Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Two-Timescale Stochastic Dispatch of Smart Distribution Grids

Smart grids should efficiently integrate stochastic renewable resources while effecting voltage regulation. Energy management is challenging since it is a multistage problem where decisions are not all made at the same timescale and must account for the variability during real-time operation. The joint dispatch of slow- and fast-timescale controls in a smart distribution grid is considered here. The substation voltage, the energy exchanged with a main grid, and the generation schedules for small diesel generators have to be decided on a slow timescale; whereas optimal photovoltaic inverter setpoints are found on a more frequent basis. While inverter and looser voltage regulation limits are imposed at all times, tighter bus voltage constraints are enforced on the average or in probability, thus enabling more efficient renewable integration. Upon reformulating the two-stage grid dispatch as a stochastic convex-concave problem, two distribution-free schemes are put forth. An average dispatch algorithm converges provably to the optimal two-stage decisions via a sequence of convex quadratic programs. Its non-convex probabilistic alternative entails solving two slightly different convex problems and is numerically shown to converge. Numerical tests on real-world distribution feeders verify that both schemes yield lower costs over competing alternatives.
Seeking attention: an investigation of salesperson influence strategies used while selling to small retailers

The use of influence strategies is an integral component of the salesperson's role, while selling to retailers. However, it remains a chronically under-researched area, particularly so in emerging markets, which are distinct in terms of retail formats and salesperson challenges. In this study, we investigate influence strategies used by salespersons for selling to retailers in the dominant small retail format in India. Using a combination of observation techniques and in-depth interviews, we allow salesperson influence strategies at play to emerge. In comparison to extant literature, we find evidence for both universality and specificity in the types of influence strategies used at small retail. We identify ‘share of counter’ as a unique small retail phenomenon, potentially requiring a specific set of salesperson influence strategies to succeed. Based on this, a modified typology of salesperson influence strategies, specific to small retail, is proposed. We conclude with a discussion of theoretical and managerial implications for emerging markets, and offer suggestions for future research.
Modification of Monoaminergic Activity by MAO Inhibitors Influences Methamphetamine Actions

Methamphetamine (METH) abuse is a serious health and social problem worldwide. At present, however, there are no effective medications for the treatment of METH abuse. Of the intracellular METH target proteins, monoamine oxidase (MAO) is involved in the regulation of monoaminergic tone in the brain, resulting in the modulation of METH-induced behavioral abnormalities in mammals. The METH-induced expression of increased motor activity, stereotypy, and sensitization is closely associated with monoaminergic transmission in the brain. Modification of MAO activity by MAO inhibitors can influence METH action. Of the MAO inhibitors, the propargylamine derivative clorgyline, an irreversible MAO-A inhibitor, effectively blocks METH-induced hyperlocomotion and behavioral sensitization in rodents. Analysis of the associated monoaminergic activity indicates an involvement of altered striatal serotonergic transmission as well as an increased dopaminergic tone. Some effects of MAO inhibitors on METH action appear to be independent of MAO, suggesting complex mechanisms of action of MAO inhibitors in METH abuse. This review describes current research to find effective treatment for METH abuse, using MAO inhibitors.
Asynchronous Displays for Multi-UV Search Tasks

