Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
High order sliding mode control of doubly-fed induction generator under unbalanced grid faults

This paper deals with a doubly-fed induction generator-based (DFIG) wind turbine system under grid fault conditions such as: unbalanced grid voltage, three-phase grid fault, using a high order sliding mode control (SMC). A second order sliding mode controller, which is robust with respect to matched internal or external disturbances, fast transient response and finite reaching time, is employed to reduce chattering phenomenon caused by high frequency switching of SMC, which serious exists in lower order SMC, and to overcome parameter dependence of traditional proportional integral (PI) control. In order to improve control performance of the overall system, electromagnetic power and active power oscillations elimination strategies are proposed respectively. Lastly, the effective of the proposed control strategy is verified by the simulation results of a 2 MW DFIG system.
Implementation of fully-differential capacitance sensing accelerometer using glass proof-mass with Si-vias

This study presents a novel fully-differential capacitive sensing accelerometer design consisting of glass proof-mass and Si-vias. The accelerometer with glass proof-mass has three merits, (1) the insulation glass proof-mass and conducting Si vias enable the gap-closing fully-differential electrodes design, (2) the electrical routings on insulation glass proof-mass can reduce parasitic capacitance, (3) the proof-mass is significantly increased by the nearly whole wafer thick glass material. In application, the fully-differential accelerometer with glass proof-mass is fabricated and characterized. The preliminary measurement results demonstrate the sensitivity of accelerometer is 14.44mV/G with a nonlinearity of 4.91%.
Oocyte senescence: A firm link to age-related female subfertility

In women optimal fertility is maintained until 30 years of age and then decreases sharply. Therefore, the trend to delay childbearing until the fourth decade of life has contributed highly to the decline in total fertility rate observed in Western countries in recent decades. Much evidence supports the idea that age-related subfertility is mostly related to oocyte senescence. Based on the finding that maternal age negatively affects the storage of oocyte transcripts involved in major cellular functions, the present paper reviews the nuclear and cytoplasmic failure of the aged oocyte which can exert a negative influence on its developmental competence. Recognizing the potential role of oocyte-based technologies for improving clinical outcome for women with age-related etiologies of infertility, the importance of basic research aimed to increase knowledge of the aged oocyte and its microenvironment is also highlighted in order to set up new therapeutic strategies.
Design, construction, and in vivo feasibility of a positioning device for irradiation of mice brains using a clinical linear accelerator and intensity modulated radiation therapy

Abstract Purpose: The goal of this study was to design a positioning device that would allow for selective irradiation of the mouse brain with a clinical linear accelerator. Methods: We designed and fabricated an immobilization fixture that incorporates three functions: head stabilizer (through ear bars and tooth bar), gaseous anesthesia delivery and scavenging, and tissue mimic/bolus. Cohorts of five mice were irradiated such that each mouse in the cohort received a unique dose between 1000 and 3000 cGy. DNA damage immunohistochemistry was used to validate an increase in biological effect as a function of radiation dose. Mice were then followed with hematoxylin and eosin (H&E) and anatomical magnetic resonance imaging (MRI). Results: There was evidence of DNA damage throughout the brain proportional to radiation dose. Radiation-induced damage at the prescribed doses, as depicted by H&E, appeared to be constrained to the white matter consistent with radiological observation in human patients. The severity of the damage correlated with the radiation dose as expected. Conclusions: We have designed and manufactured a device that allows us to selectively irradiate the mouse brain with a clinical linear accelerator. However, some off-target effects are possible with large prescription doses.
Differential UWB power-distribution network with equal power ratio and out-of-phase single-ended outputs

In this work, a novel UWB differential ultra-wideband (UWB) power-distribution network is presented. By properly converting four-port balanced filter to a three-port balun filter, a differential power-distribution network integrated with two balun filters can be realized. To demonstrate the idea, a prototype centered at 4 GHz for lower band of UWB (3.1 – 4.85 GHz) is designed and fabricated. The selective differential-mode passband response with 45% bandwidth and wideband common-mode rejection which is greater than 20 dB is obtained. The phase and amplitude imbalances are 180° ± 2° and 0.1 ± 0.2 dB, respectively.
Regularization of the structural similarity index based on preservation of edge direction

