Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Derivation of a second-order switching surface in the boundary control of buck converters

A second-order switching surface in the boundary control of buck converters is derived in this letter. The formulated switching surface can make the overall converter exhibit better steady-state and transient behaviors than the one with a first-order switching surface. The switching surface is derived by estimating the state trajectory movement after a switching action, resulting in a high state trajectory velocity along the switching surface. This phenomenon accelerates the trajectory moving toward the target operating point. The proposed control scheme has been successfully applied to a 120-W buck converter. The large-signal performance and a comparison with the first-order switching surface have been studied.
Glycemic Index for the Management of Chronic Disease: Why Certain Foods Like Raisin may be Beneficial

The glycemic index (GI) refers to impact of the ingestion of carbohydrate-containing foods on blood sugar concentrations. High-GI foods increase blood glucose levels more and for a longer time, than those with low GIs. It ap- pears that those who adopt a low-GI diet have a reduced risk of heart disease, type 2 diabetes mellitus, and obesity. Car- bohydrate-containing foods on a low-GI diet include an abundance of fruits and vegetables, lesser amounts of grains in- cluding whole grains, and dairy products; those rich in sugar are to be consumed sparingly. Despite tasting sweet, raisins have a low-to-moderate GI (50-64). Raisins can be substituted for other high-GI snack foods, as well as serve as pre- exercise snacks. Thus, those wishing to adopt a low-GI diet should consider raisins as a healthy fruit serving to be used as a snack or with a meal.
Velocity dispersion estimates of APM galaxy clusters

We present 83 new galaxy radial velocities in the field of 18 APM clusters with redshifts between 0.06 and 0.13. The clusters have Abell identifications and the galaxies were selected within 0.75 h−1 Mpc in projection from their centres. We derive new cluster velocity dispersions for 13 clusters using our data and published radial velocities. We analyse correlations between cluster velocity dispersions and cluster richness counts as defined in Abell and APM catalogues. The correlations show a statistically significant trend although with a large scatter, suggesting that richness is a poor estimator of cluster mass irrespectively of cluster selection criteria and richness definition. We find systematically lower velocity dispersions in the sample of Abell clusters that do not fulfil APM cluster selection criteria, suggesting artificially higher Abell richness counts owing to contamination by projection effects in this subsample.
Modelling of Optical Fibers and Lasers

This report describes the modelling of optical fibers and lasers in MATLAB utilising numerical simulations. The first part comprises of modelling step-index propagation in optical fibers. Secondly, I developed a model for electrically pumped semiconductor lasers to study and understand the basic principles of lasers. I also conducted experiments to validate the semiconductor laser model. After grasping the basic concepts of laser theory, I modelled CW and Q-Switched Fiber Lasers. Accurate models for CW and Q-Switched Fiber Ring lasers are investigated using the travelling wave model to analyse their performance in terms of output power, efficiency and pulse widths.
Differentiation stage‐specific effect of histone deacetylase inhibitors on the expression of RORγT in human lymphocytes

The role of epigenetic mechanisms in the regulation of the human RORγT gene, which encodes a Th17 lymphocyte signature transcription factor, remains largely unknown. We investigated the effect of histone deacetylase (HDAC) inhibition on RORγT and RORγT‐dependent gene expression in human T lymphocytes. We found that, in Jurkat T cells and in in vitro–differentiated Th17 cells, treatment with 2 HDAC inhibitors, butyrate and apicidin, led to the induction of the RORγT gene, which was associated with an increase in histone H4 acetylation near the RORγT proximal promoter. In contrast, when the same inhibitors were added to naive CD4+ cells differentiating in vitro to Th17 cells, they mediated the down‐regulation of RORγT expression. In conclusion, HDAC inhibitor‐mediated H4 acetylation is involved in the epigenetic regulation of RORγT expression in Th17 cells. However, that epigenetic mechanism was observed only at a specific stage of T cell differentiation, suggesting a complex interaction with additional mechanisms that sequentially regulate RORγT expression. These observations may be relevant to the development of applications for HDAC inhibitors for diseases in which Th17 cells have a role in pathogenic mechanisms, such as some types of cancer or autoimmunologic disorders, to prevent unwanted side effects.
Identification of the retinoic acid-inducible Gprc5a as a new lung tumor suppressor gene.

