Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analog circuits in ultra-deep-submicron CMOS

Modern and future ultra-deep-submicron (UDSM) technologies introduce several new problems in analog design. Nonlinear output conductance in combination with reduced voltage gain pose limits in linearity of (feedback) circuits. Gate-leakage mismatch exceeds conventional matching tolerances. Increasing area does not improve matching any more, except if higher power consumption is accepted or if active cancellation techniques are used. Another issue is the drop in supply voltages. Operating critical parts at higher supply voltages by exploiting combinations of thin- and thick-oxide transistors can solve this problem. Composite transistors are presented to solve this problem in a practical way. Practical rules of thumb based on measurements are derived for the above phenomena.
Economies of scale and cost efficiency in the postal services: empirical evidence from Switzerland

This paper investigates the scale and cost efficiency of the Swiss Post using an econometric approach. Our empirical analysis considers a sample of postal offices operating in the Italian-speaking part of Switzerland. The paper considers estimation of a log-log cost function employing a data set for the year 2001 with information on 47 small local post offices. The empirical evidence indicates the existence of economies of scale. Further, the outcome of this analysis shows that approximately 50% of the postal offices operate close to the regional standard for efficiency.
New Is Old, and Old Is New: Recent Advances in Antibiotic-Based, Antibiotic-Free and Ethnomedical Treatments against Methicillin-Resistant Staphylococcus aureus Wound Infections

Staphylococcus aureus is the most common pathogen of wound infections. Thus far, methicillin-resistant S. aureus (MRSA) has become the major causative agent in wound infections, especially for nosocomial infections. MRSA infections are seldom eradicated by routine antimicrobial therapies. More concerning, some strains have become resistant to the newest antibiotics of last resort. Furthermore, horizontal transfer of a polymyxin resistance gene, mcr-1, has been identified in Enterobacteriaceae, by which resistance to the last group of antibiotics will likely spread rapidly. The worst-case scenario, “a return to the pre-antibiotic era”, is likely in sight. A perpetual goal for antibiotic research is the discovery of an antibiotic that lacks resistance potential, such as the recent discovery of teixobactin. However, when considering the issue from an ecological and evolutionary standpoint, it is evident that it is insufficient to solve the antibiotic dilemma through the use of antibiotics themselves. In this review, we summarized recent advances in antibiotic-based, antibiotic-free and ethnomedical treatments against MRSA wound infections to identify new clues to solve the antibiotic dilemma. One potential solution is to use ethnomedical drugs topically. Some ethnomedical drugs have been demonstrated to be effective antimicrobials against MRSA. A decline in antibiotic resistance can therefore be expected, as has been demonstrated when antibiotic-free treatments were used to limit the use of antibiotics. It is also anticipated that these drugs will have low resistance potential, although there is only minimal evidence to support this claim to date. More clinical trials and animal tests should be conducted on this topic.
CpG Island Methylation in Colorectal Cancer: Past, Present and Future

The concept of a CpG island methylator phenotype, or CIMP, quickly became the focus of several colorectal cancer studies describing its clinical and pathological features after its introduction in 1999 by Toyota and colleagues. Further characterization of CIMP in tumors lead to widespread acceptance of the concept, as expressed by Shen and Issa in their 2005 editorial, “CIMP, at last. ” Since that time, extensive research efforts have brought great insights into the epidemiology and prognosis of CIMP+ tumors and other epigenetic mechanisms underlying tumorigenesis. With the advances in technology and subsequent cataloging of the human methylome in cancer and normal tissue, new directions in research to understand CIMP and its role in complex biological systems yield hope for future epigenetically based diagnostics and treatments.
Ieee Transactions on Signal Processing Analysis of Sparse Regularization Based Robust Regression Approaches

