Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A new structure of current mode min-max circuit using CMOS technology for fuzzy applications

In this paper a new structure of current mode minmax circuit is presented. The proposed structure can detect minimum and maximum of the input current signals simultaneously. It has advantages of analog design such as 1.5 percent error in maximum amplitude and low power consumption. Hence, the proposed circuit has high precision. The proffered circuit involves 14+4 transistors using 0.18um CMOS standard technology. A 1.8 (V) power supply is applied and the Monte Carlo, corner, pulse and other simulations for checking performances of the proposed circuit have been done using HSPICE level49 (BSIM3v3) software. Also, the layout pattern of the proposed circuit is drawn by CADENCE software.
Assessment of the reliability of a novel self-sampling device for performing cervical sampling in Malaysia.

BACKGROUND The participation of women in cervical cancer screening in Malaysia is low. Self-sampling might be able to overcome this problem.The aim of this study was to assess the reliability of self-sampling for cervical smear in our country. MATERIALS AND METHODS This cross-sectional study was conducted on 258 community dwelling women from urban and rural settings who participated in health campaigns. In order to reduce the sampling bias, half of the study population performed the self-sampling prior to the physician sampling while the other half performed the self-sampling after the physician sampling, randomly. Acquired samples were assessed for cytological changes as well as HPV DNA detection. RESULTS The mean age of the subjects was 40.4±11.3 years. The prevalence of abnormal cervical changes was 2.7%. High risk and low risk HPV genotypes were found in 4.0% and 2.7% of the subjects, respectively. A substantial agreement was observed between self-sampling and the physician obtained sampling in cytological diagnosis (k=0.62, 95%CI=0.50, 0.74), micro-organism detection (k=0.77, 95%CI=0.66, 0.88) and detection of hormonal status (k=0.75, 95%CI=0.65, 0.85) as well as detection of high risk (k=0.77, 95%CI=0.4, 0.98) and low risk (K=0.77, 95%CI=0.50, 0.92) HPV. Menopausal state was found to be related with 8.39 times more adequate cell specimens for cytology but 0.13 times less adequate cell specimens for virological assessment. CONCLUSIONS This study revealed that self-sampling has a good agreement with physician sampling in detecting HPV genotypes. Self-sampling can serve as a tool in HPV screening while it may be useful in detecting cytological abnormalities in Malaysia.
Determination of an Optimal Axial‐Length Tension for the Study of Isolated Resistance Arteries on a Pressure Myograph

The effects of longitudinal stretch on vasoreactivity were assessed in isolated, pressurised arteries from the rat mesentery, rat mid‐cerebral and human subcutaneous vascular beds. A stretch‐dependent increase in reactivity was observed only in rat third order mesenteric arteries. Longitudinal stretch >> 20% (force equal to 0.23 ± 0.04 mN) optimises vasoconstrictor responses to noradrenaline and phenylephrine in rat third order mesenteric arteries. Stretch did not affect the vasoconstriction response to depolarisation by 30 mM K+ PSS in any of the arteries studied. Similarly, stretch had no affect on pressure‐dependent myogenic responses in rat mid‐cerebral arteries. Endothelium‐independent and endothelium‐dependent mechanisms of vasorelaxation were unaffected by stretch in rat third order mesenteric arteries. Likewise, stretch did not affect vasoreactivity in rat mid‐cerebral and human subcutaneous resistance arteries. Our results show that longitudinal stretch in isobaric‐mounted rat third order mesenteric arteries is an important methodological consideration. Considering our results, we recommend that isobaric‐mounted rat third order mesenteric arteries are stretched >> 20% to provide optimal experimental conditions for pharmacological studies.
Winners and Losers: The Distributional Effects of the French Feebate on the Automobile Market

