Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Optimum switching sequence determination for IGCT based ANPC topology

The ANPC topology was developed to overcome the unequal power distribution among the semiconductors in NPC topology. By using an accurate switching model it's possible to adjust the thermal distribution between the semiconductors and increase the output power of the converter. This study focuses on the PWM-3 (fpwm = 350Hz), PWM-5 (fpwm = 550Hz), and PWM-7 (fpwm = 750Hz) and defines the optimum switching sequence for each frequency and specifies the maximum current rating of IGCT based ANPC converter for the mentioned optimum switching sequence.
Topographic Analysis of EEG Photic Driving in Patients with Schizophrenia following Clozapine Treatment

Reduced EEG photic driving has been found to be diagnostically sensitive and specific for schizophrenia. Thirty-one patients with schizophrenia were tested in this study to identify the typical and atypical neuroleptic effects on the photic driving. Compared with the placebo, clozapine significantly enhanced the photically driven EEG in theta and low alpha frequency band, while haloperidol did not have the same effect. These changes with clozapine appeared to be symmetrical and located primarily in the frontal, central and mid-parietal areas but not in the lateral parietal, temporal and occipital regions. Results were consistent with previous findings and suggested that the atypical EEG profile of clozapine might be associated with 5-HT2 antagonistic property.
Clinical features and prognostic factors of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis in a prospective series of 59 patients

The prognosis of cerebral venous sinus thrombosis (CVST) is variable, and outcome may range from complete recovery to death. Prognostic factors to predict outcome in the acute phase of CVST have not been analysed in a prospective study. Prognostic factors in patients enrolled in a clinical treatment trial were prospectively investigated. Poor outcome after 12 weeks, defined as death or dependency (Oxford handicap score⩾3), was used as the principle outcome measure. Univariate relations between possible prognostic factors and outcome at 12 weeks were analyzed with χ2 tests. Treatment and all factors associated with prognosis (p⩽ 0.25) were forced into a logistic regression model with a forward selection procedure. Fifty nine patients (50 women, nine men) were studied, with a mean age of 37 years (range 18 to 80 years). After 12 weeks 10 patients (17%) had a poor outcome. The univariate identified factors related to poor outcome were papilloedema, altered consciousness, coma, age older than 33 years, diagnostic delay⩽10 days, intracerebral haemorrhage, and involvement of the straight sinus. Isolated intracranial hypertension and a delta sign on CT were associated with good outcome. In the multivariate analysis coma and cerebral haemorrhage were significantly associated with a poor outcome, with odds ratios of 8.2 (95% confidence interval (95% CI) 1.3–50.1) and 20.7 (95% CI 1.6–264.3) respectively. Involvement of the straight sinus was also weakly, but not significantly, associated with poor outcome. In conclusion, coma and intracerebral haemorrhage are independent predictors for poor outcome of CVST.
A meta-analysis of individual differences in humor production and personality

One main area of focus in humor production research is exploring individual differences in humor production ability (i.e., the ability to produce something funny on the spot), particularly via its relationship with personality. The last 40 years of research, however, has reported conflicting results. Earlier work on individual differences in humor production and personality suggests that extraversion is the most closely related trait to humor production of the Big 5 personality traits. More recent work, however, suggests that openness to experience has the strongest relationship with humor production, and that extraversion has little to no relationship with the ability to produce something funny. The reason for this inconsistency is unclear, but one factor that may contribute to the issue is the between-study variation in assessment of humor production ability and experiment design. One way to resolve this inconsistency is to conduct a research synthesis using meta-analysis, which has two advantages for clarifying the humor production and personality literature: first, it statistically aggregates the findings of completed research in a way that increases statistical power beyond that of the individual studies included in the analysis, and second, it allows for comparison across studies, meaning that random error included in an individual study can be modeled as meaningful variation due to systematic between-study differences. Therefore, the present research meta-analyzed 15 different studies (totaling 56 reported effect sizes) to explore how individual differences in humor production ability relate to personality. Of the Big 5 traits, only openness to experience significantly correlated with humor production ability. Moderation analyses revealed that while the number of tasks and number of response raters did not have an impact on the size of the openness and humor production effect, the way that humor production ability was modeled did significantly affect the size of the study-level correlation. Finally, moderation analyses revealed that newer assessments of humor production ability did not significantly differ from more traditional assessments. Practical and theoretical implications of these findings for future research are discussed.
Total Disc Arthroplasty Versus Anterior Interbody Fusion in the Lumbar Spine Have Relatively a Few Differences in Readmission and Short-term Adverse Events

