Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Nanoimprinted Tio2 sol–gel passivating diffraction gratings for solar cell applications

We report the fabrication and characterization of TiO2 sol–gel diffraction gratings on silicon substrates by using nanoimprint lithography. The gratings are homogeneous and free of defects and cover an area of 25 cm2. Minority carrier lifetimes of up to 900 µs for imprinted samples under illumination are reported, which Kelvin probe measurements indicate is due to light‐generated negative charge in the films. The structures reported here are very promising as light‐trapping, passivating coatings for solar cells. Copyright © 2011 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Chondroitin Sulfate Protects SH-SY5Y Cells from Oxidative Stress by Inducing Heme Oxygenase-1 via Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt

We investigated the mechanism of the neuroprotective properties of chondroitin sulfate (CS), an endogenous perineuronal net glycosaminoglycan, in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells subjected to oxidative stress. Preincubation with CS for 24 h afforded concentration-dependent protection against H2O2-induced toxicity (50 μM for 24 h) measured as lactic dehydrogenase released to the incubation media; cell death was prevented at the concentrations of 600 and 1000 μM. Cell death caused by a combination of 10 μM rotenone plus 1 μM oligomycin-A (Rot/oligo) was also reduced by CS at concentrations ranging from 0.3 to 100 μM; in this toxicity model, maximum protection was achieved at 3 μM (48%). No significant protection was observed in a cell death model of Ca2+ overload (70 mM K+, for 24 h). H2O2 and Rot/oligo generated reactive oxygen species (ROS) measured as an increase in the fluorescence of dichlorofluorescein diacetate-loaded cells. CS drastically reduced ROS generation induced by both H2O2 (extracellular ROS) and Rot/oligo (intracellular ROS). CS also increased the expression of phosphorylated Akt and heme oxygenase-1 by 2-fold. The protective effects of CS were prevented by chelerythrine, 2-(4-morpholinyl)-8-phenyl-4H-1-benzopyran-4-one (LY294002), cycloheximide, and Sn(IV)-protoporphyrin IX. Taken together, these results show that CS can protect SH-SY5Y cells under oxidative stress conditions by activating protein kinase C, which phosphorylates Akt that, via the phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase/Akt pathway, induces the synthesis of the antioxidant protein heme oxygenase-1.
Predictive torque control of induction motor based on improved fuzzy control method

In this paper, we use fuzzy logic speed control with two ahead prediction torque control of induction motor drive for high performance. Transient response, torque ripple and switching frequency are main features in control induction motors. Predictive torque control performs the best tradeoff between above features. Also the fuzzy controller is applied to make a better transient response since it reduces speeds overshoot. Moreover, some changes in fuzzy strategy as a new idea to help the predictive torque control to reduce torque distortions. To verify the performance of this control, Matlab simulation results are demonstrated and a comparison with a conventional PI controller is provided.
Robust nonlinear control associating robust feedback linearization and H∞ control

In this note, a robust nonlinear controller for a nonlinear system subject to model uncertainties is proposed. Such a controller associates a "robust feedback linearization" with a robust linear H/sub /spl infin// controller. The robust feedback linearization exactly transforms the nonlinear system into a linear system equal to the linear approximation of the original nonlinear system around a nominal operating point. The robustness of the resulting overall nonlinear controller is proved by theoretical arguments and illustrated through an application example, the control of a magnetic bearing system.
A Sensitive Direct ELISA for Detection of Prostaglandin E2

Abstract In order to improve the indirect ELISA for detection of PGE2, a modified direct ELISA technique was developed to measure PGE2 in cell culture supernatants. An evaluation of three types of coating buffer showed that PGE2 was adsorbed efficiently to the solid phase using the gelatin phosphate buffer. The sensitivity of the assay was increased by employing polyclonal rabbit anti‐PGE2 antibody dilution of 1/100 and 1% skimmed milk as a blocking solution, with the detection limit of 7.8–500 ng/well. The within‐run and between‐run coefficients of variation (CV) ranges were 3.2–3.7% and 3.4–3.8%, respectively. A linear standard curve was observed over the range of 0.078–5 µg/mL with a coefficient of determination (r2) of 0.99. Our results indicated that the developed direct ELISA was sensitive and suitable for a quick determination of PGE2 levels from cell culture supernatants.
Selective impairment of sensorimotor representations following short-term upper-limb immobilization

