Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modified stochastic algorithm for decentralized active demand response (DADR) system supporting primary load frequency control

The concept of decentralized demand response systems is not new, however descriptions of such systems are usually limited to general ideas and possible system services. In this paper the original modified stochastic Decentralized Active Demand Response (DADR) control algorithm has been presented. Fulfillment of the theoretically assumed properties has been numerically tested in a specially elaborated simulation arrangement based on a well-known model of the power system. Applicability of the proposed control algorithm has been initially tested using a specially developed prototype.
Satellitendaten zur Schätzung von Regionaleinkommen – Das Beispiel Deutschland

Eine neue Moglichkeit zur Schatzung fehlender regionaler Einkommensdaten bieten Satellitenbilder der Erde bei Nacht. Die grundlegende Idee ist, dass wirtschaftliche Aktivitaten, die in den Abendstunden statt finden, Licht benotigen bzw. emittieren. Aus der Lichtemission bei Nacht kann ein Ruckschluss auf wirtschaftliche Grosen gezogen werden. Ziel dieses Beitrags ist, die in der Literatur verwendeten Daten vorzu stellen sowie die Moglichkeiten und Grenzen der Nutzung von Satellitendaten zur Schatzung von Einkommen zu diskutieren. Im Beitrag werden die Satellitendaten vorgestellt sowie damit verbundene Messprobleme diskutiert. Anhand des Beispiels Deutschlands wird untersucht, inwieweit sich die Lichtemissionsdaten fur regionalokonomische Analysen eignen. Es wurde kein besonders groser und zudem wenig robuster Zusammenhang zwischen Lichtemissionen und regionalem Bruttoinlandsprodukt gefunden. Fur weniger entwickelte Staaten konnen die Daten jedoch ein wertvoller Indikator des nationalen oder regionalen Einkommens sein und damit helfen, die sehr luckenhaften Regionalstatistiken zu vervollstandigen.
Embedded Representations of Lexical and Knowledge-Base Semantics

BIO Andrew McCallum is a Professor, Director of the Center for Data Science, and Director of the Information Extraction and Synthesis Laboratory in the College of Information and Computer Sciences at University of Massachusetts Amherst. He has published over 250 papers in many areas of AI, including natural language processing, machine learning, data mining and reinforcement learning, and his work has received over 40,000 citations.
A speech packet loss concealment algorithm using real-time speech quality measurement and redundancy coding

In this paper, a new speech packet loss concealment (PLC) algorithm is proposed for improving speech quality within real-time wideband speech streaming systems over IP networks. In order to guarantee seamless speech quality within wideband speech streaming systems, the proposed PLC algorithm first estimates a packet loss rate (PLR) and then requests a sender to transmit redundant speech data when estimated PLR is assumed to be high. In particular, PLR is estimated by utilizing real-time speech quality measurement at the receiver side of the streaming system. Such PLR estimation is effective in two aspects. First, speech quality under real-time streaming is mostly correlated with PLR. Second, speech quality is measured as a mean opinion score (MOS) which is considered a clearer indicator of speech quality than any other parameter. Based on the estimated PLR, the proposed PLC algorithm controls the bit-rate of a wideband speech codec. That is, when the PLR is estimated to be high, a speech packet of the current frame combines the streams of the current and future frames in order to assist a speech decoder to reconstruct speech signals from the packet of the previous frame. On the other hand, when a low PLR is estimated, the speech packet consists of the current frame streams alone. The effectiveness of the proposed PLC algorithm is demonstrated by using the adaptive multi rate-wideband (AMR-WB) codec and ITU-T Recommendation P.563 as a wideband speech codec and an objective speech quality measurement method, respectively. It is shown from the experiments that a wideband speech streaming system employing the proposed PLC algorithm significantly improves wideband speech quality under packet loss conditions.
Excision of hypoxanthine from DNA containing dIMP residues by the Escherichia coli, yeast, rat, and human alkylpurine DNA glycosylases.

