Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
L1-Norm Distance Metric Learning for Gait Recognition

Gait recognition is a biometric technology which realizes human identification through the characteristics of human movement during walking. It has a wide range of potential applications in security, surveillance, medical and other fields. In this paper, we propose a <tex>$L$</tex><inf>1</inf>-norm distance Metric Learning (<tex>$L$</tex><inf>1</inf> ML) method to study the problem of gait recognition. The proposed <tex>$L$</tex><inf>1</inf> ML aims to learn a linear transformation under large margin framework so that the <tex>$L$</tex><inf>1</inf>-norm distance between positive sample pairs in the transformed subspace is smaller than a small threshold, while that of negative sample pairs in the transformed subspace is greater than a large threshold, which can effectively distinguish samples of different subjects. Unlike traditional methods that employ <tex>$L$</tex><inf>2</inf>-norm to calculate the distance between samples, our L1ML utilizes <tex>$L$</tex><inf>1</inf>-norm distance, which is more robust to outlier samples. We conduct a series of comparative experiments on the CASIA-B gait dataset, and the experimental results verify the effectiveness of the proposed method.
Do shareholders tolerate faults in scientific and technological innovation? Evidence from Chinese listed companies

ABSTRACT Based on the data of Chinese A-share listed companies from 2009 to 2017, this paper examines whether or not shareholders tolerate the faults of scientific and technological (S&T) innovation and the effect of firm heterogeneity on this relationship. The empirical results show that, in general, shareholders do not tolerate faults in S&T innovation, and this intolerance intensifies with a longer failure time; there are differences in shareholders’ fault tolerance in different types of companies; shareholders of companies with high profitability and financial risk tend to tolerate faults in S&T innovation. This paper might provide some new insights for corporate shareholders to devise reasonable S&T strategies.
Misregulation of the expression and activity of DNA methyltransferases in cancer

Abstract In mammals, DNA methyltransferases DNMT1 and DNMT3’s (A, B and L) deposit and maintain DNA methylation in dividing and nondividing cells. Although these enzymes have an unremarkable DNA sequence specificity (CpG), their regional specificity is regulated by interactions with various protein factors, chromatin modifiers, and post-translational modifications of histones. Changes in the DNMT expression or interacting partners affect DNA methylation patterns. Consequently, the acquired gene expression may increase the proliferative potential of cells, often concomitant with loss of cell identity as found in cancer. Aberrant DNA methylation, including hypermethylation and hypomethylation at various genomic regions, therefore, is a hallmark of most cancers. Additionally, somatic mutations in DNMTs that affect catalytic activity were mapped in Acute Myeloid Leukemia cancer cells. Despite being very effective in some cancers, the clinically approved DNMT inhibitors lack specificity, which could result in a wide range of deleterious effects. Elucidating distinct molecular mechanisms of DNMTs will facilitate the discovery of alternative cancer therapeutic targets. This review is focused on: (i) the structure and characteristics of DNMTs, (ii) the prevalence of mutations and abnormal expression of DNMTs in cancer, (iii) factors that mediate their abnormal expression and (iv) the effect of anomalous DNMT-complexes in cancer.
Influence of Drought and Salt Stress on Durum Wheat Grain Quality and Composition: A Review

Durum wheat is a staple crop for the Mediterranean diet because of its adaptability to environmental pressure and for its large use in cereal-based food products, such as pasta and bread, as a source of calories and proteins. Durum wheat whole grains are also highly valued for their peculiar amount of dietary fiber and minerals, as well as bioactive compounds of particular interest for their putative health-beneficial properties, including polyphenols, carotenoids, tocopherols, tocotrienols, and phytosterols. In Mediterranean environments, durum wheat is mostly grown under rainfed conditions, where the crop often experiences environmental stresses, especially water deficit and soil salinity that may induce a hyperosmotic stress. In particular, changes in C and N accumulation due to these abiotic conditions, during grain filling, can influence starch and storage protein amount and composition in durum wheat caryopsis, thus influencing yield and quality traits. Recent advancements regarding the influence of water deficit and salinity stress on durum wheat are critically discussed. In particular, a focus on stress-induced changes in (a) grain protein content and composition in relation to technological and health quality; (b) starch and dietary fiber accumulation and composition; (c) phytochemical composition; (d) health-related grain micronutrient accumulation, such as Fe and Zn.
Comparative Evaluation of In Vitro Drug Release Methods Employed for Nanoparticle Drug Release Studies

