Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An Interleaved Equalization Architecture with Self-Learning Fuzzy Logic Control for Series-Connected Battery Strings

This paper proposes an interleaved equalization architecture for series-connected lithium-ion battery strings, which can deliver energy from a battery module to the cells in the next adjacent battery module, resulting in an enhancement of the equalization current and efficiency. Particularly, the global equalization is achieved without the need of additional stage circuits to balance among modules, leading to a small size and low cost. A two-module equalizer based on resonant LC converter and buck converter with soft switching is implemented to verify the validity of the proposed interleaved architecture. Furthermore, a self-learning fuzzy logic control (SLFLC) algorithm is employed to online regulate the equalization period based on the voltage difference among cells and the cell voltage, not only greatly abbreviating the balancing time but also effectively preventing overequalization. The SLFLC has the outstanding advantages of high balancing precision, easy implementation, and strong robustness. Experimental results demonstrate that the proposed equalizer has good balancing performances with soft switching and high efficiency, and achieves zero-voltage gap among cells. Moreover, the proposed SLFLC algorithm abridges the total equalization time by about 27%, and reduces the equalization cycles by about 59% compared with the traditional control algorithm.
Perceived benefits of healthy eating among a nationally-representative sample of adults in the European Union.

OBJECTIVE To determine the main perceived benefits associated with healthy eating among European adults. Efforts to make a healthy diet more attractive have to be based on motives capable of stimulating alterations in nutritional behaviour. DESIGN A cross-sectional study in which quota-controlled, nationally-representative samples of approximately 1000 adults from each country completed a face-to-face interview-assisted questionnaire. SETTING The survey was conducted between October 1995 and February 1996 in the 15 member states of the European Union. SUBJECTS A total of 14331 subjects (aged 15 y upwards) completed the questionnaire. Data were weighted by population size for each country and by sex, age and regional distribution within each member state. RESULTS The question 'which specific benefits, if any, would you personally believe can be achieved by healthy eating'? was answered from a collection of 9 given items with stay healthy by 67% of subjects, with prevent disease by 66%, with be fit by 53%, with control weight by 53% and with quality of life by 45%. The most important personal benefit was asked by the question 'which one benefit would be the most personally significant for you'? 31% of subjects stated stay healthy, 24% prevent disease, 10% control weight, 10% quality of life, 9% be fit. The frequency of answered statements differed considerably between the EU countries, however, no regional structure was detected. More women then men expected benefits from healthy eating. With increasing age more people tended to believe in the benefits stay healthy and prevent disease. Be fit was a more important benefit for younger people (aged 15-34 y). People with a higher level of education associated more benefits from healthy eating.
Coffee consumption and risk of gastric and pancreatic cancer—A prospective cohort study

Only few prospective studies have examined the association between coffee consumption and risk of gastric and pancreatic cancer. This study is designed to evaluate this relationship among Finns, whose coffee consumption is the highest in the world. A total of 60,041 Finnish men and women who were 26–74 years of age and without history of any cancer at baseline were included in the present analyses. Coffee consumption and other study parameters were determined at baseline using standardized measurements. Participants were prospectively followed up for onset of gastric and/or pancreatic cancer, emigration, death or until June 30, 2006. During a mean follow‐up period of 18 years, 299 cases of gastric cancer and 235 cases of pancreatic cancer were found. There was a nonsignificant inverse association between coffee consumption and risk of gastric cancer among men but not in the women. The multivariate‐adjusted hazard ratio of stomach and pancreatic cancer incidence for ≥10 cups of coffee per day compared with nondrinkers were 0.75 (95% CI, 0.40–1.41) (P for trend = 0.19) and 0.82 (95% CI, 0.38–1.76) (P for trend = 0.95) for the combined population of men and women, respectively. We did not find a significant association between coffee consumption and the risk of gastric and/or pancreatic cancers.
Quantitative Measurement of Blood Flow Volume in the Major Intracranial Arteries by Using 123I-Iodoamphetamine SPECT

