Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Transient Stability of Voltage-Source Converters With Grid-Forming Control: A Design-Oriented Study

Driven by the large-scale integration of distributed power resources, grid-connected voltage-source converters (VSCs) are increasingly required to operate as grid-forming units to regulate the system voltage/frequency and emulate the inertia. While various grid-forming control schemes have been reported, their transient behaviors under large-signal disturbances are still not fully explored. This article addresses this issue by presenting a design-oriented transient stability analysis of the grid-forming VSCs. First, four typical grid-forming control schemes, namely, the power-synchronization control (PSC), the basic droop control, the droop control with low-pass filters (LPFs), and the virtual synchronous generator (VSG) control, are systematically reviewed, whose dynamics are characterized by a general large-signal model. Based on this model, a comparative analysis on the transient stabilities of different control schemes is then carried out. It reveals that the PSC and the basic droop control can retain a stable operation as long as there are equilibrium points, due to their noninertial transient responses, while the droop control with LPFs and the VSG control can be destabilized even if the equilibrium points exist, due to the lack of damping on their inertial transient responses. With the phase portrait, the underlying stability mechanism is explicitly elaborated, and the quantitative impacts of the controller gains and the virtual inertia are clearly identified. Subsequently, controller design guidelines are proposed to enhance the system damping as well as the transient stability. Finally, experimental results are provided to verify the theoretical analysis.
Methylammonium methylcarbamate thermal formation in interstellar ice analogs: a glycine salt precursor in protostellar environments

Context. Analyses of dust cometary grains collected by the Stardust spacecraft have shown the presence of amines and amino acids molecules, and among them glycine (NH2CH2COOH). We show how the glycine molecule could be produced in the protostellar environments before its introduction into comets. Aims. We study the evolution of the interstellar ice analogues affected by both thermal heating and vacuum ultraviolet (VUV) photons, in addition to the nature of the formed molecules and the confrontation of our experimental results with astronomical observations. Methods. Infrared spectroscopy and mass spectrometry are used to monitor the evolution of the H2O:CO2:CH3NH2 and CO2:CH3NH2 ice mixtures during both warming processes and VUV photolysis. Results. We first show how carbon dioxide (CO2) and methylamine (CH3NH2) thermally react in water-dominated ice to form methylammonium methylcarbamate [CH3NH + ][CH3NHCOO − ] noted C. We then determine the reaction rate and activation energy. We show that C thermal formation can occurs in the 50–70 K temperature range of a protostellar environment. Secondly, we report that a VUV photolysis of a pure C sample produces a glycine salt, methylammonium glycinate [CH3NH + ][NH2CH2COO − ] noted G. We propose a scenario explaining how C and subsequently G can be synthesized in interstellar ices and precometary grains. Conclusions. [CH3NH + ][CH3NHCOO − ] could be readily formed and would act as a glycine salt precursor in protostellar environments dominated by thermal and UV processing. We propose a new pathway leading to a glycine salt, which is consistent with the detection of glycine and methylamine within the returned samples of comet 81P/Wild 2 from the Stardust mission.
DPPH Radical Scavenging Activity of Selected Fruits and Vegetables in Dekina Local Government Area of Kogi State, Nigeria

DPPH radical scavenging activity is commonly used to assess antioxidant potential of biological materials. In this study, five fruits (Apple, watermelon, Sweet Garden egg, Bitter Garden egg, and Cucumber) and four vegetables (Spinach, Bitter leaf, Tomato, Pumpkin leaf) were selected from the Eastern part of Kogi State, Nigeria. DPPH radical scavenging activity was performed on each sample at four different concentrations (25μg/mL, 50μg/mL, 75μg/mL and 100μg/mL) and results were compared with Vitamin C. Our results revealed that the fruits had a higher radical scavenging activity than the vegetables. Judging by the mean DPPH scavenging activity, apple (77.73%) and tomatoes (58.16%) exhibited the highest radical scavenging activity in the vegetable and fruit category respectively. Taken together, the samples selected for study all possessed anti-oxidant activity; therefore, consumption of these vegetables and fruits is encouraged.
THE INFLUENCE OF TAX MIX AND TAX POLICY ON SAVINGS AND CAPITAL FORMATION IN DEVELOPING ECONOMIES: A SURVEY

