Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modular current source AC-Drive: A simple control scheme

Recent developments in current source topologies involve the staking of standard topologies to handle large currents as in medium voltage AC-drives. These solutions deal with (a) balancing currents among the topologies, (b) operating the group at unitary displacement power factor, and (c) accomplishing AC input current quality requirements. This paper presents a simple control strategy to achieve the objectives (a) and (b) in a stacked current source topology. In addition, the objective (c) is achieved by integrating the DC link current controllers with a modified master PLL algorithm, thus unity displacement power factor is reached before, during and after transient requirements. On the other hand, the input current quality is improved by using an optimized multilevel modulation technique. Complete mathematical formulations as well as experimental results validate the proposed approach.
The role of orthographic input in second language German: Evidence from naturalistic adult learners’ production

ABSTRACT A yearlong study of the acquisition of German by three American secondary school students reveals influence of orthographic input on their segmental development in phonology. The three had not been exposed to German prior to the year they spent in Germany, they received little explicit instruction on German, and they were the only native English speakers in their communities. Examination of their production of word-initial , which is realized as [z] in German but [s] in English, points to influence of the orthographic input they received while interacting with written text as fully matriculated students in German secondary schools. Despite considerable aural input from their standard German-speaking peers, teachers, and host family members over the 12 months of their stay in Germany, the three learners’ production of word-initial was typically [s]. Finer-grained analysis using Praat shows variation in voicing, suggesting these learners were also responding to the aural input.
The Development of Modern Chinese Literature Studies in the West

The serious study of modem Chinese literature by Westem scholars has developed considerably over the last 20 years or so, to the point where it now can be properly termed a "fileld. " It is no longer simply a substratum of sinology; it has emerged from that peculiar blend of philology, history, archaeology, literary study, and other China-related scholarship not quite appropriate to any of the traditional academic disciplines. A variety of approaches to the new field have been taken by diverse groups of China specialists-historians, social scientists, and literary scholars alike. To be sure, the field is populated by proportionally fewer literary critics than is the case with most other literatures, but, nonetheless, scholars more heavily inclined toward literary analysis are gradually beginning to enter the field. Being relatively new, the field is continually expanding and developing, and in the process it is embracing a diversity of attitudes, approaches, and methods. A central issue in the development of the field is the type of approach which is taken: the political, cultural, and aesthetic
The Barnes Foundation

Abstract This article tells the story of the author's invitation to teach at the Barnes Foundation, and her transformative experience as a teacher in this extraordinary place. The author comes to realize that the Barnes is the physical realization of a philosophical dream, and progresses to an understanding of how Albert C. Barnes collected and assembled works of art to be moved around for the imperative of teaching, a small evolving universe of art and ideas. At the Barnes, the theory that art is for everyone comes to life. Here the belief that art can be appreciated and made sense of by all of us is tested, and made possible. The author proposes that above all, the Barnes is a place for teaching, where freedom to see, think, appreciate, and understand works of art is at the core.
Dexmedetomidine as an anaesthetic adjuvant in patients undergoing intracranial tumour surgery: a double-blind, randomized and placebo-controlled study.

BACKGROUND Dexmedetomidine (DEX) has been shown to provide good perioperative haemodynamic stability with decreased intraoperative opioid requirements. It may have neural protective effects, and thus may be a suitable anaesthetic adjuvant to neurosurgical anaesthesia. METHODS Fifty-four patients scheduled for elective surgery of supratentorial brain tumour were randomized to receive in a double-blind manner a continuous DEX infusion (plasma target concentration 0.2 or 0.4 ng ml(-1)) or placebo, beginning 20 min before anaesthesia and continuing until the start of skin closure. The DEX groups received fentanyl 2 microg kg(-1) at the induction of anaesthesia and before the start of operation, the placebo group 4 microg kg(-1), respectively. Anaesthesia was maintained with nitrous oxide in oxygen and isoflurane. RESULTS The median times from the termination of N2O to extubation were 6 (3-27), 3 (0-20) and 4 (0-13) min in placebo, DEX-0.2 and DEX-0.4 groups, respectively (P<0.05 anova all-over effect). The median percentage of time points when systolic blood pressure was within more or less than 20% of the intraoperative mean was 72, 77 and 85, respectively (P<0.01), DEX-0.4 group differed significantly from the other groups. DEX blunted the tachycardic response to intubation (P<0.01) and the hypertensive response to extubation (P<0.01). DEX-0.4 group differed in the heart rate variability from placebo (93 vs 82%, P<0.01). CONCLUSIONS DEX increased perioperative haemodynamic stability in patients undergoing brain tumour surgery. Compared with fentanyl, the trachea was extubated [corrected] faster without respiratory depression.
BER Performance of Free-Space Optical Transmission with Spatial Diversity

