Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Full-Bridge Three-Port Converters With Wide Input Voltage Range for Renewable Power Systems

A systematic method for deriving three-port converters (TPCs) from the full-bridge converter (FBC) is proposed in this paper. The proposed method splits the two switching legs of the FBC into two switching cells with different sources and allows a dc bias current in the transformer. By using this systematic method, a novel full-bridge TPC (FB-TPC) is developed for renewable power system applications which features simple topologies and control, a reduced number of devices, and single-stage power conversion between any two of the three ports. The proposed FB-TPC consists of two bidirectional ports and an isolated output port. The primary circuit of the converter functions as a buck-boost converter and provides a power flow path between the ports on the primary side. The FB-TPC can adapt to a wide source voltage range, and tight control over two of the three ports can be achieved while the third port provides the power balance in the system. Furthermore, the energy stored in the leakage inductance of the transformer is utilized to achieve zero-voltage switching for all the primary-side switches. The FB-TPC is analyzed in detail with operational principles, design considerations, and a pulsewidth modulation scheme (PWM), which aims to decrease the dc bias of the transformer. Experimental results verify the feasibility and effectiveness of the developed FB-TPC. The topology generation concept is further extended, and some novel TPCs, dual-input, and multiport converters are presented.
Time of onset and outcome of cardiogenic shock in acute coronary syndromes

Background and methods The aim of our study was to evaluate the incidence, timing of the onset and outcome of cardiogenic shock in a group of 865 patients with acute coronary syndromes who were consecutively admitted to our Intensive Cardiac Care Unit (ICCU) from January 2004 to December 2005. Results Eighty-seven patients had cardiogenic shock; 65 (74.7%, 65/87) on ICCU admission (‘early’ cardiogenic shock) and 22 (25.3%, 22/87) during ICCU stay (‘delayed’ cardiogenic shock). Left ventricular systolic dysfunction was the cause of cardiogenic shock in 90.7% of patients (59/65) with early cardiogenic shock and in 50% of patients (11/22) with delayed cardiogenic shock (P < 0.001). Patients with early shock exhibited higher serum levels of troponin I (P = 0.029), higher serum levels of glucose on admission (P = 0.009), lower ejection fraction (=0.003), whereas latency (time from symptoms onset to percutaneous coronary intervention) was higher in patients with delayed shock (P = 0.032). Intra-ICCU mortality was comparable in the two subgroups of patients. At multivariable logistic regression analysis, age, percutaneous coronary intervention failure, glycemia on admission and the development of mechanical complications were independent predictors of intra-ICCU mortality. Conclusion Primary percutaneous coronary intervention has reduced the number of patients who develop cardiogenic shock after ICCU admission. According to our results, cardiogenic shock in patients with ST-elevation myocardial infarction developed early after symptoms' onset and, despite optimal treatment, mortality in these patients remains high (about 50%). Delayed cardiogenic shock is mainly due to mechanical complications as well as due to PCI complications.
Essays on the Information Content of Microblogs and their Use as an Indicator of Real-World Events

In 5 essays covering the political and financial domains, this dissertation investigates whether information extracted from the microblogging forum Twitter can serve as an indicator of real-world events and explores the mechanism that explains the efficient aggregation of information. It illustrates, for example, that pre-election microblogs can reflect the political preferences of the general population and that the sentiment (i.e., bullishness) of stock-related tweets is correlated with abnormal stock returns. In addition, it provides empirical evidence supporting the idea that followership relationships and retweets represent the Twittersphere's "currency" for weighing information, since users providing above average investment advice are retweeted (i.e., quoted) more often and have more followers. Thus, this dissertation contributes to the understanding and use of social media content in social science research.
Hormonal control of the biosynthesis of hamster oviductin