I quantify the welfare and environmental gains and losses from a policy establishing an environmental tax/subsidy for new cars in France in 2008. I estimate a structural model of demand and supply that features heterogeneity in consumer preferences to go beyond the average policy effects and analyse distributional aspects. The policy reduces average carbon emissions by 1.6% at the cost of additional emissions of local pollutants. The regulation favours middle-income individuals but has redistributive effects when combined with a tax that is proportional to income. Moreover, local pollutant emissions increase least in poor and rural areas, suggesting another redistribution channel.
Phasic brain activity related to the onset of rapid eye movements during rapid eye movement sleep: study of event‐related potentials and standardized low‐resolution brain electromagnetic tomography

The function of rapid eye movements (REMs) during REM sleep is still a matter that is open to debate. In a previous study, we found positive brain potential (P200r) time‐locked to the onset of REMs. This potential was not observed during saccades of wakefulness. In this study, we estimated the electrical generation of this potential to investigate the phasic brain activity related to REMs. Data were collected in a sleep laboratory from nine healthy university students. REMs during REM sleep were recorded during natural nocturnal sleep. Event‐related potential time‐locked to the onset of REMs were averaged. Standardized low‐resolution brain electromagnetic tomography (sLORETA) was used to identify the current sources of P200r. The results showed that P200r have neuronal generators in the left premotor area, left primary motor and sensory cortices, left inferior parietal lobule and bilateral occipital areas (precuneus, cuneus and lingual gyrus). All these areas are known to contribute to visuomotor processing. These phasic brain activities might play a key role in explaining the function of REMs during REM sleep.
Phosphorylation of VACM-1/Cul5 by Protein Kinase A Regulates Its Neddylation and Antiproliferative Effect*

Expression of the VACM-1/cul5 gene in endothelial and in cancer cell lines in vitro inhibits cellular proliferation and decreases phosphorylation of MAPK. Structure-function analysis of the VACM-1 protein sequence identified consensus sites specific for phosphorylation by protein kinases A and C (PKA and PKC) and a Nedd8 protein modification site. Mutations at the PKA-specific site in VACM-1/Cul5 (S730AVACM-1) sequence resulted in increased cellular growth and the appearance of a Nedd8-modified VACM-1/Cul5. The aim of this study was to examine if PKA-dependent phosphorylation of VACM-1/Cul5 controls its neddylation status, phosphorylation by PKC, and ultimately growth. Our results indicate that in vitro transfection of rat adrenal medullary endothelial cells with anti-VACM-1-specific small interfering RNA oligonucleotides decreases endogenous VACM-1 protein concentration and increases cell growth. Western blot analysis of cell lysates immunoprecipitated with an antibody directed against a PKA-specific phosphorylation site and probed with anti-VACM-1-specific antibody showed that PKA-dependent phosphorylation of VACM-1 protein was decreased in cells transfected with S730AVACM-1 cDNA when compared with the cytomegalovirus-transfected cells. This change was associated with increased modification of VACM-1 protein by Nedd8. Induction of PKA activity with forskolin reduced modification of VACM-1 protein by Nedd8. Finally, rat adrenal medullary endothelial cells transfected with S730AVACM-1/cul5 cDNA and treated with phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate (10 and 100 nm) to induce PKC activity grew significantly faster than the control cells. These results suggest that the antiproliferative effect of VACM-1/Cul5 is dependent on its posttranslational modifications and will help in the design of new anticancer therapeutics that target the Nedd8 pathway.
Carry-Over of Force Production Symmetry in Athletes of Differing Strength Levels