In the present experiment, we examined whether short-term upper-limb immobilization would selectively affect the representation of the immobilized limb (using a hand laterality task) or whether the effect of immobilization would extend to another body part (using a foot laterality task). A rigid splint placed on the participants’ left hand was used for immobilization. A control group did not undergo the immobilization procedure. We compared the participants’ performances on the hand and foot laterality tasks before (T1) and after (T2) a 48-hour delay, corresponding to the immobilization period. For controls, response time analysis indicated a benefit of task repetition for the recognition of both hand and foot images. For the immobilized group, a slowdown of performance appeared in T2 for hand images, but not for foot images. The reduced benefit of task repetition following left-hand immobilization appeared for both the immobilized and non-immobilized hand images. These findings revealed that the general cognitive representation of upper-limb movements is affected by the decrease in input/output signal processing due to the left-hand immobilization, while the cognitive representation of lower-limb movements is not.
The Influence of Same-Sex Marriage on the Understanding of Same-Sex Relationships

Abstract This study examines the ways in which legally recognized same-sex marriage affects the understanding of same-sex romantic relationships for lesbian, gay, bisexual and transgendered (LGBT) individuals. Participants (N= 288) responded to an open-ended Web-based survey asking them to describe how legally recognized same-sex marriage influenced their view of their own romantic relationship or romantic relationships in general. Results indicate that legally recognized same-sex marriage impacted participants' understanding of romantic relationships by making existing relationships seem more real and by serving as a tool through which participants realized their desires for ideal potential partner and relationship characteristics. The results suggest that legally recognized same-sex marriage is seen as both beneficial and challenging for same-sex couples.
Epstein-Barr Virus-Latent Membrane Protein 1 Expression Has a Favorable Influence in the Outcome of Patients with Hodgkin's Disease Treated with Chemotherapy

The effect of molecular factors in the outcome of Hodgkin's Disease (HD) is being currently studied. In a previous series of HD. including patients treated only with radiotherapy and patients treated with chemotherapy (with or without radiotherapy). we found that a high proliferation index had an adverse influence in overall survival (OS) and in the achievement of a complete remission (CR). Loss of Rb expression also had an adverse prognostie influence in achievement of CR. On the other hand LMPI-EBV expression had a favorable influence for OS. The expression of other molecular factors. P53, be12 and CD15 did not show prognostic influcnce. In the present paper we have studied the effect of the e molecular variables in 110 patients, of the previous series who had been treated with chemotherapy. A retrospective study was performed in these 110 patients with HD treated with chemotherapy (ABVD or variants, 62%. or regimes not containing adriamycin, 38%) with or without adjutant radiotherapy, collected at the 11 centers belonging to the Spanish Collaborative Group for the Study of Hodgkin's Disease. The prognostie value of clinical variables and the expression of p53. be12. CD15. Rb, LMP I-EBV and proliferative fraction demonstrated with sensitive immunohistochemical methods were studied. Cox's multivariate analysis was performed to assess their influence in failure-free survival (FFS) and OS. A multivariate logistic regression analysis was perfomied for studying the effect of the variables in the achievement of a CR. Of the clinical variables, only advanced stage (III/IV) had a significant independent adverse influence in FFS, in OS and in the achievement of CR and advanced age in OS. Of the molecular variables, LMPI-EBV had an independent and strong favorable influence in FFS, in OS and in the achievement of CR. Rb expression had a modest favorable influence in CR. The rest of the molecular variables had no independent influence on the outcome of the disease. In conclusion these results confirm the favorable prognostic value of LMPl -EBV expression in the subset of patients with HD treated with chemotherapy.
The eight‐item treatment‐outcome post‐traumatic stress disorder scale: a brief measure to assess treatment outcome in post‐traumatic stress disorder

This preliminary report describes a new brief interview based assessment of post-traumatic stress disorder using an 8-item treatment-outcome post-traumatic stress disorder scale (TOP-8). The TOP-8 was developed from a larger post-traumatic stress disorder evaluation scale based on items which occurred frequently in the population and which responded substantially to treatment across time. The 8 resultant items were drawn from all three symptom clusters for post-traumatic stress disorder, and showed an improved ability to detect drug versus placebo differences in comparison with the original scale. The eight-item treatment-outcome post-traumatic stress disorder scale also correlated significantly with a self-rated measure of post-traumatic stress disorder and distinguished at a highly significant level between responders and non-responders on an independently judged Clinical Global Impressions measure. The results of this study are discussed and future directions suggested.
Minimising Changes When Refactoring Applications to Run Multiple Threads

Modernising applications in order to make them use the current parallel hardware and novel language features can be challenging. Applications should be changed in a way that keeps developers familiar with the code, avoid eroding the software architecture, retain modularity, etc. Moreover, while running more threads should be possible, and not the default choice, code should not become more complex. This paper proposes a solution for balancing all such concerns, when dealing with parallel execution, based on pattern Decorator.
In vivo evidence for microvascular oxidative stress in spontaneously hypertensive rats. Hydroethidine microfluorography.

