Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Hybrid variable-band hysteresis DPM and repetitive control for a 400 Hz inverter

A novel hybrid control based on digital variable-band hysteresis discrete pulse modulation (DPM) control and repetitive control is proposed for a 400 Hz inverter. The good dynamic response of the DPM inverter is obtained by the digital hysteresis control, and the steady state control performance is improved significantly by the repetitive control. By utilizing the variable hysteresis band, the stability margin of the control system has been increased. Tbe 400 Hz / 1 KVA DPM inverter is designed with the variable-band method provided in detail. Simulation and experimental results are presented to verify the validity and feasibility of the proposed control.
A környezethez való jog értelmezése a fenntartható fejlődési stratégia és az Alaptörvény fényében

The Fundamental Law and the National Framework Strategy of Sustainable Development – adopted in 2013 – provides us with an opportunity to understand the right to environment in a wider context, beginning with the theory of sustainable development, which still has environmental considerations as its core issue. The ethical background is also a vital source of interpreting the right to environment. Here we relied on the teaching of the Catholic Church, within which the unity of rights and obligations result in our efforts to attain the public good. A basic constituent of sustainable development, generational equity, may also better be approached from the viewpoint of the right to environment. We analyse the attempts for an interpretation and visualisation of this right in the field of international cooperation, and examine the legal spectrum from the jurisprudence of the European Court of Human Rights to the Charter of Fundamental Rights, though they do not offer a satisfactory answer. The basic source of our domestic analysis is the practice of the Constitutional Court, which may also provide the proper basis for the interpretation of similar provisions of the Fundamental Law. The Fundamental Law, while preserving the previous constitutional solutions in the field of the right to environment, adds several new contextual elements to it, which have already been raised in connection with the international sources of sustainable development and ethical foundation, such as the robust presence of duties or the rights of future generations. We may also add human dignity, or heritage, which must also cover non material or intangible assets.
Prevalence of and risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease in a Chinese population: An 8-year follow-up study.

AIM To investigate the prevalence of and risk factors for non-alcoholic fatty liver disease (NAFLD) in a Chinese population. METHODS A total of 1948 adults from China was followed for 8 years. A cross-sectional study was performed to investigate the prevalence of NAFLD at baseline, and then the participants were followed for 8 years to investigate risk factors for the development of NAFLD. RESULTS A total of 1948 participants were enrolled at baseline, of whom 691 were diagnosed with NAFLD. During the 8-year follow-up, 337 baseline NAFLD-free participants developed NAFLD. They had a greater increase in body mass index (BMI), serum uric acid, fasting plasma glucose, very low-density lipoprotein cholesterol and a considerable decrease in high-density lipoprotein cholesterol. 123 participants who had NAFLD at baseline lost NAFLD during the 8-year follow-up period. They had a greater decrease in BMI, fasting plasma glucose, triglycerides, total cholesterol, low-density lipoprotein cholesterol, alanine aminotransferase, aspartate aminotransferase, and γ-glutamyl transpeptidase. CONCLUSION NAFLD is prevalent in Chinese population with a rapidly increasing tendency. It can be reversed when patients lose their weight, control their hyperlipidemia and hyperglycemia, and reduce the liver enzyme levels.
Binding of the NG2 Proteoglycan to Type VI Collagen and Other Extracellular Matrix Molecules*

Previous studies have suggested that the NG2 proteoglycan interacts with type VI collagen. We have further characterized this interaction using a solid phase binding assay in which purified NG2 was shown to bind to pepsin-solubilized type VI collagen. In addition, NG2 bound a recombinant α2 (VI) collagen chain but did not appreciably bind to the recombinant α1 (VI) chain or the N-terminal domain of α3 (VI) (N9-N2). Binding of NG2 to type VI collagen was shown to be concentration-dependent and saturable and to depend mainly on the NG2 core protein, since chondroitinase-treated NG2 bound the collagen as well as undigested samples. In addition, the binding studies revealed several other possible ligands for NG2, including type II collagen, type V collagen, tenascin, and laminin. Binding of the proteoglycan to these molecules was also shown to be mediated by domains contained within the NG2 core protein. The ability of NG2 to bind to these extracellular matrix molecules was compared with that of the chondroitin sulfate proteoglycan decorin, revealing an almost identical binding pattern of the two proteoglycans to the different collagen types. In addition, decorin was found to effectively inhibit the ability of NG2 to bind to collagen, thus suggesting that the two proteoglycans may bind to some of the same regions on the collagen substrates. In contrast, decorin did not bind tenascin and was ineffective in inhibiting the binding of NG2 to tenascin or laminin, indicating that NG2 may bind these two molecules using a separate domain that is distinct from its collagen binding region.
Leukocytapheresis for the treatment of acute exacerbation of idiopathic interstitial pneumonias: a pilot study.

