Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
dc Power Transmission: Mercury-Arc to Thyristor HVdc Valves [History]

The valve, which blocks and conducts current periodically, is truly the heart of HVdc. There were complex factors associated with mercury-arc valves that didn't permit the precise prediction of its performance, whereas the performance of thyristor valves can be predicted with remarkable accuracy. The advances in the solid-state valve have made HVdc economically much more competitive. As a consequence, more and more HVdc links have been commissioned, and many more are being planned throughout the world. There is an unending requirement for improving the thyristor valve. It calls for larger capacity thyristors, lower losses, lower maintenance, and higher reliability. The use of power electronics in power systems is increasing significantly with thyristor capability. In the future, ac-dc combinations will make the most efficient use of renewable energy without affecting the environment. Silicon is the best medium for the conditioning of electrical power into usable form. It is extraordinarily stable and has long life when processed and used properly.
Plane Graphs without 4- and 5-Cycles and without Ext-Triangular 7-Cycles are 3-Colorable

Steinberg's conjecture states that planar graphs without 4- and 5-cycles are 3-colorable. This conjecture, though disproved recently, has motivated a lot of work in the literature. A plane graph is a planar graph $G$ together with an embedding of $G$ into the Euclidean plane. A 7-cycle $C$ of a plane graph is ext-triangular if it is adjacent to a triangle $T$ such that the areas inside $C$ and inside $T$ have no intersection. In this paper, we prove that plane graphs without 4- and 5-cycles are 3-colorable if they contain no ext-triangular 7-cycles, which improves a number of known results. In particular, our result implies that (1) planar graphs without 4-, 5-, and 7-cycles are 3-colorable, and (2) planar graphs without 4-, 5-, and 8-cycles are 3-colorable.
Inequity in access to childhood immunization in Enugu urban, Southeast Nigeria

Background: The Nigerian National Programme on Immunization aims at increasing the immunization coverage of children under 1 year of age. However, there is still a gap between the national immunization targets and the immunization coverage rates, and data are rarely disaggregated according to socioeconomic status. As a result, there is a dearth of information about the coverage of subgroups, especially at the local level. This study determined the socioeconomic differentials in immunization coverage for children under 5 years and under 1 year in Enugu urban, Southeast Nigeria. Methods: This was a community-based, descriptive cross-sectional study in Enugu urban of Southeast Nigeria. A modified 30 × 7 cluster sampling design was adopted as the sampling method to select and interview 462 mothers of 685 children under the age of 5 years on their sociodemographic and economic characteristics and immunization status of their children. Principal components analysis in STATA software was used to characterize socioeconomic inequity. Results: Immunization coverage was as follows: Diphtheria, pertussis, tetanus third dose(DPT3), 3, 65.3%; oral polio vaccine 3, 78.0%; hepatitis B3, 65.2%; and measles, 55.8%. The full immunization rates for children 1–5 years and < 1 year were 49.8% and 65.2%, respectively. The very poor, poor, and least poor socioeconomic levels significantly had a higher rate of full immunization than the poorest socioeconomic level for children aged < 5 years (odds ratio [OR] 1.934, 95% confidence interval [CI] 1.513–2.820). When the 1st year of life was selected as the reference group, the immunization rates in all other age groups decreased significantly. Using the same logistic regression model for children under 1 year of age, every added month of the child's life increased the full immunization coverage, and this was statistically significant (OR 2.752, 95% CI 2.304–3.418). Conclusions: Full immunization coverage for children aged < 1 year was lower than the national target of 95%. There are differences in immunization coverage rates between different wealth quartiles in the area with the least poor benefiting more than the poorest, thus creating equity problems. Health managers need such community-based information about the vaccination status of their target population to plan and implement interventions that aim to improve immunization coverage in these areas.
Linear Optimal Estimation for Discrete-Time Measurement Delay Systems With Multichannel Multiplicative Noise

