Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Cascaded Multilevel Converter-Based Transmission STATCOM: System Design Methodology and Development of a 12 kV ±12 MVAr Power Stage

This paper deals with the design methodology for cascaded multilevel converter (CMC)-based transmission-type STATCOM (T-STATCOM) and the development of a ±12 MVAR, 12 kV line-to-line wye-connected, 11-level CMC. Sizing of the CMC module, the number of H-bridges (HBs) in each phase of the CMC, ac voltage rating of the CMC, the number of paralleled CMC modules in the T-STATCOM system, the optimum value of series filter reactors, and the determination of busbar in the power grid to which the T-STATCOM system is going to be connected are also discussed in this paper in view of the IEEE Std. 519-1992, current status of high voltage (HV) insulated gate bipolar transistor (IGBT) technology, and the required reactive power variation range for the T-STATCOM application. In the field prototype of the CMC module, the ac voltages are approximated to sinusoidal waves by the selective harmonic elimination method (SHEM). The equalization of dc-link capacitor voltages is achieved according to the modified selective swapping (MSS) algorithm. In this study, an L-shaped laminated bus has been designed and the HV IGBT driver circuit has been modified for the optimum switching performance of HV IGBT modules in each HB. The laboratory and field performances of the CMC module and of the resulting T-STATCOM system are found to be satisfactory and quite consistent with the design objectives.
Slow virus replication: the role of macrophages in the persistence and expression of visna viruses of sheep and goats.

Lentiviruses of sheep and goats cause slowly progressive diseases of the central nervous system (visna), lungs (maedi) and joints (arthritis) in their natural hosts. However, the virus target cell(s) in these diseases are still unknown. In this report, using laboratory-adapted Icelandic visna virus and several field strains recently obtained from sheep and goats with natural disease in the U.S.A. , we show that macrophages became persistently infected when inoculated in culture. Furthermore, macrophages were an invariable source of virus from experimentally and naturally infected animals. Virus-producing macrophages developed minimal cytopathic changes and virus assembly occurred mainly intracellularly, accumulating in cytoplasmic vacuoles. In contrast to macrophages, sheep choroid plexus fibroblasts developed syncytial cytopathic changes after inoculation and virus maturation occurred at the cell surfaces. Replication of the Icelandic virus was highly productive in this system but that of the field viruses was very inefficient. In some cases these agents failed to replicate in the fibroblasts and no cytopathic effect occurred. This block in the field virus replication was, however, overcome when infected nonproducer fibroblasts were co-cultivated with macrophages. In these cases, virus production with attendant cytopathic effect in the fibroblasts required the continuous presence of macrophages because the cells reverted to a non-productive state when separated from macrophages and became productive again when subcultures were added to new macrophages. The roles of the macrophage as a virus target cell and virus inducer in the virus-macrophage-fibroblast interactions are discussed with inferences to the well-known phenomenon of restricted virus replication in infected animals and the immunopathological aspects of the diseases.
PHOTOCHEMISTRY IN TERRESTRIAL EXOPLANET ATMOSPHERES. I. PHOTOCHEMISTRY MODEL AND BENCHMARK CASES

We present a comprehensive photochemistry model for exploration of the chemical composition of terrestrial exoplanet atmospheres. The photochemistry model is designed from the ground up to have the capacity to treat all types of terrestrial planet atmospheres, ranging from oxidizing through reducing, which makes the code suitable for applications for the wide range of anticipated terrestrial exoplanet compositions. The one-dimensional chemical transport model treats up to 800 chemical reactions, photochemical processes, dry and wet deposition, surface emission, and thermal escape of O, H, C, N, and S bearing species, as well as formation and deposition of elemental sulfur and sulfuric acid aerosols. We validate the model by computing the atmospheric composition of current Earth and Mars and find agreement with observations of major trace gases in Earth's and Mars’ atmospheres. We simulate several plausible atmospheric scenarios of terrestrial exoplanets and choose three benchmark cases for atmospheres from reducing to oxidizing. The most interesting finding is that atomic hydrogen is always a more abundant reactive radical than the hydroxyl radical in anoxic atmospheres. Whether atomic hydrogen is the most important removal path for a molecule of interest also depends on the relevant reaction rates. We also find that volcanic carbon compounds (i.e., CH4 and CO2) are chemically long-lived and tend to be well mixed in both reducing and oxidizing atmospheres, and their dry deposition velocities to the surface control the atmospheric oxidation states. Furthermore, we revisit whether photochemically produced oxygen can cause false positives for detecting oxygenic photosynthesis, and find that in 1 bar CO2-rich atmospheres oxygen and ozone may build up to levels that have conventionally been accepted as signatures of life, if there is no surface emission of reducing gases. The atmospheric scenarios presented in this paper can serve as the benchmark atmospheres for quickly assessing the lifetime of trace gases in reducing, weakly oxidizing, and highly oxidizing atmospheres on terrestrial exoplanets for the exploration of possible biosignature gases.
Application of a word-based text compression method to Japanese and Chinese texts

