Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low Power Current Mirror Topologies in 32nm Technology for VlSI Analog Circuit

This paper deals with the analog circuit constructed using a current mirror. Two stage op-amp circuits are made from current mirror and other elements like source amplifier. Here, we have constructed four types of current mirror named as Conventional CM, Cascode CM, Wilson CM, modified Wilson CM. The imperative constraints of current mirrors approaches are source voltage for small power, output resistance, overall power, constancy are related to each other. On studying these schemes, it is detected that modified Wilson current mirror current mirror system has increased the output resistance by 21MΩ to 37MΩ of the Wilson current mirror and decreased the power consumption by 23. 10μW to 19. 43μW. We have also constructed two-stage op-amps with help of conventional current mirror. In this paper an operational amplifier by CMOS is presented whose input depends on bias current which is 20uA and designed using 32nm technology. In sub-threshold region due to unique behavior of the MOSFET transistors not only allows a designer to work at low voltage and also at low input bias current. Scaling of MOSFET and keeping Vdd up to 0.8V-1.2V gain and phase margin of purposed op-amp has been obtained 78.6db and 68.8 respectively. These simulations are accomplished in 32nm CMOS technology using Galaxy cdesigner tool in Synopsis.
Association of clinical and laboratory data of rural area residents to chronic exposure to glyphosate

Commonly used by farmers, glyphosate has become the subject of many studies in recent years. However, these studies investigate and correlate glyphosate exposure to the most diverse physiological, motor, sensory, respiratory and hepatic functions, and possibly be related to causes of carcinogenicity and genotoxicity. Thus, the objective of the present study was to evaluate whether the population living in rural area of Paraguaçu, Brazil, presents evidence of chronic intoxication by glyphosate-based formulations through the evaluation of clinical signs and symptoms and laboratory data. A total of 162 samples were collected and analyzed using 53 samples from individuals who reported no contact with glyphosate for the control sample. Biochemical analyzes were performed on automated equipment, while cholinesterase was performed by Ellman's kinetic method. Data were submitted to statistical analysis, where changes in the nervous, respiratory, auditory, cutaneous and urinary systems were observed. Through the analysis of the data, associated with the literature information on the symptoms and damage generated by glyphosate, it can be concluded that the population living in the rural area, practicing family farming, has strong indications of having chronic poisoning by formulations based on glyphosate.
THE ROLE OF WORK ENGAGEMENT AND GOVERNANCE IN IMPROVING EMPLOYEE PERFORMANCE AND ITS IMPACT ONORGANIZATIONAL PERFORMANCE : STUDY IN RURAL BANKS

This study aims to examine the role of work engagement and governance in improving employee performance and its impact on organizational performance. The research object was the rural banks (in Indonesia are called BPR) in the cities of Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar, Indonesia. The research population comprised 212 employees of the four BPRs in the cities of Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar. The sample taken with stratified random sampling method, as much as 136 employees. Data were analyzed using Structural Equation Modeling (SEM). The results of the research found that, direct testing shows that work engagement and corporate governance affect employee performance and organizational performance. The results of the research found that, direct testing shows that, work engagement and corporate governance affect employee performance and organizational performance; employee performance also significantly affects organizational performance, and; Employee performance mediates significantly on the effect of work engagement and corporate governance on organizational performance. In this research model it is also found that employee performance functions as a partial mediator. All of these findings contributed to the formation of a model for improving the performance of BPR banks in the cities of Banda Aceh and Aceh Besar. Further researchers can develop this finding model by adding variables such as corporate citizenship behavior and employee empowerment to find out more about how big a role it plays in the formation of BPR Bank performance. Keyword: Work Engagement, Bank Governance, Employee Performance, BPR Performance.
Effect of Various Concentrations of Lignin Degrading Microbes for Efficient Coir Pith Treatment

