Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Distributed control of PV strings with module integrated converters in presence of a central MPPT

In some cases it is unavoidable that part of the rooftop PV array is periodically shadowed by an adjacent object, greatly reducing yield. Usually, the time and amount of shadowing is known, and is considered as extra loss due to the location. Module Integrated Converter (MIC) systems are known to be a good solution for such cases, having the potential to increase the yield with as high as 25%, although there is the added cost of the MICs. A cost-effective solution could be to limit the installation of MICs only to the affected modules. However, this solution carries some new challenges in that the MIC should ensure the string voltage stability and MPP operation in presence of other MICs and `plain' panels. It must also be transparent to the main inverters' MPPT, so that it can track during normal operation. In this paper, a system layout with local MPPT without voltage control is proposed, which is able to ensure string voltage stability and MPP tracking in presence of a central MPPT.
Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumors, Intramural Leiomyomas, and Leiomyosarcomas in the Duodenum: A Clinicopathologic, Immunohistochemical, and Molecular Genetic Study of 167 Cases

&NA; In this study we analyzed the clinicopathologic features of duodenal smooth muscle or stromal tumors, including 156 GISTs, 6 leiomyomas (LMs), and 5 leiomyosarcomas (LMSs) from the files of the Armed Forces Institute of Pathology and the Haartman Institute of the University of Helsinki. GISTs were documented as KIT positive (n = 109); 47 tumors were also included because of their histologic identity to KIT‐positive cases. GIST‐specific c‐kit gene mutations were documented in exon 11 in 9 of 30 cases (30%) and exon 9 in 4 of 30 cases (13%). The GISTs occurred in patients with an age range of 10–88 years (median 56 years); 54% were male. Ten patients had neurofibromatosis type I; six of them had multiple GISTs. The GISTs ranged from small asymptomatic intramural or external nodules to large masses that extended into the retroperitoneum (median size 4.5 cm). They were mostly spindle cell tumors; three malignant GISTs had an epithelioid morphology, and 81 cases had skeinoid fibers. The tumors often coexpressed CD34 and KIT (54%) and were variably positive for smooth muscle actin (39%) and S‐100 protein (20%) but never for desmin. A total of 86% of patients with tumors >5 cm with >5 mitoses/50 high power fields (HPF) (n = 21) died of disease, whereas no tumor <2 cm with <5 mitoses/50 HPF (n = 12) recurred or caused death. Long latency was common between primary operation and recurrences or metastases; either one occurred in 49 of 140 patients with follow‐up (35%). No formula could accurately predict metastases, which occasionally developed even if mitotic activity was <5/50 HPF and size <5 cm. Metastases were in the abdominal cavity, liver, and rarely in bones and lungs but never in lymph nodes. Four actin‐ and desmin‐positive and KIT‐negative benign intramural LMs were similar to those more often seen in the esophagus. There were five LMSs, one of which formed a polypoid intraluminal mass; all were actin positive and KIT negative. The great majority of duodenal mesenchymal tumors are GISTs, which have a spectrum from small indolent tumors to overt sarcomas. LMs and LMSs are rare.
Improving speech recognition using dynamic multi-pipeline API

Speech recognition technology has been helping human more comfortable to input to computer, however, there is a concern about its performance in terms of precision and error rate in noise environment. Moreover, most of speech recognition APIs are model audio dependent. Although they support the model, the error rate is not decreased. This causes a faulty sound recognition and return incorrect results. This research aims to increase the performance of the speech recognition of non-native speaker. The proposed technique, Dynamic Multi-Pipeline API (DMP), integrated two-tier speech recognition using a combination of Microsoft API, English voice model, and Google API, a Thai voice model, to increase speech recognition performance. The experiment also conducted in different noise scenarios which are 46 dB and 70 dB respectively. The results showed the comparison of performance of the proposed technique with famous speech recognition APIs, the Microsoft API and Google API. It can be seen that the Dynamic MultiPipeline API (DMP) performed better by providing less error rate at 6% and 14% in 46 dB and 70 dB noise environment which are better than compared techniques.
Seed-specific overexpression of phytoene synthase: increase in carotenoids and other metabolic effects