Purpose The aim of this study was to establish the novel automatic method to quantify blood flow volumes of the major intracranial arteries by using SPECT. Methods We created the vascular templates to cover the territory supplied by the major intracranial arteries. Each blood flow volume was calculated as the regional cerebral blood flow on SPECT using this template × volume size of the template. In this study, we evaluated the volume flows in 22 cerebral hemispheres with normal perfusion and 28 hemispheres with severe stenosis in the internal cerebral artery (ICA) or middle cerebral artery (MCA) and that at acetazolamide test in 16 normal hemispheres and 20 hemispheres with stenosis. Results The mean blood flow volumes of the ICA and MCA in the normal hemispheres increased to more than 40% after acetazolamide test (161–228 mL/min for ICA and 111–157 mL/min for MCA), although those in the hemispheres with stenosis increased to less than 35% (158–192 mL/min for ICA and 107–127 mL/min for MCA). The receiver operating characteristic analyses revealed that the simple difference between the blood flow volume at acetazolamide test and that at rest using the new MCA template was superior to detecting reduction of cerebrovascular reactivity (CVR), compared with the conventional percent CVR using the original template. Conclusions Blood flow volumes of the intracranial arteries had been able to be quantified automatically on SPECT, and difference of CVR was available for predicting the blood demand-supply balance.
Detection of polymorphisms in the prion protein gene in a population of Irish Suffolk sheep

Natural scrapie is associated with polymorphisms in the prion protein (PrP) gene. In Suffolks, codon 171 is the codon at which most variation is found; RR171 is thought to be associated with resistance to developing the clinical signs of the disease and QQ171 is associated with susceptibility to the disease. The objectives of this study were first to determine the PrP genotypes of Suffolk stock rams in Ireland, and secondly to compare the genotype profiles of ram lambs from flocks where a breeding programme based on the genotype AA136RR154RR171 had been initiated and from flocks where there was no breeding programme based on PrP genotype. Approximately 13 per cent of the stock rams genotyped in the Irish population were genetically susceptible to showing the clinical signs of the disease. However, lambs from farms that had initiated a selective breeding strategy for RR171 over the past year had a larger proportion of RR171 and a smaller proportion of QQ171 than the stock rams or ram lambs from farms not applying a breeding strategy.
An extension of the ACOR algorithm with time-decaying search width, with application to neural network training

ACO<sub>ℝ</sub> is a fairly-recent Ant Colony Optimization (ACO) algorithm for continuous problem domains. ACO<sub>R</sub>'s search width parameter £ controls the extent to which the search is concentrated around the best solutions encountered so far. In this paper, we propose a variation of ACO<sub>ℝ</sub>, in which ACO<sub>ℝ</sub>'s search width parameter decays over time. This is analogous to the common strategy, in Particle Swarm Optimization, of decreasing the inertia parameter over time. We evaluate our proposal in the context of neural network training using 36 popular datasets. We find that our approach produces solutions that are better, to a statistically significant extent, than the standard ACO<sub>ℝ</sub> algorithm.
Renal Proximal Tubule Segment-Specific Nephrotoxicity: An Overview on Biomarkers and Histopathology