OBJECTIVE Idiopathic interstitial pneumonias (IIPs) are a group of heterogeneous diffuse parenchymal lung disorders of unknown etiology. An acute exacerbation (AE) is an acute respiratory deterioration that occurs in IIPs. The prognosis of AE of IIPs (AE-IIPs) is extremely severe; however, no established therapies exist. We aimed to evaluate the efficacy of leukocytapheresis (LCAP) to treat patients with AE-IIPs. PATIENTS AND METHODS Six chronic IIPs patients who developed AE were enrolled in this study. We performed LCAP on days 2, 3, 9 and 10 in all six patients. All patients were also treated with high-dose corticosteroids and a continuous administration of low-molecular-weight heparin. We observed 30-day survival after the diagnosis of AE to evaluate the efficacy of LCAP. We also assessed oxygenation, high-resolution computed tomography (HRCT) findings, and certain chemical mediators in the peripheral blood. RESULTS Five of six patients survived more than 30 days. One patient died of progressive respiratory failure. Oxygenation and HRCT findings tended to improve in all survivors. The serum levels of lactate dehydrogenase, high mobility group box-1, and interleukin-18 were significantly decreased statistically post-LCAP. No severe adverse events occurred. CONCLUSION We suggest that LCAP is a safe and effective therapy for treating patients with AE-IIPs. J. Med. Invest. 64: 110-116, February, 2017.
Hereditary congenital nystagmus. An intrafamilial study.

Three members of the same family with hereditary congenital nystagmus (CN) were studied. Nystagmus amplitude, frequency, and intensity functions determined the gaze angle with least nystagmus. Visual acuity was increased in all cases by the use of version or composite prisms. In both pendular and jerk forms of CN, the fovea oscillated on alternate sides of the fixation spot and exhibited simultaneous bilateral shifts in the resulting fixation bias. The nystagmus waveforms were often complex and required velocity information for distinction of type and direction. The "attempt" to fixate was a driving stimulus for CN and ambient illumination or eyelid position were unrelated to its genesis. Pendular and jerk nystagmus are different manifestations of the same ocular motor instability and simple classification on the basis of waveform is erroneous when used to infer etiology.
Quinine blocks specific gap junction channel subtypes

We demonstrate that the antimalarial drug quinine specifically reduces currents through gap junctions formed by some connexins (Cx) in transfected mammalian cells, but does not affect other gap junction types. Quinine blocked Cx36 and Cx50 junctional currents in a reversible and concentration-dependent manner with half maximal blocking concentrations of 32 and 73 μM, respectively; Hill coefficients for block by quinine were about 2 for both connexins. In contrast, quinine did not substantially block gap junction channels formed by Cx26, Cx32, Cx40, and Cx43, and only moderately affected Cx45 junctions. To determine the location of the binding site of quinine (pKa = 8.7), we investigated the effect of quinine at various external and internal pH values and the effect of a permanently charged quaternary derivative of quinine. Our results indicate that the binding site for quinine is intracellular, possibly within the pore. Single-channel studies indicated that exposure to quinine induced slow transitions between open and fully closed states that decreased open probability of the channel. Quinine thus offers a potentially useful method to block certain types of gap junction channels, including those between neurons that are formed by Cx36. Moreover, quinine derivatives that are excluded from other types of membrane channels may provide molecules with connexin-specific as well as connexin-selective blocking activity.
A Miniaturized Microstrip Balun Constructed With Two $\lambda/8$ Coupled Lines and a Redundant Line

This work presents a miniaturized balun consisting of two re-entrant coupled line sections with ~ λ/8 length connected by a redundant line with ~ 0. 04λ length fabricated by planar PCB technology. The structure of the balun was analyzed to obtain the appropriate lengths of couplers and redundant line for the balun realization. An experimental balun operated at -band was designed and fabricated to verify the proposed structure of balun. The prototype demonstrates a miniaturized dimension of ~ 0.29 λ x 0.05 λ and less than 0.36 dB amplitude imbalance associated with 1.6° phase difference in the frequency range of 2.09 3.06 GHz (37.7%). The return loss in the operation band is less than 10 dB. The length of the prototype is almost shrunk to nearly half of the traditional balun.
A randomized, controlled trial of physician postures when breaking bad news to cancer patients