The factors that predispose to the accelerated organ injury that accompanies the hypertensive syndrome have remained speculative and without a firm experimental basis. Indirect evidence has suggested that a key feature may be related to an enhanced oxygen radical production. The purpose of this study was to refine and use a technique to visualize evidence of spontaneous microvascular oxidative stress in vivo in the spontaneously hypertensive rat (SHR) compared with its normotensive control, the Wistar-Kyoto rat (WKY). We investigated the effects of adrenal glucocorticoids on the microvascular oxidative stress sequence. The mesentery was superfused with hydroethidine, a reduced, nonfluorescent precursor of ethidium bromide. In the presence of oxidative challenge, hydroethidine is transformed intracellularly into the fluorescent compound ethidium bromide, which binds to DNA and can be detected by virtue of its red fluorescence. The fluorescent light emission from freshly exteriorized and otherwise unstimulated mesentery microvessels was recorded by digital microscopy. The number of ethidium bromide-positive nuclei along the arteriolar and venular walls in SHR was found to be significantly increased above the level exhibited by WKY. The elevation in ethidium bromide fluorescence in SHR arterioles could be attenuated by a synthetic glucocorticoid inhibitor and in rats subjected to adrenalectomy. The administration of glucocorticoids after adrenalectomy by injection of dexamethasone restored the oxidative reaction in SHR arterioles. Treatment with dimethylthiourea and with a xanthine oxidase inhibitor attenuated the superoxide formation. Although a nitric oxide synthase inhibitor (NG-nitro-L-arginine methyl ester) enhanced the ethidium bromide staining in WKY, it did not affect that in SHR. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Approximation of multipulse behaviour with current source inverters

In comparison to those voltage source inverters (VSI) making only use of series inductors as filter elements current source inverters (CSI) must meet more specific demands regarding their applied switching schemes. The passive network at the terminals of these VSI then shows no resonant behaviour, whereas that of the CSI does. The reason for this are the output capacitors. Without them the CSI would not be able to feed escalating currents into the grid. That is the reason why even CSI multilevel-topologies cannot just so be operated using fundamental frequency switching schemes. Therefore mostly high-frequent switching schemes are research topics. They shall enable the inverter to avoid the resonance area in its generated output spectrum. For example the broadly used space vector pulse width modulation (SVPWM) is not able to immanently avoid low-order harmonics. It arbitrarily causes -5th and +7th order harmonics, even if only in a small degree. This paper therefore wants to point out the possibility to operate several standard CSI topologies in parallel to achieve multipulse behaviour. A 12-pulse behaviour can be reached exactly, whereas 18- or higher-pulse inverters can only be approximated with the demonstrated approach. Those topologies would be able to avoid resonance even when operated with fundamental frequency switching schemes. First the theoretical background will be given using the space phasor theory. Basic statements regarding the necessary topologies are also provided.
Quality of Primary Care Guidelines for Acute Low Back Pain

Study Design. Systematic review of clinical guidelines. Objectives. To assess the methodologic quality of existing guidelines for the management of acute low back pain. Summary of Background Data. Guidelines are playing an increasingly important role in evidence-based practice. After publication of the Quebec Task Force in Canada in 1987 and the Agency for Health Care Policy and Research guidelines in the United States in 1994, guidelines for acute low back pain were developed in many other countries. However, little is known about the methodologic quality of these guidelines. Methods. Guidelines were selected by electronically searching MEDLINE and the Internet and through personal communication with experts in the field of low back pain research in primary care. The methodologic quality of the guidelines was assessed by two authors independently using the AGREE instrument. Results. A total of 17 guidelines were included. Overall, the quality of reporting of guidelines was disappointing. Most guidelines clearly described the aim of the guideline and its target population, and most guideline development committees were multiprofessional. However, many other methodologic flaws were identified. More than half of the guidelines did not take patients’ preferences into account, did not perform a pilot test among target users, did not clearly describe the methods of study identification and selection, did not include an external review, did not provide a procedure for updating, were not supported with tools for application, did not consider potential organizational barriers and cost implications, did not provide criteria for monitoring and audit, did not include recommendations for implementation strategies, and did not adequately record editorial independence and conflict of interest of the members. The diagnostic and therapeutic recommendations of the guidelines were largely similar. Conclusions. The quality and transparency of the development process and the consistency in the reporting of primary care guidelines for low back pain need to be improved.
Dielectric Asymmetry in the Photosynthetic Reaction Center

Although the three-dimensional structure of the bacterial photosynthetic reaction center (RC) reveals a high level of structural symmetry, with two nearly equivalent potential electron transfer pathways, the RC is functionally asymmetric: Electron transfer occurs along only one of the two possible pathways. In order to determine the origins of this symmetry breaking, the internal electric field present in the RC when charge is separated onto structurally characterized sites was probed by using absorption band shifts of the chromophores within the RC. The sensitivity of each probe chromophore to an electric field was calibrated by measuring the Stark effect spectrum, the change in absorption due to an externally applied electric field. A quantitative comparison of the observed absorption band shifts and those predicted from vacuum electrostatics gives information on the effective dielectric constant of the protein complex. These results reveal a significant asymmetry in the effective dielectric strength of the protein complex along the two potential electron transfer pathways, with a substantially higher dielectric strength along the functional pathway. This dielectric asymmetry could be a dominant factor in determining the functional asymmetry of electron transfer in the RC.
Point Cloud Hole Filling Based on Feature Lines Extraction