Synchronous video has long been the preferred mode for controlling remote robots with other modes such as asynchronous control only used when unavoidable as in the case of interplanetary robotics. We identify two basic problems for controlling multiple robots using synchronous displays: operator overload and information fusion. Synchronous displays from multiple robots can easily overwhelm an operator who must search video for targets. If targets are plentiful, the operator will likely miss targets that enter and leave unattended views while dealing with others that were noticed. The related fusion problem arises because robots' multiple fields of view may overlap forcing the operator to reconcile different views from different perspectives and form an awareness of the environment by "piecing them together". We have conducted a series of experiments investigating the suitability of asynchronous displays for multi-UV search. Our first experiments involved static panoramas in which operators selected locations at which robots halted and panned their camera to capture a record of what could be seen from that location. A subsequent experiment investigated the hypothesis that the relative performance of the panoramic display would improve as the number of robots was increased causing greater overload and fusion problems. In a subsequent Image Queue system we used automated path planning and also automated the selection of imagery for presentation by choosing a greedy selection of non-overlapping views. A fourth set of experiments used the SUAVE display, an asynchronous variant of the picture-in-picture technique for video from multiple UAVs. The panoramic displays which addressed only the overload problem led to performance similar to synchronous video while the Image Queue and SUAVE displays which addressed fusion as well led to improved performance on a number of measures. In this paper we will review our experiences in designing and testing asynchronous displays and discuss challenges to their use including tracking dynamic targets. © 2012 by the American Institute of Aeronautics and Astronautics, Inc.
Efficient FPGA-based Architectures of Finite Alphabet Iterative Decoders for Flash Memories

We present finite alphabet iterative decoders (FAIDs) for hard-decision decoding and 2-bit precision softdecision decoding of column-weight-four low-density paritycheck (LDPC) codes which are applicable for flash memories, and discuss their hardware implementations on FPGA. We show that 3-bit FAIDs provide superior error-rate performance in the error floor compared to 4-bit and 5-bit offset-min-sum decoders while providing significant savings in resource usage for the same achievable throughput. A vertical-layered decoder architecture is implemented for the decoder comparisons, and the FPGA synthesis results are provided for a code rate of 0.94 and 1KByte length quasi-cyclic code.
Cdc20 proteolysis requires p38 MAPK signaling and Cdh1‐independent APC/C ubiquitination during spindle assembly checkpoint activation by cadmium

Cdc20, an activator of the anaphase promoting complex/cyclosome (APC/C) ubiquitin ligase, initiates the destruction of key mitotic regulators to facilitate mitosis, while it is negatively regulated by the spindle assembly checkpoint (SAC) to prevent premature anaphase entry. Activation of the p38 mitogen‐activated protein kinase could contribute to mitotic arrest, but the underlying mechanism is unknown. Here we report a novel pathway in which the p38 signaling triggers Cdc20 destruction under SAC elicited by cadmium, a human carcinogen. We found that the cadmium‐induced prometaphase arrest was linked to decreased Cdc20 and accumulated cyclin A protein levels in human cells, whereas the activity of cyclin B1–Cdk1 was unaffected. The Cdc20 half‐life was markedly shortened along with its ubiquitination and degradation via 26S proteasome in cadmium‐treated asynchronous or G2‐enriched cells. Depletion of APC3 markedly suppressed the cadmium‐induced Cdc20 ubiquitination and proteolysis, while depletion of Cdh1, another activator of APC/C, did not. Intriguingly, blockage of p38 activity restored the Cdc20 levels for continuing mitosis under cadmium, while inhibition of JNK activity had no effect. The cadmium‐induced Cdc20 proteolysis was also suppressed during transient depletion of p38α or stable expression a dominant negative form of p38. Inhibition of p38 abolished the induction of Mad2–Cdc20–APC3 complex by cadmium. Moreover, forced expression of MKK6–p38 signaling could promote Cdc20 degradation in a Cdh1‐independent APC/C pathway. In summary, accelerated ubiquitination and proteolysis of Cdc20 is essential for prometaphase arrest that is mediated via the p38 signaling during SAC activation. J. Cell. Physiol. 223: 327–334, 2010. © 2010 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Asynchronous GABA Release Is a Key Determinant of Tonic Inhibition and Controls Neuronal Excitability: A Study in the Synapsin II−/− Mouse

