Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-computational-complexity algorithm for current predictive control of an externally excited synchronous machine

The current control in externally excited synchronous machines employed in applications such as automotive electrical traction drives is a challenging problem. These applications are characterized by fast dynamics that are subject to hard physical constraints including quadratic constraints related to the state and control input. The goal of this paper is to develop a controller synthesis method which can deal with these challenges. To this end, firstly, a polytopic approximation of quadratic constraints is performed. Then, a low-computational-complexity algorithm for current predictive control based on the flexible Lyapunov functions concept is employed by using a one-step-ahead prediction horizon. It is then shown that the resulting current control problem can be transformed into a linear program, which is suitable for an on-line implementation. A realistic simulation scenario is then used to illustrate the effectiveness of the proposed method. The obtained results show significant improvement compared with the existing PI approaches. Moreover, the computational complexity of the algorithm is compatible with hardware requirements of existing electronic control units.
Population-based simulations of influenza pandemics: validity and significance for public health policy.

OBJECTIVE To examine the validity and usefulness of pandemic simulations aimed at informing practical decision-making in public health. METHODS We recruited a multidisciplinary group of nine experts to assess a case-study simulation of influenza transmission in a Swedish county. We used a non-statistical nominal group technique to generate evaluations of the plausibility, formal validity (verification) and predictive validity of the simulation. A health-effect assessment structure was used as a framework for data collection. FINDINGS The unpredictability of social order during disasters was not adequately addressed by simulation methods; even minor disruptions of the social order may invalidate key infrastructural assumptions underpinning current pandemic simulation models. Further, a direct relationship between model flexibility and computation time was noted. Consequently, simulation methods cannot, in practice, support integrated modifications of microbiological, epidemiological and spatial submodels or handle multiple parallel scenarios. CONCLUSION The combination of incomplete surveillance data and simulation methods that neglect social dynamics limits the ability of national public health agencies to provide policy-makers and the general public with the critical and timely information needed during a pandemic.
Comparison of three methods for estimating rates of adverse events and rates of preventable adverse events in acute care hospitals

Abstract Objectives To compare the effectiveness, reliability, and acceptability of estimating rates of adverse events and rates of preventable adverse events using three methods: cross sectional (data gathered in one day), prospective (data gathered during hospital stay), and retrospective (review of medical records). Design Independent assessment of three methods applied to one sample. Setting 37 wards in seven hospitals (three public, four private) in southwestern France. Participants 778 patients: medical (n = 278), surgical (n = 263), and obstetric (n = 237). Main outcome measures The main outcome measures were the proportion of cases (patients with at least one adverse event) identified by each method compared with a reference list of cases confirmed by ward staffand the proportion of preventable cases (patients with at least one preventable adverse event). Secondary outcome measures were inter-rater reliability of screening and identification, perceived workload, and face validity of results. Results The prospective and retrospective methods identified similar numbers of medical and surgical cases (70% and 66% of the total, respectively) but the prospective method identified more preventable cases (64% and 40%, respectively), had good reliability for identification (κ= 0.83), represented an acceptable workload, and had higher face validity. The cross sectional method showed a large number of false positives and identified none of the most serious adverse events. None of the methods was appropriate for obstetrics. Conclusion The prospective method of data collection may be more appropriate for epidemiological studies that aim to convince clinical teams that their errors contribute significantly to adverse events, to study organisational and human factors, and to assess the impact of risk reduction programmes.
Survey and taxonomy of botnet research through life-cycle

Of all current threats to cybersecurity, botnets are at the top of the list. In consequence, interest in this problem is increasing rapidly among the research community and the number of publications on the question has grown exponentially in recent years. This article proposes a taxonomy of botnet research and presents a survey of the field to provide a comprehensive overview of all these contributions. Furthermore, we hope to provide researchers with a clear perspective of the gaps that remain to be filled in our defenses against botnets. The taxonomy is based upon the botnet's life-cycle, defined as the sequence of stages a botnet needs to pass through in order to reach its goal. This approach allows us to consider the problem of botnets from a global perspective, which constitutes a key difference from other taxonomies that have been proposed. Under this novel taxonomy, we conclude that all attempts to defeat botnets should be focused on one or more stages of this life-cycle. In fact, the sustained hindering of any of the stages makes it possible to thwart a botnet's progress and thus render it useless. We test the potential capabilities of our taxonomy by means of a survey of current botnet research, and find it genuinely useful in understanding the focus of the different contributions in this field.
The study of consumption behaviors and factors affecting decision to purchase fishery products of consumers in the North and Northeast of Thailand.