The reservation of shape features is the key problem of filling hole. In this paper, we present a hole filling method based on feature lines, including the hole boundary lines, ridge lines and valley lines. First, the feature lines are extracted and used to generate a series of curves. Then the control points sequence is obtained by fitting these curves. Finally, the NURBS surface is fitted by control points sequence to fill the hole. The obtained results show that our method can preserve the initial shape characteristics of hole.
Estimation of HIV incidence in San Francisco

The Centers for Disease Control and Prevention recently released the first direct national estimate of HIV incidence. Local jurisdictions have begun to apply this methodology. The national and local estimates have been higher than assumed. When applied to San Francisco, there were 935 new HIV infections [95% confidence interval (CI) 658–1212] during 2006. We compared this incidence estimate to an estimate produced in San Francisco in 2006 by a panel of HIV researchers using an iterative Delphi method. Results were similar. Further corroboration of the new method in local areas would strengthen interpretation and identify HIV risk variations.
Evaluation of Direct Physics-Inspired Interaction for Mixed Reality Based on Optical See-Through Head-Mounted Displays

In this paper, we propose a mixed reality system consisting of a binocular optical see-through head-mounted display(OST-HMD) and a depth sensor. Based on the proposed system, participants perform manipulation tasks to experience the direct physics-inspired interaction mode. Moreover, we design an active selection rule for accurate detailed manipulation. The result indicates that although direct physics-inspired interaction mode is not sufficiently efficient, it shows an advantage regarding the humanization and attraction.
Design and Optimization of Transparency-Based TAM for SoC Test

We present a graph model and an ILP model for TAM design for transparency-based SoC testing. The proposed method is an extension of a previous work proposed by Chakrabarty with respect to the following three points: (1) constraint relaxation by considering test data flow for each core separately, (2) optimization of the cost for transparency as well as the cost for additional interconnect area simultaneously and (3) consideration of additional bypass paths. Therefore, the proposed ILP model can represent various problems including the same problem as the previous work and produce better results. Experimental results show the effectiveness and flexibility of the proposed method compared to the previous work.
Coupling of Escherichia coli hns mRNA levels to DNA synthesis by autoregulation: implications for growth phase control

The H‐NS protein of enteric bacteria is one of the major proteins of the bacterial nucleoid and seems to play an important role in nucleoid structure. Transcription of the hns gene encoding the H‐NS protein appears to be negatively regulated by H‐NS itself both in vitro and in vivo. We have examined the role of this mode of regulation in wild‐type cells in vivo. We find that hns transcription is down‐regulated when DNA synthesis is blocked in growing cells, in a manner that is dependent upon continuing H‐NS protein synthesis. These data suggest that hns autoregulation serves to match de novo H‐NS synthesis to the demands of DNA synthesis and may maintain a relatively constant H‐NS:DNA ratio. It has previously been suggested that hns transcription is activated as cells enter stationary phase, which would require a complete relaxation of autoregulatory control given that DNA synthesis decreases at this time. However, we show here that levels of hns mRNA in fact decline at the onset of stationary phase in a manner fully consistent with the autoregulation model. We also fail to detect any significant accumulation of the H‐NS protein in stationary phase.
Decision Support System for Industries using Naïve Bayesian Classification with Laplace Smoothing

: Industries have a key role in rural development programmes. In most of the countries like India, industries play an important role in employment creation, resource utilization and income generation. Jute industry is mainly labour intensive industry. By establishing a jute industry employability of the village may increase. But establishing an industry in a particular place is a challenging task for entrepreneur. Entrepreneur has to take decision about the place to establish an industry, for this purpose he/she has to visit so many places for studying parameters. These parameters include availability of raw facts, labour, power, fuel, water, area, transportation and climatic conditions. A Decision Support System is required in such conditions, to guide entrepreneurs.
A Preprocessing Method of Test Input Generation by Symbolic Execution for Enterprise Application

Techniques for automatically generating test input values by symbolic execution have been studied. However, the existing symbolic execution tool has a problem that it is difficult to apply it to enterprise applications because there are several reasons, for example, that a program using the function of the enterprise application framework can not be analyzed. In this paper, we propose a method for generating test input values for enterprise applications using symbolic execution, without having to modify the symbolic execution tool, by the preprocessing that converts enterprise application programs into programs to be accepted by existing symbolic execution tools. In addition, we implement the proposed method as a test input generation system and show how to combine the proposed preprocessing and existing symbolic execution techniques.