Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A test protocol to enable comparative evaluation of maximum power point trackers under both static and dynamic irradiance

The effectiveness of maximum power point trackers (MPPTs) is an important factor in the energy harvest economics of a PV system. Inverter manufacturers want to maximize the effectiveness of their MPPTs, and plant developers desire to choose inverters with the highest energy harvest to maximize their return on investment. However, comparing MPPTs against one another is challenging because the most common figure of merit, the MPPT efficiency, depends on the characteristics of the PV array and on the time variation of the irradiance. The commonly reported MPPT efficiency is essentially a static metric that does not translate well to performance under the wide range of real world conditions. To enable meaningful comparisons between MPPTs under both static and dynamic conditions, this paper proposes a standardized irradiance profile for use in determining MPPT efficiency. The proposed irradiance profile is designed to minimize bias in the results, maximize reproducibility, and be easy to use. The irradiance profile, its rationale, and its use are described herein.
Antihypertensive effects of the neutral endopeptidase inhibitor SCH 42495 in essential hypertension.

The antihypertensive effects and safety of a novel neutral endopeptidase inhibitor, SCH 42495, were investigated in hypertensive patients. A multicenter, open clinical trial was conducted in 27 patients with essential hypertension, WHO Stage I or II. Mean age was 64 +/- 1 years. After 2 to 4 weeks of a placebo run-in, 50 mg twice daily, was started, with the dose increased to 100 mg twice daily, and 200 mg twice daily, every 2 weeks, if necessary, to achieve a predetermined response. Blood pressure and pulse rate were monitored every 2 weeks. Blood chemistry, plasma atrial natriuretic peptide (ANP), and plasma cGMP levels were determined before and after the 8-week treatment period. Blood pressure was significantly reduced, from 171 +/- 1/100 +/- 1 mm Hg to 146 +/- 3/84 +/- 2 mmHg (P < .001) at the end of the 8-week treatment period. No change in pulse rate was noted. Efficacy rate was evaluated in 25 patients treated for 4 weeks or more. Efficacy rate was 44% with 50 mg twice daily, 60% with 100 mg twice daily, and 80% with 200 mg twice daily. Adverse reactions such as headaches and palpitation were observed in six patients (22.2%), with treatment discontinued in five. Significant correlation was observed between increment in plasma ANP levels and blood pressure reductions (r = -0.53, P < .05). Increase in plasma cGMP was positively correlated with increments in plasma hANP (r = 0.80, P < .001). SCH 42495 has potent antihypertensive effect associated with an enhancement of endogenous hANP and may be clinically useful as a new class of antihypertensive drug.
Compact Rectangular Microstrip Patch Antenna with Defected Ground Structure ( DGS ) of Swastik Shape for LTE Applications

In this paper a novel compact antenna suitable for long-term evolution(LTE) applications is presented. In handheld devices. The radiating elements are two planar swastik shape constructed by a meandered line and folded patch with inter digitated capacitive strips connected to the folded patch. To achieve high isolation between the two radiating elements, a defected ground plane (a combination of rectangular slot ring and inverted T-shaped slot stub) is employed. The antenna is designed to operate in the 746-787 MHz, 1850-1990 MHz, 1920-2170 MHz, and 3600-3700 MHz frequency bands. The characterization of the antenna in free-space as well as in the proximity of the user head and hand is presented. The results confirm the excellent performance of the proposed diversity antenna.
Corrosion of titanium/cobalt-chromium alloy couples.

