Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Soft-switched CCM boost converter with high voltage gain for high power applications

This paper proposes a new soft-switched CCM boost converter suitable for high power applications such as power factor correction, hybrid electric vehicles and fuel cell power conversion systems. The proposed converter achieves ZVS turn-on of active switches in continuous conduction mode and ZCS turn-off of diodes leading to negligible reverse recovery loss. The components' voltage ratings and energy volumes of passive components of the proposed converter are greatly reduced compared to the conventional ZVT converter. Voltage conversion ratio is almost doubled compared to the conventional boost converter. Extension of the proposed concept to realize multi-phase DC-DC converters will be discussed. Experimental results from a 1.5kW prototype are provided to validate the proposed concept.
Bid–ask spread, strike prices and risk-neutral densities

In empirically deriving risk-neutral densities (RNDs) from option prices, one of the key assumptions that the strike prices should be continuous over the entire spectrum of nonnegative real numbers, is not met due to market trading mechanism. This study looks at how this failure affects the empirical RND. It also tests the possible impact that bid–ask spread has on the empirical RNDs. With Heston (1993) option pricing model of stochastic volatility as a mapping tool between option prices and risk-neutral price distributions and realistic assumptions of option specifications, simulation results show that RNDs are less stable and reliable when there are a limited number of different strike prices, even less so when bid–ask spread is incorporated into option prices. Nontechnical Summary Future risk-neutral asset price distributions can be derived from traded options that are written on the asset. In the empirical derivation of these risk-neutral densities (RNDs), some microstructure issues have to be considered. This study looks into the effect of two such issues on the empirical RNDs, the discrete and limited range of exercise prices and the existence of bid–ask spread. The study adopts a simulation-and-testing approach. It assumes that the underlying price distribution follows stochastic volatility and uses Heston's stochastic volatility model for European options as the pricing framework. With specified structural parameters for the Heston model and option specifications, including the current underlying asset price, the time to maturity, the interest rate, it simulates option prices first and tries to infer the assumed asset distribution with different subset of the option prices corresponding to varying number and level of exercise prices. When comparing the original assume RNDs with the empirical RNDs from a subset, we are in a position to detect the influence that discrete and limited range of exercise prices have on the empirical RNDs. Test statistics suggest that RNDs from the lower end of exercise prices deviate most from the original price distribution, especially in the tails. We then perturb the option prices with bid–ask spread. The bid–ask spread is estimated from a model, in which the spread is explained by option characteristics and underlying asset market activities. Statistical tests show that when the bid–ask spread is incorporated into option prices, the derived risk-neutral densities are even less accurate and stable. Therefore, great caution is needed when the empirical densities are used for pricing derivatives, asset market sentiments and so on.
Analysis of woodchip heating capacity calculated according to technical standards and measurements of calorific value

Woodchip sampling may be done according to two methodologies, based on the volume or calorific value of the fuel. The paper compares heating values obtained through relative humidity measurements according to Slovak technical standards and through determination of calorific value according to the ISO 1928:2003 Standard. The aim is to compare values obtained by both methods from a selection set and to determine possible reasons in case various values are obtained. Based on the results obtained it may be confirmed that differences between the heating value calculated according to the ISO 1928:2003 Standard and according to the STN 48 0057 (2004) and STN 48 0058 (2004) Standards are statistically significant. The average difference in heating value is 0.629 MJ·kg -1 .
Distribution of HCN1 and HCN2 in rat auditory brainstem nuclei

