Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Analysis on Load-Adaptive Phase-Shift Control for High Efficiency Full-Bridge LLC Resonant Converter Under Light-Load Conditions

Recently, the full-bridge (FB) LLC resonant converter is getting more attention due to its zero-voltage switching of the primary switches, zero-current switching of rectifier diodes, and high power capability. However, the conversion efficiency is degraded under light-load conditions due to the core loss in magnetic components and the switching loss in semiconductor devices. In this paper, a new control method is proposed for the FB LLC resonant converter. In the proposed method, the frequency control is basically used to regulate the output voltage over entire load conditions. Moreover, the proposed method utilizes phase-shifted gate signals between switch legs, based on predetermined optimal duty ratio under light-load conditions. At this point, the optimal duty ratio is determined to get minimum power loss under each light-load condition through the loss analysis of all components. Therefore, the proposed method makes high efficiency under light-load conditions. To confirm the validity of this paper, the prototype of the network power supply with 320-385 V dc input and 48 V/720 W dc output is tested.
Sea spray geoengineering experiments in the geoengineering model intercomparison project (GeoMIP): Experimental design and preliminary results

Marine cloud brightening through sea spray injection has been proposed as a method of temporarily alleviating some of the impacts of anthropogenic climate change, as part of a set of technologies called geoengineering. We outline here a proposal for three coordinated climate modeling experiments to test aspects of sea spray geoengineering, to be conducted under the auspices of the Geoengineering Model Intercomparison Project (GeoMIP). The first, highly idealized, experiment (G1ocean‐albedo) involves a uniform increase in ocean albedo to offset an instantaneous quadrupling of CO2 concentrations from preindustrial levels. Results from a single climate model show an increased land‐sea temperature contrast, Arctic warming, and large shifts in annual mean precipitation patterns. The second experiment (G4cdnc) involves increasing cloud droplet number concentration in all low‐level marine clouds to offset some of the radiative forcing of an RCP4.5 scenario. This experiment will test the robustness of models in simulating geographically heterogeneous radiative flux changes and their effects on climate. The third experiment (G4sea‐salt) involves injection of sea spray aerosols into the marine boundary layer between 30°S and 30°N to offset 2 W m−2 of the effective radiative forcing of an RCP4.5 scenario. A single model study shows that the induced effective radiative forcing is largely confined to the latitudes in which injection occurs. In this single model simulation, the forcing due to aerosol‐radiation interactions is stronger than the forcing due to aerosol‐cloud interactions.
Nursing personnel's views on oral health from a health promotion perspective: a grounded theory analysis

The aim of this study was to develop a model for how nursing personnel view oral health in general and the oral health of the care receivers in particular, applying a health promotion perspective and using grounded theory analysis. Data were collected through interviews with 17 nursing personnel, selected by strategic sampling. Analysis of the transcribed interviews showed that there were four strategies, related to staff education, hospital resources, and leadership motivation. The strategies were grounded in data and emerged from the interaction between the two main categories: 'the valuation of the importance of oral health' and 'the behavior towards oral health maintenance'. They were characterized as the routine, theoretical, practical, and flexible strategies, with the latter considered ideal. As increased knowledge is one important part in enhancing the nursing personnel's ability to perform oral hygiene procedures, there is a need for education among nursing personnel, primarily among those using a routine strategy.
Does unsupported upper limb exercise training improve symptoms and quality of life for patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease?