UNLABELLED Because of the increasing use of dissimilar metal combinations in the human body, we undertook an in vitro study to determine the compatibility and tendency to accelerate crevice corrosion of galvanic couples of cobalt-chromium alloy with either titanium, titanium alloy, or stainless steel. We employed an electrochemical open-circuit potential measurement test and a potentiostatic passive film-corrosion measurement test. The results demonstrated that the chromium alloy/stainless-steel couple was unstable. The cobalt-chromium alloy/titanium alloy couple was stable. CLINICAL RELEVANCE Cobalt-chromium alloys should not be used in combination with stainless steel but may be used in combination with titanium alloy. All usage of metal couples should be approached with the utmost caution.
Introducing roughness in individuality transformation through jitter modeling and modification

Individuality transformation is a process to modify the speech signal in a person's voice so that it sounds as if it is spoken by another person. In most individuality transformation methods, pitch transformation is performed through a simple scaling considering the global pitch characteristics of the source and target speakers without considering the short-term pitch variation or jitter. We present a novel method to model and modify jitter in the speech signal to introduce a handle on roughness in the process of individuality transformation. The proposed method is based upon computing the average intensity in a band around the fundamental frequency in the spectrum of a speaker's mean normalized pitch contour. The validity of the proposed method to model jitter has been established by subjective tests for perceived roughness in the speaker's voice. It is also shown that modification of jitter by the proposed method results in an improved subjective rating for individuality transformation.
Citrate plasma levels in patients under regional anticoagulation in continuous venovenous hemofiltration.

BACKGROUND Different methods of regional anticoagulation using citrate in continuous hemofiltration have been described. To date, only such surrogate parameters as pH, anion gap, total calcium concentration, or total calcium-ionized calcium ratio have been proposed to reflect increased plasma citrate levels and thus risk for side effects. However, none of these parameters has been correlated with plasma citrate levels in critically ill patients. METHODS Sixteen patients were treated with continuous venovenous hemofiltration (CVVH) and citrate anticoagulation for a mean of 13 +/- 9 days. Citrate levels were measured every other day, and correlations were calculated with the mentioned parameters. RESULTS Steady-state citrate levels on treatment day 3 were 16.39 +/- 15.77 mg/dL (range, 2.63 to 73.49 mg/dL [853 +/- 821 micromol/L; range, 137 to 3825 micromol/L]). The highest correlation was found between citrate plasma level and total calcium-ionized calcium ratio (R = 0.85; P < 0.001). pH (R = -0.15) and anion gap (R = 0.36) were not helpful in estimating citrate plasma levels in patients treated with citrate-CVVH. CONCLUSION Calculating total calcium-ionized calcium ratio is a simple tool that correlates best with citrate plasma levels. We recommend close monitoring of this parameter in all patients administered high doses of citrate as part of regional anticoagulation protocols.
An Analysis of the Incomes and Current Personal Transfers of Hungarians Living Abroad

The funds transferred or available for transfer home by households working abroad appear in several items of the balance of payments, which often leads to misunderstandings. This paper therefore attempts to define these concepts. It is necessary to clarify and understand the concepts associated with remittances because they may represent more stable sources of external funding compared to other external sources, and may also shape economic growth, improve the current account and thus contribute to reducing the risk premium and improving investor sentiment on the country. After illustrating the economic significance of the compensation of employees and transfers, we shed light on their trends in recent years in Hungary. The United Kingdom’s referendum on EU membership in June 2016 lends particular relevance to the topic. We show that the compensation of employees working temporarily abroad significantly exceeds the current personal transfers of Hungarian households permanently living abroad, and these significantly improve the current account. Hungarian workers in Germany and Austria received the majority of wages, while the United Kingdom also plays a prominent role alongside Germany in current personal transfers made by Hungarian households living permanently abroad. At the scale of the European Union, the volume of compensation of employees and current personal transfers decreases in parallel with the level of economic development.
Operative Treatment of Acute Distal Femur Fractures: Systematic Review of 2 Comparative Studies and 45 Case Series (1989 to 2005)

