Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimum Design of RC Snubbers for Switching Regulators

The optimum design of an RC snubber to suppress the surge voltage across the transistor in a switching regulator with a two-winding reactor is presented. Analyzing the surge voltage by means of high-frequency equivalent circuits, we obtain the third-order characteristic equation. This third-order equation is first analyzed by the aid of the root locus method. As a result, the region where the surge voltage can be suppressed is described in the R-C plane. Then considering the snubber loss, the optimum resistance and capacitance can be obtained. Second, the precise design procedure of RC snubbers is discussed by normalization and numerical calculations. This procedure is summarized in easy-to-use nomographs.
The multitone channel

The maximum bit rate of multitone QAM (quadrature amplitude modulation) over a general linear channel is found. First, the overall bit rate for an AWGN channel with a two-level transfer function is maximized, using a multitone QAM system. The power distribution between the tones and the number of bits/symbol per tone is optimized for a given symbol error rate. Extending these results to the general channel, it is shown that the optimum power division for multitone signals is similar to the water-pouring solution of information theory. Furthermore, multitone QAM performance is about 9 dB worse than the channel capacity, independent of the channel characteristics. The multitone results throughout are compared to those of an equivalent single-tone linearly equalized system. The comparison shows that the multitone system is useful for some channels, e.g. those with deep nulls in the transfer function. The maximum bit error rate over a twisted-pair channel which is performance dominated by near-end crosstalk (NEXT) is also found. >
Yeast Miro GTPase, Gem1p, regulates mitochondrial morphology via a novel pathway

Cell signaling events elicit changes in mitochondrial shape and activity. However, few mitochondrial proteins that interact with signaling pathways have been identified. Candidates include the conserved mitochondrial Rho (Miro) family of proteins, which contain two GTPase domains flanking a pair of calcium-binding EF-hand motifs. We show that Gem1p (yeast Miro; encoded by YAL048C) is a tail-anchored outer mitochondrial membrane protein. Cells lacking Gem1p contain collapsed, globular, or grape-like mitochondria. We demonstrate that Gem1p is not an essential component of characterized pathways that regulate mitochondrial dynamics. Genetic studies indicate both GTPase domains and EF-hand motifs, which are exposed to the cytoplasm, are required for Gem1p function. Although overexpression of a mutant human Miro protein caused increased apoptotic activity in cultured cells (Fransson et al., 2003. J. Biol. Chem. 278:6495-6502), Gem1p is not required for pheromone-induced yeast cell death. Thus, Gem1p defines a novel mitochondrial morphology pathway which may integrate cell signaling events with mitochondrial dynamics.
Performance Model for Master/Worker Hybrid Applications on Multicore Clusters

There are several parallel applications that are implemented using a Master/Worker parallel/distributed programming paradigm. Applications using this predefined programming structure can be easily implemented using message passing programming libraries (MPI). Moreover, the multicore features present nowadays on CPU architecture can be exploited at the node level by applying thread parallelism (OpenMP). In order to exploit the benefits of both two levels of parallelism, the Master/Worker applications can be implemented as hybrid applications. However, reaching the expected performance indexes is not trivial because there are several parameters (number of nodes, number of threads per node, thread affinity and data distribution among all nodes) that must be tuned for each particular application or even during its execution to reach a successful performance. On the other hand, the application workload may change drastically during successive executions, so those parameters need to be modified according to this behavior. Additionally, cache memory architecture in multicore systems directly influences the performance and this behaviour must be deeply analysed. In this paper we present a proposal to model the performance of hybrid Master/Worker applications on multicore systems considering the issues outlined above. In particular, this model determines dynamically at runtime the configuration of the appropriate number of workers and threads of the hybrid application to achieve the best possible performance.
Political communication and opinion formation in Germany: A comparative study of local and national issues