Medical training teaches physicians to sit when breaking bad news, though there have been no controlled studies to support this advice. We aimed to establish cancer patients' preference for physician posture when physicians break bad news using a randomized controlled crossover trial in a department of palliative care at a large US cancer center. Referred patients were blind to the hypothesis and watched video sequences of a sitting or standing physician breaking bad news to a cancer patient and 168 of 173 participants (88 female) completed the study. Sitting physicians were preferred and viewed as significantly more compassionate than standing physicians (P < 0.0001) but other physician attributes and behaviours were generally rated as of equal or more importance than posture. In summary, cancer patients, especially females, prefer physicians to sit when breaking bad news and rate physicians who adopt this posture as more compassionate. However, sitting posture alone is unlikely to compensate for poor communication skills and lack of other respectful gestures during a consultation. Palliative Medicine 2007; 21 : 501—505
Prevalence, Awareness, Treatment and Control of Diabetes Mellitus in a Chinese Population

Objective The purpose of this study is to evaluate the prevalence, awareness, treatment and glycemic control of diabetes mellitus (DM) in a Chinese population. The findings from this study are expected to offer scientific evidence to better prevent and control the growing number of reported and untreated cases. Methods A cross-sectional survey was conducted in Jiangsu, China. We recruited permanent residents over 18 years of age from eight towns in Jintan (JT) and six towns in Yangzhong (YZ) using a three-stage stratified cluster sampling method. The rates of DM prevalence, awareness, treatment and control as well as their related factors were analyzed. Results A total number of 15404 people were entered into the analysis. The DM prevalence, awareness, treatment and control rates were 7.31%, 58.35%, 51.87% and 14.12%, respectively. Multivariable logistic regression analysis showed that being female was positively related to prevalence (OR = 1.21, 95% CI: 1.07–1.37), awareness (OR = 1.52, 95% CI: 1.19–1.93), treatment (OR = 1.48, 95% CI: 1.17–1.88) and control (OR = 1.87, 95% CI: 1.30–2.67) of DM. Having a family history of diabetes was significantly correlated with DM risk (OR = 1.86, 95% CI: 1.37–2.54) and increased awareness (OR = 3.12, 95% CI: 2.19–4.47), treatment (OR = 3.47, 95% CI: 2.45–4.90) and control (OR = 1.81, 95% CI: 1.22–2.68) of DM. Former smoking status (OR = 1.82, 95% CI: 1.23–2.71), overweight (OR = 2.11, 95% CI: 1.72–2.60) and obesity (OR = 3.46, 95% CI: 2.67–4.50) were related to the risk of DM. Additionally, we found current drinking status to be positively correlated with DM risk (OR = 1.30, 95% CI: 1.01–1.66) and negatively correlated with DM awareness (OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.29–0.59) and treatment (OR = 0.41, 95% CI: 0.29–0.59). Our study highlights the high prevalence and inadequate awareness, treatment and control of DM in the Chinese population. Conclusions Management and prevention of DM-related complications should be considered an essential strategy by governments and society. This study assessed the reasons why DM has been increasing and established the first step in determining where to start regarding preventative methods.
Goal-Directed Mechanical Ventilation in Pediatric Acute Respiratory Distress Syndrome: What Pressure Variable Should Be the Goal?

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Thermostable direct hemolysin gene of Vibrio parahaemolyticus: a virulence gene acquired by a marine bacterium

evidence for the importance of TDH in the enteropathogenicity of V. parahaemolyticus has only recently been obtained by using genetically altered strains and more-sensitive assays. The molecular studies of the gene encoding TDH (tdh) have also revealed other interesting features regarding sequence divergence, mobility, and regulation. In this review, we summarize the results of these genetic studies of the tdh gene which indicate that TDH is a major virulence determinant of KP-positive V. parahaemolyticus strains and that the KP-positive phenotype results from highlevelexpressionofaparticulartdhgene.Theseattributesmake the KP phenotype a good marker for a virulent strain. We also speculate about the origin and variation of the tdh gene and about why the virulence genes, thetdhandtdh-related hemolysin (trh) genes, are present in only a small population of V. parahaemolyticus.Theextensivedataavailableforthetdhgene help us to better understand potentially pathogenic bacteria such asV. parahaemolyticusin the natural environment.
Regulation of THI4(MOL1), a thiamine‐biosynthetic gene of Saccharomyces cerevisiae