Summary form only given. 16-bit Asian language texts are difficult to compress using conventional 8-bit sampling text compression schemes. Recently the word-based text compression method has been studied with the intention of compressing Japanese and Chinese texts individually. In order to compress a large number of small-sized Japanese documents, such as groupware and E-mail, we applied a semi-adaptive word-based method to Japanese at DCC'98. To further enable multilingual text compression, we also applied a static word-based method to both the Japanese and Chinese texts and evaluated compression characteristics and performance using a computer simulation.
Properties of Pump-Laser Modules Exposed to Polarization-Dependent and Wavelength-Selective Feedback From Fiber Bragg Gratings

The performance of fiber Bragg grating (FBG) stabilized pump-laser modules is strongly influenced by changes of the state of polarization (SOP) arising from intrinsic and/or induced birefringence of the fiber. Birefringence changes the SOP as the light propagates back and forth between laser and FBG, which are separated by a distance of 1 to 2 m. As a result, the effective wavelength-selective feedback provided by the FBG varies accordingly. Based on the steady-state solution of a set of multimode rate equations we present a new model allowing us to calculate the output characteristics of a grating-stabilized pump-laser module as function of effective feedback. An effective-reflector approach is applied to describe the external cavity between the front mirror and the FBG on the module's front side. The polarization- and wavelength-dependent effective feedback from the grating is taken into account by a feedback parameter in the equations for the effective reflector. We present an extended traveling-wave amplifier model for calculating the TE- and TM-polarized contributions to the power from all output ports of the module. Our model is verified by comparison of simulation results with experimental data for a typical FBG-stabilized pump-laser module. The output characteristics are analyzed as function of effective feedback for both the principal TE-polarization as well as the residual TM-polarization modes.
Navigating News Programs in Large TV-Streams: A Knowledge-Based Approach

The different uses of large TV streams have continued to diversify since the appearance of digital TV. For conveniently retrieving and navigating in TV streams, users are often interested in new content-based multimedia applications of high added value such as Interactive TV, Video on Demand (VoD), YouTube or Dailymotion. These applications offer fast and easy access to best explore a particular TV program. So, the automatic process of TV program identification and their internal segmentation facilitate the availability of these programs. Therefore, it is necessary at first, to be able to retrieve a particular program within a large TV stream and secondly segment this program into semantic units related to appropriate retrieval entities. In this paper, the major originality of the authors' approach is the use of contextual and operational characteristics of TV production/post-production rules as prior knowledge that captures the structure for recurrent TV news program content. The authors validate their approach by experiments conducted using the TRECVID dataset that demonstrate its robustness.
“People, Places, and Things:” Network Factors Matter in the Experiences of Mental Health Court Participants

Mental health courts (MHC) are expanding nationally but the evidence base involves substantial gaps in research. Although positive outcomes are associated with MHC participation, it is unclear as to what factors contribute to outcomes. The current study addresses gaps in research by exploring the experiences of MHC participants and associations between network factors and treatment adherence from consumers participating in two MHCs (N=80). A mixed-method design drawing from multiple data sources is utilized. Study results suggest network factors are significantly associated with treatment adherence and play an important role in recovery. Results have implications for social work practice and research.
Contributions of the Mac-1 glycoprotein family to adherence-dependent granulocyte functions: structure-function assessments employing subunit-specific monoclonal antibodies.

