Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of a High Performance Green-Mode PWM Controller IC with Smart Sensing Protection Circuits

A design of high performance green-mode pulse-width-modulation (PWM) controller IC with smart sensing protection circuits for the application of lithium-ion battery charger (1.52 V ~ 7.5 V) is investigated in this paper. The protection circuits architecture of this system mainly bases on the lithium battery function and does for the system design standard of control circuit. In this work, the PWM controller will be with an automatic load sensing and judges the system operated in the operating mode or in the standby mode. Therefore, it reduces system’s power dissipation effectively and achieves the saving power target. In the same time, many protection sensing circuits such as: (1) over current protection (OCP) and under current protection (UCP), (2) over voltage protection (OVP) and under voltage protection (UVP), (3) loading determintion and short circuit protection (SCP), (4) over temperature protection (OTP), (5) VDD surge-spiking protection are included. Then, it has the characteristics of an effective monitoring the output loading and the harm prevention as a battery charging. Eventually, this green-mode pulse-width-modulation (PWM) controller IC will be that the operation voltage is 3.3 V, the operation frequency is 0.98 MHz, and the output current range is from 454 mA to 500 mA. Meanwhile, the output convert efficiency is range from 74.8 % to 91 %, the power dissipation efficiency in green-mode is 25 %, and the operation temperature range is between -20 °C ~ 114 °C. Copyright © 2014 IFSA Publishing, S. L.
Symplectic quantization and the Feynman propagator: a new real-time numerical approach to lattice field theory

We present here the first numerical test of symplectic quantization, a new approach to quantum field theory. Symplectic quantization is characterized by the possibility to sample quantum fluctuations of relativistic fields by means of a deterministic dynamics generated by Hamilton-like equations, the latter evolving with respect to an additional time parameter $\tau$. In the present work we study numerically the symplectic quantization dynamics for a real scalar field in 1+1 space-time dimensions and with $\lambda \phi^4$ non-linear interaction. We find that for $\lambda \ll 1$ the Fourier spectrum of the two-point correlation function obtained numerically reproduces qualitatively well the shape of the Feynman propagator. Within symplectic quantization the expectation over quantum fluctuations is computed as a dynamical average along the trajectories parametrized by the intrinsic time $\tau$. As a numerical strategy to study quantum fluctuations of fields directly in Lorentzian space-time, we believe that symplectic quantization will be of key importance for the study of non-equilibrium relaxational dynamics in quantum field theory and the phenomenology of metastable bound states with very short life-time, something usually not accessible by numerical methods based on Euclidean field theory.
Automatic recognition of eye blinking in spontaneously occurring behavior

Previous researchin automatic facial expression recognition has been limited to recognition of gross expression categories (e.g., joy or anger) in posed facial behavior under well-controlled conditions (e.g., frontal pose and minimal out-of-plane head motion). We have developed a system that detects a discrete and important facial action (e.g., eye blinking) in spontaneously occurring facial behavior that has been measured with a nonfrontal pose, moderate out-of-plane head motion, and occlusion. The system recovers three-dimensional motion parameters, stabilizes facial regions, extracts motion and appearance information, and recognizes discrete facial actions in spontaneous facial behavior. We tested the system in video data from a two-person interview. The 10 subjects were ethnically diverse, action units occurred during speech, and out-of-plane motion and occlusion from head motion and glasses were common. The video data were originally collected to answer substantive questions in psychology and represent a substantial challenge to automated action unit recognition. In analysis of blinks, the system achieved 98% accuracy.
Shaping self-regulation in science teachers' professional growth: Inquiry skills

This study examined 188 preservice science teachers' professional growth along three dimensions—self-regulated learning (SRL) in a science pedagogical context, pedagogical content knowledge, and self-efficacy in teaching science—comparing four learner-centered, active-learning, peer-collaborative environments for learning to teach higher order scientific-inquiry thinking. Three environments supported different SRL components using the “IMPROVE'' self-regulatory model: cognitive–metacognitive alone (CogMet), motivational alone (Mot), or all three components (CogMetMot). The fourth environment provided no SRL support. Findings indicated that preservice teachers in the three SRL-scaffolding conditions outperformed their unscaffolded peers on all professional growth measures: SRL (cognition, metacognition, motivation), pedagogical knowledge (declarative, procedural, conditional), and self-efficacy in teaching science. Moreover, the CogMetMot group exhibited the highest scores on all measures. Implications concern SRL scaffolding to enhance preservice science teachers' professional growth. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Sci Ed 96: 1106–1133, 2012
A near-optimal parallel algorithm for edge-coloring outerplanar graphs

