Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Novel Direct Instantaneous Torque and Flux Control With an ADALINE-Based Motor Model for a High Performance DD-PMSM

This paper presents a novel direct instantaneous torque and flux controller with an adaptive linear neuron (ADALINE)-based motor model for a high-performance direct drive permanent magnet synchronous motor (DD-PMSM). Usually, high-performance motor drives are characterized by their fast and accurate response, quick recovery from disturbances, and insensitivity to parameter variations. However, the absence of the auxiliary mechanisms in direct drives, such as gears or ball screws, increases the sensitivity of the servo performance to uncertainties in the drive system. Practically, uncertainties are usually composed of torque ripple, parameter variations, external disturbances and un-modeled dynamics. To achieve fast and smooth torque production in a DD-PMSM, the proposed controller has a linear with variable-structure control element to control the torque angle increment and a dynamic internal model element within the flux control loop. With this novel configuration, the controller can embed more frequency modes within the stable closed loop system to cancel the torque ripples. To relax the parameters sensitivity issue, this study proposes an ADALINE-based motor model to robustly extract the instantaneous torque information and unknown motor parameters with low computational demand and high accuracy. Comparative experiments are presented to demonstrate the validity and effectiveness of the proposed control scheme.
Door to thrombolysis: ER reorganization and reduced delays to acute stroke treatment

The authors reorganized the emergency room (ER) by moving CT to the ER and streamlining triage by prenotification by emergency medical services (EMS), which reduced in-hospital delays and enhanced access to stroke thrombolysis. CT delay dropped from 1 hour 3 minutes ± 14 minutes in 1999 to 7 ± 2 minutes in 2004 (p < 0.0001). Door-to-needle time dropped from 1 hour 28 minutes ± 7 minutes to 50 ± 3 minutes (p < 0.001), while symptom-to-needle time dropped from 2 hours 44 minutes ± 6 minutes to 2 hours 5 minutes ± 4 minutes (p < 0.0001). From 23 patients in 1999, thrombolysis access was increased to 100 patients in 2004 and 183 patients in 2005.
Diethylenetriaminium hexafluoridotitanate(IV) fluoride

The title compound, (C6H21N4)[TiF6]F, was synthesized by the reaction of TiO2, tris(2-aminoethyl)amine, HF and ethanol at 463 K in a microwave oven. The crystal structure consists of two crystallographically independent [TiF6]2− anions, two fluoride anions and two triply-protonated tris(2-aminoethyl)amine cations. The Ti atoms are coordinated by six F atoms within slightly distorted octahedra. The anions and cations are connected by intermolecular N—H⋯F hydrogen bonds.
Global threat to agriculture from invasive species

Significance A key scientific and policy challenge relating to invasive species at the world level is to understand and predict which countries are most vulnerable to the threat of invasive species. We present an analysis of the threat from almost 1,300 agricultural invasive species to the world (124 countries). The analysis examines the global distribution of these species, international trade flows, and each country’s main agricultural production crops, to determine potential invasion and impact of these invasive species. We found the most vulnerable countries to be from Sub-Saharan Africa, while those countries representing the greatest threat to the rest of the world (given the invasive species they already contain, and their trade patterns) to be the United States and China. Invasive species present significant threats to global agriculture, although how the magnitude and distribution of the threats vary between countries and regions remains unclear. Here, we present an analysis of almost 1,300 known invasive insect pests and pathogens, calculating the total potential cost of these species invading each of 124 countries of the world, as well as determining which countries present the greatest threat to the rest of the world given their trading partners and incumbent pool of invasive species. We find that countries vary in terms of potential threat from invasive species and also their role as potential sources, with apparently similar countries sometimes varying markedly depending on specifics of agricultural commodities and trade patterns. Overall, the biggest agricultural producers (China and the United States) could experience the greatest absolute cost from further species invasions. However, developing countries, in particular, Sub-Saharan African countries, appear most vulnerable in relative terms. Furthermore, China and the United States represent the greatest potential sources of invasive species for the rest of the world. The analysis reveals considerable scope for ongoing redistribution of known invasive pests and highlights the need for international cooperation to slow their spread.
Monthly cost of three exchanges a day peritoneal dialysis is same as of thrice a week hemodialysis in self-paying Indian patients

