Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
‘Genetics Home Reference’: Helping Patients Understand the Role of Genetics in Health and Disease

The surge of information generated by the Human Genome Project has left many health professionals and their patients struggling to understand the role of genetics in health and disease. To aid the lay public and health professionals, the US National Library of Medicine developed an online resource called ‘Genetics Home Reference’ (GHR), located at http://ghr.nlm. nih.gov/. Launched in April 2003, GHR’s goal is to help the public interpret the health implications of the Human Genome Project. It bridges the clinical questions of consumers and the rich technical data emerging from the sequenced human genome. The GHR web site is designed for easy navigation among summaries for genetic conditions and the related gene(s) and chromosome(s). This design strategy enhances the user’s appreciation of how genes, chromosomes, and conditions are interrelated.
Clinical Application of Perfluorocarbons for Organ Preservation

Perfluorocarbons (PFC), which store and release high levels of oxygen, have been examined as oxygen carriers. PFC was first used in organ preservation as a component of the two-layer method (TLM). The TLM is comprised of University of Wisconsin solution [UW] and oxygenated PFC for pancreas preservation. Pancreata preserved in the TLM are oxygenated through the PFC and substrates are supplied by the UW. TLM has been shown to prolong the preservation period and repair pancreatic injury caused by warm ischemia. Currently the TLM was used for pancreas preservation prior to clinical whole organ transplant. In this first clinical trial, the morphologic quality of the human pancreas graft after reperfusion was excellent compared with the pancreas stored in UW. In addition, there was no acute rejection episode of pancreata preserved by the TLM. TLM preservation of human pancreata, without initial cold UW storage, prior to islet isolation, resulted in better isolation results and improved the success rate of islet transplantation. Thus preservation of human pancreata by the TLM has become an important process for successful islet transplantation. Nowadays, PFC is routinely used for pancreas preservation prior to islet isolation, which has had a significant impact on curing type 1 diabetes.
Efficient architecture and implementation for NTRUEncrypt system

NTRU has gained much attention recently because it is relatively efficient for practical implementation among the post-quantum public key cryptosystems. In this paper, an efficient hardware architecture and FPGA implementation of NTRUEncrypt is proposed. The new architecture takes advantage of linear feedback shift register (LFSR) structure for its compact circuitry and high speed. A novel design of the modular arithmetic unit is proposed to reduce the critical path delay. The FPGA implementation results have shown that the proposed design outperforms all the existing works in terms of area-delay product.
TANGO: traffic-aware network planning and green operation

This article addresses the potential paradigm shift of the next-generation cellular networks from the viewpoint of energy efficiency. In particular, it reveals that networks planning and operation should be more energy efficiency oriented; and in the meantime, the radio resources distributed over different cellular networks, and base stations should be optimized in a global way to be globally resource-optimized and energy-efficient networks (GREEN). A new framework, called traffic-aware network planning and green operation (TANGO), is proposed toward GREEN. Some key technologies for the migration to TANGO are then presented and evaluated. Theoretical modeling and simulation studies show that TANGO schemes can greatly improve the energy efficiency of cellular networks, while keeping QoS at a satisfactory level.
Study on error suppression in broadband characterization of complex EM-parameters

The purpose of this paper is to make an theoretical investigation on the error sources in the broadband measurement of complex EM-parameters with an open-ended coaxial probe. Firstly, the measurement model is reviewed in brief. Then, the error sources are analyzed in detail, whereas the error suppression schemes are proposed correspondingly. Finally, the experiment is conducted to validate the feasibility of our analysis.
Measuring Attitudes Toward the Rights of Indigenous People: An Index of Global Citizenship

Global citizenship has emerged as a key objective of liberal education. Because the status of indigenous persons world-wide is inextricably linked to globalization and imperialism, mainstream culture students’ attitudes toward the rights of indigenous persons can be taken as an index of global citizenship. The items comprising the Measure of Attitudes Toward the Rights of Indigenous Persons (MATRIP) draw directly from the United Nations’ 2007 Declaration on the Rights of Indigenous Peoples . Twenty-three statements about indigenous peoples’ rights--as explicated in the UN Declaration-- were transformed into Likert-type items measuring five dimensions: Preservation of Culture, Lands & Resources, Self-Governance, Restitution, and Services and Representation . Questionnaires were administered to 226 undergraduates. MATRIP measurement properties were tested using confirmatory factor analysis. Results indicate that a final scale consisting of 20 items adequately measures the hypothesized dimensions. Potential uses for the scale are discussed in the context of education abroad.
Comparative evaluation of the mammalian cell thermal sensitivity to pulsed CO2-laser irradiation and hyperthermic water-bath treatment.