The goal of this paper is to improve the performance of the SSIM indexes while retaining their computational efficiency. To this end, we first design an edge-quality term based on the preservation of edge direction, and then adaptively combine it with the SSIM indexes, yielding the regularized SSIM indexes. The proposed method is based on two assumptions: (1) as the quality of a distorted image declines, the human vision system (HVS) is more likely to judge its quality based on the difficulty of recognizing its content; and (2) the preservation of edge direction is a good measurement of this difficulty. Extensive evaluation shows that the regularized SSIM indexes achieve comparable performance to the state-of-the-art method while requiring much less computation time.
CH/π interactions involving aromatic amino acids: Refinement of the CHARMM tryptophan force field

High‐level ab initio calculations have been carried out to study weak CH/π interactions and as a check of the CHARMM force field for aromatic amino acids. Comparisons with published data indicate that the MP2/cc‐pVTZ level of theory is suitable for calculations of CH/π interaction, including the T‐shape benzene dimer. This level of theory was, therefore, applied to investigate CH/π interactions between ethene or cis‐2‐butene and benzene in a variety of orientations. In addition, complexes between ethene and a series of model compounds (toluene, methylindole and p‐cresol) representing the aromatic amino acids were studied motivated by the presence of CH/π interactions in biological systems. Ab initio binding energies were compared to the binding energies obtained with the CHARMM22 force field. In the majority of orientations, CHARMM22 reproduces the preferred binding modes, with excellent agreement for the benzene dimer. Small discrepancies found in the calculations involving methylindole along with a survey of published thermodynamic data for the aromatic amino acids prompted additional optimization of the tryptophan force field. Partial atomic charges, Lennard–Jones parameters, and force constants were improved to obtain better intra‐ and intermolecular properties, with significant improvements obtained in the reproduction of experimental heats of sublimation for indole and free energies of aqueous solvation for methylindole. © 2005 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Comput Chem 26: 1452–1463, 2005
Elevated local [Ca2+] and CaMKII promote spontaneous Ca2+ release in ankyrin-B-deficient hearts.

AIMS Loss-of-function mutations in the cytoskeletal protein ankyrin-B (AnkB) cause ventricular tachyarrhythmias in humans. Previously, we found that a larger fraction of the sarcoplasmic reticulum (SR) Ca(2+) leak occurs through Ca(2+) sparks in AnkB-deficient (AnkB(+/-)) mice, which may contribute to arrhythmogenicity via Ca(2+) waves. Here, we investigated the mechanisms responsible for increased Ca(2+) spark frequency in AnkB(+/-) hearts. METHODS AND RESULTS Using immunoblots and phospho-specific antibodies, we found that phosphorylation of ryanodine receptors (RyRs) by CaMKII is enhanced in AnkB(+/-) hearts. In contrast, the PKA-mediated RyR phosphorylation was comparable in AnkB(+/-) and wild-type (WT) mice. CaMKII inhibition greatly reduced Ca(2+) spark frequency in myocytes from AnkB(+/-) mice but had little effect in the WT. Global activities of the major phosphatases PP1 and PP2A were similar in AnkB(+/-) and WT hearts, while CaMKII autophosphorylation, a marker of CaMKII activation, was increased in AnkB(+/-) hearts. Thus, CaMKII-dependent RyR hyperphosphorylation in AnkB(+/-) hearts is caused by augmented CaMKII activity. Intriguingly, CaMKII activation is limited to the sarcolemma-SR junctions since non-junctional CaMKII targets (phospholamban, HDAC4) are not hyperphosphorylated in AnkB(+/-) myocytes. This local CaMKII activation may be the consequence of elevated [Ca(2+)] in the junctional cleft caused by reduced Na(+)/Ca(2+) exchange activity. Indeed, using the RyR-targeted Ca(2+) sensor GCaMP2.2-FBKP12.6, we found that local junctional [Ca(2+)] is significantly elevated in AnkB(+/-) myocytes. CONCLUSIONS The increased incidence of pro-arrhythmogenic Ca(2+) sparks and waves in AnkB(+/-) hearts is due to enhanced CaMKII-mediated RyR phosphorylation, which is caused by higher junctional [Ca(2+)] and consequent local CaMKII activation.
Evolution of Integrase Resistance During Failure of Integrase Inhibitor-Based Antiretroviral Therapy

