Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Regenerative energy utilization in a.c. traction power supply system

To make railway transportation more efficient, utilization of recuperation energy in d.c. traction power supply system is actively discussed in Japan. We, East Japan Railway Company, have already introduced two Lithium ion battery systems at Haijima Substation since 2013 and at Okegawa Substation since 2014. They contribute to reduce total traction energy supply about 5-8%. In a.c. traction power supply system, on the other hand, it is rarely discussed to make use of recuperation power because it is not an issue compared with d.c. traction power supply system in many cases. We installed, however, RPC, railway static power conditioner, at Ushiku sectioning post for recuperation energy utilization in 2014. In this paper, the difference between d.c. traction power supply system and a.c. traction power supply system from the point of view to utilize recuperation energy and its future prospect in a.c. traction power supply system are discussed.
On the Expressive Power of Restricted Boltzmann Machines

This paper examines the question: What kinds of distributions can be efficiently represented by Restricted Boltzmann Machines (RBMs)? We characterize the RBM's unnormalized log-likelihood function as a type of neural network (called an RBM network), and through a series of simulation results relate these networks to types that are better understood. We show the surprising result that RBM networks can efficiently compute any function that depends on the number of 1's in the input, such as parity. We also provide the first known example of a particular type of distribution which provably cannot be efficiently represented by an RBM (or equivalently, cannot be efficiently computed by an RBM network), assuming a realistic exponential upper bound on the size of the weights. By formally demonstrating that a relatively simple distribution cannot be represented efficiently by an RBM our results provide a new rigorous justification for the use of potentially more expressive generative models, such as deeper ones.
Transfer of Antibiotic Resistance (R factor) in the Mouse Intestine∗

Summary An antibiotic resistant Klebsiella pneumoniae containing an R factor was fed to germ-free mice previously colonized with an antibiotic susceptible E. coli. Within a month, 21% of the E. coli acquired multiple drug resistance without the selective pressure of antibiotic therapy. However, the rate of spread of the R factor was significantly slower than in vitro.
Purification of intact chloroplasts from marine plant Posidonia oceanica suitable for organelle proteomics

Posidonia oceanica is a marine angiosperm, or seagrass, adapted to grow to the underwater life from shallow waters to 50 m depth. This raises questions of how their photosynthesis adapted to the attenuation of light through the water column and leads to the assumption that biochemistry and metabolism of the chloroplast are the basis of adaptive capacity. In the present study, we described a protocol that was adapted from those optimized for terrestrial plants, to extract chloroplasts from as minimal tissue as possible. We obtained the best balance between tissue amount/intact chloroplasts yield using one leaf from one plant. After isopynic separations, the chloroplasts purity and integrity were evaluated by biochemical assay and using a proteomic approach. Chloroplast proteins were extracted from highly purified organelles and resolved by 1DE SDS‐PAGE. Proteins were sequenced by nLC‐ESI‐IT‐MS/MS of 1DE gel bands and identified against NCBInr green plant databases, Dr. Zompo database for seagrasses in a local customized dataset. The curated localization of proteins in sub‐plastidial compartments (i.e. envelope, stroma and thylakoids) was retrieved in the AT_CHLORO database. This purification protocol and the validation of compartment markers may serve as basis for sub‐cellular proteomics in P. oceanica and other seagrasses.
[Delays in the diagnosis of tuberculosis in a town at the triple border of Brazil, Paraguay, and Argentina].

OBJECTIVE To identify the factors linked to patients and health services in delays in the diagnosis of tuberculosis. METHODS Epidemiological study in Foz do Iguaçu, Paraná, Brazil, 2009. The Primary Care Assessment Tool, adapted for appraising tuberculosis treatment, was the instrument used. Descriptive statistics techniques were used, such as frequency distributions, central tendency and dispersion measurements (median and interquartile intervals), and odds ratios. RESULTS There were greater delays in seeking health services for those in the age group 60 years and older, for females, for patients with low levels of education, and for patients with poor knowledge of the disease. Clinical variables (being a new case and HIV infection) and behavioral variables (use of tobacco and alcohol consumption) were not linked with delays in diagnosis. The median time delays before diagnosis attributable to patients and to the health services were 30 days and 10 days, respectively. Emergency 24-hour medical services and primary health care services were not effective in identifying suspicious cases of tuberculosis and requesting tests to confirm the diagnosis, with a high percentage of referrals to the Tuberculosis Control Program clinic. CONCLUSIONS Going to primary health care services for diagnosis increased the time before diagnosis of the disease was reached. The Tuberculosis Control Program clinic was more effective in diagnosis of tuberculosis, due to the training of the staff and to an organized process for receiving patients, including the availability of tests to support the diagnosis.
The effect of monoamine oxidase B (MAOB) and catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) polymorphisms on levodopa therapy in patients with sporadic Parkinson's disease

