Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
One Modification of the Cusum Test for Detection Early Structural Changes

Structural shifts in time series can occur as consequences of complex processes, arising in system. An ignorance of such structural changes can cause an associated regression model misspecification. In practice, early detection and response to outbreaks, causing the changes in a process, is highly important. The famous CUSUM test of Brown, Durbin & Evans, has a poor power in detecting the structural breaks in parameters occurring early (and also late) in the sample. In this paper, we propose CUSUM-similar test which, due to the transformation of recursive residuals forces the detection of temporal dependence structure in linear regression model and has a larger power for the early structural breaks. Here our interest centres on the detection of single breaks occurring in parameters of the linear model. Distribution and other probabilistic characteristics of the transformed residuals are provided, the boundaries for the new test are derived. The new test can be considered then as a complement to the standard CUSUM test.
A new approach for minimizing torque ripple in a BLDC motor drive with a front end IDO dc-dc converter

This paper proposes a front end integrated dual output (IDO) dc-dc converter for commutation torque ripple reduction in a permanent magnet brushless DC (BLDC) motor drive. The current ripple owed to the inductance and resistance of the motor during commutation instant results in torque ripple. In this work the dc link voltage of the converter is varied at commutation instants to minimize current ripple and hence torque ripple. The wider output range and faster response of the IDO converter make it a suitable choice as a front end converter for minimizing torque ripple. Simulation results validate the proposed converter for the BLDC motor drive. Experimental analysis of a conventional drive is performed to verify the simulation results.
Improvements in the Computer Assisted Transcription System of Handwritten Text Images

To date, automatic handwriting recognition systems are far from being perfect. Therefore, once the full recognition process of a handwritten text image has finished, heavy human intervention is required in order to correct the results of such systems. As an alternative, an interactive framework has been presented in previous works. The results obtained in these works show that significant amounts of human effort can be saved. Here a new way to interact with this interactive system is proposed. Now, as soon as the user points to the next system error, the system proposes a new suitable continuation. This way, many explicit user corrections are avoided. Empirical results suggest that the new interaction method can lead to further improvements in user productivity.
Social Integration, Imitation, and the Geographic Patterning of Suicide

One of sociology's defining debates centers on explanations of the geographic patterning of suicide. This classic debate is revisited using techniques of spatial analysis and data for two geographies: late nineteenth-century French departments, and late twentieth-century U.S. counties. Results of the French analysis contradict Durkheim's claim that “imitation” plays no role in shaping the geographic patterning of suicide. Suicide rates for northern and southern French departments cluster geographically even when the clustering of multiple dimensions of social integration is controlled. These findings are replicated in a contemporary analysis of nonwestern U.S. counties. Results for the American West, however, support the Durkheimian view that suicide clusters in geographic space only because important structural predictors of suicide, including measures of social integration, do so as well. These discrepant findings are reconciled and it is concluded that the geographic patterning of suicide is shaped by both social integration and imitation.
Consequences of unilateral nigrostriatal denervation on the thalamostriatal pathway in rats

The position of the caudal intralaminar nuclei within basal ganglia circuitry has largely been neglected in most studies dealing with basal ganglia function. During the past few years, there has been a growing body of evidence suggesting that the thalamic parafascicular nucleus in rodents (PF) exerts a multifaceted modulation of basal ganglia nuclei, at different levels. Our aim was to study the activity of the thalamostriatal pathway in rats with unilateral dopaminergic depletion. The experimental approach comprised first unilateral delivery of 6‐OHDA in the medial forebrain bundle. Thirty days post‐lesioning, animals showing a clear asymmetry were then subjected to bilateral injection of Fluoro‐Gold (FG) within the striatum. Subsequently, expression of the mRNA encoding the vesicular glutamate transporter 2 (vGLUT2) was detected within thalamostriatal‐projecting neurons (FG‐labeled) by in situ hybridization and the results were confirmed by laser‐guided capture microdissection microscopy followed by real‐time PCR. The data showed that there was a marked neuronal loss restricted to PF neurons projecting to the dopamine‐depleted striatum. Moreover, PF neurons innervating the dopamine‐depleted striatum were intensely hyperactive. These neurons showed a marked increase on the expression of vGLUT2 mRNA as well as for the mRNA encoding the subunit I of cytochrome oxidase as compared with those neurons projecting to the striatum with normal dopamine content. Thus, the selective neurodegeneration of PF neurons innervating the striatum together with the increased activity of the thalamostriatal pathway coexist after nigrostriatal denervation.
Sharks of the Open Ocean: Biology, Fisheries and Conservation

