Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Novel Nonisolated High-Voltage Gain DC–DC Converters Based on 3SSC and VMC

This paper introduces a new family of dc-dc converters based on the three-state switching cell and voltage multiplier cells. A brief literature review is presented to demonstrate some advantages and inherent limitations of several topologies that are typically used in voltage step-up applications. In order to verify the operation principle of this family, the boost converter is chosen and investigated in detail. The behavior of the converter is analyzed through an extensive theoretical analysis, while its performance is investigated by experimental results obtained from a 1-kW laboratory prototype and relevant issues are discussed. The analyzed converter can be applied in uninterruptible power supplies, fuel cell systems, and is also adequate to operate as a high-gain boost stage with cascaded inverters in renewable energy systems. Furthermore, it is suitable in cases where dc voltage step-up is demanded, such as electrical fork-lift, audio amplifiers, and many other applications.
Capture, Integration, and Analysis of Digital System Requirements with Conceptual Graphs

Initial requirements for new digital systems and products that are generally expressed in a variety of notations including diagrams and natural language can be automatically translated to a common knowledge representation for integration, for consistency and completeness analysis, and for further automatic synthesis. Block diagrams, flowcharts, timing diagrams, and English as used in specifying digital systems requirements are considered as examples of source notations for system requirements. The knowledge representation selected for this work is a form of semantic network called conceptual graphs. For each source notation, a basis set or semantic primitives in terms of conceptual graphs is given, together with an algorithm for automatically generating conceptual structures from the notation. The automatic generation of conceptual structures from English presumes a restricted sublanguage of English and feedback to the author for verification of the interpretation. Mechanisms for integrating the separate conceptual structures generated from individual requirements expressions using schemata are discussed, and methods are illustrated for consistency and completeness analysis.
Building secure file systems out of byzantine storage

This paper shows how to implement a trusted network file system on an untrusted server. While cryptographic storage techniques exist that allow users to keep data secret from untrusted servers, this work concentrates on the detection of tampering attacks and stale data. Ideally, users of an untrusted storage server would immediately and unconditionally notice any misbehavior on the part of the server. This ideal is unfortunately not achievable. However, we define a notion of data integrity called fork consistency in which, if the server delays just one user from seeing even a single change by another, the two users will never again see one another's changes---a failure easily detectable with on-line communication. We give a practical protocol for a multi-user network file system called SUNDR, and prove that SUNDR offers fork consistency whether or not the server obeys the protocol.
Cardiac biomarkers for risk stratification of patients with acute pulmonary embolism.

Patients with pulmonary embolism (PE) present with a wide spectrum of clinical acuity that necessitates different therapeutic strategies. Most patients maintain normal systolic arterial pressure and normal right ventricular function. With therapeutic levels of anticoagulation, they will likely have a benign clinical course. Unfortunately, some PE patients suffer rapid clinical deterioration with adverse clinical events, including death from right ventricular failure or the need for cardiopulmonary resuscitation, mechanical ventilation, or administration of pressors for systolic arterial hypotension. Selected patients will benefit from thrombolysis or surgical embolectomy in addition to anticoagulation.1,2 Severe dyspnea, cyanosis, and syncope indicate life-threatening PE. The clinical examination may reveal signs of acute right ventricular dysfunction, including tachycardia, a low arterial blood pressure, distended neck veins, an accentuated P 2, or a tricuspid regurgitation murmur. On the ECG, T-wave inversion or a pseudoinfarction pattern (Qr) in the anterior precordial leads indicates right ventricular dilation and dysfunction.3 Chest computed tomography or magnetic resonance imaging may not only confirm PE but also demonstrate right ventricular dilation. Echocardiography has emerged as the principal tool for risk stratification in acute PE. From a prognostic point of view, echocardiography helps to classify patients with PE into 3 groups: Low-risk PE (no right ventricular dysfunction), with a hospital mortality of <4%, submassive PE (right ventricular dysfunction and a preserved arterial pressure), with a hospital mortality of 5% to 10%, and massive PE (right ventricular dysfunction and cardiogenic shock), with a hospital mortality of approximately 30%. 4 Right ventricular dysfunction on the echocardiogram is an independent and powerful predictor of early death in patients with acute PE.5 Indirect signs are systolic pulmonary …
Synergistic and Additive Effect of Oregano Essential Oil and Biological Silver Nanoparticles against Multidrug-Resistant Bacterial Strains