—Regression in the presence of outliers is an inherently combinatorial problem. However, compressive sensing theory suggests that certain combinatorial optimization problems can be exactly solved using polynomial-time algorithms. Motivated by this connection, several research groups have proposed polynomial-time algorithms for robust regression. In this paper we specifically address the traditional robust regression problem, where the number of observations is more than the number of unknown regression parameters and the structure of the regressor matrix is defined by the training dataset (hence, it may not satisfy properties such as Restricted Isometry Property or incoherence. We derive the precise conditions under which the sparse regularization (l0 and l1-norm) approaches solve the robust regression problem. We show that the smallest principal angle between the regressor subspace and all k-dimensional outlier subspaces is the fundamental quantity that determines the performance of these algorithms. In terms of this angle we provide an estimate of the number of outliers the sparse regularization based approaches can handle. We then empirically evaluate the sparse (l1-norm) regularization approach against other traditional robust regression algorithms to identify accurate and efficient algorithms for high-dimensional regression problems .
Involvement of putative chemical wound signals in the induction of phenolic metabolism in wounded lettuce.

Cutting leaves of Romaine lettuce (Lactuca sativa L. cv. Longifolia) produces a wound signal that induces the synthesis of phenylalanine ammonia lyase (PAL, EC 4.3.1.5) and the accumulation of phenolic compounds in cells up to 2 cm from the site of injury, and tissue browning near the site of injury. The response of leaves within a head of Romaine lettuce to putative chemical wound signals [abscisic acid (ABA), jasmonate (JA) and methyl jasmonate (MeJA)] differed significantly with leaf age. Exposure of harvested heads of lettuce to ABA, JA, MeJA, or salicylic acid (SA) did not induce changes in PAL activity, the concentration of phenolic compounds or browning in mature leaf tissue that was similar to the level induced by wounding. Methyl jasmonate applied as vapour (10, 100 or 1000 &mgr;l kg-1 FW), or as an aqueous spray or dip (0.01-100 &mgr;M) at 5 or 10 degrees C did not produce an effect on PAL activity or browning that differed significantly from the untreated controls. In contrast, JA, MeJA and SA did induce elevated levels of PAL activity in younger leaves. However, the levels induced were far lower than those induced by wounding. Wound induced phenolic metabolism in mature leaves appears to be induced by different signals than those functioning in young leaves.
Nuclear factor-kappaB mediates Kupffer cell apoptosis through transcriptional activation of Fas/FasL.

INTRODUCTION Nuclear factor (NF)-kappaB is a key transcriptional factor for cell survival, inflammation, and stress response. We demonstrated that Kupffer cell-derived FasL plays a central role in pancreatitis-induced hepatocyte injury. The aim of this study was to determine the role of NF-kappaB in regulating death ligand/receptor pathway in Kupffer cells during conditions that mimic acute pancreatitis. MATERIALS AND METHODS Tissue cultures of rat Kupffer cells were treated with elastase (1 U/L) to mimic pancreatitis before and after infection with AdIkappaB to block activation of NF-kappaB. Tumor necrosis factor (enzyme-linked immunoassay), Fas/FasL, and caspase-3 (Western), tumor necrosis factor and Fas/FasL mRNA (reverse-transcription polymerase chain reaction), and NF-kappaB DNA binding (electrophoretic mobility shift assay) were determined. Apoptosis was measured by terminal deoxynucleotidyl transferase-mediated dUTP-biotin nick-end labeling (TUNEL) and DNA fragmentation. Gels were quantified by densitometry. Data (n=3) are mean+/-SEM; student's t test was used for statistical analysis. RESULTS AdIkappaB infection up-regulated mutated IkappaBalpha that maintained its binding properties to NF-kappaB. Promoter-reporter assay demonstrated that FasL gene promoter was regulated by NF-kappaB. Infection with AdIkappaB attenuated the elastase-induced up-regulation of Fas/FasL (all P<0.01 versus elastase) and NF-kappaB DNA binding but did not affect elastase-induced up-regulation of TNF. AdIkappaB attenuated elastase-induced cleavage of caspase-3, DNA fragmentation and TUNEL staining (all P<0.01 versus elastase). CONCLUSIONS Inhibition of NF-kappaB DNA binding down-regulates Fas/FasL and attenuates elastase-induced apoptosis; however, it has no effect on TNF production, suggesting that regulation of Fas/FasL and TNF may occur via different pathways. The ability of Kupffer cells to autoregulate their stress response by up-regulating their death ligand/receptor and apoptosis warrants further investigation.
Interval estimation of the mean response in a log‐regression model