This important and exciting title represents the first authoritative volume focussed on pelagic (open ocean) sharks as a group. Virtually every pelagic shark expert in the world has contributed to this landmark publication which includes the latest data and knowledge on pelagic shark biology, fisheries, management, and conservation. Pelagic sharks face unprecedented levels of exploitation in all the world's oceans through both direct fisheries and by-catch, and effective management for these species is contingent upon solid science and data, which this book brings together for the first time. All those involved in shark biology will need to have a copy of this book.
MULTIPLE DISC GEL BANDS OF MITOCHONDRIAL CREATINE AND ADENYLATE KINASES 1

Abstract— The activities and electrophoretic patterns of creatine and adenylate kinases in the mitochondrial and high speed supernatant fractions of adult mouse brain were determined. Approximately 22 per cent of the activities of both kinases is firmly bound to the mitochondria. On acrylamide gel electrophoresis of creatine kinase, in addition to the major band previously described, there were several other bands found. Although present in both the mitochondrial and supernatant fractions these additional protein bands with creatine kinase activity were significantly more intense in the mitochondrial fraction. There was only onesecondary band of adenylate kinase activity in the mitochondrial fraction but additional bands were found in the soluble fraction.
At the Heart of the Advocacy Dilemma: A Mechanistic World View

The conflict which sometimes arises between acting simultaneously as a child advocate and as a professional employee is related to the philosophical underpinnings which inspire the current approach to special education. These underpinnings are manifested in a mechanistic view of reality that entered Western thought through Newtonian physics. Criticisms of this world view from various sciences are presented, centering on its narrow and inaccurate representation of reality, and specifically of behavior and learning. A nonmechanistic set of assumptions about the nature of reality and of behavior is juxtaposed as a strong force in contemporary scientific thought. This nonmechanistic or holistic world view is set forth as a better model to guide special education practices for the future.
A robust 45 nm-node, dual damascene interconnects with high quality cu/barrier interface by a novel oxygen absorption process

By a novel oxygen absorption process, low oxygen-content Cu-alloy is implemented for fully-scaled-down, 45 nm-node dual damascene interconnects (DDIs) with 140 nm-pitched lines and 70 nmOslash-vias. In this process, a very thin metal film as an oxygen absorber, which has larger negative change in the standard Gibbs free energy of oxidation than a barrier metal, is put on a natural oxide at a surface of electro-plated, Cu film. The oxygen atoms diffuse to the oxygen absorber, not to the barrier metal under the Cu film, achieving high quality Cu/barrier interface after annealing. Combining the oxygen absorption process with Cu-alloy process, 45 nm-node DDI in molecular-pore-stacking (MPS) SiOCH film is successfully obtained with high endurances for SIV, EM and TDDB
Simultaneous Blocking of Human Toll-Like Receptors 2 and 4 Suppresses Myeloid Dendritic Cell Activation Induced by Mycobacterium bovis Bacillus Calmette-Guérin Peptidoglycan

