Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design and analysis of Z-source based 7 level cascaded multi level inverter for induction motor

Multilevel inverter, a powerful electronic device capable of supplying desired alternating voltage level, is a renowned device majorly employed in appliances such as UPS systems, huge drives of induction motors as well as Transmission Systems. Multilevel inverters acquires the wanted output of their voltage from varied DC voltage sources. Thus, the number of DC voltage sources is directly proportional to the level of output voltage procured by the inverter. Multilevel inverters are constituted with several major advantages like, better harmonic performance, lower semiconductor voltage stress, lower Electro Magnetic Interference (EMI) and diminished losses on account of switching. However, in spite of these, their output voltage runs in accordance with the input from DC sources. Hence, to avoid such limitation there is requirement for an intermediate DC to DC converter in order to boost the working of the MLI output voltage. Thus, in accordance with the above limitation, a seven-level cascaded Z-source based multilevel inverter is proposed for this task. MATLAB/Simulink power system toolbox has been employed for the proposed system, in consequent of which experimental findings are analyzed to attest the efficiency of the method.
Atelectasis causes alveolar injury in nonatelectatic lung regions.

RATIONALE Many authors have suggested that the mechanism by which atelectasis contributes to injury is through the repetitive opening and closing of distal airways in lung regions that are atelectatic. However, neither the topographic nor mechanistic relationships between atelectasis and distribution of lung injury are known. OBJECTIVES To investigate how atelectasis contributes to ventilator-induced lung injury. METHODS Surfactant depletion was performed in anesthetized rats that were then allocated to noninjurious or injurious ventilation for 90 min. MEASUREMENTS Lung injury was quantified by gas exchange, compliance, histology, wet-to-dry weight, and cytokine expression, and its distribution by histology, stereology, cytokine mRNA expression, in situ hybridization, and immunohistochemistry. Functional residual capacity, percent atelectasis, and injury-induced lung water accumulation were measured using gravimetric and volumetric techniques. MAIN RESULTS Atelectasis occurred in the dependent lung regions. Injurious ventilation was associated with alveolar and distal airway injury, while noninjurious ventilation was not. With injurious ventilation, alveolar injury (i.e., histology, myeloperoxidase protein expression, quantification, and localization of cytokine mRNA expression) was maximal in nondependent regions, whereas distal airway injury was equivalent in atelectatic and nonatelectatic regions. CONCLUSIONS These data support the notion that lung injury associated with atelectasis involves trauma to the distal airways. We provide topographic and biochemical evidence that such distal airway injury is not localized solely to atelectatic areas, but is instead generalized in both atelectatic and nonatelectatic lung regions. In contrast, alveolar injury associated with atelectasis does not occur in those areas that are atelectatic but occurs instead in remote nonatelectatic alveoli.
Fault diagnosis of a commercial PEM Fuel cell system using LMS AMESim

Model based fault diagnosis of fuel cells requires the development of a highly accurate system model. However, Fuel cell systems are considered to be very complex systems that are very difficult to model. Moreover, confidentiality issues with the manufacturer can sometimes impose constraints on the development of the model. This paper presents an approach to develop an accurate proton exchange membrane (PEMFC) system model for the use in fault diagnosis studies despite the lack of crucial system information by utilizing the Siemens LMS AMESim software.
Dopamine Modulation of State-Dependent Endocannabinoid Release and Long-Term Depression in the Striatum