Bacterial resistance to conventional antibiotics has become a clinical and public health problem, making therapeutic decisions more challenging. Plant compounds and nanodrugs have been proposed as potential antimicrobial alternatives. Studies have shown that oregano (Origanum vulgare) essential oil (OEO) and silver nanoparticles have potent antibacterial activity, also against multidrug-resistant strains; however, the strong organoleptic characteristics of OEO and the development of resistance to these metal nanoparticles can limit their use. This study evaluated the antibacterial effect of a two-drug combination of biologically synthesized silver nanoparticles (bio-AgNP), produced by Fusarium oxysporum, and OEO against Gram-positive and Gram-negative bacteria, including multidrug-resistant strains. OEO and bio-AgNP showed bactericidal effects against all 17 strains tested, with minimal inhibitory concentrations (MIC) ranging from 0.298 to 1.193 mg/mL and 62.5 to 250 μM, respectively. Time-kill curves indicated that OEO acted rapidly (within 10 min), while the metallic nanoparticles took 4 h to kill Gram-negative bacteria and 24 h to kill Gram-positive bacteria. The combination of the two compounds resulted in a synergistic or additive effect, reducing their MIC values and reducing the time of action compared to bio-AgNP used alone, i.e., 20 min for Gram-negative bacteria and 7 h for Gram-positive bacteria. Scanning electron microscopy (SEM) revealed similar morphological alterations in Staphylococcus aureus (non-methicillin-resistant S. aureus, non-MRSA) cells exposed to three different treatments (OEO, bio-AgNP and combination of the two), which appeared cell surface blebbing. Individual and combined treatments showed reduction in cell density and decrease in exopolysaccharide matrix compared to untreated bacterial cells. It indicated that this composition have an antimicrobial activity against S. aureus by disrupting cells. Both compounds showed very low hemolytic activity, especially at MIC levels. This study describes for the first time the synergistic and additive interaction between OEO and bio-AgNP produced by F. oxysporum against multidrug-resistant bacteria, such as MRSA, and β-lactamase- and carbapenemase-producing Escherichia coli and Acinetobacter baumannii strains. These results indicated that this combination can be an alternative in the control of infections with few or no treatment options.
A random-effects hurdle model for predicting bycatch of endangered marine species

Understanding and reducing the incidence of accidental bycatch, particularly for vulnerable species such as sharks, is a major challenge for contemporary fisheries management worldwide. Bycatch data, most often collected by at-sea observers during fishing trips, are clustered by trip and/or vessel and typically involve a large number of zero counts and very few positive counts. Though hurdle models are very popular for count data with excess zeros, models for clustered forms have received far less attention. Here we present a novel random-effects hurdle model for bycatch data that makes available accurate estimates of bycatch probabilities as well as other clusterspecific targets. These are essential for informing conservation and management decisions as well as for identifying bycatch hotspots, often considered the first step in attempting to protect endangered marine species. We validate our methodology through simulation and use it to analyze bycatch data on critically endangered hammerhead sharks from the U.S. National Marine Fisheries Service Pelagic Observer Program.
Langerinneg conventional dendritic cells produce IL-23 to drive psoriatic plaque formation in mice