ABSTRACT The Mycobacterium bovis bacillus Calmette-Guérin (BCG) cell wall skeleton (CWS) consists of mycolic acids, arabinogalactan, and peptidoglycan (PGN) and activates Toll-like receptor 2 (TLR2) and TLR4. Here we investigated the ability of the essential portion of highly purified BCG CWS to support the TLR agonist function by using the following criteria: myeloid dendritic cell (DC) maturation, i.e., tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-α) production and CD83/CD86 up-regulation. The purified PGN region was sufficient to activate TLR2 and TLR4 in mouse DCs and macrophages; in TLR2 and TLR4 double-knockout cells the BCG PGN-mediated TNF-α production ability was completely impaired. Likewise, stimulation with BCG CWS of HEK293 cells expressing either human TLR2 or TLR4, MD-2, and CD14 resulted in NF-κB activation as determined by a reporter assay. Notably, specific blockers of extracellular human TLR2 (an original cocktail of monoclonal antibodies TLR2.45 and TH2.1) and TLR4 (E5531) inhibited BCG CWS-mediated NF-κB activation by 80%. Using this human TLR blocking system, we tested whether human myeloid DC maturation was TLR2 and TLR4 dependent. BCG PGN-mediated DC maturation was blocked by 70% by suppression of both TLR2 and TLR4 and by 30 to 40% by suppression of either of these TLRs. Similar but less profound suppression of BCG CWS-mediated DC maturation was observed. Hence, the presence of BCG PGN is a minimal requirement for activation of both TLR2 and TLR4 in human DCs, unlike the presence of PGNs of gram-positive bacteria, which activate only TLR2. Unexpectedly, however, BCG PGN, unlike BCG CWS, barely activated NF-κB in HEK293 cells coexpressing TLR2 plus TLR1, TLR2 plus TLR4, TLR2 plus TLR6, or TLR2 plus TLR10, suggesting that PGN receptors other than TLR2 and TLR4 present on human DCs but not on HEK293 cells are involved in TLR signaling for DC activation.
Joint Use of Hierarchical Modulation and Relays in OFDMA Networks

Relays are typically used to convey information to users who are unable to decode the direct signal from the base station successfully. In the case where the users are able to successfully decode the direct signal without the help of relays, the use of the latter can only decrease their performance because they will consume, uselessly, additional resources. If, however, hierarchical modulation can also be jointly used, the overall performance of a relay-based system can be enhanced even if the users are able to decode the direct signal successfully, without the need for relays. And this is the rationale behind this paper where we study the joint use of hierarchical modulation and relays, and model such a setting for a dynamic user configuration at the flow level. We validate our model against simulations and quantify the gains thus achieved in comparison with a system without relays, with and without hierarchical modulation.
Germline PTEN mutations in three families with Cowden syndrome

Abstract: Cowden syndrome (CS) is an autosomal dominant inherited disorder characterized by hamartomas in a variety of tissues including the skin, thyroid, breast, endometrium, and the brain. Individuals with CS are predisposed to development of malignancy in these organs, especially the breast and the thyroid. We describe 3 unrelated individuals with CS associated with germline PTEN mutations. While the frameshift (375insTTTA) and the missense (Gly69Arg) mutations reported herein are novel in CS, the nonsense (Arg130stop) mutation has been described in 2 families with CS and in a single family exhibiting both CS and Bannayan–Zonana phenotype.
Analysis of CMOS synapse generating excitatory postsynaptic potential using DC control voltages

Biological Synapse is an important and critical part of neuron as it involves mechanisms which involve communication, computation and modification i n t he c omplex interconnect of nervous system. This initiates modeling of a spike based neuron model which are implemented based on different functions and applications it can be used. This paper describes inhibitory synapse of Biomimetic Real-Time Cortex Project which is designed and simulated using widely available micron CMOS technology using SPICE circuit simulator. The need of using analog CMOS technology for implementation arises due to its simplicity, compactness and similar voltage levels as in complex neuronal interconnect. In addition to that it has biomimetic behavior involving modeling different mechanism such as neurotransmitter release, reuptake mechanism and spread delay controlled using voltage gated devices using DC control voltages.
new detector for 1,k code equalized to class II partial response

A modified linear canceller is described which approached maximum-likelihood performance for a 1,k RLL code on a PR2 (class II partial response) channel. With white noise, this detector gains 1.8 dB over simple threshold detection. Performance is analyzed both theoretically and through bit-by-bit simulations for a variety of noise colorations and misequalization conditions. The technique is applicable wherever the channel is equalized to a low-pass characteristic as in instrumentation and video tape recording with Miller-squared code or optical recording with a 1,7 code and pulse-width modulation. >
The contribution of the nervous system to inflammation and inflammatory disease.