PURPOSE Many patients with chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) report dyspnea and fatigue when performing upper limb activities. Unsupported upper limb training has been shown to improve upper limb endurance, but its effects on symptoms and quality of life have not been examined. The aim of this study was to compare the effects of upper limb and lower limb training with lower limb training alone on exercise capacity, symptoms, and quality of life with COPD. METHODS For this study, 38 patients with moderate to severe COPD were randomly allocated to unsupported upper limb endurance training or to a control group that completed a sham training task. All the patients underwent lower limb endurance training. The 6-minute walk test, the Incremental Unsupported Upper Limb Exercise Test, and the Chronic Respiratory Disease Questionnaire (CRQ) were completed before training and then 6 weeks afterward. Both patients and assessors were blinded to group allocation. RESULTS All the patients reported symptoms associated with upper limb activities on the initial CRQ. Both groups showed significant improvements in all domains of the CRQ and in the 6-minute walk test after training. Only the upper limb training group showed improvement in upper limb endurance time (57 +/- 75 vs 2 +/- 58 seconds; P = .02). There were no significant differences between the groups for 6-minute walk test or any domain of the CRQ. CONCLUSIONS Unsupported upper limb training for patients COPD improves upper limb exercise capacity, but has no additional effect on symptoms or quality of life, as compared with leg training alone. This type of upper limb training may not adequately address the complex interaction between respiratory mechanics and upper limb function.
Preclinical Studies of Human Immunodeficiency Virus/AIDS Vaccines: Inverse Correlation between Avidity of Anti-Env Antibodies and Peak Postchallenge Viremia

ABSTRACT A major challenge for human immunodeficiency virus (HIV)/AIDS vaccines is the elicitation of anti-Env antibodies (Ab) capable of neutralizing the diversity of isolates in the pandemic. Here, we show that high-avidity, but nonneutralizing, Abs can have an inverse correlation with peak postchallenge viremia for a heterologous challenge. Vaccine studies were conducted in rhesus macaques using DNA priming followed by modified vaccinia Ankara boosting with HIV type 1 (HIV-1) immunogens that express virus-like particles displaying CCR5-tropic clade B (strain ADA) or clade C (IN98012) Envs. Rhesus granulocyte-macrophage colony-stimulating factor was used as an adjuvant for enhancing the avidity of anti-Env Ab responses. Challenge was with simian/human immunodeficiency virus (SHIV)-162P3, a CCR5-tropic clade B chimera of SIV and HIV-1. Within the groups receiving the clade B vaccine, a strong inverse correlation was found between the avidity of anti-Env Abs and peak postchallenge viremia. This correlation required the use of native but not gp120 or gp140 forms of Env for avidity assays. The high-avidity Ab elicited by the ADA Env had excellent breadth for the Envs of incident clade B but not clade C isolates, whereas the high-avidity Ab elicited by the IN98012 Env had excellent breadth for incident clade C but not clade B isolates. High-avidity Ab elicited by a SHIV vaccine with a dual-tropic clade B Env (89.6) had limited breadth for incident isolates. Our results suggest that certain Envs can elicit nonneutralizing but high-avidity Ab with broad potential for blunting incident infections of the same clade.
Determinants of Consumers’ Purchase Intentions of Organic Vegetables: Some Insights from Malaysia

ABSTRACT This study tests the mediating effects of corporate social responsibility (CSR), product image, and corporate reputation on the relationships between green marketing awareness and consumers’ purchase intentions of organic vegetables. Data from 200 valid questionnaires was analyzed utilizing a partial least squares approach. Results show that product image was confirmed as the leading factor that partially mediated the influence of consumer green marketing awareness on consumers’ purchase intentions of organic vegetables, and this was followed by CSR, but that corporate reputation was not established as a mediator. Marketing managers should, therefore, develop various effective strategies to communicate their companies’ product image, embracing green marketing practices in order to increase market awareness, and providing positive recommendations to friends and relatives via various marketing communication channel including the short message service (SMS), emails, and social networking sites (SNS).
Psychological Predictors of Internet Social Communication