This paper surveys the existing theoretical and empirical literature on the relationship between taxes and economic growth, with special reference to developing economies. It reports on studies of tax mix and tax policies and their influence on savings and capital formation. These studies are divided into those adopting a positive approach (empirical studies) and those that discuss tax reform issues following a normative approach. Although there are no universal laws (valid for all countries at all times) concerning the influence of the tax mix and tax policies on a nation’s savings and growth, there are some inferences that can be drawn from the studies that are discussed here. Taxation, in its various forms, affects the ability and willingness of an individual to work, save and invest. These effects vary, depending on the base of the tax, the rate structure of the tax and the level of the tax burden. Several studies have shown that the structure of taxation can have a major influence on the real sector and that taxation policy can therefore be an important tool for promoting saving, capital formation and economic growth. This applies to both developed and developing economies, although there are significant differences in the tax mix and tax structure between countries at different levels of economic development. In this paper the theoretical and empirical literature on the influence of taxation on savings and capital formation is surveyed, with special reference to developing economies. The first section looks at the theoretical and empirical linkages between savings and its major determinants ‐ income, the interest rate and other factors. This is followed by a section dealing with the determinants of investment. The next section covers the empirical literature on the relationship between tax, savings and capital formation. Tax reform studies are examined in the penultimate section of the paper.
Exploring the potential utility of a wearable accelerometer for estimating impact forces in ballet dancers

ABSTRACT Excessive forces and/or loading rates during landing may place ballet dancers at risk for overuse injury. The ability to estimate and monitor the landing forces of ballet dancers could help to improve injury prevention and rehabilitation; however, force platforms are not conducive to testing outside of a laboratory. Fortunately, it may be possible to indirectly assess landing forces via a wearable accelerometer. The purposes of this study were to examine the relationship between impact accelerations, recorded via a pelvis-worn accelerometer, and the peak forces and loading rates during performance of a common ballet manoeuvre, and to examine if a wearable accelerometer is sensitive to fatigue-related changes in landing forces. Fifteen ballet dancers continuously performed a ballet manoeuvre until self-determined exhaustion while impact accelerations and landing forces were simultaneously recorded using an accelerometer and force platforms. We observed very strong, positive relationships between the impact accelerations and the peak forces and loading rates during the landings. In addition, the changes in impact accelerations with fatigue paralleled the changes in the peak forces and loading rates. As a result, it appears that a wearable accelerometer could be used to estimate and monitor landing forces in ballet dancers.
Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lcr35 as an effective treatment for preventing Candida albicans infection in the invertebrate model Caenorhabditis elegans: First mechanistic insights

The increased recurrence of Candida albicans infections is associated with greater resistance to antifungal drugs. This involves the establishment of alternative therapeutic protocols, such as probiotic microorganisms whose antifungal potential has already been demonstrated using preclinical models (cell cultures, laboratory animals). Understanding the mechanisms of action of probiotic microorganisms has become a strategic need for the development of new therapeutics for humans. In this study, we investigated the prophylactic anti-C. albicans properties of Lactobacillus rhamnosus Lcr35® using the in vitro Caco-2 cell model and the in vivo Caenorhabditis elegans model. In Caco-2 cells, we showed that the strain Lcr35® significantly inhibited the growth (~2 log CFU.mL-1) and adhesion (150 to 6,300 times less) of the pathogen. Moreover, in addition to having a pro-longevity activity in the nematode (+42.9%, p = 3.56.10−6), Lcr35® protects the animal from the fungal infection (+267% of survival, p < 2.10−16) even if the yeast is still detectable in its intestine. At the mechanistic level, we noticed the repression of genes of the p38 MAPK signalling pathway and genes involved in the antifungal response induced by Lcr35®, suggesting that the pathogen no longer appears to be detected by the worm immune system. However, the DAF-16/FOXO transcription factor, implicated in the longevity and antipathogenic response of C. elegans, is activated by Lcr35®. These results suggest that the probiotic strain acts by stimulating its host via DAF-16 but also by suppressing the virulence of the pathogen.
MICELLAR MICROPARTICLES: A NOVEL APPROACH TO TOPICAL DRUG DELIVERY SYSTEM

Topical drug delivery system is defined as the pharmaceutical dosage form which when applied onto the skin provides protection of skin and prevents serious skin disorders. Topical drug are being used for several years and still have its potential in new pharmaceutical technologies investigated. Skin is the most easily accessible organ of the body which has the potential to facilitate the delivery of several drugs with better efficacy, confining the pharmacological or other effect of the drug to the surface of the skin. Micelles are colloidal particles with a size smaller than 100 nm that allow a great depth of tissue penetration for targeted drug delivery, but rapidly disintegrate in the body. Microparticles containing micelles have the potential for delivering hydrophobic drug encapsulated in micelles on the target site in the specific part of the body. Micellar microparticles allow the improvement of solubility and dissolution of poorly soluble drugs. Microparticles containing micelles have the potential for delivering micelle-encapsulated hydrophobic drugs in targeted therapy. This article reviews the topical drug delivery system, colloidal drug delivery system and aspects and literature reviewed on micellar microparticles and its advantages in pharmaceuticals. An overview of reviews was conducted to locate published literature between 2000 and 2017.
Number of subjects required in common study designs for functional GABA magnetic resonance spectroscopy in the human brain at 3 Tesla

