Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Investigation of Reverberation Chamber Measurements Through High-Power Goodness-of-Fit Tests

This paper aims to improve the analysis of distribution functions of a rectangular component of the electric field (ER) and the power received in an overmoded reverberation chamber. All data and analysis were achieved in the Institute of Electronics and Telecommunications of Rennes (IETR) mode-stirred chamber. For the power received on a large antenna, tests are consistent with the exponential probability density function assumption. However, high-power goodness-of-fit tests modify the determination of the lowest frequency from which the ideal underlying theoretical distributions can be associated with measurements. For the electric field in an overmoded regime, a Weibull distribution is proposed to model ER measurements, instead of the Rayleigh distribution hypothesis, which is rejected by statistical tests. Furthermore, Weibull distribution provides better agreement with standard deviation of samples. An additional experiment with a monopole-like antenna illustrates that the exponential distribution is rejected when the monopole is small with respect to the wavelength, but is accepted when the antenna length is roughly over lambda/4. Experimental results are provided by a large number of goodness-of-fit tests. The paper highlights that the use of adapted critical values is necessary for testing a distribution function whose parameters are estimated.
A 5.8 mW Continuous-Time $\Delta \Sigma$ Modulator With 20 MHz Bandwidth Using Time-Domain Flash Quantizer

This paper presents a power-efficient realization of a third-order continuous-time delta-sigma (CT-Δ Σ) modulator with 3-bit time-domain flash quantizer (TDFQ) and data-weighted averaging (DWA) based on the shifter output and input. Using the time-domain quantizer can overcome design issues in low voltage supply during CMOS downscaling. The CT-Δ Σ modulator uses the TDFQ instead of a voltage-domain quantizer to reduce power consumption. The proposed TDFQ solves the linearity problem of the delay-based voltage-to-time converter (VTC) without calibration circuit while also increasing the quantizer input range and saving energy. Moreover, in order to reduce the mismatch effects of a multibit DAC and achieve low power consumption, implementation of a low-power DWA circuit is proposed without using a digital adder to calculate pointer for controlling barrel shift circuit. This chip was fabricated in CMOS 90 nm process. The proposed CT-Δ Σ modulator consumes 5.8 mW from 1.0 V and achieves peak SNDR of 65.3 dB over the 20 MHz bandwidth, which results in FOM_W = 96.3 fJ/level and FOM_S = 161 dB.
A Fuzzy ANP-based Approach to Evaluate Medical Organizational Performance

The conventional accreditation policy of Taiwanese hospitals involves helping promote and executing national healthcare quality policies, certifying healthcare quality, supervising the management of health care organizations, pursuing a harmonious relationship between care providers and patients, and enhancing national healthcare quality. However, the quality indicators in use by Department of Health, Executive Yuan, Taiwan (DOH) cannot indicate overall organization performance of each hospital and assess hospital operating crisis. Therefore, this research proposes an evaluation model using fuzzy analytic network process (FANP). The analytic hierarchy process (AHP) and analytic network process (ANP) cannot adequately resolve the inherent uncertainty and imprecision associated with the mapping of a decision maker's perception to exact numbers. In many cases the preference model of the human decision maker is uncertain, and it is relatively difficult for the decision maker to provide exact numerical values for the comparison ratios. Importantly, the proposed model can provide Taiwan's hospital accreditation policy a reference material, making it highly applicable for academic and government purposes.
Containing a firestorm: adaptive policies needed to address changing foreclosure landscape

Like a wildfire leaving devastation in its path, the foreclosure crisis continues to wreak havoc on many families and communities throughout the Fourth District, especially in the largest urban areas. Only a year ago the primary reason for foreclosures centered on subprime mortgages. Today, the primary driver is unemployment, further widening the consumption arc of this blaze.
Repeated intracerebroventricular administration of glucagon-like peptide-1-(7-36) amide or exendin-(9-39) alters body weight in the rat.