This brief investigates the estimation problem for multiplicative noise systems with measurement delay. Multiplicative noise is usually assumed to be a scalar in existing literature works. We consider multichannel multiplicative noise represented by a diagonal matrix in this brief. First, based on the reorganized innovation approach, the finite-horizon filter is derived in terms of two Riccati difference equations of the same dimension as that of the given system and one Lyapunov difference equation. Then, a sufficient condition for the existence of the steady filter is presented. Finally, we provide a numerical example to demonstrate the efficiency of the proposed approach.
Measurement of spatial response functions of dosimetric detectors

The spatial response functions in lateral and longitudinal directions of four cylindrical ionization chambers of the types NE 2561, FC65-G, PTW 31010, and PTW 31016, two plane-parallel ionization chambers of the types PTW 34001 and PTW 34045, and one diode of the type PTW 60012 were measured in air in high-energy photon beams with nominal accelerating voltages of 4 MV, 8 MV, and 25 MV, and electron beams with nominal energies of 6 MeV, 15 MeV, and 20 MeV. The measurements were performed by moving the detectors in small steps across the edge of a lead block for the photon beams, and across a thin slit between two lead blocks for the electron beams. Monte-Carlo calculations were used to analyze the measurements and to identify contributions of the different parts of the chamber. Finally, a simple empirical model for describing the spatial response functions is established.
Noninvasive Cardiovascular System Identification using Pulse Wave Transit Time

This work shows that it is possible to model the heart rate autonomic control from samples of ECG, PPG and respiratory flow waveform (RFW). Usually, such modelling is carried out with physiological signals that are more difficult to acquire during the clinical exams: ECG, arterial blood pressure and instantaneous lung volume. In this work, the ECG, PPG and RFW were recorded with a portable system from volunteers at two different postures: supine and standing. The ECG, PPG and RFW were processed off line in order to obtain the RR, the inverse of the pulse wave transit time (IPWTT) and the RFW series. These series were used as input for ARMA models and the obtained results were compared to the ones available in the literature. The qualitative and quantitative comparisons of the results reveal very similar performance.
Nonnegative and local linear regression for classification in SAR imagery

In this paper, the classification via nonnegative and local linear regression model is proposed for SAR image-based target recognition. Recently, a simple yet effective method, linear regression for pattern recognition has been presented. By assuming that images from a single-object class lie on a linear subspace, it represents the test image as a linear combination of class-specific galleries. The representation is obtained by solving a typical inverse problem with least-square strategy. Since the negative weights play a counteractive role in reconstruction, it may be unreasonable to generate the negative weights. In addition, those elements close to the test sample should contribute much more than the ones far from the test. Thus this paper limits the feasible set of the representation by nonnegative and locality constraint. The decision is ruled in favor of the class with the minimum reconstruction error. Extensive experiments on MSTAR database demonstrate that the proposed methods significantly improve the accuracy than the standard one.
ANXA5: A Key to Unlock the Mystery of the Spectrum of Placental-Mediated Pregnancy Complications?

Background Placental-mediated pregnancy complications, miscarriage, fetal growth restriction and preeclampsia are a spectrum of disorders sharing overlapping clinical and pathological features. All are associated with thrombotic pathogenic processes, ranging from microvascular fibrin deposition in the glomerular vessels in preeclampsia, to placental infarction in fetal growth restriction. However, a number of disease mechanisms contribute to these outcomes, and it is not clear how critical the thrombotic process is across the various components of the spectrum of disease and between pregnancies. Some predictive and risk factors are known, but the only established preventative measures that exist are antithrombotic agents – low-dose aspirin and low-molecular-weight heparin. However, their efficacy is modest. This approach assumes that antithrombotic processes will impact on the disease outcome, yet the contribution of thrombosis may be highly variable. The benefits of intervention with antithrombotic agents may be best seen in those women where thrombosis is a major factor in the pathophysiology. Identifying those women most likely to benefit from treatment would allow stratification of treatment based on disease process, which in turn may provide more effective use of interventions. Such a stratified or precision medicine approach is already widely used in cancer care, where the direction of oncological research has moved away from analysis of treatment response in cohorts sharing the same diagnosis based on the organ affected and tumor histology, to treatment based on biomarkers specific to the molecular pathology of the tumor. It may now be time for obstetrics to adopt such a personalized medicine approach. However, this requires a biomarker with clinical utility to guide treatment. Recent research suggests that ANXA5 may be such a biomarker.
Shopping in the Multiverse: A Counterfactual Approach to In-Session Attribution

