Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Decoupling-Controlled Triport Composited DC/DC Converter for Multiple Energy Interface

In this paper, a decoupled controlled triport dc/dc converter is derived by combining two bidirectional single-phase buck-boost converters and one isolated full-bridge converter for multiple input source applications. The power density is improved, and the circuit structure is simplified because the power devices are completely shared in the primary side. Furthermore, the pulsewidth modulation plus phase-shift control strategy is introduced to provide two control freedoms and achieve the decoupled voltage regulation within a certain operating range. The duty cycle of the bidirectional buck-boost converters is adopted to balance the voltage between the two primary input terminals, while their phase angle is applied to regulate the accurate secondary voltage. Furthermore, zero-voltage-switching soft-switching operation is provided for all of the primary power switches due to the inherent phase-shift control scheme. Moreover, the two filter inductors in the bidirectional buck-boost converters and the isolated transformer in the full-bridge topology are integrated and replaced by the winding-cross-coupled inductors to reduce the component numbers and simplify the magnetic structure. Finally, a 1-kW prototype is built to verify all theoretical considerations, and it is shown that the proposed topology is particularly advantageous in the distributed power generation system with multiple energy sources.
Vibrio vulnificus: An Environmental and Clinical Burden

Vibrio vulnificus is a Gram negative, rod shaped bacterium that belongs to the family Vibrionaceae. It is a deadly, opportunistic human pathogen which is responsible for the majority of seafood-associated deaths worldwide. V. vulnificus infection can be fatal as it may cause severe wound infections potentially requiring amputation or lead to sepsis in susceptible individuals. Treatment is increasingly challenging as V. vulnificus has begun to develop resistance against certain antibiotics due to their indiscriminate use. This article aims to provide insight into the antibiotic resistance of V. vulnificus in different parts of the world as well as an overall review of its clinical manifestations, treatment, and prevention. Understanding the organism's antibiotic resistance profile is vital in order to select appropriate treatment and initiate appropriate prevention measures to treat and control V. vulnificus infections, which should eventually help lower the mortality rate associated with this pathogen worldwide.
On the Relationship Between Psychological Empowerment, Trust, and Iranian EFL Teachers’ Job Satisfaction

This study aimed at relating trust and psychological empowerment to Iranian English as a foreign language (EFL) teachers’ job satisfaction. Participants were 217 (117 females and 100 males) Iranian EFL teachers teaching in secondary school. Four dimensions of psychological empowerment (meaning, competence, self-determination, and impact), three faculty trust (trust in principal, trust in colleague, and trust in students and parents), and two aspects of job satisfaction (intrinsic and extrinsic) were measured. The collected data were analyzed by means of structural equation modeling (SEM) using the AMOS 20 program. Results indicated that psychological empowerment was directly related to job satisfaction; however, trust was indirectly related to job satisfaction through psychological empowerment. Assuming job satisfaction as the causing factor, results indicated that job satisfaction could be directly related to other two variables. Findings have valuable implications for secondary school principals and authorities of Ministry of Education in higher levels.
Lessons Learned in Otologic Surgery: 30 Years of Malpractice Cases in the United States

Objective To analyze malpractice litigation trends to better understand the causes and outcomes of suits involving otologic surgeries to prevent future litigation and improve physician awareness. Methods Court records of legal trials from 1983 to 2012 were obtained from 2 major computerized databases—WESTLAW and LexisNexis. Data were compiled on the demographics of the defendant, plaintiff, use of otolaryngologists/otologists as expert witnesses, nature of injury, type of surgery, legal allegations, verdicts, and judgments. Results Fifty-eight unique cases met inclusion criteria and were selected for review. The most common surgeries that went to trial were mastoidectomy (48%), ossiculoplasty (21%), and tympanoplasty (16%). Eleven (19%) of the cases were resolved through a settlement before a verdict was reached. Verdicts in favor of the plaintiffs (31%) were awarded an average of $1,131,189. The most common alleged injuries were hearing loss (45%) and facial nerve injury (38%). Of the cases found in favor of the plaintiff, the most common reasons cited were improper performance of the surgery (50%), failure to properly diagnose and treat (33%), and inadequate informed consent and delay in diagnosis (22% each). Case outcomes involving pediatric patients were not significantly different than those of adults (p = 0.34); however, adults received higher financial awards on average ($1 million versus $232,000; p < 0.0003). Conclusion Obtaining an appropriate diagnosis, thoroughly discussing all options and potential risks, presenting realistic expectations, and executing the surgery correctly are crucial to patient care. Understanding the reasons surgeons go to trial may assist in mitigating risk for potential lawsuits.
Precipitation of a Selenium Deficiency by High Dietary Levels of Copper and Zinc 1