The article presents a parallel EREW PRAM algorithm that runs in O(log/sup 2/n) time using n/logn processors to optimally color the edges of an outerplanar graph. The algorithm improves the best known algorithm in both time, and number of processors. This more efficient algorithm is a result of a new approach for solving the problem. Also presented is a parallel EREW PRAM algorithm that runs in O(logn) using n/logn processors for finding a maximal matching in outerplanar graphs. <<ETX>>
Scapegoating in Complex Organizations: The Results of a Comparative Study of Symbolic Blame-Giving in Italian and French Public Administration

A preliminary distinction is made between expressive and instrumental scapegoats. The latter are defined as the product of a rational strategy adopted by one or more power holders to prevent the blame for an incident from reaching higher hierarchical levels. The basic assumption in this article is that symbolic blame-giving processes within complex organizations must satisfy certain requirements in order to be credible. They can, thus, be studied in terms of purposive organizational behaviour and not solely as the emotional outcome of collective psychological dynamics. The analysis of five cases of scapegoating in the French political-administrative systems leads to the construction of a typology. The analysis of a number of Italian cases, however, shows that the French typology requires expansion in order to allow comparison with Italy. Possible means of achieving this comparison are suggested in the conclusion.
Using the Time of Maximum Effect Site Concentration to Combine Pharmacokinetics and Pharmacodynamics

Background To simulate the time course of drug effect, it is sometimes necessary to combine the pharmacodynamic parameters from an integrated pharmacodynamic–pharmacodynamic study (e.g., volumes, clearances, ke0 [the effect site equilibration rate constant], C50 [the steady state plasma concentration associated with 50% maximum effect], and the Hill coefficient) with pharmacokinetic parameters from a different study (e.g., a study examining a different age group or sampling over longer periods of time). Pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic parameters form an interlocked vector that describes the relationship between input (dose) and output (effect). Unintended consequences may result if individual elements of this vector (e.g., ke0) are combined with pharmacokinetic parameters from a different study. The authors propose an alternative methodology to rationally combine the results of separate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies, based on tpeak, the time of peak effect after bolus injection. Methods The naive approach to combining separate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies is to simply take the ke0 from the pharmacodynamic study and apply it naively to the pharmacokinetic study of interest. In the tpeak approach, ke0 is recalculated using the pharmacokinetics of interest to yield the correct time of peak effect. The authors proposed that the tpeak method would yield better predictions of the time course of drug effect than the naive approach. They tested this hypothesis in three simulations: thiopental, remifentanil, and propofol. Results In each set of simulations, the tpeak method better approximated the postulated “true” time course of drug effect than the naive method. Conclusions Tpeak is a useful pharmacodynamic parameter and can be used to link separate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic studies. This addresses a common difficulty in clinical pharmacology simulation and control problems, where there is usually a wide choice of pharmacokinetic models but only one or two published pharmacokinetic–pharmacodynamic models. The results will be immediately applicable to target-controlled anesthetic infusion systems, where linkage of separate pharmacokinetic and pharmacodynamic parameters into a single model is inherent in several target-controlled infusion designs.
Asymptotic Connectivity of Large-Scale Wireless Networks with a Log-Normal Shadowing Model

In this paper, we investigate connectivity of large-scale wireless networks with a log-normal shadowing model from a percolation-based perspective, where all nodes have equal transmission capabilities and are uniformly and independently distributed at random over a large area. Firstly, based on the log-normal shadowing model, we discuss the probability that there is a link between two nodes with a distance $d$ between them, named connection function. The connection function captures the connectivity characteristics of the wireless network in a shadow fading environment and distinguishes it from the purely random geometric graph or the purely random graph. Then, an analytical upper bound on the critical node density for asymptotic connectivity of the wireless network is derived based on the connection function. Furthermore, we also provide a more accurate estimation for the upper bound based on the previous empirical studies on purely random geometric graph, called the experiment-based upper bound. At last, the correctness and tightness of these two upper bounds are verified by extensive simulations.
Fluconazole tolerance in clinical isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans

Eleven isolates of Cryptococcus neoformans were investigated to determine the biochemical basis of their tolerance to fluconazole. The MICs of fluconazole for three isolates with low-level resistance were 3- to 6-fold higher than those for sensitive isolates, while the MICs for four isolates with high-level resistance were 100- to 200-fold higher than those for sensitive isolates. The level of ergosterol present in the isolates varied, and those which had relatively low levels of ergosterol were resistant to amphotericin B. Changes in the affinity of the target enzyme (sterol 14alpha-demethylase) and decreases in the cellular content of fluconazole seemed to be responsible for the resistance in isolates with low-level and high-level resistance, respectively.
Electrocardiogram in an MRI Environment: Clinical Needs, Practical Considerations, Safety Implications, Technical Solutions and Future Directions