This study aims to explore the consumption behavior and consumer’s attitude toward the important factors affecting decision to purchase fishery products for the development of fishery businesses and the Fish Marketing Organization (FMO), Thailand. The survey was conducted within two locations in Thailand: the North, representing by Chiang Mai province, and the Northeastern, representing by Nakhon Phanom province. The data were obtained from 388 and 400 respondents residing in two provinces, accordingly. The results show that target consumers are found to be apparently different in terms of demographic and socio-economic status. Target consumers in Chiang Mai are middle income class or above, office employees, and holding bachelor degrees. They focus on the food safety, hygiene of products and marketplaces, origins of products and no contamination. High income consumers tend to have high expectation on marketplace, particularly on the convenience to visit, cooking services and available parking space. However, the target consumers in Nakhon Phanom are moderately different. The majority of consumers are farmers and self-employed with lower educational and income levels. As a result, pricing is the most critical factor affecting decision to purchase fishery products, while product strategy is less influenced on them. The marketing mix strategy is hence developed to meet the demand of target consumers that would enhance the fishery businesses. Furthermore, the FMO, Thailand can use the findings from this study to formulate strategic distribution plans for its fishery products and provide more effective operations and services to the target consumers in both locations.
Chronic wasting disease detection in the lymph nodes of free-ranging cervids by real 1 time quaking-induced conversion 2

Chronic wasting disease detection in the lymph nodes of free-ranging cervids by real time quaking-induced conversion" (2014). Abstract 23 Chronic wasting disease (CWD), a transmissible spongiform encephalopathy of deer, elk 24 and moose, is the only prion disease affecting free-ranging animals. First identified in northern 25 Colorado and southern Wyoming in 1967, new epidemic foci of the disease have since been 2 identified in 20 additional states, as well as two Canadian provinces and the Republic of South 27 Korea. Identification of CWD-affected animals currently requires post-mortem analysis of brain 28 or lymphoid tissues using immunohistochemistry (IHC) or an enzyme linked immunosorbent 29 assay (ELISA), with no practical way to evaluate potential strain types or investigate the 30 epidemiology of existing or novel foci of disease. Using a standardized real time quaking-31 induced conversion (RT-QuIC) assay, a seeded amplification assay employing recombinant 32 prion protein as a conversion substrate and Thioflavin T (ThT) as an amyloid-binding 33 fluorophore, we blindly analyzed 1243 retropharyngeal lymph node samples from white-tailed 34 deer, mule deer and moose, collected in the field from current or historic CWD-endemic areas. 35 RT-QuIC results were then compared with those obtained by conventional IHC and ELISA, and 36 amplification metrics using ThT and Thioflavin S examined in relation to clinical history of the 37 sampled deer. The results indicate that RT-QuIC is useful in both for identifying CWD-infected 38 animals and facilitating epidemiologic studies in CWD endemic and non-endemic areas.
Facial expression recognition system using neural network and MATLAB

Identifying facial expressions of human beings by a computer is an interesting research work. Here a method based on feed forward neural networks is described for facial expression identification with the objective of developing an intelligent system. Four principal emotions - happy, sad, surprise along with neutral are identified by the proposed system. The performance obtained by the neural network 0.0198 against a goal of 0.0200.
Electromagnetic wave scattering from a random layer with rough interfaces I: Coherent field

The problem of an electromagnetic wave scattered from a random medium layer with rough boundaries is formulated using integral equations which involve two kinds of Green functions. The first one describes the wave scattered by the random medium and the rough boundaries, and the second one which corresponds to the unperturbed Green functions describes the scattering by an homogeneous layer with the rough boundaries. As these equations are formally similar to classical equations used in scattering theory by an infinite random medium, we will be able to apply standard procedures to calculate the coherent field. We will use the coherent potential approximation where the correlations between the particles will be taken into account under the quasi-crystalline approximation.
The Future of Desire: Lexical Futures and Modality in L2 English Future Expression

This paper investigates the use of the lexical future in the emergent expression of future in L2 English. Like the past, whose expression is reasonably well studied in second language acquisition, the future is displaced from the time of speaking. In Reichenbachian terms, the future can be represented as speech time preceding event time, or S > E, in contrast to past where event time precedes speech time or E > S (Comrie, 1985; Reichenbach, 1947). Although both past and future reference depart from the here and now, in the results of a cross-linguistic survey, Dahl (1985) observes that “future time is less consistently marked than past time reference” (p. 109). Temporality is only one concept that makes up the future. Cross-linguistic research on tenseaspect systems agrees that, unlike the purely temporal relationships of the past and the present, the future also encompasses modality. Future reference may thus include modal readings of possibility, probability, intention, and desire or volition (Bybee, 1985) of which intentionality is the most common (Bybee, 1985; Bybee, Perkins, & Pagliuca, 1994; Dahl, 1985; Fleischman, 1982). In fact, Dahl’s crosslinguistic survey shows that the most typical uses of future involve actions that are planned by the agent of the sentence (1985, p. 105), whereas cases of ‘pure prediction’ are less frequent. While all future expression is in part modal, the lexical future, comprised of semantically future verbs such as want to, hope to, and have to (Bardovi-Harlig, 2004, in press; Moses, 2002), is often overtly modal. Many researchers discuss the modal readings of future; focus on the lexical future emphasizes the future reading of modals. The lexical future appears in the literature by a variety of names. Bybee et al (1994) refer to these expressions as “lexical-like or rich meanings” of future (p. 256). Wiberg (2002) calls such verbs “periphrastic” futures (p. 300). Lexical futures include examples such as (1) (3) taken from studies of learner production in English, French, and Italian.
Accuracy of Lattice Translates of Several Multidimensional Refinable Functions