Summary High mortality and a high incidence of exudative diathesis and muscular dystrophy were observed in chicks fed a diet supplemented with either 800 or 1600 ppm copper. Adding 0.5 ppm selenium to a basal diet containing 0.2 ppm prevented mortality and selenium deficiency signs. Dietary zinc levels of 2100 to 4100 ppm also resulted in high mortality, exudative diathesis, and muscular dystrophy. A selenium supplement of 0.5 ppm completely prevented the deficiency signs and markedly reduced mortality. The results demonstrate that both copper and zinc can induce a selenium deficiency in chicks when a diet relatively low in this element is fed.
Supervised and Semi-Supervised Text Categorization using One-Hot LSTM for Region Embeddings

One-hot CNN (convolutional neural network) has been shown to be effective for text categorization in our previous work. We view it as a special case of a general framework which jointly trains a linear model with a non-linear feature generator consisting of ‘text region embedding + pooling’. Under this framework, we explore a more sophisticated region embedding method using Long Short-Term Memory (LSTM). LSTM can embed text regions of variable (and possibly large) sizes, whereas the region size needs to be fixed in a CNN. We seek the best use of LSTM for the purpose in the supervised and semi-supervised settings, starting with the idea of one-hot LSTM, which eliminates the customarily used word embedding layer. Our results indicate that on this task, embeddings of text regions, which can convey higher concepts than single words in isolation, are more useful than word embeddings. We report performances exceeding the previous best results on four benchmark datasets.
Passive study of thermal inertia and thermal behavior of two locals ‘test’ with and without PCM located in Casablanca city

To highlight the contribution of the PCM in terms of thermal inertia in the building, we conducted a comparative study of passive heat balance in two cavities scale 1 built in the Faculty of Sciences Aïn Chock, Casablanca. The experimental consist of two identical cells, the reference cavity is standard and the other cavity incorporate a phase change material (PCM) which fusion begins at a temperature of 22°C and ends at about 45°C. In this experimental and preliminary study, we equipped the two cells by a set of thermocouples and equipment for measuring the necessary physical variables for the identification of the thermal efficiency of the cell with MCP. The results of this study show that, first, the oscillation amplitude of the inside temperature decreases greatly in the cavity with PCM. On the other hand, there is time shift (delay) between these oscillations and those of the internal temperature of the reference cavity. This shows the ability of PCM to increase the thermal inertia of the walls.
Confirmation of the factorial structure of neighbourhood attachment and neighbourhood identity scale

Abstract Previous studies indicate that attachment and identity imply different relationships with a place, but that the high correlation between both variables often hinders their empirical and conceptual differentiation. Such lack of clarity of the relationship between different place-related concepts is for many the main obstacle to furthering progress in this field. In this study, a confirmatory factorial analysis was conducted to verify the factorial structure of the neighbourhood attachment and neighbourhood identity scale developed by Hernández, Hidalgo, Salazar-Laplace, and Hess (2007). Moreover a simultaneous comparison was made of two groups based on the variable, length of residence. The results corroborate the structure of both factors, validate it as being the same in both groups, and assess the influence of length of residence on intensity of bond.
Distribution of Immunocompetent Cells in Decidua of Controlled and Uncontrolled (Choriocarcinoma/Hydatidiform mole) Trophoblast Invasion