The aim of the present study was to experimentally compare the attributes, drawbacks, and limitations of the most commonly employed in vitro drug release test methods for nanoparticle systems and to explore the possibility of one method being adopted as a standard for quality control of nanoparticle-based products. Three in vitro drug release test methods, i.e., direct addition, dialysis bag, and low-pressure ultrafiltration, were employed for evaluation of drug release from tamoxifen-loaded poly(lactic-co-glycolic acid) nanoparticles. Relevant operational characteristics of each test method were compared. Drug release data were fitted in different release kinetics models, i.e., zero order, first order, Higuchi, Hixson-Crowell, and Korsmeyer-Peppas. The coefficient of determination (R2), release rate constant (k), and release exponent (n) values were calculated. The direct addition method showed rapid initial drug release, whereas a slow release rate was observed in the dialysis bag method. Results of the low-pressure ultrafiltration method were consistent with the direct addition method and various operational characteristics were more realistic than the other two methods. Overall, the findings support that low-pressure ultrafiltration can be considered as a standard regulatory test method for in vitro release of nanoparticle-based formulations.
An Adaptable Correlated Control for Maintaining Voltage Quality in Low-Voltage Distribution Grids Containing PVs and PEVs

Rooftop photovoltaic (PV) systems and plug-in electric vehicles (PEVs) will be increasingly utilized by residential customers due to their economic and environmental benefits. However, the intermittent power produced by PVs and the additional loads required for the PEV charging can cause power quality disturbances in the low-voltage distribution networks (LVDN). An adaptable correlated control (ACC) is proposed for the decoupled optimization of the active and reactive power, where energy cost can be minimized through the local demand-side management (DSM) of residential loads. Further, the optimal allocation of the sparse capacity of inverters for reactive power compensation to maintain the voltage variations and the mitigation of voltage unbalances within the allowable limits is proposed. The proposed ACC provides a supervisory control to observe and modify the voltage quality of the LVDN without the need for real-time collaboration between controllers. The impacts of the integration of installed rooftop PVs and PEV charging for unbalanced three-phase LVDNs are assessed rigorously using a versatile simulation platform. Also, the suitability of the proposed control strategy for DSM and the alleviation of voltage fluctuations and unbalances are assessed.
The Research of the Genetic Algorithm Combined with Chromosome Fitness to Optimize the Flatness Error Evaluation

This paper suggests an improved genetic algorithm to seek the minimum range value in the ideal-plane flatness measurement. This algorithm increases measurement accuracy by using dynamic cross factor, mutation factor and a new concept called chromosome fitness. It was proved in simulation experiments that its accuracy is better than other flatness error evaluating algorithms like the minimal territory evaluating algorithm and the computational geometry algorithm etc. So it can be used for measuring industrial production components error and verifying assumed models in reverse engineering etc.
A Comparati`ve Study of Resonant Frequency Calculation Based on Leakage-Inductance and Self-Inductance for CET System

Recently, the resonance phenomenon in contactless energy transfer (CET) is widely used to deliver power to a load over a relatively large air gap between the transmitter (Tx) and receiver (Rx) coils via magnetic coupling. Since many reactive components in the CET system are contributed to the resonance phenomenon, therefore there are many resonant frequencies. In this paper, a comparative study is made to find the resonant frequency based on leakage-inductance and self-inductance for determining the compensation element values in a series-series (SS) compensated CET system.
Experimental and theoretical study of the current-voltage characteristics of the MISIM tunnel transistor