Auditory brainstem neurons that are involved in the precise analysis of the temporal pattern of sounds have ionic currents activated near the resting potential to shorten membrane time constants. One of these currents is the hyperpolarization‐activated current (Ih). Molecular cloning of the channels underlying Ih revealed four different isoforms (HCN1–4). HCN1 and HCN2, which are widely distributed in the brain, differ in their activation kinetics, voltage dependence and sensitivity to cAMP. We determined the distribution of the HCN1 and HCN2 isoform in the auditory brainstem and midbrain of young rats (P20–30), using standard immunohistochemical techniques. HCN1 antibodies gave rise to punctate staining on the somatic and dendritic membrane. Strong HCN1 staining was present on octopus and bushy cells of the ventral cochlear nucleus, principal neurons of the lateral and medial superior olive, and neurons of the ventral nucleus of the lateral lemniscus. No HCN1 staining was observed in the dorsal cochlear nucleus and the medial nucleus of the trapezoid body (MNTB). In contrast, HCN2 staining was strongest in the MNTB and the dorsal nucleus of the lateral lemniscus. Strong HCN2 antibody labelling was also observed in bushy cells of the ventral cochlear nucleus. In the central nucleus of the inferior colliculus only a subpopulation of neurons showed HCN1 or HCN2 immunolabelling. This differential distribution of HCN1 and HCN2 channels is in agreement with the physiologically observed Ih currents in corresponding neuronal populations and might represent the basis for functional heterogeneity and diverse sensitivity to neuromodulators.
Social Report and Stock Price. An empirical analysis

We test whether the publication of a social report influences, directly and indirectly, the stock price. The research model used is based on the classic formulation of value relevance analysis and the sample selected consists of 178 Italian listed companies. The estimates demonstrate a significant negative correlation between the publication of a social report and the stock price. Furthermore, all other factors being equal, accounting information on book value per share and earning per share are more relevant in the stock price formation process in the case of companies that publish a social report.
Careering in the South Pacific

This article provides an overview for an international audience of the policy directions and current practices relating to career guidance and career practice. The focus of the Australian information is primarily on the career education and guidance area of the education sector, although other areas are addressed, while the focus of the New Zealand information is on both the education and the employment sectors. Latest developments in the use of technology, comments on professional standards and activities and some of the latest issues or tensions are also provided. Major differences in the approaches taken by each country revolve around the centralised (New Zealand) and decentralised (Australian) nature of much of the key decision-making in the careers fields in each country.
Medical termination of pregnancy at 9-12 weeks of gestation

Current RCOG guidelines advise that surgical termination should be offered to those within the 9-12 weeks gestation band. While auditing the quality of services offered for termination of pregnancy in our unit, it became apparent that many women presenting at this gestation were requesting a medical method. There has been little clinical research into medical method of abortion at this gestation. The aim of the study was to assess the efficacy of medical methods of termination at 9-12 weeks gestation. A retrospective analysis of 25 cases who underwent medical termination using a regime of mifepristone followed 48 hours later by a course of vaginal gemeprost was undertaken. Complete abortion was achieved in 96% of cases; 92% of women required no more than two pessaries to achieve complete abortion. All but one patient was suitable for discharge on the same day. One woman underwent surgical evacuation in view of heavy bleeding. We conclude that medical TOP is a safe alternative to surgical method at 9-12 weeks' gestation.
Uncovering customer service experiences with Twitter: the case of airline industry

Purpose – In this paper the authors present a study that uses Twitter to identify critical elements of customer service in the airline industry. The goal of the study was to uncover customer opinions about services by monitoring and analyzing public Twitter commentaries. The purpose of this paper is to identify elements of customer service that provide positive experiences to customers as well as to identify service processed and features that require further improvements. Design/methodology/approach – The authors employed the approach of sentiment analysis as part of the netnography study. The authors processed 67,953 publicly shared tweets to identify customer sentiments about services of four airline companies. Sentiment analysis was conducted using the lexicon approach and vector-space model for assessing the polarity of Twitter posts. Findings – By analyzing Twitter posts for their sentiment polarity the authors were able to identify areas of customer service that caused customer satisfaction, dissat.
Wolbachia Transfer from Rhagoletis cerasi to Drosophila simulans: Investigating the Outcomes of Host-Symbiont Coevolution