Background:Although integrase inhibitors are highly effective in the management of drug-resistant HIV, some patients fail to achieve durable viral suppression. The long-term consequences of integrase inhibitor failure have not been well defined. Methods:We identified 29 individuals who exhibited evidence of incomplete viral suppression on a regimen containing an integrase inhibitor (23 raltegravir, 6 elvitegravir). Before initiating the integrase inhibitor-based regimen, the median CD4+ T-cell count and plasma HIV RNA levels were 62 cells/mm3 and 4.65 log10 copies/mL, respectively. Results:At the first failure time-point, the most common integrase resistance pattern for subjects taking raltegravir was wild-type, followed in order of frequency by Q148H/K/R+G140S, N155H, and Y143R/H/C. The most common resistance pattern for subjects taking elvitegravir was E92Q. Long-term failure was associated with continued viral evolution, emergence of high-level phenotypic resistance, and a decrease in replicative capacity. Conclusions:Although wild-type failure during early integrase inhibitor failure is common, most patients eventually develop high-level phenotypic drug resistance. This resistance evolution is gradual and associated with declines in replicative capacity.
Socio-economic factors affecting the success of tuberculosis treatment in six counties of Shandong Province, China.

SETTING Tuberculosis (TB) control in rural China is of high priority in health policy making. OBJECTIVE To investigate treatment success among rural TB patients and the determinants of patient and case management and to explore the current status of DOTS implementation in rural China. METHODS A patient-based study was conducted in six counties of Shandong Province, China. Study sites were selected by multi-stage random sampling. Subjects were rural smear-positive pulmonary TB patients registered with the county TB dispensaries at study sites who completed treatment during the period October 2006 to September 2007. RESULTS This study observed a success rate of 74.5% among 501 participants. The cure rate, of 50.5%, was much lower than the national level. There was a difference in treatment success rates across counties. Factors independently affecting treatment success were patient income, study site, and home visits and supervision by town and village health workers. CONCLUSIONS Enhancing financial resources for TB control and effective involvement of human resources are crucial to achieving success with the DOTS strategy in rural China.
An Integrated Model for the Cost-Minimizing Funding of Corporate Activities Over Time

To enhance the value of a firm, the firmi¯s management must attempt to minimize the total discounted cost of financing over a planning horizon. Unfortunately, the variety of sources of funds and the constraints that may be imposed on accessing funds from any one source make this exercise a difficult task. The model presented and illustrated here accomplishes this task considering issuing new equity and new bonds, refunding the bonds, borrowing short-term from financial institutions, temporarily parking surplus funds in short-term securities, repurchasing its stock, and retaining part or all of a firmi¯s earnings. The proportions of these sources of funds are determined subject to their associated costs and various constraints such as not exceeding a specific debt/equity ratio and following a stable dividend policy, among others.
Coexisting stable equilibria under least squares learning

This paper illustrates that least squares learning may lead to sub-optimal outcomes even when firms observe all the variables that affect their demand and they use a locally correct functional form in the estimation. We consider the Salop model with three firms and two types of consumers that face different transportation costs. Firms do not know the demand structure and they apply least squares learning to learn the demand function. In each period, firms estimate a linear perceived demand function and they play the perceived best response to the previous-period price of the other firms. This learning rule can lead to three different outcomes: a self-sustaining equilibrium, the Nash equilibrium or an asymmetric learning-equilibrium in which one firm focuses only on the consumers with high transportation costs. The latter equilibria are locally stable therefore the model has coexisting stable equilibria. We analyze the conditions under which the different outcomes are reached.
An enhanced EAB algorithm to reduce RACH congestion due to IoT traffic in LTE-A networks