Recent studies have identified a major contribution of the nervous system to inflammation and to inflammatory disease. In particular, substances released from the peripheral terminals of small diameter primary afferent fibers and from sympathetic postganglionic nerve (SPGN) terminals have been implicated in several of the major components of acute inflammation (e.g., vasodilatation and plasma extravasation) as well as in the regulation of tissue injury in an inflammatory disease model, experimental arthritis in the rat. Although the release of peptides from primary afferent terminals has received the most attention, our studies have established an important contribution of mast cells and the SPGN terminals to acute inflammation. We describe studies which indicate that plasma extravasation provoked by activation of small diameter primary afferents in the knee joint of the rat involves a cascade of events in which the mast cell and then the sympathetic terminal are sequentially activated. Our studies indicate that release of prostaglandins, but neither norepinephrine nor neuropeptide Y, from the SPGN terminal contributes to increased plasma extravasation. Although activation of the SPGN terminal (via the mast cell) or more directly, via injection of bradykinin, increased plasma extravasation, surgical or pharmacological sympathectomy decreased the severity of experimental arthritis. In related studies we demonstrated that adrenal medullary-derived epinephrine can exacerbate arthritis through a beta-receptor-mediated regulation of the release of an as yet unidentified substance(s) from the SPGN terminal. Our results raise important questions as to whether acute inflammation contributes to tissue repair or to further injury in the setting of disease.
Sustainability : Environmental , Social and Corporate Governance Performance in Czech SMEs

The paper focuses on environmental, social and corporate governance performance in relation to business sustainability in small and medium enterprises in the Czech Republic. Corporate Governance is understood as a key element when achieving economic performance as well as growth enhancing the investors’ trust. It also makes it possible to create structures supporting the determination, checking and achievement of the objectives of the enterprise. It creates suitable initiatives for the members of the administrative bodies and the management. In the integration with sustainability, featured as the business strategy, the long-term corporate objectives, efficiency, performance, competitiveness are pursued through the inclusion of economic, environmental and social aspects to the corporate management. The sustainability of small and medium enterprises in the Czech Republic may bring about its effects in practice through the analyses of environmental, social and corporate governance performance, increased interests of uninvolved groups in the issues, competitiveness, increased market share etc. The inclusion of sustainability in the corporate management of an enterprise calls for a change in business. The target of the paper is the empirical analysis of the environmental, social and corporate governance performance in small and medium enterprises in the Czech Republic.
Help-Seeking Behaviors and Reasons for Help Seeking Reported by a Representative Sample of Women Victims of Intimate Partner Violence in New Zealand

Efforts to understand and support the process of help seeking by victims of intimate partner violence are of considerable urgency if we are to design systems and responses that are capable of actively and appropriately meeting the needs of victims. Using data from the New Zealand Violence Against Women Study, which drew from a representative general population sample of women aged 18 to 64 years, the authors report on the help-seeking behaviors of the women who had ever in their lifetime experienced physical and/or sexual violence by an intimate partner (n = 956). More than 75% of respondents reported that they had told someone about the violence, indicating that it is not necessarily a “secret and private” problem. However, more than 40% of women indicated that no one had helped them. Informal sources of support (family and friends) were most frequently told about the violence but not all provided helpful responses. Fewer women told formal sources of help such as police, health care providers, and not all provided helpful responses. Women’s reasons for seeking help and for leaving violent relationships were similar and included “could not endure more,” being badly injured, fear or threat of death, and concern for children. Women’s reasons for staying in or returning to violent relationships included perception of the violence as “normal/not serious,” her emotional investment in the relationship, or staying for the sake of the children. The findings suggest that broader community outreach is required to ensure that family and friends are able to provide appropriate support for women in abusive relationships who are seeking help. Continued improvement in institutional responses is also required.
Mitochondrial dysfunction is a primary event in renal cell oxalate toxicity.