This study investigated the relationship of traditional social behavior to social communication via the Internet in a completely wired campus where every professor uses computers in classroom teaching, each residence is wired to the Internet, and every student is issued a laptop computer. It has been suggested that shy and socially isolated individuals communicate more on the Internet because it provides some protection from social anxiety. However, little research has empirically tested this assumption. In line with social network theory, we proposed, instead, that online social communication would complement or supplement the uses of face-to-face social contact resulting in a positive association between the two forms of social behaviors. We assessed the frequency and intimacy of traditional social behaviors, sociability, and shyness in 115 undergraduates (52 male, 63 female). These variables were then used to predict the frequency and intimacy of Internet social communication. Sociability and the frequency of traditional social behaviors were positively associated with the frequency of Internet social communication. The intimacy of traditional social behaviors was positively associated with the intimacy of Internet social communication. Overall, the findings supported the implications of social network theory in that online social communication appeared to complement or be an extension of traditional social behavior rather than being a compensatory medium for shy and socially anxious individuals. With relation to uses and gratifications theory, however, shyness was associated with increased intimate socializing over the Internet, indicating that traditional and Internet communication are not functionally equivalent.
D Quantification of Tumor Vasculature in Lymphoma Xenografts in NOD/SCID Mice Allows to Detect Differences among Vascular-Targeted Therapies

Quantitative characterization of the in vivo effects of vascular-targeted therapies on tumor vessels is hampered by the absence of useful 3D vascular network descriptors aside from microvessel density. In this study, we extended the quantification of planar vessel distribution to the analysis of vascular volumes by studying the effects of antiangiogenic (sorafenib and sunitinib) or antivascular (combretastatin A4 phosphate) treatments on the quantity and spatial distributions of thin microvessels. These observations were restricted to perinecrotic areas of treated human multiple myeloma tumors xenografted in immunodeficient mice and to microvessels with an approximate cross-sectional area lower than 75 µm2. Finally, vessel skeletonization minimized artifacts due to possible differential wall staining and allowed a comparison of the various treatment effects. Antiangiogenic drug treatment reduced the number of vessels of every caliber (at least 2-fold fewer vessels vs. controls; p<0.001, n = 8) and caused a heterogeneous distribution of the remaining vessels. In contrast, the effects of combretastatin A4 phosphate mainly appeared to be restricted to a homogeneous reduction in the number of thin microvessels (not more than 2-fold less vs. controls; p<0.001, n = 8) with marginal effects on spatial distribution. Unexpectedly, these results also highlighted a strict relationship between microvessel quantity, distribution and cross-sectional area. Treatment-specific changes in the curves describing this relationship were consistent with the effects ascribed to the different drugs. This finding suggests that our results can highlight differences among vascular-targeted therapies, providing hints on the processes underlying sample vascularization together with the detailed characterization of a pathological vascular tree.
Behavioral analysis of agent based service channel design using neural networks

The integration of neural networks into agent based models can provide a better understanding of dynamic agent responses when modelling complex systems. Additionally, due to the nature of agent based models and the networks that exist in them, individual neural networks can be trained in a supervised learning environment and assigned to individual agents. The advantage of using this approach is that individual agents become more unique (Samuelson and Macal, 2006), and make decisions based on what the neural network has learned during the training phase. Also, in this work the neural networks are trained based on data collected from human-based simulations, due to this, individual strategies learned by the neural network can be translated to individual agents. Integrating neural networks into agent based models can provide more realistic simulations.
Nasal Lymphomas in Peru: High Incidence of T-Cell Immunophenotype and Epstein-Barr Virus Infection

The incidence of non-Hodgkin's lymphoma of the nasal region is much higher in Peru than in the United States and is similar to the incidence of sinonasal lymphomas in Asian countries. To characterize these lymphomas, we evaluated the clinical, morphologic, and immunohistochemical features of 14 cases and also analyzed the cases for Epstein-Barr virus (EBV) RNA using a sensitive and specific in situ hybridization method. Morphologically, the cases consisted of nine large cell immunoblastic lymphomas, one diffuse mixed cell lymphoma, one diffuse small cleaved lymphoma, one small noncleaved lymphoma, and two cases unclassifiable in the Working Formulation. Eleven cases demonstrated evidence of T lineage, two were of B lineage and one of indeterminate immunophenotype. In 13 of the lymphoma cases including all of the T-cell lymphomas, EBV RNA was detected in a high percentage of cells. Double-labeling immunohistochemical and in situ hybridization studies identified CD43 positivity in the cells labeling for EBV RNA. Much smaller amounts of EBV RNA were detectable in six of eight control benign nasopharyngeal biopsy specimens, and two were completely negative. These findings are similar to the prevalence of EBV-positive T-cell lymphomas in Asian countries and differ from the findings of the more common EBV-negative B-cell nasal lymphomas in the United States. These findings suggest that EBV plays a role in the development of nasal T-cell lymphomas and that the incidence of EBV infection may explain the reported “East-West” difference in the incidence of nasal T-cell lymphomas.
Comparative study of microstrip patch antenna feed network