Central nervous system glucagon-like peptide-1-(7-36) amide (GLP-1) administration has been reported to acutely reduce food intake in the rat. We here report that repeated intracerebroventricular (i.c.v.) injection of GLP-1 or the GLP-1 receptor antagonist, exendin-(9-39), affects food intake and body weight. Daily i.c. v. injection of 3 nmol GLP-1 to schedule-fed rats for 6 days caused a reduction in food intake and a decrease in body weight of 16 +/- 5 g (P < 0.02 compared with saline-injected controls). Daily i.c. v. administration of 30 nmol exendin-(9-39) to schedule-fed rats for 3 days caused an increase in food intake and increased body weight by 7 +/- 2 g (P < 0.02 compared with saline-injected controls). Twice daily i.c. v. injections of 30 nmol exendin-(9-39) with 2.4 nmol neuropeptide Y to ad libitum-fed rats for 8 days increased food intake and increased body weight by 28 +/- 4 g compared with 14 +/- 3 g in neuropeptide Y-injected controls (P < 0.02). There was no evidence of tachyphylaxis in response to i.c. v. GLP-1 or exendin-(9-39). GLP-1 may thus be involved in the regulation of body weight in the rat.
Estimates of the worldwide mortality from eighteen major cancers in 1985. Implications for prevention and projections of future burden

This report presents worldwide estimates of annual mortality from all cancers and for 18 specific cancer sites around 1985. Crude and age‐standardized mortality rates and numbers of deaths were computed for 24 geographical areas. Of the estimated 5 million deaths from cancer (excluding non‐melanoma skin cancer), 56% occurred in developing countries. The most frequent neoplasm is lung cancer, accounting for 22% of cancer deaths in men. Among women breast cancer is the leading malignancy, accounting for 16% and 11% of all cancer deaths in developed and developing countries, respectively. In developing countries, cancer of the cervix uteri ranks first, breast cancer second. The second most frequent cause of death from cancer in both sexes is cancer of the stomach, followed by liver cancer in men and by colon/rectum cancer in women. Cancers of the colon/rectum and prostate maintain a high rank in men living in developed countries, while cancers of the lung, ovary and pancreas occupy similar ranks among women. In developing countries, cancers of the oesophagus and mouth/pharynx follow those previously mentioned in both sexes. If the estimated rates continue to prevail, increases in the numbers of deaths of 20.4% in developed and 18.1 % in developing countries are expected by the year 2000, simply as a consequence of demographic trends towards ageing and population growth. Our results provide an indication of the potential impact of preventive practices. It is estimated that 20% of all cancer deaths (1 million) could be prevented by eliminating tobacco smoking. Mortality from cancers of the liver and uterine cervix, both major problems in developing countries, could be substantially reduced by immunization against hepatitis B virus infection and early detection through Pap smears, respectively.
Microbial degradation of dibenzofuran, fluorene, and dibenzo-p-dioxin by Staphylococcus auriculans DBF63

Staphylococcus auriculans DBF63, which can grow on dibenzofuran (DBF) or fluorene (FN) as the sole source of carbon and energy, was isolated. Salicylic acid and gentisic acid accumulated in the culture broth of this strain when DBF was supplied as a growth substrate. Also, the formation of 9-fluorenol, 9-fluorenone, 4-hydroxy-9-fluorenone, and 1-hydroxy-9-fluorenone was demonstrated, and accumulation of 1,1a-dihydroxy-1-hydro-9-fluorenone was observed when this strain grew on FN. On the basis of these results, the degradation pathways of DBF and FN were proposed. The analogous oxidation products of dibenzo-p-dioxin were obtained by incubation with DBF-grown S. auriculans DBF63 cells.
Characteristics, outcomes, and predictors of 1-year mortality in patients hospitalized for acute heart failure.