BACKGROUND In cultured renal epithelial cells, exposure to oxalate, a constituent of many kidney stones, elicits a cascade of responses that often leads to cell death. Oxalate toxicity is mediated via generation of reactive oxygen species (ROS) in a process that depends at least in part upon lipid signaling molecules that are generated through membrane events that culminate in phospholipase A2 (PLA2) activation. The present studies asked whether mitochondria, a major site of ROS production, were targets of oxalate toxicity, and if so, whether mitochondrial responses to oxalate were mediated by PLA2 activation. METHODS Effects of oxalate and various lipids on mitochondrial membrane potential (DeltaPsim) were measured in Madin-Darby canine kidney (MDCK) cell monolayers using 5,5',6,6'-tetrachloro 1,1',3,3'-tetraethylbenzimidazolylcarbocyanine iodide (JC-1), a DeltaPsim-sensitive dye. Other studies assayed caspases, serine proteases activated during apoptosis, in response to oxalate or lipid signaling molecules. Additional studies asked whether oxalate or lipids produced by PLA2 activation promoted ROS formation in isolated renal mitochondria. RESULTS Oxalate exposure decreased MDCK cell DeltaPsim within 30 minutes, a response attenuated by arachidonyl trifluoromethyl ketone (AACOCF3), an inhibitor of cytosolic PLA2 (cPLA2). Exposure to arachidonic acid or to lysophosphatidylcholine (lyso-PC), lipid products of PLA2 activation, or to ceramide, another lipid signal generated in MDCK cells following oxalate exposure, also depolarized MDCK cell DeltaPsim and increased the number of caspase-positive cells. Isolated renal mitochondria responded to oxalate, arachidonic acid, lyso-PC, and ceramide by increasing their accumulation of ROS, lipid peroxides, and oxidized thiol proteins. CONCLUSION These studies suggest that lipid signaling molecules released after oxalate-induced PLA2 activation trigger marked, rapid changes in mitochondrial function that may mediate toxicity in renal epithelial cells.
Stereotypes Influence Destination Memory In Normal Aging

ABSTRACT Background/Study Context: A substantial body of literature suggests that stereotypes can play a determining role in making judgments about the source of information. This study investigated this issue for destination memory or remembering to whom information has been previously told. Methods: Younger adults and older adults told six medical and six mechanical facts to a picture depicting a physician, and also told six different medical and six different mechanical facts to a picture depicting a mechanic. On a subsequent recognition task, participants had to decide to whom each fact had been previously told. Results: Analysis showed better destination memory for destination-consistent facts than for inconsistent facts, a stereotypical tendency that was more apparent in older adults than in younger adults. Difficulties in attributing facts to their fact-inconsistent destination were reliably correlated with executive functions in younger adults and older adults. Conclusion: Executive functions are likely to be required to monitor discrepancies between facts and their inconsistent destination, whereas no such monitoring is required when statements are consistent with their destination.
Proportion of lung cancers in males, due to occupation, in different areas of the USA

Occupational data from 5 case‐control studies in the United States involving 2,973 male cases and 3,210 controls were analyzed to estimate the percentage of lung cancer attributable to well‐known and suspected lung carcinogens. The studies were conducted in areas heterogeneous in terms of industrial activities. The percentage of lung cancers attributable to occupations entailing potential exposure to well‐recognized carcinogens ranged, by study area, from 3 to 17%. The further inclusion of occupational groups with suspect carcinogenic exposures changed these estimates very little. Exclusion of data derived from next‐of‐kin interviews influenced the estimates of attributable risks, but not in a systematic fashion. The estimates also varied according to ethnic group, smoking status and birth cohort, with higher values in non‐whites, non‐smokers and among members of more recent birth cohorts. Possible errors in exposure classification, which may make these estimates conservative, are discussed.