Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Three-Phase Integrated Battery Charger for EVs Based on Six-Phase Open-End Winding Machine

This article presents a new configuration of onboard integrated battery charger for electric vehicles (EVs) using six-phase machine and three-phase ac source. The configuration proposes the utilization of symmetrical six-phase open-end winding machine, twelve-leg inverter, and a dc–dc converter. The charger circuit is constructed by connecting directly the three-phase grid to the middle point of machine's phase winding, where the grid currents split into equal portions and flow in opposite directions, without adding an extra mechanical switch (or relay). From this concept, the proposed system has the advantages of obtaining high-power density with a large value of inductance for grid-side filter during charging and avoiding an electromagnetic torque as well as providing a high fault tolerant capability. Moreover, through proper control strategy, the proposed system is able to operate under unity power factor (UPF) with total harmonic distortion (THD) below 5%. In this article, the possibility of vehicle-to-grid (V2G) mode is also investigated. Detail of the control strategy for charging and V2G are given. Furthermore, simulation and experimental results are provided to validate the theoretical analysis.
Flow-induced errors in airborne in situ measurements of aerosols and clouds

Abstract. Aerosols and clouds affect atmospheric radiative processes and climate in many complex ways and still pose the largest uncertainty in current estimates of the Earth's changing energy budget. Airborne in situ sensors such as the Cloud, Aerosol, and Precipitation Spectrometer (CAPS) or other optical spectrometers and optical array probes provide detailed information about the horizontal and vertical distribution of aerosol and cloud properties. However, flow distortions occurring at the location where these instruments are mounted on the outside of an aircraft may directly produce artifacts in detected particle number concentration and also cause droplet deformation and/or breakup during the measurement process. Several studies have investigated flow-induced errors assuming that air is incompressible. However, for fast-flying aircraft, the impact of air compressibility is no longer negligible. In this study, we combine airborne data with numerical simulations to investigate the flow around wing-mounted instruments and the induced errors for different realistic flight conditions. A correction scheme for deriving particle number concentrations from in situ aerosol and cloud probes is proposed, and a new formula is provided for deriving the droplet volume from images taken by optical array probes. Shape distortions of liquid droplets can either be caused by errors in the speed with which the images are recorded or by aerodynamic forces acting at the droplet surface caused by changes of the airflow when it approaches the instrument. These forces can lead to the dynamic breakup of droplets causing artifacts in particle number concentration and size. An estimation of the critical breakup diameter as a function of flight conditions is provided. Experimental data show that the flow speed at the instrument location is smaller than the ambient flow speed. Our simulations confirm the observed difference and reveal a size-dependent impact on particle speed and concentration. This leads, on average, to a 25 % overestimation of the number concentration of particles with diameters larger than 10 µm diameter and causes distorted images of droplets and ice crystals if the flow values recorded at the instrument are used. With the proposed corrections, errors of particle number concentration and droplet volume, as well as image distortions, are significantly reduced by up to 1 order of magnitude. Although the presented correction scheme is derived for the DLR Falcon research aircraft (Saharan Aerosol Long-range Transport and Aerosol-Cloud-Interaction Experiment (SALTRACE) campaign) and validated for the DLR Falcon (Absorbing aerosol layers in a changing climate: aging, lifetime and dynamics mission conducted in 2017 (A-LIFE) campaign) and the NASA DC-8 (Atmospheric Tomography Mission (ATom) campaigns), the general conclusions hold for any fast-flying research aircraft.
Effects of tumor necrosis factor-α on cell proliferation, prostaglandins and matrix-metalloproteinases production in rat endometrial stromal cells cultured in vitro

