Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A 1.05-V 62-MHz with 0.12-nW standby power SOTB-65 nm chip of 32-point DCT based on adaptive CORDIC

In this paper, a Silicon On Thin Buried-oxide (SOTB) implementation of a 32-point Discrete Cosine Transform (DCT) is presented. The architecture is based on the ﬁ xed-rotation adaptive COordinate Rotation DIgital Computer (CORDIC) algorithm. The SOTB-65nm process was chosen due to the profound advantages of low-power and high-performance. The core layout contained about 47.2K gate-count and had the size of about 183K-µm 2 . The measurement results showed that the highest operating frequency of 62-MHz was achieved at the 1.05-V power supply and consumed about 737-µW and 11.89-pJ / cycle. In the standby mode, the least power consumption of 0.12-nW was achieved at the 0.4-V power supply when the clock-gating technique and − 2.5-V reverse back-gate biassing were applied.
Myopathy mutations in α-skeletal-muscle actin cause a range of molecular defects

Mutations in the gene encoding α-skeletal-muscle actin, ACTA1, cause congenital myopathies of various phenotypes that have been studied since their discovery in 1999. Although much is now known about the clinical aspects of myopathies resulting from over 60 different ACTA1 mutations, we have very little evidence for how mutations alter the behavior of the actin protein and thus lead to disease. We used a combination of biochemical and cell biological analysis to classify 19 myopathy mutants and found a range of defects in the actin. Using in vitro expression systems, we probed actin folding and actin's capacity to interact with actin-binding proteins and polymerization. Only two mutants failed to fold; these represent recessive alleles, causing severe myopathy, indicating that patients produce nonfunctional actin. Four other mutants bound tightly to cyclase-associated protein, indicating a possible instability in the nucleotide-binding pocket, and formed rods and aggregates in cells. Eleven mutants showed defects in the ability to co-polymerize with wild-type actin. Some of these could incorporate into normal actin structures in NIH 3T3 fibroblasts, but two of the three tested also formed aggregates. Four mutants showed no defect in vitro but two of these formed aggregates in cells, indicating functional defects that we have not yet tested for. Overall, we found a range of defects and behaviors of the mutants in vitro and in cultured cells, paralleling the complexity of actin-based muscle myopathy phenotypes.
The Abel-Jacobi map for cubic threefold and periods of Fano threefolds of degree $14$

The Abel-Jacobi maps of the families of elliptic quintics and rational quartics lying on a smooth cubic threefold are studied. It is proved that their generic fiber is the 5-dimensional projective space for quintics, and a smooth 3-dimensional variety birational to the cubic itself for quartics. The paper is a continuation of the recent work of Markushevich-Tikhomirov, who showed that the first Abel-Jacobi map factors through the moduli component of stable rank 2 vector bundles on the cubic threefold with Chern numbers $c_1=0, c_2=2$ obtained by Serre's construction from elliptic quintics, and that the factorizing map from the moduli space to the intermediate Jacobian is \'etale. The above result implies that the degree of the \'etale map is 1, hence the moduli component of vector bundles is birational to the intermediate Jacobian. As an applicaton, it is shown that the generic fiber of the period map of Fano varieties of degree 14 is birational to the intermediate Jacobian of the associated cubic threefold.
Cdc 48 p is required for the cell cycle commitment point at Start via degradation of the G 1-CDK inhibitor Far 1 p

he budding yeast Cdc48p and its mammalian homologue p97 are involved in many important cellular activities. Because previous cdc48 mutants have exclusive G2/M arrest, Cdc48p was thought to play an essential role only during mitosis. We found that Cdc48p is required for the execution of Start (a yeast cell cycle commitment point equivalent to the restriction point in mammalian cells) in both a normal mitotic cell cycle and cell T cycle reentry after mating pheromone withdrawal through degradation of the G1–cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor Far1p. Our work is the first to uncover novel roles of Cdc48p as a critical cell cycle regulator in G1, and to shed new light on cell cycle regulation of Far1p, which is the first cyclin-dependent kinase inhibitor shown to be a substrate of an essential proteolysis event mediated by Cdc48p.
Short‐term responses in a secondary tropical forest after a severe windstorm event