Psoriasis is an autoinflammatory skin disease of unknown etiology. Topical application of Aldara cream containing the Toll-like receptor (TLR)7 agonist Imiquimod (IMQ) onto patients induces flares of psoriasis. Likewise, in mice IMQ triggers pathological changes closely resembling psoriatic plaque formation. Key cytokines like IL-23 and type-I IFN (IFN-I), both being produced mainly by dendritic cells (DCs), have been implicated in psoriasis. Although plasmacytoid DCs (pDCs) are the main source of IFNα and thought to initiate disease, conventional DCs (cDCs) appear to maintain the psoriatic lesions. Any role of cDCs during lesion formation remains elusive. Here, we report that selective activation of TLR7 signaling specifically in CD11c+ DCs was sufficient to induce psoriasiform skin disease in mice. Intriguingly, both pDCs and the IFN-I pathway were dispensable for the development of local skin inflammation. Selective TLR7 triggering of Langerin+ DCs resulted in attenuated disease, whereas their depletion did not alter the severity of skin lesions. Moreover, after IMQ-painting, IL-23 was exclusively produced by Langerinneg DCs in vivo. In conclusion, TLR7-activated Langerinneg cDCs trigger psoriatic plaque formation via IL-23–mediated activation of innate IL-17/IL-22–producing lymphocytes, independently of pDCs or IFN-I. These results suggest therapeutic targeting of IL-23 production by cDCs to refine current treatment strategies for psoriasis.
Lecture to the london mathematical society on 20 february 1947 Universal Turing Machine

Many physicists would agree that, had it not been for DHTs, the improvement of 802.11 mesh networks might never have occurred. In fact, few cyberneti-cists would disagree with the understanding of B-trees, which embodies the important principles of theory. BentNip, our new heuristic for public-private key pairs, is the solution to all of these challenges.
IgA Immunodeficiency Leads to Inadequate Th Cell Priming and Increased Susceptibility to Influenza Virus Infection

IgA is considered to be the principal Ab involved in defense against pathogens in the mucosal compartment. Using mice with a targeted disruption in IgA gene expression (IgA−/− mice), we have examined the precise role of IgA in protective anti-influenza responses after intranasal vaccination. IgA−/− mice immunized intranasally with soluble hemagglutinin (hemagglutinin subtype 1) and neuraminidase (neuraminidase subtype 1) vaccine in the absence of adjuvant were found to be more susceptible to influenza virus infection than IgA+/+ mice (13 vs 75% survival after virus challenge). Inclusion of IL-12 during immunization restored the protective efficacy of the vaccine to that seen in IgA+/+ animals. IgA−/− mice had no detectable IgA expression, but displayed enhanced serum and pulmonary IgM and IgG Ab levels after IL-12 treatment. Assessment of T cell function revealed markedly depressed splenic lymphoproliferative responses to PHA in IgA−/− animals compared with IgA+/+ mice. Furthermore, IgA−/− animals displayed impaired T cell priming to the H1N1 subunit vaccine, with concomitant reduction in recall memory responses due to a defect in APC function. Collectively, these results provide evidence that a major role of IgA is to facilitate presentation of Ag to mucosal T cells. IL-12 treatment can overcome IgA deficiency by providing adequate T cell priming during vaccination.
Ceramide-1-phosphate blocks apoptosis through inhibition of acid sphingomyelinase in macrophages Published, JLR Papers in Press, October 1, 2003. DOI 10.1194/jlr.M300158-JLR200

It was reported previously that ceramide-1-phosphate (Cer-1-P) is mitogenic for fibroblasts (Gómez-Muñoz, A., P. A. Duffy, A. Martin, L. O'Brien, H-S. Byun, R. Bittman, and D. N. Brindley. 1995. Mol. Pharmacol. 47: 883–889; Gómez-Muñoz, A., L. M. Frago, L. Alvarez, and I. Varela-Nieto. 1997. Biochem. J. 325: 435–440). We now show that Cer-1-P prevents cell death in bone-marrow-derived macrophages (BMDMs) after withdrawal of macrophage colony-stimulating factor (M-CSF). Removal of M-CSF is known to induce apoptosis in these cells. Cer-1-P blocked activation of the caspase-9/caspase-3 pathway and prevented DNA fragmentation, indicating that the enhancement of cell survival was due to inhibition of apoptosis. M-CSF deprivation resulted in activation of acid sphingomyelinase (A-SMase), increased ceramide levels, and a decrease in intracellular Cer-1-P. Exogenously added Cer-1-P inhibited A-SMase in intact BMDMs at concentrations that also prevented apoptosis. Cer-1-P also inhibited A-SMase in cell homogenates, suggesting a possible direct physical interaction of Cer-1-P with the enzyme. In conclusion, these data demonstrate that Cer-1-P blocks apoptosis in BMDMs through inhibition of A-SMase, thereby reducing ceramide generation. This adds a new dimension to the understanding of the metabolic interrelationship of ceramides and Cer-1-P, and shows how altering the balance of intracellular levels of these mediators can affect cell survival.
Influence of vertical cylindrical tetrahydrofuran hydrate veins on fine-grained soil behaviour