Tumor necrosis factor-α (TNF-α) is known as a pluripotent cell mediator, and it is implicated in the control of uterine cell growth, differentiation and function during estrous cycle and pregnancy. In this study, we investigated the effect of TNF-α on endometrial stromal cells derived from rat uterus (rat endometrial stromal cells, RES). RES were isolated from rat endometrium at day 5 of pregnancy. Proliferation activities of RES were measured by using bromodeoxyuridine (BrdU) labeling kit, the productions of prostaglandin E2 (PGE2) and prostaglandin F2α (PGF2α) were measured by enzyme immunoassay kits and the production of matrix metalloproteinases (MMPs) was analyzed by gelatin-zymography. TNF-α, as well as epidermal growth factor and fibroblast growth factor-2, significantly increased the proliferation activity of RES (P 0.05). In conclusion, this study demonstrates several regulational functions of TNF-α on RES using in vitro culture system. The effects of TNF-α on proliferation and MMP production of RES have been shown for the first time. We believe that these results demonstrate part of the functions of TNF-α in endometrium and contribute to the better understanding of endometrial functions. J. Exp. Zool. 307A:699–707, 2007. © 2007 Wiley-Liss, Inc.
Interspecific Aggression for Nest Sites: Model Experiments with Long-Tailed Finches (Poephila acuticauda) and Endangered Gouldian Finches (Erythrura gouldiae)

ABSTRACT. For cavity-nesting birds, tree cavities often represent a critical, defendable, and limiting resource that is frequently under intense interspecific competition. However, the dynamics of interspecific conflict resolution, especially between species of similar size, are often unclear. We experimentally tested aggression and nest-defense behaviors in Gouldian Finches (Erythrura gouldiae) and Long-tailed Finches (Poephila acuticauda), two sympatric, cavity-nesting estrildid finches that are very similar in size, ecology, and nest-site requirements. Mounted taxidermie models of conspecific and heterospecific nest-site competitors (black and red Gouldian Finch morph and Long-tailed Finch models), as well as a control noncompetitor (Black-chinned Honeyeater [Melithreptus gularis]), were presented to Gouldian and Long-tailed finches. These two competing species differed in their overall responses to simulated intruders and in their relative aggression toward conspecific and heterospecific intruders. Long-tailed Finches reacted more quickly to models, approached closer, and were more likely to attack models (i.e., make physical contact) than Gouldian Finches, which suggests that Long-tailed Finches are intrinsically more aggressive. In addition, Long-tailed Finches were more aggressive toward Gouldian Finches than toward conspecific models. By contrast, Gouldian Finches were more aggressive to conspecific models and avoided approaching Long-tailed Finch models. Male Gouldian Finches were particularly aggressive toward conspecifics, and red head-color morphs were more aggressive than black morphs. These results suggest that the outcomes of competitive asymmetries within and between these species are driven by differences in aggression. Together with the substantial overlap in nest-site use, the Long-tailed Finch's aggressive domination of limited nest sites may lead to competitive exclusion of the endangered Gouldian Finch.
Optimal Query Policy and Task Offloading in Dynamic Environments

Optimal task offloading decisions can be made if all the system parameters are known perfectly. However, due to some practical constraints, the task node can only query a subset of helper nodes each time and only the knowledge about these queried nodes are updated accordingly. Considering the fact that the system parameters of the helper nodes vary over time, the task node needs to make the offloading decisions based on the available system knowledge including both the updated and the outdated ones. In this paper, we investigate the optimal query policy at the task node such that task offloading performance is optimized in the long term. We first solve this problem under the reinforcement learning (RL) framework assuming the knowledge of the dynamics of the system parameters. In the absence of the system dynamics, we further put forward an efficient low-complexity algorithm to learn the optimal query decision by exploiting the deep RL tools. Numerical results corroborate that the performance of the proposed algorithm is close to the optimal one.
Joint Ventures between Online Portals and News Publishers: Will they be an Alternative to Symbiosis?