Questions: How do abiotic conditions, forest structure, as well as taxonomic and functional diversities and composition recover after wind-generated treefalls? Do young and old-growth secondary forests differ in their responses? Location: Mandai region of the Central Catchment Nature Reserve, Singapore, where extensive treefalls occurred during an unusually powerful windstorm in 2011. Southeast Asia. Methods: Soil nitrogen, phosphorous, potassium, canopy cover, leaf litter depth, coarse woody debris, and woody stems ≥1-cm diameter were measured and identified in 10 × 10 m plots. Twenty-six plots were located in treefall areas and 14 plots were located in relatively unaffected areas, with equal numbers in young and old-growth secondary forest types. The first round of surveys took place within 3–6 months of the windstorm event and yearly re-surveys were conducted until 2015. Specific leaf area, leaf dry matter content, leaf thickness, woody density, maximum plant height, and seed dry mass were measured or derived from various sources. Results: There was a pulse of soil nutrient availability in both affected and unaffected areas 1 year after the wind event. Canopy cover and basal area in the affected areas recovered to similar levels as unaffected areas by the second year, and coarse woody debris by the fourth year. In affected plots, taxonomic and functional diversities increased and overshot that of—and taxonomic composition diverged from—unaffected plots after the second year. Young and old-growth secondary forest types mainly differed in the taxonomic composition of new recruits. However, there was no evidence of changes in functional composition towards resource-acquisitive strategies such as lower wood density or higher specific leaf area. Conclusions: Abiotic conditions and basal area recovered rapidly within 2–4 years after the windstorm. Taxonomic composition in young and old-growth affected forests both diverged from unaffected forests but also from each other over time.
Simulation of electrical tree initiation in XLPE cable insulation under DC field

Real-time three dimensional simulations of the electrical tree initiation process in needle-plane geometry under DC field with practical parameters were conducted. The evolution of physical parameters in this dynamic process was presented. Three governing equations: the continuity equation, the transport equation and the Poisson equation, were used to describe charge injection and motion, and an iteration simulation method was proposed to characterize the reciprocal effect of electron injection and local field modification. During the simulation, the transferred energy was regarded as thermal energy, which diffuses and causes local temperature to increase. When a local temperature exceeds the pre-set threshold, partial thermal breakdown occurs, indicating electrical tree initiation. The temperature evolutions of the point right below the needle tip with time under different voltages reflect an apparent deterministic feature of the electrical tree initiation process.
Use of Cis-[18F]Fluoro-Proline for Assessment of Exercise-Related Collagen Synthesis in Musculoskeletal Connective Tissue

Protein turnover in collagen rich tissue is influenced by exercise, but can only with difficulty be studied in vivo due to use of invasive procedure. The present study was done to investigate the possibility of applying the PET-tracer, cis-[18F]fluoro-proline (cis-Fpro), for non-invasive assessment of collagen synthesis in rat musculoskeletal tissues at rest and following short-term (3 days) treadmill running. Musculoskeletal collagen synthesis was studied in rats at rest and 24 h post-exercise. At each session, rats were PET scanned at two time points following injection of cis-FPro: (60 and 240 min p.i). SUV were calculated for Achilles tendon, calf muscle and tibial bone. The PET-derived results were compared to mRNA expression of collagen type I and III. Tibial bone had the highest SUV that increased significantly (p<0.001) from the early (60 min) to the late (240 min) PET scan, while SUV in tendon and muscle decreased (p<0.001). Exercise had no influence on SUV, which was contradicted by an increased gene expression of collagen type I and III in muscle and tendon. The clearly, visible uptake of cis-Fpro in the collagen-rich musculoskeletal tissues is promising for multi-tissue studies in vivo. The tissue-specific differences with the highest basal uptake in bone are in accordance with earlier studies relying on tissue incorporation of isotopic-labelled proline. A possible explanation of the failure to demonstrate enhanced collagen synthesis following exercise, despite augmented collagen type I and III transcription, is that SUV calculations are not sensitive enough to detect minor changes in collagen synthesis. Further studies including kinetic compartment modeling must be performed to establish whether cis-Fpro can be used for non-invasive in-vivo assessment of exercise-induced changes in musculoskeletal collagen synthesis.
Spontaneous breakdown of Lorentz invariance in IIB matrix model

