Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Method of Reducing the Peak-to-Average Ratio of LED Current for Electrolytic Capacitor-Less AC–DC Drivers

This paper proposes a concept of electrolytic capacitor-less light-emitting diode (LED) driver, which converts the commercial ac voltage to a pulsating current with twice the line frequency driving high-brightness LEDs. As no electrolytic capacitor is used, this driver possesses the unique advantage of long lifetime to match with that of LEDs. A method of injecting the third and fifth harmonics into the input current to reduce the peak-to-average ratio of the output current is also proposed. While ensuring that the input power factor is higher than 0.9 to meet regulation standards such as ENERGY STAR, the proposed method allows the peak-to-average ratio of the output current to be reduced to 1.34 theoretically, which is beneficial for the safe operation of the LEDs. As an example, a flyback-based electrolytic capacitor-less LED driver is proposed, and its operation is analyzed. In order to inject the third and fifth harmonics into the input current, the function of the duty cycle in a half-line cycle is derived. It is then simplified to a fitting function, which can be easily implemented with the input voltage sensing. A 25 V, 0.35 A output prototype is built and tested in the laboratory, and the experimental results are presented to verify the effectiveness of the electrolytic capacitor-less LED driver and its control method.
Agricultural and Resource Economics and Economic Development in Aboriginal Communities

Economic development is seen as the best way for Aboriginal communities to improve their welfare and lessen the considerable disadvantages they suffer. Unfortunately, the economics profession has shown little interest in their plight. Agricultural and resource economists have much to offer in helping to foster economic development in Aboriginal communities throughout Australia. Suggestions are made as to various ways in which our particular interests and experiences can hopefully be applied.
A quantitative overview of glucose dynamics in the gliovascular unit

While glucose is constantly being “pulled” into the brain by hexokinase, its flux across the blood brain barrier (BBB) is allowed by facilitative carriers of the GLUT family. Starting from the microscopic properties of GLUT carriers, and within the constraints imposed by the available experimental data, chiefly NMR spectroscopy, we have generated a numerical model that reveals several hidden features of glucose transport and metabolism in the brain. The half‐saturation constant of glucose uptake into the brain (Kt) is close to 8 mM. GLUT carriers at the BBB are symmetric, show accelerated‐exchange, and a Km of zero‐trans flux (Kzt) close to 5 mM, determining a ratio of 3.6 between maximum transport rate and net glucose flux (Tmax/CMRglc). In spite of the low transporter occupancy, the model shows that for a stimulated hexokinase to pull more glucose into the brain, the number or activity of GLUT carriers must also increase, particularly at the BBB. The endothelium is therefore predicted to be a key modulated element for the fast control of energy metabolism. In addition, the simulations help to explain why mild hypoglycemia may be asymptomatic and reveal that [glucose]brain (as measured by NMR) should be much more sensitive than glucose flux (as measured by PET) as an indicator of GLUT1 deficiency. In summary, available data from various sources has been integrated in a predictive model based on the microscopic properties of GLUT carriers. © 2007 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Post-visit at ophthalmology emergency service : frequency and perception of the doctors on duty and users

T he medical visit is a representative moment in the doctorpatient relationship, consisting of history collection of the patient (anamnesis), physical exam, diagnostic impression formulation, prescription and therapeutic explanation to be used. The word visit, with a wide significance, can be perceived as “to have listening for your complaints”, to get advice, to meditate. The two first designations mean the relationship of the patient with the professional, integrating an action of externalizationtalk about yourself, and other of internalization-listening what the other person is saying. The doctor-patient relationship is considered a key aspect in a medical visit. It has effects not only in the users’ satisfaction, but also exerts direct influence over its health state. The interaction between patient and professional will depend on, in one side, factors related to the patient: his/her need, therapeutic in use, his/her expectations, believes, fears and concerns, psychosocial and educational conditions, and his/her previous experiences with other physicians and, on the other side, factors related to the Health professional: the influence ABSTRACT
Power comparison of exact unconditional tests for comparing two binomial proportions

The powers of six exact, unconditional tests for comparing two binomial proportions are studied. Total sample sizes range from 20 to 100 with balanced and imbalanced designs included. Some previously proposed tests are found to have poor power for imbalanced designs. Two new tests, confidence interval modifications of Boschloo’s and Suissa and Shuster’s tests, are found to have the best powers. Overall, the modified Boschloo test is recommended.
Thermal production of superheavy magnetic monopoles in the new inflationary-universe scenario.