THI4, a Saccharomyces cerevisiae gene originally identified as a result of transient expression in molasses medium and named MOL1 is regulated by thiamine. Using a THI4 promoter‐lacZ fusion on a centromeric yeast vector, we have shown that the THI4 is completely repressed throughout batch culture by thiamine at a concentration around 1 μM, but shows high level constitutive expression in thiamine‐free medium. The transient expression pattern observed in molasses medium can be mimicked by the addition of 0·15 μM‐thiamine to defined minimal medium. Cells grown in thiamine‐free medium have an intracellular thiamine concentration of around 9 pmol/107 cells. A low level (1 μM) of exogenous thiamine is completely sequestered from the medium within 30 min; intracellular thiamine concentrations rise rapidly, followed by a gradual decrease as a result of dilution during growth. A saturating extracellular level of thiamine leads to a maximal intracellular concentration of around 1600 pmol/107 cells, at which point the transport system is shut down. After transfer from repressing to non‐repressing medium, THI4 becomes induced when the intracellular concentration of thiamine falls to 20 pmol/107 cells. A thi4::UARA3 disruption strain is auxotrophic for thiamine, but can grow in the presence of hydroxyethyl thiazole, indicating that the gene product is involved in the biosynthetic pathway leading to the formation of the thiazole precursor of thiamine.
Respiratory syncytial virus subtype ON1/NA1/BA9 predominates in hospitalized children with lower respiratory tract infections

Respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection is the leading cause of acute respiratory tract disease in children less than 5 years old. The aim of this study was to further elucidate the molecular properties and clinical characteristics of RSV infection. The study sample included 238 patients <5 years old who were hospitalized with clinical symptoms of upper or lower respiratory tract infection (URTI or LRTI) in the Pediatric Department at the First People's Hospital of Chenzhou, South China in 2014. We subjected nasopharyngeal aspirate (NPA) or nasal swab (NS) samples from the patients to indirect fluorescence assay screens. RSV G genes were amplified by reverse transcription‐PCR (RT‐PCR) and sequenced. Of the 238 patients screened, 64 (26.8%) were confirmed to have RSV infections. Of those 64 confirmed RSV infection cases, 39 (60.9%) had subtype BA9, 13 (20.3%) had the recently identified subtype ON1, 11 (17.2%) had subtype NA1, and 1 (1.6%) had subtype GB2. The predominant presentation was LRTI with coughing, sputum production, fever, and wheezing. RSV subtype NA1 and BA9 infections were found mostly in infants, whereas the age distribution of subtype ON1 infections was more uniform across the age bands. Phylogenetic analysis indicated that, compared with the prototype strain A2, all ON1 and most NA1 isolates had lost one potential N‐glycosylation site at amino acid 251 and 249 due to T251K and N249Y substitution, respectively. These findings suggest that NA1, BA9, and ON1 are the dominant RSV subtypes causing respiratory tract infections in young children presenting to the hospital in South China. J. Med. Virol. 89:213–221, 2017. © 2016 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Adaptive Flow Admission Control in a Software-Defined Network

In this paper, we have followed the idea of exploiting the highly flexible architecture of Software-Defined Network (SDN) to provide an adaptive packet Flow Admission Control (FAC) system. Both Quality of Service (QoS) requirements of the packet flow and the current state and situation in the network are put under consideration when admission decisions are made. Furthermore, our proposed FAC monitors and dynamically adapts to the changes of network parameters such as bandwidth, delay, jitter, latency, and classification of traffics for better overall user experience. This paper finds ways to implement the proposed adaptive FAC for improved QoS using a custom built OpenFlow controller based on Floodlight in the production environment of GENI, a national testbed for innovative networking and distributed systems experiments. The experimental results indicate that the adaptive FAC delivers an improvement of up to 67% in comparison with the traditional FAC when unsatisfied user percentage is measured. Also, the adaptive FAC enhanced the average end-to-end delay and network resource (i.e. bandwidth) utilization by up to 30% and 50% respectively.
Practical Switching-Based Hybrid FSO/RF Transmission and Its Performance Analysis

Hybrid free-space optical (FSO)/radio-frequency (RF) systems have emerged as a promising solution for high-data-rate wireless backhaul. We present and analyze a switching-based transmission scheme for the hybrid FSO/RF system. Specifically, either the FSO or RF link will be active at a certain time instance, with the FSO link enjoying a higher priority. We considered both a single-threshold case and a dual-threshold case for FSO link operation. Analytical expressions have been obtained for the outage probability, average bit error rate, and ergodic capacity for the resulting system. Numerical examples are presented to compare the performance of the hybrid scheme with the FSO-only scenario.
Economics of Distributed Storage Systems: An economic analysis of arbitrage-maximizing storage systems at the end consumer level

Increasing the shares of Renewable Energy Sources (RES) and Distributed Energy Resources (DER) is one of the most important levers in many countries to cope with the environmental, political, and economic challenges of future energy supply. The underlying research question of this thesis is whether Distributed Storage Systems (DSS) at the end consumer level can economically foster the integration of intermittent and non-dispatchable resources by providing demand-side flexibility.