Study Design. Retrospective matched cohort study of prospectively collected data. Objective. To compare rates of adverse events and readmission between lumbar total disc arthroplasty (TDA) and anterior lumbar interbody fusion (ALIF) using the American College of Surgeons National Surgical Quality Improvement Program database. Summary of Background Data. TDA and ALIF may be considered for similar degenerative indications. However, there have been a few large-cohort comparison studies of short-term clinical outcomes for these procedures. Methods. The 2011−2015 NSQIP databases were retrospectively queried to identify patients who underwent elective stand-alone ALIF and TDA. After propensity matching, the association of procedure type with adverse events and readmission was determined using McNemar's test. Operative time and postoperative length of stay (LOS) were compared using multivariate linear regression. Risk factors for adverse events were determined using multivariate Poisson regression. Results. In total, 1801 ALIF and 255 TDA patients were identified. After matching with propensity scores, there were no significant differences in the rates of any adverse event, serious adverse events, individual adverse events, or readmission other than blood transfusion, which occurred more frequently in the ALIF cohort (3.92% vs. 0.39%, P = 0.007). Operative time was not significantly different between the two cohorts, but postoperative LOS was significantly longer for ALIF cases (+0.28 days, P < 0.001). When evaluating 10 preoperative variables as potential risk factors for adverse events and readmission after TDA and ALIF, the majority of results were similar. Conclusion. The only identified differences in perioperative outcomes between TDA and ALIF were a 3.53% higher incidence of blood transfusion and 0.28-day longer LOS for the ALIF group. These results suggest overall similar short-term general-health outcomes between the two groups, and that the choice between the two procedures, for the appropriately selected patient, should be based on longer-term functional outcomes. Level of Evidence: 3
Fibromyalgia and stress: exploring relations

The present study aimed to investigate possible correlations between stress, mental and physical disorders, and different forms of victimization in fibromyalgia patients (FM). The medical records of 16 patients who received treatment from both a physiotherapist and a psychologist were examined. The medical records included the results from psychological and physiotherapeutic assessments, general health information, economic indicators, as well as both transcripts and copies of videotaped and audiotaped therapy sessions. Additionally, the patients’ records included stress, anxiety and depression’s scores obtained at the beginning of treatment that were taken into consideration. The therapy sessions were analyzed and lifelong victimization events were classified in the following five categories: emotional neglect and abuse, physical abuse, sexual harassment and abuse. The patients were women between 22 and 73 years of age. All of them presented stress indicators. The analysis revealed significant correlations between tender points, stress, and anxiety. Emotional neglect and abuse during childhood and adulthood were the predominant categories in patients reports. Victimization categories in childhood were positively related to anxiety, depression and tender points. Early victimization and child labor were correlated with different medical conditions in adult life, while physical abuse was associated with pathologies of the muscular-skeletal system. A tentative proposal to integrate the observed correlations from the perspective of Behavior Analysis is presented.
On the traceability of tags in SUAP RFID authentication protocols

RFID technology is one of the most pervasive computing technologies with important advantages and a wide range of applications. Nevertheless, the widespread adoption of RFID technology mainly depends on fixing the security and privacy concerns of this technology. Using a tagged object should not lead to the traceability of this object. This concern is a challenging issue that has motivated the proposal of several authentication protocols that attempted to fix the traceability problem. In this paper, we analyze the security of three authentication protocols that have been recently proposed by Morshed et al. [2]. Our security analysis clearly highlights important security pitfalls in these protocols that lead to their vulnerability against traceability. The proposed attacks require only several runs of the protocols while the adversary's advantages to trace the tagged object are maximal.
CDHT: the design of a clustered DHT routing scheme for serverless (P2P) networks

Avoiding hot spots and handling dynamic network environments are the inherent weaknesses of the DHT-based (dynamic hash table) p2p networks. The solution lies in isolating the DHT overlay from the network uncertainty and seeking an efficient and complementary lookup pattern outside the DHT. We present the design of a hybrid-overlay architecture for p2p networks in this paper that forms the DHT overlay based on the serverless layer clusters. The architecture delegates the handling of the network uncertainty to the network-aware serverless Layer; thus a more reliable network and content structure is constructed as the foundation of the DHT overlay. In addition, a new heuristic approach to content location is made possible to exploit network proximity and content popularity to balance network traffic and to improve the lookup efficiency for popular content.
Transient neonatal hyperparathyroidism: a presenting feature of sialidosis type II

Abstract Sialidosis is a lysosomal storage disease caused by deficiency of α-N-acetyl neuraminidase-1. Sialidosis is classified into two main clinical variants: type I, the milder form of the disease, and type II, which can in turn be subdivided into three forms: congenital, infantile, and juvenile. We report a female patient with sialidosis type II, presenting with the congenital form of the disease with thrombocytopenia, pulmonary interstitial thickening, and transient secondary neonatal hyperparathyroidism.
A typology for visualizing uncertainty