Magnetic Resonance Imaging (MRI) has been listed as the single most important medical innovation, on par with CT scanning (Fuchs & Sox 2001). In current clinical MRI ECG is being using for three major purposes. Firstly, heart motion, blood flow and blood pulsation are commonly dealt with using electrocardiogram (ECG) for synchronization of MR data acquisition with the cardiac cycle (Lanzer et.al. 1984) to address or compensate for cardiac activity related motion artifacts which is of paramount importance for an ever growing portfolio of cardiovascular MR (CMR) and neurovascular MR (NVMR) applications (Assomull et.al. 2007, Kelle et.al. 2008, Kramer et.al. 2008, Kwong & Korlakunta 2008, Niendorf et.al. 2006, Niendorf & Sodickson 2008, Niendorf & Sodickson 2006, Niendorf et.al. 2010, Pennell et.al. 2004, Schwitter 2008). Secondly, ECG is widely used to simultaneously register cardiac activity with MRI; for example to eliminate physiological fluctuations from brain activation maps derived from functional MRI studies (Purdon & Weisskoff 1998). Thirdly, there are an increasing number of clinical applications that require ECG monitoring prior to/after the MR examination while the patient is still in the MR environment but outside of the MR scanners bore using ECG devices as a patient emergency indicator. ECG waveform acquisitions, ECG co-registration and ECG monitoring during MRI pose technical challenges and requires safety measures that will not be familiar to users of other conventional ECG technologies. For all those reasons, the basic principles of using ECG in an MRI environment and their implications for clinical MRI and MRI research are provided in this chapter. Key concepts, technical solutions, practical considerations and safety implications for cardiac gated MRI using electrocardiograms are outlined. Unsolved technical problems and unmet clinical needs are also considered carefully, in an attempt to stimulate the community to throw further weight behind the solutions of remaining issues. Driven by the limitations and motivated by the challenges of ECG, the need for novel cardiac gating/triggering technology is discussed. Current trends, such as the trend towards wireless techniques and the move to acoustic cardiac gating techniques, and their
Safety, feasibility, and acceptability of a novel device to monitor ischaemic stroke patients

This study assessed the safety, feasibility, and acceptability of a novel device to monitor ischaemic stroke patients. The device captured electroencephalography (EEG) and electrocardiography (ECG) data to compute an ECG-based metric termed the Electrocardiography Brain Perfusion index (EBPi), which may function as a proxy for cerebral blood flow (CBF). Seventeen ischaemic stroke patients wore the device for nine hours and reported feedback at 1, 3, 6 and 9 hours regarding user experience, comfort, and satisfaction (acceptability). Safety was assessed as the number of adverse events reported. Feasibility was assessed as the percentage of uninterrupted EEG/ECG data recorded (data capture efficiency). No adverse events were reported, only minor incidences of discomfort. Overall device comfort (92.5% +/- 10.3%) and data capture efficiency (95.8% +/- 6.8%) were very high with relatively low variance. The device did not restrict participants from receiving clinical care and rarely (n=6) restricted participants from undertaking routine tasks. This study provides a promising evidence base for the deployment of the device in a clinical setting. If clinically validated, EBPi may be able to detect CBF changes to monitor early neurological deterioration and treatment outcomes, thus filling an important gap in current monitoring options.
Recovery from Strain under Different Work/Rest Schedules

Measures of psychophysiological recovery were used to evaluate two rest break schedules; 7.5 minutes of rest after every 50 minutes of work versus 15 minutes of rest after every 100 minutes of work. Eleven examiners using a prototype computer system in the European Patent Office worked under both work/rest schedules. Electrodermal activity, heart rate, respiratory frequency, pulse wave transit time, neck electromyogram, and gross body movements were continuously recorded. Measures of emotional well-being and body comfort were obtained eight times per work day. Heart rate variability was significantly higher under the short break schedule, indicating decreased mental strain. Break duration and time of measurement interacted significantly for electrodermal responses, indicating that emotional strain was reduced under the short break schedule until mid-day, and under the long break schedule in the afternoon. The results indicate that a switch to longer breaks in the afternoon may be favorable during highly demanding computer work. Furthermore, it could be demonstrated that psychophysiological measures are useful for the evaluation of work/rest schedules, even if performance data are not available.
A method for design of data-tailored partitioning algorithms for optimizing the number of clusters in microarray analysis