The deamination of adenine residues in DNA generates hypoxanthine, which is mutagenic since it gives rise to an A.T to G.C transition. Hypoxanthine is removed by hypoxanthine DNA glycosylase activity present in Escherichia coli and mammalian cells. Using polydeoxyribonucleotides or double-stranded synthetic oligonucleotides that contain dIMP residues, we show that this activity in E. coli is associated with the 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylase II coded for by the alkA gene. This conclusion is based on the following facts: (i) the two enzymatic activities have the same chromatographic behavior on various supports and they have the same molecular weight, (ii) both are induced during the adaptive response, (iii) a multicopy plasmid bearing the alkA gene overproduces both activities, (iv) homogeneous preparation of AlkA has both enzymatic activities, (v) the E. coli alkA- mutant does not show any detectable hypoxanthine DNA glycosylase activity. Under the same experimental conditions, but using different substrates, the same amount of AlkA protein liberates 1 pmol of 3-methyladenine from alkylated DNA and 1.2 fmol of hypoxanthine from dIMP-containing DNA. The Km for the latter substrate is 420 x 10(-9) M as compared to 5 x 10(-9) M for alkylated DNA. Hypoxanthine is released as a free base during the reaction. Duplex oligodeoxynucleotides containing hypoxanthine positioned opposite T, G, C, and A were cleaved efficiently. ANPG protein, APDG protein, and MAG protein--the 3-methyladenine DNA glycosylases of human, rat, and yeast origin, respectively--were also able to release hypoxanthine from various DNA substrates containing dIMP residues. The mammalian enzyme is by far the most efficient hypoxanthine DNA glycosylase of all the enzymes tested.
Preventing Rehospitalization through Effective Home Health Nursing Care

Purpose/objectives To identify strategies to improve patient outcomes and prevent rehospitalizations in home healthcare. Primary practice settings(s) Primarily for home healthcare but can also be a tool for all other fields in nursing. Findings/conclusions Through team collaboration and the proper resources, patient outcomes can improve and be cost-effective for home healthcare agencies despite the changes implemented after the Medicare change in payment for services, the prospective payment system. Implications for case management practice The main goal for home healthcare is to improve patient outcomes. Nurses experienced in case management can devise creative strategies to ensure patient outcomes are met in a cost-effective manner. With continuous changes in reimbursement and payment incentives, case managers in every level of care must know about, and be responsible for, fiscal initiatives.
Systems Security Research at Politecnico di Milano

This paper summarizes the past, present and future lines of research in the systems security area pursued by the Performance Evaluation Lab (VPLab) of Politecnico di Milano. We describe our past research in the area of learning algorithms applied to intrusion detection, our current work in the area of malware analysis, and our future research outlook, oriented to the cloud, to mobile device security, and to cyber-physical systems.
The Ribosome-Sec61 Translocon Complex Forms a Cytosolically Restricted Environment for Early Polytopic Membrane Protein Folding*

Background: Mechanisms that guide membrane protein folding in the endoplasmic reticulum membrane remain unresolved. Results: During aquaporin-4 synthesis, extracellular peptides loops enter the endoplasmic reticulum lumen sequentially, whereas delivery of cytosolic loops is actively delayed. Conclusion: The assembled ribosome translocon complex (RTC) shields large regions of the protein from the cytosol throughout synthesis. Significance: Early membrane protein folding occurs in a proteinaceous environment provided by the RTC. Transmembrane topology of polytopic membrane proteins (PMPs) is established in the endoplasmic reticulum (ER) by the ribosome Sec61-translocon complex (RTC) through iterative cycles of translocation initiation and termination. It remains unknown, however, whether tertiary folding of transmembrane domains begins after the nascent polypeptide integrates into the lipid bilayer or within a proteinaceous environment proximal to translocon components. To address this question, we used cysteine scanning mutagenesis to monitor aqueous accessibility of stalled translation intermediates to determine when, during biogenesis, hydrophilic peptide loops of the aquaporin-4 (AQP4) water channel are delivered to cytosolic and lumenal compartments. Results showed that following ribosome docking on the ER membrane, the nascent polypeptide was shielded from the cytosol as it emerged from the ribosome exit tunnel. Extracellular loops followed a well defined path through the ribosome, the ribosome translocon junction, the Sec61-translocon pore, and into the ER lumen coincident with chain elongation. In contrast, intracellular loops (ICLs) and C-terminalresidues exited the ribosome into a cytosolically shielded environment and remained inaccessible to both cytosolic and lumenal compartments until translation was terminated. Shielding of ICL1 and ICL2, but not the C terminus, became resistant to maneuvers that disrupt electrostatic ribosome interactions. Thus, the early folding landscape of polytopic proteins is shaped by a spatially restricted environment localized within the assembled ribosome translocon complex.
International best practices, domestic constraints and international listing: evidence from China's state banking sector

