Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Self-Testing of Analog Parts Terminated by ADCs Based on Multiple Sampling of Time Responses

A new approach for self-testing of analog parts terminated by analog-to-digital converters in mixed-signal electronic microsystems controlled by microcontrollers is presented. It is based upon a new fault diagnosis method using a transformation of the set of voltage samples of the time response of a tested analog part to a square impulse into localization curves placed in a multidimensional measurement space. The method can be used for fault detection and single soft fault localization. Modified digital Fourier transform formulas are used for conversion of the measurement results to the form used by the fault detection and localization algorithm during the self-testing of the system and also for creation of the fault dictionary. In this paper, the results of experimental verification of the approach are included.
Delayed mechanical response in modified asphalt binders. Characteristics, modeling and engineering implications

The research reported herein deals with the analysis of different rheometrical approaches to evaluate the damage-related properties of modified asphalt binders at high service temperatures. Static and repetitive creep experiments were performed to associate specific characteristics of the binders’ time-dependent response to the materials damage resistance in conditions of incipient failure. The model parameter η0 was found to be the most important factor, which controls and predicts the binder resistance to the propagation of a viscous flow. Further data show that this condition applies even if non-linear domains are considered. The concept of intrinsic resistance to non-reversible deformation was consequently introduced and advanced performance-based criteria for technical qualification of modified asphalt binders were proposed.
Tensile-headed anchors with large diameter and deep embedment in concrete

This paper presents test results for large cast-in-place anchor bolts in concrete. The tests were performed to evaluate the tensile performance of large anchors, that is, anchors with a diameter greater than 2 in. (50 mm) or an embedment depth greater than 25 in. (635 mm), which are not addressed by ACI 318, Appendix D, and ACI 349, Appendix B. The tests were also intended to investigate the safety of such anchors for use in nuclear power plants and the effects of regular (conventional) and special reinforcement on the strength of such anchors. The test results are used to assess the applicability of existing design formulas valid for smaller anchors to large anchors. Suggestions are made for incorporating the effects of deep embedment or large diameter in existing design provisions for cast-in-place tensile anchor bolts under tension load.
A Near-Tight Lower Bound on the Time Complexity of Distributed Minimum-Weight Spanning Tree Construction

This paper presents a lower bound of $\Omega(D+\sqrt n/\log n)$ on the time required for the distributed construction of a minimum-weight spanning tree (MST) in weighted n-vertex networks of diameter $D=\Omega(\log n)$, in the bounded message model. This establishes the asymptotic near-optimality of existing time-efficient distributed algorithms for the problem, whose complexity is $O(D + \sqrt n \log^* n)$.
DIABETIC STUDIES The Review of Physical Activity and Reported Barriers to Activity Among Type 2 Diabetic Patients in the United Arab Emirates

OBJECTIVES: This study was designed to assess the physical activity practice among type 2 diabetic patients in the United Arab Emirates (UAE). METHODS: This is a crosssectional study of type 2 diabetic patients who participated in the outpatient clinics in Al-Ain District, during 2006. The patients completed an interviewer-administered questionnaire, and measurements of blood pressure, body mass index, body fat, abdominal circumference, glycemic control (HbA1c), and fasting lipid profile. RESULTS: Of the 390 patients recruited, only 25% reported an increase in their physical activity levels following the diagnosis of diabetes, and only 3% reported physical activity levels that meet the recommended guidelines. More than half of the study subjects had uncontrolled hypertension (53%) and unacceptable lipid profiles; 71% had a high low-density lipoprotein (LDL), 73% had low high-density lipoprotein (HDL), and 59% had hypertriglyceridemia. Forty-four percent were obese and a further 34% were overweight. Abdominal obesity was also common (59%). Only 32% had an acceptable glycemic control. CONCLUSIONS: The physical activity practice of type 2 diabetic patients in the UAE is largely inadequate to meet the recommended level necessary to prevent or ameliorate diabetic complications. Interventions aiming at overcoming the barriers to physical activity are urgently needed.
Echocardiographic parameters and indices in the normal Beagle dog