Abstract Bailey, CA, Sato, K, Burnett, A, and Stone, MH. Carry-over of force production symmetry in athletes of differing strength levels. J Strength Cond Res 29(11): 3188–3196, 2015—This study sought to determine the level of association between bilateral force production symmetry assessment methods (standing weight distribution [WtD], unloaded and lightly loaded jumps, and isometric strength) and to determine whether the amount of symmetry carry-over between these tasks differs for strong and weak athletes. Subjects for this study included male (n = 31) and female (n = 32) athletes from National Collegiate Athletic Association Division I sports. Athletes performed WtD, unloaded and lightly loaded (20 kg) static and countermovement jumps, and isometric midthigh pull (IMTP) assessments on 2 adjacent force plates. Ground reaction force data were used to calculate symmetry variables and performance-related variables. Using Pearson zero order correlations, evaluations of the amount of symmetry carry-over were made. Weight distribution correlated strongly with jump peak force (PF) (r = 0.628–0.664). Strong relationships were also observed between loading conditions for jump variables (r = 0.568–0.957) as were the relationships between jump types for PF, peak power, and net impulse (r = 0.506–0.834). Based on the pooled sample, there was a lack of association between IMTP and WtD for jump symmetry variables. However, when examining strong and weak groups, rate of force development showed moderate to strong symmetry carry-over in the strongest athletes (r = 0.416–0.589). Stronger athletes appear to display similar explosive strength symmetry characteristics in dynamic and isometric assessments, unlike weaker athletes. Strength seems to influence the amount of force production symmetry carry-over between bilateral assessments. There may be optimal loads and variables for symmetry assessment, but these may differ based on population characteristics.
Estimating the Equilibrium Real Exchange Rate in Algeria during the period: 1980-2015

The aim of this paper is to estimate the long-run Equilibrium Real Exchange Rate (ERER) path using VECM approach, and assesses the degree of misalignment in Algeria. Based on annual data from 1980 to 2015, our results show that the macroeconomic variables such as terms of trade, trade openness, differential productivity with trading partners (Balassa-Samuelson effect), real price of oil, and government expenditures, plays significant role in determining the equilibrium of Algeria’s ERER, the results also reveal that Algerian economy suffered from RER misalignment. As finding, and according to the Edwards’ [6] Model and the Cashin’s [2] model, results showed same evidences that there are three episodes of undervaluation of the Algerian dinar’s and also three episodes of overvaluation, the seventh episode (2004-2015) shows that the Actual ERER appears to have been close to its estimated equilibrium.
Financial and Price Stability in Emerging Markets: The Role of the Interest Rate

The Global Financial Crisis opened a heated debate on whether inflation target regimes must be relaxed and allow for monetary policy to address financial stability concerns. Nonetheless, this debate has focused on the ability of the interest rate to "lean against the wind" and, more generally, on the accumulation of systemic risk arising from the macro-financial challenges faced by advanced economies. This paper extends the debate to emerging markets by developing micro-foundations that allow extending a simplified version of the New-Keynesian credit augmented model of Curdia and Woodford (2016) to a small-open economy scenario, and by subsequently using the same empirical strategy as Ajello et al. (2015) to calibrate the model for Mexico. The results suggest that openness in the capital account, and in particular a strong dependence of domestic financial conditions on capital flows, diminishes the effectiveness of monetary policy to lean against the wind. Indeed, in the open-economy with endogenous financial crises, the optimal policy rate is even below the level that would prevail in the absence of endogenous financial crisis and systemic risk.
Do Firms Issue More Equity When Markets Become More Liquid?

This paper investigates how public equity issuance is related to stock market liquidity. Using quarterly data on IPOs and SEOs in 36 countries over the period 1995-2008, we show that equity issuance is significantly and positively related to contemporaneous and lagged innovations in aggregate local market liquidity. This relation survives the inclusion of proxies for market timing, capital market conditions, growth prospects, asymmetric information, and investor sentiment. Liquidity considerations are as important in explaining equity issuance as market timing considerations. The relation between liquidity and issuance is driven by the quarters with the greatest deterioration in liquidity and is stronger for IPOs than for SEOs. Firms are more likely to carry out private instead of public equity issues and to postpone public equity issues when market liquidity worsens. Overall, we interpret our findings as supportive of the view that market liquidity is an important determinant of equity issuance that is distinct from other determinants examined to date.
The natural history of white coat hypertension during pregnancy