We consider the thermal production of superheavy (e.g. approx.10/sup 16/ GeV) monopoles in an inflationary-universe scenario in which the grand-unified-theory (GUT) and inflationary phase transitions are distinct. By investigating the requirements placed on the GUT sector in such a scenario, we find that a large class of GUT models are consistent with the scenario and admit reheating to temperatures high enough to produce ''interesting'' (i.e., observable but not overabundant) numbers of thermal monopoles. We conclude that these scenarios could provide an explanation for the existence of superheavy magnetic monopoles in an inflationary universe.
State Variation in Narrow Networks on the ACA Marketplaces

In June, we presented national data from one of the first attempts to measure the size of provider networks in plans sold on the health insurance marketplaces. We used simple “T-shirt” sizes to categorize networks in a way that could help consumers quickly grasp the choices they were making. In this Data Brief, we present network sizes summarized up to the level of the state and the rating area. This analysis should help regulators and consumers assess and understand the trade-off between premiums and network size as we enter the next open enrollment period.
Determinants of Efficiency in the Malaysian Banking Sector: Evidence from Semi-parametric Data Envelopment Analysis Method

Abstract This article follows Simar and Wilson’s (2007, Journal of Econometrics, 136(1), 31–64) two-stage procedure to analyse the efficiency of the Malaysian banking sector. In the first stage, we employ the data envelopment analysis (DEA) method to compute the efficiency of individual banks during the period 1999–2008. We then use panel regressions to examine the impact of ownership on bank efficiency while controlling for the potential impacts of contextual variables. The DEA results indicate an increase in efficiency over the sample period. The results from the panel regression suggest that productive efficiency is positively related to bank size, capitalization and foreign ownership. On the other hand, the publicly listed and government-owned banks have been relatively inefficient in their intermediation function.
The Real Effects of NASDAQ Delistings

It is claimed that exchange listing of its stock benefits a firm by improving its stock liquidity and access to capital, thereby affecting real decisions and consequent outcome variables. Testing this claim empirically encounters obvious and formidable endogeneity problems. This paper empirically examines the causal effect of involuntary delisting from a stock exchange on stock liquidity, access to capital, corporate investment and profitability. Focusing on firms in violation of NASDAQ continued listing rules between 2000 and 2009, I compare firms that eventually delisted and moved trading of their stock to OTC markets with those that regained compliance and remained on NASDAQ. Market volatility during the delisting grace period is used as an instrumental variable (IV) for the delisting outcome. My findings suggest the following: First, delisting causes stocks to experience reduced daily trading volume, but only if the stock was actively traded prior to delisting; for thinly-traded stocks, there is no effect. Second, surprisingly, the number of investors, institutional ownership or analyst coverage are not affected by delisting. Third, delisting leads to less future equity issuance only if a stock was actively traded prior to delisting. Fourth, delisting has no statistically significant effect on a firm's long-term investments. Fifth, delisting improves long-term gross margin for firms which were thinly-traded prior to delisting. Sixth, delisting does not have statistically significant effect on firm value. Overall, my findings indicate that delisting from a stock exchange is not as costly as commonly believed. This implies that the OTC markets may provide small firms that have limited trading volume with a low-cost, effective market for their stock. My conclusions support the recent policy initiations to provide the alternative listing and trading venues for small public companies.
Risk Factors Pulse Pressure and Risk for Myocardial Infarction and Heart Failure in the Elderly