Free space optical (FSO) communications is a cost-effective and high bandwidth access technique, which has been receiving growing attention with recent commercialization successes. A major impairment in FSO links is the turbulence- induced fading which severely degrades the link performance. To mitigate turbulence-induced fading and, therefore, to improve the error rate performance, spatial diversity can be used over FSO links which involves the deployment of multiple laser transmitters/receivers. In this paper, we investigate the bit error rate (BER) performance of FSO links with spatial diversity over log- normal atmospheric turbulence fading channels, assuming both independent and correlated channels among transmitter/receiver apertures. Our analytical derivations build upon an approximation to the sum of correlated log-normal random variables. The derived BER expressions quantify the effect of spatial diversity and possible spatial correlations in a log-normal channel.
Improvements in the order, isotropy and electron density of glypican-1 crystals by controlled dehydration

The use of controlled dehydration for improvement of protein crystal diffraction quality is increasing in popularity, although there are still relatively few documented examples of success. A study has been carried out to establish whether controlled dehydration could be used to improve the anisotropy of crystals of the core protein of the human proteoglycan glypican-1. Crystals were subjected to controlled dehydration using the HC1 device. The optimal protocol for dehydration was developed by careful investigation of the following parameters: dehydration rate, final relative humidity and total incubation time Tinc. Of these, the most important was shown to be Tinc. After dehydration using the optimal protocol the crystals showed significantly reduced anisotropy and improved electron density, allowing the building of previously disordered parts of the structure.
Ecb/cepr/ifw Labour Market Workshop on " Wages in a Time of Adjustment and Restructuring" Some Evidence on the Importance of Sticky Wages Some Evidence on the Importance of Sticky Wages *

The views expressed in this paper are those of the author(s) and not those of the funding organization(s) or of CEPR, which takes no institutional policy positions. Abstract Nominal wage stickiness is an important component of recent medium-scale structural macroeconomic models, but to date there has been little microeconomic evidence supporting the assumption of sluggish nominal wage adjustment. We present evidence on the frequency of nominal wage adjustment using data from the Survey of Income and Program Participation (SIPP) for the period 1996-1999. The SIPP provides high-frequency information on wages, employment and demographic characteristics for a large and representative sample of the US population. The main results of the analysis are as follows. 1) After correcting for measurement error, wages appear to be very sticky. In the average quarter, the probability that an individual will experience a nominal wage change is between 5 and 18 percent, depending on the samples and assumptions used. 2) The frequency of wage adjustment does not display significant seasonal patterns. 3) There is little heterogeneity in the frequency of wage adjustment across industries and occupations 4) The hazard of a nominal wage change first increases and then decreases, with a peak at 12 months. 5) The probability of a wage change is positively correlated with the unemployment rate and with the consumer price inflation rate.
Molecular Identification of Potential Selective Estrogen Receptor Modulator (SERM) Like Properties of Phytoestrogens in the Human Breast Cancer Cell Line MCF-7

Numerous epidemiologic studies revealed that ethnic populations with higher dietary intake of phytoestrogens have the lowest incidence for breast cancer. The molecular mechanisms which may be responsible for this cancer protective action of phytoestrogens are so far only barely characterised. There are some hints that phytoestrogens may act like selective estrogen receptor modulators (SERMs) on the breast. For this reason we have investigated potential SERM-like properties of the phytoestrogens daidzein (Dai), coumestrol (Cou), and genistein (Gen) in the human breast cancer cell line MCF-7. Effects of these substances on progesterone (PR) and estrogen receptor alpha (ER) mRNA expression and estrogen receptor alpha protein levels were studied in comparison to estradiol (E2) and the synthetic SERMs raloxifene (Ral) and faslodex (ICI 182 780). PR mRNA expression was up-regulated after administration of Cou, whereas treatment with Dai and Gen induced only a faint increase. ER mRNA expression was down-regulated by Cou but not affected by Dai and Gen. The content of ER protein in the breast cancer cells was strongly decreased by Gen, only a faint reduction could be observed following administration of Cou, whereas administration of Dai slightly increases ER protein levels. In summary and in comparison to the effects observed after administration of E2, Ral, and ICI it turned out that Cou shows molecular properties which are very similar to an estrogen receptor agonist like E2, whereas the molecular properties of Gen are comparable to the SERMs ICI and Ral. These results clearly indicate that phytoestrogens differ significantly in regard to their molecular action on breast cancer cells and can be subdivided into distinct functional categories.
Morphological awareness skills of fourth-grade African American students.

