Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Torque-maximizing field-weakening control: design, analysis, and parameter selection

The torque-maximizing field-weakening control scheme proposed by Kim and Sul is developed further. The performance under imperfect field orientation conditions is investigated, and it is shown that an overestimated-rather than an underestimated-model leakage inductance should be used. A slightly modified algorithm, which offers better robustness and reduced computational complexity, is presented. The importance, for good performance, of combining the scheme with current and speed controllers featuring antiwindup and improved disturbance rejection is emphasized. The dynamics of the resulting closed-loop system are analyzed. Obtained in the process, are rules for selection of all controller parameters, allowing tuning without trial-and error steps. Good performance of the resulting system is verified experimentally.
Zanthoxylum heitzii Modulates Ferric Nitrilotriacetate-Dependent Oxidative Alterations in Four Vital Organs: An In Vitro Organoprotective Model

Ferric nitrilotriacetate (Fe-NTA) is a highly reactive compound used to induce degenerative disorders through oxidative stress (OS). Zanthoxylum heitzii (Z. heitzii) is a spice used as a medicinal plant to treat a variety of illnesses. This study investigated the ability of extracts from the leaves, fruits, roots, and barks of Z. Heitzii to inhibit Fe-NTA mediated oxidative damage in rats. The supernatant of rat liver homogenates was pretreated with the extracts for one hour before the induction of oxidative damage using a solution of Fe-NTA (400 mM). The activities of superoxide dismutase (SOD), catalase, and peroxidases were measured together with the marker of lipid peroxidation and the level of glutathione. The pretreated groups showed a significant increase in the activity of SOD, catalase, and peroxidases. The methanolic extract from the leaves of Z. heitzii (36.78 ± 3.30) and aqueous extract from the fruits (37.01 ± 2.52) showed the highest activities of SOD in the liver. The lowest concentration of MDA was found in the liver, and the glutathione was greater in the brain. Conclusively, these results suggest that Z. heitzii might be a chemoprotector which may be used in for prevention of distinct types of diseases induced by oxidative stress.
Mouse Kidney Progenitor Cells Accelerate Renal Regeneration and Prolong Survival after Ischemic Injury

Acute tubular necrosis is followed by regeneration of damaged renal tubular epithelial cells, and renal stem cells are supposed to contribute to this process. The purpose of our study is to test the hypothesis that renal stem cells isolated from adult mouse kidney accelerate renal regeneration via participation in the repair process. A unique population of cells exhibiting characteristics consistent with renal stem cells, mouse kidney progenitor cells (MKPC), was isolated from Myh9 targeted mutant mice. Features of these cells include (1) spindle‐shaped morphology, (2) self‐renewal of more than 100 passages without evidence of senescence, and (3) expression of Oct‐4, Pax‐2, Wnt‐4, WT‐1, vimentin, α‐smooth muscle actin, CD29, and S100A4 but no SSEA‐1, c‐kit, or other markers of more differentiated cells. MKPC exhibit plasticity as demonstrated by the ability to differentiate into endothelial cells and osteoblasts in vitro and endothelial cells and tubular epithelial cells in vivo. The origin of the isolated MKPC was from the interstitium of medulla and papilla. Importantly, intrarenal injection of MKPC in mice with ischemic injury rescued renal damage, as manifested by decreases in peak serum urea nitrogen, the infarct zone, and the necrotic injury. Seven days after the injury, some MKPC formed vessels with red blood cells inside and some incorporated into renal tubules. In addition, MKPC treatment reduces the mortality in mice after ischemic injury. Our results indicate that MKPC represent a multipotent adult stem cell population, which may contribute to the renal repair and prolong survival after ischemic injury. STEM CELLS 2010;28:573–584
BER Performance Analysis of Cognitive Radio Network Using M-ary PSK over Rician Fading Channel.

This paper, focus on the performance evaluation of cognitive radio network in terms of BER VS SNR for M-ary PSK modulation schemes, such as BPSK, QPSK, 8-PSK, 16-PSK, 32-PSK, and 64-PSK over AWGN and Rician fading channel. The cognitive radio network was designed firstly as a computer model showing the sequence of processes in cognitive radio system and then the Simulation of cognitive radio work was performed using MATLAB simulation. The results were obtained in terms of BER VS SNR for M-PSK modulation. The results show that as the number of M-ary increase the BER increased while the BER decreased as the SNR increased, although as Spectrum efficiency increase.
Machine Learning for On-line Advertising Using Contextual Information