We study the IIB matrix model, which is conjectured to be a nonperturbative definition of superstring theory, by introducing an integer deformation parameter ? which couples to the imaginary part of the effective action induced by fermions. The deformed IIB matrix model continues to be well-defined for arbitrary ? , and it preserves gauge invariance, Lorentz invariance, and the cluster property. We study the model at ? = ? using a saddle-point analysis, and show that ten-dimensional Lorentz invariance is spontaneously broken at least down to an eight-dimensional one. We argue that it is likely that the remaining eight-dimensional Lorentz invariance is further broken, which can be checked by integrating over the saddle-point configurations using standard Monte Carlo simulation.
Grand Challenge: Priorities for Research in Special Educational Needs

In this paper, I propose some priority areas for research in the field of special educational needs (SEN) and disabilities and some additional challenges regarding conceptualization of SEN. As the term “special educational needs and disabilities (SEND)” is now used in England, that term will also be used as appropriate, particularly with reference to the system rather than children and young people.
Kinesthetic Taping Improves Walking Function in Patients with Stroke: A Pilot Cohort Study

Abstract Background: Stroke is an important cause of severe disability and impaired motor function. Treatment modalities that improve motor function in patients with stroke are needed. The objective of this study was to investigate the effect of kinesthetic taping of the anterior thigh and knee on maximal walking speed and clinical indices of spasticity in patients with stroke. Methods: Thirty-two patients (9 women) receiving rehabilitation after stroke (average, 50 days since stroke) who had impaired walking ability were recruited. Primary outcome was maximal walking speed measured by the 10-meter walk test. Secondary outcomes were number of steps taken during the test and clinical signs of spasticity measured by the Tardieu Scale. Tests were conducted before and immediately after application of kinesthetic tape to the anterior thigh and knee of the paretic lower limb. Results: After application of the tape, the maximal walking speed increased, on average, by 0.08 m/s (95% CI, 0.04 to 0.12; P < .0001). The number of steps taken during the test was significantly decreased by 1.4 steps (95% CI, -2.3 to -0.5; P < .0031). The Tardieu scores were not significantly changed by the tape intervention, although a trend was observed indicating a lesser degree of spasticity. Conclusion: The results of this study indicate that kinesthetic taping of the anterior thigh and knee provides an immediate improvement in walking function in patients with stroke. Such a positive effect on motor function could be a valuable adjunct in physical therapy and rehabilitation of patients with stroke.
Garlic Supplementation Ameliorates UV-Induced Photoaging in Hairless Mice by Regulating Antioxidative Activity and MMPs Expression

UV exposure is associated with oxidative stress and is the primary factor in skin photoaging. UV-induced reactive oxygen species (ROS) cause the up-regulation of metalloproteinase (MMPs) and the degradation of dermal collagen and elastic fibers. Garlic and its components have been reported to exert antioxidative effects. The present study investigated the protective effect of garlic on UV-induced photoaging and MMPs regulation in hairless mice. Garlic was supplemented in the diet, and Skh-1 hairless mice were exposed to UV irradiation five days/week for eight weeks. Mice were divided into four groups; Non-UV, UV-irradiated control, UV+1% garlic powder diet group, and UV+2% garlic powder diet group. Chronic UV irradiation induced rough wrinkling of the skin with hyperkeratosis, and administration of garlic diminished the coarse wrinkle formation. UV-induced dorsal skin and epidermal thickness were also ameliorated by garlic supplementation. ROS generation, skin and serum malondialdehyde levels were significantly increased by UV exposure and were ameliorated by garlic administration although the effects were not dose-dependent. Antioxidant enzymes such as superoxide dismutase and catalase activities in skin tissues were markedly reduced by UV irradiation and garlic treatment increased these enzyme activities. UV-induced MMP-1 and MMP-2 protein levels were suppressed by garlic administration. Furthermore, garlic supplementation prevented the UV-induced increase of MMP-1 mRNA expression and the UV-induced decrease of procollagen mRNA expression. These results suggest that garlic may be effective for preventing skin photoaging accelerated by UV irradiation through the antioxidative system and MMP regulation.
Cuffless Blood Pressure Estimation Algorithms for Continuous Health-Care Monitoring