PURPOSE We examined the morphological awareness skills of fourth-grade African American children and the association between degree of African American English (AAE) use and performance on written measures of morphological awareness. Additional purposes were to determine whether performance on the morphological awareness tasks (a) was affected by the transparency of morphologically related words and the type of task administered, (b) was associated with other literacy and literacy-related skills, and (c) explained unique variance on these latter abilities. METHOD Thirty fourth-grade African American children from low-income backgrounds were administered 2 morphological awareness tasks and completed norm-referenced measures of word-level reading, reading comprehension, spelling, phonemic awareness, and receptive vocabulary. RESULTS The degree of AAE use was not associated with students' performance on the morphological awareness tasks. On these tasks, significantly higher scores were obtained on items that represented a transparent relationship between a base word and its derived form. The students' performance on the morphological awareness tasks was significantly and moderately related to their performance on the word-level reading, spelling, and receptive vocabulary measures. Morphological awareness scores explained significant unique variance on measures of word-level reading and spelling, above that predicted by performance on measures of phonemic awareness and vocabulary. CONCLUSION As shown in previous investigations of Caucasian children's morphological awareness skills, fourth-grade African American students' morphological awareness abilities are associated with select language and literacy skills. Professionals should capitalize on students' intact capabilities in morphological awareness during literacy instruction in an effort to maximize language and literacy performance for African American students.
Prophylaxis of human toxoplasmosis: a systematic review

Abstract Toxoplasmosis is an infection caused by the intracellular protozoan parasite Toxoplasma gondii, and is associated with clinically significant infection in immunocompromised individuals. Vertical transmission during pregnancy can manifest as congenital toxoplasmosis in the neonate, and can have serious consequences. This review aims to describe the modalities for prophylaxis of toxoplasmosis in susceptible populations, and focuses on the following: (1) prophylaxis of congenital toxoplasmosis; (2) prophylaxis of toxoplasmosis in patients with HIV/AIDS; and (3) prophylaxis of toxoplasmosis in transplant recipients.
EFFECTS OF THE DECEMBER 26, 2004 SUMATRA EARTHQUAKE AND TSUNAMI ON PHYSICAL INFRASTRUCTURE

A devastating earthquake and the resulting tsunami hit coastal areas of Indian Ocean on December 26, 2004. A team of Canadian engineers conducted a reconnaissance in Thailand and Indonesia. Their findings are presented in the paper in terms of performance of buildings, bridges, coastal structures and other physical infrastructure. It was observed that non-engineered reinforced concrete structures, low-rise timber frames and unreinforced masonry buildings suffered extensive damage due to hydrodynamic pressures generated by tsunami and impact forces induced by floating debris. Banda Aceh, Indonesia suffered extensive damage due to seismic excitations. A large number of non-engineered and engineered reinforced concrete frame buildings experienced partial or total collapse. A number of 3 to 5 story engineered reinforced concrete government buildings and shopping centers were damaged due to lack of proper seismic design practices. The engineering significance of disaster is presented in the paper with observations made during the reconnaissance visit.
Creating a coaching culture

Purpose – This paper aims to summarise the author's recent research into what is involved in creating a coaching culture.Design/methodology/approach – Based on a series of organisation cases six dimensions are identified and four sub‐dimensions within each, and an instrument is developed that assesses the level of development of organisations across these dimensions. More work remains to be done in validating the instrument, but it has already been found to provide a framework for consideration of the issues in creating a coaching culture in a number of international organisations.Findings – The study finds that addressing the organisational dimension by exploring the agenda for creating a coaching culture is one way to direct attention and energy towards the business benefits. The fuller findings of this study are published as in Making Coaching Work: Creating a Coaching Culture.Practical implications – The article provides an agenda for practitioners – both business leaders and development advisors, and.
Outcome of Carotid Stenting Versus Endarterectomy: A Case-Control Study