Current-voltage (I-V) characteristics of the metal-insulator-semiconductor-insulator-metal (MISIM) tunnel transistor in the common base and common emitter configurations are studied experimentally and theoretically. The Al-SiO/sub 2/-Si(n)-SiO/sub 2/-Al transistors with oxide layers of about 2.5 nm thickness have been manufactured. The devices exhibit current gain above 30 in the common base configuration and switching in the common emitter configuration. A theoretical static model of the MISIM tunnel transistor has been developed and applied to analyze the measured I-V characteristics for both operation configurations. Excellent fit of the model to the experimental data has been achieved. Influence of oxide thickness and interface trap density on the switching voltage has been investigated theoretically.
Preparation of Electrode Materials Based on Carbon Cloth via Hydrothermal Method and Their Application in Supercapacitors

Supercapacitors have the unique advantages of high power density, fast charge and discharge rates, long cycle life, high safety, and reliability, and are increasingly being used for applications including automobiles, rail transit, communication equipment, digital electronics, and aerospace equipment. The supercapacitor industry is currently in a stage of rapid development; great breakthroughs have also been made in improving the performance of supercapacitors and the expansion of their application. Electrode technology is the core of supercapacitors. Transition-metal compounds have a relatively high theoretical capacity and have received widespread attention as electrode materials for supercapacitors. In addition, there is a synergistic effect between the different components of various electrode composite materials. Due to their superior electrochemical performance, supercapacitors are receiving increasing research attention. Flexible supercapacitors have been hailed for their good plasticity, resulting in a development boom. This review article mainly outlines the development process of various electrode materials, including carbon materials, conductive polymers, metal compounds, and composite materials, as well as flexible electrode materials based on carbon cloth.
Simultaneous scatterometer and radiometer measurements of sea-ice microwave signatures

This paper discusses a combined data set obtained in the Canadian Arctic which partially covers the variation with season of the microwave signatures of sea ice. Results draw together airborne collection periods which include: March 1979, April 1979, and June 1980. The data set consists of RC-10 aerial photograph; HH - and HV -polarized backscattering coefficients from a fanbeam scatterometer operating at 13.3 GHz over incidence angles extending from nadir to 60\deg ; 19.4 GHz, H -polarized radiometer brightness temperatures at a fixed incidence angle of 45\deg ; and overlapping X - and L -band SAR imagery. A precision radiation thermometer (PRT-5) was also included in the sensor complement in the 1980 missions. Accumulated statistics for each microwave measurement were determined by segmenting the time histories of the profiling sensors by (WMO) World Meteorological Organization sea-ice class and then recombining the information for each ice category. Eigenvector analysis was applied to specify the radiometer and scatterometer hyperspace boundaries of each sea-ice class and examine the classification utility of this microwave information.
When should carpool lanes be introduced in a multi-lane highway ?

High-occupancy-vehicle (HOV) lanes are often suggested as a cost-effective alternative to address growing traffic congestion problems by providing priority treatment for buses and carpools. As a consequence of introduction of HOV lanes, some auto drivers would switch to buses and carpools, thereby reducing total vehicle demand, whereas there would be fewer lanes available for the remaining vehicles, thus possibly increasing the time cost of solo drivers. It is therefore an important issue to evaluate the efficiency of HOV lanes based on some system-wide cost-effectiveness measures. This short note presents a simple demand-supply equilibrium model to evaluate the benefit resulting from HOV lanes, and therefore determine whether and how many HOV lanes should be introduced in a multilane highway.
Comparative Metabolomic Study of Drosophila Species with Different Lifespans

The increase in life expectancy, leading to a rise in the proportion of older people, is accompanied by a prevalence of age-related disorders among the world population, the fight against which today is one of the leading biomedical challenges. Exploring the biological insights concerning the lifespan is one of the ways to provide a background for designing an effective treatment for the increase in healthy years of life. Untargeted direct injection mass spectrometry-based metabolite profiling of 12 species of Drosophila with significant variations in natural lifespans was conducted in this research. A cross-comparison study of metabolomic profiles revealed lifespan signatures of flies. These signatures indicate that lifespan extension is associated with the upregulation of amino acids, phospholipids, and carbohydrate metabolism. Such information provides a metabolome-level view on longevity and may provide a molecular measure of organism age in age-related studies.
Cluster head selection using a two-level fuzzy logic in wireless sensor networks