AIMS Acute heart failure (AHF) is associated with poor prognosis and requires recurrent hospitalizations. However, studies on AHF characteristics, treatment, and prognostic factors are few. Our aim was to investigate the characteristics, treatment, and 1-year prognosis of AHF and identify prognostic factors in different clinical groups. METHODS AND RESULTS We conducted a prospective multicentre study with 620 patients hospitalized due to AHF; mean age 75.1 (10.4) years, 50% male. Half of the patients had new-onset heart failure. Acute congestion (63.5%) and pulmonary oedema (26.3%) were the most common clinical presentations. Left ventricular ejection fraction (LVEF) was reported in two-thirds of patients. Half of these had preserved systolic function (LVEF> or =45%). At discharge, 86% of patients had beta-blockers and 76% either ACE-inhibitors or angiotensin receptor blockers in use. The 12-month all-cause mortality was 27.4%. We identified several clinical and biochemical prognostic risk factors in univariate analysis. Independent predictors of 1-year mortality were older age, male gender, lower systolic blood pressure (SBP) on admission, C-reactive protein, and serum creatinine >120 micromol/L. CONCLUSION We present the characteristics and prognosis of an unselected population of AHF patients. One-year mortality is high, and independent clinical risk factors include age, male gender, lower SBP on admission, C-reactive protein, and renal dysfunction.
Inhibition of Enveloped Virus Infection of Cultured Cells by Valproic Acid

ABSTRACT Valproic acid (VPA) is a short-chain fatty acid commonly used for treatment of neurological disorders. As VPA can interfere with cellular lipid metabolism, its effect on the infection of cultured cells by viruses of seven viral families relevant to human and animal health, including eight enveloped and four nonenveloped viruses, was analyzed. VPA drastically inhibited multiplication of all the enveloped viruses tested, including the zoonotic lymphocytic choriomeningitis virus and West Nile virus (WNV), while it did not affect infection by the nonenveloped viruses assayed. VPA reduced vesicular stomatitis virus infection yield without causing a major blockage of either viral RNA or protein synthesis. In contrast, VPA drastically abolished WNV RNA and protein synthesis, indicating that this drug can interfere the viral cycle at different steps of enveloped virus infection. Thus, VPA can contribute to an understanding of the crucial steps of viral maturation and to the development of future strategies against infections associated with enveloped viruses.
Software configurable processors change system design

This article consists of a collection of slides from the author's conference presentation on change system design for software configurable processors. Some of the specific topics discussed include: embedded system designs; processors that solve compute intensive problems; computer intensive markets and applications; a schema of application acceleration processes; development and debugging; pipeline scheduling; the ISEF architecture; and design considerations for future C/C++ programming.
Corporate Governance and Executive Perquisites: Evidence from the New SEC Disclosure Rules

The Securities and Exchange Commission (SEC) amended its rules on executive compensation disclosure in 2006 to provide more transparent disclosures to investors regarding stealth compensation items (e.g., executive perks and pensions). In order to shed additional light on the mixed results from prior research, we re-examine 608 S&P 1500 firms' 2007 proxy statements to determine if executive perquisites reflect agency problems (Yermack 2006) or whether they serve a legitimate purpose (Rajan and Wulf 2006). Consistent with the agency cost argument, we find that firms with weak corporate governance are more likely to award perquisites to executives. In additional tests, we document that weakly governed firms that hid large amounts of CEO perquisites prior to the new rules experienced a negative market reaction after their proxy statements were released, and that a small number of firms with abnormally high CEO compensation prior to the new rules reduced or eliminated perquisite programs following the new rules. These results suggest that the SEC's expanded disclosure requirements are informative and useful to capital market investors in their attempts to detect the misappropriation of firm resources by weakly governed firms, but that the expanded SEC requirements have been politically costly for some firms.
Patient Case

Introduction: The concurrent use of cigarettes while on warfarin therapy is a common occurrence. Smoking cessation among patients on chronic warfarin therapy is suspected to reduce drug clearance that may require dose adjustments. This type of interaction is particularly important when dealing with narrow therapeutic medications, as is the case with warfarin. Our case describes a series of supratherapeutic international normalized ratios (INRs) due to smoking cessation while on concomitant warfarin therapy. Patient Case: A 51-year-old male presented to the anticoagulation clinic for management of his warfarin therapy for an acute deep vein thrombosis. After 2 months of stable, therapeutic INR levels, the patient abruptly decreased his smoking from 1 pack/day to one-half pack/day and then subsequently stopped smoking completely. The patient’s smoking cessation resulted in a major modification of his required weekly warfarin dose to maintain a therapeutic INR (a 39% dose reduction). Conclusion: This case exemplifies how certain lifestyle factors, such as smoking, can alter the pharmacokinetics of patients on chronic warfarin therapy. This is the first case to demonstrate a greater than 30% reduction in the weekly warfarin dose following smoking cessation.
Quantifying the relation between performance and success in soccer