Problem: Pregnancy has been considered as a model of successfully controlled tissue invasion where trophoblast cells infiltrate the maternal decidua without being rejected or without destroying the tissue. In choriocarcinoma (CC) and hydatidiform mole (HM), a dysregulation of invasive (malignant/benign) trophoblast cells is present. Immunocompetent cells (IC) are known to be involved in rejection pathways of malignant cells and can also be identified in early pregnancy decidua. The aim of the present study was to identify the phenotype of IC in decidua of women with normal pregnancy (NP), CC and HM.
Intracellular sphingosine releases calcium from lysosomes

To elucidate new functions of sphingosine (Sph), we demonstrate that the spontaneous elevation of intracellular Sph levels via caged Sph leads to a significant and transient calcium release from acidic stores that is independent of sphingosine 1-phosphate, extracellular and ER calcium levels. This photo-induced Sph-driven calcium release requires the two-pore channel 1 (TPC1) residing on endosomes and lysosomes. Further, uncaging of Sph leads to the translocation of the autophagy-relevant transcription factor EB (TFEB) to the nucleus specifically after lysosomal calcium release. We confirm that Sph accumulates in late endosomes and lysosomes of cells derived from Niemann-Pick disease type C (NPC) patients and demonstrate a greatly reduced calcium release upon Sph uncaging. We conclude that sphingosine is a positive regulator of calcium release from acidic stores and that understanding the interplay between Sph homeostasis, calcium signaling and autophagy will be crucial in developing new therapies for lipid storage disorders such as NPC. DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.7554/eLife.10616. 001
‘What is wrong with a woman being chief?’ Women Chiefs and Symbolic and Substantive Representation in Botswana

Across the globe women are accessing national legislatures and executives in unprecedented numbers. Over the last 25 years several African countries have led the way in women’s representation in parliaments and, more recently, in cabinets. At the same time, governments and foreign donors are increasingly focusing on the role of traditional leaders in local-level politics as states democratize and decentralize across the continent. Once considered hopelessly undemocratic and patriarchal, traditional leaders are more recently viewed in many African countries as one half of a viable and effective hybrid system at the local level. In addition, whereas the role of chief has been largely the preserve of African men, African women are increasingly asserting a right to become chief. This article, using Botswana as a case study, suggests that the increased presence of women in national legislatures and executives may be having a symbolic representation effect on African women who are insisting that they too may access political power, even in positions formerly unavailable to them, such as chief. This article further suggests that, like their women counterparts in African parliaments, once they gain access to political office, women chiefs may substantively represent women’s interests, in venues such as a House of Chiefs and in their communities.
Food and Holiness : Cooking as a Sacred Act among Middle-Eastern Jewish Women

Techniques et pratiques culinaires, ritualisation et sacralisation d'une activite initialement profane, identite religieuse et religiosite des juives de Jerusalem, alors meme qu'elles se trouvent exclues de la plupart des activites religieuses traditionnelles
Prognostic Significance of Statin Use in Colorectal Cancer

Abstract Statin intake has been reported to reduce the risk of several malignancies beyond its cholesterol-lowering effects. However, little is known regarding the survival benefit of statins for patients with colorectal cancer (CRC). We conducted a systematic literature search of multiple databases for studies published before November 2014, which investigated associations between statin intake and CRC prognosis. Meta-analysis was performed using random-effects model. The primary outcomes of interest were all-cause mortality (ACM) and cancer-specific mortality (CSM). Ten studies involving 76,851 patients were eligible for this meta-analysis, with 7 studies investigating prediagnosis statin use and 5 studies reporting postdiagnosis statin use. Prediagnosis statin use was associated with reduced ACM (hazard ratio [HR] 0.73, 95% confidence interval [CI] 0.61–0.88, P = 0.001) and CSM (HR 0.80, 95% CI 0.77–0.84, P < 0.001) for patients with CRC. This effect persisted when stratified by tumor site and in studies adjusted by nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drug use. In addition, postdiagnosis statin use was associated with decreased CSM (HR 0.70, 95% CI 0.60–0.82, P < 0.001). However, we did not note reduced ACM for postdiagnosis statin use (HR 0.93, 95% CI 0.68–1.27, P = 0.639). There appeared to be an association between postdiagnosis statin use and increased ACM in KRAS-mutated CRC. Our findings provide evidence that prediagnosis statin therapy was associated with reduced ACM and CSM in CRC patients; postdiagnosis statin therapy indicated decreased CSM. However, findings may not apply to patients with postdiagnosis statin therapy for ACM. Further studies are warranted to determine the relation between statin dose and duration on CRC survival.
Hepatitis C treatment.