This paper presents a comparative study of patch antenna feed structures. That includes microstrip line feed, inset feed, coaxial feed, aperture coupled feed and proximity coupled feed. Matching between the patch antenna and the feed network heavily depends on the feed technique used. In this work we review various feeding techniques to provide an understanding of the important design parameters and their effects on the bandwidth, gain and the other important antenna characteristics. Various simulation tools, commercial and internally developed are used during this work.
Pulmonary mucormycosis diagnosed by convex probe endobronchial ultrasound-guided fine needle aspiration of cavity wall

Pulmonary mucormycosis is an opportunistic fungal infection in immunocompromised individuals. It is difficult to diagnose as it requires tissue biopsy, and generally these patients are unfit to undergo invasive lung biopsies. We describe a novel technique in a case with uncontrolled diabetes mellitus with nonresolving pulmonary cavitary disease where convex probe endobronchial ultrasound (EBUS)-guided aspiration of lung cavity wall showed classical histopathological picture establishing the diagnosis of mucorale infection. EBUS being real-time, minimally invasive technique with minimal risk of complications, led to early diagnosis, and prompt treatment. This appears to be a novel diagnostic modality in pulmonary mucormycosis with minimal complications as compared with other biopsy methods with very high complication risk.
Dietary Fatty Acids from Leaves of Clerodendrum Volubile Induce Cell Cycle Arrest, Downregulate Matrix Metalloproteinase-9 Expression, and Modulate Redox Status in Human Breast Cancer

ABSTRACT The antiproliferative effect of the fatty acid components of Clerodendrum volubile leaves as well as its antioxidant effect on MCF-7 and MDA-MB-231 human breast cancer cell lines were investigated. Fatty acids extracted from C. volubile leaf oil were subjected to gas chromatography mass spectrometry (GCMS) analysis. The cells were cultured and treated with the fatty acids for 48 h, after which the antiproliferation effect was ascertained via MTT assay and cell viability analysis using BD fluorescence activated cells sorting (FACS) Calibur. Cell cycle was analyzed by flow cytometry on FACS Calibur. Western blotting was used in determining expression of proteins in the cell lines. The treated cell lines were assessed for reduced glutathione level, catalase, superoxide dismutase, and lipid peroxidation. The fatty acids significantly inhibited cell proliferation, arrested G0/G1 phase, downregulated the expression of MMP-9, and attenuated oxidative stress in of MCF-7 cell lines but had little or no effect on MDA-MB-231 cell lines. These results indicate the therapeutic potential of the fatty acids components of the leaves of C. volubile on human breast cancer, which may be explored further in drug development.
Cutting Edge: Tumor-Specific CTL Are Constitutively Cross-Armed in Draining Lymph Nodes and Transiently Disseminate to Mediate Tumor Regression following Systemic CD40 Activation1

The cross-arming of effector CTL in response to cross-presented tumor Ags is predicted to fail in the absence of CD40 stimulation. However, questions remain regarding the role of CD40 signaling and additional CD4+ T cell-derived signals in this process. To address this, we have analyzed the cross-arming of tumor-specific CTL effectors in vivo in a mouse model of established tumor and tumor regression following CD40 activation. We found that tumor-specific CTL were constitutively cross-armed in tumor-draining lymph nodes during tumor growth and that systemic CD40 activation did not alter CTL cross-arming in the tumor-draining lymph nodes. Rather, CD40 activation induced peripheral dissemination of tumor-specific CTL effectors that required continual CD40 stimulation to maintain peripheral CTL and tumor regression. These data indicate that CD40 activation enhances the peripheral survival of constitutively cross-armed CTL and that persistent CD4+ T cell signals are required for their long-term activity.
Nox2-induced production of mitochondrial superoxide in angiotensin II-mediated endothelial oxidative stress and hypertension.