Around the world, legacy news publishers are suffering from the deep decline of revenues and face the challenge of survival. As the situation continues, conflicts between online portal and news producers are also intensifying. Under these circumstances, Naver, the biggest internet portal in Korea, and several Korean news publishers have begun to seek a new breakthrough—media joint ventures. The joint venture between online portals and news publishers is a unique collaboration model that has not been found in other countries. This study investigates the motivation of the media joint ventures and evaluates the performance. To do this, the study suggests the sustainability of media joint ventures. This model consists of five major categories of media joint ventures’ performances, based on their strategic, financial, learning, managerial, and social influence aspects. After conducting an in-depth interview of media joint ventures and a focus group interview with nine experts from the media industry and business scholarships, the study shows that the media joint ventures could be a new alternative for both portals and news publishers. However, there were some differences in the sustainability evaluation of the operating body of the joint venture and outside experts.
The ‘conduct of conduct’ of VET teachers: governmentality and teacher professionalism

ABSTRACT Vocational education and training (VET) systems are currently confronted with extensive reforms. Teacher commitment and active participation play an important role in the achievement of policy objectives. Contemporary education reforms therefore seek to shape the conduct of teachers not only through strict regulations but also by subtle and persuasive means. The aim of this paper is to shed light on these indirect forms of governance and to show how they influence the professional behaviour of VET teachers. Foucault’s governmentality perspective is used as an analytical framework for investigating education policies and their impact on teacher professionalism in VET. It allows a systematic exploration of the powerful reform mechanisms that structure teachers’ possible field of action. In the narratives of teachers working in full-time vocational schools in Austria, who face comprehensive reform measures within the scope of the Austrian VET Quality Initiative, the ‘conduct of conduct’ of teachers is exemplified. The analysis suggests that governmental power mechanisms in VET operate ‘at a distance’ and include expertise, professional responsibility and inscription, which shape teachers’ conduct in various ways. In part, teachers integrate these practices and procedures into their professional self-conceptions. At the same time, critique and other forms of resistance are apparent.
Artificial Intelligence and Mobile Programming Courses for a Video Game Development Program in Chile

In this article, we present our curriculum design process for two-third-year undergraduate courses: artificial intelligence for video games and mobile device programming. These are part of a 4.5 year program in video game development and virtual reality engineering. We explore the range of possible content, usually aimed at traditional computer science or software engineering students or practitioners, and extract and adapt it to our particular program. Students developed high quality apps, achieved good standings in AI competitions, and some even published peer-reviewed articles. We believe the approach presented in this article is broadly applicable, but can be especially useful to instructors creating courses for uncommon and innovative programs.
A conserved role of CBP/p300 in mitochondrial stress response and longevity

Caenorhabditis elegans respond to mitochondrial stress by activating multiple stress defense pathways including the mitochondrial unfolded protein response (UPRmt). Here we show that the inhibition of CBP‐1, the C. elegans ortholog of mammalian acetyltransferases CBP/p300, either through RNA interference or by pharmacological inhibitors, robustly attenuates mitochondrial perturbation‐ induced UPRmt activation and lifespan extension. Mechanistically, CBP‐1‐mediated histone acetylation acts in conjunction with histone demethylation to transcriptionally induce a broad spectrum of UPRmt genes. In mouse and human, transcript levels of CBP/p300 systematically correlate with the expression of UPRmt genes and mitochondrial modules, as well as with longevity. Furthermore, loss‐of‐function of CBP/p300 or their pharmacological inhibition disrupts the activation of the UPRmt, the mitochondrial network and energy homeostasis in mammalian cells. These results highlight an evolutionary conserved epigenetic mechanism that protects mitochondrial function and regulates longevity through the histone acetyltransferases CBP/p300.
External and internal root colonization of lodgepole pine seedlings by two growth-promoting Bacillus strains originated from different root microsites

