Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Biologic Agents for the Treatment of Systemic Vasculitis

Vasculitis is a disorders characterized by the presence of blood vessel inflammation. It can appear in a wide range of forms: the inflammation can occur in association with an underlying disease or exposure, called secondary vasculitis, or in primary vasculitis blood inflammation occurs for unknown reasons. When this disorder strikes it can lead to blood vessels stenosis/occlusion, causing organ ischemia, or thinning of the blood vessels that results in the formation of aneurysm or hemorrhages. Every size of blood vessels can be affected by the inflammatory process and the size of the vessels involved influences the clinical manifestations. Several classification systems have been proposed but the classification that has been unanimously adopted by the scientific community is the Chapel Hill Nomenclature that classifies vasculitis into small, medium or large vessels vasculitis depending on the calibre of the vessels involved. (Jennette et al, 1994) These three types of vasculitis differ in severity, ranging from a self-limited illness to conditions that can be lifethreatening in the absence of prompt treatment. Therapy originally involved treating the patients with glucocorticoids but subsequently, with the improvement of our knowledge about vasculitis pathogenesis, immunosuppressive agents such as methotrexate, azathioprine and cyclophosphamide have been introduced. These drugs have vastly improved the previously dismal prognosis associated with many of these diseases, they are widely used and represent the standard against which newer therapies should be compared. Nevertheless despite this optimal standard therapy, the diseases does not got into full remission for 20 to 30% of patients and in addition, a smaller proportion of patients develop a more severe disease (Hiemstra & Jayne, 2009) Five years post diagnosis, 50% of patients will relapse in spite of having undergone at least 2 years of therapy (Booth el al, 2003) and approximately 25% will experience a refractary course manifested by incomplete disease control or frequent relapses despite remission-manteining therapy. Moreover the toxicity that is caused by the drugs causes severe side effects. For exaples, it has reported that during prolonged treatment with cyclophosphamide, infection and malignancy are the most cause of death in the first year (Bougarit el al, 2005). The toxicity of cyclophosphamide, particularly that associated with long term and repeat use of the agent, has emerged as the principle challenge in managing patients. To minimize the side effects, current approaches include initial use of cyclophosphamide to induce remission followed by use of less toxic immunosuppressive agents for mainteinance. Although this strategy has reduced the malignancy and infection risk, they remain present. High doses of glucocorticoids can also
Pastoral Effectiveness : a Study of Differences Among Comparison Groups of Seventh-day Adventist Clergy

Problem. Methods of comparison are required to evaluate pastoral effectiveness. This study was an examination of statistically significant differences among contrasted groups of clergy to identify characteristics and performance patterns associated with productivity and effectiveness. Method. Pastors from Anglo Seventh-day Adventist churches in North America and Canada were assigned to five groups that were evaluated using the Adventist Pastor Inventory, Sixteen Personality Factor Questionnaire, Pastoral Tasks Survey, and Pastoral Tasks Questionnaire. Ministers who baptized 50 or more persons within 3 years were compared with those who baptized 10 or fewer in the same period and clergy rated most effective and least effective by supervisors were compared. Randomly selected pastors were assigned to a reference group. Results. Statistically significant differences among the groups (p < .05) were identified by means of the four instruments using Chi Square, Analysis of Variance, Multivariate Analysis of Variance, and Discriminant Analysis procedures. High-baptism pastors were more oriented toward warm relationships with people, were more likely to have achieved scholastic honors, and to have attended the Seventh-day Adventist Theological Seminary. They were likely to have spent more time on seven aspects of their work, and to have been rated as more proficient at 20 of 25 pastoral tasks. The pastors rated most effective by their ministerial directors were more likely to have received academic honors, involved laity in ministry, had broader career aspirations within ministry, and seen greater numerical growth in their congregations. Characteristically they were evaluated as less submissive, more disciplined, and more group-oriented than the less-effective pastors. According to lay-leaders' ratings, the more-effective group spent more time on 12 aspects of their work, and their task proficiency was rated superior on 23 of 25 pastoral tasks.
Channel Estimation for Wireless OFDM Communications