A bacterial phytoene synthase (crtB) gene was overexpressed in a seed-specific manner and the protein product targeted to the plastid in Brassica napus (canola). The resultant embryos from these transgenic plants were visibly orange and the mature seed contained up to a 50-fold increase in carotenoids. The predominant carotenoids accumulating in the seeds of the transgenic plants were alpha and beta-carotene. Other precursors such as phytoene were also detected. Lutein, the predominant carotenoid in control seeds, was not substantially increased in the transgenics. The total amount of carotenoids in these seeds is now equivalent to or greater than those seen in the mesocarp of oil palm. Other metabolites in the isoprenoid pathway were examined in these seeds. Sterol levels remained essentially the same, while tocopherol levels decreased significantly as compared to non-transgenic controls. Chlorophyll levels were also reduced in developing transgenic seed. Additionally, the fatty acyl composition was altered with the transgenic seeds having a relatively higher percentage of the 18 : 1 (oleic acid) component and a decreased percentage of the 18 : 2 (linoleic acid) and 18 : 3 (linolenic acid) components. This dramatic increase in flux through the carotenoid pathway and the other metabolic effects are discussed.
Field metabolic rate and body size

SUMMARY The field metabolic rates (FMRs) of 229 species of terrestrial vertebrates, all measured using the doubly labeled water method in free-living individuals, were evaluated. Daily rates of energy expenditure were as low as 0.23 kJ per day in a small reptile (gecko), to as high as 52 500 kJ per day in a marine mammal (seal). This is a range of nearly six orders of magnitude. More than 70% of the variation in log-transformed data is due to variation in body size (expressed as body mass). Much of the remaining variation is accounted for by thermal physiology, with the endothermic mammals and birds having FMRs that are about 12 and 20 times higher, respectively, than FMRs of equivalent-sized, but ectothermic, reptiles. Variation in log(body mass) within each of these three taxonomic classes accounts for over 94% of the variation in log(FMR), and results from nonlinear regression analyses using untransformed data support this conclusion. However, the range of residual variation in mass-adjusted FMR within classes is still more than sixfold (ratio of highest over lowest). Some of this variation is associated with affiliations with lower taxonomic levels (Infraclass: eutherian vs metatherian mammals; Family: passerine, procellariform and galliform birds vs other birds), some is associated with habitat (especially desert vs nondesert), and some with differences in basic diet preference and foraging mode and season. The scaling slopes for FMR often differ from BMR slopes for the same Class of animals, and most differ from the theoretical slope of 0.75. Differences among slopes and intercepts that were detected using conventional regression analyses were largely confirmed upon reanalysis using Independent Contrasts Analysis to adjust for phylogenetic biases.
Pressure Regulator for Pneumatic Valve with a PZT Actuator

The pressure regulator which is used for controlling the reducing pressure in the piezoelectrically driven pneumatic valve has been studied. The pneumatic valve of this study object is 2-stage type and consists of a piezoelectric actuator, a controller, a poppet valve and a pressure regulator. Nominal flow of 50 1 pm, maximum operating pressure of 0.9 MPa and frequency characteristic of 10 Hz and over are required in this pneumatic valve, but the pressure regulator is needed because piezoelectric actuator has no ability to control the pressure of 0.9 MPa directly. In this study, bimorph type PZT actuator of 25.2 mm (L)times7.2 mm (W)times0.5 mm (H) with constant of -220 times10 -12 CN-1 was proposed and investigated. Maximum operating force of 0.052 N and maximum displacement of 63 mum were gotten from the fabricated PZT actuator. From the analysis results, the orifice diameter of 0.6 mm for a piezoelectric actuator was derived and then the pressure regulator which can be operated under 0.15 MPa easily was designed and manufactured. Performance and effects of design parameters were simulated by the Simulink of Matlab software, and it was confirmed that the performance characteristics of manufactured pressure regulator are superior in the common use pressure range of 0.5 MPa to 0.7 MPa. The results show that the proposed pressure regulator is suitable for the pneumatic valve with a PZT actuator
GATA Switches as Developmental Drivers*