Objectives – The etiology of sporadic idiopathic Parkinson's disease (PD) is considered multifactorial with both genetic and environmental factors modifying the disease expression. Recent studies suggest that polymorphism in monoamine oxidase B (MAOB) and catechol‐O‐methyltransferase (COMT) might influence the risk and treatment of PD. The aim of the study was to evaluate the effect of MAOB and COMT genetic polymorphism on effective daily dose of levodopa applied during the first 5 years of treatment, and to find out if a relationship exists between MAOB and COMT haplotypes and motor disturbances onset in PD patients treated with levodopa preparations.
Magnetic field analysis of permanent magnet low-speed synchronous generators for wind applications

Analysis of both primary and secondary magnetic field of permanent magnet synchronous generator in the axial end zone of air-gap has been presented. The models for study of primary and secondary magnetic field by the method of conformal mapping and using the method of current images have been created and analysed. The influence of axial end effects to primary and secondary magnetic field has been taken into consideration by means of end effect coefficients. The calculated magnetic field distribution in the end zone of air-gap was compared with the results of finite element analysis and with test curves.
A Stronger Bell Argument for Quantum Non-Locality

It is widely accepted that the violation of Bell inequalities excludes local theories of the quantum realm. This paper presents a stronger Bell argu- ment which even forbids certain non-local theories. The remaining non-local theories, which can violate Bell inequalities, are characterised by the fact that at least one of the outcomes in some sense probabilistically depends both on its distant as well as on its local setting. While this is not to say that parameter dependence in the usual sense necessarily holds, it shows that some kind of parameter dependence cannot be avoided, even if the outcomes depend on another. Our results are the strongest possible consequences from the violation of Bell inequalities on a qualitative probabilistic level.
LPFC: An internet library of protein family core structures

As the number of protein molecules with known, high‐resolution structures increases, it becomes necessary to organize these structures for rapid retrieval, comparison, and analysis. The Protein Data Bank (PDB) currently contains nearly 5,000 entries and is growing exponentially. Most new structures are similar structurally to ones reported previously and can be grouped into families. As the number of members in each family increases, it becomes possible to summarize, statistically, the commonalities and differences within each family. We reported previously a method for finding the atoms in a family alignment that have low spatial variance and those that have higher spatial variance (i.e., the “core” atoms that have the same relative position in all family members and the “non‐core” atoms that do not). The core structures we compute have biological significance and provide an excellent quantitative and visual summary of a multiple structural alignment. In order to extend their utility, we have constructed a library of protein family cores, accessible over the World Wide Web at http://www‐smi.stanford. edu/projects/helix/LPFC/. This library is generated automatically with publicly available computer programs requiring only a set of multiple alignments as input. It contains quantitative analysis of the spatial variation of atoms within each protein family, the coordinates of the average core structures derived from the families, and display files (in bitmap and VRML formats). Here, we describe the resource and illustrate its applicability by comparing three multiple alignments of the globin family. These three alignments are found to be similar, but with some significant differences related to the diversity of family members and the specific method used for alignment.
Infibulation in the horn of Africa.

Infibulation a procedure where the vagina is partially closed by approximating the labia majora in the midline is still practiced in Somali and the southern Arabian Peninsula. The operation performed on 4 to 8 year olds by a male nurse or by the matron of a village consists of cutting away a small strip of the labia on both sides then suturing the labia or using thorns to close the wound. Often clitoridectomy is also performed. When marriage occurs the husbands female relatives enlarge the vaginal opening with a small knife so intercourse can occur. At a time of birth the infibulation is again opened with resuturing after delivery. Although complications are rare they can include: hemorrhage; infection; suprapubic inclusions cysts; hypertrophic scars; hematocolpos; urinary retention or injury to the vagina and bladder during separation of the infibulation at time of delivery.
Changing concepts of morbidity and mortality in the elderly population.

A review of current theories concerning human mortality is first presented and their consistency with current evidence on mortality is considered. The author then presents some alternative perspectives on human mortality and longevity and discusses short- and long-term implications of various models of mortality. The need for systematic mortality research with a multidisciplinary perspective in order to understand current mortality conditions and to anticipate future mortality trends is stressed. The main geographic focus of the study is on the United States and the need to obtain information to plan for a rapidly aging population is emphasized.
Effects of ad libitum feeding on performance of different strains of broiler breeders