Complex-valued functionsf1,? ,fronRdarerefinableif they are linear combinations of finitely many of the rescaled and translated functionsfi(Ax? k), where the translateskare taken along a lattice? RdandAis adilation matrixthat expansively maps? into itself. Refinable functions satisfy arefinement equationf(x)=? k? ckf(Ax? k), where? is a finite subset of? , theckarer×rmatrices, andf(x)=(f1(x),? ,fr(x))T. Theaccuracyoffis the highest degreepsuch that all multivariate polynomialsqwith degree(q)
Two New Members of a Family of Ypt/Rab GTPase Activating Proteins

Monomeric GTPases of the Ras superfamily have a very slow intrinsic GTPase activity which is accelerated by specific GTPase-activating proteins. In contrast to Ras- and Rho-specific GTPase-activating proteins (GAPs) that have been studied in great detail, little is known about the functioning of GAPs specific for Ypt/Rab transport GTPases. We have identified two novel Ypt/Rab-GAPs because of their sequence relatedness to the three known GAPs Gyp1p, Gyp6p, and Gyp7p. Mdr1/Gyp2p is an efficient GAP for Ypt6p and Sec4p, whereas Msb3/Gyp3p is a potent GAP for Sec4p, Ypt6p, Ypt51p, Ypt31/Ypt32p, and Ypt1p. Although the affinity of Msb3/Gyp3p for its preferred substrate Sec4p is low (K m = 154 μm), it accelerates the intrinsic GTPase activity of Sec4p 5 × 105-fold. Msb3/Gyp3p appears to be functionally linked to Cdc42p-regulated pathway(s). The results demonstrate that in yeast there is a large family of Ypt/Rab-GAPs, members of which discriminate poorly between GTPases involved in regulating different steps of exo- and endocytic transport routes.
Bacillus thuringiensis Toxins: An Overview of Their Biocidal Activity

Bacillus thuringiensis (Bt) is a Gram positive, spore-forming bacterium that synthesizes parasporal crystalline inclusions containing Cry and Cyt proteins, some of which are toxic against a wide range of insect orders, nematodes and human-cancer cells. These toxins have been successfully used as bioinsecticides against caterpillars, beetles, and flies, including mosquitoes and blackflies. Bt also synthesizes insecticidal proteins during the vegetative growth phase, which are subsequently secreted into the growth medium. These proteins are commonly known as vegetative insecticidal proteins (Vips) and hold insecticidal activity against lepidopteran, coleopteran and some homopteran pests. A less well characterized secretory protein with no amino acid similarity to Vip proteins has shown insecticidal activity against coleopteran pests and is termed Sip (secreted insecticidal protein). Bin-like and ETX_MTX2-family proteins (Pfam PF03318), which share amino acid similarities with mosquitocidal binary (Bin) and Mtx2 toxins, respectively, from Lysinibacillus sphaericus, are also produced by some Bt strains. In addition, vast numbers of Bt isolates naturally present in the soil and the phylloplane also synthesize crystal proteins whose biological activity is still unknown. In this review, we provide an updated overview of the known active Bt toxins to date and discuss their activities.
Ensuring the faithful execution of cytokinesis in Schizosaccharomyces pombe

Eukaryotic cells ensure error-free progress through the cell cycle by monitoring (1) the completion of cell cycle events, (2) damage to critical cellular components, or (3) structural changes such as the attachment of kinetochores to the mitotic spindle. In the presence of damage, or in the face of a reduced capacity to complete essential events, cells are capable of delaying the cell cycle so that damage can be repaired, or previous cell cycle phases can proceed to completion. Although such “checkpoints” have been extensively studied in many organisms—and much is understood with respect to the monitoring of DNA replication and DNA damage—little is known with regards to mechanisms that might monitor the completion of cytokinesis. In this review I summarize recent work from the fission yeast, Schizosaccharomyces pombe, describing the existence of regulatory modules that aid in ensuring the faithful and reliable execution of cytokinesis. Together, these modules promote the maintenance of a “cytokinesis-competent” state characterized by delayed progression into mitosis and the continuous repair and/or re-establishment of the acto-myosin ring. In this way, fission yeast cells are able to increase the likelihood of successful cell division prior to committing to a subsequent cell cycle. The recent demonstration of conservation between S. pombe components of these modules, and human proteins with defined roles in preventing cell division failure, suggest that the lessons learned in S. pombe may be applicable to other eukaryotes.
El feminismo y los estudios de género