The objective of this paper is to gauge the extent to which Chinese state-owned commercial banks are converging with international best banking and corporate governance practices, with a particular focus on the policy of international listing given its recent popularity. Drawing on the international listings of China's state-owned banks on the Hong Kong stock market, the paper finds that formal convergence is possible to achieve. More difficult to achieve is substantive convergence. In general, the findings suggest that the domestic institutional framework still matters, but what may matter more is that banks have the autonomy to integrate best-practices in a manner consistent with domestic conditions.
Radiosurgery for Benign Tumors of the Spine: Clinical Experience and Current Trends

In distinction to the development of the clinical indications for intracranial radiosurgery, spine radiosurgery's initial primary focus was and still remains the treatment of malignant disease. The role of stereotactic radiosurgery for the treatment of intracranial benign tumors has been well established. However, there is much less experience and much more controversy regarding the use of radiosurgery for the treatment of benign tumors of the spine. This study presents the clinical experience and current trends of radiosurgery in the treatment paradigm of benign tumors of the spine as part of a dedicated spine radiosurgery program. Forty consecutive benign spine tumors were treated using cone beam computed tomography (CBCT) image guidance technology for target localization. Lesion location included 13 cervical, 9 thoracic, 11 lumbar, and 7 sacral tumors. Thirty-four cases (85%) were intradural. The most common tumor histologies were schwannoma (15 cases), neurofibroma (7 cases), and meningioma (8 cases). Eighteen cases (45%) had previously undergone open surgical resection, and 4 lesions (10%) had previously been treated with conventional fractionated external beam irradiation techniques. This cohort was compared to a prior institutional experience of 73 consecutive benign spine tumors treated with radiosurgery. No subacute or long term spinal cord or cauda equina toxicity occurred during the follow-up period (median 26 months). Radiosurgery was used as the primary treatment modality in 22 cases (55%) and for recurrence after prior open surgical resection in 18 cases (45%). The mean prescribed dose to the gross tumor volume (GTV) was 14 Gy (range 11 to 17) delivered in a single fraction in 35 cases. In 5 cases in which the tumor was found to be intimately associated with the spinal cord with distortion of the spinal cord itself, the prescribed dose to the GTV was 18 to 21 Gy delivered in 3 fractions. The GTV ranged from 0.37 to 94.5 cm3 (mean 13.2 cm3, median 5.1 cm3). No evidence of tumor growth was seen on serial imaging in any case. Compared to the prior cohort, there was a trend towards increased patient age, GTV, and use of radiosurgery in the post-surgical setting, as well as a simultaneous decrease in the prescription dose. Radiosurgery is a safe and clinically effective treatment alternative for benign spinal neoplasms. While surgical extirpation is currently felt to be the best initial treatment option for most benign spinal tumors, spine radiosurgery has been demonstrated to have long-term clinical and radiographic benefit for the treatment of such lesions. In a similar manner in which spine radiosurgery has become a primary treatment option for a variety of intracranial benign tumors, radiosurgery may become the most favorable treatment alternative for similar histologies when found in the spine. The application of radiosurgery for non-neoplastic spine disease deserves future investigation.
Activation of integrins in endothelial cells by fluid shear stress mediates Rho‐dependent cytoskeletal alignment

Fluid shear stress is a critical determinant of vascular remodeling and atherogenesis. Both integrins and the small GTPase Rho are implicated in endothelial cell responses to shear but the mechanisms are poorly understood. We now show that shear stress rapidly stimulates conformational activation of integrin αvβ3 in bovine aortic endothelial cells, followed by an increase in its binding to extracellular cell matrix (ECM) proteins. The shear‐induced new integrin binding to ECM induces a transient inactivation of Rho similar to that seen when suspended cells are plated on ECM proteins. This transient inhibition is necessary for cytoskeletal alignment in the direction of flow. The results therefore define the role of integrins and Rho in a pathway leading to endothelial cell adaptation to flow.
Binding conformers searching method for ligands according to the structures of their receptors and its application to thrombin inhibitors.