The survival response of HeLa cells to pulsed ${\rm CO}_{2}\text{-laser}$ irradiation was evaluated and compared to that obtained after short heat treatment in a water-bath. The survival curve of exponentially growing cells subjected to single pulses (70 nsec) of varying infrared energy densities is composed of an initial shoulder up to $750\ {\rm mJ}/{\rm cm}^{2}$ followed by an exponential decline ( $D_{0}=90\ {\rm mJ}/{\rm cm}^{2}$). A quite similar curve was obtained when the cells were heated for 2 min at temperatures ranging from 37 to 55°C. In this case, the response was characterized by a shoulder up to 47.5°C and a $D_{0}=1{{}^\circ}{\rm C}$. In both cases split-dose experiments yielded survival response curves which indicated that for short exposure times the recovery is complete within 30 min. The cell responses to treatment at 44°C for a period of time varying from 30 to 180 min or to series of 300, 500, 600, or $800\ {\rm mJ}/{\rm cm}^{2}$ laser pulses separated by 1-min intervals yielded sur.
The impacts of country-of-origin effect, endorser expertise, and product involvement on product attitude and purchase intention

Under globalizing trend, consumers have a lot of chances to purchase foreign goods. Consumers are easily to search product information via internet and make purchase decisions according to the information collected. Some consumers would evaluate product quality according to the country of origin. Past researches showed customers would take country of origin of products as important criteria to make purchase decisions. Generally speaking, consumers of developed countries would have higher perceived risk on products of developing countries. Consumers of developing countries would have less confidence on their own products. Therefore, how to reduce the negative influences from inferior country of origin is an important research issue. In this paper, we take digital still camera (DSC) as our research object. We conducted experimental design by manipulating country of origin (high vs. low) and endorser expertise (high vs. low). Besides, we came out our hypothesis by source credibility and elaboration likelihood model (ELM). We found that country-of-origin image and endorser expertise had positive effects on product attitude and purchase intention. Besides, respondents with lower product involvement are more easily influenced by country of origin and endorser expertise.
Stability analysis of constant power load and load voltage control method for Wireless In-Wheel Motor

In order to improve motion control performance of electric vehicles (EVs), In-Wheel Motor (IWM) is the most preferred electric motor arrangement. Our research group has proposed Wireless In-Wheel Motor (W-IWM) concept to solve some technical problems of an IWM, which are reliability and safety issues of power and signal wires. In this research, we did a stability analysis of Series-Series compensated wireless power transfer via magnetic resonance coupling with constant power load. Analysis result is verified by circuit simulation. Also, we propose a load voltage control method using a secondary converter. The effectiveness of the proposed control method has been verified by simulation and experiment using small power test equipment.
The Impact of Traffic Congestion on Household Behavior: Three Essays on the Role of Heterogeneity

DAVIS, ALISON FARA. The Impact of Traffic Congestion on Household Behavior: Three Essays on the Role of Heterogeneity. (Under the direction of V. Kerry Smith). Congestion is increasing everywhere from established urban areas to growth centers. The rate of increase is greater in these rapidly growing areas of the country. With the explosion of congestion in rapidly growing areas, how does congestion influence individual decision making? The purpose of this thesis is to investigate how congestion affects people’s choices. More specifically, this research considers the role of observable household attributes as conditioning factors, influencing behavioral responses to congestion. This analysis is developed through three separate essays. The first essay focuses on commuting time as the outcome of joint residential and employment decisions. The framework hypothesizes that information about individual preferences for avoiding commuting time can be revealed through the differences in spatial distributions of commuting time. Two different choice margins are selected for the next two essays: a long term margin which would be associated with residential location decisions; and short term choice margins within the context of a random utility model for non-working trips. The second essay hypothesizes that expected congestion is sufficiently important to be displayed in one of a household’s most important decisions, the selection of residential location. The effect of congestion can be captured with a hedonic price framework assuming that households select residential locations based on an expected mix of trips. The focus of the third essay changes to individual trips. That is, it hypothesizes household constraints will influence an individual’s sensitivity to congestion as displayed through the members’ decisions to make individual trips. This process is modeled using a random utility framework with careful attention to the transformation of a trip into a choice. This research provides evidence that household characteristics influence both long and short term decisions. There is support for the hypothesis that there are some household circumstances that limit the members’ abilities to respond to congestion. The multiple time constraints on the activities that need to undertaken, and the discretion in when they can be undertaken in relation to other commitments, limit each individual’s ability to adapt to congestion. Furthermore, this study recognizes that household circumstances are also important factors driving the distribution of commuting times. The Impact of Traffic Congestion on Household Behavior: Three Essays on the Role of Heterogeneity
Characterizing Political Cynicism of First-Time Voters for the 2016 Philippine Elections