Due to resource limitations in wireless sensor networks, prolonging the network lifetime has been of a great interest. An efficient routing technique is known as hierarchical routing based on clustering, in which finding the optimum cluster heads and number of them has been a challenge. In this paper, a two-level fuzzy logic is utilized to evaluate the qualification of sensors to become a cluster head. In the first level (Local Level), the qualified nodes are selected based on their energy and number of neighbors of them. Then, in the second level (Global Level), nodes' overall cooperation is considered in the whole network with three fuzzy parameters. These parameters are centrality, proximity to base station and distance between cluster heads. Simulation results in five metrics show that the proposed approach consumes less energy and prolongs the network life time about 54 % compared with other algorithms.
High Frequency, High Efficiency, and High Power Density GaN-Based LLC Resonant Converter: State-of-the-Art and Perspectives

Soft switching for both primary and secondary side devices is available by using LLC converters. This resonant converter is an ideal candidate for today’s high frequency, high efficiency, and high power density applications like adapters, Uninterrupted Power Supplies (UPS), Solid State Transformers (SST), electric vehicle battery chargers, renewable energy systems, servers, and telecom systems. Using Gallium-Nitride (GaN)-based power switches in this converter merits more and more switching frequency, power density, and efficiency. Therefore, the present paper focused on GaN-based LLC resonant converters. The converter structure, operation regions, design steps, and drive system are described precisely. Then its losses are discussed, and the magnets and inductance characteristics are investigated. After that, various interleaved topologies, as a solution to improve power density and decrease current ripples, have been discussed. Also, some challenges and concerns related to GaN-based LLC converters have been reviewed. Commercially available power transistors based on various technologies, i.e., GaN HEMT, Silicon (Si) MOSFET, and Silicon Carbide (SiC) have been compared. Finally, the LLC resonant converter has been simulated by taking advantage of LTspice and GaN HEMT merits, as compared with Si MOSFETs.
COMBINED OPTIMIZATION OF A LINAC-BASED FEL LIGHT SOURCE USING A MULTIOBJECTIVE GENETIC ALGORITHM ∗

We report on the development status and preliminary results of a combined optimization scheme for a linac-based, high repetition rate, soft X-ray FEL. The underlying model includes the injector and linac parts of the machine, and the scheme will integrate the design process of these components toward the optimization of the FEL performance. For this, a parallel, multi-objective genetic algorithm is used. We also discuss the beam dynamics considerations that lead to the choices of objectives, or figure-of-merit beam parameters, and describe numerical solutions compatible with the requirements of a high repetition rate user facility.
An improved current-mode instrumentation amplifier with bandwidth independent of gain

A modification in current-mode instrumentation amplifier topology proposed in Electronics Letters, vol. 25, p.470-471 (1989) is described, and a detailed analytical analysis is given to show its superiority. The proposed circuit design is simple and easy to construct from readily available IC AD844 from Analog Devices. The proposed circuit features high CMRR without requiring well-matched resistors. Moreover, high differential gain and bandwidth can be achieved simultaneously. Experimental as well as simulation results are given in support of theoretical conclusions. >
Simulation Analysis of an Adaptive Control System for a Plant model having Relative degree Grater than One

The objective of this paper is to present the analysis results and evaluation of an simulation experiment where the objective is to design an adaptive controller using matlab/Simulink for the plant model with only input-output measurable case. The performance of the adaptive control system for different parameter change have been evaluated and analyzed. Besides the performance of the adaptive control system for using different types of reference signals (e.g. sinusoidal, square wave of different frequencies) are have also been investigated in this paper. Furthermore the effectiveness of the adaptive controller has been evaluated by observing the performance of the control system for changing the plat parameters during the simulation/ running time of the system.
Çok Girişli Çok Çıkışlı Sistemlerde Etkileşimin Yok Edilmesi: Proses Kontrol Sistemi Uygulaması - Decoupling Of Multi-Input Multi-Output Systems: A Process Control System Application