M-mode and two-dimensional echocardiographic measurements were made from the right sternal border of 50 healthy Beagles (25 males and 25 females) approximately 7 months old. The dogs were conscious and standing during the investigation. The following parameters, in systole and diastole, were measured on the echocardiographic images: left ventricular posterior wall thickness (LVWT); intraventricular septum thickness (IST); left ventricular internal dimension (LVID); and circumference (LVC). Fractional shortening (FS) and ejection fraction (EF) were also calculated. Mean, standard deviation, range and coefficient of variation are reported for each echocardiographic parameter and for body weight. Males and females were considered separately and together. Each parameter was analysed statistically to check for differences between the sexes and for correlations with body weight. A statistically significant difference between the sexes was only observed for LVWT in systole and diastole. A linear regression with body weight was obtained only for LVID in systole and in diastole. The results show that morphofunctional cardiac homogeneity is independent of size in dogs of this breed and age.
DNA barcodes for 1/1000 of the animal kingdom

This study reports DNA barcodes for more than 1300 Lepidoptera species from the eastern half of North America, establishing that 99.3 per cent of these species possess diagnostic barcode sequences. Intraspecific divergences averaged just 0.43 per cent among this assemblage, but most values were lower. The mean was elevated by deep barcode divergences (greater than 2%) in 5.1 per cent of the species, often involving the sympatric occurrence of two barcode clusters. A few of these cases have been analysed in detail, revealing species overlooked by the current taxonomic system. This study also provided a large-scale test of the extent of regional divergence in barcode sequences, indicating that geographical differentiation in the Lepidoptera of eastern North America is small, even when comparisons involve populations as much as 2800 km apart. The present results affirm that a highly effective system for the identification of Lepidoptera in this region can be built with few records per species because of the limited intra-specific variation. As most terrestrial and marine taxa are likely to possess a similar pattern of population structure, an effective DNA-based identification system can be developed with modest effort.
Performance of multi‐tasking and synchronization mechanisms in the programming language SR

High‐level language primitives for concurrent programming exist in languages such as Ada and Modula‐2. However, each of these languages provides only a single means for specifying multitasking and synchronization, essential in the implementation of concurrent systems. The SR language provides several mechanisms for specifying multi‐tasking and synchronization, so it can be used to explore the performance of various communication techniques.
Fibre orientation measurements near a headbox wall

Abstract Experimental results on the fibre orientation in a laboratory scale headbox are reported. Images containing fibres in approximately 1 mm thick slices parallel to the wall were captured at different wall distances. A steerable filter was used to determine the orientation of bleached and unbeaten birch fibres, suspended in water, at different distances from one of the inclined walls of the headbox contraction. Due to optical limitations only dilute suspensions were studied. It is shown that the fibre orientation distribution varies with the distance from the wall. Sufficiently far upstream in the headbox a more anisotropic distribution is found closer to the wall.
Frequency stabilization using infinite impulse response filtering for SSFP fMRI at 3T

The steady‐state free precession (SSFP) method has been shown to exhibit strong potential for distortion‐free functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI). One major challenge of SSFP fMRI is that the frequency band corresponding to the highest functional sensitivity is extremely narrow, leading to substantial loss of functional contrast in the presence of magnetic field drifts. In this study we propose a frequency stabilization scheme whereby an RF pulse with small flip angle is applied before each image scan, and the initial phase of the free induction decay (FID) signals is extracted to reflect temporal field drifts. A simple infinite impulse response (IIR) filter is further employed to obtain a low‐pass‐filtered estimate of the central reference frequency for the upcoming scan. Experimental results suggest that the proposed scheme can stabilize the frequency settings in accordance with field drifts, with oscillation amplitudes of <0.5 Hz. Phantom studies showed that both slow drifts and fast fluctuations were prominently reduced, resulting in less than 5% signal variations. Visual fMRI at submillimeter in‐plane resolution further demonstrated 15% activation signals that were nicely registered in the microvessels within the sulci. It is concluded that the IIR‐filtered frequency stabilization is an effective technique for achieving reliable SSFP fMR images at high field strengths. Magn Reson Med 57:369–379, 2007. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Cryptic Diversity of African Tigerfish (Genus Hydrocynus) Reveals Palaeogeographic Signatures of Linked Neogene Geotectonic Events