With elections looming in the Philippines, first-time voters are confronted with a serious dilemma: distrust and doubt with the government; hence, political cynicism. Hence, the purpose of the study is to characterize political cynicism as perceived by college students who are first-time voters of 2016 national and local elections. The study further examined the dimensionality of political cynicism as basis in developing a political cynicism index. Quantitative type of research via descriptive-exploratory method of research was utilized. A standardized instrument on political cynicism was distributed to 200 first-time voters in Padada who are currently enrolled in any higher education institution to determine the extent of political cynicism. Principal components factor analysis was used to derive the indices of political cynicism based on the survey results. Results revealed that overall political cynicism was found to be moderate. Moreover, political cynicism is multidimensional, which is a function of eight factors k1 to k8. It is recommended that academicians will further look into the applicability of the indices on a larger sample. The results could also yield basis for specific policy enhancements especially in shifting attitude towards politicians and Philippine politics as a whole.
Why Are Real Interest Rates So Low

Risk-free rates have been falling since the 1980s while the return on capital has not. We analyze these trends in a calibrated OLG model designed to encompass many of the "usual suspects" cited in the debate on secular stagnation. Declining labor force and productivity growth imply a limited decline in real interest rates and deleveraging cannot account for the joint decline in the risk free rate and increase in the risk premium. If we allow for a change in the (perceived) risk to productivity growth to fit the data, we find that the decline in the risk-free rate requires an increase in the borrowing capacity of the indebted agents in the model, consistent with the increase in the sum of public and private debt since the crisis but at odds with a deleveraging-based explanation put forth in Eggertsson and Krugman (2012).
Activation of the classical complement pathway by mannose-binding protein in association with a novel C1s-like serine protease

Serum mannose-binding protein (MBP) is a C-type lectin that binds to terminal mannose and N-acetylglucosamine moieties present on surfaces of certain pathogens and activates the classical complement pathway. In the present study, we describe the mechanism underlying the activation triggered by MBP. The human serum MBP fraction was obtained by sequential affinity chromatography on mannan-Sepharose, anti-IgM- Sepharose and anti-MBP-Sepharose in the presence of calcium ions. This fraction contained a C1s-like serine protease as assessed by C4 consumption. The C1s-like serine protease, designated MBP-associated serine protease (MASP), was separated from MBP by rechromatography on anti-MBP-Sepharose in the presence of ethylenediaminetetraacetic acid. MASP exhibited both C4- and C2-consuming activities. The molecular mass of MASP was estimated to be 83 kD with two polypeptides of heavy (66 kD) and light (L) (31 kD) chains linked by disulfide bonds. The serine residue responsible for protease activity is located on the L chain. Reconstitution experiments using MASP and MBP revealed that combination of the two components restores C4- and C2-activating capacity on mannan. Based on analyses of molecular size, antigenicity, and 11 NH2- terminal amino acid sequences of the L chain, we conclude that MASP is a novel protein different from C1r or C1s. Our findings are not in accord with a proposed mechanism by which MBP utilizes the C1r2-C1s2 complex to initiate the classical complement pathway.
Identification and characterization of a gene that is coamplified with dihydrofolate reductase in a methotrexate-resistant CHO cell line

As part of an effort to characterize the spatial and functional relationships among genetic elements within the amplified dihydrofolate reductase (DHFR) domain in Chinese hamster cells, we have used a variation of the differential hybridization approach to identify cDNA clones whose genes are coamplified with DHFR in the methotrexate-resistant cell line, CHOC 400. Our initial screen was successful in isolating both DHFR and non-DHFR cDNAs. One of the non-DHFR cDNA clones, 2BE2121, hybridizes on Northern (RNA) blots to abundant 1,200- and 1,500-nucleotide (nt) transcripts which differ in the lengths of their 3' untranslated regions. The clone 2BE2121 contains a 789-nt open reading frame but does not appear to be related to any members of the protein or nucleic acid sequence databases. A second larger non-DHFR cDNA, II-19-211, was isolated that is transcribed from the same gene as 2BE2121 but contains only a small carboxyl-terminal portion of the open reading frame. II-19-211 may, therefore, represent either a splicing intermediate or an mRNA transcribed from a cryptic intragenic promoter. Hybridization to cosmids from the DHFR domain shows that 2BE2121 is encoded by a gene approximately 34 kilobases (kb) long. The 5'-most genomic fragment is less than 4 kb from an interamplicon junction. The 3' end of the 2BE2121 gene lies approximately 75 kb downstream from the DHFR gene and approximately 25 kb downstream from the proximal replication initiation site, and the transcriptional polarity is opposite to that of the leading strand of replication. Thus, both the DHFR and 2BE2121 genes are exceptions to the theory that transcription proceeds in the same direction as the leading strand of the replication fork.
Temperature-Dependent Study on Modal Gain and Differential Gain of 1.3-$\mu$ m InAs–GaAs QD Lasers With Different  $p$-Doping Levels