We tackle the challenge of in-session attribution for on-site search engines in eCommerce. We phrase the problem as a causal counterfactual inference, and contrast the approach with rule-based systems from industry settings and prediction models from the multi-touch attribution literature. We approach counterfactuals in analogy with treatments in formal semantics, explicitly modeling possible outcomes through alternative shopper timelines; in particular, we propose to learn a generative browsing model over a target shop, leveraging the latent space induced by prod2vec embeddings; we show how natural language queries can be effectively represented in the same space and how "search intervention" can be performed to assess causal contribution. Finally, we validate the methodology on a synthetic dataset, mimicking important patterns emerged in customer interviews and qualitative analysis, and we present preliminary findings on an industry dataset from a partnering shop.
In vitro neutralization of Chlamydia trachomatis with monoclonal antibody to an epitope on the major outer membrane protein

A murine monoclonal antibody, which binds to an epitope on the major outer membrane protein of Chlamydia trachomatis and with species specificity in the micro-immunofluorescent assay, effectively neutralized in vitro two antigenically distinct serovars of C. trachomatis. Optimal concentrations of both organism and antibody were required to produce maximal neutralization of the organism. Neutralization was less effective and more variable at lower dilutions of antibody than at higher dilutions, suggesting a prozone phenomenon. A radiolabeled attachment assay demonstrated that attachment of elementary bodies was unaffected by earlier treatment with antibody and that neutralization occurred at a step after attachment. The epitope to which this antibody is directed, on the major outer membrane protein of C. trachomatis, may have an important role in determining infectivity of the organism.
The accuracy of ethnicity data in primary care.

AIM To investigate the accuracy of ethnicity data held in Primary Health Organisation (PHO) registers within the Waitemata district of Auckland, New Zealand. METHOD Ethnicity data of school-aged children on the National Immunisation Register (NIR) were compared to ethnicity data for those children on the PHO register. NIR data were collected from parents via a protocol-based informed consent process in the Meningococcal B Immunisation Campaign. RESULTS For children classified as Maori on the NIR, 62.9% were recorded as Maori on the PHO register, 23.3% were misclassified as European, and a further 9.6% were misclassified as Unknown. For children classified as Pacific on the NIR, 77.2% were recorded as Pacific on the PHO register, 9.4% were misclassified as European, and 6.2% were misclassified as Unknown. For children classified as Asian on the NIR, 81.4% were recorded as Asian on the PHO register, 9.9% were misclassified as Unknown, and 6.0% misclassified as European. For children classified as European on the NIR, 83.2% were recorded as European on the PHO register and 14.4% were misclassified as Unknown. CONCLUSIONS This study reveals that ongoing efforts to improve the accuracy of ethnicity data held in PHO registers within the Waitemata district are required. The study reinforces the need for a standardised, systematic and appropriate sector-wide approach to ethnicity data collection.
WHY OYSTER RESTORATION GOALS IN THE CHESAPEAKE BAY ARE NOT AND PROBABLY CANNOT BE ACHIEVED