Endocannabinoids are important mediators of short- and long-term synaptic plasticity, but the mechanisms of endocannabinoid release have not been studied extensively outside the hippocampus and cerebellum. Here, we examined the mechanisms of endocannabinoid-mediated long-term depression (eCB-LTD) in the dorsal striatum, a brain region critical for motor control and reinforcement learning. Unlike other cell types, strong depolarization of medium spiny neurons was not sufficient to yield detectable endocannabinoid release. However, when paired with postsynaptic depolarization sufficient to activate L-type calcium channels, activation of postsynaptic metabotropic glutamate receptors (mGluRs), either by high-frequency tetanic stimulation or an agonist, induced eCB-LTD. Pairing bursts of afferent stimulation with brief subthreshold membrane depolarizations that mimicked down-state to up-state transitions also induced eCB-LTD, which not only required activation of mGluRs and L-type calcium channels but also was bidirectionally modulated by dopamine D2 receptors. Consistent with network models, these results demonstrate that dopamine regulates the induction of a Hebbian form of long-term synaptic plasticity in the striatum. However, this gating of plasticity by dopamine is accomplished via an unexpected mechanism involving the regulation of mGluR-dependent endocannabinoid release.
Permanent magnet synchronous drives observability analysis for motion-sensorless control

Motion-sensorless control techniques of electrical drives are attracting more attention in different industries. The local observability of sensorless permanent magnet synchronous drives is studied in this paper. A special interest is given to the standstill operation condition, where sensorless drives suffer of poor performance. Both, salient and non-salient machines are considered. The results are illustrated using numerical simulations.
Assessment of Musculoskeletal Examination Skills: Physiatry Residents as Evaluators and Models

Button JH, Bruel BM, Francisco GE: Assessment of musculoskeletal examination skills: physiatry residents as evaluators and models. Am J Phys Med Rehabil 2007;86:926–934. Objective:To evaluate the musculoskeletal examination (MSKE) skills of junior (postgraduate year [PGY] 2) physical medicine and rehabilitation (PM&R) residents and self-confidence with these skills, and to demonstrate changes in self-confidence in the MSKE skills of senior (PGY3 and PGY4) residents, who served as evaluators and models. Design:Forty-one PGY2–4 residents participated in this retrospective cohort study, which was conducted within a residency program affiliated with two medical schools. Senior residents attended an instructional session in performing and evaluating MSKE skills, taught by a musculoskeletal physiatrist. The following week, junior residents were tested on their MSKE skills; nine seniors served as models, and another nine served as evaluators. Six seniors attended the instructional session only and did not participate in the evaluation. Juniors received a posttest teaching session on MSKE skills, before an unannounced repeat evaluation 5 mos later. All residents completed a survey regarding self-confidence in MSKE skills pre- and posttest teaching sessions. Performance of MSKE skills (based on PASSOR guidelines) and application of ACGME core competencies (medical knowledge, professionalism, interpersonal skills) were measured, and a survey was administered regarding self-confidence in MSKE skills. Results:Posttest results showed a significant improvement of MSKE skills among juniors in the shoulder, lumbar spine, and knee examinations (P < 0.008), with the most robust improvement in the shoulder exam (P < 0.0001). Self-confidence of juniors in their MSKE skills increased significantly (P < 0.005). There was significant improvement (P < 0.008) in self-confidence in the MSKE skills of seniors who served as models and evaluators, but not in those who only attended the instructional session (P = 0.06). Conclusions:This evaluation and instructional method resulted in a significant improvement of MSKE skills of junior residents on formal testing. Using senior residents as evaluators and models improved their confidence in their own MSKE skills.
Rational design of biosafe crop resistance to a range of nematodes using RNA interference