MAb directed at the alpha-subunits of Mac-1 (alpha M), LFA-1 (alpha L), p150,95 (alpha X), or their common beta-subunit were used to characterize the contributions of the Mac-1 glycoprotein family to granulocyte adherence reactions. Inhibitory effects of these MAb in incubation experiments with normal granulocytes indicated distinct adhesive contributions of each subunit. Significantly greater adherence, and inhibition of adherence by anti alpha M, alpha X, and beta MAb, was observed under chemotactic conditions designed to "up-regulate" the surface expression of the alpha M beta and alpha X beta complexes. Adherence to protein-coated glass and binding of albumin-coated latex beads were significantly inhibited by anti-beta greater than anti-alpha M (OKM-10, M1/70, LM2/1.6 and OKM-1) greater than anti-alpha X greater than anti-alpha L MAb, but no effects of anti-HLA, AB, or anti-CR-1 MAb were evident. A similar rank order of inhibition was observed in granulocyte aggregation assays in response to C5a, PMA, or f-Met-Leu-Phe. Significant inhibition of directed migration by anti-beta or anti-alpha M (OKM-1 or OKM-10) MAb was observed in subagarose but not Boyden chemotaxis assays; inhibition was dependent on a continuous cell exposure to anti-Mac-1 alpha or beta during the assay, suggesting that a continuum of new Mac-1 expression is required for directed translocation. Phagocytosis of Oil-Red-O paraffin or zymosan selectively opsonized with C3-derived ligands was significantly inhibited by anti-alpha M MAb (OKM-10 greater than LM2/1.6 greater than M1/70 greater than OKM-1) or by combinations of anti-alpha M + anti-CR-1 MAb, but only minimal inhibitory effects of anti-beta MAb and no effects of anti-alpha L or anti-alpha X MAb were seen. Similarly, complement-dependent phagocytosis-associated lactoferrin release, ingestion, and intracellular killing of Staphylococcus aureus 502A, and binding of iC3b-opsonized SRBC, were significantly inhibited by anti-alpha M (OKM-10, M1/70) or combinations of anti-alpha M + anti-CR-1 MAb, but not by anti-beta, alpha L, or alpha X MAb. Notably, none of the anti-Mac-1 MAb demonstrated inhibitory effects in assays of adherence-independent functions including shape change, specific f-Met-Leu-3H-Phe binding, O-2 generation, chemiluminescence evolution, or lactoferrin release in response to PMA. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 400 WORDS)
Association of Center Volume With Mortality and Complications in Pediatric Heart Surgery

OBJECTIVE: Previous analyses have suggested center volume is associated with outcome in children undergoing heart surgery. However, data are limited regarding potential mediating factors, including the relationship of center volume with postoperative complications and mortality in those who suffer a complication. We examined this association in a large multicenter cohort. METHODS: Children 0 to 18 years undergoing heart surgery at centers participating in the Society of Thoracic Surgeons Congenital Heart Surgery Database (2006–2009) were included. In multivariable analysis, we evaluated outcomes associated with annual center volume, adjusting for patient factors and surgical risk category. RESULTS: A total of 35 776 patients (68 centers) were included. Overall, 40.6% of patients had ≥1 complication, and the in-hospital mortality rate was 3.9%. The mortality rate in those patients with a complication was 9.0%. In multivariable analysis, lower center volume was significantly associated with higher in-hospital mortality. There was no association of center volume with the rate of postoperative complications, but lower center volume was significantly associated with higher mortality in those with a complication (P = .03 when volume examined as a continuous variable; odds ratio in centers with <150 vs >350 cases per year = 1.59 [95% confidence interval: 1.16–2.18]). This association was most prominent in the higher surgical risk categories. CONCLUSIONS: These data suggest that the higher mortality observed at lower volume centers in children undergoing heart surgery may be related to a higher rate of mortality in those with postoperative complications, rather than a higher rate of complications alone.
Subcellular Partitioning of Protein Tyrosine Phosphatase 1B to the Endoplasmic Reticulum and Mitochondria Depends Sensitively on the Composition of Its Tail Anchor

The canonical protein tyrosine phosphatase PTP1B is an important regulator of diverse cellular signaling networks. PTP1B has long been thought to exert its influence solely from its perch on the endoplasmic reticulum (ER); however, an additional subpopulation of PTP1B has recently been detected in mitochondria extracted from rat brain tissue. Here, we show that PTP1B’s mitochondrial localization is general (observed across diverse mammalian cell lines) and sensitively dependent on the transmembrane domain length, C-terminal charge and hydropathy of its short (≤35 amino acid) tail anchor. Our electron microscopy of specific DAB precipitation revealed that PTP1B localizes via its tail anchor to the outer mitochondrial membrane (OMM), with fluorescence lifetime imaging microscopy establishing that this OMM pool contributes to the previously reported cytoplasmic interaction of PTP1B with endocytosed epidermal growth factor receptor. We additionally examined the mechanism of PTP1B’s insertion into the ER membrane through heterologous expression of PTP1B’s tail anchor in wild-type yeast and yeast mutants of major conserved ER insertion pathways: In none of these yeast strains was ER targeting significantly impeded, providing in vivo support for the hypothesis of spontaneous membrane insertion (as previously demonstrated in vitro). Further functional elucidation of the newly recognized mitochondrial pool of PTP1B will likely be important for understanding its complex roles in cellular responses to external stimuli, cell proliferation and diseased states.
Changing trends in the incidence (1999-2011) and mortality (1983-2013) of cervical cancer in the Republic of Korea