ABSTRACT Wolbachia is an endosymbiont of diverse arthropod lineages that can induce various alterations of host reproduction for its own benefice. Cytoplasmic incompatibility (CI) is the most common phenomenon, which results in embryonic lethality when males that bear Wolbachia are mated with females that do not. In the cherry fruit fly, Rhagoletis cerasi, Wolbachia seems to be responsible for previously reported patterns of incompatibility between populations. Here we report on the artificial transfer of two Wolbachia variants (wCer1 and wCer2) from R. cerasi into Drosophila simulans, which was performed with two major goals in mind: first, to isolate wCer1 from wCer2 in order to individually test their respective abilities to induce CI in the new host; and, second, to test the theoretical prediction that recent Wolbachia-host associations should be characterized by high levels of CI, fitness costs to the new host, and inefficient transmission from mothers to offspring. wCer1 was unable to develop in the new host, resulting in its rapid loss after successful injection, while wCer2 was established in the new host. Transmission rates of wCer2 were low, and the infection showed negative fitness effects, consistent with our prediction, but CI levels were unexpectedly lower in the new host. Based on these parameter estimates, neither wCer1 nor wCer2 could be naturally maintained in D. simulans. The experiment thus suggests that natural Wolbachia transfer between species might be restricted by many factors, should the ecological barriers be bypassed.
Short- and long-term consequences of developmental saline stress: impacts on anuran respiration and behaviour

Secondary salinization has been identified as a major stressor to amphibians. Exposure to elevated salinity necessitates physiological adjustments and biochemical changes that may be energetically demanding. As such, exposure to non-lethal levels of salinity during development could potentially alter anuran metabolic rates and individual performance in both pre- and post-metamorphic life stages. We investigated the effects of non-lethal levels of salinity on metamorphic traits (time to reach metamorphosis and metamorphic mass), tadpole oxygen consumption, escape response behaviour (pre- and post-metamorphosis) and foraging ability post-metamorphosis in two native Australian frog species, the southern brown tree frog (Litoria ewingii) and the striped marsh frog (Limnodynastes peronii). We found that both Lit. ewingii and Lim. peronii exhibited differences in metamorphic traits in response to elevated salinity. Neither species showed significant change in oxygen consumption during development in response to salinity, relative to freshwater controls. Both species displayed impaired escape response behaviours in response to salinity during larval development, but flow-on effects to adult escape response behaviours and foraging performance were species-specific. Our results show that the influence of stressors during development can have consequences for anuran physiology and behaviour at multiple life stages, and emphasize the need for studies that examine the energetics of anuran responses in order to better understand the responses of biota to stressful environments.
Convergence of a method of solving linear problems

for the determination of x, given the number X and the vector b (I is the identity operator). Lanczos [3]2 has described an interesting iterative method for the solution of these problems which appears to be effective for numerical calculation. It is our purpose to consider the convergence and rate of convergence of the method, in the Hubert space sense, for a bounded self-adjoint operator. The procedure for obtaining the solution may be described as follows. Let b^O be a given initial vector, arbitrary for problem (1), equal to the right side of (2) for problem (2). Let
AS160 Regulates Insulin- and Contraction-stimulated Glucose Uptake in Mouse Skeletal Muscle*