Summary Double‐stranded RNA (dsRNA) molecules targeting two genes have been identified that suppress economically important parasitic nematode species of banana. Proteasomal alpha subunit 4 (pas‐4) and Actin‐4 (act‐4) were identified from a survey of sequence databases and cloned sequences for genes conserved across four pests of banana, Radopholus similis, Pratylenchus coffeae, Meloidogyne incognita and Helicotylenchus multicinctus. These four species were targeted with dsRNAs containing exact 21 nucleotide matches to the conserved regions. Potential off‐target effects were limited by comparison with Caenorhabditis, Drosophila, rat, rice and Arabidopsis genomes. In vitro act‐4 dsRNA treatment of R. similis suppressed target gene expression by 2.3‐fold, nematode locomotion by 66 ± 4% and nematode multiplication on carrot discs by 49 ± 5%. The best transgenic carrot hairy root lines expressing act‐4 or pas‐4 dsRNA reduced transcript message abundance of target genes in R. similis by 7.9‐fold and fourfold and nematode multiplication by 94 ± 2% and 69 ± 3%, respectively. The same act‐4 and pas‐4 lines reduced P. coffeae target transcripts by 1.7‐ and twofold and multiplication by 50 ± 6% and 73 ± 8%. Multiplication of M. incognita on the pas‐4 lines was reduced by 97 ± 1% and 99 ± 1% while target transcript abundance was suppressed 4.9‐ and 5.6‐fold. There was no detectable RNAi effect on nontarget nematodes exposed to dsRNAs targeting parasitic nematodes. This work defines a framework for development of a range of nonprotein defences to provide broad resistance to pests and pathogens of crops.
Amphibian Distributions in a Landscape of Forests and Agriculture: an Examination of Landscape Composition and Conf iguration

Abstract: Landscapes can be described by two essential features: the composition and spatial arrangement of patches. We considered the roles of these basic landscape descriptors by examining how the occurrence of nine amphibian species in breeding ponds was associated with the area of forested habitat and the proximity of ponds to forested habitat. We used visual and call surveys to compare the composition of amphibian assemblages in 116 ponds adjacent to or separated from forest and surrounded by different amounts of forested land. The area of forest and pond adjacency to forest were not associated ( t = −0.13, nisolated = 64, nconnected = 52, p = 0.21), which means these factors can manifest their effects separately. We used logistic regression to test predictions about associations between each species and forest area and to test for associations with pond‐forest adjacency. Seven of nine species were associated with forest area. Wood frogs ( Rana sylvatica), green frogs ( Rana clamitans), eastern newts ( Notopthalmus viridescens), spotted salamanders (Ambystoma maculatum), and salamanders of the blue‐spotted/Jefferson's complex (Ambystoma laterale/A. jeffersonianum) were more likely to occupy ponds in more forested areas, whereas leopard frogs ( Rana pipiens) and American toads ( Bufo americanus) were negatively associated with forest area. Three species were associated with pond‐forest adjacency. Spotted salamanders and salamanders of the blue‐spotted/Jefferson's complex were more likely to occupy ponds that were adjacent to forest. In areas with little forest, leopard frogs were more likely to occur in adjacent ponds, but the reverse was true for areas with extensive forests. Our results suggest that the composition of the landscape surrounding breeding ponds is associated with the likelihood of occurrence of most of the species examined and that landscape configuration is also important for a smaller subset of species.
Radioimmunoassay of a basic somatomedin: comparison of various assay techniques and somatomedin levels in various sera.

Purification of a basic somatomedin (SM), with similarity to SM-C and insulin-like growth factor, from human plasma Cohn fraction IV-1 enabled development of a RIA based on this SM.SM antiserum was produced by immunizing rabbits with partially purified SM. This antiserum (final dilution, 1:50,000) specifically bound approximately 40% of added [125I]-SM in this RIA. The RIA sensitivity was 2 x 10(-4) U immunoreactive SM (IRSM). Highly purified SM-C, insulin-like growth factor 1, and our SM revealed parallel and approximately equipotent dose-response curves in this RIA; rat SM and multiplication stimulation activity revealed less cross-reactivity. IRSM was detected in sera of all species tested except fish. Acidification of sera, without subsequent chromatography, before assay permitted measurement of total IRSM with either an equilibrium or nonequilibrium RIA technique. Acidification of serum appears to increase SM-binding capacity while decreasing binding affinity of the 20,000--50,000 mol wt proteins in serum. The mean (+/- SEM) IRSM concentrations in sera from normals and patients with acromegaly, hypopituitarism, GH deficiency before/after treatment, and Laron dwarfism were 1.45 +/- 0.17, 5.49 +/- 0.48, 0.19 +/- 0.07, 0.10 +/- 0.02/0.64 +/- 0.45, and 0.25 +/- 0.11 U/ml, respectively, compared to a pooled normal human serum reference standard which was designated to contain 1 IRSM U/ml. Measurements of total IRSM (bound and free) in serum may not accurately reflect SM bioactivity and will require interpretative caution.
La protection des données de lecture des livres numériques en bibliothèques aux Etats-Unis et en France: étude comparative de la perception des bibliothécaires