This thesis considers di erent methods of utilising the contextual information on webpages and ads in order to improve the tting of a Bayesian Poisson model to historic data using L-BFGS. The data and optimization algorithm is provided by Admeta, an advertising optimization company that uses the model for click-rate predictions. The di erent methods tried to get added contextual information include categorization and developing di erent similarity measures between web-pages and ads using keywords. The similarity measures are based on WordNet, a large lexical database, and Word2Vec an open source tool that represents words as vectors. The categorization of web-pages gives good results as does some of the similarity measures. As WordNet is limited to the words found in its databaseWord2Vec is deemed more exible and a superior source. For certain similarity measures it is shown that the click rate increases with the similarity. In the end using the average of the cosine distance between all keyword's vector pairs seams to give the best results among the di erent similarities tried for Word2Vec.
ECMO et thrombopénies. Une étude rétrospective, bicentrique

Introduction : L'ECMO, therapie de sauvetage au cours des insuffisances respiratoires aigues et des chocs cardiogeniques refractaires, se complique frequemment de thrombopenie. Objectifs et methodes de l'etude : Preciser l'incidence, la morbi-mortalite des thrombopenies sous ECMO. Une etude bicentrique, retrospective, observationnelle etait realisee entre 2009 et 2012. Les donnees clinico-biologiques, les episodes hemorragiques, l'evolution etaient recueillis. Une analyse uni puis multivariee etait realisee a a recherche de facteurs predictifs de mortalite. Resultats : Quarante patients etaient inclus. Les thrombopenies survenaient chez 35 patients, apres une duree moyenne de 4,2 jours. Un nadir de plaquettes inferieur a 55 G/L predisait la mortalite avec une valeur predictive positive de 86%. Ce seuil etait associe au deces avec un odss ratio a 10,85 en analyse multivariee. L'initiation de l'ECMO etait associee a une baisse significative des plaquettes (194 G/L +/- 96 vs. 107 G/L +/- 56 ; p=0,0004) tandis que le sevrage entrainait une nette augmentation des thrombocytes (124 G/L +/- 70 vs. 240 G/L +/- 95 ; p<0,0001). Le plus souvent, la cause de la thrombopenie n'etait pas retrouvee. Quarante neuf saignements etaient observes sans qu'une association avec les thrombopenies ne soit mise en evidence. Treize patients (32,5%) survivaient lors de l'hospitalisation et trois mois apres la sortie avec, le plus souvent, un etat general satisfaisant. Conclusion : Une thrombopenie inferieure a 55 G/L est associee a la mortalite et represente une complication frequente de l'ECMO.
Advancing management of hypertension through pharmacogenomics

Abstract Hypertension is the most common, chronic disease in the world, and there are many effective pharmacological agents available for its treatment. Despite the plethora of treatment options, data across the globe suggest that blood pressure control rates are < 50%, a fact likely influenced in part by the inability to predict the antihypertensive drug likely to be most effective for an individual patient. Pharmacogenomics in hypertension holds the promise of identifying genetic biomarkers for antihypertensive drug response, which might be used in the future in treatment selection. Research in the field is also likely to enhance our understanding of hypertension and the mechanisms by which the various drugs produce efficacy. There are several examples in the literature of genes with relatively strong data on associations of genetic polymorphisms with antihypertensive response; the data on ADRB1, CACNB2, and NEDD4L are detailed as examples. Substantial additional data in hypertension pharmacogenomics are expected to be forthcoming from recently completed genome-wide association studies. Increased collaboration among research groups will help insure successful discoveries from these large-scale studies. The next decade should clearly define the potential clinical implications of the research in hypertension pharmacogenomics that is currently in progress.
Assuring the quality of online teaching and learning: the case of Wawasan Open University

The dynamic business environment and powerful market forces in the 21st century are challenging leaders at open universities to compete successfully in the national and global higher education stage. The notion of quality is becoming an important and overriding issue with the paradigm shift in the education landscape due to the rapid penetration of Internet usage. Open universities are experiencing pressure from numerous stakeholders to become more client-focused, particularly in their provision of technology-enhanced education to systematically support the learning experience of open distance learners. In the pursuit of establishing institutional and national/regional-based quality assurance practices, Asian open universities should pay particular attention to one of the key components within the overall QA framework; that is, the web-based teaching and learning on the online learning management system (LMS). The assurance of quality in the web-based teaching and learning component is vital to support the effective and efficient delivery of open and distance education within the blended approach adopted by many open universities. In this study, the authors first examine the dimensions of quality assurance of key services that are closely associated with web-based education in the online LMS of Wawasan Open University (WOU). The authors then analyse the pattern of interactions in the LMS to determine the actual activities of learners in the web-based environment. By synthesising the findings, indicators that address diverse facets and components of quality relevant to web-based teaching and learning in the LMS are identified. The authors then discuss the application of the quality components within the overall QA framework in WOU to further enhance the quality of its web-based teaching and learning component. Assessment of learners' satisfaction in WOU is carried out to determine the effectiveness of the QA components in the LMS. The QA components identified in the web-based teaching and learning within the LMS are then recommended to Asian open universities for integration into their overall QA framework.
Phagocytized Platelets: A Source of Lipids in Human Thrombi and Atherosclerotic Plaques