Increasing IoT traffic in LTE-A networks imposes several issues such as RACH congestion due to large number of devices accessing the network at the same time. EAB (extended access barring) based solutions have been proven to be efficient methods of giving instant relief from RACH congestion in the network. But current EAB solutions are not suitable for the scenario where network traffic is from mixture of light, moderate, and high delay tolerant IoT devices. As a result, these solutions may lead to unnecessary barring of some of the IoT devices. In this paper, we have proposed a noble EAB algorithm which pro-actively monitors the congestion in the network and avoids collective barring of IoT devices. The algorithm has been evaluated based on various metrics such as success rate, average delay, and average backoff. Apart from this, the paper analyses the performance of H2H and M2M devices when moderate congestion reduction methods such as Long-Backoff method, Separate Preamble method, and Slotted Access method are merged with the proposed EAB algorithm.
Twists in views on RB functions in cellular signaling, metabolism and stem cells

One‐quarter of a century ago, identification of the human retinoblastoma gene (RB) loci proved Knudson's ‘two‐hit theory’ that tumor suppressor genes exist. Since then, numerous works delineated crucial roles for the RB protein (pRB)‐E2F transcription factor complex in G1‐S phase transition. In addition, discovering the relationship between pRB and tissue‐specific transcription factors enabled a better understanding of how cell cycle exit and terminal differentiation are coupled. Recent works provoked many exciting twists in views on pRB functions during cancer initiation and progression beyond its previously well‐appreciated roles. Various mitogenic and cytostatic cellular signals appeared to modulate pRB functions and thus affect a wide variety of effector molecules. In addition, genetic studies in mice as well as other creatures incessantly force us to revise our views on pRB functions. This review will focus particularly on the roles of pRB in regulating intracellular signaling, cell metabolism, chromatin function, stem cells and cancer stem cells. (Cancer Sci 2012; 103: 1182–1188)
The Middle Pleistocene human tibia from Boxgrove.

The Boxgrove tibia was discovered in 1993, associated with Middle Pleistocene fauna, and Lower Palaeolithic archaeology. The sediments at Boxgrove were deposited during a temperate interglacial episode and ensuing cold stage. They thus represent a wide range of modes and environments of deposition. Archaeological remains have been excavated from all the major stratigraphic units, giving a continuity of occupation for this part of southern England over a 10(4) year timescale, through markedly changing climatic regimes. The stratigraphic, archaeological and sedimentological contexts of the tibia are described, as well as its preservation and morphology. Measurements are given, with discussion of reconstructed bone length, and stature estimates. Comparative measurements are provided for fossil and recent human samples: the large dimensions of its diaphysis place the Boxgrove tibia near or beyond the upper size limits of the comparative samples, but its reconstructed length and estimated stature are less exceptional. The elevated robusticity of the specimen indicates exceptional diaphyseal strength and/or cold adapted body proportions paralleling those of the Neanderthals. Disagreement about the taxonomy of Middle Pleistocene hominids and lack of comparable fossil material make a specific assignment for the Boxgrove tibia problematic. The tibia can only definitely be assigned to non-modern Homo sp. , with possible further reference to Homo cf. heidelbergensis (Schoetensack, 1908) on temporal and geographic grounds, if the validity of that species is accepted.
Migraine and Menstruation: A Pilot Study

Objective: To define the term “menstrual” migraine and to determine the prevalence of “menstrual” migraine in women attending the City of London Migraine Clinic. Design: Women attending the clinic were asked to keep a record of their migraine attacks and menstrual periods for at least 3 complete menstrual cycles. Results: Fifty-five women completed the study. “Menstrual” migraine was defined as “migraine attacks which occur regularly on or between days -2 to +3 of the menstrual cycle and at no other time”. Using this criterion, 4 (7.2%) of the women in our population had “menstrual” migraine. All 4 women had migraine without aura. A further 19 (34.5%) had an increased number of attacks at the time of menstruation in addition to attacks at other times of the cycle. Eighteen (32.7%) had attacks occurring throughout the cycle but with no increase in number at the time of menstruation. Fourteen (25.5%) had no attacks within the defined period during the 3 cycles studied. Discussion: A small percentage of women have attacks only occurring at the time of menstruation, which can he defined as true “menstrual” migraine. This group is most likely to respond to hormonal treatment. The group of 34.5% who have an increased number of attacks at the time of menstruation in addition to attacks at other times of the month could be defined as having “menstrually related” migraine and might well respond to hormonal therapy. The 32.7% who have attacks throughout the menstrual cycle without an increase at menstruation are unlikely to respond to hormonal therapy. The 25.5% who do not have attacks related to menstruation almost certainly will not respond to hormonal therapy.
The Ranging Costs of a Fallback Food: Liana Consumption Supplements Diet but Increases Foraging Effort in Howler Monkeys