This article reveals a reflection on the emergence of gender studies linked to the ideas of feminism. It starts with a brief definition about the concept, as evidenced in the historical overview of countries such as England, France and United States, as well as the main approaches and achievements established over time; subsequently settles the differentiation of the category gender as a starting point in the study of women, masculinity and the subsequent development of the Queer theories. Finally highlights the importance of gender in the approach to sexuality studies.
Differential Evolution Algorithm for Optimal Power Flow and Economic Load Dispatch with Valve Point Effects

--------------------------------------------------------ABSTRACT----------------------------------------------------------In this paper, we present a Differential Evolution (DE) method and apply it to two problems of optimal power flow (OPF) and the economic load dispatch (ELD) with Valve-Point effects in Power Systems. In the first case, the standard IEEE 30-bus network is tested and its solution is compared to the ones solved by Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO), Genetic Algorithm (GA), Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) methods. For the second one, the NPSO is tested on 13-unit, 40-unit system and validated by comparing results with classical evolutionary programming (CEP), improved fast evolutionary programming (IFEP), improved particle swarm optimization (IPSO) and efficient particle swarm optimization (EPSO) methods. The numerical results are illustrated in many Figures and Tables. It has shown that the proposed method is better than the others in terms of total fuel costs, total loss and computational times.
Cross-communication between acetylcholine and VIP in controlling catecholamine secretion by affecting cAMP, inositol triphosphate, protein kinase C, and calcium in rat adrenal medulla

The purpose of the present study was to determine the molecular mechanism of stimulatory actions of ACh and vasoactive intestinal polypeptide (VIP) by determining the role of various second messengers in the neurohumoral secretion. Toward such a goal, we measured cAMP, cGMP, protein kinase (PKC) activity, 3H-inositol triphosphate (3H-IP3), and 45Ca uptake in the adrenal medulla subjected to various treatments. Stimulation of splanchnic nerve endings increased 45Ca uptake, cAMP content, 3H-IP3, and PKC activity in the adrenal medulla. If muscarinic receptors of chromaffin cells were selectively activated by perfusion with muscarine, 3H-IP3 content and PKC activity were enhanced. Nicotine, on the other hand, increased only 45Ca uptake without affecting any other second messenger. Perfusion with VIP increased PKC activity and cAMP and 3H-IP3 content. None of the procedures affected cGMP content. Interplay among various second messengers was further investigated by studying interactions of nicotinic, muscarinic, and VIP- ergic receptors in modulation of catecholamine (CA) secretion and by using agents known to activate specific second messengers (e.g., forskolin, phorbol esters). Our results show that muscarine, VIP, and phorbol ester facilitated nicotine-evoked secretion by increasing PKC activity, and it was associated with an additional increase in 45Ca accumulation. On the other hand, secretion evoked by nicotine as well as muscarine was facilitated by forskolin without additional increase in 45Ca accumulation. A novel feature of the study is that ACh and VIP activate three types of receptors on chromaffin cells to stimulate and mutually facilitate the secretion of CA by generating various second messengers. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
All are not equal: A benchmark of different homology modeling programs

Modeling a protein structure based on a homologous structure is a standard method in structural biology today. In this process an alignment of a target protein sequence onto the structure of a template(s) is used as input to a program that constructs a 3D model. It has been shown that the most important factor in this process is the correctness of the alignment and the choice of the best template structure(s), while it is generally believed that there are no major differences between the best modeling programs. Therefore, a large number of studies to benchmark the alignment qualities and the selection process have been performed. However, to our knowledge no large‐scale benchmark has been performed to evaluate the programs used to transform the alignment to a 3D model. In this study, a benchmark of six different homology modeling programs— Modeller, SegMod/ENCAD, SWISS‐MODEL, 3D‐JIGSAW, nest, and Builder—is presented. The performance of these programs is evaluated using physiochemical correctness and structural similarity to the correct structure. From our analysis it can be concluded that no single modeling program outperform the others in all tests. However, it is quite clear that three modeling programs, Modeller, nest, and SegMod/ ENCAD, perform better than the others. Interestingly, the fastest and oldest modeling program, SegMod/ ENCAD, performs very well, although it was written more than 10 years ago and has not undergone any development since. It can also be observed that none of the homology modeling programs builds side chains as well as a specialized program (SCWRL), and therefore there should be room for improvement.