Political communication is crucial for opinion formation about any kind of political issue. According to arguments in the literature on the local public sphere and in political science, processes of communication and opinion formation differ at the local and national levels. However, opinion formation about national and local issues has yet to be compared systematically. This study analyses differences in the communication processes at the local and national levels in Germany based on a survey (n = 1014). The results demonstrate that opinions about local and national issues are predisposed, and hardly any media effects occur. Respondents’ opinions about local issues are formed more systematically, and interpersonal discussions can be influential while opinions about national issues are based less on personal relevance. In sum, opinion formation processes differ at local and national levels but not always in the way it is often assumed in the existing literature.
Trust-based local and social recommendation

In this article, we propose an evolution of trust-based recommender systems that only relies on local information and can be deployed on top of existing social networks. Our approach takes into account friends' similarity and confidence on ratings, but limits data exchange to direct friends, in order to prevent ratings from being globally known. Therefore, calculations are limited to locally processed algorithms, privacy concerns can be taken into account and algorithms are suitable for decentralized or peer-to-peer architectures. We have implemented and evaluated our approach against five others, using the Epinions trust network. We show that local information with good default scoring strategies are sufficient to cover more users than classical collaborative filtering and trust-based recommender systems. Regarding accuracy, our approach performs better than most others, specially for cold start users, despite using less information.
The Milk Mucus Belief: Sensations Associated with the Belief and Characteristics of Believers

The belief that milk produces mucus is widespread in the community and is associated with a significant reduction in milk consumption. Sensations associated with milk drinking were reported by otherwise healthy believers and non-believers in the milk-mucus effect (N = 169) in an unstructured interview, with further responses prompted about the duration, type and amount of milk causing the effect. The site predominantly affected was the throat, with sensations related to difficulty in swallowing and perceived thickness of mucus and salivary secretions, rather than excessive mucus production. The effect required only a small amount of milk and was reported to be of short duration. The chronic respiratory symptom history and dairy product intake of 130 of these subjects were also assessed. Milk-mucus believers were different from non-believers, reporting more respiratory symptoms and consuming less milk and dairy products. Symptoms consistent with the known effects of food allergy or intolerance were not reported.
A Model Reduction Approach for OFDM Channel Estimation Under High Mobility Conditions

Orthogonal frequency-division multiplexing (OFDM) combines the advantages of high performance and relatively low implementation complexity. However, for reliable coherent detection of the input signal, the OFDM receiver needs accurate channel information. When the channel exhibits fast time variation as it is the case with several recent OFDM-based mobile broadband wireless standards (e.g., WiMAX, LTE, DVB-H), channel estimation at the receiver becomes quite challenging for two main reasons: 1) the receiver needs to perform this estimation more frequently and 2) channel time-variations introduce intercarrier interference among the OFDM subcarriers which can degrade the performance of conventional channel estimation algorithms significantly. In this paper, we propose a new pilot-aided algorithm for the estimation of fast time-varying channels in OFDM transmission. Unlike many existing OFDM channel estimation algorithms in the literature, we propose to perform channel estimation in the frequency domain, to exploit the structure of the channel response (such as frequency and time correlations and bandedness), optimize the pilot group size and perform most of the computations offline resulting in high performance at substantial complexity reductions.
On two points of view regarding revealed preferences and behavioral economics

Non-standard decision models are often inconsistent with a narrow version of the revealed preference principle, according to which 'utility maximization and observed choice are synonymous'. One possible response to this state of a¤airs is that the revealed preference principle is irrelevant if it conflicts with a model in which the theorist puts a lot of faith thanks to psychological evidence. Another response is that the narrow version of the principle should be retained and used as a criterion for evaluating decision models. I discuss these two points of view, using as a template two well-known classes of decision models. The first point of view is examined in light of a class of models in which the decision maker's subjective belief is a carrier of utility. The second point of view is discussed in the context of Gul and Pesendorfer's model of self-control preferences.
Direct computation of minimal rotation for support slimming