Quels sont les livres les plus lus ? Quels sont les themes les plus recherches dans une encyclopedie numerique ? Au bout de combien de pages les lecteurs decident-ils d’acheter/emprunter ou abandonner l’ouvrage selectionne ? Autant de questions auxquelles des reponses precises et chiffrees peuvent dorenavant etre apportees. De par leur offre de livres numeriques et le pret de liseuses/tablettes, les bibliotheques confrontent leurs usagers a cet environnement et donc, indirectement, a la collecte des donnees de lecture. Les bibliotheques n’ont-elles pourtant pas pour role de permettre aux lecteurs de s’informer et d’avoir acces a tous types de documents de maniere anonyme, sans avoir peur d’etre juge ou surveille ? Ce role risquerait-il d’etre menace par la collecte et l’exploitation des donnees de lecture ? Pour tenter d'apporter une reponse a ces questions, une definition des donnees de lecture et une description de leurs caracteristiques seront tout d’abord proposees. Les dangers, mais egalement les opportunites que representent la collecte et l’exploitation des donnees de lecture par les editeurs commerciaux, les agregateurs, les gouvernements et les bibliotheques, ainsi que leurs implications sur la vie privee des lecteurs seront ensuite analyses. Une etude des contextes francais et etats-unien du livre numerique sera egalement effectuee, axee sur quatre thematiques : le marche de l’e-book dans sa globalite, ainsi que les pratiques de lecture numerique ; le paysage des livres numeriques en bibliotheques; l’avis des internautes concernant la protection de leurs donnees sur le web ; et les aspects legaux relatifs a la protection des donnees et de la vie privee. Pour chacun des deux pays, les differentes actions deja entreprises par les gouvernements, les associations professionnelles et les bibliothecaires pour lutter contre la collecte et la diffusion des donnees de lecture, seront ensuite decrites. Dans le but de connaitre la perception des professionnels de l’information concernant cette thematique, les resultats d’une enquete quantitative menee aupres des bibliothecaires francais et etats-uniens seront presentes. Enfin, le role des bibliotheques pour la protection des donnees de lecture sera recapitule, tandis que des recommandations pratiques a l’usage des bibliothecaires seront proposees, ces suggestions ayant pour but de guider les professionnels souhaitant s’engager a proteger l’anonymat de l’utilisation de leurs livres numeriques.
Center for Demography and Ecology University of Wisconsin-Madison Intergenerational Educational Mobility in Comparative Perspective : Persistent Inequality in Educational Attainment and its Institutional Context

The provision of equal educational opportunities is a central political goal in all modern societies. Yet research repeatedly shows that educational opportunities continue to be distributed very unevenly in all countries. Therefore, the question is not whether family background and educational outcomes are related but to what degree they are. This latter question then invites a comparative perspective. That is, does social inequality in education differ across time, sex, or countries? If yes, which institutional and macrostructural characteristics can explain differences in educational inequality? I conceptualize educational inequality as the association between individuals’ and their parents’ highest educational level attained. The cross-classification of these two attributes builds the basis for log-linear and log-multiplicative models of intergenerational mobility in educational attainment. Drawing on data from the “International Adult Literacy Survey” (IALS), I compare educational mobility processes across twenty industrialized nations. The results show that educational mobility has remained stable across the 20 century and is largely sex-blind in virtually all countries. However, nations differ widely in the extent to which parents’ education influences their children’s educational attainment. One central contribution of this paper, then, is the ranking of nations along their degree of educational mobility. This measure of inequality in educational attainment is then shown to be associated with the institutional structure of the education system: Rigid systems with dead-end educational pathways are a hindrance to the equalization of educational opportunities, especially if the sorting of students occurs early in the educational career. Other institutional characteristics, like the degree of standardization, the prevalence of private schools, and the openness of the post-secondary sector do not appear to exert notable influences on educational mobility.
Design and Fabrication of All-NbN SFQ Circuits for SSPD Signal Processing