Cok Girisli Cok Cikisli Sistemlerde Etkilesimin Yok Edilmesi: Proses Kontrol Sistemi Uygulamasi Bu calisma, bir proses kontrol sistemi uzerinde cok girisli cok cikisli (Multi-Input Multi-Output-MIMO) sistemlerdeki etkilesimin yok edilmesi konusu uzerinedir. Sistem uzerindeki akis hizi ve basinc degisimini ayni anda kontrol etmek amaci ile LabVIEW grafiksel programi tabanli bir kontrolor uygulamasi gerceklestirilmistir. PID kontrolor parametrelerinin belirlenmesinde Ziegler-Nichols yontemi kullanilmistir. Bu yonteme gore belirlenen parametrelere gore kontrol edilen degiskenlerin proses sistemi uzerindeki etkileri gozlemlenmis ve etkilesim miktariyla orantili degisen kontrolor parametrelerinin MIMO sistemlere daha uygun olabilecegi sonucuna varilmistir. Decoupling Of Multi-Input Multi-Output Systems: A Process Control System Application This study is about decoupling for multi-input multi-output (MIMO) process control systems. Flow rate and pressure variations on the process control system are being controlled simultaneously using by a configured controller which is based on LabVIEW graphical programming. Ziegler-Nichols method is used for determining the parameters of the PID controller. Finally, impacts on the process system of the determined controller parameters are observed, and it is concluded that the controller parameters that changing with coupling rate can be more suitable for MIMO systems
Missense Mutations Modify the Conformational Ensemble of the α-Synuclein Monomer Which Exhibits a Two-Phase Characteristic

α-Synuclein is an intrinsically disordered protein occurring in different conformations and prone to aggregate in β-sheet structures, which are the hallmark of the Parkinson disease. Missense mutations are associated with familial forms of this neuropathy. How these single amino-acid substitutions modify the conformations of wild-type α-synuclein is unclear. Here, using coarse-grained molecular dynamics simulations, we sampled the conformational space of the wild type and mutants (A30P, A53P, and E46K) of α-synuclein monomers for an effective time scale of 29.7 ms. To characterize the structures, we developed an algorithm, CUTABI (CUrvature and Torsion based of Alpha-helix and Beta-sheet Identification), to identify residues in the α-helix and β-sheet from Cα -coordinates. CUTABI was built from the results of the analysis of 14,652 selected protein structures using the Dictionary of Secondary Structure of Proteins (DSSP) algorithm. DSSP results are reproduced with 93% of success for 10 times lower computational cost. A two-dimensional probability density map of α-synuclein as a function of the number of residues in the α-helix and β-sheet is computed for wild-type and mutated proteins from molecular dynamics trajectories. The density of conformational states reveals a two-phase characteristic with a homogeneous phase (state B, β-sheets) and a heterogeneous phase (state HB, mixture of α-helices and β-sheets). The B state represents 40% of the conformations for the wild-type, A30P, and E46K and only 25% for A53T. The density of conformational states of the B state for A53T and A30P mutants differs from the wild-type one. In addition, the mutant A53T has a larger propensity to form helices than the others. These findings indicate that the equilibrium between the different conformations of the α-synuclein monomer is modified by the missense mutations in a subtle way. The α-helix and β-sheet contents are promising order parameters for intrinsically disordered proteins, whereas other structural properties such as average gyration radius, R g , or probability distribution of R g cannot discriminate significantly the conformational ensembles of the wild type and mutants. When separated in states B and HB, the distributions of R g are more significantly different, indicating that global structural parameters alone are insufficient to characterize the conformational ensembles of the α-synuclein monomer.