The availability of massive data about sports activities offers nowadays the opportunity to quantify the relation between performance and success. In this study, we analyze more than 6,000 games and 10 million events in six European leagues and investigate this relation in soccer competitions. We discover that a team's position in a competition's final ranking is significantly related to its typical performance, as described by a set of technical features extracted from the soccer data. Moreover we find that, while victory and defeats can be explained by the team's performance during a game, it is difficult to detect draws by using a machine learning approach. We then simulate the outcomes of an entire season of each league only relying on technical data, i.e. excluding the goals scored, exploiting a machine learning model trained on data from past seasons. The simulation produces a team ranking (the PC ranking) which is close to the actual ranking, suggesting that a complex systems' view on soccer has the potential of revealing hidden patterns regarding the relation between performance and success.
Operating Site Infections at General Surgery Department of Gabriel Toure Training Hospital

The operating site infections constitute the major postoperative issue in surgery. Our objectives were to determine the hospital frequency, the risk factors, the involved germs as well as the cost generated by the operating site infections. Method: Our three months prospective survey run from September the 1st to November the 30th 2013 has included all department patients being operated on and hospitalized. The criteria have been set by CDC d’Atlanta. Results: 374 files were involved, among them 229 (61.2%) were emergencies and 145 (38.8%) were scheduled. The average age was 41 (extremes 7 and 95 standard deviation 17.46), the sex ratio 1.67. The infective risk according to Altmeier has found 17.5% type 1, 25.1% type 2, 11.2% type 3 and 46.3% type 4; according to NNISS, 96 (25.7) were NNISS 0; 94 (51.9%) NNISS 1; 80 (21.4%) NNISS 2; and 4 (1.1%) NNISS. In the Altmeier class I have not got antibiotic before infection signs appearances. Our overall rate of operating site infections was 7.9% (29 cases), with 24 (82.8%) emergency cases. According to Altmeier’s class of infective risk, the rate of operating site infections was 1.54% making 1 out of 65 type I patients; 4.3% making 4 out of 93 type II patients; 11.9% making 5 out of 42 type III patients; 10.9% making 19 out of 174 type IV patients. According to NNISS, the infective risk has been assessed and was 2.08% for score 0, we have got 8.25% score 1, and 12.5% for score 2, and 25% for score 3. The bacteriology has been dominated by Escherichia colii(51.7), Proteus mirabilisi(13.8), and Klebsiella pneumoniaei(10.34). The germs have been resistant to the combination Amoxicillin-clavulanic Acid between 50% and 87% of cases. The most active antibiotics on the germs have been Cephalosporin, Polypeptides, and aminoglycosides. The hospital stay has been delayed to 12 days on average by operating site infections, making 2.5 times greater than those uninfected. The infection has increased the cost of management around 600 Euro.
Provision of FX hedge by the public sector: the Brazilian experience

A singular experience with forex intervention in Brazil over the past ten years has been the use of foreign exchange linked debt instruments denominated in domestic currency. The country started to use them with the goal of safeguarding the administered FX regime in 1994-98. Later, those instruments were useful to smooth the transition to the floating rate regime in 1999, and to mitigate the impact on the economy of two further major devaluation waves in 2001 and 2002. While such a strategy was successful in avoiding generalised financial distress or a credit crunch in the private sector during that period, the accumulation of a large stock of such instruments increased the vulnerability of the public sector balance sheet to adverse external shocks. As a result, the main impact of the three large devaluations was felt in the public sector’s debt.
A Survey of the Experience and Impact of Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections on People in Six Countries in the 2011/2012 Common Cold and Flu Season