OBJECTIVES We sought to determine whether pulse pressure (PP), a measure of arterial stiffness, is an independent predictor of the incidence of coronary heart disease (CHD), congestive heart failure (CHF) and overall mortality among community-dwelling elderly. BACKGROUND Current hypertension guidelines classify cardiovascular risk on the basis of elevated systolic blood pressure (SBP) or diastolic blood pressure (DBP) without considering their combined effects. Recent studies suggest that PP is a strong predictor of cardiovascular end points, but few data are available among community elderly. METHODS The study sample included 2,152 individuals age $65 years, who were participants in the Established Populations for Epidemiologic Study of the Elderly program, free of CHD and CHF at baseline and still alive at one year after enrollment. Blood pressure was measured at baseline. Incidence of CHD, incidence of CHF and total mortality were monitored in the following 10 years. RESULTS There were 328 incident CHD events, 224 incident CHF events and 1,046 persons who died of any cause. Pulse pressure showed a strong and linear relationship with each end point. After adjusting for demographics, comorbidity and CHD risk factors, a 10-mm Hg increment in PP was associated with a 12% increase in CHD risk (95% confidence interval [CI], 2% to 22%), a 14% increase in CHF risk (95% CI, 5% to 24%), and a 6% increase in overall mortality (95% CI, 0% to 12%). While SBP and mean arterial pressure (MAP) also showed positive associations with the end points, PP yielded the highest likelihood ratio chi-square. When PP was entered in the model in conjunction with other blood pressure parameters (SBP, DBP, MAP or hypertension stage, respectively), the association remained positive for PP but became negative for the other blood pressure variables. The effect of PP persisted after adjusting for current medication use and was present in normotensive individuals and individuals with isolated systolic hypertension but not in individuals with diastolic hypertension. CONCLUSIONS Elevated PP is a powerful independent predictor of cardiovascular end points in the elderly. (J Am Coll Cardiol 2000;36:130–8) © 2000 by the American College of Cardiology
Corruption and Cross-Border Investment in Emerging Markets: Firm-Level Evidence

This paper studies the joint impact of corruption on the entry mode and volume of inward foreign direct investment (FDI) using a unique firm-level data set. We find that corruption not only reduces inward FDI, but also shifts the ownership structure towards joint ventures. The latter finding supports the view that corruption increases the value of using a local partner to cut through the bureaucratic maze. However, R&D intensive firms are found to favor sole ownership.
Sexual Functioning in Obese Adults Enrolling in a Weight Loss Study

The authors assessed sexual functioning among treatment-seeking obese men (n = 91) and women (n = 134) using the comprehensive validated Sexual Functioning Questionnaire. Scores were lower for women than for men, indicating reduced sexual functioning. Men's scores fell between those of a group of cancer survivors and a general population group, whereas women generally had lower scores than both of these groups. Increasing body mass index was associated with decreasing sexual functioning only for arousal and behavior. Sexual functioning was also reduced on most subscales for individuals who reported sexual inactivity in the past month.
Segmenting Young Indian Impulsive Shoppers

ABSTRACT With the backdrop of fastest emerging economy India and one of the top five retail markets in the world, this article has attempted to segment and profile young impulsive shoppers on the basis of behavioral, attitudinal, and situational factors that influence such buying behavior. A cross-sectional study was conducted using structured questionnaire among 448 young shoppers of age amid 18–35 years in Delhi, Mumbai, Chennai, and Kolkata, India. This study has ascertained that Indian youth market is not homogenous with respect to their impulse buying behavior. There exist five different shopper segments on the basis of the antecedent factors. This research also established a relationship between income levels and the motives behind impulsive shopping. Arguably, to the best of our knowledge, this is the first empirical study to examine and segment young Indian shoppers on the basis of their impulsiveness in buying. Mall managers and retail storeowners may use the outcome of this article as important cues for developing operational and tactical marketing plans.
A Fatty Acids Mixture Reduces Anxiety-Like Behaviors in Infant Rats Mediated by GABAA Receptors