In several mammalian species, the epithelial secretory cells of the oviduct synthesize and secrete specific glycoproteins that become associated with the zona pellucida of the ovulated oocyte. These glycoproteins are collectively designated as oviductins. A monoclonal antibody directed against hamster oviductin was used to study the ontogeny of this glycoprotein. Indirect immunofluorescence experiments performed on sections of hamster oviduct revealed that the glycoprotein begins to be secreted in 10‐day‐old females and that all of the oviductal secretory cells showed fluorescent staining by day 14. The intensity of the immunofluorescence reaction reached a maximum in the 28‐day‐old females. The oviducts of the 7‐day‐old hamster incorporated [35S]methionine in vitro into several proteins; however, the production and secretion of detectable amounts of radiolabeled oviductin only began at 14 days of age and reached a maximum at day 28 of age. It appears that the ontogeny of oviductin parallels the hormone dependent changes leading to sexual maturation and that its maximum secretion is already established at the time of the first ovulatory cycle. These results are substantiated by the fact that the production of oviductin is induced in estradiol‐treated, but not progesterone or non‐treated prepubertal animals, as determined by indirect immunofluorescence experiments. © 1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Contextual control of audiovisual integration in low‐level sensory cortices

Potential sources of multisensory influences on low‐level sensory cortices include direct projections from sensory cortices of different modalities, as well as more indirect feedback inputs from higher order multisensory cortical regions. These multiple architectures may be functionally complementary, but the exact roles and inter‐relationships of the circuits are unknown. Using a fully balanced context manipulation, we tested the hypotheses that: (1) feedforward and lateral pathways subserve speed functions, such as detecting peripheral stimuli. Multisensory integration effects in this context are predicted in peripheral fields of low‐level sensory cortices. (2) Slower feedback pathways underpin accuracy functions, such as object discrimination. Integration effects in this context are predicted in higher‐order association cortices and central/foveal fields of low‐level sensory cortex. We used functional magnetic resonance imaging to compare the effects of central versus peripheral stimulation on audiovisual integration, while varying speed and accuracy requirements for behavioral responses. We found that interactions of task demands and stimulus eccentricity in low‐level sensory cortices are more complex than would be predicted by a simple dichotomy such as our hypothesized peripheral/speed and foveal/accuracy functions. Additionally, our findings point to individual differences in integration that may be related to skills and strategy. Overall, our findings suggest that instead of using fixed, specialized pathways, the exact circuits and mechanisms that are used for low‐level multisensory integration are much more flexible and contingent upon both individual and contextual factors than previously assumed. Hum Brain Mapp 35:2394–2411, 2014. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Large‐Scale Transdisciplinary Collaboration for Adaptation Research: Challenges and Insights

An increasing number of research programs seek to support adaptation to climate change through the engagement of large‐scale transdisciplinary networks that span countries and continents. While transdisciplinary research processes have been a topic of reflection, practice, and refinement for some time, these trends now mean that the global change research community needs to reflect and learn how to pursue collaborative research on a large scale. This paper shares insights from a seven‐year climate change adaptation research program that supports collaboration between more than 450 researchers and practitioners across four consortia and 17 countries. The experience confirms the importance of attention to careful design for transdisciplinary collaboration, but also highlights that this alone is not enough. The success of well‐designed transdisciplinary research processes is also strongly influenced by relational and systemic features of collaborative relationships. Relational features include interpersonal trust, mutual respect, and leadership styles, while systemic features include legal partnership agreements, power asymmetries between partners, and institutional values and cultures. In the new arena of large‐scale collaborative science efforts, enablers of transdisciplinary collaboration include dedicated project coordinators, leaders at multiple levels, and the availability of small amounts of flexible funds to enable nimble responses to opportunities and unexpected collaborations.
Genomic Regions Targeted by DNA Topoisomerase IIβ Frequently Interact With a Nuclear Scaffold/Matrix Protein hnRNP U/SAF‐A/SP120