Idiopathic epilepsies have frequently been linked to mutations in voltage-gated channels (channelopathies); recently, mutations in several genes encoding presynaptic proteins have been shown to cause epilepsy in humans and mice, indicating that epilepsy can also be considered a synaptopathy. However, the functional mechanisms by which presynaptic dysfunctions lead to hyperexcitability and seizures are not well understood. We show that deletion of synapsin II (Syn II), a presynaptic protein contributing to epilepsy predisposition in humans, leads to a loss of tonic inhibition in mouse hippocampal slices due to a dramatic decrease in presynaptic asynchronous GABA release. We also show that the asynchronous GABA release reduces postsynaptic cell firing, and the parallel impairment of asynchronous GABA release and tonic inhibition results in an increased excitability at both single-neuron and network levels. Restoring tonic inhibition with THIP (4,5,6,7-tetrahydroisoxazolo[5,4-c]pyridin-3-ol; gaboxadol), a selective agonist of δ subunit-containing GABAA receptors, fully rescues the SynII−/− epileptic phenotype both ex vivo and in vivo. The results demonstrate a causal relationship between the dynamics of GABA release and the generation of tonic inhibition, and identify a novel mechanism of epileptogenesis generated by dysfunctions in the dynamics of release that can be effectively targeted by novel antiepileptic strategies.
Tumor-Associated Microglia/Macrophages Enhance the Invasion of Glioma Stem-like Cells via TGF-β1 Signaling Pathway

The invasion of malignant glioma cells into the surrounding normal brain tissues is crucial for causing the poor outcome of this tumor type. Recent studies suggest that glioma stem-like cells (GSLCs) mediate tumor invasion. However, it is not clear whether microenvironment factors, such as tumor-associated microglia/macrophages (TAM/Ms), also play important roles in promoting GSLC invasion. In this study, we found that in primary human gliomas and orthotopical transplanted syngeneic glioma, the number of TAM/Ms at the invasive front was correlated with the presence of CD133+ GSLCs, and these TAM/Ms produced high levels of TGF-β1. CD133+ GSLCs isolated from murine transplanted gliomas exhibited higher invasive potential after being cocultured with TAM/Ms, and the invasiveness was inhibited by neutralization of TGF-β1. We also found that human glioma-derived CD133+ GSLCs became more invasive upon treatment with TGF-β1. In addition, compared with CD133− committed tumor cells, CD133+ GSLCs expressed higher levels of type II TGF-β receptor (TGFBR2) mRNA and protein, and downregulation of TGFBR2 with short hairpin RNA inhibited the invasiveness of GSLCs. Mechanism studies revealed that TGF-β1 released by TAM/Ms promoted the expression of MMP-9 by GSLCs, and TGFBR2 knockdown reduced the invasiveness of these cells in vivo. These results demonstrate that TAM/Ms enhance the invasiveness of CD133+ GSLCs via the release of TGF-β1, which increases the production of MMP-9 by GSLCs. Therefore, the TGF-β1 signaling pathway is a potential therapeutic target for limiting the invasiveness of GSLCs.
Joint Range and Angle Estimation Using MIMO Radar With Frequency Diverse Array

Phased array is widely used in radar systems with its beam steering fixed in one direction for all ranges. Therefore, the range of a target cannot be determined within a single pulse when range ambiguity exists. In this paper, an unambiguous approach for joint range and angle estimation is devised for multiple-input multiple-output (MIMO) radar with frequency diverse array (FDA). Unlike the traditional phased array, FDA is capable of employing a small frequency increment across the array elements. Because of the frequency increment, the transmit steering vector of the FDA-MIMO radar is a function of both range and angle. As a result, the FDA-MIMO radar is able to utilize degrees-of-freedom in the range-angle domains to jointly determine the range and angle parameters of the target. In addition, the Cramér-Rao bounds for range and angle are derived, and the coupling between these two parameters is analyzed. Numerical results are presented to validate the effectiveness of the proposed approach.
Impact of Service Quality on Customer Loyalty-A Study on Telecom Sector in India