Background The incidence of distal femur fractures is approximately 37 per 100,000 person-years.1 Typically, distal femur fractures are caused by a high-energy injury mechanism in young men or a low-energy mechanism in elderly women.2 Managing these fractures can be a challenging task. Most surgeons agree that distal femur fractures need to be treated operatively to achieve optimal patient outcomes. The articular fracture component is usually treated with open reduction and internal lag screw fixation or external tension wire fixation (Illizarov). However, there is no consensus on the type of implant for the fixation of the metaphyseal–diaphyseal fracture component. Objective The aim of this study is to systematically summarize and compare the results of different fixation techniques (traditional compression plating, antegrade nailing, retrograde nailing, submuscular locked internal fixation, and external fixation) in the operative management of acute nonperiprosthetic distal femur fractures (AO/OTA type 33A and C) and the characteristics of the fractures for each treatment (articular/nonarticular and open/closed). Additionally an attempt was made to evaluate the impact of surgical experience on nonunion rate, fixation failure rate, deep infection rate, and secondary surgical procedure rate. In the context of this article compression plating relates to techniques/implants that require compression of the implant to the femoral shaft—it does not relate to interfragmentary compression.
A novel left-handed circularly polarized votage-controlled leaky wave antenna

In this literature, a novel left-handed circularly polarized voltage-controlled leaky wave antenna is presented with a scanning range of 0°to -37°with a perfect axial ratio at the most time below 2 dB. The structure depends on CRLH (Composite Right/Left Handed) transmission line with a cross finger coupled line added, which gives additional performance on the farfield axial ratio. Also the principle of the structure is discussed and an equivalent circuit is presented for further study.
B-cell Receptor Activation Induces BIC/miR-155 Expression through a Conserved AP-1 Element*

microRNA-155 is an oncogenic microRNA that has been shown to be critical for B-cell maturation and immunoglobulin production in response to antigen. In line with its function in B-cell activation, miR-155, and its primary transcript, B-cell integration cluster (BIC), is induced by B-cell receptor (BCR) cross-linking. Using pharmacological inhibitors in the human B-cell line, Ramos, we show that activation of BIC and miR-155 expression by BCR signaling occurs through the extracellular signaling-regulated kinase (ERK) and c-Jun N-terminal kinase (JNK) pathways but not the p38 pathway. BCR activation results in the induction of c-Fos, FosB, and JunB, and expression of these are suppressed by ERK and JNK inhibitors. Reporter analysis established a key role for a conserved AP-1 site ∼40 bp upstream from the site of initiation but not an upstream NF-κB site or a putative c-Ets located at the site of initiation. Lastly, chromatin immunoprecipitation analysis demonstrated the recruitment of FosB and JunB to the miR-155 promoter following BCR activation. These results identify key determinants of BCR-mediated signaling that lead to the induction of BIC/miR-155.
Farmers, Food production and Financial markets: A review of the literature on agricultural sector in developing countries.

In 2015, the world community adopted 17 Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) at a United Nation Summit. One of the goals, is to end hunger and to achieve food security for the poor by 2030. This paper will review existing literature on the agricultural sector in developing countries, to illustrate why this goal may be not so easy to achieve. Agricultural markets, rural finance, financial constraints, and nutrition and productivity are some of the topics which will be reviewed, discussed, and criticized. The discussion will be supplemented with assorted data from Food and Agricultural Organization of the United Nations, to present an overview of the current and past status of the agricultural sector. In addition, one agricultural household model will be derived to demonstrate the similarities and differences in comparison with neoclassical household models.
The Stimulation of Rat Leydig Cell Steroidogenesis by Human Ovarian Steroidogenesis-Inducing Protein (SIP) May Not Require Endogenous cAMP