Magnetic resonance spectroscopy (MRS) is a research tool for measuring the concentration of metabolites such as γ‐aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glutamate in the brain. MEGA‐PRESS has been the preferred pulse sequence for GABA measurements due to low physiological GABA concentrations, hence low signal. To compensate, researchers incorporate long acquisition durations (7–10 min) making functional measurements of this metabolite challenging. Here, the acquisition duration and sample sizes required to detect specific concentration changes in GABA using MEGA‐PRESS at 3 T are presented for both between‐groups and within‐session study designs. 75 spectra were acquired during rest using MEGA‐PRESS from 41 healthy volunteers in 6 different brain regions at 3 T with voxel sizes between 13 and 22 cm3. Between‐group and within‐session variance was calculated for different acquisition durations and power calculations were performed to determine the number of subjects required to detect a given percentage change in GABA/NAA signal ratio. Within‐subject variability was assessed by sampling different segments of a single acquisition. Power calculations suggest that detecting a 15% change in GABA using a 2 min acquisition and a 27 cm3 voxel size, depending on the region, requires between 8 and 93 subjects using a within‐session design. A between‐group design typically requires more participants to detect the same difference. In brain regions with suboptimal shimming, the subject numbers can be up to 4‐fold more. Collecting data for longer than 4 min in brain regions examined in this study is deemed unnecessary, as variance in the signal did not reduce further for longer durations.
The CEE countries’ first decade of EU membership : from policy-takers towards agenda-setters?

The accession of the group of eight post-communist Central and Eastern European member states who joined in 2004 marked a historic watershed in the development of the European Union. The subsequent enlargements in 2004 represented the biggest expansion of the EU’s membership base since the beginning of the institutionalised process of institutional European integration after the end of WW2. Even more importantly however, it constituted the official end of more than four decades in which the European continent had been artificially divided into two ideological and military blocs by the Cold War. This article concentrates on the 2004 enlargement and analyses how the CEE-8 group has integrated into the EU’s institutional and policy acquis over the past decade. In this respect the impact of the global financial crisis of 2008–09 represents a major challenge for the countries of the region in their ongoing political, economic and social transformation since the fall of communism. The paper examines to what extent the CEE countries have managed to tackle the multiple challenges of the post-communist transition and which factors have determined their status as predominantly passive policy-takers. Special emphasis is put on the impact of the 2008–09 global financial crisis, which poses the risk of backsliding the CEE’s domestic political and economic transition process and growing alienation from the increasingly complex new coordinative EU policy mechanisms. The article also considers the potential future role of the semi-institutionalised cooperation amongst the Visegrad 4 group (Czech Republic, Hungary, Poland and Slovakia) in effectively promoting the interests of the wider CEE region in the EU. The main challenge in this respect lies in the persistent diversity of national interests and varying levels of commitment towards transnational cooperation amongst the V4 and the wider CEE group. This especially applies to the regional leader Poland, which has been torn between the ambition to intensify regional cooperation and the desire to become a leading player in the EU alongside France and Germany.
Non-Invasive Assessment of Metabolic Adaptation in Paediatric Patients Suffering from Type 1 Diabetes Mellitus

An analysis of exhaled volatile organic compounds (VOC) may deliver systemic information quicker than available invasive techniques. Metabolic aberrations in pediatric type 1 diabetes (T1DM) are of high clinical importance and could be addressed via breathomics. Real-time breath analysis was combined with continuous glucose monitoring (CGM) and blood tests in children suffering from T1DM and age-matched healthy controls in a highly standardized setting. CGM and breath-resolved VOC analysis were performed every 5 minutes for 9 hours and blood was sampled at pre-defined time points. Per participant (n = 44) food intake and physical activity were identical and a total of 22 blood samples and 93 minutes of breath samples were investigated. The inter-individual variability of glucose, insulin, glucagon, leptin, and soluble leptin receptor relative to food intake differed distinctly between patients and controls. In T1DM patients, the exhaled amounts of acetone, 2-propanol, and pentanal correlated to glucose concentrations. Of note, the strength of these correlations strongly depended on the interval between food intake and breath sampling. Our data suggests that metabolic adaptation through postprandial hyperglycemia and related oxidative stress is immediately reflected in exhaled breath VOC concentrations. Clinical translations of our findings may enable point-of-care applicability of online breath analysis towards personalized medicine.
Magellanic Clouds stellar clusters. II. New B, V CM diagrams for 6 LMC and 10 SMC clusters