Goal: Continuous blood pressure (BP) monitoring can provide invaluable information about individuals’ health conditions. However, BP is conventionally measured using inconvenient cuff-based instruments, which prevents continuous BP monitoring. This paper presents an efficient algorithm, based on the pulse arrival time (PAT), for the continuous and cuffless estimation of the systolic BP, diastolic blood pressure (DBP), and mean arterial pressure (MAP) values. Methods: The proposed framework estimates the BP values through processing vital signals and extracting two types of features, which are based on either physiological parameters or whole-based representation of vital signals. Finally, the regression algorithms are employed for the BP estimation. Although the proposed algorithm works reliably without any need for calibration, an optional calibration procedure is also suggested, which can improve the system's accuracy even further. Results: The proposed method is evaluated on about a thousand subjects using the Association for the Advancement of Medical Instrumentation (AAMI) and the British Hypertension Society (BHS) standards. The method complies with the AAMI standard in the estimation of DBP and MAP values. Regarding the BHS protocol, the results achieve grade A for the estimation of DBP and grade B for the estimation of MAP. Conclusion: We conclude that by using the PAT in combination with informative features from the vital signals, the BP can be accurately and reliably estimated in a noninvasive fashion. Significance: The results indicate that the proposed algorithm for the cuffless estimation of the BP can potentially enable mobile health-care gadgets to monitor the BP continuously.
The Evaluation of Hospital Information System Management Based on HOT-FIT Model at RSU Dr. H. Koesnadi Bondowoso 2018

Hospital Management Information System (SIMRS) helps hospital management in decision making to support service system for the sake of patients. SIMRS at RSU Dr. H. Koesnadi Bondowoso has been running since 2015. However, the utilization of SIMRS still meets some obstacles in the operation of the information system. The study aims to evaluate SIMRS based on HOT-FIT Model analysis at RSU Dr. H. Koesnadi Bondowoso. This is an analytic survey research with cross sectional design. The sample of this research is SIMRS user at RSU Dr. H. Koesnadi Bondowoso (158 people). The variables in this study are Human (user satisfaction), Organization, Technology (the quality in terms of system, information and service) and performance of SIMRS. Its analysis is carried out through Regressed Multiple Linear. The results showed that user satisfaction did not affect the SIMRS (p = 0.413) while the organizational variable had an effect on the performance of SIMRS (p = 0.00). Technological variables, consisting of system as well as information quality influence SIMRS performance (p = 0.002 and p = 0.001) while service quality has no effect on SIMRS performance (p = 0.793).
Circulating free tumor-derived DNA to detect EGFR mutations in patients with advanced NSCLC: French subset analysis of the ASSESS study.

Background The non-interventional ASSESS study (NCT01785888) evaluated the utility of circulating free tumor-derived DNA (ctDNA) from plasma for epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) mutation testing in patients with advanced non-small-cell lung cancer (NSCLC), in a real-world setting across 56 centers in Europe and Japan. The high mutation status concordance between 1162 matched tissue/cytology and plasma samples (89%, sensitivity =46%, specificity =97%) suggested that ctDNA is a feasible sample for EGFR mutation analysis. We report data for the French subset of patients (pre-planned analysis). Methods Eligible patients (stage IIIA/B/IV locally advanced/metastatic treatment-naive advanced NSCLC) provided diagnostic tissue/cytology and plasma samples. DNA extracted from tissue/cytology samples was subjected to EGFR mutation testing as per local practice; a designated laboratory performed ctDNA extraction/mutation testing of plasma samples. The primary outcome was EGFR mutation status concordance between matched tumor and plasma samples. Results Of the 1,311 patients enrolled in the ASSESS trial, 145 were recruited from 9 centers in France. Tumor samples from 130 patients were collected and 126 were evaluable for EGFR mutation analysis. Activating EGFR mutations were identified in 13 of the 126 patient tumor samples (EGFR mutation frequency 10.3%). For plasma testing, 10 of the 145 samples tested were positive for EGFR mutations (EGFR mutation frequency 6.9%). EGFR mutation rate was significantly higher in never- versus ever-smokers (stepwise logistic regression: tumor, P<0.0001; plasma, P=0.0008). Mutation status concordance between 126 matched patient samples was 96.0% [121/126; 95% confidence intervals (CI), 91.0-98.7]. Of the 113 EGFR mutation-negative patient tissue samples, one tested plasma-positive; reanalysis of plasma via two different techniques confirmed the presence of a L858R mutation, indicating a tissue false-negative result. Based on these data, sensitivity of plasma testing was 64.3% (9/14; 95% CI, 35.1-87.2%) and its specificity was 100.0% (112/112; 95% CI, 96.8-100.0%). Conclusions Data confirm ctDNA as an alternative sample for EGFR mutation analysis in patients with advanced NSCLC.
I. Introduction and Mathematical Tools