Tolerance to ad libitum feeding was compared in three genotypes of broiler breeder hens: a standard broiler breeder fed ad libitum (SA) or restricted (SR), a slow growing ‘label’ broiler breeder (L) and an experimental dwarf heavy broiler breeder (E). Two similar experiments were conducted in two distinct research centres. Feed intake and body weight were measured every 3 weeks from hatch to 40 to 49 weeks of age. Egg production and egg abnormalities were recorded. The number of yellow follicles in ovaries was counted at the age of 32 weeks. Body weight was stabilised at 2·2, 3·7 and 5·4 kg after 24 weeks of age in L, E and SA hens, respectively. Growth of the SR hens was similar to that of L up to 20 weeks and stabilised at a similar level to that of E hens after 30 weeks of age. Sexual maturity was delayed by 6 weeks in restricted breeders compared to ad libitum fed hens that started to lay at 20 weeks. SA hens had low egg production and a high proportion of defective eggs, which was largely compensated for by feed restriction. However, productivity of SR hens remained lower than that of L breeders. Compared to the low viability and reproductive fitness observed with SA hens, the E dwarf broiler breeder tolerated ad libitum feeding and had better egg production, fewer egg abnormalities and yellow follicles per ovary and a higher egg production. However, laying rate was still lower than that of the SR and L groups. Energy conversion (kJ/g egg) from 32 to 40 weeks of age was much higher in the SA group than in the other three groups. The feasibility of feeding a dwarf broiler breeder ad libitum calls for further research on implications of specific IGF and GH-receptor expression at the level of the ovary in dw chickens.
Field-induced charge-density-wave deformations and phase slip in NbSe3.

We report x-ray diffraction measurements of the effects of electric fields on charge-density-wave (CDW) structure in NbSe 3 . For fields exceeding the CDW depinning field E T , the (01+Q 0) CDW superlattice peak shifts along b * . The shift increases rapidly with decreasing temperature, is largest near the electrical contacts, and is in opposite directions in the two halves of the crystal. We show that the observed CDW deformations are consistent with those required for phase slip and CDW-to-normal carrier conversion at the contacts. From the magnitude of these deformations, we determine the CDW elastic constant
Acute immediate urticarialike reaction to i.v. Injected photofrin

In an attempt to treat a patient with Photodynamic Therapy (PDT) an immediate urticarial type reaction occurred after the injection with Photofrin. We report the first occurrence of such reaction. Lasers Surg Med 20:97–98, 1997. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Multilayer Perceptron Learning Optimized for On-Chip Implementation: A Noise-Robust System

1 Requirement This paper describes an approach to multilayer perceptron (MLP) learning that is optimized for hardware implementation. Experimental results to date are promising, and it is the express aim of this paper to present these results concisely - a detailed mathematical analysis will follow in a subsequent, longer publication. Error backpropagation (Rumelhart et al. 1986) has achieved remarkable success as an algorithm for solving hard classification problems with MLP networks. It is, however, not readily amenable to VLSI integration, and the distinction it draws between hidden and output nodes renders it hostile to analog circuit forms. Use of the mathematical chain rule, to calculate the effect of a weight connecting to a hidden unit on the errors {Q} in the output layer, renders the error calculation scheme for hidden units different from, and more complicated than that for output units. The Virtual Targets learning scheme circumvents this problem by introducing an explicit "desired state," or target for each of the hidden units, which is updated continuously, and stored along with the synapse weights. While this means that a target state must be stored for each input pattern and hidden node, it simplifies and renders homogeneous the process of weight evolution for all neurons. Furthermore, since a target state is already stored for each output neuron, the scheme essentially removes the distinction during learning between hidden and output nodes. Analog integrated circuits based on the virtual targets strategy will therefore be flexible in architectural terms, as all units will be configurable as either output or hidden layer neurons. The fundamental idea of adapting the internal representation, either as well as, or instead of the weights, is not itself new (Rohwer 1990; Grossman et al. 1990; Krogh et al. 1990). However, these pieces of work were not optimized for hardware implementation. The fundamental difference is that simplicity of implementation has been made the primary goal in the work described in this paper, to produce a system optimized for analog VLSI. There are also several important differences in detail between the work described in this paper and these earlier, similar Neural Computation 4, 366-381 (1992) @ 1992 Massachusetts Institute of Technology
Improving the Robustness of Prediction Model by Transfer Learning for Interference Suppression of Electronic Nose

This paper gives a solution to solve the interference problem of electronic nose (e-nose), which is ill-posed due to the uncertainty and unpredictability of its instable behavior. Traditional methods for interference suppression are component correction frameworks, which are laborious or little efficient. With interference (especially background interference and sensor drift), the distribution of test data obtained in practical application is different from that of the previous training data. From the viewpoint of machine learning, a novel domain correction and adaptive extreme learning machines (DC-AELM) framework with transferring capability is proposed to solve the serious interference problem in e-nose. The framework consists of two parts: 1) DC, which makes the distributions of two domains close and 2) AELM, which realizes the knowledge transfer at the decision level and makes the robustness of the prediction model improved. This method is motivated by the idea of transfer learning, especially from the perspective of domain correction and decision-making, to realize the knowledge transfer for interference suppression. A background interference data set obtained by our designed e-nose and a public benchmark sensor drift data set are used to verify the effectiveness of the proposed DC-AELM method.
Integrated module testing and module verification