Background and Purpose— To compare perioperative and midterm results of carotid artery stenting (CAS) versus carotid endarterectomy (CEA) in similar cohorts of patients, a retrospectively matched case-control study was performed. Methods— Three hundred and one case subjects undergoing CAS with cerebral protection and 301 concurrent matched-controls undergoing CEA were examined. Matching was by sex, age (±2 years), symptoms and coronary disease. Results— The 30-day disabling stroke/death rate was 2.6% in the CAS group versus 1.3% in the CEA group (odds ratio [OR] 2; 95% CI, 0.54 to 9.35; P=0.4). CAS patients had a significantly higher risk of periprocedural stroke (7.9% versus 2.3%; OR, 5.2; 95% CI, 1.7 to 18; P=0.001) than CEA patients. However, there was a decreasing trend in 30-day neurological event rates for the last 201 CAS matched cases: 5.4% versus 1.9% (OR 2.8; 95% CI, 0.8 to 10.2; P=0.1). Fifty percent of CAS disabling strokes occurred during cannulation of epiaortic vessels before placement of cerebral protection. Conditional multivariate analysis revealed CAS as a predictor of 30-day stroke (hazard ratios [HR] 3.9; 95% CI, 1.6 to 9.4; P=0.002) but not of 30-day disabling stroke/death (HR 3.6; 95% CI, 0.93 to 13.9; P=0.06). Restenosis free intervals at 36 months were 93.6% versus 92.1% for CAS and CEA, respectively, (P=0.6). Conclusions— When comparing CAS with CEA, the risk of any neurological events is still higher, particularly during catheterism and ballooning. The effect of the learning curve related to technical expertise and patient selection may influence the outcome of CAS versus CEA. In the midterm the restenosis rate of CAS compares favorably to CEA.
Gender-specific trends in the value of education and the emerging gender gap in college completion

Analysis of March Current Population Survey data from 1964 through 2002 shows that white women overtook white men in their rates of college completion and that this phenomenon occurred during a period in which women’s standard-of-living gains from college completion grew at a faster rate than those for men. We assess whether these trends are related to changes in the value of education for men and women in terms of earnings returns to higher education, the probability of getting and staying married, education-related differences in family standard of living, and insurance against living in poverty. Although returns to a college education in the form of earnings remained higher for women than for men over the entire period, trends in these returns do not provide a plausible explanation for gender-specific trends in college completion. But when broader measures of material well- being are taken into account, women’s returns to higher education appear to have risen faster than those of men.
Comparison of pathological outcomes of active surveillance candidates who underwent radical prostatectomy using contemporary protocols at a high-volume Korean center.

OBJECTIVE We compared contemporary active surveillance protocols based on pathological outcomes in patients who underwent radical prostatectomy. METHODS We identified the experimental cohort from prostate cancer patients who underwent radical prostatectomy between 2001 and 2011, and who met the inclusion criteria of five published active surveillance protocols, namely Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, University of California at San Francisco, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, University of Miami and Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance. To compare each protocol, we evaluated the pathological outcomes and calculated the sensitivity, specificity and accuracy for each protocol according to the proportion of organ-confined Gleason≤6 disease. RESULTS Overall, 376 patients met the inclusion criteria of the active surveillance protocols with 61, 325, 222, 212 and 206 patients meeting the criteria of the Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, University of California at San Francisco, Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, University of Miami and Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance protocols, respectively. The sensitivity and specificity values of the five protocols, respectively, were 0.199 and 0.882 in Johns Hopkins Medical Institution, 0.855 and 0.124 in University of California at San Francisco, 0.638 and 0.468 in Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center, 0.599 and 0.479 in University of Miami, and 0.609 and 0.527 in Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance. In terms of both the sensitivity and specificity, Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance was the most balanced protocol. In addition, Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance showed a more accurate performance for favourable pathological outcomes than the others. However, using the area under the curve to compare the discriminative ability of each protocol, there were no statistically significant differences. CONCLUSIONS The contemporary active surveillance protocols showed similar pathological characteristics in patients who had undergone radical prostatectomy. However, we concluded that the Prostate Cancer Research International: Active Surveillance protocol would be most helpful to Korean populations in choosing candidates for active surveillance considering the balance between sensitivity and specificity and the accuracy of diagnosis.
Women's satisfaction with the quality of the birth experience: A prospective study of social and psychological predictors

Abstract A prospective study of 59 first-time mothers-to-be was conducted. The women were interviewed twice, towards the end of their pregnancies and again after the birth of their babies, to determine their satisfaction with the quality of the birth experience. Measures of preparation for childbirth, satisfaction with information, social support, expected pain and health locus of control were taken at time 1, and measures of preparation for childbirth, social SUPPOK, reported pain, symptoms of stress, reports of the baby's behaviour, and satisfaction with the birth experience were taken at time 2. Working-class women felt they had been less well prepared than middle-class women and they were less satisfied with the information about childbirth. Middle-class women felt better supposed by their partners, family and neighbours than did working-class women. Working-class women were more likely to attribute both health and illness to chance than were middle-class women, and they were less satisfied with the b.