The geobiotic history of landscapes can exhibit controls by tectonics over biotic evolution. This causal relationship positions ecologically specialized species as biotic indicators to decipher details of landscape evolution. Phylogeographic statistics that reconstruct spatio-temporal details of evolutionary histories of aquatic species, including fishes, can reveal key events of drainage evolution, notably where geochronological resolution is insufficient. Where geochronological resolution is insufficient, phylogeographic statistics that reconstruct spatio-temporal details of evolutionary histories of aquatic species, notably fishes, can reveal key events of drainage evolution. This study evaluates paleo-environmental causes of mitochondrial DNA (mtDNA) based phylogeographic records of tigerfishes, genus Hydrocynus, in order to reconstruct their evolutionary history in relation to landscape evolution across Africa. Strong geographical structuring in a cytochrome b (cyt-b) gene phylogeny confirms the established morphological diversity of Hydrocynus and reveals the existence of five previously unknown lineages, with Hydrocynus tanzaniae sister to a clade comprising three previously unknown lineages (Groups B, C and D) and H. vittatus. The dated phylogeny constrains the principal cladogenic events that have structured Hydrocynus diversity from the late Miocene to the Plio-Pleistocene (ca. 0–16 Ma). Phylogeographic tests reveal that the diversity and distribution of Hydrocynus reflects a complex history of vicariance and dispersals, whereby range expansions in particular species testify to changes to drainage basins. Principal divergence events in Hydrocynus have interfaced closely with evolving drainage systems across tropical Africa. Tigerfish evolution is attributed to dominant control by pulses of geotectonism across the African plate. Phylogenetic relationships and divergence estimates among the ten mtDNA lineages illustrates where and when local tectonic events modified Africa's Neogene drainage. Haplotypes shared amongst extant Hydrocynus populations across northern Africa testify to recent dispersals that were facilitated by late Neogene connections across the Nilo-Sahelian drainage. These events in tigerfish evolution concur broadly with available geological evidence and reveal prominent control by the African Rift System, evident in the formative events archived in phylogeographic records of tigerfish.
Neuronal computations underlying the firing of place cells and their role in navigation

Our model of the spatial and temporal aspects of place cell firing and their role in rat navigation is reviewed. The model provides a candidate mechanism, at the level of individual cells, by which place cell information concerning self‐localization could be used to guide navigation to previously visited reward sites. The model embodies specific predictions regarding the formation of place fields, the phase coding of place cell firing with respect to the hippocampal theta rhythm, and the formation of neuronal population vectors downstream from the place cells that code for the directions of goals during navigation. Recent experiments regarding the spatial distribution of place cell firing have confirmed our initial modeling hypothesis, that place fields are formed from Gaussian tuning curve inputs coding for the distances from environmental features, and enabled us to further specify the functional form of these inputs. Other recent experiments regarding the temporal distribution of place cell firing in two‐dimensional environments have confirmed our predictions based on the temporal aspects of place cell firing on linear tracks. Directions for further experiments and refinements to the model are outlined for the future. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Childhood stroke in Eastern Province, KSA: pattern, risk factors, diagnosis and outcome

Background and purpose: Stroke has been increasingly recognized in children in recent years, but diagnosis and management can be difficult because of the diversity of underlying risk factors, atypical presentation and the absence of a uniform treatment approach. The aim of this study was to examine risk factors, clinical presentation, imaging findings and outcomes of paediatric stroke in Eastern Province, Kingdom of Saudi Arabia (KSA).
Analysis of Uncoupling Protein 2-Deficient Mice upon Anaesthesia and Sedation Revealed a Role for UCP2 in Locomotion