Fatty acids (C6–C18) found in human amniotic fluid, colostrum, and maternal milk reduce behavioral indicators of experimental anxiety in adult Wistar rats. Unknown, however, is whether the anxiolytic-like effects of fatty acids provide a natural mechanism against anxiety in young offspring. The present study assessed the anxiolytic-like effect of a mixture of lauric acid, myristic acid, palmitic acid, palmitoleic acid, stearic acid, oleic acid, elaidic acid, and linoleic acid in Wistar rats on postnatal day 28. Infant rats were subjected to the elevated plus maze, defensive burying test, and locomotor activity test. Diazepam was used as a reference anxiolytic drug. A group that was pretreated with picrotoxin was used to explore the participation of γ-aminobutyric acid-A (GABAA) receptors in the anxiolytic-like effects. Similar to diazepam, the fatty acid mixture significantly increased the frequency of entries into and time spent on the open arms of the elevated plus maze and decreased burying behavior in the defensive burying test, without producing significant changes in spontaneous locomotor activity. These anxiolytic-like effects were blocked by picrotoxin. Results suggest that these fatty acids that are contained in maternal fluid may reduce anxiety-like behavior by modulating GABAergic neurotransmission in infant 28-day-old rats.
Optimal control of a robotic system and software development for speech-to-sign language transliterating applications

The present paper shows the work done on part of the design of a robotic humanoid arm, whose objective is to perform the transliteration of sound language, commonly used, to sign language, used by people with hearing disabilities. Through a dynamic analysis it has been obtained the necessary torque for each joint in the arm to perform the correct movement of the servo motors. In addition to this, a script has been made in order to do some tests for speech-recognition and an Android application as a tool for an easier way to process it. For the control of the finger, it was designed an optimal nonlinear controller, which has as state variables the angle and the angular velocity, aiming only to the manipulation of the angle or position of the DC motor, for the purpose of an appropriate movement of the fingers.
Two physically, functionally, and developmentally distinct peritoneal macrophage subsets

The peritoneal cavity (PerC) is a unique compartment within which a variety of immune cells reside, and from which macrophages (MØ) are commonly drawn for functional studies. Here we define two MØ subsets that coexist in PerC in adult mice. One, provisionally called the large peritoneal MØ (LPM), contains approximately 90% of the PerC MØ in unstimulated animals but disappears rapidly from PerC following lipopolysaccharide (LPS) or thioglycolate stimulation. These cells express high levels of the canonical MØ surface markers, CD11b and F4/80. The second subset, referred to as small peritoneal MØ (SPM), expresses substantially lower levels of CD11b and F4/80 but expresses high levels of MHC-II, which is not expressed on LPM. SPM, which predominates in PerC after LPS or thioglycolate stimulation, does not derive from LPM. Instead, it derives from blood monocytes that rapidly enter the PerC after stimulation and differentiate to mature SPM within 2 to 4 d. Both subsets show clear phagocytic activity and both produce nitric oxide (NO) in response to LPS stimulation in vivo. However, their responses to LPS show key differences: in vitro, LPS stimulates LPM, but not SPM, to produce NO; in vivo, LPS stimulates both subsets to produce NO, albeit with different response patterns. These findings extend current models of MØ heterogeneity and shed new light on PerC MØ diversity, development, and function. Thus, they introduce a new context for interpreting (and reinterpreting) data from ex vivo studies with PerC MØ.
Influence of manganese on apoptosis and glutathione content of cumulus cells during in vitro maturation in bovine oocytes