BACKGROUND Lung cancers develop via multiple genetic and epigenetic changes, including inactivation of tumor suppressor genes. We previously cloned human G protein-coupled receptor family C type 5A (GPRC5A), whose expression is suppressed in some human lung carcinoma cells, and its mouse homolog Gprc5a. METHODS We generated Gprc5a knockout mice by homologous recombination and studied their phenotype by macroscopic observation and microscopic histologic analysis of embryos and lungs of 1- to 2-year-old mice. GPRC5A mRNA expression was analyzed by reverse transcription-polymerase chain reaction in surgical specimens of 18 human lung tumors and adjacent normal tissues and by analyzing previously published data from 186 lung tumor tissues of a variety of histologic types and 17 normal lung samples. Human embryonic kidney, human non-small-cell lung cancer, and mouse lung adenocarcinoma cells were transfected with a GPRC5A expression vector or a control vector, and colony formation in semisolid medium was assayed. Statistical tests were two-sided. RESULTS Homozygous knockout mice developed many more lung tumors at 1-2 years of age (incidence: 76% adenomas and 17% adenocarcinomas) than heterozygous (11% adenomas) or wild-type (10% adenomas) mice. Human GPRC5A mRNA levels were lower in most (11 of 18 [61%]) human lung tumors than in adjacent normal tissues. The mean GPRC5A mRNA level in adenocarcinoma (n = 139), squamous cell carcinoma (n = 21), small-cell lung cancer (n = 6), and carcinoid (n = 20) tissues was 46.2% (P = .014), 7.5% (P<.001), 5.3% (P<.001), and 1.8% (P<.001), respectively, that in normal lung tissues (n = 17) GPRC5A transfection suppressed colony formation in semisolid medium of immortalized human embryonic kidney, human non-small-cell lung cancer, and mouse lung adenocarcinoma cells by 91%, 91%, and 68%, respectively, compared with vector controls (all P<.001). CONCLUSIONS Gprc5a functions as a tumor suppressor in mouse lung, and human GPRC5A may share this property. The Gprc5a-deficient mouse is a novel model to study lung carcinogenesis and chemoprevention.
Transport of Lipids from High and Low Density Lipoproteins via Scavenger Receptor-BI*

The scavenger receptor-BI (SR-BI) delivers sterols from circulating lipoproteins to tissues, but the relative potency of individual lipoproteins and the transported cholesterol has not been studied in detail. In this study, we used Chinese hamster ovary cells that express recombinant mouse SR-BI but have no functional low density lipoprotein (LDL) receptors (ldlA7-SRBI cells) to compare the fate of lipids transferred from high or low density lipoproteins to cells by SR-BI. HDL and LDL were equally effective in mediating the transfer of [3H]cholesterol to cells. Only 5% of the free cholesterol transferred to cells was esterified, in direct contrast to the findings in the cells that express LDL receptors in which 50% of the transported cholesterol was esterified. Almost all the free cholesterol transferred from lipoproteins to cells was rapidly excreted when the ldlA7-SRBI cells were switched to media containing unlabeled lipoproteins. SR-BI expression was associated with an increase in selective cholesteryl ester uptake from both lipoproteins, but HDL was a more effective donor. HDL and LDL were equally effective in delivering cholesterol to the intracellular regulatory pool via SR-BI. These data indicate that SR-BI is able to exchange cholesterol rapidly between lipoproteins and cell membranes and can mediate the uptake of cholesteryl esters from both classes of lipoproteins.
A Separator Theorem for String Graphs and its Applications