The objective of this paper is to identify the impact of service quality on customer relationship management and customer loyalty in the Indian telecom sector. Service quality has been considered as independent variable whereas customer relationship management and customer loyalty were considered as dependent variable. Five antecedents of service quality have been considered in this study viz. empathy, assurance, responsiveness, tangibility and reliability based on SRVQUAL model of Persuraman et al (1988). A survey-based exploratory and causal research design was used. A 29 items instrument was generated comprising of 18 items for the four antecedents of independent variables on the basis of the work of Persuraman et al (1988), 6 items for customer relationship management on the basis of the work of Sin, Tse and Yim (2005) and 5 items for customer loyalty on the basis of the work of Harsandaldeep Kaur and Harmeen Soch (2012). The data was collected from 262 customers using mobile service of various telecom operators of India through structured questionnaires distributed online. Exploratory factor analysis was conducted to check the validity and Cronbach’s coefficient alpha was used to determine the reliability of the instrument. Multiple regression analysis was used to determine the causal relationship between both the independent & dependent variables. Results depicted that the service quality has significant and positive impact on customer relationship management and customer loyalty. Out of the four antecedents of service quality, tangibility and assurance has significant and positive impact on customer relationship management, while tangibility has a significant impact on customer loyalty. The study suggests that the service providers should put their endeavor to upgrade the technology and serve the customers with modern equipments. Besides, the staff should try to please the customers by their neat appearance.
Social networks and individual behaviour variation in wild crickets

2 Table of contents . 3 List of figures and tables . 4 Acknowledgements . 8 1. General introduction . 9 Background . 9 Thesis structure. 13 2. Dynamics of among-individual behavioural variation over adult lifespan in a wild insect . 16 Abstract . 16. 16 Introduction . 17 Methods . 20 Results . 26 Discussion . 36 3. Behaviour in captivity predicts some aspects of natural behaviour, but not others, in a wild cricket population . 42 Abstract . 42. 42 Introduction . 43 Methods . 46 Results . 51 Discussion . 60 4. Direct evidence for a pace-of-life syndrome in wild crickets: longand shortterm consistency alongside within-individual change . 67 Abstract . 67. 67 Introduction . 68 Methods . 71 Results . 75 Discussion . 79 5. Comparing preand post-copulatory mate competition using social network analysis in wild crickets . 85 Abstract . 85. 85 Introduction . 86 Methods . 89 Results . 93 Networks and personality in wild crickets 4 Discussion . 95 6. Wild cricket social networks show stability across generations . 102 Abstract . 102. 102 Introduction . 103 Methods . 104 Results . 110 Discussion . 114 7. Social network dynamics: incorporating individual traits and temporal variation using stochastic actor-orientated models . 118 Abstract . 118. 118 Background . 119 Actor-orientated models . 121 Examples . 122 Applying SAOMs to animal social networks . 126 Data types and requirements . 128 The modelling process . 134 Summary . 141 8. Dynamic cricket behaviour and population-level properties . 142 Abstract . 142. 142 Introduction . 142 Methods . 148 Results . 156 Discussion . 158 9. General discussion . 165 Appendix . 170 References . 174 List of figures and tables Note Table S1 and Figures S1-3 in the Appendix are not included in this list
On Multidominance and Linearization

This article centers around two questions: What is the relation between movement and structure sharing, and how can complex syntactic structures be linearized? It is shown that regular movement involves internal remerge, and sharing or ‘sideward movement’ external remerge. Without ad hoc restric-tions on the input, both options follow from Merge. They can be represented in terms of multidominance. Although more structural freedom ensues than standardly thought, the grammar is not completely unconstrained: Argu-ably, proliferation of roots is prohibited. Furthermore, it is explained why external remerge has somewhat different consequences than internal re-merge. For instance, apparent non-local behavior is attested. At the PF inter-face, the linearization of structures involving remerge is non-trivial. A cen-tral problem is identified, apart from the general issue why remerged mater-ial is only pronounced once: There are seemingly contradictory linearization demands for internal and external remerge. This can be resolved by taking into account the different structural configurations. It is argued that the line-arization is a PF procedure involving a recursive structure scanning algo-rithm that makes use of the inherent asymmetry between sister nodes im-posed by the operation of Merge.
Vitamin E and donepezil for the treatment of mild cognitive impairment.