AIMS Angiotensin II (AngII)-induced superoxide (O2(•-)) production by the NADPH oxidases and mitochondria has been implicated in the pathogenesis of endothelial dysfunction and hypertension. In this work, we investigated the specific molecular mechanisms responsible for the stimulation of mitochondrial O2(•-) and its downstream targets using cultured human aortic endothelial cells and a mouse model of AngII-induced hypertension. RESULTS Western blot analysis showed that Nox2 and Nox4 were present in the cytoplasm but not in the mitochondria. Depletion of Nox2, but not Nox1, Nox4, or Nox5, using siRNA inhibits AngII-induced O2(•-) production in both mitochondria and cytoplasm. Nox2 depletion in gp91phox knockout mice inhibited AngII-induced cellular and mitochondrial O2(•-) and attenuated hypertension. Inhibition of mitochondrial reverse electron transfer with malonate, malate, or rotenone attenuated AngII-induced cytoplasmic and mitochondrial O2(•-) production. Inhibition of the mitochondrial ATP-sensitive potassium channel (mitoK(+)ATP) with 5-hydroxydecanoic acid or specific PKCɛ peptide antagonist (EAVSLKPT) reduced AngII-induced H2O2 in isolated mitochondria and diminished cytoplasmic O2(•-). The mitoK(+)ATP agonist diazoxide increased mitochondrial O2(•-), cytoplasmic c-Src phosphorylation and cytoplasmic O2(•-) suggesting feed-forward regulation of cellular O2(•-) by mitochondrial reactive oxygen species (ROS). Treatment of AngII-infused mice with malate reduced blood pressure and enhanced the antihypertensive effect of mitoTEMPO. Mitochondria-targeted H2O2 scavenger mitoEbselen attenuated redox-dependent c-Src and inhibited AngII-induced cellular O2(•-), diminished aortic H2O2, and reduced blood pressure in hypertensive mice. INNOVATION AND CONCLUSIONS These studies show that Nox2 stimulates mitochondrial ROS by activating reverse electron transfer and both mitochondrial O2(•-) and reverse electron transfer may represent new pharmacological targets for the treatment of hypertension.
Occurrence and Characterization of Mercury Resistance in the Hyperthermophilic Archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus by Use of Gene Disruption

ABSTRACT Mercury resistance mediated by mercuric reductase (MerA) is widespread among bacteria and operates under the control of MerR. MerR represents a unique class of transcription factors that exert both positive and negative regulation on gene expression. Archaea and bacteria are prokaryotes, yet little is known about the biological role of mercury in archaea or whether a resistance mechanism occurs in these organisms. The archaeon Sulfolobus solfataricus was sensitive to mercuric chloride, and low-level adaptive resistance could be induced by metal preconditioning. Protein phylogenetic analysis of open reading frames SSO2689 and SSO2688 clarified their identity as orthologs of MerA and MerR. Northern analysis established that merA transcription responded to mercury challenge, since mRNA levels were transiently induced and, when normalized to 7S RNA, approximated values for other highly expressed transcripts. Primer extension analysis of merA mRNA predicted a noncanonical TATA box with nonstandard transcription start site spacing. The functional roles of merA and merR were clarified further by gene disruption. The merA mutant exhibited mercury sensitivity relative to wild type and was defective in elemental mercury volatilization, while the merR mutant was mercury resistant. Northern analysis of the merR mutant revealed merA transcription was constitutive and that transcript abundance was at maximum levels. These findings constitute the first report of an archaeal heavy metal resistance system; however, unlike bacteria the level of resistance is much lower. The archaeal system employs a divergent MerR protein that acts only as a negative transcriptional regulator of merA expression.