A standard approach to the analysis of skewed response data with concomitant information is to use a log‐transformation to normalize the distribution of the response variable and then conduct a log‐ regression analysis. However, the mean response at original scale is often of interest. El‐Shaarawi and Viveros developed an interval estimation of the mean response of a log‐regression model based on large sample theory. There is however very little information available in the literature on constructing such estimates when the sample size is small. In this paper, we develop a small‐sample corrected interval by using the likelihood‐based inference method developed by Barndorff‐Nielson and Fraser et al. Simulation results show that the proposed interval provides almost exact coverage probability, even for small samples. Copyright © 2005 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Limonoids from Melia azedarach Fruits as Inhibitors of Flaviviruses and Mycobacterium tubercolosis

The biological diversity of nature is the source of a wide range of bioactive molecules. The natural products, either as pure compounds or as standardized plant extracts, have been a successful source of inspiration for the development of new drugs. The present work was carried out to investigate the cytotoxicity, antiviral and antimycobacterial activity of the methanol extract and of four identified limonoids from the fruits of Melia azedarach (Meliaceae). The extract and purified limonoids were tested in cell-based assays for antiviral activity against representatives of ssRNA, dsRNA and dsDNA viruses and against Mycobacterium tuberculosis. Very interestingly, 3-α-tigloyl-melianol and melianone showed a potent antiviral activity (EC50 in the range of 3–11μM) against three important human pathogens, belonging to Flaviviridae family, West Nile virus, Dengue virus and Yellow Fever virus. Mode of action studies demonstrated that title compounds were inhibitors of West Nile virus only when added during the infection, acting as inhibitors of the entry or of a very early event of life cycle. Furthermore, 3-α-tigloyl-melianol and methyl kulonate showed interesting antimycobacterial activity (with MIC values of 29 and 70 μM respectively). The limonoids are typically lipophilic compounds present in the fruits of Melia azeradach. They are known as cytotoxic compounds against different cancer cell lines, while their potential as antiviral and antibacterial was poorly investigated. Our studies show that they may serve as a good starting point for the development of novel drugs for the treatment of infections by Flaviviruses and Mycobacterium tuberculosis, for which there is a continued need.
The hippocampus is required for visually cued contextual response selection, but not for visual discrimination of contexts

The hippocampus is important for spatial navigation. Literature shows that allocentric visual contexts in the animal's background are critical for making conditional response selections during navigations. In a traditional maze task, however, it is difficult to identify exactly which subsets of visual contexts are critically used. In the current study, we tested in rats whether making conditional response selections required the hippocampus when using computer-generated visual contextual stimuli in the animal's background as in primate and human studies. We designed a new task, visual contextual response selection (VCRS) task, in which the rat ran along a linear track and encountered a touchscreen monitor at the end of the track. The rat was required to touch one of the adjacent rectangular box images depending on the visual contextual stimuli displayed in the two peripheral monitors positioned on both sides of the center touchscreen monitor. The rats with a GABA-A receptor agonist, muscimol (MUS), infused bilaterally in the dorsal hippocampi showed severe performance deficits in the VCRS task and the impairment was completely reversible with vehicle injections. The impairment in contextual response selection with hippocampal inactivations occurred regardless of whether the visual context was presented in the side monitors or in the center touchscreen monitor. However, when the same visual contextual stimuli were pitted against each other between the two side monitors and as the rats simply ran toward the visual context associated with reward on a T-shaped track, hippocampal inactivations with MUS showed minimal disruptions, if any, in performance. Our results suggest that the hippocampus is critically involved in conditional response selection using visual stimuli in the background, but it is not required for the perceptual discrimination of those stimuli.
Reproductive outcomes among hairdressers.