We propose a method for designing a partitioning clustering algorithm from reusable components that is suitable for finding the appropriate number of clusters (K) in microarray data. The proposed method is evaluated on 10 datasets (4 syntetic and 6 real-word microarrays) by considering 1008 reusable-component-based algorithms and four normalization methods. The best performing algorithm were reported on every dataset and also rules were identified for designing microarray-specific clustering algorithms. The obtained results indicate that in the majority of cases a data-tailored clustering algorithm design outperforms the results reported in the literature. In addition, data normalization can have an important influence on algorithm performance. The method proposed in this paper gives insights for design of divisive clustering algorithms that can reveal the optimal K in a microarray dataset.
Phenotypic, Genetic, and Environmental Properties of the Portrait Values Questionnaire

Abstract The purpose of the present study was to examine the 10 value types from the Portrait Values Questionnaire (PVQ; Schwartz et al., 2001) both at the phenotypic (observed) level as well as the genetic and environmental level. Australian twins (N = 695) completed the PVQ as part of a larger questionnaire battery. Nine of the value types were found to have a genetic component with heritability estimates ranging from 10.8% for power to 38% for conformity. The achievement scale was best explained by environmental factors. The interscale correlations were found to range from –. 02 to . 70 at the phenotypic level. Of these 45 correlations, 16 were found to be explained by overlapping genetic factors and almost all (41) were found to have significant unique environment correlations.
Telomerase assay for differentiating between malignancy-related and nonmalignant ascites.

The differential diagnosis between malignancy-related ascites (MRAs) and nonmalignant ascites (NMAs) has remained an essential problem in clinical practice. Our purpose was to determine the diagnostic value of ascitic fluid telomerase activity in discriminating these two categories compared with that of cytological examination. Twenty-five MRAs and 47 NMAs as the control group were enrolled in our study. In the MRA group, telomerase activity was detected in 13 of 16 (81.3%) cases of peritoneal carcinomatosis and in 6 of 9 (66.7%) cases of hepatocellular carcinoma (HCC)-associated ascites. Contrasting that, cytological examination was positive in only 9 of 16 (56.3%) and 1 of 9 (11.1%) cases, respectively. In the NMA group, telomerase-positive ascitic fluid samples were found in 2 of 47 (4.3%) cases, all belonging to subgroups that contained large numbers of lymphocytes in the ascites. In our study, the telomerase activity and cytological examination exhibited a sensitivity of 76% and 40% and a specificity of 95.7% and 100%, respectively. Regarding subgroups of MRAs, the telomerase activity and cytological examination demonstrated a sensitivity of 81.3% and 56.3%, respectively, in peritoneal carcinomatosis and a sensitivity of 66.7% and 11.1%, respectively, in HCC-associated ascites. In conclusion, telomerase activity is a more sensitive marker than cytological examination for differentiating between MRAs and NMAs. It may also serve as a useful indicator for detecting early i.p. metastasis in HCC-associated ascites.
Transnational aid for civil society development in post-socialist Europe: Democratic consolidation or a new imperialism?

Civil society development programmes are perhaps the most tangible aspect of transnational assistance to post-socialist Europe, yet the experience of Bosnia-Herzegovina (BiH) suggests that the impact, rationale and function of such assistance is problematical. Despite the specific political context of BiH, there is continuity with post-socialist Europe in terms of the logic governing NGO development assistance. What has become a core component of international intervention in war-torn regions evolved in post-socialist Europe during the 1990s under the rubric of democratic consolidation and civil society development.
Formal Design and Verification of N-M Switching Control System

Production factories in which stable voltage is critical, e.g., electro-plating factory, require constantly stable voltage to minimize loss by adjusting incoming voltage in real time, even if low-quality electricity is supplied from outside. To solve such problem often being raised from the factories located in the area with unstable electricity supply, we designed N-M switching control system and verified its correctness using LTL model checking technique.
The International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE): an overview

Abstract From its original formulation in 1990 the International Trans-Antarctic Scientific Expedition (ITASE) has had as its primary aim the collection and interpretation of a continent-wide array of environmental parameters assembled through the coordinated efforts of scientists from several nations. ITASE offers the ground-based opportunities of traditional-style traverse travel coupled with the modern technology of GPS, crevasse detecting radar, satellite communications and multidisciplinary research. By operating predominantly in the mode of an oversnow traverse, ITASE offers scientists the opportunity to experience the dynamic range of the Antarctic environment. ITASE also offers an important interactive venue for research similar to that afforded by oceanographic research vessels and large polar field camps, without the cost of the former or the lack of mobility of the latter. More importantly, the combination of disciplines represented by ITASE provides a unique, multidimensional (space and time) view of the ice sheet and its history. ITASE has now collected >20 000km of snow radar, recovered more than 240 firn/ice cores (total length 7000 m), remotely penetrated to ~4000m into the ice sheet, and sampled the atmosphere to heights of >20 km.