BACKGROUND Mild cognitive impairment is a transitional state between the cognitive changes of normal aging and early Alzheimer's disease. METHODS In a double-blind study, we evaluated subjects with the amnestic subtype of mild cognitive impairment. Subjects were randomly assigned to receive 2000 IU of vitamin E daily, 10 mg of donepezil daily, or placebo for three years. The primary outcome was clinically possible or probable Alzheimer's disease; secondary outcomes were cognition and function. RESULTS A total of 769 subjects were enrolled, and possible or probable Alzheimer's disease developed in 212. The overall rate of progression from mild cognitive impairment to Alzheimer's disease was 16 percent per year. As compared with the placebo group, there were no significant differences in the probability of progression to Alzheimer's disease in the vitamin E group (hazard ratio, 1.02; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.74 to 1.41; P=0.91) or the donepezil group (hazard ratio, 0.80; 95 percent confidence interval, 0.57 to 1.13; P=0.42) during the three years of treatment. Prespecified analyses of the treatment effects at 6-month intervals showed that as compared with the placebo group, the donepezil group had a reduced likelihood of progression to Alzheimer's disease during the first 12 months of the study (P=0.04), a finding supported by the secondary outcome measures. Among carriers of one or more apolipoprotein E epsilon4 alleles, the benefit of donepezil was evident throughout the three-year follow-up. There were no significant differences in the rate of progression to Alzheimer's disease between the vitamin E and placebo groups at any point, either among all patients or among apolipoprotein E epsilon4 carriers. CONCLUSIONS Vitamin E had no benefit in patients with mild cognitive impairment. Although donepezil therapy was associated with a lower rate of progression to Alzheimer's disease during the first 12 months of treatment, the rate of progression to Alzheimer's disease after three years was not lower among patients treated with donepezil than among those given placebo.
Feasibility Study of Phragmites karka and Christella dentata Grown in West Bengal as Arsenic Accumulator

A survey was undertaken, in arsenic (As) contaminated area of the Nadia district, West Bengal, India, to find native As accumulator plants. As was determined both in soil and plant parts. The results showed that the mean translocation factor of Pteris vittata L, Phragmites karka (Cav.) Trin. Ex. Steud and Christella dentata Forssk were higher than 1. It thus appeared that these plants can be efficient accumulators of As. Phytoremediation ability of C. dentata and P. karka was evaluated and compared with known As-hyperaccumulators -P. vittata and Adiantum capillus veneris L. Plants were grown in the As spiked soil (25, 50, 75 and 100 mg kg−1). As accumulation was found to be highest in P. vittata, 117.18 mg kg−1 in leaf at 100 mg kg−1 As treatment, followed by A. capillus veneris, P. karka and C. dentata being 74, 83.87 and 40.36 mg kg−1, respectively. Lipid peroxidation increased after As exposure in all plants. However, the antioxidant enzyme activity and molecules concentration also increased which helped the plants to overcome As-induced oxidative stress. The study indicates that P. karka and C. dentata could be considered as As-accumulators and find application for As-phytoextraction in field conditions.
Perception of Body Size and Body Satisfaction in Recovered Anorexic Women: Comparison with Restrained and Unrestrained Eaters

The perception of body size, measured by three different methods, and body satisfaction were assessed in 23 formerly anorexic inpatients with an “intermediate” (n = 9) or a “good” outcome (n = 14) and compared with the data obtained from 21 restrained and 20 unrestrained eaters. Using the Kinaesthetic Size Estimation Apparatus, overestimation and uncertainty in the perception of body size became apparent in both groups of former patients. The other two methods, Video Distortion Technique and Image Marking Procedure, did not produce comparable results. There was only a trend towards higher scores on body dissatisfaction, as measured by the Body Shape Questionnaire, in the patients' groups in comparison with the group of unrestrained eaters, whereas the patients' scores on body dissatisfaction were quite similar to those of the restrained eaters. None of these measures discriminated between the two outcome categories of “intermediate” and “good. ” These findings suggest that restoration of body weight, by itself, obviously does not cause a normalization of body experience in all its components in patients with anorexia nervosa.