlapping exposure to a non-lethal concentration of a pesticide and a pathogen can be hidden by stronger stressor but become observable with milder stressors.
A high level estimation of the net economic benefits to small-scale livestock producers arising from animal health product distribution initiatives

Introduction A fundamental challenge for charities that facilitate distribution of animal health products to small-scale livestock producers (SSPs) in low and middle income countries (LMICs) is identifying the products and market mechanisms that provide the greatest positive impact for SSPs and estimating their associated impact. This paper describes a pragmatic approach to modeling the impact of market-led product distribution initiatives based on estimating the net economic benefit of administration of animal health products. Methods The model estimates the economic impact of diseases at the individual animal level for poultry, small ruminants, and cattle. The economic impact of mortality and growth inhibition associated with disease are then estimated in conjunction with the losses averted or recovered by preventing or treating the disease. Economic benefit is estimated in 2014–2017 values and also adjusted to 2023 values. The flexible model structure allows for addition of new geographies, new products, and increased granularity of modeled production systems. Results Applied to the Global Alliance for Livestock Veterinary Medicines (GALVmed) product distribution initiatives conducted in Africa and South Asia (SA) between 2014 and 2017, the model estimates an adjusted total net economic benefit of 139.9 million USD from sales of vaccines and poultry anthelminthics in these initiatives. Within SSA, the greatest net economic benefit was realized from East Coast fever and Newcastle disease vaccines, while in SA, peste des petits ruminants and Newcastle disease vaccines had the greatest net economic benefits. This translated to an adjusted $37.97 of net economic benefit on average per SSP customer, many of whom were small poultry producers. Discussion While the model currently estimates impacts from mortality and growth inhibition in livestock, there is the potential to extend it to cover impacts of further initiatives, including interventions targeted at diseases that impact production of milk, eggs, and reproduction.
Pilot data findings from the Gothenburg treatment for gaming disorder: a cognitive behavioral treatment manual

Background Gaming disorder (GD) is a new diagnosis included in the latest edition of the International Classification of Disease −11. Recently conducted international studies suggest a prevalence rate close to 2% for GD, highlighting the need for effective treatments for this patient population. Internationally there are few studies investigating effective treatments specifically designed for this condition. In this pilot study, we wanted to test a newly developed method, the Gothenburg Treatment for Gaming Disorder (GOT-TO-GO) manual; a 15-week cognitive behavioral therapy treatment for GD. Method This study utilized a single group design with pretest, post-test and a three- and six-month follow-up, with measures of severity of GD and mood. The participants (n = 28) were treatment-seeking adults with GD, aged 17 to 49 years. Results The results show a statistically significant decrease in symptoms of GD after treatment. Hours of gaming per week also decreased concomitantly with a 100% increase in non-gaming leisure hours. The decrease in symptoms of GD was maintained at the 3-months follow-up after treatment. Correspondingly we saw a decrease in both depression and anxiety that also was upheld 3 months after treatment. Conclusion As GD is a new diagnostic concept more research is needed, also taking psychiatric comorbidity into consideration, to arrive at evidence-based conclusions regarding effective treatments. Considering the promising results in this small pilot study with large behavioral changes and reduced symptoms of GD, upheld at least 3 months after treatment, a larger randomized controlled study is warranted. Clinical Trial Registration: https://www.clinicaltrials. gov/ct2/show/study/NCT05328596? term=NCT05328596&draw=2&rank=1, identifier NCT05328596.
Further considerations of a 1-subcycle parallel thinning algorithm

In this paper, we present two improved versions of a pseudo 1-subcycle parallel thinning algorithm which we proposed earlier [1] and describe a twostage structure to realize the 1-subcycle parallel algorithm. The purpose of the first improved algorithm is to produce the P8ET (perfect 8-curve excluding T-junction)-type thin line which is well-defined in general. This algorithm involves local branches containing T-junctions or quasi T-junctions. The second improved algorithm obtains an isotropic skeleton of an L-shape pattern, such that the visual quality of a skeleton is more satisfactory. In this algorithm, another set of thinning conditions especially designed is also involved. We also describe a two-stage structure which consists of a thinning table and a control unit. The thinning table is used to provide the attributes of an input 3×3 local pattern. The control unit is used to check the removal of the center "1" pixel of this local pattern. The inputs of the control unit also comprise the outputs of other neighboring thinning tables. This structure can exactly implement the original 1-subcycle parallel algorithm. The above-mentioned algorithms have been implemented on this realized structure in this paper. Several experiments confirm that the improved algorithms can produce the desired effective thin line, and also show that the realized structure is feasible and practicable.
Sketching and Vectorizing Merge Trees for Scientific Data Visualization