Introduction: Acute Upper Respiratory Tract Infections (URTIs) are the most common infectious diseases of humankind. While usually mild and self-limiting, they are characterized by a series of simultaneously occurring symptoms/ signs that are sufficiently disruptive to sufferers’ normal activities in which medication is frequently sought. While the literature has many examples of epidemiological studies on these infections, there are few reports on patient experience and impact. This study was designed to investigate these aspects of Common Cold/Flu across six countries. Methods: A minimum of 500 adults aged 18 and older were recruited in each of six countries (Brazil, China, Germany, India, Russia, and the US) using customary survey research sampling techniques. Single 30-minute (online) or 40-minute door-to-door quantitative questionnaires with c. 50 questions were completed with each participant by the global research firm Ipsos. Main Findings: Across countries, incidence and seasonality of infections reported to this study were consistent with published data. There appears to be a need for patient education on the causes and transmission routes of respiratory infections. Getting good quality sleep and being able to continue with daily activities as an infection resolves are significant drivers to therapy. The most common non-prescription therapies reported were multi-ingredient products in line with the simultaneously occurring multi-symptom nature of the condition(s). Conclusions: This study indicated that acute URTIs exert a significant deleterious effect on sufferers. Public health education, possibly best undertaken by Pharmacists has the potential to impact the extent of virus transmission by ensuring that people know the true cause of the infection, how it is transmitted and how best to combat this. The several simultaneously occurring symptoms encourage sufferers to seek multi-ingredient remedies to allow them to continue with normal activities as their infection resolves naturally.
Clustered MicroRNAs of the Epstein-Barr Virus Cooperatively Downregulate an Epithelial Cell-Specific Metastasis Suppressor

ABSTRACT The Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) encodes its own microRNAs (miRNAs); however, their biological roles remain elusive. The commonly used EBV B95-8 strain lacks a 12-kb genomic region, known as BamHI A rightward transcripts (BART) locus, where a number of BART miRNAs are encoded. Here, bacterial artificial chromosome (BAC) technology was used to generate an EBV B95-8 strain in which the 12-kb region was fully restored at its native locus [BART(+) virus]. Epithelial cells were stably infected with either the parental B95-8 virus or the BART(+) virus, and BART miRNA expression was successfully reconstituted in the BART(+) virus-infected cells. Microarray analyses of cellular gene expression identified N-myc downstream regulated gene 1 (NDRG1) as a putative target of BART miRNAs. The NDRG1 protein was barely expressed in B cells, highly expressed in epithelial cells, including primary epithelial cells, and strongly downregulated in the BART(+) virus-infected epithelial cells of various origins. Although in vitro reporter assays identified BART22 as being responsible for the NDRG1 downregulation, EBV genetic analyses revealed that BART22 was not solely responsible; rather, the entire BART miRNA cluster 2 was responsible for the downregulation. Immunohistochemical analyses revealed that the expression level of the NDRG1 protein was downregulated significantly in EBV-positive nasopharyngeal carcinoma specimens. Considering that NDRG1 encodes an epithelial differentiation marker and a suppressor of metastasis, these data implicate a causative relationship between BART miRNA expression and epithelial carcinogenesis in vivo. IMPORTANCE EBV-related epithelial cancers, such as nasopharyngeal carcinomas and EBV-positive gastric cancers, encompass more than 80% of EBV-related malignancies. Although it is known that they express high levels of virally encoded BART miRNAs, how these miRNAs contribute to EBV-mediated epithelial carcinogenesis remains unknown. Although a number of screenings have been performed to identify targets of viral miRNAs, many targets likely have not been identified, especially in case of epithelial cell infection. This is the first study to use EBV genetics to perform unbiased screens of cellular genes that are differentially expressed in viral miRNA-positive and -negative epithelial cells. The result indicates that multiple EBV-encoded miRNAs cooperatively downregulate NDRG1, an epithelial differentiation marker and suppressor of metastasis. The experimental system described in this study should be useful for further clarifying the mechanism of EBV-mediated epithelial carcinogenesis.