1.1 Preliminary Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) communication techniques have recently received significant research attention because of their ability to maintain effective transmission and highly efficient bandwidth utilization in the presence of various channel impairments, such as severely frequency-selective channel fades caused by long multipath delay spreads and impulsive noise (Bingham, 1990; Zou & Wu, 1995). In an OFDM system, a high-rate serial information-bearing symbol stream is split into many low-rate parallel streams; each of these streams individually modulates a mutually orthogonal sub-carrier. The spectrum of an individual sub-channel overlaps with those expanded from the adjacent sub-channels. However, the OFDM sub-carriers are orthogonal as long as they are synthesized such that the frequency separation between any two adjacent sub-carriers is exactly equal to the reciprocal of an OFDM block duration. A discrete Fourier transform (DFT) operation can perfectly produce this sub-carrier arrangement and its relevant modulations (Darlington, 1970; Weinstein & Ebert, 1971). Because of the advanced technologies incorporated into integrated circuit (IC) chips and digital signal processors (DSPs), OFDM has become a practical way to implement very effective modulation techniques for various applications. As a result, OFDM technologies have recently been chosen as candidates for 4th-generation (4G) mobile communications in a variety of standards, such as IEEE 802.16 (Marks, 2008) and IEEE 802.20 (Klerer, 2005) in the United States, and international research projects, such as EU-IST-MATRICE (MATRICE, 2005) and EU-IST-4MORE (4MORE, 2005) for 4G mobile communication standardization in Europe. Regarding the history of OFDM, recall that Chang published a paper on the synthesis of band-limited signals for parallel multi-channel transmission in the 1960s (Chang, 1966). The author investigated a technique for transmitting and receiving (transceiving) parallel information through a linear band-limited channel without inter-channel interference (ICI) or inter-symbol interference (ISI). Saltzberg then conducted relevant performance evaluations and analyses (Saltzberg, 1967).
Efficient parameterise solutions of predictive control

Model based predictive control (MPC) is well established and has gained widespread acceptance in the industry and the academic community. The success of earlier industrial heuristic MPC algorithms motivated the research community to develop several algorithms with improved performance and enlarge the region of attraction. All proposed algorithms to some extent form a trade off between a region of attraction, performance and inexpensive optimisation. This thesis makes contributions in the area of MPC algorithm design and in particular examines to what extent different methods for parameterising the degrees of freedom within the input trajectories can improve aspects of the region of attraction, performance and inexpensive optimisation. Kautz functions are explored to parameterise the input sequences in optimal model predictive control (OMPC). It is shown that this modification gives mechanisms to achieve low computational burden with enlarged region of attraction and without too much detriment to performance. The proposed algorithm based on Kautz function parameterisation guarantees stability and recursive feasibility. It is further explored and a general class of function parameterisation is proposed using higher order orthonormal basis functions. A generalised function based MPC algorithm is formulated with guaranteed convergence and recursive feasibility. The efficacy of the proposed parameterisations within existing MPC algorithms are demonstrated by examples. The general class of function parameterisation is further explored by looking at systematic choices for a particular problem. Systematic mechanisms are discussed to choose the best tuned alternative parameterisation dynamics. The numerical examples demonstrate the efficacy of the systematic mechanisms. It is also shown that generalised function parameterisations are computationally efficient when used to achieve an approximately global region of attraction as compared with OMPC, there is a reduction in number of inequalities to represent the region of attraction, the number of multiparametric solutions (and therefore computational complexity and memory storage) and also the computa-
Learning without limits

Q. When will my school / region get fibre? A. The timeframe in which any particular school or region will receive fibre is not yet known. This will be determined by the procurement processes being undertaken for the Ultra-fast Broadband (UFB) and Rural Broadband Initiatives (RBI). Overseen by Crown Fibre Holdings and the Ministry of Economic Development respectively, negotiations for these are currently underway with the first successful bids by fibre providers expected to be announced in October. It is anticipated that installations will begin in late 2010 or early 2011.
Preservice Physical Educators’ Epistemologies of Skillfulness

The constructivist theoretical tenet, that individuals create meaning based on the interaction of their previous knowledge and beliefs with currently experienced phenomena, served as the orientating framework for inquiry into a physical education teacher education program that emphasizes development of skillful movers as the primary goal of physical education. Epistemological stances on movement skillfullness held by 25 beginning preservice teachers were explored. Data were collected in a directed reflective format. Inductive data analysis revealed that these preservice teachers see above average ability, task commitment, and creativity as characteristic of being skillful. Their constructs of skillfulness were developed in contexts that include the human body in action, intermesh of movements, whole pattern of performance, presence of movement, the sociocultural event, and skillfulness as a backdrop for teaching. These findings informed the dialectic between teacher education faculty and students by creat.
Application of Dimensionality Reduction in Recommender Systems