Cervical cancer is a well-known preventable cancer worldwide. Many countries including Korea have pursued the positive endpoint of a reduction in mortality from cervical cancer. Our aim is to examine changing trends in cervical cancer incidence and mortality after the implementation of a national preventive effort in Korea. Cervical cancer incidence data from 1999 to 2011 and mortality data from 1983 to 2013 were collected from the Korean Statistical Information Service. Yearly age-standardized rates (ASR) per 100,000 were compared using two standards: the 2005 Korean population and the world standard population, based on Segi’s world standard for incidence and the World Health Organization for mortality. In Korea, the age-standardized incidence of cervical cancer per 100,000 persons declined from 17.2 in 2000 to 11.8 in 2011. However, the group aged 25 to 29 showed a higher rate in 2011 (ASR, 6.5) than in 2000 (ASR, 3.6). The age-standardized mortality rate per 100,000 persons dropped from 2.81 in 2000 to 1.95 in 2013. In the worldwide comparison, the incidence rates remained close to the average incidence estimate of more developed regions (ASR, 9.9). The decreasing mortality trend in Korea approached the lower rate observed in Australia (ASR, 1.4) in 2010. Although the incidence rate of cervical cancer is continuously declining in Korea, it is still high relative to other countries. Moreover, incidence and mortality rates in females aged 30 years or under have recently increased. It is necessary to develop effective policy to reduce both incidence and mortality, particularly in younger age groups.
Evaluation of carbon nanostructures as chiral selectors for direct enantiomeric separation of ephedrines by EKC

Single‐walled nanotubes and multi‐walled nanotubes (MWNTs) have been evaluated as chiral selectors for the enantiomeric separation of ephedrines by using EKC with surfactant‐coated carbon nanotubes. The analysed compounds were (±)‐ephedrine, (±)‐norephedrine and (±)‐N‐methylephedrine. The potential of those carbon nanostructures as chiral selectors has been evaluated by changing different experimental variables such as pH, addition of organic modifiers, potential and injection time. The capability of MWNTs to resolve enantiomeric mixtures was demonstrated by using partial filling of the capillary with concentrated surfactant‐coated MWNTs. Differences in the enantioselectivity were discussed.
[Complications and side effects of stellate ganglion blockade. Results of a questionnaire survey].

Stellate ganglion blockade (SGB) is an established method in the therapy of chronic pain syndromes. Complications are rare but can be life-threatening (inadvertant subarachnoid or intra-arterial injection). Since no data are currently available as to the incidence of complications, we sent questionnaires to 76 departments of anaesthesiology in West Germany to evaluate this issue. RESULTS. Thirty-nine questionnaires (51%) were returned, representing approximately 45,000 SGBs; 82% of the departments prefer bupivacaine for SGB. The incidence of severe complications was 1.7 in 1000 blockades. Most of these were CNS complications (i.e., convulsions). A high subarachnoid block was reported in 6 cases, high epidural blockade in 3, pneumothorax in 9, and allergic reactions in 2. All departments conduct aspiration tests before injection; 94% take precautionary measures in case of respiratory failure (oxygen, ventilating devices); 73% do not perform SGB without an assistant and an anticonvulsant drug at hand; 72% place an intravenous line before SGB; 28% use ECG monitoring routinely; and 53% administer a test dose of 0.5-2 ml local anaesthetic. DISCUSSION. Severe complications following SGB are rare. Potentially life-threatening complications usually arise from inadvertant subarachnoid or intra-arterial injection. Aspiration tests and test doses obviously do not guarantee proper administration. Placement of an intravenous line, ECG monitoring, and the presence of an assistant are strongly recommended. Anticonvulsant drugs as well as drugs and equipment for intubation and resuscitation should be immediately available. The administration of very low doses of opioids to the stellate ganglion has been shown to have similar therapeutic results to local anaesthetic blocks, whereas the incidence of side effects and complications is lower. Therefore, the administration of opioids to sympathetic ganglia could provide an alternative therapeutic regimen for the future.
Metabolic Regulation of IMD2 Transcription and an Unusual DNA Element That Generates Short Transcripts

ABSTRACT Transcriptional regulation of IMD2 in yeast (Saccharomyces cerevisiae) is governed by the concentration of intracellular guanine nucleotide pools. The mechanism by which pool size is measured and transduced to the transcriptional apparatus is unknown. Here we show that DNA sequences surrounding the IMD2 initiation site constitute a repressive element (RE) involved in guanine regulation that contains a novel transcription-blocking activity. When this regulatory region is placed downstream of a heterologous promoter, short poly(A)+ transcripts are generated. The element is orientation dependent, and sequences within the normally transcribed and nontranscribed regions of the element are required for its activity. The promoter-proximal short RNAs are unstable and serve as substrates for the nuclear exosome. These findings support a model in which intergenic short transcripts emanating from upstream of the IMD2 promoter are terminated by a polyadenylation/terminator-like signal embedded within the IMD2 transcription start site.