The modal gain and differential gain of 1.3-μm InAs-GaAs quantum-dot (QD) lasers with different doping concentrations have been investigated as a function of injection current under different operation temperatures from 20°C to 120°C. The results show that QD laser with light doping density can improve the characteristic temperature (To), modal gain, and differential gain and reduce the threshold current density.
Generation of gene knockouts and mutant models in the laboratory rat by ENU-driven target-selected mutagenesis

Objective The rat is one of the most important model organisms for biomedical and pharmacological research. However, the generation of novel models for studying specific aspects of human diseases largely depends on selection for specific traits using existing rat strains, thereby solely depending on naturally occurring variation. This study aims to provide the tools to manipulate the rat genome in a more directed way. Methods We developed robust, automated, and scaleable reverse genetic methodology based on ENU (N-ethyl-N-nitrosourea)-driven target-selected mutagenesis. Optimal mutagenesis conditions have been determined in three different rat strains and a universal, rapid, and cost-effective dideoxy resequencing-based screening setup was established for mutation discovery. The effectiveness of the approach is illustrated by the identification of 120 induced mutations in a set of genes of interest, including six that result in unique rat knockout models due to the introduction of premature stop codons. In addition, 56 mutations were found that change amino acids, including critical residues in transmembrane domains of receptors and channels. Conclusions The approach described here allows for the systematic generation of knockout and protein function altering alleles in the rat. The resulting induced rat models will be powerful tools for studying many aspects of a wide variety of human diseases.
Performance assessment of battery-powered electric vehicle employing PMSM powertrain system

Battery-powered electric vehicle (EV) is considered as a promising solution for environmental pollutions and energy crises. Besides, the advances in traction motors and battery technologies allow the development of efficient, reliable and economical electrical propulsion system (EPS) for battery-powered EVs. Where, permanent magnet synchronous motor (PMSM) is mostly used in EVs because of its good performance compared to other used motors. Moreover, Lithium-ion batteries are mostly used to provide the motoring power due to their high energy densities and long lifetimes. In this paper, the driving performance of a battery-powered EV powertrain system is evaluated. The proposed EV propulsion system implements PMSMs as its main traction system. The design and simulation results of the proposed powertrain system are presented. A co-simulation platform based on AVL-Cruise and Simulink is established, and a simulation of the whole EV model is conducted. Using rule-based power management and control (PMC) strategy to manage and control the power flow between rear and front EV drive systems. Vehicle performance under the new European driving cycle (NEDC) is calculated and presented in the simulation results to specify the potential of the proposed system. The simulation results demonstrate that the proposed powertrain system match the design specification of EV dynamic performance and driving range capability.
Mechanical stimulations on human bone marrow mesenchymal stem cells enhance cells differentiation in a three‐dimensional layered scaffold

Scaffolds laden with stem cells are a promising approach for articular cartilage repair. Investigations have shown that implantation of artificial matrices, growth factors or chondrocytes can stimulate cartilage formation, but no existing strategies apply mechanical stimulation on stratified scaffolds to mimic the cartilage environment. The purpose of this study was to adapt a spraying method for stratified cartilage engineering and to stimulate the biosubstitute. Human mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow were seeded in an alginate (Alg)/hyaluronic acid (HA) or Alg/hydroxyapatite (Hap) gel to direct cartilage and hypertrophic cartilage/subchondral bone differentiation, respectively, in different layers within a single scaffold. Homogeneous or composite stratified scaffolds were cultured for 28 days and cell viability and differentiation were assessed. The heterogeneous scaffold was stimulated daily. The mechanical behaviour of the stratified scaffolds were investigated by plane–strain compression tests. Results showed that the spraying process did not affect cell viability. Moreover, cell differentiation driven by the microenvironment was increased with loading: in the layer with Alg/HA, a specific extracellular matrix of cartilage, composed of glycosaminoglycans and type II collagen was observed, and in the Alg/Hap layer more collagen X was detected. Hap seemed to drive cells to a hypertrophic chondrocytic phenotype and increased mechanical resistance of the scaffold. In conclusion, mechanical stimulations will allow for the production of a stratified biosubstitute, laden with human mesenchymal stem cells from bone marrow, which is capable in vivo to mimic all depths of chondral defects, thanks to an efficient combination of stem cells, biomaterial compositions and mechanical loading.