Coir pith as a by-product, remains in the soil for long time and results in the ground water pollution and erode the soil completely due to the leaching during Monsoon times. This implies the importance of lignin degradation in the coir pith using microbes at various concentration to increase the productivity of enzymes in a short duration of time. Enzymes are unstable proteins which promote chemical reaction in a process. Lignin is one of the major classes of compound that are present in the coir pith. Increased lignin content in the coir pith makes its natural degradation much slower due to the lignin-cellulose complex. It is very fortunate to imply the use of microbes in the degradation process. Lignin degrading enzymes released as a result of microbial action in the coir pith. The enzymes act as catalysts which are responsible for decomposition. This study helps in the detection of major enzymes as a result of lignin degradation ending in the usage of risk free, pollution free coir pith. This study aimed at the lignin degradation for the detection of lignin degrading enzymes using the fungi such as Phanerochaete and Trichoderma viride. The inoculum concentration of the microbe added in the coir pith was compared for the efficiency and the best treatment with the concentration of microbe was recorded. At the end of the research study, the higher concentration of the microbe produced higher enzyme release in shorter duration. Clostridium treated coir pith was better performing at all the concentrations than Rock phosphate.
CARBON DIOXIDE AND METHANE EMISSIONS BY URBAN TURFGRASSES UNDER DIFFERENT NITROGEN RATES: A COMPARISON BETWEEN TALL FESCUE (FESTUCA ARUNDINACEA SCHREB.) AND HYBRID BERMUDAGRASS (CYNODON DACTYLON [L.] PERS. VAR. DACTYLON X CYNODON

Turfgrass is a major vegetation type in urban and peri-urban areas. Being high maintenance ecosystems, turfs can contribute substantially to urban climate change. The object of this study was to evaluate the contribution to GHG emissions by urban turfgrasses in Mediterranean conditions (Tuscany, central Italy). CO2 and CH4 emission fluxes from a mature stand of tall fescue and bermudagrass were evaluated, by static chambers method, for the assessment of C emission under different nitrogen fertilization rates (0 50 150 kg N ha). Both species showed a correlation between N fertilization rate and CO2 emissions, whilst, no correlation was observed for CH4. In the case of tall fescue, cumulative CO2 emissions were significantly higher with 150 kg N ha and no differences were observed between 0 and 50 kg N ha. As for bermudagrass differences were found between control and other treatments but no differences were observed on cumulative CO2 emissions between 50 and 150 kg N ha. In both species, N fertilization did not affect CH4 emissions. Results indicate that both N rate and turfgrass species influence C emissions, for this reason they should be considered in the management of green areas in the climatic transition zone.
Novel Electrode Architecture for Subgaleal Electroencephalography: A Feasibility Study

Electroencephalography (EEG) has been widely used to understand the nervous system and as a clinical diagnostic tool. In the case of neurological conditions with intermittent episodes, such as epilepsy, long-term EEG monitoring outside the clinics and in the community setting is vital. Subgaleal EEG (sgEEG) has emerged as an essential tool for long-term monitoring over several years. Current sgEEG solutions share a need for at least a 10 cm long lead wire, resulting in a bulky and invasive device. This work introduces a novel electrode architecture for subgaleal EEG recording, which forgoes the need for lead wires. A back-to-back electrode configuration with an electrode spacing of less than 1~mm is proposed. Compared to the current side-by-side approaches with an electrode spacing of several cm, our proposed approach results in at least one order of magnitude reduction in volume. The efficacy of the proposed electrode architecture is investigated through finite element modeling, phantom measurements, and cadaver studies. Our results suggest that compared to the conventional side-by-side electrode configuration, the source signal can be recorded reliably. Lead wires have posed a significant challenge from a device reliability and measurement quality perspective. Moreover, lead wires and the associated feedthrough connectors are bulky. Our proposed lead-free EEG recording solution may lead to a less invasive surgical placement through volume reduction and improve EEG recording quality.
Gender Differences in Reserving Conservatism: Evidence from the U.S. Property-Liability Insurance Industry