We have investigated the effect of different Mn concentrations on (1) DNA integrity of cumulus cells by olive tail moment (OTM); (2) cumulus cells apoptosis by Annexin V staining assay; (3) intracellular total glutathione (GSH‐GSSG) content; and (4) oocyte nuclear maturation and embryo cleavage after in vitro fertilisation (IVF). For this purpose, 0 (control), 2 (Mn1), 5 (Mn2) and 6 ng/mL (Mn3) Mn concentrations were added to IVM medium. Comet assay analysed by OTM was significantly higher in cumulus cells arising from COCs matured without Mn (control, P < 0.01) respect to cumulus cells obtained from COCs matured with Mn (control: 5.18 ± 2.3; Mn1: 2.93 ± 2.2; Mn2: 2.63 ± 2.4; Mn3: 2.92 ± 2.4). The frequency of apoptotic cells was higher in the control group (control: 6.63 ± 0.59; Mn1: 5.05 ± 0.5; Mn2: 4.61 ± 0.49; Mn3: 3.33 ± 0.42). Intracellular concentration of GSH‐GSSG increased in oocytes and cumulus cells matured in the presence of Mn (P < 0.01). There were no differences in percentages of nuclear maturation when Mn was added to IVM medium at any concentration, but at 6 ng/mL Mn a higher cleavage rate was observed respect to the control group (P < 0.05). In conclusion, deficiency in Mn concentration during in vitro maturation increased the damage in the DNA molecule and the frequency of apoptotic cumulus cells. However, the addition of an adequate Mn concentration (6 ng/mL Mn) to IVM medium improved the health of cumulus‐oocyte complexes and produced more cleaved embryos 48 h after IVF.
TRANSFORMATIONAL LEADERSHIP AND PERFORMANCE OUTCOMES OF MULTINATIONAL CORPORATIONS IN THAILAND

This paper describes a study of leadership in six multinational corporations (MNCs) in Thailand. Specifically, the study examined relationships between leadership (transformational and transactional) and organizational outcomes as reported by 296 subordinates of middle and lower level managers in U.S.-based MNCs in Bangkok. In the Information Age, access to a global IT infrastructure, particularly through telecommunications, is at the heart of business and national competitiveness. Individual managers everywhere face a growing scope of responsibility, with accountability for more goals and people than ever before. Consequently, it is more important now than ever for managers delegate authority and communicate effectively with their employees. The Multifactor Leadership Questionnaire (MLQ) was used to measure transformational and transactional leadership and three organizational outcomes (extra effort on the job, perception of leaders’ effectiveness, and subordinates’ job satisfaction). Results indicate that transformational and transactional leadership accounted for significant amounts of the variance in subordinates’ extra effort, perceptions of leader effectiveness and job satisfaction. Results are similar to those obtained in previous studies in North America. Today’s business environment is increasingly complex and competitive. Companies are constantly growing and changing. Electronic commerce is now positioned at the cutting edge of fundamental change. The confluence of
Consensus statements and recommended clinical procedures regarding optimizing esthetic outcomes in implant dentistry.

In the anterior maxilla, dental implant–supported prostheses need to replicate the dental hard and soft tissues in order to be esthetically acceptable. Three systematic reviews in Group 3 were prepared to address the topic of optimizing esthetic outcomes. Following tooth extraction, the clinician has the choice of various time points to place implants. Implant placement postextraction is often accompanied by bone augmentation procedures to manage residual bone defects and enhance esthetic results. Thus, the first systematic review by Chen and Buser analyzed the influence of the timing of implant placement and bone
Small-scale reluctance synchronous generator variable speed wind turbine system with DC transmission linked inverters

In this paper, an alternative layout for small scale back-to-back variable speed wind turbine systems is proposed. This novel layout is created by splitting the converters at their common DC bus and linking them through the wind turbine tower with a DC rated cable. The grid-tie voltage source converter (VSC) is placed at ground level and the generator VSC is placed in the nacelle. Not only does the DC transmission cable allow electrical power to be transferred with minimal copper losses, it allows the nacelle to be more compact and maintenance friendly. The control of a reluctance synchronous generator (RSG), variable speed, fixed pitch wind turbine and grid-connected system is detailed in this paper with specific attention to the control of the DC bus voltage with a DC-link cable. DC bus voltage dynamics are investigated with practical measurements on a 3 kW wind turbine emulator, RSG and LCL-filter grid-tie system. Power input steps at rated power are used to perturb the DC bus system for two different cable lengths. Two minutes of emulated wind speed using a 150 m cable length is also tested. The results show that the DC-link dynamics are controllable.