In India, majority of patients on dialysis are ‘self paying’ because of limited health insurance coverage available from government as well as private insurance providers. Hence, cost of treatment becomes one deciding factor to choose between the two modalities of dialysis – hemodialysis (HD) and peritoneal dialysis (PD). Aim is to compare the monthly cost of maintenance hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis at our center. Majority of patients at our center are on thrice a week hemodialysis and three times a day peritoneal dialysis. These patients were asked to submit their total direct cost of treatment of last three months. It included cost of dialysis, erythropoietin, other medicines, monthly laboratory tests, hospitalization cost, travel cost, and any other directly involved in the treatment. Monthly cost (Indian Rupees, ) was then calculated by averaging the three month cost for each patient. The monthly cost of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis was then compared using ‘independent sample t-test’. Thirty five patients were finally included in the analysis (21 on HD and 14 on PD). Demographic profile between the two groups was similar in terms of age, sex ratio, period on dialysis, hemoglobin, blood urea nitrogen, and creatinine. Total monthly cost of dialysis was similar in both the groups ( 29,252 ± 6859 vs. 28,763 ± 5486, P = 0.85). The lower cost of hemodialysis procedure per se as compared to peritoneal dialysis procedure cost ( 14,669 ± 1376 vs. 19,528 ± 4072, P = 0.000) was compensated by higher cost of erythropoietin ( 7160 ± 3353 vs. 3093 ± 1889, P = 0.002) and travel cost ( 1654 ± 1085 vs. 76 ± 66, P < 0.0001) to equalize the monthly cost between the two groups. Our analysis showed no difference in the monthly cost of hemodialysis and peritoneal dialysis and hence, for self-paying patient in India, cost of treatment should not be a deciding factor while choosing between the two modalities.
The Effects of Sample Matrices on Immunoassays to Detect Microcystin-LR in Water

Immunoassays are widely used biochemical techniques to detect microcystins in environmental samples. The use of immunoassays for the detection of microcystins is vulnerable to matrix components and other interferents. This study is an evaluation of the effects of interfering substances commonly found in drinking and ambient water samples using commercially-available immunoassay kits for microcystin toxins. The microplate and strip test immunoassay formats were tested in the study. For the microplate ELISA, the following were found to inhibit microcystin-LR (MC-LR) detection: 250 μg/mL Ca2+ or Mg2+, 0.01% ascorbic acid, 0.1% EDTA chelating agent, 0.05 M glycine-HCl, pH 3. The following exhibited no effect: sodium chloride (NaCl, 1% to 4%) and sodium thiosulfate (0.001% and 0.01%), 0.01 to 0.1 M phosphate buffers (PB), pH 7 and 0.067 M PB at pH 5, 6, 7 and 8. Overall, up to 50 μg/mL of standard and reference natural organic matter (NOM) from various sources did not interfere in the assay system (without MC-LR) but diminished the detection of MC-LR at varying degrees. This is the first study evaluating standard and reference humic and fulvic acids from various sources in immunoassays for microcystins. The strip test also showed variable effects on MC-LR detection in the presence of NOM. This assay format was also sensitive to varying pHs and ionic strengths. MC-LR binding was inhibited at low pH (0.05 M glycine-HCl, pH 3), whereas, 0.067 M PB with pH 6, 7 and 8 can yield false positive results. Lower ionic strength of 0.01 M PB, pH 7 showed no interference in MC-LR binding whereas higher ionic strengths can interfere with MC-LR detection. NaCl at 3% and 4% can interfere with the analysis giving false positive results. Mg2+ at 50 and 250 μg/mL showed no effect on the analysis while the same concentration of Ca2+ can yield false positive results. The performance in marine, brackish and hard waters should be tested given the potential sensitivity to salinity. Results of this study may assist in the further refinement of existing assays and the development of practical antibody-based methods to clean-up samples and detect cyanotoxins in water.
Sustainable pest regulation in agricultural landscapes: a review on landscape composition, biodiversity and natural pest control