Transcriptional networks orchestrate complex developmental processes. Such networks are commonly instigated by master regulators of development. Considerable progress has been made in elucidating GATA factor-dependent genetic networks that control blood cell development. GATA-2 is required for the genesis and/or function of hematopoietic stem cells, whereas GATA-1 drives the differentiation of hematopoietic progenitors into a subset of the blood cell lineages. GATA-1 directly represses Gata2 transcription, and this involves GATA-1-mediated displacement of GATA-2 from chromatin, a process termed a GATA switch. GATA switches occur at numerous loci with critical functions, indicating that they are widely utilized developmental control tools.
Finite Element Model of Electrical Machines Coupled to the Grid Simulation Software

Using a finite element (FE) model of the electrical machine in a grid solver enables us to take the machine nonlinearities into account with great precision in the simulation of a complete system. Three methods are usually used for linking the grid and FE solver: direct coupling, lumped components, and current or voltage output approach. In this article, the coupling is treated as the resolution of a nonlinear equation system that is solved with the Newton method. The proposed linking scheme has been used to simulate a two phase short circuit on a hydrogenerator. Its results have been validated by running the same simulation with commercially available software.
Antibiofilm and Antihyphal Activities of Cedar Leaf Essential Oil, Camphor, and Fenchone Derivatives against Candida albicans

Candida albicans can form biofilms composed of yeast, hyphal, and pseudohyphal elements, and C. albicans cells in the hyphal stage could be a virulence factor. The present study describes the chemical composition, antibiofilm, and antihyphal activities of cedar leaf essential oil (CLEO), which was found to possess remarkable antibiofilm activity against C. albicans but not to affect its planktonic cell growth. Nineteen components were identified in CLEO by gas chromatography/mass spectrometry, and phenolics were the main constituents. Of these, camphor, fenchone, fenchyl alcohol, α-thujone, and borneol significantly reduced C. albicans biofilm formation. Notably, treatments with CLEO, camphor, or fenchyl alcohol at 0.01% clearly inhibited hyphal formation, and this inhibition appeared to be largely responsible for their antibiofilm effects. Transcriptomic analyses indicated that camphor and fenchyl alcohol downregulated some hypha-specific and biofilm related genes (ECE1, ECE2, RBT1, and EED1). Furthermore, camphor and fenchyl alcohol reduced C. albicans virulence in a Caenorhabditis elegans nematode model. These results demonstrate CLEO, camphor, and fenchyl alcohol might be useful for controlling C. albicans infections.
Flavonoid intake and long-term risk of coronary heart disease and cancer in the seven countries study.

OBJECTIVE To determine whether flavonoid intake explains differences in mortality rates from chronic diseases between populations. DESIGN Cross-cultural correlation study. SETTING/PARTICIPANTS Sixteen cohorts of the Seven Countries Study in whom flavonoid intake at baseline around 1960 was estimated by flavonoid analysis of equivalent food composites that represented the average diet in the cohorts. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURES Mortality from coronary heart disease, cancer (various sites), and all causes in the 16 cohorts after 25 years of follow-up. RESULTS Average intake of antioxidant flavonoids was inversely associated with mortality from coronary heart disease and explained about 25% of the variance in coronary heart disease rates in the 16 cohorts. In multivariate analysis, intake of saturated fat (73%; P = 0.0001), flavonoid intake (8%, P = .01), and percentage of smokers per cohort (9%; P = .03) explained together, independent of intake of alcohol and antioxidant vitamins, 90% of the variance in coronary heart disease rates. Flavonoid intake was not independently associated with mortality from other causes. CONCLUSIONS Average flavonoid intake may partly contribute to differences in coronary heart disease mortality across populations, but it does not seem to be an important determinant of cancer mortality.
Fragmentation and Democratic Transformations in Kenya: Ethnicity as an Outcome Rather Than a Cause (1992-2013)