The combined American Association for the Study of Liver Diseases (AASLD) and Infectious Diseases Society of America (IDSA) guidelines for the treatment of chronic Hepatitis C are available at www.hcvguidelines. org/. These guidelines are updated frequently, so providers should check them periodically for the most up to date recommendations on patient care. The recommendations in these guidelines are a valuable resource for this policy but do not alone form a basis for approval of a particular course of treatment. To ensure that patients with the greatest need receive treatment, patients must be prioritized so that those with at least portal fibrosis, liver-related complications or severe extrahepatic Hepatitis C complications are given the highest priority for treatment.
Gender and Soil Fertility in Uganda: A Comparison of Soil Fertility Indicators for Women and Men's Agricultural Plots

The removal of subsidy under the structural adjustment programs of the World Bank has increased the cost of fertilizers and lowered the level of fertilizer input use among the small-scale farmers in Uganda and in many African countries. It is also reported that female farmers lack cash or credit to finance agricultural inputs, as such they apply less fertilizers to their crops than male farmers. In addition there is a perception that female farmers in Africa are allocated less fertile land by their spouses. We conducted this research to determine whether the gender difference in wealth and land allocation between male and female farmers in male-headed households is manifested in soil fertility indicators. We determined chemical fertility levels (fertility indicators) in the composite topsoil samples from 5 woman-owned plots and 5 man- owned plots in Ntanzi village, Uganda, on a Rhodic Ferralsol. A similar study was conducted on 8 woman-owned and 8 man-owned plots in Buggala Island, Uganda, on a Ferralic Arenosol. In total we took topsoil samples from 13 male-headed households, and sampled by horizon 13 soil profiles. No female-headed households (FHHs) were included in this study. Therefore when we use the words "women" or "female" we are referring to married women/females in male-headed households. The FHHs were omitted from this study because they had no consistent comparable "male match" with agricultural plots from which we could take soil samples. The study showed no statistical significant difference between soil fertility indicators of plots owned by wives vs husbands. The soil data from wives' and husbands' plots had low soil fertility levels of most soil fertility indicators, implying that they had been under comparable poor management practices. On-farm demonstrations of soil nutrient management options are recommended to convince both women and men farmers about the benefits of improved soil fertility technologies.
Enhanced Least Squares Support Vector Machines for Decision Modeling in a Multi-Sensor Fusion Framework

In this article we introduce a software framework for embedded online data fusion on different levels of data abstraction. We present our data oriented fusion model and introduce the main functional units. The paper is focused to the decision modeling process. In our approach we use Support Vector Machines (SVM) as well as Least Squares SVM (LS-SVM) for decision modeling. Due to the computation complexity and the necessary memory requirements we prefer LS-SVM for the classification tasks. The main disadvantage of LS-SVM is the loss of sparseness by using equality constraints instead of inequality constraints in the cost function. We introduce a novel method for intelligent data preselection (PTD LS-SVM) to compensate for this short coming. Experimental results demonstrate the feasibility of this approach.
Design and methods of the National Cooperative Inner‐City Asthma Study