Over the last 10 years, marine gas hydrate drilling expeditions utilizing advances in pressure coring techniques and imaging have routinely encountered gas hydrates residing in fine-grained sediments. The hydrate typically occurs as fracture-filling, near vertical, veins that displace the sediment, potentially leading to increased sediment strength that may prevent normal consolidation of the sediment thus leading to underconsolidation. Destabilization of this hydrate, through climate change or human activity on the seafloor, may cause dramatic loss of strength of the sediment and pose a significant geohazard. To assess the impact of hydrate veins on sediment behaviour, this paper reports on a series of consolidated (CU) and unconsolidated undrained (UU) triaxial tests carried out on fine-grained soil specimens hosting simplified, vertical, cylindrical tetrahydrofuran (THF) hydrate veins of varying diameters. The results show that increasing hydrate vein diameter significantly increases strength and stiffness, including the development of post-peak strain-softening. The mode of failure of the hydrate veins influenced the specimen strength, but did not affect the specimen stiffness. Hydrate dissolution during CU tests prevented quantitative comparison with UU tests. However, CU test results on the soil specimens containing the largest hydrate vein suggest that increasing lateral confining stresses increase the sediment strength.
Using Simulation to Interpret a Discrete Time Survival Model in a Complex Biological System: Fertility and Lameness in Dairy Cows

The ever-growing volume of data routinely collected and stored in everyday life presents researchers with a number of opportunities to gain insight and make predictions. This study aimed to demonstrate the usefulness in a specific clinical context of a simulation-based technique called probabilistic sensitivity analysis (PSA) in interpreting the results of a discrete time survival model based on a large dataset of routinely collected dairy herd management data. Data from 12,515 dairy cows (from 39 herds) were used to construct a multilevel discrete time survival model in which the outcome was the probability of a cow becoming pregnant during a given two day period of risk, and presence or absence of a recorded lameness event during various time frames relative to the risk period amongst the potential explanatory variables. A separate simulation model was then constructed to evaluate the wider clinical implications of the model results (i.e. the potential for a herd’s incidence rate of lameness to influence its overall reproductive performance) using PSA. Although the discrete time survival analysis revealed some relatively large associations between lameness events and risk of pregnancy (for example, occurrence of a lameness case within 14 days of a risk period was associated with a 25% reduction in the risk of the cow becoming pregnant during that risk period), PSA revealed that, when viewed in the context of a realistic clinical situation, a herd’s lameness incidence rate is highly unlikely to influence its overall reproductive performance to a meaningful extent in the vast majority of situations. Construction of a simulation model within a PSA framework proved to be a very useful additional step to aid contextualisation of the results from a discrete time survival model, especially where the research is designed to guide on-farm management decisions at population (i.e. herd) rather than individual level.
The Choice of Anesthetic Maintenance Technique Influences the Antiinflammatory Cytokine Response to Abdominal Surgery