Information analysts must rapidly assess information to determine its usefulness in supporting and informing decision makers. In addition to assessing the content, the analyst must be confident about the quality and veracity of the information. Visualizations can concisely represent vast quantities of information, thus aiding the analyst to examine larger quantities of material; however, visualization programs are challenged to incorporate a notion of confidence or certainty because the factors that influence the certainty or uncertainty of information vary with the type of information and the type of decisions being made. For example, the assessment of potentially subjective human-reported data leads to a large set of uncertainty concerns in fields such as national security, law enforcement (witness reports), and even scientific analysis where data is collected from a variety of individual observers. What’s needed is a formal model or framework for describing uncertainty as it relates to information analysis, to provide a consistent basis for constructing visualizations of uncertainty. This paper proposes an expanded typology for uncertainty, drawing from past frameworks targeted at scientific computing. The typology provides general categories for analytic uncertainty, a framework for creating task-specific refinements to those categories, and examples drawn from the national security field.
Acute Pulmonary Lipopolysaccharide Tolerance Decreases TNF-α without Reducing Neutrophil Recruitment1

Pulmonary LPS exposure plays a key role in exacerbation of lung diseases such as chronic obstructive pulmonary disease and asthma. However, little is known about the effects of repeated LPS exposure in the lung microenvironment. We have developed a novel murine model of pulmonary LPS tolerance induced by intratracheal (i.t.) administration of LPS. First, we show that pulmonary LPS exposure does not induce whole-body refractoriness to systemic LPS, because i.t. administration followed by i.p. administration did not decrease plasma TNF-α. However, a local refractory state can be induced with two i.t. LPS exposures. Pulmonary LPS tolerance was induced by i.t. administration of 100 ng LPS at time 0 and 48 h. Nontolerant mice received PBS at time 0 and LPS at 48 h. Bronchoalveolar lavage levels of TNF-α were significantly attenuated in tolerant mice vs nontolerant mice (1597 pg/ml vs 7261 pg/ml). TNF-α mRNA was significantly reduced in bronchoalveolar lavage cells (5-fold) and lung tissue (10-fold). No reduction was seen in neutrophil numbers in the bronchoalveolar lavage fluid, myeloperoxidase activity, or expression of neutrophil chemoattractants CXCL1 and CXCL2, reflecting the specificity of the response. The reduction in TNF-α was accompanied by a significant increase in soluble receptors, TNF-SRI (159 pg/ml vs 206 pg/ml) and TNF-SRII (1366 pg/m vs 2695 pg/ml). In conclusion, pulmonary LPS tolerance results in a specific reduction in TNF-α expression, while the neutrophilic response is unaffected. This response may be a mechanism to limit tissue damage by reducing TNF-α levels, while still maintaining the antimicrobial capacity of the lung.
Mass-Action Expressions of Ion Exchange Applied to Ca, H, K, and Mg Sorption on Isolated Cells Walls of Leaves from Brassica oleracea.

The cation exchange properties of cell walls isolated from collard (Bassica oleracea var acephala D.C.) leaves were investigated. Cation sorption on cell walls was described by mass-action expressions of ion exchange, rather than by the traditional Donnan equilibrium. The mass-action expressions enable the selectivity of the wall for one cation over another to be determined unambiguously from ion exchange isotherms. We found that: (a) the cation composition of the wall varied as a function of the solution cation concentration, solution cation composition, and pH in a way predicted by mass action; (b) the affinity of the wall for divalent cations increased as the equivalent fraction of divalent cation on the wall increased, and as the concentration of divalent cations in solution increased; (c) the selectivity of the wall for any metal cation pair was not altered by the concentration of H(+) in solution or on the wall; (d) H(+) sorption on the wall may be treated as a cation exchange reaction making it possible to calculate the relative affinity of the wall for metal cation pairs from H(+)-metal (Me) titration curves; and (e) the relative affinity of the wall for the cations we studied was: H(+) >> (K(+) >/= Ca(2+)) > Mg(2+). A cation-exchange model including surface complexes is consistent with observed cation selectivity. We conclude that metal cations interact with the wall to minimize or eliminate long-range electrostatic interactions and suggest that this may be due to the formation of site-specific cation-wall surface complexes.
Fertility of mammalian spermatozoa: its development and relativity

Spermatozoa leaving the testis of normal animals are not ready to fertilise oocytes. They gain this ability while passing through the epididymis. It is interesting that spermatozoa of most animals take about 10 days to pass through the epididymis despite huge interspecies variations in the length of the epididymal tubule (e.g. some 30–50 m in large farm animals and about 1 m in the laboratory mouse) (Robaire & Hermo, 1988). The site where the spermatozoa begin to acquire fertilising capacity varies according to species, but it is generally the corpus epididymis or the proximal segment of the cauda epididymis where a large proportion of the spermatozoa become fertilisationcompetent. The distal segment of the cauda epididymis is the principal site for the storage of mature spermatozoa. Prolonged sojourn in the cauda epididymis (and vas deferens), however, could be detrimental to the spermatozoa.
Recombinant Trimeric HA Protein Immunogenicity of H5N1 Avian Influenza Viruses and Their Combined Use with Inactivated or Adenovirus Vaccines