OBJECTIVES The present study aimed at examining the possible risk of working as a hairdresser during pregnancy in relation to reproductive outcomes. METHODS The Swedish Medical Birth Register, which includes almost every infant born in Sweden, has, since 1983, collected information prospectively about occupation in early pregnancy. This information is given at the first visit to a prenatal center. During the period 1983-2001, 12 046 infants were born to female hairdressers working either full- or part-time during early pregnancy. For comparison, all other deliveries during the same period were used in which the mother had worked either part-time or full-time. RESULTS The full-time hairdressers more often had intrauterine growth-retarded infants (ie, small for gestational age) as compared with referents with a corresponding worktime [adjusted odds ratio (OR) 1.20, 95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.06-1.36]. The pattern was similar for part-time hairdressers (adjusted OR 1.16, 95% 0.93-1.46). The fraction of malformations did not differ from those among the referents. The gender ratio for the infants of hairdressers was similar to that for the overall Swedish population. CONCLUSIONS The findings concerning infants small for their gestational age in the present study is in accordance with previous findings. The reason for these findings remains unknown. Studies with more-specific exposure information during pregnancy are needed.
Study of driven magnetic reconnection in a laboratory plasma

The Magnetic Reconnection Experiment (MRX) has been constructed to investigate the fundamental physics of magnetic reconnection in a well controlled laboratory setting. This device creates an environment satisfying the criteria for a magnetohydrodynamic (MHD) plasma (S {much_gt} 1, {rho}{sub i} {much_lt} L). The boundary conditions can be controlled externally, and experiments with fully three-dimensional reconnection are now possible. In the initial experiments, the effects of the third vector component of reconnecting fields have been studied. Two distinctively different shapes of neutral sheet current layers, depending on the third component, are identified during driven magnetic reconnection. Without the third component (anti-parallel or null-helicity reconnection), a thin double-Y shaped diffusion region is identified. A neutral sheet current profile is measured accurately to be as narrow as order ion gyro-radius. In the presence of an appreciable third component (co-helicity reconnection), an O-shaped diffusion region appears and grows into a spheromak configuration.
Asset Pricing with Idiosyncratic Risk and Overlapping Generations

A number of existing studies have concluded that risk sharing allocations supported by competitive, incomplete markets equilibria are quantitatively close to first-best. Equilibrium asset prices in these models have been difficult to distinguish from those associated with a complete markets model, the counterfactual features of which have been widely documented. This paper asks if life cycle considerations, in conjunction with persistent idiosyncratic shocks which become more volatile during aggregate downturns, can reconcile the quantitative properties of the competitive asset pricing framework with those of observed asset returns. We begin by arguing that data from the Panel Study on Income Dynamics support the plausibility of such a shock process. Our estimates suggest a high degree of persistence as well as a substantial increase in idiosyncratic conditional volatility coincident with periods of low growth in U.S. GNP. When these factors are incorporated in a stationary overlapping generations framework, the implications for the returns on risky assets are substantial. Plausible parameterizations of our economy are able to generate Sharpe ratios which match those observed in U.S. data. Our economy cannot, however, account for the level of variability of stock returns, owing in large part to the specification of its production technology.
Towards cross-lingual distributed representations without parallel text trained with adversarial autoencoders

Current approaches to learning vector representations of text that are compatible between different languages usually require some amount of parallel text, aligned at word, sentence or at least document level. We hypothesize however, that different natural languages share enough semantic structure that it should be possible, in principle, to learn compatible vector representations just by analyzing the monolingual distribution of words. In order to evaluate this hypothesis, we propose a scheme to map word vectors trained on a source language to vectors semantically compatible with word vectors trained on a target language using an adversarial autoencoder. We present preliminary qualitative results and discuss possible future developments of this technique, such as applications to cross-lingual sentence representations.
A tensor product for Gray-categories.