A string graph is the intersection graph of a collection of continuous arcs in the plane. We show that any string graph with m edges can be separated into two parts of roughly equal size by the removal of $O(m^{3/4}\sqrt{\log m})$ vertices. This result is then used to deduce that every string graph with n vertices and no complete bipartite subgraph Kt,t has at most ctn edges, where ct is a constant depending only on t. Another application shows that locally tree-like string graphs are globally tree-like: for any ε > 0, there is an integer g(ε) such that every string graph with n vertices and girth at least g(ε) has at most (1 + ε)n edges. Furthermore, the number of such labelled graphs is at most (1 + ε)nT(n), where T(n) = nn−2 is the number of labelled trees on n vertices.
Heterogeneity and clonality among isolates of Mycobacterium kansasii: implications for epidemiological and pathogenicity studies

The reservoir and transmission route of Mycobacterium kansasii are largely unknown. In addition, culturing of M. kansasii from human sources is not proof of disease because it may represent colonization rather than infection. Unfortunately, investigation of the epidemiology and pathogenicity of M. kansasii is complicated by evidence of heterogeneity within the species. A comprehensive study by detailed genotypic analysis of a large collection of M. kansasii isolates (n = 276) from various geographical sources within Europe was conducted. Five defined subtypes of M. kansasii were identified; of these subtypes, type I represents the most common isolate from humans. Although phylogenetic analysis confirmed its relationship to the other M. kansasii types, significant sequence divergence was found at the 16S-23S intergenic spacer. Analysis of the chromosomal polymorphism of type I demonstrated a marked clonal structure for this particular organism. Because M. kansasii is becoming a significant pathogen among immunodeficient hosts, future epidemiological and pathogenicity studies should take into consideration both the heterogeneity within the species and the apparent clonality of the most prevalent M. kansasii isolates infecting humans.
WRKY Transcription Factors: Molecular Regulation and Stress Responses in Plants

Plants in their natural habitat have to face multiple stresses simultaneously. Evolutionary adaptation of developmental, physiological, and biochemical parameters give advantage over a single window of stress but not multiple. On the other hand transcription factors like WRKY can regulate diverse responses through a complicated network of genes. So molecular orchestration of WRKYs in plant may provide the most anticipated outcome of simultaneous multiple responses. Activation or repression through W-box and W-box like sequences is regulated at transcriptional, translational, and domain level. Because of the tight regulation involved in specific recognition and binding of WRKYs to downstream promoters, they have become promising candidate for crop improvement. Epigenetic, retrograde and proteasome mediated regulation enable WRKYs to attain the dynamic cellular homeostatic reprograming. Overexpression of several WRKYs face the paradox of having several beneficial affects but with some unwanted traits. These overexpression-associated undesirable phenotypes need to be identified and removed for proper growth, development and yeild. Taken together, we have highlighted the diverse regulation and multiple stress response of WRKYs in plants along with the future prospects in this field of research.
Antimicrobial Activities of 81.723 hfu, a New Pleuromutilin Derivative

The new pleuromutilin derivative 81.723 hfu is extremely active against gram-positive organisms such as streptococci, staphylococci, and against mycoplasmas. A number of Shigella, Klebsiella, and Escherichia coli strains were also found to be quite susceptible to this new agent, whereas other gram-negative organisms like Pseudomonas aeruginosa, Proteus species, and Alcaligenes faecalis proved to be naturally resistant to 81.723 hfu. The new compound acts bacteriostatically. Bactericidal effects have been observed only at concentrations which are 100-fold higher than the minimal inhibitory concentrations. The new antibiotic is well tolerated in all animal species tested so far and has been successfully used in the treatment of experimental infections with gram-positive organisms and with mycoplasmas in mice and rats. Resistance against this new compound arose gradually in all microorganisms investigated. It is noteworthy that the rate at which resistance against 81.723 hfu emerged in mycoplasmas (Mycoplasma gallisepticum and Mycoplasma hyorhinis) was significantly slower than the corresponding rate at which resistance against tylosin tartrate appeared. Mycoplasma strains which became insensitive to 81.723 hfu were also resistant to tylosin tartrate, whereas mycoplasmas which developed resistance against tylosin tartrate, although less sensitive to 81.723 hfu than wild-type strains, were still eliminated by this drug. In a strain of Klebsiella pneumoniae, complete cross-resistance was observed between the pleuromutilin derivative on one hand and lincomycin and erythromycin on the other. Modest degrees of cross-resistance were also observed with chloramphenicol. However, it appears unlikely that the latter phenomenon is sufficiently pronounced to affect treatment with either antibiotic.
First Impressions