Agricultural intensification has resulted in a simplification of agricultural landscapes by the expansion of agricultural land, enlargement of field size and removal of non-crop habitat. These changes are considered to be an important cause of the rapid decline in farmland biodiversity, with the remaining biodiversity concentrated in field edges and non-crop habitats. The simplification of landscape composition and the decline of biodiversity may affect the functioning of natural pest control because non-crop habitats provide requisites for a broad spectrum of natural enemies, and the exchange of natural enemies between crop and non-crop habitats is likely to be diminished in landscapes dominated by arable cropland. In this review, we test the hypothesis that natural pest control is enhanced in complex patchy landscapes with a high proportion of non-crop habitats as compared to simple large-scale landscapes with little associated non-crop habitat. In 74% and 45% of the studies reviewed, respectively, natural enemy populations were higher and pest pressure lower in complex landscapes versus simple landscapes. Landscape-driven pest suppression may result in lower crop injury, although this has rarely been documented. Enhanced natural enemy activity was associated with herbaceous habitats in 80% of the cases (e.g. fallows, field margins), and somewhat less often with wooded habitats (71%) and landscape patchiness (70%). The similar contributions of these landscape factors suggest that all are equally important in enhancing natural enemy populations. We conclude that diversified landscapes hold most potential for the conservation of biodiversity and sustaining the pest control function.
L'architecture CoMED pour la gestion collective de documents électroniques dans l'organisation

A l’heure actuelle, de nombreuses organisations souffrent d’une overdose informationnelle : les individus accedent et conservent quotidiennement une quantite croissante de documents electroniques. De plus, les efforts individuels de recherche mis en œuvre ne sont pas rentabilises et valorises par une diffusion adaptee. Pourtant, la gestion rationnelle des documents est une condition necessaire pour etre performant dans les differentes activites liees au cycle de vie du document. C’est pourquoi nous presentons dans cet article une architecture integree pour la gestion collective des documents electroniques de l’organisation baptisee CoMED (Collective Management of Electronic Documents). Notre proposition, fondee sur l’activite d’annotation, exploite l’interdependance des activites documentaires pour valoriser l’information introduite dans l’organisation. Son objectif consiste a aider l’individu dans ses activites documentaires, tout en faisant progresser l’organisation dans son ensemble.
The servomechanism problem for unknown MIMO LTI positive systems: Feedforward and robust tuning regulators

In this paper we study the servomechanism problem for unknown MIMO positive LTI systems under constant reference signals and constant measurable disturbances. In particular, we show that in general the servomechanism problem for standard positive systems is not solvable. Thereafter, we show what subclass of reference and disturbance signals can be considered, and more importantly, we provide the controller structure that solves the problem for the feasible subclass of reference and disturbance signals.
Sandpile models with dynamically varying critical slopes.

Sandpile models with randomized updating rules are studied. The randomness is not quenched, but set dynamically by the dissipation events (avalanches) in the system. Relaxation from fixed updating rules is here a consequence of medium anisotropy and motivated by the behavior of various driven physical systems. A one-dimensional sandpile model in which the critical slope at a site varies as the process proceeds displays self-organized criticality. The model allows one to build in an internal relaxation mechanism separated from the external driving flux and underlying the noise of the process
CAG polymorphic repeat lengths in androgen receptor gene among Japanese prostate cancer patients: Potential predictor of prognosis after endocrine therapy

Several investigators have examined the clinical significance of the length of the CAG repeat at the N‐terminal region of the androgen receptor in the pathogenesis of prostate cancer. Because the clinical significance of CAG repeat length during the course of prostate cancer in Japanese patients is unknown, the present study analyzed CAG repeat length in relation to several potential clinical factors.
An Efficient Method for Assessing the Accuracy of 3 D Orientation of Inertial and Magnetic Sensors *