The National Cooperative Inner‐City Asthma Study (NCICAS) was established to identify and then intervene on those factors which are related to asthma morbidity among children in the inner‐city. This paper describes the design and methods of the broad‐based initial Phase I epidemiologic investigation. Eight research centers enrolled 1,528 children, 4 to 9 years of age, from English‐ or Spanish‐speaking families, all of whom resided in major metropolitan inner‐city areas. The protocol included an eligibility assessment and an extensive baseline visit, during which symptom data, such as wheezing, lost sleep, changes in activities of daily living, inpatient admissions, and emergency department and clinic visits were collected. A comprehensive medical history for each child was taken and adherence to the medical regimen was assessed. Access, as well as barriers, to the medical system were addressed by a series of questions including the location, availability, and consistency of treatment for asthma attacks, follow‐up care, and primary care. The psychological health of the caretaker and of the child was also measured. Asthma knowledge of the child and caretaker was determined. Sensitization to allergens was assessed by skin‐prick allergen testing and exposure to cigarette smoke and the home environment were assessed by questionnaire. For more than a third of the families, in‐home visits were conducted with dust sample allergen collection and documentation of the home environment, such as the presence of pets and evidence of smoking, mildew, and roaches. Urine specimens were collected to measure passive smoke exposure by cotinine assays, blood samples were drawn for banking, and children age 6 to 9 years were given spirometric lung function assessment. At 3, 6 and 9 months following the baseline assessment, telephone interviews were conducted to ask about the child's symptoms, unscheduled emergency department or clinic visits, and hospitalizations. At this time, peak flow measurements with 2‐week diary symptom records were collected. Pediatr. Pulmonol. 1997;24:237–252. © 1997 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
The seed bank in an old-growth, temperate deciduous forest

We assessed the size and composition of the seed bank in 31 plots representing a range of habitats within an old-growth, temperate deciduous forest at Mont St. Hilaire, Quebec, Canada. We identified 49 taxa in the seed bank, with an average of 40 species·m -2 and a median density of 1218 seeds·m -2 . The most frequent seeds were species of Carex and Rubus, Diervilla lonicera, and Eupatorium rugosum, while seeds of Carex were the most numerous overall. Of the 12 species in the seed bank not found in the forest, 11 were found growing on the developed landscape sur- rounding this 10-km 2 forest fragment. These nonforest species were numerically only a minor component of the forest seed bank. Vernal herbs were not in the seed bank, and there were only a few tree species. Variation in seed bank rich- ness among habitats was correlated positively with canopy cover, soil moisture, and soil nutrients, but not with the seed bank density or total number of species in the aboveground vegetation. Seed bank density increased with plot soil moisture. Woody species predominated in the seed bank of plots with richer soils, deeper litter, and more closed cano- pies. Herbaceous species predominated in the seed bank of plots with more open canopies, more mesic water regimes, and greater species richness in the aboveground vegetation. Contrary to earlier results suggesting forest seed banks pri - marily include shade-intolerant species associated with canopy disturbance or secondary succession, the seed bank in this old-growth, primary forest contains many shade-tolerant forest species.
The potential role of cell phones in dissemination of bacteria in a healthcare setting

Mobile phones are essential accessories that are being used in everyday life, both in its professional and private capacities. These devices are usually stored in handbags and/or in the pockets of their owners’ clothing, therefore they are being touched by hands and come in close contact with human skin, not to mention that they are being placed on numerous surfaces countless number of time each and every day what causes the microorganisms to migrate from any other surface that the phone had contact with to a phone itself [1,2]. The average user of a cell phone touches its screen around one hundred and fifty times a day [3] causing the migration of the bacteria from the wireless phone to the skin and vice versa [4,5]. Studies conducted by Grice et al. [6] and Griece and Serge [7] showed that the human microbiota can show interpersonal dissimilarity and that the same rule applies to the microorganisms that can be found on the human skin. Furthermore, Meadow, Altrichter, Green [8] stated in their research that in twenty-two percent of cases studied, the microorganisms that were originally present on the hands of the owners of cell phones, have also been present on the surface of their mobile phones.
Brain Distribution Characteristics of Xanthine Derivatives and Relation to their Locomotor Activity in Mice

The relationship between the brain distribution and motor activity in mice of the xanthines, theophylline, enprofylline, 1‐methyl‐3‐propylxanthine (MPX) and oxpentifylline was investigated. Their plasma protein binding and hydrophobicity were also examined.