ABSTRACT The word “impression” is twofold in meaning. A material can be physically impressed to alter its characteristics, while an onlooker can be aesthetically impressed by the composition of a room and its decor. Wallpaper, as an interior finish, contributes to the impression of a room. It is chosen to coordinate with the components of an interior while occupying a background presence to allow furniture and decor to come to the foreground. A second finish that contributes to the impression of an interior is dust, but unintentionally. A discussion of the history and endurance of wallpaper and dust are entry points in this article that lead to the works of two contemporary art installations that transform the ordinary into the extraordinary. In the first example, the American ceramicist, Beth Katleman makes reference to traditional French Toile de Jouy, and transforms the bucolic scenery associated with these prints into a contemporary version of three-dimensional wallpaper. She crafts “islands of folly” in porcelain that require a second look to fully grasp her new narrative. In the second installation, the architectural preservationist, Jorge Otero-Pailos captures decades of dust from a former factory wall through a process of impressing dust into a latex skin. The result is a site-specific installation that reveals decades of industrial dust displayed as if looking at a backlit microscopic slide. Together, Katleman and Otero-Pailos transform ordinary background surfaces into three-dimensional installations that dissolve the boundary of a wall and allow onlookers to occupy fictional and factual narratives.
Conformal classes of asymptotically flat, static vacuum data

We show that time-reflection symmetric, asymptotically flat, static vacuum data which admit a non-trivial conformal rescaling which leads again to such data must be axi-symmetric and admit a conformal Killing field. Moreover, it is shown that there exists a 3-parameter family of such data.
The Heterogeneous Effect of Selection in Secondary Schools: Understanding the Changing Role of Ability

Previous work by the authors suggested that during the 1970s and 1980s, a person’s early cognitive ability became a less important determinant of his or her eventual educational achievement. Furthermore, over the same time period, family background started to have a greater impact on a person’s achievement. Given that this coincided with the gradual demise of the British selective grammar school system, it would seem that the role of selection (ability tracking) in the school system merits further investigation. This paper explores the inter-relationship between school selection, ability and educational achievement. Our regression and matching results indicate that the most able pupils in the selective school system did do better than those of similar ability in the mixed ability school system. We do not find evidence of significant negative effects of tracking for low/middle ability students.
Pharmacological and non-pharmacological intervention for rocuronium-induced withdrawal movement in the Korean population: a meta-analysis of 41 studies including 4,742 subjects

Background We purposed to systemically review studies investigating the prophylactic effect of both pharmacological and non-pharmacological modalities against rocuronium induced withdrawal movement (RIWM) in the Korean population. Methods Literature search was performed using MEDLINE, EMBASE, CENTRAL, Koreamed, KMBASE, KISS and RISS up to March 2014. Randomized controlled trials (RCTs) comparing pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions with placebo aimed for the Korean population were included. Outcome measures were the incidence and severity of RIWM. We conducted subgroup analyses according to each intervention method. Results Data were analyzed from 41 RCTs totaling 4,742 subjects. The overall incidence of RIWM was about 80% (range 56-100%). Incidence and severity of RIWM were significantly reduced with lidocaine (risk ratio [RR] 0.60, 95% CI 0.49-0.74; standardized mean difference [SMD] -0.74, 95% CI -1.05 to -0.44), opioids (RR 0.28, 95% CI 0.18-0.44; SMD -1.71, 95% CI -2.09 to -1.34) and hypnotics (RR 0.36, 95% CI 0.25-0.52; SMD -2.20, 95% CI -2.62 to -1.79). Regardless of tourniquet use, lidocaine showed a prophylactic effect against incidence and severity of RIWM: tourniquet (RR 0.36, 95% CI 0.21-0.62; SMD -1.51, 95% CI -2.15 to -0.86); non-tourniquet (RR 0.58, 95% CI 0.47-0.71; SMD -0.74, 95% CI -1.05 to -0.44). Dilution and slow injection of rocuronium decreased incidence and severity of RIWM: dilution (RR 0.47, 95% CI 0.39-0.56; SMD -1.64, 95% CI -2.47 to -0.81); slow injection (RR 0.34, 95% CI 0.17-0.70; SMD -2.13, 95% CI -2.74 to -1.51). Conclusions The greater part of pharmacological and non-pharmacological interventions showed prophylactic effect against the incidence and severity of RIWM in the Korean population.
Do We Behave Based on Our Implicit Attitudes? Proposing a Research Model and an Experimental Study to Investigate Their Influence on Behavioral Intentions