Lianas are important components in the dynamics of tropical forests and represent fallback foods for some primates, yet little is known about their impact on primate ecology, behavior or fitness. Using 2 yr of field data, we investigated liana consumption and foraging effort in four groups of howler monkeys (two in bigger, more conserved forest fragments and two in smaller, less conserved fragments) to assess whether howler monkeys use lianas when and where food availability is scarce, and how liana consumption is related to foraging effort. Howler monkeys in smaller fragments spent more time consuming lianas and liana consumption was negatively related to the consumption of preferred food resources (fruit and Ficus spp.). Further, travel time was positively related to liana feeding time, but not to tree feeding time, and howler monkeys visited a greater number of food patches when feeding from liana leaves than when feeding from tree leaves. Our results suggest that these increases in foraging effort were related to the fact that lianas are mainly a source of leaves, and that liana patch size was probably smaller than tree patch size. While these results were clear when analyzing all four groups combined, however, they were not always significant in each of the groups individually. We suggest that this may be related to the differences in group size, patch size and the availability of resources among groups. Further studies are necessary to assess whether these dietary and behavioral adjustments negatively impact on the fitness and conservation of primates in fragments.
Lead and cancer in humans: where are we now?

BACKGROUND Lead is only weakly mutagenic, but in vitro it inhibits DNA repair and acts synergistically with other mutagens. Lead acetate administered orally, cutaneously, or intraperitoneally causes kidney cancer, brain cancer (gliomas), and lung cancer in rodents, and acts synergistically with other carcinogens. Most cytogenetic studies of exposed workers have shown increases in chromosome aberrations or sister chromatid exchange, including some studies with positive-exposure response trends. There are eight studies of cancer mortality or incidence among highly exposed workers; most are cohort studies of lead smelter or battery workers exposed decades ago. METHODS We reviewed the epidemologic studies with regard to cancer. RESULTS These studies provide some evidence of increased risk of lung cancer (RR = 1.30, 1.15-1.46, 675 observed deaths) and stomach cancer (combined RR = 1.34, 1.14-1.57, 181 observed). However, the lung cancer findings are not consistent across studies, and confounding by arsenic may affect the study with the highest lung cancer RR. Exclusion of that study yields a combined lung cancer RR of 1.14 (1.04-1.73). There is little evidence of increased risk of kidney cancer (combined RR = 1.01, 0. 72-1.42, 40 observed) or brain cancer (combined RR = 1.06, 0.81-1.40, 69 observed). However, two studies show a two-fold increase in kidney cancer, and one study shows a significant excess of gliomas. IARC classified lead as a "possible human carcinogen" based on sufficient animal data and insufficient human data in 1987. Six of the eight studies cited above have been published since 1987. CONCLUSIONS Overall, there is only weak evidence associating lead with cancer; the most likely candidates are lung cancer, stomach cancer, and gliomas.
Comparison of drain structures in n-channel MOSFET's

Practical limitations in channel lengths for n-channel MOSFET'S under 5-V operation are discussed for conventional arsenic-drain, phosphorus-drain, phosphorus-arsenic double diffused drain (DDD), and lightly doped drain (LDD) structures. Process parameter dependence of device characteristics and optimal process conditions are also evaluated for each drain structure. It is clarified that the minimum usable channel length is about 0.7-µm, which is realized by the DDD and LDD devices. In these devices, the hot-carrier-induced device degradation is no longer a major restriction on minimum channel length, but the short-channel effect and the parasitic bipolar breakdown are dominant restrictions. The phosphorus drain with a shallow junction formed by rapid thermal annealing can expand the arsenic drain limitation.