Basic notions and mathematical tools in continuum media mechanics are recalled. The notion of exponent of a covariant differential operator is introduced and on its basis the geometrical interpretation of the curvature and the torsion in (Ln, g)-spaces is considered. The Hodge (star) operator is generalized for (Ln, g)-spaces. The kinematic characteristics of a flow are outline in brief.
Effect of Mild Thyrotoxicosis on Performance and Brain Activations in a Working Memory Task

Aims Disturbed levels of thyroid hormones are associated with neuropsychiatric disorders, including memory impairments. The aim of this study was to evaluate effects of mild induced thyrotoxicosis on working memory and its neural correlates. Methods Twenty-nine healthy, male subjects with normal thyroid state participated in the study. Functional MRI was acquired during a working memory task (n-back task) before and after ingesting 250 μg L-thyroxin per day for a period of eight weeks. In addition, neuropsychological tests were performed. Results In the hyperthyroid condition the subjects showed slower reaction times, but a higher accuracy in the 0-back version of the memory tasks. Fewer differences between euthyroid and hyperthyroid state were seen for the more difficult conditions of the n-back task. FMRI revealed effects of difficulty in the parahippocampal gyrus, supplementary motor area, prefrontal cortex, anterior cingulate cortex, posterior cerebellum, rolandic operculum and insula (p<0.05, FWE corrected). When comparing euthyroid and hyperthyroid condition in relation to task-induced activation, differences of activation were found in the right prefrontal cortex as well as in the right parahippocampal area. In the psychological assessment, the alerting effect in the Attention Network Task (ANT) and four out of five parameters of the auditory verbal learning test (AVLT) showed an increase from euthyroid to hyperthyroid state. Conclusions It can be concluded that even a short-term intake of thyroid hormones leads to an activation of brain areas associated with working memory and to an improvement of accuracy of working memory tasks.
An energy efficient rate selection algorithm for voltage quantized dynamic voltage scaling

The paper presents a highly energy efficient alternative algorithm to the conventional workload averaging technique for voltage quantized dynamic voltage scaling. This algorithm incorporates the strengths of the conventional workload averaging technique and our previously proposed Rate Selection Algorithm, resulting in higher energy savings while minimizing the buffers size requirement and improving the overall system stability by minimizing the number of voltage transitions. Our experimental work using the Forward Mapped Inverse Discrete Cosine Transform computation (FMIDCT) as the variable workload computation, nine 300-frame MPEG-2 video sequences as the test data, and a 4-level voltage quantization shows that our algorithm produces better energy savings in all test cases when compared to the workload averaging technique, and the maximum energy saving for the test cases was 23%.
Conditional cooperation: Behavioral regularities from the lab and the field and their policy implications

This paper discusses the empirical evidence from lab and field experiments on voluntary cooperation. We present the most important findings from numerous public goods experiments and argue that conditional cooperation (contributions are conditional on other people’s contribution) is a primary motivation for many people to (not) contribute to the public good. We also discuss four experiments that test implications of conditional cooperation. We see these experiments as four behavioral models that can help interpreting naturally occurring phenomena, like charitable giving, work morale, and tax evasion. We conclude by discussing some policy implications of the observed behavioral regularities.