Outcome in some diseases is determined by the relationship between pro-and antiinflammatory cytokines. Surgery may also provoke a cytokine response, which has both pro- and antiinflammatory components. The aim of this study was to ascertain whether anesthetic technique can modify the balance of cytokines associated with abdominal surgery. Twenty patients scheduled to undergo elective abdominal hysterectomy were randomly allocated to receive maintenance of anesthesia with isoflurane (IH group) or propofol (IV group). Venous blood samples for measurement of tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-alpha), interleukin-6 (IL-6), interleukin-10 (IL-10), and interleukin-1 receptor antagonist (IL-1ra) were taken before the induction of anesthesia and at set intervals until 24 h postoperatively. TNF-alpha levels remained low throughout the study; however, all patients showed a significant postoperative increase in IL-6, IL-10, and IL-1ra (P < 0.05). Levels of the proinflammatory cytokine IL-6 were similar in both groups, whereas the antiinflammatory cytokine IL-10 was higher in the IV group at 4 h postoperatively (P < 0.02). The difference between groups in terms of IL-1ra production just failed to reach significance (P < 0.06). We conclude that the cytokine response to abdominal surgery has both pro- and antiinflammatory components and that the choice of anesthetic may modify the balance of these cytokines. Implications: This study demonstrates that in addition to the widely reported proinflammatory cytokine response, elective abdominal surgery provokes an antiinflammatory response, which may be enhanced by total intravenous anesthesia. The ability of anesthetics to modify the cytokine response to surgery may have therapeutic potential. (Anesth Analg 1997;85:1394-8)
T cell-mediated inhibition of the transfer of autoimmune diabetes in NOD mice

The nonobese diabetic (NOD) mouse has recently been introduced as a model for insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus. The role of regulatory T cells in the development of antipancreatic autoimmunity in this model remains unclear. To evaluate the presence of suppressive phenomena, we used disease transfer by spleen cells from diabetic NOD mice into preirradiated adult recipients as a model for accelerated disease. Suppressor phenomena were detected by testing the protection afforded by lymphoid cells from nondiabetic NOD mice against diabetes transfer in irradiated recipients. Transfer of diabetes was delayed by reconstituting recipients with spleen cells from nondiabetic NOD donors. The greatest protection against diabetes transfer was conferred by spleen cells from 8-wk-old nondiabetic female NOD mice. Depletion experiments showed that the protection was dependent on CD4+ cells. Protection was also detected within thymic cells from nondiabetic NOD mice and protection conferred by spleen cells was abrogated by thymectomy of nondiabetic female, but not male, NOD donors at 3 wk of age. These findings indicate that suppressive CD4+ T cells that are dependent on the presence of the thymus may delay the onset of diabetes in female diabetes-prone NOD mice.
Microbial ecology and functional insights into contaminant bioattenuation in engineered shallow open water treatment wetlands

The shallow, open water unit process wetland was originally developed to enhance the photolytic degradation of recalcitrant emerging organics such as pharmaceuticals and personal care projects in impaired water supplies such as wastewater effluent. Interestingly, transformation rates exceeded those anticipated by photolytic degradation processes suggesting that the bright green benthic biomat that forms on top of the geotextile liner also played an important role in chemical attenuation. Microscopyfocused inquiry using a combination of fluorescent and scanning electron imaging revealed diatoms identified as Stauirsa construens var. venter as the main photosynthetic primary producing organism within this biomat. Complementary16S rRNA gene * Jasper, Justin T. , Zackary L. Jones, Jonathan O. Sharp, and David L. Sedlak. 2014. “Biotransformation of Trace Organic Contaminants in Open-Water Unit Process Treatment Wetlands. ” Environmental Science & Technology 48 (9): 5136–44. doi:10.1021/es500351e. Jasper, Justin T. , Zackary L. Jones, Jonathan O. Sharp, and David L. Sedlak. 2014. “Nitrate Removal in Shallow, Open-Water Treatment Wetlands. ” Environmental Science & Technology 48 (19): 11512–20. doi:10.1021/es502785t. 1 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, Colorado School of Mines 2 ReNUWIt Engineering Research Center 3 Department of Civil and Environmental Engineering, University of California Berkeley
The 1998 HTK broadcast news transcription system: development and results

This paper presents the development of the HTK broadcast news transcription system for the November 1998 Hub4 evaluation. Relative to the previous year’s system The system a number of features were added including vocal tract length normalisation; cluster-based variance normalisation; double the quantity of acoustic training data; interpolated word level language models to combine text sources; increased broadcast news language model training data; and an extra adaptation stage using a full-variance transform. Overall these changes to the system reduced the error rate by 13% on the 1997 evaluation data and the final system had an overall word error rate of 13.8% for the 1998 evaluation data sets.