AIM To develop a method of finding binding conformers for ligands according to the three-dimensional structures of their receptors. METHODS Combining the systematic search method of ligand with the molecular docking approach of ligand fitting into its receptor, we developed a binding conformer searching method for ligands. RESULTS The binding conformers of phosphonopeptidyl thrombin inhibitors were recognized. The binding (interaction) energies between these inhibitors and thrombin were calculated with molecular mechanical method. CONCLUSION Both of the total binding energies and steric binding energies have good correlations with the inhibitory activities of these thrombin inhibitors, demonstrating that our approach is reasonable. It can also be used to explain the inhibition mechanism of thrombin interacting with these inhibitors.
Advances in the understanding of haemoglobin switching

The study of haemoglobin switching has represented a focus in haematology due in large part to the clinical relevance of the fetal to adult haemoglobin switch for developing targeted approaches to ameliorate the severity of the β‐haemoglobinopathies. Additionally, the process by which this switch occurs represents an important paradigm for developmental gene regulation. In this review, we provide an overview of both the embryonic primitive to definitive switch in haemoglobin expression, as well as the fetal to adult switch that is unique to humans and old world monkeys. We discuss the nature of these switches and models of their regulation. The factors that have been suggested to regulate this process are then discussed. With the increased understanding and discovery of molecular regulators of haemoglobin switching, such as BCL11A, new avenues of research may lead ultimately to novel therapeutic, mechanism‐based approaches to fetal haemoglobin reactivation in patients.
Co-prescribing of Warfarin with Statins and Proton Pump Inhibitors in Elderly Australians

Background: Comorbidity is common in individuals with atrial fibrillation (AF). The predominant treatment for AF is warfarin and medicine interactions with warfarin represent a challenge for optimising treatment of AF in older people with comorbidities. Statins and Proton Pump Inhibitors are commonly prescribed therapies and in both classes, there are medicines with greater or lesser potential to interact with warfarin. Objective: The aim of this study was to examine use of antithrombotic treatment in elderly Australians, and the extent of concurrent use of interacting statins and proton pump inhibitors (PPIs) with warfarin. Methods: A retrospective cohort study was conducted using data from the Australian Government Department of Veterans’ Affairs. The cohort included all patients who had at least one hospitalisation with a primary diagnosis for AF between 2007 and 2011. Individuals contributed person-months from the date of first AF hospitalisation to death or end of study (December 2011). Monthly utilisation of antithrombotics was assessed. A sub-cohort of warfarin users was defined as those with AF who received warfarin as monotherapy and the proportions of those co-dispensed statins or PPIs were established. Results: Around 70% of patients with AF were receiving antithrombotic treatment, with 35% dispensed warfarin, 17% aspirin, and 7% clopidogrel as monotherapy. In December 2011, 54% of patients with AF on warfarin monotherapy were co-dispensed a statin, with the statins with potential for interaction dispensed at highest rates; atorvastatin followed by simvastatin and rosuvastatin. At study end, 43% of the warfarin cohort were also dispensed PPIs, with one-third using esomeprazole, followed by pantoprazole, both of which have the potential to interact with warfarin. Conclusion: 30% of patients with AF were not receiving antithrombotic treatment. In those receiving an antithrombotic agent, warfarin was the most commonly dispensed (35%). The most common statin and PPI coprescribed with warfarin were agents with the potential to interact with warfarin, despite alternative agents being available. Raising awareness of the safer alternative for people with comorbidities may improve warfarin management.
The application of fractal analysis to feature extraction