We investigate the use of dimensionality reduction to improve performance for a new class of data analysis software called “recommender systems ” . Recommender systems apply k nowledge discovery techniques to the problem of making product recommendations during a live customer interaction. These systems are achieving widespread success in E-commerce nowadays, especially with the advent of the Internet. The tremendous growth of c ustomers and products poses three key challenges for recommender systems in the E -commerce domain. These are: producing high quality recommendations, performing many recommendations per second for millions of customers and products, and achieving high coverage in the face of data sparsity. One successful recommender system technology is collaborative filtering, which works by matching customer preferences to other customers in making recommendations. Collaborative filtering has been shown to produce high quality recommendations, but the performance degrades with the number of customers and products. New recommender system technologies are needed that can quickly produce high quality recommendations, even for very large scale problems. This paper presents wo different experiments where we have explored one technology called Singular Value Decomposition (SVD) to reduce the dimensionality of recommender system databases. Each experiment compares the quality of a recommender system using SVD with the quality of a recommender system using collaborative filtering. The first experiment compares the effectiveness of the two recommender systems at predicting consumer preferences based on a database of explicit ratings of products. The second experiment compares th e effectiveness of the two recommender systems at producing Top-N lists based on a real -life customer purchase database from an E -Commerce site. Our experience suggests that SVD has the potential to meet many of the challenges of recommender systems, under certain conditions.
Constraints in Dairy Animal Health Care and Management Practices Faced by Tribal Farmers of Ranchi District (Jharkhand)

The present study was undertaken purposively in Ranchi district of Jharkhand to identify and prioritize the constraints faced by tribal dairy farmers in adopting improved animal health care and management practices. Three blocks and, two villages from each block were selected at random. From each village 30 tribal respondents were selected randomly, constituting a total number of 180 respondents. The tribal respondents having atleast one milch animal were selected. For the purpose of prioritizing the constraints Garret ranking has been used. The results of the study revealed that “lack of fodder and scarcity of clean drinking water” was the most important perceived constraint followed by “lack of knowledge about disease and improved dairy farming practices”. “Distant location of Veterinary hospital and non availability of staff” was perceived as the third important constraint in maintaining animal health followed by “untimely visit of Veterinary Assistant Surgeon and Mobile Veterinary Unit” ranked as fourth, “high cost of medicine and non availability of medicines in Veterinary Hospitals” ranked as fifth, “lack of space for isolation of sick animals” ranked as sixth and “lack of artificial insemination facilities” ranked as the seventh important constraints faced by tribal dairy farmers in the study area.
Practitioner Expectations and Experiences with the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAA40104)

This report presents the findings of a study examining the expectations and experiences of teachers and trainers with the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment (TAA40104). This qualification was introduced in 2005 and is mandated as the nationally endorsed entry-level qualification for teachers and trainers in the VET sector. By 2008, however, there was clear evidence (Innovation & Business Skills Australia 2009; Precision Consulting 2008; Robertson 2008) that, like its predecessor, the qualification was seen not to be providing the essential ‘toolkit’ required by practitioners on entry to the sector. This research was designed to provide a deeper understanding of the issues surrounding the qualification by capturing the perceptions and experiences of teachers and trainers who had recently completed the program. The goal of the study was to ascertain the extent to which the Certificate IV in Training and Assessment added value to their skills in training and assessment.
OC-192 transmitter and receiver in standard 0.18-μm CMOS

This paper presents the first fully integrated SONET OC-192 transmitter and receiver fabricated in a standard 0.18-/spl mu/m CMOS process. The transmitter consists of an input data register, 16-b-wide first-in-first-out (FIFO) circuit, clock multiplier unit (CMU), and 16:1 multiplexer to give a 10-Gb/s serial output. The receiver integrates an input amplifier for 10-Gb/s data, clock and data recovery circuit (CDR), 1:16 demultiplexer, and drivers for low-voltage differential signal (LVDS) outputs. An on-chip LC-type voltage-controlled oscillator (VCO) is employed by both the transmitter and receiver. The chipset operates at multiple data rates (9.95-10.71 Gb/s) with functionality compatible with the multisource agreement (MSA) for 10-Gb transponders. Both chips demonstrate SONET-compliant jitter characteristics. The transmitter 10.66-GHz output clock jitter is 0.065 UI/sub pp/ (unit interval, peak-to-peak) over a 50-kHz-80-MHz bandwidth. The receiver jitter tolerance is more than 0.4 UI/sub pp/ at high frequencies (4-80 MHz). A high level of integration and low-power consumption is achieved by using a standard CMOS process. The transmitter and receiver dissipate a total power of 1.32 W at 1.8 V and are packaged in a plastic ball grid array with a footprint of 11/spl times/11 mm/sup 2/.
The Coherence of Social Style and Musical Creation Among the Aymara in Southern Peru

WThoen I asked Aymara musicians in highland Peru about specific aspects V of their musical culture-"Why do you do it that way? "-they most commonly replied: "It is our custom"; "That is the way it is"; "That is the way we do it"; "That is the way our ancestors did it. " The character of these responses to a question that, from their perspective, was inappropriate underlines a radically different way of knowing from my own and a particular mode of linking social practice with their mental dispositions, ethos, and worldview.
Technology, e-Learning and Distance Education (2nd edition)