In this dissertation an integrated approach to formal module verification by model checking and module testing is described. The main focus lays on the verification of C functions. Specificationbased testing and functional verification require a formalized module specification. For this purpose an annotation language as an extension of a pre-/post-condition syntax is developed and discussed. This annotation language allows the definition of logical conditions relating the program’s pre-state to its post-state after executing the module. For requirements tracking a test case specification is developed. The correctness conditions can be refined by the introduction of auxiliary variables. Besides the specification of the module under test, the presented annotation language allows to model the behavior of external functions called by the module under test. By the specification of preand post-conditions as well as test cases, test data generation for both structural and functional testing is reduced to a reachability problem (as known from bounded model checking) within the module’s control flow graph. These reachability problems are investigated using symbolic execution. The strength of symbolic execution is in its precision and its ability to reason about multiple program inputs simultaneously, but it also has limitations like aliasing or external function calls. These in turn are analyzed and new algorithms are developed which overtake most of the detected limitations. The expansion and selection strategies for test case selection are developed and described. They allow to minimize the size of investigated states and the number of generated test cases, while achieving maximal branch coverage. The developed algorithms and strategies are implemented in the test generator CTGEN, which generates test data for C1 structural coverage and for functional coverage. It also supports automated stub generation where the data returned by a stub during test execution depends on the specification provided by the user. CTGEN is evaluated and compared with competing tools and produces competitive results.
Principles Behaviors Forms Why ? How ?

Biomimetic design uses biological analogies to inspire design concepts. This paper describes a study on selecting and using relevant biological phenomena for design. A hierarchy of forms, behaviors and principles classifies how biological phenomena are presented as potential analogies. The type of similarity achieved between biological phenomena and resulting concepts is affected by the types of information presented in the descriptions of the phenomena. Results suggest that concepts based on strategically similar analogies occur more frequently in the presence of principles that explain the biological phenomena, rather than descriptions of phenomena that focus on forms and behaviors.
Characterization of a Pseudomonas aeruginosa gene cluster involved in pilus biosynthesis and twitching motility: sequence similarity to the chemotaxis proteins of enterics and the gliding bacterium Myxococcus xanthus

The type 4 pill of Pseudomonas aeruginosa are important cell‐associated virulence factors that play a crucial role in mediating (i) bacterial adherence to, and colonization of, mucosal surfaces, (ii) a novel mode of fiagetia‐independent surface translocation known as‘twitching motility, and (iii) the initial stages of the infection process for a number of bacteriophages. A new set of loci involved in pilus biogenesis and twitching motility was identified based on the ability of DNA sequences downstream of the pilG gene to complement the non‐piliated (pil) strain, PAO6609. Sequence analysis of a 3.2 kb region directly downstream of pilG revealed the presence of three genes, which have been designated pilH, pill, and pilJ. The predicted translation product of the pilH gene (13 272 Da), like PilG, exhibits significant amino acid identity with the enteric single‐domain response regulator CheY. The putative Pili protein (19933 Da) is 28% identical to the FrzA protein, a CheW homologue of the gliding bacterium Myxococcus xanthus, and the PMJ protein (72 523 Da) is 26% identical to the enteric methyl‐accepting chemotaxis protein (MCP) Tsr. Mutants containing insertions in pill and pilJ were severely impaired in their ability to produce pili and did not translocate across solid surfaces. The pilH mutant remained capable of pilus production and twitching motility, but displayed an altered motility pattern characterized by the presence of many doughnut‐shaped swirls. Each of these pil mutants, however, produced zones that were at least as large as the parent in flagellar‐mediated swarm assays. The sequence similarities between the putative pilG, H, I and J gene products and several established chemotaxis proteins, therefore, lend strong support to the hypothesis that these proteins are part of a signal‐transduction network that controls P. aeruginosa pilus biosynthesis and twitching motility.
Sex education: politicians, parents, teachers and teens.

For two decades policymakers have debated the relative merits of sexuality education that promotes abstinence as the only acceptable form of behavior outside of marriage and more comprehensive approaches that discuss contraception as well. The results of several new studies show that these debates may have had a considerable impact on what is being taught in the classroom; moreover they strongly indicate that politicians--in their drive to promote morality- based abstinence-only education--are out of touch with what teachers parents and teens think should be taught. (excerpt)