We have developed an all-NbN integrated circuit technology for future integration of single flux quantum (SFQ) circuit with superconducting single-photon detector array. The all-NbN integrated circuits consist of epitaxial NbN/AlN/NbN tunnel junctions fabricated on single-crystal MgO substrates, Mo shunt resistors and 500-nm-thick NbN ground plane on the top. Critical current density and sheet resistance of the Mo resistor were set at 2.5 kA/cm2 and 1.2 Ω, respectively. Current uniformity of the NbN/AlN/NbN tunnel junctions was measured to be σ = 3% for 3 μm × 3 μm junction size. The NbN-based SFQ logic cells were designed for and tested at 4.2 K. We actually measured circuit inductances of the fabricated SFQ cells. Circuit simulation revealed that the measured circuit inductances in the fabricated SFQ cells should allow operating margins of more than +/-20%.
Quantitative risk assessment of container based cloud platform

Container virtualization technology has changed cloud computing service deployment, and enabled it to support many of today's emerging technologies. However security of cloud infrastructure and service has been one of the main challenges of adopting containerized platform. In this paper we explain about integration of vulnerability detection (in three main stages) during container deployment, with risk assessment methods to provide possibility of quantitative assessment of containerized cloud platform. For this purpose we introduce security metrics and explain how they are aggregated using the underlying framework. The proposed framework uses these metrics and measures security risk level of specific container deployment, which could assist system administrator for making decision related to mitigation of security risks.
Genome-Centric Analysis of a Thermophilic and Cellulolytic Bacterial Consortium Derived from Composting

Microbial consortia selected from complex lignocellulolytic microbial communities are promising alternatives to deconstruct plant waste, since synergistic action of different enzymes is required for full degradation of plant biomass in biorefining applications. Culture enrichment also facilitates the study of interactions among consortium members, and can be a good source of novel microbial species. Here, we used a sample from a plant waste composting operation in the São Paulo Zoo (Brazil) as inoculum to obtain a thermophilic aerobic consortium enriched through multiple passages at 60°C in carboxymethylcellulose as sole carbon source. The microbial community composition of this consortium was investigated by shotgun metagenomics and genome-centric analysis. Six near-complete (over 90%) genomes were reconstructed. Similarity and phylogenetic analyses show that four of these six genomes are novel, with the following hypothesized identifications: a new Thermobacillus species; the first Bacillus thermozeamaize genome (for which currently only 16S sequences are available) or else the first representative of a new family in the Bacillales order; the first representative of a new genus in the Paenibacillaceae family; and the first representative of a new deep-branching family in the Clostridia class. The reconstructed genomes from known species were identified as Geobacillus thermoglucosidasius and Caldibacillus debilis. The metabolic potential of these recovered genomes based on COG and CAZy analyses show that these genomes encode several glycoside hydrolases (GHs) as well as other genes related to lignocellulose breakdown. The new Thermobacillus species stands out for being the richest in diversity and abundance of GHs, possessing the greatest potential for biomass degradation among the six recovered genomes. We also investigated the presence and activity of the organisms corresponding to these genomes in the composting operation from which the consortium was built, using compost metagenome and metatranscriptome datasets generated in a previous study. We obtained strong evidence that five of the six recovered genomes are indeed present and active in that composting process. We have thus discovered three (perhaps four) new thermophillic bacterial species that add to the increasing repertoire of known lignocellulose degraders, whose biotechnological potential can now be investigated in further studies.