This paper presents an efficient method for assessing the accuracy of 3D orientation of a magnetic and inertial measurement unit (MIMU) by means of an optical measurement system. We fix a MIMU on the calibration tool of an optical measurement system, which is commonly used to calibrate the coordinate system of the system, so that we can simplify the alignment procedure of two coordinate systems. The RMS values of resulting Euler angles output from two systems are small and the corresponding correlation coefficient values are extremely high. Experimental results show the proposed method is effective.
The future of personal video communication: moving beyond talking heads to shared experiences

Personal video communication systems such as Skype or FaceTime are starting to become a common tool used by family and friends to communicate and interact over distance. Yet many are designed to only support conversation with a focus on display 'talking heads'. In this workshop, we want to discuss the opportunities and challenges in moving beyond this design paradigm to one where personal video communication systems can be used to share everyday experiences. By this we are referring to systems that might support shared dinners, shared television watching, or even remote participation in events such as weddings, parties, or graduations. This list could go on and on as the future of personal video communications is ripe for explorations and discussions.
Transmission electron microscopy helpfulness in Whipple's disease masked by immunosuppressant therapy for arthritis

A 61‐year‐old woman received a diagnosis of undifferentiated non‐erosive arthritis in 2010 and assumed methotrexate and steroids in 2014. After 1 year, she experienced watery diarrhea, vomiting, fever, weight loss, and severe hypoalbuminemia, thus being admitted into our Unit. Esophagogastroduodenoscopy showed duodenal lymphangiectasia and duodenal biopsy samples several foamy PAS‐positive macrophages and villous subtotal atrophy. Transmission electron microscope demonstrated several extracellular and intracellular rod‐shaped bacteria (Tropheryma whipplei). Therefore, we diagnosed Whipple's disease. Our patient assumed doxycycline/hydroxychloroquine with prompt remission of gastrointestinal symptoms. At 1 year of follow‐up, she was symptom‐free, histological reassessment showed almost complete mucosal healing and transmission electron microscope demonstrated bacteria breaking/disappearance. The present report demonstrates that: (i) rheumatological manifestations are common onset symptoms of Whipple's disease; (ii) immunosuppressive therapy may delay the diagnosis and worsen clinical presentation; (iii) transmission electron microscopy for specific bacteria detection/disappearance is an helpful diagnostic tool, when available.
FACTOR 3 integrates the functions of AGAMOUS and APETALA 2 in floral meristem determinacy

Xigang Liu*, Thanh Theresa Dinh, Dongming Li, Bihai Shi, Yongpeng Li, Xiuwei Cao, Lin Guo, Yanyun Pan, Yuling Jiao and Xuemei Chen* Key Laboratory of Agricultural Water Resources, Hebei Laboratory of Agricultural Water-Saving, Center for Agricultural Resources Research, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, 286 Huaizhong Rd, Shijiazhuang, 050021 China, Department of Botany and Plant Sciences, Institute of Integrative Genome Biology, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA, State Key Laboratory of Plant Genomics, Institute of Genetics and Developmental Biology, Chinese Academy of Sciences, Beijing, 100101 China, College of Life Sciences, Hebei Agricultural University, Baoding, 071001 China, and Howard Hughes Medical Institute, University of California, Riverside, CA 92521, USA
Temperature dependent 2nd derivative absorbance spectroscopy of aromatic amino acids as a probe of protein dynamics

Proteins display a broad peak in 250–300 nm region of their UV spectrum containing multiple overlapping bands arising from the aromatic rings of phenylalanine, tyrosine, and tryptophan residues. Employing high resolution 2nd derivative absorbance spectroscopy, these overlapping absorption bands can be highly resolved and therefore provide a very sensitive measure of changes in the local microenvironment of the aromatic side chains. This has traditionally been used to detect both subtle and dramatic (i.e., unfolding) conformational alterations of proteins. Herein, we show that plots of the temperature dependent 2nd derivative peak positions of aromatic residues have measurable slopes before protein unfolding and that these slopes are sensitive to the dielectric properties of the surrounding microenvironment. We further demonstrate that these slopes correlate with hydration of the buried aromatic residues in protein cores and can therefore be used as qualitative probes of protein dynamics.
Effect of Conductance Variability on Resistor-Logic Demultiplexers for Nanoelectronics