The correspondence between histopathological findings and segment-specific biomarkers was investigated in rats treated with segment-specific nephrotoxicants. Male Wistar rats were treated with a single injection of K2Cr2O7 (25 mg/kg sc in saline), cis-Pt (10 mg/kg ip in buffered MSO) or HCBD (100 mg/kg ip in corn oil). Twenty-four and 48 hours after treatment, the rats were sacrificed and the kidneys were drawn for histopathological and biochemical evaluation, i.e., GS activity in renal cortex and PAH uptake in renal cortical slices. Histopathological findings show that cis-Pt and HCBD cause diffuse necrosis of S3 segment of proximal tubules in the outer stripe of outer medulla, respectively. On the contrary, K2Cr2O7 damages exclusively S1–S2 segments, inducing vacuolization at 24 hr and diffuse necrosis at 48 hr after treatment. GS activity in renal tissue is significantly decreased after HCBD and cis-Pt, but not K2Cr2O7 treatment. In contrast, PAH uptake is significantly reduced by K2Cr2O7, but not by cis-Pt or HCBD treatment (even if HCBD causes a slight decrease 48 hr after treatment). The evidence of this study confirms the high specificity of GS activity as marker of S3 segment injury, that PAH uptake is prevalently active in the S1–S2 segments, and that there is complete correspondence among segment-specific nephrotoxicants, biomarkers of segment-specific damage, and histopathological findings.
Cell Cycling Stress in the Monocyte Line as a Risk Factor for Progression of the Aplastic Anaemia/Paroxysmal Nocturnal Haemoglobinuria Syndrome to Myelodysplastic Syndrome

Severe aplastic anaemia (SAA) causes permanent stem cell damage from which patients do not recover after treatment with antilymphocyte globulin (ALG). To produce peripheral blood values compatible with life, the few remaining stem and precursor cells are put under stress. We defined a ‘stress factor’ (SF) for various haematopoietic lines as the ratio of the corresponding peripheral blood (PB) value to the total colony number in short-term bone marrow cultures from 86 patients with different outcomes. Both values are expressed as percentage of normal, hence SF averages 1 in normal steady-state haematopoiesis. SF was elevated in all patients, from 2-to 40-fold, with wide variations in different patient groups and striking differences between haematopoietic lineages. In long-term disease-free survivors after ALG (group 1) the mean total colony count was 19% of normal, with a significantly higher proportion of erythroid burst-forming units compared to normal. They had ineffective erythropoiesis with haemoglobin (Hb) values below, and reticulocyte counts above normal; platelet counts were 67% of normal. In contrast, monocyte counts were in the high normal range, resulting in a high SF (18.7 ± 1.9) for monocytes. In patients who developed paroxysmal nocturnal haemoglobinuria (PNH) after ALG (group 2), ineffective erythropoiesis, reflecting haemolysis, was more pronounced and they had striking relative monocytosis, resulting in a significantly higher SF for monocytes (33.7 ± 5.7) compared with group 1 (p < 0.0001). High monocyte counts most likely reflect the relative resistance of nucleated cells to complement, compared with red cells and platelets. Patients who developed myelodysplastic syndrome (MDS) or acute myeloid leukaemia (AML) after ALG, with or without PNH (group 3), had the highest SF for monocytes (39 ± 10). They also had neutrophil counts in the upper range, or above normal, resulting in a high SF for neutrophils: 32 ± 19. In patients with persisting or relapsing-remitting pancytopenia without a clinically detectable clonal disorder (group 4), all values were strikingly similar to those of the PNH group. In patients who achieved normal PB values after uncomplicated bone marrow transplantation (group 5), the SF averaged 3, but they also had ineffective erythropoiesis and mild relative monocytosis, a possible sign of occult PNH. We conclude that all patients after treatment of SAA have ineffective erythropoiesis and relative monocytosis, and that these abnormalities probably reflect PNH. We suggest that the resulting high SF for the leukocyte – particularly the monocyte line – predisposes to the development of MDS/AML. We discuss how these results may provide some of the missing pieces in the puzzle of SAA/PNH.
Selection of the Appropriate Parameter to Measure Neural Regeneration

A rat sciatic nerve model of regeneration was assessed by multiple techniques to determine the relationship between parameters of neural regeneration in common use today. The results demonstrated significant correlation and internal consistency between electrophysiological and morphological parameters (i.e., conduction velocity and fiber diameter) but not necessarily a correlation between these physiological parameters and overall nerve function as assessed by a modified walking track technique. Guidelines for parameter selection are suggested based upon the specific question being investigated (e.g., sensory and/or motor function versus axoplasmic flow and/or neurotropism) rather than the nonspecific “neural regeneration. ”
Descriptive epidemiology of scrapie in Great Britain: results of a postal survey