As the interest in fractal geometry rises, the applications are getting more and more numerous in many domains. The aim of the authors is that these concepts can also be applied to feature extraction of patterns and that they can help, to a certain extent, to ease the solution of many problems. In this paper, the proposed method reduces the dimensionality of a two-dimensional pattern by way of a central projection approach, and thereafter, performs Daubechies' wavelet transformation on the derived one-dimensional pattern to generate a set of wavelet transformation sub-patterns, namely, curves that are non-self-intersecting. Further from the resulting nonself-intersecting curves, the divider dimensions are computed with modified box-counting approach. These divider dimensions constitute a new feature vector for the original two-dimensional pattern, defined over the curve's fractal dimensions.
A metamaterial-inspired miniaturized dual-band printed directive dipole antenna for GSM/Bluetooth/WLAN applications

In this paper, a miniaturized design of printed dual-band directive dipole antenna is proposed. Loading with complementary split ring resonators introduces an additional lower-order resonance in the reference directive dipole. This enables the proposed antenna to operate around 1.7 GHz and 2.42 GHz, covering the GSM/Bluetooth/WLAN application bands. Furthermore, defected partial ground structure is employed to improve impedance matching in the lower order CSRR-induced band. Full-wave simulations in Ansys HFSS show that the proposed dual-band antenna has satisfactory far-field gains of 1.83 dBi and 3.76 dBi in the two respective operating bands.
A 25-Gb/s Monolithic Optical Receiver With Improved Sensitivity and Energy Efficiency

A high-performance integrated optical receiver is realized in photonic BiCMOS technology. The receiver includes waveguide type Ge photodetector (PD), transimpedance amplifier, single-to-differential converter, postamplifier, and output buffer, all of which are monolithically implemented on a Si wafer. It achieves bit-error rate (BER) of <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$10^{-12}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> for 25-Gb/s <inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$2^{31}-1$ </tex-math></inline-formula> PRBS at the incident optical power of −10 dBm with energy efficiency of 1.5 pJ/b. In addition, with the help of the accurate Ge-PD circuit model, the simulated optical receiver eye diagrams and BER performances accurately predict the measured results.
Dual Population Coding in the Neocortex: A Model of Interaction between Representation and Attention in the Visual Cortex

The text describes a model that extends the population coding principles to any multidimensional attribute. The model distinguishes between the distribution of cell activity and the overall activity of a population. The distribution of cell activity is assumed to encode attribute information, while overall activity is assumed to reflect the significance or pertinence of the encoded attribute in the cerebral cortex, according to the dual coding principle. Three basic mechanisms of interaction between the representation of attribute and pertinence are defined and are applied to the motion (MT-MST) cortical pathway in the visual cortex. This framework determines three sources of pertinence that model cognitive processing, including preattentive processing, spatial-selective attention, and object-selective attention. The model accommodates most of the published psychophysical, neurophysiological, and neuroanatomical data and makes several testable predictions about the representations of attribute and enhanced effects in these areas.
Direct stabilization of femtosecond laser frequency comb to high-finesse optical cavity

We report a stabilization of a femtosecond laser frequency comb (FLFC) to a high-finesse optical cavity by introducing a comb injection locked diode laser. In our method, single component of a FLFC is selected and amplified by a diode laser, and used for a stabilization of a FLFC. Thus, we don't need to match the mode spacing between a femtosecond laser and a high-finesse optical cavity.
Ectopic expression of the Arabidopsis AtMYB23 gene induces differentiation of trichome cells.

The control of epidermal cell fate is a complex molecular process and requires the regulatory activity of different transcription factors. Here, we describe the isolation of a member of the Arabidopsis MYB transcription factor family, AtMYB23, that is involved in trichome development. Expression of the AtMYB23 gene under the control of the viral CaMV 35S promoter causes the development of ectopic trichomes. The formation of ectopic trichomes depends on TRANSPARENT TESTA GLABRA1 but not on GLABRA1. The absence of the negative regulator TRIPTYCHON leads to branching of the ectopic trichomes on cotyledons and the formation of ectopic trichomes in the leaf subepidermal cell layer. The CaMV 35S promoter-controlled expression of AtMYB23 can partially rescue the glabra1 mutant phenotype. Together, the presented data indicate that the AtMYB23 gene has partially overlapping functions with GLABRA1 in controlling the initiation of trichome development.