Type II DNA topoisomerases (topo II) play critical roles in some cellular events through repeated cleavage/rejoining of nuclear DNA. The β isoform (topo IIβ) is essential for the transcriptional induction of neuronal genes in terminal differentiation. Genomic sites targeted by the enzyme are nonrandom. Although previous studies have claimed that topo II cleavage sites are close to the nuclear scaffold/matrix attachment region (S/MAR), it is still unclear whether this view can be generalized. We report here that a library of cloned genomic DNA fragments targeted by topo IIβ in vivo frequently contains S/MAR and binding sites for hnRNP U/SAF‐A/SP120. Binding assays in vitro showed that a large proportion of the target DNAs bound to SP120 but their affinity to the nuclear scaffold/matrix varied significantly. Topo IIβ targets were extremely AT‐rich and often located in gene‐poor long intergenic regions (so‐called gene desert) that are juxtaposed to long genes expressed in neurons under differentiation. Sequence analysis revealed that topo IIβ targets are not just AT‐rich but are enriched with short tracts of A's and T's (termed A/T‐patches). Their affinity to the nuclear scaffold/matrix showed a moderate positive correlation with the coverage rate of A/T‐patches. The results suggest that the interaction of topo IIβ/SP120 with target regions modulates their proximity to the nuclear scaffold/matrix in a dynamic fashion and that A/T‐patch is a sequence motif assisting this process. J. Cell. Biochem. 116: 677–685, 2015. © 2014 The Authors. Journal of Cellular Biochemistry published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Changes in brain gene expression after long‐term sleep deprivation

Long‐term sleep deprivation in rats produces dramatic physiological changes including increase in energy expenditure, decrease in body weight, and death after 2–3 weeks. Despite several studies, the sleep deprivation syndrome remains largely unexplained. Here, to elucidate how prolonged sleep loss affects brain cells we used microarrays and screened the expression of > 26 000 transcripts in the cerebral cortex. Rats were sleep deprived using the disk‐over‐water method for 1 week. Seventy‐five transcripts showed increased expression in these animals relative to controls that had been spontaneously awake or sleep deprived for a few hours. Most of them were induced as a result of chronic sleep loss and not non‐specific effects of the disk stimulation. They include transcripts coding for several immunoglobulins, stress response proteins (macrophage inhibitor factor‐related protein 14, heat‐shock protein 27, α‐B‐crystallin), minoxidil sulfotransferase, globins and cortistatin. Twenty‐eight transcripts decreased their expression in long‐term sleep‐deprived rats. Sixteen of them were specifically decreased as a result of chronic sleep loss, including those coding for type I procollagen and dihydrolipoamide acetyltransferase. We also compared sleeping rats to short‐term and long‐term sleep‐deprived rats, and found that acute and chronic sleep loss led to some differences at the molecular level. Several plasticity‐related genes were strongly induced after acute sleep deprivation only, and several glial genes were down‐regulated in both sleep deprivation conditions, but to a different extent. These findings suggest that sustained sleep loss may trigger a generalized inflammatory and stress response in the brain.
Lack of demonstrable density-dependent fecundity of schistosomiasis mansoni: analyses of Egyptian quantitative human autopsies.

Conflicting interpretations regarding the fecundity of schistosomes infecting human beings have arisen and are, in part, due to the inability to directly measure the parameters. The inability to experimentally manipulate human beings necessitates the use of surrogate variables, i.e., number of eggs per gram of feces, as an indicator of worm burden. This study reanalyzes data from quantitative autopsies performed in Egypt by Cheever and colleagues on individuals with active Schistosoma mansoni infections. Exploratory regression analysis of the relationship of female worms recovered to eggs/g of feces and of female worms to eggs retained in host tissues suggests a linear relationship in both cases. Over the observed range of female worms recovered from an individual human being, the estimated worm fecundity, as measured by the number of eggs either in feces or retained in tissues per female worm, is not significantly different from a constant value. Hence, density-dependent fecundity of S. mansoni in the human host, as suggested by others, is not demonstrated in these data.
Lateralization of Cerebral Blood Flow Velocity Changes During Auditory Stimulation: A Functional Transcranial Doppler Study