Given the rapidly growing industry-wide trends to promote diversity, we provide the first evidence that executive gender differences impact insurer corporate decisions by examining reserve management of property-liability insurers. We find that female CEOs are more conservative in estimating loss reserves. To establish causality, we use instrumental variable approaches and a difference-in-difference design based on a propensity-score matched sample. We find that reserving conservatism increases (decreases) following male-to-female (female-to-male) CEO transitions compared with male-to-male transitions. We further investigate the mechanism explaining the gender differences and find that female CEOs’ reserving conservatism is attributable to their less overconfidence rather than greater risk aversion. Our results also show that female CEOs are more likely to manage earnings when faced with certain incentives because of their greater loss aversion. Finally, we find that women’s leadership reduces firm insolvency risk and improves firm overall performance. Our study provides economic justifications for the industry-wide initiatives and is relevant to various stakeholders.
Predictability of extreme daily returns and Preference for lottery-like stocks in an emerging market

Abstract This study investigates the presence of the MAX effect – stocks with extreme daily (positive) return in the current month perform poorly in the following month – in the Pakistani stock market (PSX). Similar to the US, Europe, and Chinese stock markets, we find a negative effect of MAX on risk-adjusted returns. Furthermore, we find that the MAX effect persists even if we extend the holding period to three- and six-month. Our results are robust for both portfolio-level and firm-level cross-sectional analyses and across subperiods, size groups, and alternative factor definitions and models. Interestingly, contrary to findings reported elsewhere, we find that the MAX effect in Pakistan exists only when the overall economy is in an expansion state. A battery of tests suggests that triviality in MAX effect during economic contraction in Pakistan is driven by the more negative subsequent performance of low-MAX stocks (short-leg), whereas, in other markets, more negative subsequent performance of high-MAX stocks (long-leg) is evident during economic downturns. Our potential explanation is partially supported by the theoretical model of Palfrey & Wang, who find that demand for speculative stocks (i.e. lottery-like stocks) is higher during ‘good’ economic news (expansion) than ‘bad’ economic news (contraction).
SRSK - The Bloomberg Sovereign Risk Model

The Bloomberg sovereign risk function (SRSK) provides quantitative estimates of a sovereign entity's default probability (DP) term structure. The SRSK model was last updated in June 2017. This year we have reviewed and revised the model. This white paper documents the newly updated DP model and analyzes its performance.
Adsorption of graphene on an Fe3O4 surface: A molecular dynamics simulation study

ABSTRACT A molecular dynamics (MD) simulation was used to investigate the adsorption of graphene oxide (GO) and graphene (G) onto an Fe3O4(111) surface. The MD simulation results indicated that the direction of the GO/G sheets introduced onto the Fe3O4(111) surface affected the morphologies of the GO/G sheets and the interface interaction energies. When the GO/G sheets were introduced onto the Fe3O4(111) surface from the parallel direction, a smooth, single-layered structure of the GO/G sheets formed, and the interface interaction energies were low. The interface interaction energy of GO-Fe3O4 interface was lower than that between G and Fe3O4(111) surfaces because of the strong interactions between the carboxyl groups on the GO edges and the iron atoms on the surface. The ideal distribution and lower interface interaction energies of the polymers (PEG and PEI) with GO/G indicated that the GO/G coated layer on the Fe3O4 surface could be further modified. According to results, GO, under specific stirring speeds, was adsorbed onto the Fe3O4 surface along the parallel direction and formed stable graphene-Fe3O4 composite microspheres suitable for drug carrier applications. Both GO and G covered the rough, grooved surface of Fe3O4(111), and the adsorption of GO was faster than that of G.
Phosphotungstic acid heterogenized by assembly with pyridines for efficient catalytic conversion of fructose to methyl levulinate