Phagocytosis of lipid-rich platelets by monocytes and the transformation of such cells into lipophages containing fat was observed in human thrombi. The lipophages are similar to lipophages in atherosclerotic plaques. This observation supports the idea that some atherosclerotic plaques are organized mural thrombi.
How do UV Photomorphogenic Responses Confer Water Stress Tolerance?¶,†

Abstract Although ultraviolet-B (UV-B) radiation is potentially harmful, it is an important component of terrestrial radiation to which plants have been exposed since invading land. Since then, plants have evolved mechanisms to avoid and repair UV radiation damage; therefore, it is not surprising that photomorphogenic responses to UV-B are often assumed to be adaptations to harmful radiation. This presupposes that the function of the observed responses is to prevent UV damage. It has been hypothesized that, as with blue light, UV-B provides a signal important for normal plant development and might be perceived within developing plants through nondestructive processes, perhaps through UV-specific signal perception mechanisms. UV signal perception can lead to photomorphogenic responses that may confer adaptive advantages under conditions associated with high-light environments, such as water stress. Plant responses to UV radiation in this regard include changes in leaf area, leaf thickness, stomatal density, photosynthetic pigment production and altered stem elongation and branching patterns. Such responses may lead to altered transpiration rates and water-use efficiencies. For example, we found that the cumulative effect of ambient UV-B radiation upon stomatal density and conductance can lead to altered water-use efficiencies. In field settings, UV might more properly be viewed as a photomorphogenic signal than as a stressor. Hence, it might be insufficient to attempt to fully evaluate the adaptive roles of plant responses to UV-B cues upon stress tolerance by the simultaneous application of UV and drought stress during development. We propose that rather than examining a plant's response to combinations of stressors one might also examine how a plant's response to UV induces tolerance to subsequently applied stresses.
African Pastoralism: Genetic Imprints of Origins and Migrations

The genetic history of African cattle pastoralism is controversial and poorly understood. We reveal the genetic signatures of its origins, secondary movements, and differentiation through the study of 15 microsatellite loci in 50 indigenous cattle breeds spanning the present cattle distribution in Africa. The earliest cattle originated within the African continent, but Near East and European genetic influences are also identified. The initial expansion of African Bos taurus was likely from a single region of origin. It reached the southern part of the continent by following an eastern route rather than a western one. The B. indicus genetic influence shows a major entry point through the Horn and the East Coast of Africa and two modes of introgression into the continent.
Design and Implementation of Operation-Reduced LDPC Decoder Based on a Check Node Stopping Scheme

In this paper, we propose an operation-reduced low-density parity check (LDPC) decoder design and implementation by stopping reliable operation of check nodes of the iterative two-phase message passing (TPMP) min-sum algorithm (MSA). A check node stopping (CNS) scheme is used to tag reliability of check nodes by detecting the magnitudes of the check node belief messages with a threshold. The operation of reliable check nodes tagged by the CNS scheme can be stopped in the later iterations. The proposed LDPC decoder that employs the CNS scheme can significantly terminate the redundant operations of check nodes and efficiently reduce the power consumption of decoder. From the simulations under WiMAX QC LDPC decoding with high channel quality, the CNS scheme achieves up to 12% stopping rate of check nodes with a loss of coding gain less than 0.1 dB. The WiMAX QC LDPC decoder chip that employs the CNS scheme is implemented by a 90-nm CMOS process. Compared with the LDPC decoder that employs no CNS scheme, the overall power dissipation of the proposed LDPC decoder is decreased by 4.1% with 0.5% area overhead.
The Clockwise Rotation of Myocardial Fiber Orientation from Epicardial to Endocardial Surface in Left Ventricular Free Wall in a Post-mortem Human Heart

Following fixation and MRI imaging a post-mortem human heart was sliced at the sagittal plane. Each anatomical section was then cut into smaller segments and each one was objected to classical histology process. The resulting microscopy slides were digitalized with a scanner. The histological section reconstruction was achieved using Adobe Photoshop CS2(R). Using specific software, called FiberCad, the user can define and draw (with the assistance of optical microscope) those fibers that are parallel and those fibers that are vertical to the slides plane. To better align the histological 3D reconstruction, the software is equipped with an option that allows the user to make best possible fit between histological and MRI slices. We present the consequent sagittal sections of LV free wall (from epicardial to endocardial surface), whereby the clockwise rotation of the mean orientation of the fibers that are on the plane of sectioning is clearly evident. We present a post mortem analysis of the complete LV free wall of a human heart.
Towards a Balanced Sustainability Vision for the Coffee Industry