Background The highly pathogenic avian influenza (HPAI) H5N1 virus continues to cause disease in poultry and humans. The hemagglutinin (HA) envelope protein is the primary target for subunit vaccine development. Methodology/Principal Findings We used baculovirus-insect cell expression to obtain trimeric recombinant HA (rHA) proteins from two HPAI H5N1 viruses. We investigated trimeric rHA protein immunogenicity in mice via immunizations, and found that the highest levels of neutralizing antibodies resulted from coupling with a PELC/CpG adjuvant. We also found that the combined use of trimeric rHA proteins with (a) an inactivated H5N1 vaccine virus, or (b) a recombinant adenovirus encoding full-length HA sequences for prime-boost immunization, further improved antibody responses against homologous and heterologous H5N1 virus strains. Data from cross-clade prime-boost immunization regimens indicate that sequential immunization with different clade HA antigens increased antibody responses in terms of total IgG level and neutralizing antibody titers. Conclusion/Significance Our findings suggest that the use of trimeric rHA in prime-boost vaccine regimens represents an alternative strategy for recombinant H5N1 vaccine development.
Activity Profiles and Physiological Responses of Representative Tag Football Players in Relation to Playing Position and Physical Fitness

This study determined the physical fitness, match-activity profiles and physiological responses of representative tag football players and examined the relationship between physical fitness and the match-activity profile. Microtechnology devices and heart rate (HR) chest straps were used to determine the match-activity profiles of sixteen tag football players for five matches during the 2014 Australian National Championships. The relationships between lower body muscular power, straight line running speed and Yo-Yo intermittent recovery test level 2 (Yo-Yo IR2) and the match-activity profile were examined using Pearson’s correlation coefficients. Outside players had greater lower body muscular power (ES = 0.98) and straight line running speed (ES = 1.03–1.18) than inside players, and also covered greater very high-speed running (VHSR) distance/min (ES = 0.67) and reached higher peak running speeds (ES = 0.95) during matches. Inside and outside players performed a similar number of repeated high-intensity effort (RHIE) bouts and reported similar mean and maximum efforts per RHIE bout. However, there were differences between playing positions for mean and maximal RHIE effort durations (ES = 0.69–1.15) and mean RHIE bout recovery (ES = 0.56). Inside and outside players also reported small to moderate differences (ES = 0.43–0.80) for times spent in each HR zone. There were a number of moderate to very large correlations between physical fitness measures and match-activity profile variables. This study found lower body muscular power, straight line running speed and Yo-Yo IR2 to be related to the match-activities of representative tag football players, although differences between inside and outside players suggest that athlete testing and training practices should be modified for different playing positions.
Verbal Memory Impairment in Polydrug Ecstasy Users: A Clinical Perspective

Background Ecstasy use has been associated with short-term and long-term memory deficits on a standard Word Learning Task (WLT). The clinical relevance of this has been debated and is currently unknown. The present study aimed at evaluating the clinical relevance of verbal memory impairment in Ecstasy users. To that end, clinical memory impairment was defined as decrement in memory performance that exceeded the cut-off value of 1.5 times the standard deviation of the average score in the healthy control sample. The primary question was whether being an Ecstasy user (E-user) was predictive of having clinically deficient memory performance compared to a healthy control group. Methods WLT data were pooled from four experimental MDMA studies that compared memory performance during placebo and MDMA intoxication. Control data were taken from healthy volunteers with no drug use history who completed the WLT as part of a placebo-controlled clinical trial. This resulted in a sample size of 65 E-users and 65 age- and gender-matched healthy drug-naïve controls. All participants were recruited by similar means and were tested at the same testing facilities using identical standard operating procedures. Data were analyzed using linear mixed-effects models, Bayes factor, and logistic regressions. Results Findings were that verbal memory performance of placebo-treated E-users did not differ from that of controls, and there was substantial evidence in favor of the null hypothesis. History of use was not predictive of memory impairment. During MDMA intoxication of E-users, verbal memory was impaired. Conclusion The combination of the acute and long-term findings demonstrates that, while clinically relevant memory impairment is present during intoxication, it is absent during abstinence. This suggests that use of Ecstasy/MDMA does not lead to clinically deficient memory performance in the long term. Additionally, it has to be investigated whether the current findings apply to more complex cognitive measures in diverse ‘user categories’ using a combination of genetics, imaging techniques and neuropsychological assessments.