Solid acid-catalyzed sugar degradation has been considered to be an efficient approach to synthesize alkyl levulinates (which can be used as fuel additives and surfactants). However, those catalytic processes typically involve harsh reaction conditions and high cost for catalyst preparation. We prepared a series of phosphotungstic acid organic hybrids by a simple solvothermal method, and used them as heterogeneous catalysts for the selective degradation of fructose to methyl levulinate (ML) in methanol with high efficiency under mild reaction conditions. The catalysts were characterized systematically, and the effects of different substituents in pyridine, reaction temperature/time, catalyst dose, and fructose concentration studied. The 3-FPYPW hybrid prepared from 3-fluoropyridine and phosphotungstic acid exhibited superior catalytic activity for the synthesis of ML (82.5%) from fructose (97.8%). A possible reaction pathway was proposed. In addition, the catalyst could be separated from the reaction mixture readily, and reused without remarkable loss of reactivity.
Chemistry of Hydrolysis of FeCl3 in the Presence of Phosphate to Form Hematite Nanotubes and Nanorings

Through investigation of the intermediate specimens during the hydrolysis of FeCl3 in the presence of phosphate using mass spectroscopy, X-ray diffraction, energy-dispersive X-ray spectroscopy, scanning electron microscopy, high resolution transmission electron microscopy, and inductively coupled plasma optical emission spectrometry, the formation mechanisms of α-Fe2O3 nanotubes and nanorings were revealed. At early stages, the precursor molecules polymerized and aggregated into large disordered particles, from which β-FeOOH nanorods grew up. When the NaH2PO4 concentration was low (e.g., 1 mM in a solution of 23 mM FeCl3), the β-FeOOH nanorods were relatively stable and underwent side-by-side aggregation into spindle-like particles. Phase transformation into self-orientated α-Fe2O3 nanocrystallites then took place on the surface of these spindle particles, followed by Ostwald ripening, to form a single-crystalline shell. The ends and the core of the spindle particles were dissolved, forming α-Fe2O3 nanotu.
An Exploration of Heart Failure Risk in Breast Cancer Patients Receiving Anthracyclines with or without Trastuzumab in Thailand: A Retrospective Study

Anthracycline-based regimens with or without anti-human epidermal growth factor receptor (HER) 2 agents such as trastuzumab are effective in breast cancer treatment. Nevertheless, heart failure (HF) has become a significant side effect of these regimens. This study aimed to investigate the incidence and factors associated with HF in breast cancer patients treated with anthracyclines with or without trastuzumab. A retrospective cohort study was performed in patients with breast cancer who were treated with anthracyclines with or without trastuzumab between 1 January 2014 and 31 December 2018. The primary outcome was the incidence of HF. The secondary outcome was the risk factors associated with HF by using the univariable and multivariable cox-proportional hazard model. A total of 475 breast cancer patients were enrolled with a median follow-up time of 2.88 years (interquartile range (IQR), 1.59–3.93). The incidence of HF was 3.2%, corresponding to an incidence rate of 11.1 per 1000 person-years. The increased risk of HF was seen in patients receiving a combination of anthracycline and trastuzumab therapy, patients treated with radiotherapy or palliative-intent chemotherapy, and baseline left ventricular ejection fraction <65%, respectively. There were no statistically significant differences in other risk factors for HF, such as age, cardiovascular comorbidities, and cumulative doxorubicin dose. In conclusion, the incidence of HF was consistently high in patients receiving combination anthracyclines trastuzumab regimens. A reduced baseline left ventricular ejection fraction, radiotherapy, and palliative-intent chemotherapy were associated with an increased risk of HF. Intensive cardiac monitoring in breast cancer patients with an increased risk of HF should be advised to prevent undesired cardiac outcomes.
Evaluation of Antidiabetic and Antioxidant Activity of Leaf Extract and Solvent Fractions of Hypoestes forskaolii (Val) (Acanthaceae) in Mice