In this paper I extend Gray’s tensor product of 2-categories to a new tensor product of Gray-categories. I give a description in terms of generators and relations, one of the relations being an “interchange” relation, and a description similar to Gray’s description of his tensor product of 2-categories. I show that this tensor product of Gray-categories satisfies a universal property with respect to quasi-functors of two variables, which are defined in terms of lax-natural transformations between Gray-categories. The main result is that this tensor product is part of a monoidal structure on Gray-Cat, the proof requiring interchange in an essential way. However, this does not give a monoidal (bi)closed structure, precisely because of interchange. And although I define composition of lax-natural transformations, this composite need not be a lax-natural transformation again, making Gray-Cat only a partial (Gray-Cat)⊗CATegory.
State trajectory prediction control for boost converters

Boost and flyback converters have a right-half-plane zero in their control-to-output transfer function. This property makes the controller difficult to be designed with the classical frequency-domain approach to ensure good output regulation and fast response over the wide frequency bandwidth of input voltage and output load perturbations. Instead of a small signal design approach, this paper presents a cycle-by-cycle state trajectory prediction (STP) control method for boost converters. The method is based on predicting the output voltage after a hypothesized switching action. The output can revert to steady state in two switching actions under large-signal input voltage and output load disturbances. Theoretical predictions are verified with experimental results of a 120W 18/24V prototype.
On Semidefinite Programming Relaxations of the Traveling Salesman Problem

Provided are compositions which include 1-methyl-2-nitro-3-[(3-tetrahydrofuryl)methyl]guanidine and at least one compound of formula (I):wherein, R1 represents a halogen atom or a methyl group, R2 represents a halogen atom or a methyl group and R3 represents a hydrogen atom or a cyano group, as well as a method of controlling cockroaches.
Methanotrophic activity and diversity in different sphagnum magellanicum dominated habitats in the southernmost peat bogs of patagonia

Abstract. Sphagnum peatlands are important ecosystems in the methane cycle. Methanotrophs living inside the dead hyaline cells or on the Sphagnum mosses are able to act as a methane filter and thereby reduce methane emissions. We investigated in situ methane concentrations and the corresponding activity and diversity of methanotrophs in different Sphagnum dominated bog microhabitats. In contrast to the Northern Hemisphere peat ecosystems the temperate South American peat bogs are dominated by one moss species; Sphagnum magellanicum. This permitted a species-independent comparison of the different bog microhabitats. Potential methane oxidizing activity was found in all Sphagnum mosses sampled and a positive correlation was found between activity and in situ methane concentrations. Substantial methane oxidation activity (23 μmol CH4 gDW−1 day−1) was found in pool mosses and could be correlated with higher in situ methane concentrations (>35 μmol CH4 l−1 pore water). Little methanotrophic activity ( 4 μmol CH4 gDW−1 day−1) in Sphagnum litter at depths around the water levels and rich in methane. The total bacterial community was studied using 16S rRNA gene sequencing and the methanotrophic communities were studied using a pmoA microarray and a complementary pmoA clone library. The methanotrophic diversity was similar in the different habitats of this study and comparable to the methanotrophic diversity found in peat mosses from the Northern Hemisphere. The pmoA microarray data indicated that both alpha- and gammaproteobacterial methanotrophs were present in all Sphagnum mosses, even in those mosses with a low initial methane oxidation activity. Prolonged incubation of Sphagnum mosses from lawn and hummock with methane revealed that the methanotrophic community present was viable and showed an increased activity within 15 days. The high abundance of methanotrophic Methylocystis species in the most active mosses suggests that these might be responsible for the bulk of methane oxidation.