To reduce the usage of supporting structure in additive manufacturing, an orientation-driven shape optimizer was developed in our prior work [Hu et al. 2015] which employs a volumetric mesh enclosing the input 3D models as the domain of computation. The orientation of a model is computed indirectly by surface of the volumetric mesh. In this paper, we extend our indirect computation to an approach that the computation is directly based on the information of input models by an algorithm using incremental linear programming and K-means clustering. The performance of this approach is decoupled from the shape similarity between the volumetric mesh and the input model. As a result, representations obtained from simpler volumetric decomposition such as voxels can be adopted as the domain of computation.
Prolonged Seizures Exacerbate Perinatal Hypoxic-Ischemic Brain Damage

This study was undertaken to clarify whether seizures in the newborn cause damage to the healthy brain and, more specifically, to determine the extent to which seizures may contribute to the brain-damaging effects of hypoxia-ischemia (HI). Seizures were induced in 10-d-old rat pups with kainic acid (KA). Seizure duration was determined electrographically. HI was induced by common carotid artery ligation followed by exposure to 8% oxygen for either 15 or 30 min. Six groups of animals were assessed:1) controls [neither KA nor HI (group I)];2) group II, KA alone;3) group III, 15 min HI alone;4) group IV,15 min HI plus KA;5) group V, 30 min HI alone; and 6) group VI, 30 min HI plus KA. Animals were assessed neuropathologically at 3 (early) and 20 (late) d of recovery. KA injection without hypoxia resulted in continuous clinical and electrographic seizures lasting a mean of 282 min. No neuropathologic injury was seen in groups I (no HI or KA), II (KA alone), III (15 min HI alone), or IV (15 min HI and KA). Animals in group V (30 min HI alone) displayed brain damage with a mean score of 2.3 and 0.60 at 3 and 20 d of recovery, respectively. Animals in group VI (30 min HI and KA) had a mean score of 12.1 and 3.65 at 3 and 20 d of recovery, respectively. Compared with group V, the increased damage as a result of the seizure activity in group VI occurred exclusively in the hippocampus. Status epilepticus in the otherwise “healthy” neonatal brain does not cause neuropathologic injury. However, seizures superimposed on HI significantly exacerbate brain injury in a topographically specific manner.
Sonic hedgehog signaling: A conserved mechanism for the expansion of outer radial glia and intermediate progenitor cells and for the growth and folding of the neocortex

ABSTRACT The expansion of outer radial glia (oRGs, also called basal RGs) and intermediate progenitor cells (IPCs) has played a key role in the evolutionary expansion and folding of the neocortex, resulting in superior sensorimotor and cognitive abilities. In particular, oRGs, which are critical for both the increased production and lateral dispersion of neurons, are rare in lisencephalic species but vastly expanded in gyrencephalic species. However, the mechanisms that expand oRGs and IPCs are not well understood. We recently identified Sonic hedgehog (Shh) signaling as the first known signaling pathway necessary and sufficient to expand both oRGs and IPCs. Elevated Shh signaling in the embryonic neocortex leads to neocortical expansion and folding with normal cytoarchitecture in otherwise smooth mouse neocortex, whereas the loss of Shh signaling decreases oRGs, IPCs, and neocortical size. We also showed that SHH signaling activity in fetal neocortex is stronger in humans than in mice and that blocking SHH signaling decreases oRGs in human cerebral organoids. Shh signaling may be a conserved mechanism that promotes oRG and IPC expansion, driving neocortical growth and folding in humans and other species. Understanding the mechanisms underlying species-specific differences in Shh signaling activity and how Shh signaling expands oRGs and IPCs will provide insights into the mechanisms of neocortical development and evolution.
Can personality disorder experts recognize DSM-IV personality disorders from five-factor model descriptions of patient cases?