The article analyses the relationship between ethnicity and political pluralism in Kenya, exploring the post-independence political process with a focus on the democratic transition of the past 20 years. The paper argues that political ethnic mobilisation and violence cannot be appreciated without considering the fragmentation of the political elite and their struggle for the control of public assets such as land. The article concludes by looking at the 2007 post-election crisis – the worst outbreak of violence in Kenyan history – and, examining the past five years, it provides an assessment of the recent 2013 elections and democratic progress thus far.
Three single-phase voltage source converter based three-phase four wire DSTATCOM

In this paper, a DSTATCOM (Distribution Static Compensator) using three single-phase VSCs (voltage source converters) integrated with three single phase transformers is employed for the power quality improvement in three-phase fourwire distribution system. Three single phase transformers are used for isolation and connection of H-bridge VSCs. This DSTATCOM provides the voltage regulation or power factor correction by reactive power compensation, harmonics elimination, load balancing and neutral current compensation in three-phase four-wire distribution system. This topology has the advantages of the use of ‘off the shelf’ H-bridge VSCs and optimum voltage rating of VSCs. The performance of the proposed DSTATCOM system is demonstrated under linear and nonlinear balanced and unbalanced loads by simulation using MATLAB with its Simulink and Simpower systems (SPS) tool boxes.
Impact of family history of coronary artery disease on in-hospital clinical outcomes in ST-segment myocardial infarction.

Background Patients with a family history of coronary artery disease (FHxCAD) are at increased risk for development of myocardial infarction (MI). However, the data on the influence of FHxCAD on in-hospital clinical outcomes post ST-segment myocardial infarction (STEMI) is limited. Hence, we evaluated the impact of FHxCAD on in-hospital clinical outcomes post STEMI in an unselected nationwide cohort. Methods Nationwide Inpatient Sample (NIS) database [2003-2011] was used to compare differences in all-cause in-hospital mortality and adverse clinical events (cardiogenic shock, acute cerebrovascular events and use of intra-aortic balloon pump) between patients with and without FHxCAD. Results A total of 2,123,492 STEMI admissions were identified, of which 7.4% (n=158,079) patients were with FHxCAD and 92.6% (n=1,965,413) were without FHxCAD. The FHxCAD group had lower in-hospital mortality [1.4% vs. 8.1%; adjusted odds ratio (OR): 0.42, 95% confidence interval (CI): 0.41-0.44; P<0.001] when compared with no-FHxCAD group. They underwent a significantly higher number of coronary interventions, and were less likely to develop cardiogenic shock, acute cerebrovascular events and to require intra-aortic balloon pump during hospitalization. Conclusions This large sample size study demonstrates that STEMI patients with FHxCAD had lower in-hospital mortality and adverse clinical events in comparison to patients with no-FHxCAD. Further research is warranted to determine whether the superior outcomes in FHxCAD patients with STEMI are related to differences in strategies related to diet, exercise, use of medications or coronary interventions.
Subjective and objective sleep disturbance and longitudinal risk of depression in a cohort of older women.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the longitudinal relationship between subjective and objective sleep disturbance and depressive symptoms. DESIGN Longitudinal. SETTING Three US clinical centers. PARTICIPANTS Nine hundred fifty-two community-dwelling older women (70 y or older). MEASUREMENTS At baseline, subjective sleep quality was assessed using the Pittsburgh Sleep Quality Index (PSQI) and objective sleep measures were assessed with wrist actigraphy. Depressive symptoms were assessed with the Geriatric Depression Scale (GDS) at baseline and approximately 5 y later. The analysis was restricted to women with few (GDS 0-2) depressive symptoms at baseline. RESULTS There was an independent association between greater PSQI score (per standard deviation increase, indicating worse subjective sleep quality) at baseline and greater odds of worsening depressive symptoms (≥ 2-point increase in GDS) (Multivariate Odds Ratio [MOR] 1.19, confidence interval [CI] 1.01-1.40, P = 0.036). Higher scores specifically on the sleep quality (MOR 1.41, CI 1.13-1.77, P < 0.003) and sleep latency (MOR 1.21, CI 1.03-1.41, P = 0.018) PSQI subscales were also associated with greater odds for worsening depressive symptoms. Objective assessments revealed an association between baseline prolonged wake after sleep onset (WASO ≥ 60 min) and worsening depressive symptoms at follow-up (MOR 1.36, CI 1.01-1.84, P = 0.046). There were no associations between other objectively assessed sleep measures and worsening depressive symptoms. CONCLUSIONS In older women with few or no depressive symptoms at baseline, those with more subjectively reported sleep disturbance and more objectively assessed fragmentation of sleep at baseline had greater odds of worsening depressive symptoms 5 y later. Future studies investigating this relationship in more detail are indicated. CITATION Maglione JE, Ancoli-Israel S, Peters KW, Paudel ML, Yaffe K, Ensrud KE, Stone KL, Study of Osteoporotic Fractures Research Group. Subjective and objective sleep disturbance and longitudinal risk of depression in a cohort of older women.
Mumford-Shah-Euler Flow with Sphere Constraint and Applications to Color Image Inpainting