General anaesthesia is associated with hypothermia, oxidative stress, and immune depression. Uncoupling Protein (UCP2) is a member of the mitochondrial carrier family present in many organs including the spleen, the lung and the brain. A role of UCP2 in the activation of the inflammatory/immune cells, in the secretion of hormones, and in the excitability of neurons by regulating the production of reactive oxygen species has been discussed. Because of the side effects of anaesthesia listed above, we aimed to question the expression and the function of UCP2 during anaesthesia. Induction of anaesthesia with ketamine (20 mg/kg) or isoflurane (3.6%) and induction of sedation with the α2 adrenergic receptor agonist medetomidine (0.2 mg/kg) stimulated infiltration of immune cells in the lung and increased UCP2 protein content in the lung, in both immune and non-immune cells. UCP2 content in the lung inversely correlated with body temperature decrease induced by medetomidine treatment. Challenge of the Ucp2−/− mice with isoflurane and medetomidine revealed an earlier behavioral recovery phenotype. Transponder analysis of body temperature and activity showed no difference between Ucp2−/− and control mice in basal conditions. However, upon an acute decrease of body temperature induced by medetomidine, Ucp2−/− mice exhibited increased locomotion activity. Together, these results show that UCP2 is rapidly mobilized during anaesthesia and sedation in immune cells, and suggest a role of UCP2 in locomotion.
Dissipation and entanglement dynamics for two interacting qubits coupled to independent reservoirs

We derive the master equation of a system of two coupled qubits by taking into account their interaction with two independent bosonic baths. Important features of the dynamics are brought to light, such as the structure of the stationary state at general temperatures and the behaviour of the entanglement at zero temperature, showing the phenomena of sudden death and sudden birth as well as the presence of stationary entanglement for long times. The model presented here is quite versatile and can be of interest in the study of both Josephson junction architectures and cavity-QED.
Topical glucocorticoids downregulate COX‐1 positive cells in nasal polyps

Background: Influx of inflammatory cells is one of the hallmarks of nasal polyposis. As glucocorticoids (GC) are known to exhibit strong anti‐inflammatory effects, these drugs are frequently used in the treatment of the disease. Part of the anti‐inflammatory effects of GC is attributed to their interference with prostanoid synthesis. As cyclooxygenases (COX) are key enzymes in the synthesis of both pro‐ (COX‐1, COX‐2) and anti‐inflammatory prostanoids (COX‐2), we investigated the role of topical GC on COX‐1, COX‐2 and inflammatory markers in nasal polyps (NP).
Risk of Parkinson Disease in Diabetes Mellitus: An Updated Meta-Analysis of Population-Based Cohort Studies

AbstractPrevious meta-analysis has identified the associations between diabetes mellitus (DM) and the risk of Parkinson disease (PD). However, the results are still debatable. The purpose of this study is to perform an updated meta-analysis to investigate the up-to-date pooling evidence based on published population-based cohort studies and assess the association between DM and the risk of PD.Electronic database including Pubmed and Embase were searched to identify cohort studies published before October, 2015. Studies were selected if they reported the risk estimates for PD associated with DM. We pooled the adjusted effect estimates using random-effects meta-analysis. Funnel plot, Begg, or Egger test as well as Duval and Tweedie trim-and-fill approach were applied to assess publication bias.A total of 7 population-based cohort studies, representing 1,761,632 individuals were included in the meta-analysis. The pooled adjusted relative risk (RR) of PD associated with DM was 1.38 (95% CI 1.18–1.62, P < 0.001). An effect was consistent in female (RR 1.50 95% CI 1.07–2.11, P = 0.019) and in male (RR 1.40, 95% CI 1.17–1.67). The association was similar when stratified by study quality, research region, study design, sample size, published year, diabetes duration, and baseline age. The trim-and-fill approach confirmed the robutness of the result (RR 1.31, 95% CI 1.09–1.57, P = 0.015). Our findings based on population-based cohort studies indicate that diabetes is associated with increased PD risk by about 38%. More large-scale prospective studies are warranted to further clarify this association and its mechanism.
The Influence of Post Bleaching Treatments in Stain Absorption and Microhardness