Root colonization and in vitro carbon substrate utilization by two seedling growth-promoting Bacillus strains that originated from different root microsites were studied in greenhouse and growth chamber experiments. Strain L6, identified as Bacillus polymyxa, was previously isolated from rhizosphere soil containing roots of pasture plants, and Pw-2, tentatively identified also as B. polymyxa, was isolated from within surface-sterilized lodgepole pine (Pinus contorta var. latifolia (Dougl.) Engelm. ) roots. Rifamycin-resistant strains derived spontaneously from wild-type strains L6 and Pw-2, designated strain L6-16R and Pw-2R, respectively, were used to monitor lodgepole pine root colonization in a closed tube assay system. Three-week-old pine seedlings were inoculated with 105 colony-forming units (cfu) of strain Pw-2R or 106 cfu of strain L6-16R, and external and internal root colonization was assessed 2 and 4 weeks later. Strains L6-16R and Pw-2R were both recovered from pine rhizosphere samples with > 5.
Transforming Growth Factor β-Activated Kinase 1 Is a Key Mediator of Ovine Follicle-Stimulating Hormone β-Subunit Expression

FSH, a key regulator of gonadal function, contains a β-subunit (FSHβ) that is transcriptionally induced by activin, a member of the TGFβ-superfamily. This study used 4.7 kb of the ovine FSHβ-promoter linked to luciferase (oFSHβLuc) plus a well-characterized activin-responsive construct, p3TPLuc, to investigate the hypothesis that Smad3, TGFβ-activated kinase 1 (TAK1), or both cause activin-mediated induction of FSH. Overexpression of either Smad3 or TAK1 induced oFSHβLuc in gonadotrope-derived LβT2 cells as much as activin itself. Induction of p3TPLuc by activin is known to require Smad3 activation in many cell types, and this was true in LβT2 cells, where 10-fold induction by activin (2–8 h after activin treatment) was blocked more than 90% by two dominant negative (DN) inhibitors of Smad3 [DN-Smad3 (3SA) and DN-Smad3 (D407E)]. By contrast, 6.5-fold induction of oFSHβLuc by activin (10–24 h after activin treatment) was not blocked by either DN-Smad inhibitor, suggesting that activation of Smad3 did not t.
Contrasting Scale Dependence of Entrainment‐Mixing Mechanisms in Stratocumulus Clouds

The apparent turbulent entrainment‐mixing mechanism between clouds and surrounding air is scale dependent; however, such scale dependence has been rarely studied, hindering development of scale‐aware entrainment‐mixing parameterizations. Here we extend our previous study on cumulus clouds to investigate scale dependence of entrainment‐mixing processes in stratocumulus clouds during Aerosol and Cloud Experiments in Eastern North Atlantic and Routine AAF (Atmospheric Radiation Measurement (ARM) Aerial Facility) Clouds with Low Optical Water Depths (CLOWD) Optical Radiative Observations (RACORO). In contrast to previous studies, two opposite scale dependencies are found: Entrainment mixing can become more homogeneous or more inhomogeneous with increasing averaging scales, which is quantified by the difference between homogeneous mixing degree at the 100 and 10 m resolutions. A new heuristic model and two new quantities are introduced. The observations and model show that microphysical properties near and far away from droplet‐free air and relative humidity of entrained air determine both the sign and strength of scale dependence, while droplet‐free air fraction only affects the strength. The results shed new light on developing scale‐aware parameterizations of entrainment‐mixing mechanisms.
The Macroecology of Cyprinella: Correlates of Phylogeny, Body Size, and Geographical Range

Macroecologists interpret correlates of body size and geographical range size in an ecological context, but these patterns may also reflect historical or phylogenetic forces. We examined the relationship between range size and body size for a monophyletic group of 27 North American minnow species. Body size and range size were positively correlated, but both variables were also correlated with latitude. After controlling for effects of latitude, body size and range size were no longer correlated. The basal dichotomy of the cladogram defined an eastern and western clade; they differed in their geological and climatic histories and macroecological patterns. Within the western clade, only Bergmann's rule was confirmed. Within the eastern clade, both longitude and latitude of geographical range were positively correlated with body size. A simple measure of phylogeny was correlated with range size: species branching near the cladogram root had larger geographical ranges than species branching distally. After statistically removing the effects of latitude, longitude, and phylogeny, there was a significant positive correlation between body size and range size. Macroecological patterns are sensitive to phylogeny and speciation history, and they may be most informative for clades that occupy areas with a common climatic history.
Angiotensin‐(1‐7) Improves Integrated Cardiometabolic Function in Aged Mice