In 1998, a questionnaire was sent to 11,554 British sheep farmers to determine how many believed that scrapie cases had occurred in their flock; 61.4 per cent of them responded anonymously. The results indicated that 14.9 per cent of farmers with more than 30 breeding ewes thought that they had ever experienced scrapie in their flock and 2.7 per cent thought that they had had cases in the past 12 months. A comparison of these results with the number of farmers reporting suspect scrapie cases to MAFF, in accordance with the statutory requirement, suggests that only 13 per cent of farmers who suspect that they may have cases of scrapie are currently reporting them. Scrapie occurred in all regions of the country but there was an apparent regional variation. Larger farms and those with purebred sheep appeared to be at greater risk of having cases. Other differences between affected and unaffected farms included lambing practices and sheep purchasing policy. On the majority of farms the first case occurred in a purchased animal. The survey also revealed a need for the provision of further information about scrapie to farmers.
High-performance liquid chromatography measurement of antimicrobial concentrations in polymorphonuclear leukocytes

High-performance liquid chromatography was used to determine the penetration of 19 antimicrobial agents into human polymorphonuclear leukocytes. The ratios of the intracellular concentration to the extracellular concentration of ampicillin, piperacillin, cefazolin, ceftizoxime, cefpimizole, and ceftazidime were all less than 0.6. Lincomycin showed a high intracellular-to-extracellular ratio (3.0), while clindamycin achieved a ratio of 15.5, which was the highest ratio of all of the 19 tested antibiotics. Ratios for rifampin, isoniazid, chloramphenicol, and trimethoprim were 8.2, 1.1, 9.6, and 6.1, respectively. Six quinolone-class antimicrobial agents had ratios from 2.2 to 8.2. Flucytosine showed a penetration ratio of 4.6. Clindamycin uptake was temperature dependent and occurred best with live polymorphonuclear leukocytes; sodium fluoride, adenosine, and puromycin were inhibitory. The results obtained in this study correlate well with the results of other studies involving radioisotopic methods. This indicates that high-performance liquid chromatography is a useful method for determining the intracellular penetration of antimicrobial agents.
Status of nonoperative management of blunt hepatic injuries in 1995: a multicenter experience with 404 patients.

INTRODUCTION Nonoperative management is presently considered the treatment modality of choice in over 50% of adult patients sustaining blunt hepatic trauma who meet inclusion criteria. A multicenter study was retrospectively undertaken to assess whether the combined experiences at level I trauma centers could validate the currently reported high success rate, low morbidity, and virtually nonexistent mortality associated with this approach. Thirteen level I trauma centers accrued 404 adult patients sustaining blunt hepatic injuries managed nonoperatively over the last 5 years. Seventy-two percent of the injuries resulted from motor vehicle crashes. The mean injury severity score for the entire group was 20.2 (range, 4-75), and the American Association for the Surgery of Trauma-computerized axial tomography scan grading was as follows: grade I, 19% (n = 76); grade II, 31% (n = 124); grade III, 36% (n = 146); grade IV, 10% (n = 42); and grade V, 4% (n = 16). There were 27 deaths (7%) in the series, with 59% directly related to head trauma. Only two deaths (0.4%) could be attributed to hepatic injury. Twenty-one (5%) complications were documented, with the most common being hemorrhage, occurring in 14 (3.5%). Only 3 (0.7%) of these 14 patients required surgical intervention, 6 were treated by transfusions alone (0.5 to 5 U), 4 underwent angio-embolization, and 1 was further observed. Other complications included 2 bilomas and 3 perihepatic abscesses (all drained percutaneously). Two small bowel injuries were initially missed (0.5%), and diagnosed 2 and 3 days after admission. Overall, 6 patients required operative intervention: 3 for hemorrhage, 2 for missed enteric injuries, and 1 for persistent sepsis after unsuccessful percutaneous drainage. Average length of stay was 13 days. Nonoperative management of blunt hepatic injuries is clearly the treatment modality of choice in hemodynamically stable patients, irrespective of grade of injury or degree of hemoperitoneum. Current data would suggest that 50 to 80% (47% in this series) of all adult patients with blunt hepatic injuries are candidates for this form of therapy. Exactly 98.5% of patients analyzed in this study successfully avoided operative intervention. Bleeding complications are infrequently encountered (3.5%) and can often be managed nonoperatively. Although grades IV and V injuries composed 14% of the series, they represented 66.6% of the patients requiring operative intervention and thus merit constant re-evaluation and close observation in critical care units. The optimal time for follow-up computerized axial tomography scanning seems to be within 7 to 10 days after injury.
Polarity-dependent effects of transcranial direct current stimulation in obsessive-compulsive disorder