BACKGROUND Dimensional models of personality are under consideration for integration into the next Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders (DSM-5), but the clinical utility of such models is unclear. OBJECTIVE To test the ability of clinical researchers who specialize in personality disorders to diagnose personality disorders using dimensional assessments and to compare those researchers' ratings of clinical utility for a dimensional system versus for the DSM-IV. METHOD A sample of 73 researchers who had each published at least 3 (median = 15) articles on personality disorders participated between December 2008 and January 2009. The Five-Factor Model (FFM), one of the most-studied dimensional models to date, was compared to the DSM-IV. Participants provided diagnoses for case profiles in DSM-IV and FFM formats and then rated the DSM-IV and FFM on 6 aspects of clinical utility. RESULTS Overall, participants had difficulty identifying correct diagnoses from FFM profiles (t₇₂ = 12.36, P < .01), and the same held true for a subset reporting equal familiarity with the DSM-IV and FFM (t₂₃ = 6.96, P < .01). Participants rated the FFM as less clinically useful than the DSM for making prognoses, devising treatment plans, and communicating with professionals (all t₆₉ > 2.19, all P < .05), but more useful for communicating with patients (t₆₉ = 3.03, P < .01). CONCLUSIONS The results suggest that personality disorder expertise and familiarity with the FFM are insufficient to correctly diagnose personality disorders using FFM profiles. Because of ambiguity inherent in FFM profile descriptors, this insufficiency may prove unlikely to be attenuated with increased clinical familiarity with the FFM.
Well-Posedness of Two Nonrigid Multimodal Image Registration Methods

Image registration methods may be designed as solutions of minimization problems on a set of geometric deformations. In the nonrigid case, solving these problems often means computing the steady state of a system of evolution equations involving the "gradient" of the error criterion, defined from the Euler--Lagrange equations of the corresponding minimization problem. The well-posedness of the registration methodrequires showing the existence of a solution to the minimization problem, as well as that of a stable solution of the evolution equations derived from it. We provide such proofs in the case where the error criterion is derived from two different statistical similarity measures: global mutual information and local cross-covariance. We also describe our numerical implementation for solving the corresponding evolution equations and show examples of registrations of real 2D and 3D images achieved with these algorithms. The proofs are quite general and can be applied to most of the known nonrigid image.
Autoregulatory Sequences are Revealed by Complex Stability Screening of the Mouse brn-3.0 Locus

The POU-IV or Brn-3 class of transcription factors exhibit conserved structure, DNA-binding properties, and expression in specific subclasses of neurons across widely diverged species. In the mouse CNS, Brn-3.0 expression characterizes specific neurons from neurogenesis through the life of the cell. This irreversible activation of expression suggests positive autoregulation. To search for cis-acting elements that could mediate autoregulation we used a novel method, complex stability screening, which we applied to rapidly identify functional Brn-3.0 recognition sites within a large genomic region encompassing the mousebrn-3.0 locus. This method is based on the observation that the kinetic stability of Brn-3.0 complexes with specific DNA sequences, as measured by their dissociation half-lives, is highly correlated with the ability of those sequences to mediate transcriptional activation by Brn-3.0. The principal Brn-3.0 autoregulatory region lies ∼5 kb upstream from the Brn-3.0 transcription start site and contains multiple Brn-3.0-binding sites that strongly resemble the optimal binding site for this protein class. This region also mediates transactivation by the closely related protein Brn-3.2, suggesting a regulatory cascade of POU proteins in specific neurons in which Brn-3.2 expression precedes Brn-3.0.
A RESTful extension of OPC UA

RESTful interfaces are a wide-spread architecture style for webservice implementations and are built upon the resource-oriented approach to decentralized architectures (ROA). REST postulates a set of requirements that are not covered by the OPC Unified Architecture (OPC UA) communication protocol per se. We propose a set of simple extensions to the OPC UA binary protocol that enable RESTful communication. The evaluation shows an order of magnitude improvement in the use of communication resources for sporadic service requests. Additionally, RESTful OPC UA allows applications to profit from the advantages of the resource-oriented architecture style, such as caching and loose application coupling.
Quantification of plasma factor XIIa-Cl(-)-inhibitor and kallikrein-Cl(-)-inhibitor complexes in sepsis.