Objective White coat hypertension (WCH) is a common phenomenon with a long term prognosis intermediate between those with true hypertension and true normotension. The natural history of this phenomenon throughout pregnancy remains unknown. We assessed the likelihood of women with an initial diagnosis of WCH developing pre‐eclampsia (PE) as their pregnancy progressed.
Experimental verification of the efficiency/power-density (η-ρ) Pareto Front of single-phase double-boost and TCM PFC rectifier systems

Over the last decades, the converter systems performance has been substantially improved but the endeavor for highest possible performance, especially with respect to power density, efficiency, and costs remains the most important driver of present and future developments and research. In latest publications, comprehensive analytical models have been applied in optimization procedures to calculate the design parameters of single-phase AC-DC converter systems resulting in the highest performance concerning multiple objectives. In this paper, an experimental validation of this analytical design approach is provided based on four prototype rectifier systems with Power Factor Correction (PFC) which result from the optimization with respect to power density or efficiency of the mature double-boost bridgeless Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM) and the recently published interleaved totem-pole-based Triangular Current Mode (TCM) rectifier topology. All design details, such as power component values and EMIfilter structure as well as volume and losses distributions, are provided and the measurement results regarding efficiency, EMI standards, and input current quality (power factor and total harmonic distortion) allow the direct performance comparison of the investigated rectifier topologies. All four prototype systems comply with the EMI standard CISPR 22 class B and exhibit a high power factor and a low current THD. The recently published TCM-topology is beneficially applied to achieve a higher efficiency compared to the efficiency- and volume-optimized double boost CCM rectifier systems with a similar power density. With the loss-optimized TCM-prototype an extreme efficiency of 99.23 % at nominal input voltage and rated output power has been measured.
Does Host Country Institutional Quality Act as a Differentiator in Intra-regional FDI? Evidence from Selected Asian Economies

With primary considerations such as trade and investment openness becoming similar for many economies due to globalization, the role of other factors such as institutional environment in promoting investment has captured increasing attention in recent times. In view of the growing importance of Asia as a prospective foreign direct investment (FDI) destination, we employ panel data regression data for 16 Asian economies over the period 2000–2012 to study if institutional quality affects FDI flows and stocks and whether it can act as a differentiator while selecting a location within Asia. Among the institutional variables employed, ‘political stability and absence of violence/terrorism’ were found to be significant determinants revealing the importance of a stable and safe political environment for FDI. However, ‘corruption’ and ‘regulatory inefficiency’ were found to affect FDI inflows positively, indicating the preference of foreign investors for a system where laws can be circumvented easily through corrupt bureaucracy and where regulations are weak or less stringent. JEL: F21, F23, O43, O53
Effect of wearing personal protective clothing and self-contained breathing apparatus on heart rate, temperature and oxygen consumption during stepping exercise and live fire training exercises

Fire fighter breathing apparatus instructors (BAIs) must possess the ability to respond to both the extrinsic stress of a high temperature environment and the intrinsic stress from wearing personal protective equipment (PPE) and self-contained breathing apparatus (SCBA), repeatedly and regularly, whilst training recruits in live fire training exercises (LFTEs). There are few previous investigations on BAIs in hot environments such as LFTEs, since the main research focus has been on regular fire fighters undertaking exercises in temperate or fire conditions at a moderate to high exercise intensity. In this study, the intrinsic cardiovascular stress effects of wearing PPE + SCBA were first investigated using a step test whilst wearing gym kit (control), weighted gym kit (a rucksack weighted to the equivalent of PPE + SCBA) and full PPE + SCBA (weight plus the effects of protective clothing). The extrinsic effects of the very hot environment were investigated in BIAs in LFTEs compared to mock fire training exercises (MFTEs), where the fire was not ignited. There was an increase in heart rate due to the modest workload imposed on the BAIs through carrying out the MFTEs (25.0 (18.7)%) compared to resting. However, when exposed to fire during the LFTEs, heat storage appears to be significant as the heart rate increased by up to 39.8 (±20.1)% over that of the mock LFTEs at temperate conditions. Thus, being able to dissipate heat from the PPE is particularly important in reducing the cardiovascular responses for BAIs during LFTEs.
Aerobic exercise and postprandial lipemia in men with the metabolic syndrome.