Objectives: This study investigated the effects of post bleaching treatments to prevent restaining and the change of enamel surface microhardness after dental bleaching in vitro. Methods: Sixty intact human incisor teeth were stained in tea solution and randomly assigned into four groups (n=15). Then samples were bleached for two weeks (8 hours daily) by 15% carbamide peroxide. Tooth color was determined both with a spectrophotometer and visually before bleaching (T1) and immediately after bleaching (T2). Next, it was applied in group 1 fluoride (Naf 2%) gel for 2 minutes, and in group 2 a fractional CO2 laser (10 mJ, 200 Hz, 10 s), and in group 3, nanohydroxyapatite gel for 2 minutes. The bleached teeth in group 4 remained untreated (control group). Then teeth placed in tea solution again. Color examinations were repeated after various post bleaching treatments (T3) and restaining with tea (T4) and color change values recorded. The microhardness was measured at the enamel surface of samples. Data was analyzed using ANOVA, Tukey HSD test and Dunnett T3 (α = 0.05). Results: Directly after bleaching (ΔE T3-T2), the treatment with nanohydroxyapatite showed significantly the least color lapse in colorimetric evaluation. In experimental groups, the color change between T3 and T4 stages (ΔE T4-T3) was significantly lower than control group (P < 0.05). Different methods of enamel treatment caused a significant increase in surface microhardness compared to control group (P < 0.05). Significance: Application of fluoride, fractional CO2 laser and nanohydroxyapatite as post bleaching treatments are suggested for prevention of stain absorption and increasing the hardening of bleached enamel.
The Added Value of a Proposed Satellite Imager for Ground Level Particulate Matter Analyses and Forecasts

Monitoring aerosols over wide areas is important for the assessment of the population's exposure to health relevant particulate matter (PM). Satellite observations of aerosol optical depth (AOD) can contribute to the improvement of highly needed analyzed and forecasted distributions of PM when combined with a model and ground-based observations. In this paper, we evaluate the contribution of column AOD observations from a future imager on a geostationary satellite by performing an Observing System Simulation Experiment (OSSE). In the OSSE simulated imager, AOD observations and ground-based PM observations are assimilated in the chemistry transport model LOTOS-EUROS to assess the added value of the satellite observations relative to the value of ground-based observations. Results show that in highly polluted situations, the imager AOD observations improve analyzed and forecasted PM2.5 concentrations even in the vicinity of simultaneously incorporated ground-based PM observations. The added value of the proposed imager is small when considering monthly averaged PM distributions. This is attributed to relatively large errors in the imager AODs in case of background aerosol loads coupled to the fact that the imager AODs are column values and an indirect estimate of PM. In the future, model improvements and optimization of the assimilation system should be achieved for better handling of situations with aerosol plumes above the boundary layer and satellite observations containing aerosol profile information. With the suggested improvements, the developed OSSE will form a powerful tool for determining the added value of future missions and defining requirements for planned satellite observations.
Prevalence of taurodontism in the North Indian population

Objectives: Taurodontism affects primarily molars and premolars in both the deciduous and permanent dentition. The aim of the study was to assess the prevalence of taurodontism in the North Indian population. Study Design: 4143 patients were studied by analyzing the panoramic radiographs for the presence of taurodontism which is defined as the presence of an apically displaced pulp chamber and the tooth lacks the usual constriction at the cementoenamel junction. The age of the patients ranged from 13 to 38 years with a mean age of 21.8 years. Results: Taurodontism was found in 17 patients with a prevalence of 0.4% of which 0.21% were males and 0.19% females. Taurodonts were significantly more common in the maxilla (65.6%) than in the mandible (34.4%) (p<0.05) and the maxillary second molar (34.4%) was the most commonly involved tooth. According to the morphology hypotaurodonts were most common (75%) but there was no significant difference in males and females (p>0.05). Conclusion: Taurodontism is relatively uncommon in the North Indian population. Further large scale studies need to be carried out to assess its prevalence in the general population. A family history of other anomalies should also be considered for affected patients. Key words:Taurodontism, prevalence, maxillary second molar.