Considerable evidence indicates that activation of the contact system of intrinsic coagulation plays a role in the pathogenesis of septic shock. To monitor contact activation in patients with sepsis, we developed highly sensitive radioimmunoassays (RIAs) for factor XIIa-Cl(-)-inhibitor (Cl(-)-Inh) and kallikrein-Cl(-)-Inh complexes using a monoclonal antibody (MoAb Kok 12) that binds to a neodeterminant exposed on both complexed and cleaved Cl(-)-Inh. Plasma samples were serially collected from 48 patients admitted to the intensive care unit because of severe sepsis. Forty percent of patients on at least one occasion had increased levels of plasma factor XIIa-Cl(-)-Inh (greater than 5 x 10(-4) U/mL) and kallikrein-Cl(-)-Inh (greater than 25 x 10(-4) U/mL), that correlated at a molar ratio of approximately 1:3. Levels of factor XII antigen in plasma and both the highest as well as the levels on admission of plasma factor XIIa-Cl(-)-Inh in 23 patients with septic shock were lower than in 25 normotensive patients (P = .015: factor XII on admission; P = .04: highest factor XIIa-Cl(-)-Inh; P = . 01: factor XIIa-Cl(-)-Inh on admission). No significant differences in plasma kallikrein-Cl(-)-Inh or prekallikrein antigen were found between these patients' groups. Elevated Cl(-)-Inh complex levels were measured less frequently in serial samples from patients with septic shock than in those from patients without shock (P less than .0001). Based on these results, we conclude that plasma Cl(-)-Inh complex levels during sepsis may not properly reflect the extent of contact activation.
A high-temperature superconducting diplexer for satellite communication applications

A C-band high temperature superconducting (HTS) diplexer is presented for the module of a multiplexer. The diplexer consists of a common node and two bandpass filters. The common node is designed by an open-loop microstrip line, which resonates at the frequency of 3995 MHz. Both channel filters consist of four rectangular spiral line resonators. The diplexer is fabricated by DyBa2Cu3O7 (DBCO) thin films on MgO substrate with a dimension of 30 mm × 10 mm. Experiments are performed in a cryocooler at 77K. The measured insertion loss is less than 0.1 dB for two channels. The isolation between the two channels is about 50 dB. Good agreements are achieved between measurement and simulation.
Investigating Tacit Knowledge Acquisition and Sharing from the Perspective of Social Relationships-A Multilevel Model

Several researchers have frequently regarded tacit knowledge sharing among employees as a process of social interaction. This study employs the perspective of social relationship for investigating an employee's tacit knowledge acquisition and sharing within a workgroup. We propose a multilevel research model that includes both individual- and group-level variables and collect data through a multi-informant questionnaire design. Analyses are based on data collected from 279 respondents participating in 93 work groups across 58 organizations in Taiwan. The results are presented in terms of four aspects as follows. First, tacit knowledge acquisition is found to be facilitated by relational embeddedness. Second, tacit knowledge acquisition has both direct and indirect effects on the tacit knowledge sharing intention. Third, descriptive norms and self efficacy have a positive effect on tacit knowledge sharing intention. Finally, the results of cross-level analyses indicate that an affiliation climate rather than a fairness climate is positively related to tacit knowledge sharing intention.
The Cultural and Institutional Dynamics of Global Democratization a Synthesis of Mass Experience and Congruence Theory

This essay offers a comprehensive account of the current wave of global democratization by examining the democratic changes that have taken place in both the political institutions and mass citizenries of new democracies in Africa, East Asia, Latin America, and New Europe. After reviewing previous research findings on the breadth and depth of institutional and cultural democratization, the essay analyzes their relationships with factual data and public opinion surveys. Analyses of four regional barometer surveys reveal that new democracies in three of the four regions confront the problem of low popular demand for democracy. On the basis of this finding, the essay concludes that the embrace of democracy as ”the only game in town” is a first step, not a last step, toward the democratization of mass citizenries.