We present new CCD photometry for 6 LMC and 10 SMC stellar clusters taken at the ESO 1.54-m Danish Telescope in La Silla, to extend a previous investigation on Magellanic Clouds clusters based on HST snapshots. Thanks to the much larger area covered by the Danish detector, we investigate the spatial distribution of cluster stars, giving V, (B - V) CM diagrams for both clusters and surrounding fields. Evidence of a complex history of star formation in the Clouds is outlined, showing that old field populations in both Clouds have metallicities much lower than normally adopted for them (Z = 0.008 and Z = 0.004 for LMC and SMC respectively), with SMC field stars more metal poor than in the LMC. Observational data concerning the red clump of field stars in both Clouds are briefly discussed.
MUNC18-1 regulates the submembrane F-actin network, independently of syntaxin1 targeting, via hydrophobicity in β-sheet 10

ABSTRACT MUNC18-1 (also known as STXBP1) is an essential protein for docking and fusion of secretory vesicles. Mouse chromaffin cells (MCCs) lacking MUNC18-1 show impaired secretory vesicle docking, but also mistargeting of SNARE protein syntaxin1 and an abnormally dense submembrane F-actin network. Here, we tested the contribution of both these phenomena to docking and secretion defects in MUNC18-1-deficient MCCs. We show that an abnormal F-actin network and syntaxin1 targeting defects are not observed in Snap25- or Syt1-knockout (KO) MCCs, which are also secretion deficient. We identified a MUNC18-1 mutant (V263T in β-sheet 10) that fully restores syntaxin1 targeting but not F-actin abnormalities in Munc18-1-KO cells. MUNC18-2 and -3 (also known as STXBP2 and STXBP3, respectively), which lack the hydrophobic residue at position 263, also did not restore a normal F-actin network in Munc18-1-KO cells. However, these proteins did restore the normal F-actin network when a hydrophobic residue was introduced at the corresponding position. Munc18-1-KO MCCs expressing MUNC18-1(V263T) showed normal vesicle docking and exocytosis. These results demonstrate that MUNC18-1 regulates the F-actin network independently of syntaxin1 targeting via hydrophobicity in β-sheet 10. The abnormally dense F-actin network in Munc18-1-deficient cells is not a rate-limiting barrier in secretory vesicle docking or fusion. This article has an associated First Person interview with the first author of the paper. Highlighted Article: MUNC18-1 regulates secretory vesicle docking, syntaxin1 targeting and the F-actin network. A hydrophobic residue in SM proteins is necessary and sufficient for F-actin regulation but this is not rate-limiting for secretion.
Effect of disabling third-party cookies on publisher revenue

Executive Summary We ran a randomized controlled experiment on publishers who use the programmatic arm of ​Google Ad Manager​’s serving system, in which a Google service places ads on non-Google sites across the web. We disabled access to cookies for a small fraction of randomly selected users (the treatment group). We observed that for the top 500 global publishers, average revenue in the treatment group decreased by 52%, with a 1
Impact of enucleation on adult retinoblastoma survivors’ quality of life: A qualitative study of survivors' perspectives

Abstract Objectives Retinoblastoma is the most common primary intraocular tumor of childhood with >95% survival rates in the US. Traditional therapy for retinoblastoma often included enucleation (removal of the eye). While much is known about the visual, physical, and cognitive ramifications of enucleation, data are lacking about survivors' perception of how this treatment impacts overall quality of life. Methods Qualitative analysis of an open-ended response describing how much the removal of an eye had affected retinoblastoma survivors' lives and in what ways in free text, narrative form. Results Four hundred and four retinoblastoma survivors who had undergone enucleation (bilateral disease = 214; 52% female; mean age = 44, SD = 11) completed the survey. Survivors reported physical problems (n = 205, 50.7%), intrapersonal problems (n = 77, 19.1%), social and relational problems (n = 98, 24.3%), and affective problems (n = 34, 8.4%) at a mean of 42 years after diagnosis. Three key themes emerged from survivors' responses; specifically, they (1) continue to report physical and intrapersonal struggles with appearance and related self-consciousness due to appearance; (2) have multiple social and relational problems, with teasing and bullying being prominent problems; and (3) reported utilization of active coping strategies, including developing more acceptance and learning compensatory skills around activities of daily living. Significance of results This study suggests that adult retinoblastoma survivors treated with enucleation continue to struggle with a unique set of psychosocial problems. Future interventions can be designed to teach survivors more active coping skills (e.g., for appearance-related issues, vision-related issues, and teasing/bullying) to optimize survivors' long-term quality of life.
Alternative splicing and expression analysis of High expression of osmotically responsive genes 1 ( HOS 1 ) in Arabidopsis

Copyright c 2012 by the The Korean Society for Biochemistry and Molecular Biology This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution Non-Commercial License (http://creativecommons.org/licenses/by-nc/3.0) which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original work is properly cited. Alternative splicing and expression analysis of High expression of osmotically responsive genes1 (HOS1) in Arabidopsis