Background Currently, there is a demand for new antidiabetic drugs from natural therapeutic agents, and diabetes mellitus disease is global epidemic. The leaf of Hypoestes forskaolii has been used in the traditional health system for the management of diabetes mellitus in Ethiopia and Eritrea. The aim of this study was to evaluate in vivo antidiabetic, antihyperlipidemic and in vitro antioxidant activity of leaf extract and solvent fractions of the leaf of H. forskaolii (Vahl) in mice. Methods The blood glucose-lowering activities of leaf extract and solvent fractions of the leaf of H. forskaolii were screened in the normoglycemic, glucose loaded, and streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice models. In the treatment of streptozotocin-induced diabetic mice with leaf extract and solvent fractions, weight and lipid profile was measured. Antioxidant activity of the plant leaf extract was determined using DPPH assay. Results The leaf extract of H. forskaolii showed significant blood glucose reduction in the normoglycemic model and glucose loaded test at doses of 200 mg/kg (34.1%, p < 0.001 and 55.5%, p < 0.001), respectively, as compared to the normal control. In the streptozotocin-induced diabetic model, extract and solvent fractions significantly (p < 0.001) reduced blood glucose level at all tested doses (100mg/kg, 200mg/kg and 400mg/kg) on the 14th day as compared to diabetic control. In addition, a significant reduction (p < 0.001) of serum TC, VLDL, LDL, TG was observed. In the antioxidant activity test, the IC50 values of extract and a standard drug (ascorbic acid) were 4. 87µg/mL and 15. 7µg/mL, respectively. Conclusion The present study showed that the methanolic leaf extract and solvent fractions of H. forskaolii have antidiabetic, and antioxidant activity that provides a scientific support for the local use of the plant leaves in the treatment of diabetes.
Simulated heatwave and fishing stressors alter corticosteroid and energy balance in neonate blacktip reef sharks, Carcharhinus melanopterus.

Lay Summary In tropical nearshore habitats, thermal stressors may exacerbate existing stressors in sharks. Here, we investigated the mobilization of plasma corticosteroids and metabolites in response to a heatwave stress and air exposure in the blacktip reef shark, Carcharhinus melanopterus. Thermal stress alters corticosteroid and metabolite mobilization; although, these measurements are not correlated.
Colombia’s bioregions as a source of useful plants

The aim of our study was to assess the importance of different Colombian bioregions in terms of the supply of useful plant species and the quality of the available distribution data. We assembled a dataset of georeferenced collection localities of all vascular plants of Colombia available from global and local online databases. We then assembled a list of species, subspecies and varieties of Colombia’s useful plants and retrieved all point locality information associated with these taxa. We overlaid both datasets with a map of Colombia’s bioregions to retrieve all species and useful species distribution records in each bioregion. To assess the reliability of our estimates of species numbers, we identified information gaps, in geographic and environmental space, by estimating their completeness and coverage. Our results confirmed that Colombia’s third largest bioregion, the Andean moist forest followed by the Amazon, Pacific, Llanos and Caribbean moist forests contained the largest numbers of useful plant species. Medicinal use was the most common useful attribute across all bioregions, followed by Materials, Environmental uses, and Human Food. In all bioregions, except for the Andean páramo, the proportion of well-surveyed 10×10 km grid cells (with ≥ 25 observation records of useful plants) was below 50% of the total number of surveyed cells. Poor survey coverage was observed in the three dry bioregions: Caribbean deserts and xeric shrublands, and Llanos and Caribbean dry forests. This suggests that additional primary data is needed. We document knowledge gaps that will hinder the incorporation of useful plants into Colombia’s stated plans for a bioeconomy and their sustainable management. In particular, future research should focus on the generation of additional primary data on the distribution of useful plants in the Amazon and Llanos (Orinoquia) regions where both survey completeness and coverage appeared to be less adequate compared with other regions.
Urethral functional reconstruction using a pedicled thigh flap for urethral cutaneous fistula after vulvar necrotizing fasciitis

Abstract The penile and scrotal skin are often resected after vulvar necrotizing fasciitis, so functional and aesthetic vulvar reconstruction is extremely challenging. With widespread and deepened infections, urethral fistulas can develop, forcing penis and scrotal amputations. In cases complicated with a urethral fistula, the wound cannot be treated by simple skin graft surgery, and complicated flap surgery is required. We verified that urethral functional reconstruction using a pedicled thigh flap is a useful technique for managing urethral cutaneous fistulas that develop after necrotizing fasciitis.