Aging is associated with impaired cardiometabolic function including insulin resistance, elevated blood pressure, and cardiac hypertrophy. Angiotensin (Ang)‐(1‐7) is a beneficial hormone of the renin‐angiotensin system that improves control of blood pressure and glucose homeostasis in models of cardiovascular and metabolic diseases in young mice. To our knowledge, no studies have evaluated the importance of Ang‐(1‐7) to integrated cardiometabolic function in aging. We hypothesized that Ang‐(1‐7) would improve insulin sensitivity as well as decrease blood pressure and cardiac hypertrophy in healthy aged mice.
The Prevalence of Avascular Necrosis in Sickle Cell Anemia: Correlation with α-Thalassemia

The purpose of the present study was to investigate the effect of alpha-thalassemia on the prevalence of avascular necrosis in 52 adult patients with sickle cell anemia. alpha-Globin genotypes were determined by restriction endonuclease mapping of genomic DNA extracted from peripheral blood leukocytes. Radiographs of humeral and femoral heads were interpreted by two radiologists who were not aware of the clinical picture and the genotype of the patients in the study. We present data showing that there is a significant positive correlation between alpha-gene deletion and the prevalence and extent of avascular necrosis in our patient population.
Alpha Alchemy: Diversifying Without Diluting Alpha

Managers are often evaluated and selected on the basis of their portfolio’s stand-alone risk and return properties. This is too narrowly focused. The basics of mean-variance optimization tells us that covariance and the relationship of a security’s returns within the context of the overall portfolio is important. We illustrate how the basics of portfolio construction with individual securities also applies to building a portfolio of managers. First, we show the statistical properties of different asset classes, as more and more managers are used to get exposure to the asset class. Depending on the asset class, tracking error, relative skewness, and relative excess kurtosis improve at different rates. This is important for considering how many managers may be necessary to get exposure to an asset class. We then illustrate an optimization method of combining the managers. Although the managers, on their own, may not have statistically positive alphas, they can be combined in a way to improve the likelihood that the portfolio of managers has a statistically positive alpha. The optimization method is not a substitute for traditional due diligence. It is just one additional tool useful for manager selection and portfolio construction. TOPICS: Portfolio construction, manager selection, wealth management Key Findings • Combining managers can reduce tracking error, but the relationship between tracking error reduction and manager addition depends on the asset class. Specifically, it depends on the average tracking error and average correlation of excess returns within an asset class. • A slightly modified Sharpe ratio is equivalent to a t-value. An information ratio (with Jensen’s alpha in the numerator) can also be interpreted as t-value. Maximizing these ratios is equivalent to maximizing confidence that the excess return or alpha will be positive. • Individual managers with no or even negative alpha can be combined to give positive alpha.
The Hamilton and Zuk Hypothesis Revisited: a Meta-Analytical Approach

The Hamilton & Zuk (1982) hypothesis of parasite-mediated sexual selection has been the subject of both inter- and intraspecific tests. Past reviews have used vote counting to determine whether this hypothesis is supported by empirical evidence. This study reanalysed 199 separate quantitative assessments of a central prediction of the Hamilton & Zuk hypothesis using meta-analytical techniques. Overall, our meta-analysis showed that there was a significant negative effect of parasites on male showiness as predicted. However the magnitude of this effect varied between host taxa and between endo and ectoparasitic taxa. As a whole intraspecific correlations between parasite load and male showiness provided very little support for the hypothesis with only the effect of parasites on fish morphology matching the Hamilton & Zuk prediction. There was more support for the hypothesis from interspecific studies especially those based upon the original Hamilton & Zuk (1982) data set, although other bird studies provided weaker support. The generality of the Hamilton & Zuk hypothesis in respect to parasite mediated sexual selection across taxa is thrown into doubt by these results. However, in some specific host-parasite systems the role of parasites appears important and future intraspecific tests of parasite-mediated sexual selection should perhaps focus on such systems.