Abstract Efforts to restore the native oyster in the Chesapeake Bay enjoy enormous public support and have consumed and continue to consume vast, some would argue unreasonable and unjustifiable, amounts of funding. Despite this support the stated goals of restoration efforts are poorly defined and consequently provide no realistic measures of success in terms of time, space, or biomass. Quantitative approaches used successfully in management of and rebuilding plans for other marine and estuarine species have not been appropriately applied. Basic information in oyster population dynamics and ecology has been inadequately appreciated in defining the quantitative problem. Given these limitations it is not surprising that little success has been achieved despite the massive investment. We note a lack of ability to predict recruitment, and limit the ingress and impact of disease. Without control of both of these functions, populations cannot be managed in a self-sustaining rebuilding mode within the footprint that they either currently occupy or formerly occupied. Sustained expansion of that footprint through substrate provision is prohibitively expensive, beyond the limits set by availability of substrate material, and futile in the presence of disease and susceptible oysters. Without attaining a substantially increased and rebuilding population, ecological services will be limited. Water quality impacts will, in reality, be modest, local and seasonal, and still subject to being overwhelmed by periodic storm events. Coherent and rational evaluation of biological limitations will lead to more realistic, and indeed very modest goals for ecological restoration. We must accept the fact that efforts to date to restore native oyster populations have failed and the prognosis for improvement of this situation is continued failure. The argument is proffered that stabilizing the present bed footprint with a realistic and sustainable population and the promotion of aquaculture to increase commercial yield is a more predictable and stable economic investment. Each of these options is consistent with the most realistic ecological outcome and should take priority in future efforts.
Islet cell xenotransplantation: a serious look toward the clinic

Type I diabetes remains a significant clinical problem in need of a reliable, generally applicable solution. Both whole organ pancreas and islet allotransplantation have been shown to grant patients insulin independence, but organ availability has restricted these procedures to an exceptionally small subset of the diabetic population. Porcine islet xenotransplantation has been pursued as a potential means of overcoming the limits of allotransplantation, and several preclinical studies have achieved near‐physiologic function and year‐long survival in clinically relevant pig‐to‐primate model systems. These proof‐of‐concept studies have suggested that xenogeneic islets may be poised for use in clinical trials. In this review, we examine recent progress in islet xenotransplantation, with a critical eye toward the gaps between the current state of the art and the state required for appropriate clinical investigation.
Preischemic Vagal Efferent Stimulation Increases Infarct Size in Rabbits

It has been shown that vagal stimulation induces cardioprotective effects and the administration of acetylcholine mimics ischemic preconditioning. However, there are no conclusive data about the effects of in vivo vagal stimulation on myocardial infarction. The objective of this study was to evaluate the effects of vagal stimulation on experimental myocardial infarction induced in rabbits subjected to 45 min of regional myocardial ischemia by ligation of a branch of the left coronary artery, followed by 4 hours of reperfusion (G1, n=14). In group 2 (G2, n=9) G1 protocol was repeated and, before inducing ischemia, right efferent vagal stimulation was performed during 10 min to an intensity enough to reduce heart rate by 10-20% followed by a recovery period of 5 min. In group 3 (G3, n=5) the G2 protocol was repeated, but atropine was administered during vagal stimulation. In other experimental groups the G2 protocol was repeated and short-acting b1-adrenergic blocker (esmolol, G4, n=7) or long-acting beta blocker (atenolol, G5, n=5) were administered during the stimulation. Preischemic vagal stimulation increased the infarct size from 45.2%±2.4% to 62.9%±3.1% (p <0.05). Atropine reverseed this effect reducing the infarct size to 44.8%±3.9% (p <0.05 vs. G2). The administration of esmolol or atenolol attenuated the increase in infarct size to 50.1%±4.2% and 50.0%±2.9%, respectively (p <0,05). Preischemic efferent vagal stimulation significantly increases the infarct size by a muscarinic cholinergic mechanism. This effect is reverseed by beta adrenergic blockade. Applying vagal stimulation to different clinical scenarios might cause deleterious secondary effects.
Vital exhaustion in relation to lifestyle and lipid profile in healthy women

Abstract“Vital exhaustion,” characterized by fatigue, irritability, and demoralization, precedes new and recurrent coronary events. Biological mechanisms explaining this association are not fully understood. The objective was to investigate the relationship between vital exhaustion, lifestyle, and lipid profile. Vital exhaustion, smoking, body mass index (BMI), alcohol consumption, exercise capacity, and serum lipids were determined in 300 healthy women, aged 56.4 ± 7.1 years. No statistically significant associations were found between vital exhaustion and lifestyle variables. Divided into quartiles, vital exhaustion was inversely related to high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) and apolipoprotein A1 in a linear fashion after adjustment for age, BMI, exercise capacity, and alcohol consumption. A multivariate-adjusted vital exhaustion-score in the top quartile, as compared to one in the lowest, was associated with 12% lower HDL-C and8% lower apolipoprotein A1(p < .05). Inconclusion, alterations in lipid metabolism may be a possible mediating mechanism between vital exhaustion and coronary heart disease. The impact of lifestyle variables was weak.
Filter-free AC direct LED driver with unity power factor and low input current THD using binary segmented switched LED strings and linear current regulator