Insulin and contraction are potent stimulators of GLUT4 translocation and increase skeletal muscle glucose uptake. We recently identified the Rab GTPase-activating protein (GAP) AS160 as a putative point of convergence linking distinct upstream signaling cascades induced by insulin and contraction in mouse skeletal muscle. Here, we studied the functional implications of these AS160 signaling events by using an in vivo electroporation technique to overexpress wild type and three AS160 mutants in mouse tibialis anterior muscles: 1) AS160 mutated to prevent phosphorylation on four regulatory phospho-Akt-substrate sites (4P); 2) AS160 mutated to abolish Rab GTPase activity (R/K); and 3) double mutant AS160 containing both 4P and R/K mutations (2M). One week following gene injection, protein expression for all AS160 isoforms was elevated over 7-fold. To determine the effects of AS160 on insulin- and contraction-stimulated glucose uptake in transfected muscles, we measured [3H]2-deoxyglucose uptake in vivo following intravenous glucose administration and in situ muscle contraction, respectively. Insulin-stimulated glucose uptake was significantly inhibited in muscles overexpressing 4P mutant AS160. However, this inhibition was completely prevented by concomitant disruption of AS160 Rab GAP activity. Transfection with 4P mutant AS160 also significantly impaired contraction-stimulated glucose uptake, as did overexpression of wild type AS160. In contrast, overexpressing mutant AS160 lacking Rab GAP activity resulted in increases in both sham and contraction-stimulated muscles. These data suggest that AS160 regulates both insulin- and contraction-stimulated glucose metabolism in mouse skeletal muscle in vivo and that the effects of mutant AS160 on the actions of insulin and contraction are not identical. Our findings directly implicate AS160 as a critical convergence factor for independent stimulators of skeletal muscle glucose uptake.
Clostridium perfringens type D epsilon intoxication in one-day-old calves

Clostridium perfringens type D enterotoxaemia, or ‘pulpy kidney disease’, is a very common cause of sudden death in sheep worldwide. There are numerous scientific publications on the epidemiology and pathology of enterotoxaemia in sheep; in contrast, there have been few studies of type D
Phase I/II trial of a P-glycoprotein inhibitor, Zosuquidar.3HCl trihydrochloride (LY335979), given orally in combination with the CHOP regimen in patients with non-Hodgkin's lymphoma

A phase I/II trial was performed to investigate the safety and tolerance of zosuquidar.3HCL, a potent inhibitor of P-glycoprotein (P-gp), when administered orally alone and in combination with the CHOP regimen in patients with untreated non-Hodgkin's lymphoma and to determine whether zosuquidar.3HCL affects pharmacokinetics of doxorubicin and vincristine. Doses of CHOP remained constant and the doses of zosuquidar.3HCL were increased from 200 to 500 mg per dose. A total of 15 patients were treated at three dose levels. A target dose providing peak and trough levels compatible with prolonged modulation of P-gp function was obtained in patients receiving three doses of 500 mg of zosuquidar.3HCL p.o. At this dose level, toxicity was minimal and no enhancement of CHOP-related toxicity was observed. Zosuquidar.3HCL did not significantly affect the pharmacokinetics of doxorubicin and had moderate effects on the pharmacokinetics of vincristine. Zosuquidar.3HCL can be safely administered with CHOP therapy using a 24-h schedule.
Zeeman Effect in Parabolic Quantum Dots.

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Addition of 24‐Hour Heart Rate Variability Parameters to the Cardiovascular Health Study Stroke Risk Score and Prediction of Incident Stroke: The Cardiovascular Health Study

Background Heart rate variability (HRV) characterizes cardiac autonomic functioning. The association of HRV with stroke is uncertain. We examined whether 24‐hour HRV added predictive value to the Cardiovascular Health Study clinical stroke risk score (CHS‐SCORE), previously developed at the baseline examination. Methods and Results N=884 stroke‐free CHS participants (age 75.3±4.6), with 24‐hour Holters adequate for HRV analysis at the 1994–1995 examination, had 68 strokes over ≤8 year follow‐up (median 7.3 [interquartile range 7.1–7.6] years). The value of adding HRV to the CHS‐SCORE was assessed with stepwise Cox regression analysis. The CHS‐SCORE predicted incident stroke (HR=1.06 per unit increment, P=0.005). Two HRV parameters, decreased coefficient of variance of NN intervals (CV%, P=0.031) and decreased power law slope (SLOPE, P=0.033) also entered the model, but these did not significantly improve the c‐statistic (P=0.47). In a secondary analysis, dichotomization of CV% (LOWCV% ≤12.8%) was found to maximally stratify higher‐risk participants after adjustment for CHS‐SCORE. Similarly, dichotomizing SLOPE (LOWSLOPE <−1.4) maximally stratified higher‐risk participants. When these HRV categories were combined (eg, HIGHCV% with HIGHSLOPE), the c‐statistic for the model with the CHS‐SCORE and combined HRV categories was 0.68, significantly higher than 0.61 for the CHS‐SCORE alone (P=0.02). Conclusions In this sample of older adults, 2 HRV parameters, CV% and power law slope, emerged as significantly associated with incident stroke when added to a validated clinical risk score. After each parameter was dichotomized based on its optimal cut point in this sample, their composite significantly improved prediction of incident stroke during ≤8‐year follow‐up. These findings will require validation in separate, larger cohorts.
The Influence of the Rate of Interest on Prices