Transcranial Doppler ultrasonography (TCD) permits the assessment of cognitively induced cerebral blood flow velocity (BFV) changes. We sought to investigate the lateralization of BFV acceleration induced by auditory stimulation and speech in a normal population. TCD monitoring of BFV in the middle cerebral arteries (MCA) was performed in 30 normal right-handed volunteers (average age = 31.7 years). Noise stimulation, speech, and instrumental music were administered during 60 sec to both ears by means of earphones. Auditory stimulation induced a significant BFV increase in the ipsilateral MCA compared to BFV during the preceding rest periods. Left MCA BFV increased by an average of 7.1% (noise), 8.4% (language), and 5.2% (melody) over baseline values, and right MCA BFV increased 5.1%, 3.1%, and 4.2%, respectively. Speech stimulation produced a significant increase in BFV in the left hemisphere MCA (from 49.86 to 54.03 cm/sec; p < .0001). Left MCA BFV response to speech stimulation may reflect the dominance of the left hemisphere in language processing by right-handed individuals. Due to the high temporal resolution of TCD we were able show a habituation effect during the 60-sec stimulation period.
Disruption of Reward Processing in Addiction: An Image-Based Meta-analysis of Functional Magnetic Resonance Imaging Studies

Importance Disrupted reward processing, mainly driven by striatal dysfunction, is a key characteristic of addictive behaviors. However, functional magnetic resonance imaging (fMRI) studies have reported conflicting results, with both hypoactivations and hyperactivations during anticipation and outcome notification of monetary rewards in addiction. Objective To determine the nature and direction of reward-processing disruptions during anticipation and outcome notification of monetary rewards in individuals with addiction using image-based meta-analyses of fMRI studies. Data Sources Relevant publications were identified searching PubMed (inclusion until March 2015) using the following terms: reward, fMRI, substance use, cocaine, cannabis, opiates, alcohol, nicotine, smokers, gambling, gamblers, gaming, and gamers. Authors of included articles were contacted to obtain statistical fMRI maps. Study Selection Inclusion criteria: reward task involving monetary reward anticipation and/or outcome; participants showing addictive behaviors; and healthy control group. Exclusion criteria: participants aged younger than 18 years; recreational substance use or gambling; participants at risk for addictive behaviors; and studies using the same patient data as other included studies. Data Extraction and Synthesis Study procedures were conducted in accordance with the Meta-analysis of Observational Studies in Epidemiology guidelines. Using Seed-based d Mapping software, meta-analyses were performed using random-effect nonparametric statistics with group whole brain T-maps from individual studies as input. Analyses were performed across all addictions and for substance and gambling addictions separately. Main Outcomes and Measures Group differences (individuals with addiction vs control individuals) in reward-related brain activation during reward anticipation and outcome using fMRI (planned before data collection). Results Twenty-five studies were included in the meta-analysis, representing 643 individuals with addictive behaviors and 609 healthy control individuals. During reward anticipation, individuals with substance and gambling addictions showed decreased striatal activation compared with healthy control individuals. During reward outcome, individuals with substance addiction showed increased activation in the ventral striatum, whereas individuals with gambling addiction showed decreased activation in the dorsal striatum compared with healthy control individuals. Conclusions and Relevance Striatal hypoactivation in individuals with addiction during reward anticipation and in individuals with gambling addiction during reward outcome is in line with the reward-deficiency theory of addiction. However, the combination of hypoactivation during reward anticipation and hyperactivation during reward outcome in the striatum of individuals with substance addiction may be explained using learning-deficit theory.
Revision total knee arthroplasty: 1990 through 2002. A review of the Finnish arthroplasty registry.