A compact LED driver with high power factor and low harmonic distortion is proposed for the AC direct LED lighting. For the compact implementation of LED lamp, all the bulky passive components such as inductors and electrolytic capacitors are eliminated. To meet power factor and total harmonic distortion regulations, the current flows through LED string is controlled by a linear current regulator. To minimize the power loss of the linear current regulator, the voltage drop of the whole LED string is adjusted by means of binary switching. The drain voltage of the linear current regulator is controlled by simple digital logics and comparators to limit the current within predefined range. The proposed LED driver was verified by simulations and a prototype experiment kit.
Polypeptide release by Hsp90 involves ATP hydrolysis and is enhanced by the co‐chaperone p23

The molecular chaperone Hsp90 binds and hydrolyses ATP, but how this ATPase activity regulates the interaction of Hsp90 with a polypeptide substrate is not yet understood. Using the glucocorticoid receptor ligand binding domain as a substrate, we show that dissociation of Hsp90 from bound polypeptide depends on the Hsp90 ATPase and is blocked by geldanamycin, a specific ATPase inhibitor. The co‐chaperone p23 greatly stimulates Hsp90 substrate release with ATP, but not with the non‐hydrolysable nucleotides ATPγS or AMP‐PNP. Point mutants of Hsp90 with progressively lower ATPase rates are progressively slower in ATP‐dependent substrate release but are still regulated by p23. In contrast, ATPase‐inactive Hsp90 mutants release substrate poorly and show no p23 effect. These results outline an ATP‐driven cycle of substrate binding and release for Hsp90 which differs from that of other ATP‐driven chaperones. Conversion of the ATP state of Hsp90 to the ADP state through hydrolysis is required for efficient release of substrate polypeptide. p23 couples the ATPase activity to polypeptide dissociation and thus can function as a substrate release factor for Hsp90.
Tratamiento génico: futuro o fracaso

Nuevos e interesantes avances en el campo de la genetica molecular han empezado a identificar nuevos genes candidatos que pueden intervenir en muchos trastornos heredados o adquiridos[1,2]. En consecuencia, el campo del tratamiento genico ha irrumpido, permitiendo a los cientificos y a los clinicos explorar la posibilidad de tratar los trastornos en el plano genomico. El principio basico del tratamiento genico es transferir genes exogenos naturales mediante varios sistemas vectores a tipos celulares especificos en el organismo humano para corregir un trastorno patologico. Sin embargo, queda por descubrir el vector singular «santo grial». El vector ideal tendria muchos de, si no todos, los siguientes componentes: facilidad de produccion, infectar a celulas en y sin division, poseer una expresion genica regulable, ser inmunologicamente inerte, permitir un objetivo tisular especifico, tener un limite de acondicionamiento para incorporar casetes de gran expresion y tener una capacidad integradora especifica de asiento sin provocar efectos adversos. No es probable encontrar este tipo de vector, de forma que los vectores especificos deberan ajustarse para modificar adecuadamente las celulas relevantes con el objetivo de ofrecer la correccion terapeutica necesaria. En la actualidad, los vectores del tratamiento genico se basan en secuencias simples de acido nucleico o se derivan de virus singulares. El empleo predominante de los vectores de tratamiento genico ha sido la insercion de genes exogenos en determinados tipos celulares para la sobreexpresion del producto genico terapeutico. En este momento, la tecnologia basada en acido nucleico (tambien conocida como «ADN descubierto») es una mala version humana de un sistema de transferencia genica. Las formulaciones con lipidos, corrientes electricas y presiones fisicas sumamente elevadas se han combinado con el ADN descubierto para aumentar su eficiencia de transfeccion in vivo, pero el grado de modificacion genetica es muy inferior al de la mayoria de los