Attitudes are one of the three most-frequently studied independent variables to explain user behavior. However, although psychological literature distinguishes between explicit and implicit attitudes, most of the investigations in the research stream of IS acceptance and usage have a pure focus on explicit attitudes and do not consider implicit attitudes. Explicit and implicit attitudes can be contradictory and both might predict behavioral intention. Therefore, the present research-in-progress focuses on closing the research gap of refraining to differentiate attitudes in explicit and implicit attitudes and hence examining the influence of implicit attitudes on user behavior. Based on the Implicit Association Test (IAT) and surveys, we propose an experimental setting that measures explicit and implicit attitudes to validate the research model. The proposed research might contribute to the research stream of IS acceptance and usage by better predicting behavioral intentions by also considering implicit attitudes. Future results might explain distorted predictions of behavior and reduce the intentionbehavior gap. Furthermore, the present research-in-progress introduces a suitable method to measure implicit attitudes.
A commentary on randomized clinical trials: How to produce them with a good level of evidence

Randomized clinical trial (RCT) is the gold standard study for the evaluation of health interventions and is considered the second level of evidence for clinical decision making. However, the quality of the evidence produced by these studies is dependent on the methodological rigor employed at every stage of their execution. The purpose of randomization is to create groups that are comparable independent of any known or unknown potential confounding factor. A critical evaluation of the literature reveals that, for many years, RCTs have been developed based on inaccurate methodological criteria, and empirical evidence began to accumulate. Thus, guidelines were developed to assist authors, reviewers, and editors in the task of developing and assessing the methodological consistency of this type of study. The objective of this article is to review key aspects to design a good-quality RCT, supporting the scientific community in the production of reliable evidence and favoring clinical decision making to allow the patient to receive the best health care.
Histological findings in liver allograft rejection—new insights into the pathogenesis of hepatocellular damage in liver allografts

Liver transplantation is now widely accepted as a method of treating many otherwise incurable acute and chronic liver di~easesl-~. Considerable improvements in surgical technique and immunosuppression have taken place during the 1980s. resulting in greatly improved patient survival. Many centres can claim 1-year survival figures in excess of 70% and, for some 'good-risk' candidates, these figures may be as high as 90%. The past decade has witnessed a marked change in the pathologist's perspective of liver transplantation. During the early years, liver biopsies were not used routinely in the post-operative assessment of liver allograft recip i e n t ~ ~ , ~ and pathological observations were largely confined to post-mortem findings'. With improvements in patient survival, liver biopsies have been increasingly used in the investigation of graft dysfunction'-"'. Histological findings are particularly important in the diagnosis of rejection, for which no other reliable diagnostic markers currently exist'l. Rejection of the liver allograft is generally divided into two main forms-acute (reversible) rejection and chronic (irreversible) rejection. This division is based both on time of occurrence and on histological features, the most important diagnostic changes being present in portal areas. The existence of hyperacute rejection is still disputed, although there is increasing evidence to suggest that this can occur, albeit rarely, in liver allografts. Biopsies obtained during the early post-transplant period often have a range of parenchymal lesions including cholestasis, fatty change. hepatocyte ballooning and hepatocyte necrosis. Parenchymal lesions frequently co-exist with features of rejection, but can also occur in isolation. The pathogenesis and functional significance of these hepatocellular changes has not been widely investigated. Two studies in this month's issue of Histopathology'L. ' specifically investigate the aetiology. incidence and prognostic significance of hepatocyte ballooning in liver allografts. Histological features of rejection in the liver allograft