On a mixed-scale nanoelectronic crossbar, in which nanowires cross CMOS-scale wires at right angles, a demultiplexer circuit may be laid out using configurable resistors at the crosspoint junctions. This circuit can function as an interface between conventional CMOS microelectronic circuitry and the smaller nanocircuitry by allowing a few CMOS address lines to control a much larger number of nanowires. The voltage margin properties of these resistor-demultiplexers can be improved by basing them on error-correcting codes. In any real fabrication process, the conductances of the resistors in the demultiplexer circuit will be distributed over a range of values. Using simulation, we investigate how variability in the conductances affects the voltages on the output lines of the demultiplexer, and the related voltage margin of the overall circuit. The simulation results provide a simple quantitative relationship revealing that the voltage variability is smaller than the component variability
In Vivo Evolution of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 toward Increased Pathogenicity through CXCR4-Mediated Killing of Uninfected CD4 T Cells

ABSTRACT The destruction of the immune system by progressive loss of CD4 T cells is the hallmark of AIDS. CCR5-dependent (R5) human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) isolates predominate in the early, asymptomatic stages of HIV-1 infection, while CXCR4-dependent (X4) isolates typically emerge at later stages, frequently coinciding with a rapid decline in CD4 T cells. Lymphocyte killing in vivo primarily occurs through apoptosis, but the importance of apoptosis of HIV-1-infected cells relative to apoptosis of uninfected bystander cells is controversial. Here we show that in human lymphoid tissues ex vivo, apoptosis of uninfected bystander CD4 T cells is a major mechanism of lymphocyte depletion caused by X4 HIV-1 strains but is only a minor mechanism of depletion by R5 strains. Further, X4 HIV-1-induced bystander apoptosis requires the interaction of the viral envelope glycoprotein gp120 with the CXCR4 coreceptor on CD4 T cells. These results emphasize the contribution of bystander apoptosis to HIV-1 cytotoxicity and suggest that in association with a coreceptor switch in HIV disease, T-cell killing evolves from an infection-restricted stage to generalized toxicity that involves a high degree of bystander apoptosis.
Evolutionary and functional insights into the mechanism underlying high-altitude adaptation of deer mouse hemoglobin

Adaptive modifications of heteromeric proteins may involve genetically based changes in single subunit polypeptides or parallel changes in multiple genes that encode distinct, interacting subunits. Here we investigate these possibilities by conducting a combined evolutionary and functional analysis of duplicated globin genes in natural populations of deer mice (Peromyscus maniculatus) that are adapted to different elevational zones. A multilocus analysis of nucleotide polymorphism and linkage disequilibrium revealed that high-altitude adaptation of deer mouse hemoglobin involves parallel functional differentiation at multiple unlinked gene duplicates: two α-globin paralogs on chromosome 8 and two β-globin paralogs on chromosome 1. Differences in O2-binding affinity of the alternative β-chain hemoglobin isoforms were entirely attributable to allelic differences in sensitivity to 2,3-diphosphoglycerate (DPG), an allosteric cofactor that stabilizes the low-affinity, deoxygenated conformation of the hemoglobin tetramer. The two-locus β-globin haplotype that predominates at high altitude is associated with suppressed DPG-sensitivity (and hence, increased hemoglobin-O2 affinity), which enhances pulmonary O2 loading under hypoxia. The discovery that allelic differences in DPG-sensitivity contribute to adaptive variation in hemoglobin–O2 affinity illustrates the value of integrating evolutionary analyses of sequence variation with mechanistic appraisals of protein function. Investigation into the functional significance of the deer mouse β-globin polymorphism was motivated by the results of population genetic analyses which revealed evidence for a history of divergent selection between elevational zones. The experimental measures of O2-binding properties corroborated the tests of selection by demonstrating a functional difference between the products of alternative alleles.