— Merge trees are a type of topological descriptors that record the connectivity among the sublevel sets of scalar fields. They are among the most widely used topological tools in visualization. In this paper, we are interested in sketching a set of merge trees. That is, given a large set T of merge trees, we would like to find a much smaller set of basis trees S such that each tree in T can be approximately reconstructed from a linear combination of merge trees in S ; T is thus considered to be sketchable . A set of high-dimensional vectors can be sketched via matrix sketching techniques such as principal component analysis and column subset selection. However, up until now, topological descriptors such as merge trees have not been known to be sketchable. We develop a framework for sketching a set of merge trees that combines matrix sketching with tools from optimal transport. In particular, we vectorize a set of merge trees into high-dimensional vectors while preserving their structures and structural relations. We demonstrate the applications of our framework in sketching merge trees that arise from time-varying scientific simulations. Specifically, our framework obtains a set of basis trees as representatives that capture the “modes” of physical phenomena for downstream analysis and visualization. In general, our work shows a promising direction of utilizing randomized linear algebra within scientific visualization.
Nash equilibria of games with monotonic best replies

We introduce notions of increasingness for the best reply of a game that capture properly the intuitive idea of complementarity among players’ strategies. We show, by generalizing the fixpoint theorems of Veinott and Zhou, that the Nash sets of our games with increasing best replies are nonempty complete lattices. Hence we extend the class of games with strategic complementarities.
A new hybrid Monte Carlo simulation for Asian options pricing

The aim of this paper is to present a new hybrid algorithm for pricing financial derivatives in the arithmetic Asian options. In this paper, two variance reduction techniques are combined, the multiple control variates (MCV) and the antithetic variates (AV). We propose an efficient algorithm for pricing arithmetic Asian options based on the AV and the MCV procedures. A detailed numerical study illustrates the efficiency of the proposed algorithm.
A study of 2175 Å absorption feature with TAUVEX: An Indo-Israeli UV mission

Abstract TAUVEX is an Indo-Israeli collaborative mission to make photometric observations in the UV region. Using the narrowband filters positioned near 2175 Å feature, we plan to construct the UV bump in the extinction curve towards B type stars brighter than mv = 14. Archival data of TD1, Galex missions are used for stars brighter than mv = 10. We sample the distance to obtain the extintion at different location of the local ISM upto 2 kpc. Using a dust model having silicate, graphite and PAH as components, the extinction curve at different location of the Galaxy is fitted to constrain the dust characteristics.
MONASTIC APPROACH TO GOVERNANCE AND LEADERSHIP: A LITERATURE REVIEW

The financial crisis and recent cases of inflated manager compensation, corruption and falsified financial statements have shown clearly that actual corporate governance practice is not able to prevent the abuse of power, manipulation of incentives and excessive risk taking. This fact reveals the need to look at these issues from a different point of view. Having established basic governance instruments very early, monasteries were able to survive over centuries and had an essential impact on the development of the economy in Europe. A 1,500 year history of the Regula Benedicti and a wide variety of Benedictine organizations illustrate the relevance of the Regula Benedicti to many types of organizations. A considerable part of the Regula Benedicti is devoted to leadership issues. Consequently, it offers a useful time-tested model for organizational development and re-instilling ethical leadership. In this paper we conduct a content and citation analysis of 34 articles that deal with governance and leaders.
Hyperspectral Imagery Classification Based on Spectral Clustering Band Selection

Hyperspectral image has been widely used in land-cover classification. Due to huge amount of data and high correlation between bands, band selection technology is main method to reduce computational complexity. According to non-linear relation between band data, Spectral Clustering (SC) is imported to cluster and select band. In this method, neighbor graph and similarity matrix are generated from band image samples, then samples are divided into k clusters by spectral clustering algorithm. At last, k selected representative samples are generated and used in the subsequent classification and recognition task. Experimental results show that new method can reduce computational complexity and improve classification accuracy of land-cover classification.
Implementing contextual biasing in GPU decoder for online ASR

GPU decoding significantly accelerates the output of ASR predictions. While GPUs are already being used for online ASR decoding, post-processing and rescoring on GPUs have not been properly investigated yet. Rescoring with available contextual information can considerably improve ASR predictions. Previous studies have proven the viability of lattice rescoring in decoding and biasing language model (LM) weights in offline and online CPU scenarios. In real-time GPU decoding, partial recognition hypotheses are produced without lattice generation, which makes the implementation of biasing more complex. The paper proposes and describes an approach to integrate contextual biasing in real-time GPU decoding while exploiting the standard Kaldi GPU decoder. Besides the biasing of partial ASR predictions, our approach also permits dynamic context switching allowing a flexible rescoring per each speech segment directly on GPU. The code is publicly released and tested with open-sourced test sets.