As one of the world’s most traded agricultural commodities, coffee constitutes a significant part of the overall economy and a major source of foreign revenue for many developing countries. Coffee also touches a large portion of the world’s population in the South, where it is mainly produced, and in the North, where it is primarily consumed. As a product frequently purchased by a significant share of worldwide consumers on a daily basis in social occasions, the coffee industry has earned a high profile that also attracts the interest of non-governmental organizations, governments, multilateral organizations and development specialists and has been an early adopter of Voluntary Sustainability Standards (VSS). Responding to the trend of increased interest on sustainability, it is therefore not surprising that coffee continues to be at the forefront of sustainability initiatives that transcend into other agricultural industries. Based on literature and authors’ experiences, this article reflects on the VSS evolution and considers a sustainability model that specifically incorporates producers’ local realities and deals with the complex scenario of sustainability challenges in producing regions. Agreeing on a joint sustainability approach with farmers’ effective involvement is necessary so that the industry as a whole (up and downstream value chain actors) can legitimately communicate its own sustainability priorities. This top-down/bottom-up approach could also lead to origin-based, actionable and focused sustainability key performance indicators, relevant for producers and consistent with the UN’s Sustainable Development Goals. The initiative also aims to provide a sustainability platform for single origin coffees and Geographical Indications (GIs) in accordance with growers’ own realities and regions, providing the credibility that consumers now expect from sustainability initiatives, additional differentiation options for origin coffees and economic upgrade opportunities for farmers.
HIV Latency Is Established Directly and Early in Both Resting and Activated Primary CD4 T Cells

Highly active antiretroviral therapy (HAART) suppresses human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) replication to undetectable levels but cannot fully eradicate the virus because a small reservoir of CD4+ T cells remains latently infected. Since HIV efficiently infects only activated CD4+ T cells and since latent HIV primarily resides in resting CD4+ T cells, it is generally assumed that latency is established when a productively infected cell recycles to a resting state, trapping the virus in a latent state. In this study, we use a dual reporter virus—HIV Duo-Fluo I, which identifies latently infected cells immediately after infection—to investigate how T cell activation affects the estab-lishment of HIV latency. We show that HIV latency can arise from the direct infection of both resting and activated CD4+ T cells. Importantly, returning productively infected cells to a resting state is not associated with a significant silencing of the integrated HIV. We further show that resting CD4+ T cells from human lymphoid tissue (tonsil, spleen) show increased latency after infection when compared to peripheral blood. Our findings raise significant questions regarding the most commonly accepted model for the establishment of latent HIV and suggest that infection of both resting and activated primary CD4+ T cells produce latency.
Depth of mesorectal invasion has prognostic significance in T3N0 low rectal cancer.

BACKGROUND/AIMS To investigate mesorectal fat invasion as a prognostic factor for T3N0 low rectal adenocarcinoma following sharp mesorectal excision. METHODOLOGY Subjects consisted of 26 patients who had a potential curative excision of a T3N0 low rectal adenocarcinoma without neoadjuvant therapy between August 1988 and April 2003. Histological preparations were used to measure depth of mesorectal invasion, which was analyzed for associations with disease-free survival and recurrence. RESULTS Five-year overall survival and disease-free survival were 64.8% and 57.1%, respectively. Ten patients developed recurrent disease; 3 had local recurrence, 3 had distant metastasis, and 4 had both local and distant recurrence. Rectal cancers were stratified by depth of mesorectal invasion using 4 cutoff values (2, 3, 4, 5 mm), and examined by Cox proportional hazard model. At a cutoff of 3 mm, multivariate analyses confirmed depth of mesorectal invasion to be an independent prognostic factor for 5-year disease-free survival (< 3mm, 90.9%; > or = 3mm, 32.0%; p = 0.023). Distant metastasis differed significantly (< 3mm, 0%; > or = 3mm, 46.7%; p = 0.01), but local recurrence did not (< 3 mm, 9.1%; > or = 3mm, 40%; p = 0.17). CONCLUSIONS Patients with advanced low T3N0 rectal cancer are at high risk of distant metastases. Depth of mesorectal invasion may be valuable in decisions regarding intensive adjuvant therapy.
Satellite telemetry suggests high levels of fishing-induced mortality in marine turtles

Long-term records of nesting numbers, or proxies to nesting numbers, show a precipitous decline in the size of many sea turtle populations. Population declines are most frequently attributed to fisheries bycatch, although direct quantification of this level of mortality is rare. We used satellite-tracking records for turtles in the Mediterranean Sea and Pacific, Atlantic and Indian Oceans to identify when turtles had been captured. Evidence for capture came from a combination of an increase in good quality locations from transmitters, transmitters moving inland to coastal towns and villages, and on-board submergence data, showing that transmitters had come out of the water. A high level of mortality was calculated, confirming current concerns regarding the outlook for sea turtles.