About one third of patients with obsessive-compulsive disorder (OCD) fail to experience significant clinical benefit from currently available treatments. Hyperactivity of the presupplementary motor area (pre-SMA) has been detected in OCD patients, but it is not clear whether it is the primary cause or a secondary compensatory mechanism in OCD pathophysiology. Transcranial direct current stimulation (tDCS) is a noninvasive brain stimulation technique with polarity-dependent effects on motor cortical excitability. A 33-year-old woman with treatment-resistant OCD received 20 daily consecutive 2 mA/20 min tDCS sessions with the active electrode placed on the pre-SMA, according to the 10–20 EEG system, and the reference electrode on the right deltoid. The first 10 sessions were anodal, while the last 10 were cathodal. Symptoms severity was assessed using the Yale–Brown Obsessive Compulsive Scale (Y-BOCS) severity score. In the end of anodal stimulation, OCD symptoms had worsened. Subsequent cathodal stimulation induced a dramatic clinical improvement, which led to an overall 30% reduction in baseline symptoms severity score on the Y-BOCS. Our study supports the hypothesis that pre-SMA hyperfunction might be responsible for OCD symptoms and shows that cathodal inhibitory tDCS over this area might be an option when dealing with treatment-resistant OCD.
Cognitive-Behavioral Interventions to Reduce Suicide Behavior

Suicide behavior is a serious clinical problem worldwide, and understanding ways of reducing it is a priority. A systematic review and meta-analysis were carried out to investigate whether Cognitive-behavioral therapies (CBTs) would reduce suicide behavior. From 123 potential articles, 28 studies met the entry criteria. Overall, there was a highly significant effect for CBT in reducing suicide behavior. Subgroup analysis indicates a significant treatment effect for adult samples (but not adolescent), for individual treatments (but not group), and for CBT when compared to minimal treatment or treatment as usual (but not when compared to another active treatment). There was evidence for treatment effects, albeit reduced, over the medium term. Although these results appear optimistic in advocating the use of CBT in ameliorating suicidal thoughts, plans, and behaviors, evidence of a publication bias tempers such optimism.
Mutual Coupling Compensation in Arrays Using a Spherical Wave Expansion of the Radiated Field

This letter presents a flexible method to compensate the interelement mutual coupling (MC) effects that may degrade the field pattern of an array of real and coupled antennas. A closed-expression for a mutual coupling compensation matrix (MCCM) is derived. The MCCM is used to compensate the presence of the real individual elements' patterns and the interelement MC effects for any excitations obtained with an isotropic-based pattern synthesis method. The MCCM is calculated from the generalized scattering matrix (GSM) of an antenna array and the spherical mode expansion (SME) of its radiated field. For a given array, this MCCM has to be calculated only once since it only depends on the radiating and scattering characteristics of the antenna elements as well as on their location in the array. Conditions regarding null field pattern directions can also be reinforced in the MCCM. To compute the GSM of the array and the SME of the radiated field, a validated full-wave hybrid and modular methodology is used. Numerical results of synthesized patterns where the MC effects have been compensated are presented for arrays made up of dielectric resonator antennas.