Two fully discrete finite element-based algorithms to approximate the $L^2$ gradient flow of the Mumford-Shah-Euler functional for unit vector fields are proposed, analyzed, and compared. The first scheme uses a penalization strategy, and the second a Lagrange multiplier, to approximate and enforce the sphere constraint, respectively. Both schemes are applied to color image inpainting in the chromaticity and brightness color model and are also compared to inpainting with the standard Mumford-Shah functional, as well as channelwise red-green-blue inpainting.
Robot-mediated upper limb physiotherapy: review and recommendations for future clinical trials

Robot-mediated physiotherapy provides a new possibility for improving the outcome of rehabilitation of patients who are recovering from stroke. This study is a review of robot-supported upper limb physiotherapy focusing on the shoulder, elbow, and wrist. A literature search was carried out in PubMed, OVID, and EBSCO for clinical trials with robots providing shoulder, elbow, or wrist therapy. Results concerning motor control, spasticity, functional outcome, and the main features of the studies were evaluated. A total of 178 papers were found. On the basis of inclusion/exclusion criteria, 30 studies remained for evaluation. In these trials, a total of 493 patients received robot-aided therapy. The Fugl-Meyer assessment was the most commonly used motor scale, and in 24 of 27 trials, motor function improved significantly. The application of the Modified Ashworth Scale showed that spasticity decreased significantly in nine of 21 trials. Functional scales were only examined in one-third of the studies with significant changes being found in half of them. The intensity and duration of the interventions as well as the elapsed time poststroke were varied. There are several scales, which were used in only a few trials. Unifying the methodology in robotic trials is desirable. Clarification of the acute/subacute/chronic categories, standardizing the application of certain scales for outcome measure in each trial, use of functional scales, and a clearer description of the interventions are recommended.
Evidence for covalent attachment of the adeno-associated virus (AAV) rep protein to the ends of the AAV genome

We have demonstrated that when the covalently joined ends of linear adeno-associated virus (AAV) DNA are resolved in vitro, the virus-encoded Rep protein becomes covalently attached to the 5' ends of the DNA. The covalent bond is between a tyrosine residue of the AAV Rep protein and a 5' phosphate of a thymidine residue in the AAV genome. Only the Rep protein encoded by the AAV p5 promoter, Rep68, was capable of becoming covalently attached to the ends of the AAV genome; the Rep proteins encoded by the p19 promoter were not. We also investigated some of the requirements for the complete in vitro resolution reaction. Inhibitor studies suggested that terminal resolution required DNA polymerase delta, ATP, and the deoxyribonucleoside triphosphates but did not require the remaining ribonucleoside triphosphates, DNA polymerase alpha, RNA polymerase II, or topoisomerases I and II. Finally, purified AAV Rep68, when added to the crude cytosol from uninfected HeLa cells, was sufficient for resolution. This suggested that terminal resolution relies on host enzymes and the virus-encoded p5 Rep proteins.