INTRODUCTION It is currently unclear as to how exercise prescription variables influence attenuations of postprandial lipemia (PPL) in men with the metabolic syndrome (MetS) after exercise. Therefore, the purposes of this investigation were to compare the effects of low- and moderate-intensity exercise and accumulated versus continuous exercise on PPL in males with MetS. METHODS Fourteen males with MetS (waist circumference (WC) = 110.2 +/- 10.9 cm; triglycerides (TG) = 217 +/- 84 mg dL(-1); fasting blood glucose = 105 +/- 7 mg dL(-1); high-density lipoprotein cholesterol (HDL-C) = 44 +/- 7 mg dL(-1); systolic blood pressure (SBP) = 120 +/- 12 mm Hg; diastolic blood pressure (DBP) = 76 +/- 10 mm Hg) completed a control condition consisting of a high-fat meal and blood sampling at 2 h intervals for 6 h. Next, participants completed the following exercise conditions: 1) continuous moderate-intensity (MOD-1), 2) continuous low-intensity (LOW-1), and 3) two accumulated moderate-intensity sessions (MOD-2). The test meal and blood sampling were repeated 12-14 h after exercise. Area under the curve (AUC) scores and temporal postprandial responses were analyzed using repeated-measures ANOVA for TG and insulin. RESULTS The TG AUC decreased by 27% after LOW-1. TG concentrations were also reduced by 22% and 21% at 4 h postmeal after LOW-1 and MOD-1, yet TG parameters were no different from the control condition after MOD-2 (P < 0.05 for all). CONCLUSION These findings indicate that 500 kcal of continuous aerobic exercise before a meal attenuates PPL in men with MetS. This outcome can be achieved through low- or moderate-intensity exercise performed in a single session. Accumulating moderate-intensity exercise does not appear to effectively modulate PPL in men with MetS.
Empirical Testing for Weak Form Hypothesis of Emerging Capital Markets: A Comparative study of Jordan’s ASE and Turkey’s BORSA IST

The purpose of the study is to empirically test the Weak Efficient Form Hypothesis for two emerging stock markets, which are: Amman Stock Exchange, (ASE) and Turkish Stock Exchange (BORSA Istanbul) through examining their monthly indexes for the period 2000-2011. The study is an empirical test to study the effect of historical information in predicting the future stock prices of the two stock markets. Data used in the empirical analysis were collected from historical records of ASE and BORSA Istanbul markets for the period 2000-2011.Tests used were: Ljung Box Autocorrelation ,Runs , Dickey-Fuller Unit Root , and Individual Variance Ratio tests. The results of the study indicated debatable results. Runs tests have rejected the Random Walk characteristics while Augmented Dickey-Fuller tests have approved that both markets are weak form efficient. Autocorrelation tests have rejected the Random Walk Hypothesis for both markets; However, Variance Ratio tests have revealed mixed results as they approved BORSA Istanbul and rejected ASE as being Weak Form Efficient. Based on these test results, there were not enough evidences to consider ASE and BORSA Istanbul as Weak Form Efficient markets. The data were confined to ASE and BORSA Istanbul only, therefore, researcher is unable to generalize results to all emerging markets as the settings of other countries are questionable; Also it is worth to say that this research opens the door for future research opportunities, which can be done by the following ways: Further testing of other countries stock markets which will help mitigate the issue of generalizing conclusions on other stock markets. Comparative studies amongst emerging capital markets shall be highly inevitable. This research has offered a significant empirical contribution to the literature regarding the emerging stock market performance and efficiency. The research results might help both academicians and practitioners to be more acquainted by the components of ASE and BORSA Istanbul stock markets to have more insight in other developing markets. The current research may be considered as a pioneer study that highlighted the effect of historical information on future stock prices of two emerging markets. It could be also an initiative study that will generalize this effect on other emerging markets. Finally, the results can provide a reference for further researches about Weak Form Efficiency.