T_ thesis which I humbly submit to criticism is this. If, other things remaining the same, the leading banks of the world were to lower their rate of interest, say 1 per cent. below its ordinary level, and keep it so for some years, then the prices of all commodities would rise and rise and rise without any limit whatever; on the contrary, if the leading banks were to raise their rate of interest, say 1 per cent. above its normal level, and keep it so for some years, then all prices would ]_U and fall and fall without any limit except Zero. Now this proposition cannot be proved directly by experience, because the fact required in its hypothesis never happens. The supposition was that the banks were to lower or raise their interest, other _l_ings remaining Lhe same, but that, of course, the banks never do; why, indeed, should they? Other things remaining the same, the bank-rate is sure to remain the same too, or if, by any chance, e.g._ by mistake, it were altered, it would very soon come round to its proper level. My thesis is, therefore, only an abstract statement, and somebody, perhaps, will ask : what is the use of it then? But I venture to assert that it may be of very great use all the same. Everybody knows the statement of Newton that, if the attraction of the sun were suddenly to cease, then the planets would leave their orbits in the tangential direction ; this, too, of course, is only an abstract proposition, because the solar attraction never ceases, but it is most useful nevertheless; indeed, it is the very corner-stone of celestial mechanics; and in the same way I believe that the thesis here propounded, if proved to be true, will turn out to be the corner-stone of the mechanics of prices, or rather one of its corner-stones, the influence of the supply of precious metals
National Survey of Practices to Prevent Healthcare-Associated Infections in Thailand: The Role of Safely Culture and Collaboratives

Objective. To evaluate hospital characteristics and practices used by Thai hospitals to prevent catheter-associated urinary tract infection (CAUTI), central line-associated bloodstream infection (CLABSI), and ventilator-associated pneumonia (VAP), the 3 most common types of healthcare-associated infection (HAI) in Thailand. Design. Survey. Setting. Thai hospitals with an intensive care unit and 250 or more hospital beds Methods. Between January 1, 2010, and October 31, 2010, research nurses collected data from all eligible hospitals. The survey assessed hospital characteristics and practices to prevent CAUTI, CLABSI, and VAP. Ordinal logistic regression was used to assess relationships between hospital characteristics and use of prevention practices. Results. A total of 204 (80%) of 256 hospitals responded. Most hospitals (93%) reported regularly using alcohol-based hand rub. The most frequently reported prevention practice by infection was as follows: for CAUTI, condom catheters in men (47%); for CLABSI, avoiding routine central venous catheter changes (85%); and for VAP, semirecumbent positioning (84%). Hospitals with peripherally inserted central catheter insertion teams were more likely to regularly use elements of the CLABSI prevention bundle. Greater safety scores were associated with regular use of several VAP prevention practices. The only hospital characteristic associated with increased use of at least 1 prevention practice for each infection was membership in an HAI collaborative. Conclusions. While reported adherence to hand hygiene was high, many of the prevention practices for CAUTI, CLABSI, and VAP were used infrequently in Thailand. Policies and interventions emphasizing specific infection prevention practices, establishing a strong institutional safety culture, and participating in collaboratives to prevent HAI may be beneficial.