Recently a protein from ovarian follicular fluid was isolated which stimulates steroid production in different cells (Khan et al., 1990). The present study was performed to further characterize the short term effects of this steroidogensis-inducing protein (SIP) on steroid production in isolated rat Leydig cells and to compare the effects with LH/hCG and LHRH. SIP stimulated testosterone production in a dose-dependent manner. In Leydig cells isolated from adult rats the degree of stimulation was much higher than that obtained with hCG, dibutyryl cAMP (db cAMP) or LHRH. Moreover, the stimulated steroid production in the presence of hCG or db cAMP was further enhanced by SIP. The time courses of hCG and SIP action on testosterone production were comparable and maximal stimulation of steroid production was obtained within one hour. In contrast to hCG, SIP did not stimulate cAMP production. An antagonist of LHRH action was unable to block the effects of SIP on Leydig cells indicating that SIP does not act via LHRH receptors. Neither SIP nor LH could further stimulate the steroid production in the presence of 22-R-OH-cholesterol, illustrating that both stimulators control the availability of cholesterol as substrate. An inhibitor of mitochondrial cholesterol side chain cleavage (CSCC), aminoglutethemide, completely blocked the stimulatory effects of SIP and LH/hCG. Thus the effects of SIP on steroid production are not the result of conversion of contaminating steroids in the SIP-preparation. SIP and LH/hCG actions were also blocked when the cells were incubated in the presence of cycloheximide. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Systems with Human Monitors: A Signal Detection Analysis

Automated factories, the flightdecks of commercial aircraft, and the control rooms of power plants are examples of decision-making environments in which a human operator performs an alerted-monitor role. These human-machine systems include automated monitor or alerting subsystems operating in support of a human monitor. The automated monitor subsystem makes preprogrammed decisions about the state of the underlying process based on current inputs and expectations about normal/abnormal operating conditions. When alerted by the automated monitor subsystem, the human monitor may analyze input data, confirm or disconfirm the decision made by the automated monitor, and take appropriate further action. In this paper, the combined automated monitor-human monitor system is modeled as a signal detection system in which the human operator and the automated component monitor partially correlated noisy channels. The signal detection analysis shows that overall system performance is highly sensitive to the interaction between the human's monitoring strategy and the decision parameter, Ca, of the automated monitor subsystem. Usual design practice is to set Ca to a value that optimizes the automated monitor's detection and false alarm rates. Our analysis shows that this setting will not yield optimal performance for the overall human-machine system. Furthermore, overall system performance may be limited to a narrow range of realizable detection and error rates. As a result, large gains in system performance can be achieved by manipulating the parameters of the automated monitor subsystem in light of the workload characteristics of the human operator.
Australasian sequestrate fungi 18: Solioccasus polychromus gen. & sp. nov., a richly colored, tropical to subtropical, hypogeous fungus

Solioccasus polychromus gen. & sp. nov., the most brightly colored hypogeous fungus known, is described from Papua New Guinea and tropical northern Australia south into subtropical forests along the Queensland coast and coastal mountains to near Brisbane. Phylogenetic analysis of molecular data places it as a sister genus to Bothia in the Boletineae, a clade of predominantly ectomycorrhizal boletes. Ectomycorrhizal trees, such as members of the Myrtaceae (Eucalyptus, Corymbia, Lophostemon, Melaleuca spp.) and Allocasuarina littoralis, were present usually in mixture or in some cases dominant, so we infer some or all of them to be among the ectomycorrhizal hosts of S. polychromus.
Dietary Intake and Nutrition-Related Knowledge in a Sample of Lebanese Adolescents of Contrasting Socioeconomic Status

Background Socioeconomic status (SES) is postulated to be a major predictor of dietary intake and nutrition-related knowledge in adults. To date, very few studies have addressed this effect among adolescents. Objective To explore differences in nutrient intake and nutrition-related knowledge among adolescents of contrasting SES in Lebanon. Methods In a cross-sectional survey, 209 males and females, aged 17 to 19 years, were recruited from a private university with high tuition and a free public university in Beirut. The participants completed a multicomponent, self-administered questionnaire that inquired about demographic characteristics and nutrition-related knowledge. Three nonconsecutive 24-hour dietary recalls were obtained through interviews. Energy-adjusted means of dietary intake and age-adjusted nutrition-related knowledge were compared between groups using a general linear model. Results Adolescents in the high-SES group consumed more vegetables, meats, and fats and oils (p < .05). Energy and nutrient intake analysis showed that adolescents in the high-SES group consumed significantly higher amounts of calories, protein, fat, vitamin A, vitamin C, and iron (p <.001) and significantly lower amounts of carbohydrates (p < .05). Nutritional knowledge, although high among all participants, was higher in the high-SES group (p < .05). Conclusions Although both groups showed good nutrition-related knowledge, SES significantly affected dietary intake in a sample of Lebanese adolescents. This warrants consideration of other factors, such as cost and environment, that may modulate eating behavior among adolescents from different socioeconomic strata.
Ecologic proxies for household income: how well do they work for the analysis of health and health care utilization?