BACKGROUND National and regional arthroplasty registries have been used to study the results of primary total knee arthroplasties. The purpose of this paper was to present the results of revision total knee replacements and describe predictors of survival of those replacements, with repeat revision as the end point. METHODS The nationwide Finnish Arthroplasty Registry included 2637 revision total knee arthroplasties from 1990 through 2002. Survivorship of the revision total knee arthroplasties was analyzed, with repeat revision as the end point. The survivorship analyses comprised evaluations of the proportional hazards assumption followed by calculations of univariate and multivariate statistics and model diagnostics as appropriate. RESULTS The survival rate following the revision total knee arthroplasties was 95% (95% confidence interval, 94% to 96%) at two years (1874 knees), 89% (95% confidence interval, 88% to 90%) at five years (944 knees), and 79% (95% confidence interval, 78% to 81%) at ten years (141 knees). Multivariate regression analysis showed the most significant predictors of prosthetic survival to be the age of the patient and the life in service of the primary total knee replacement (that is, the time between the primary total knee replacement and the revision). Survivorship was also significantly predicted by the year of the first revision total knee arthroplasty and the reason for the revision. CONCLUSIONS An age greater than seventy years, revision five years or more after the primary arthroplasty, and absence of patellar subluxation are positive indicators of survival of a revision total knee replacement. We believe that normal aging as well as the deconditioning effect of disease (osteoarthritis and rheumatoid arthritis) and its treatment (primary total knee replacement) may lead to a reduced activity level, which, together with a presumed reluctance to operate on elderly patients, protects against repeat revisions. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE Prognostic Level II. See Instructions to Authors for a complete description of levels of evidence.
The effect of maternal soluble FMS-like tyrosine kinase 1 during pregnancy on risk of preterm delivery

Objective: Soluble fms-like tyrosine kinase 1 (sFlt1) is an antiangiogenic protein that is associated with a number of disorders of placental angiogenesis. It has been hypothesized that disruption of placental angiogenesis may contribute to the pathophysiology of preterm delivery (PTD). However, the relationship of PTD risk to variation in sFlt1 levels is not well known. We investigate the relationship between longitudinal variation in maternal serum concentrations of sFlt1 and risk of PTD. Methods: Data were collected in a longitudinal cohort study involving 278 pregnant women. Maternal serum sFlt1 concentrations were measured at 6–10, 10–14, 16–20, 22–26, and 32–36 weeks gestation. Data analyses used longitudinal regression models using repeated measures that allow robust inferences from our modest sample size. The outcome was birth prior to 37 weeks gestation. Results: sFlt1 concentrations were higher in first trimester for preterm compared to term deliveries. This relationship reversed in second trimester because sFlt1 concentrations increased more rapidly across gestation for term deliveries. In Cox proportional hazards analyses, a 2 ng higher sFlt1 concentration across gestation was associated with a hazard ratio of 1.3 (95% CI: 1.1, 1.5) for PTD suggesting the importance of levels in early pregnancy. Conclusion: Elevated maternal serum sFlt1 concentration during pregnancy is associated with increased risk of PTD.
The balanced care model for global mental health

Background For too long there have been heated debates between those who believe that mental health care should be largely or solely provided from hospitals and those who adhere to the view that community care should fully replace hospitals. The aim of this study was to propose a conceptual model relevant for mental health service development in low-, medium- and high-resource settings worldwide. Method We conducted a review of the relevant peer-reviewed evidence and a series of surveys including more than 170 individual experts with direct experience of mental health system change worldwide. We integrated data from these multiple sources to develop the balanced care model (BCM), framed in three sequential steps relevant to different resource settings. Results Low-resource settings need to focus on improving the recognition and treatment of people with mental illnesses in primary care. Medium-resource settings in addition can develop ‘general adult mental health services’, namely (i) out-patient clinics, (ii) community mental health teams (CMHTs), (iii) acute in-patient services, (iv) community residential care and (v) work/occupation. High-resource settings, in addition to primary care and general adult mental health services, can also provide specialized services in these same five categories. Conclusions The BCM refers both to a balance between hospital and community care and to a balance between all of the service components (e.g. clinical teams) that are present in any system, whether this is in low-, medium- or high-resource settings. The BCM therefore indicates that a comprehensive mental health system includes both community- and hospital-based components of care.