Technology, E-Learning and Distance Education aims to be the “essential guide for anyone wanting advice on how to choose the right technology at the right cost for a course or flexible learning program” (p. i). Building on the previous edition (Technology, Open Learning and Distance Education published in 1995 – which was prior to the ubiquitous use of the World Wide Web), this book offers new chapters which provide an overview of the developments in distance education and e-learning in the past decade (Chapter 1), two additional chapters on Web-based learning (Chapters 7 and 8), and two on synchronous conferring technologies (Chapter 9 and 10) – which are co-edited with Janice Picard.
Does HIV accelerate the aging process? An assessment of clinical, ophthalmic and serum parameters in HIV-infected individuals in South Africa

HIV-infected individuals are at increased risk of age-related non-AIDS morbidity and mortality compared with HIV-uninfected persons. It is speculated that HIV-infected individuals may not only be aging chronologically, but also undergoing accelerated biological aging. This is supported by clinical reports of conditions classically associated with the normal aging process appearing at an earlier age in HIV-infected persons compared to age-matched controls. Chronological age is an imprecise measure of biological aging due to inter-individual differences in rates of aging and therefore ‘biomarkers of aging’ may be used to assess biological age. The eye may be a uniquely useful site as a model of aging. It is easily accessible for examination and several components can be measured and assessed objectively e.g. lens density, retinal vascular calibre, corneal endothelial cell counts and the retinal nerve fibre layer thickness. This case-control study of 504 adults recruited from one district in Cape Town, South Africa assessed whether HIV-infected individuals have more advanced ocular aging, systemic frailty and cellular senescence than an HIV-uninfected group of similar age. Accelerated biological aging was demonstrated in HIV-infected individuals compared to their uninfected counterparts. HIV infection was also associated with frailty. Ocular parameters provided evidence of greater aging within the HIV-infected group, particularly objective measurement of retinal vascular calibre and lens density. These data suggest that as well as increased biological aging at a cellular and systemic level, ocular aging occurs as part of the accelerated aging phenotype in HIV infection. This study provides novel data about accelerated biological aging in sub- Saharan Africa and a platform for addressing future research questions relating to accelerated aging trajectories in HIV infection, the relative contributions of the infection and antiretroviral therapy, and whether biological age is dependent upon the duration of untreated disease or nadir CD4 count. As the HIV-infected population continues to age and expand, accelerated biological aging may have wideranging implications for the burden and management of HIV-related morbidity.
Design and Implementation of High Performance DDR3 SDRAM Controller

—Synchronous DRAM comes under the family of non-volatile memory technologies which are contain a unique features like low latency and large density of storing data. DRAM is also reduces the area because of flexible architecture and it contain unique capability to perform large data sets. Compared to flash and disk the DRAM is more flexible, it requires less power to each and every set of data operation and gives high speed of operation.DDR3 SDRAM or double-data-rate three synchronous dynamic random access memories is a random access memory technology used to enhance the writing and reading speed of working data of a digital electronic system. Here we introduced an FPGA based system to overcome earlier problems which we have faced in other technologies of NVM. This system executes application specific operation using non-volatile DRAM controller architecture and to appraise its performance using DDR3 SDRAM technology.DDR3 come under SDRAM family of technologies and DDR3 SDRAM is the 3 rd generation of double data rate memories. DDR3 SDRAM gives lower power consumption and high performance compare to earlier generation.DDR3 SDRAM is a higher density device and having flexible architecture and achieves higher bandwidth, low latency and due to “fly-by” routing signals it reduces routing constrains in architecture of SDRAM instead of low skew tree distribution. If DDR3 SDRAM which interfaces with external circuit which gives maximum speed up to 400 MHz /800 Mbps in devices. The design is simulated and synthesis in Xilinx ISE and virtex 5.
Thyroid Dysfunction And Anti-Thyroid Peroxidase Antibody In Patients With Vitiligo

ABSTRACT Background Vitiligo is an acquired depigmenting disorder due to destruction of melanocytes. An increased prevalence of autoimmune thyroid disease has been described in these patients. The aim of this study is to compare the frequency of anti-thyroid peroxidase antibody (anti-TPO) and to assess the prevalence of thyroid dysfunction in vitiligo patients with healthy subjects. Methods Sera from 118 patients of vitiligo and 50 control subjects without any clinical evidence for thyroid dysfunction were assayed for thyroid profile (free T3, Free T4 and TSH) and anti-TPO antibodies. Result Our study concludes that about 12.7% vitiligo patients have associated hypothyroidism. Anti-TPO was detected in 21 (17.8%) of patients while none of the control was positive; the difference was significant with p value < 0.000. Conclusion According to our study thyroid dysfunction particularly towards hypothyroidism and anti-TPO was shown to be significantly more common in vitiligo patients compared with control group. As this antibody is sensitive and specific marker of autoimmune thyroid disorders, we recommend thyroid function evaluation and thyroid antibodies detection in these patients.