BACKGROUND Researchers often use census-derived measures of socioeconomic status (SES) when personal information is not available. Theory predicts that the resulting misclassification will blunt associations between outcomes and SES and that control for confounding by SES will be less effective. The purpose of this paper was to examine the magnitude of this problem using data from the National Population Health Survey (NPHS). METHODS Subjects were 4,037 respondents to the NPHS who were linked to the Ontario Health Insurance Plan. An ecologic measure of income was obtained by linkage of subjects' postal codes to the Census. RESULTS The relationships between the ecologic-level measure and health outcomes or health services utilization were attenuated in comparison to the relationships relative to the direct measure of household income. The ecologic measure also produced poorer control for confounding by income in the analysis of other health relationships. CONCLUSIONS Many interesting public health and health services questions can be addressed only with the use of ecologic level socioeconomic information. While most of the results were qualitatively similar when the direct and ecologic measures were compared, researchers and users of research findings should be aware that attenuated or potentially misleading findings may result from the use of these methods.
A Tournament of Linkage Tests in Complex Inheritance

The performance of some weakly parametric linkage tests in common use was compared on 200 replicates of oligogenic inheritance from Genetic Analysis Workshop 10. Each random sample for the quantitative trait was dichotomized at different thresholds and also selected through 2 affected sibs, generating 8 combinations of sample and variable. The variance component program SOLAR performed best with a continuous trait, even in selected samples, when the population mean was used. The sib-pair program SIBPAL2 was best in most other cases when the phenotype product, population mean, and empirical estimates of pair correlations were used. The BETA program that introduced phenotype products was slightly more powerful than maximum likelihood scores under the null hypothesis and approached but did not exceed SIBPAL2 under its optimal conditions. Type I errors generally exceeded expectations from a χ2 test, but were conservative with respect to bounds on lods. All methods can be improved by use of the population mean, empirical correlations, logistic representation for affection status, and correct lods for samples that favour the null hypothesis. It remains uncertain whether all information can be extracted by weakly parametric methods and whether correction for ascertainment bias demands a strongly parametric model. Performance on a standard set of simulated data is indispensable for recognising optimal methods.
Plant storage proteins with antimicrobial activity: novel insights into plant defense mechanisms

Storage proteins perform essential roles in plant survival, acting as molecular reserves important for plant growth and maintenance, as well as being involved in defense mechanisms by virtue of their properties as insecticidal and antimicrobial proteins. These proteins accumulate in storage vacuoles inside plant cells, and, in response to determined signals, they may be used by the different plant tissues in response to pathogen attack. To shed some light on these remarkable proteins with dual functions, storage proteins found in germinative tissues, such as seeds and kernels, and in vegetative tissues, such as tubercles and leaves, are extensively discussed here, along with the related mechanisms of protein expression. Among these proteins, we focus on 2S albumins, Kunitz proteinase inhibitors, plant lectins, glycine‐rich proteins, vicilins, patatins, tarins, and ocatins. Finally, the potential use of these molecules in development of drugs to combat human and plant pathogens, contributing to the development of new biotechnology‐based medications and products for agribusiness, is also presented. —De Souza Cândido, E. , Pinto, M. F. S. , Pelegrini, P. B. , Lima, T. B. , Silva, O. N. , Pogue, R. , Grossi‐de‐Sá, M. F. , Franco, O. L. Plant storage proteins with antimicrobial activity: novel insights into plant defense mechanisms. FASEB J. 25, 3290–3305 (2011). www.fasebj. org