Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Noise Immunity Investigation of Low Power Design Schemes

In modern CMOS digital design, the noise immunity has come to have an almost equal importance to the power consumption. In the last decade, many low power design schemes have been presented. However, no one can simply judge which one is the best from the noise immunity point of view. In this paper, we investigate the noise immunity of the static CMOS low power design schemes in terms of logic and delay errors caused by different kinds of noise existing in the static CMOS digital circuits. To fulfill the aims of the paper, first a model representing the different sources of noise in deep submicron design is presented. Then the model is applied to the most famous low power design schemes to find out the most robust one with regard to noise. Our results show the advantages of the dual threshold voltage scheme over other schemes from the noise immunity point of view. Moreover, it indicates that noise should be carefully taken into account when designing low power circuits; otherwise circuit performance would be unexpected. The study is carried out on three circuits; each is designed in five different schemes. The analysis is done using HSPICE, assuming 0.18 μm CMOS technology.
Systematics and Acoustics of North American Anaxipha (Gryllidae: Trigonidiinae)

Abstract The genus Anaxipha has at least 13 North American species, eight of which are described here. Ten species fall into these three species groups: exigua group (exigua Say, scia Hebard and n. spp. thomasi, tinnulacita, tinnulenta, and tinnula); delicatula group (delicatula Scudder and vernalis n. sp.); litarena group (litarena Fulton and rosamacula n.sp.). The remaining three (imitator Saussure, fultoni n.sp., and calusa n.sp.) have no close relatives among the other species. Most new species were initially distinguished by their calling songs, and in most cases sympatric populations proved cleanly separable by features of male genitalia and tooth-counts of stridulatory files. Species groups were based mostly on comparisons of male genital structures and the results of DNA barcoding. Species are here characterized not only by their songs and morphology, but also by geographical, ecological, and seasonal distributions. At a given temperature the pulse rate (PR) of the male's calling song is a key aid to identification. PR at 25°C has a narrow range of variation within a species and among the 13 species its mean value varies from 5 to 79 p/s. As in other crickets, pulse rates plotted as a function of temperature have a positive, linear trendline. When trendlines for 11 Anaxipha species are extrapolated downward, the temperature at ŷ=0 p/s is 2.7+2.2 (mean±SD) — i.e., the lines tend to converge at about 3°C. This makes possible a simple formula for estimating the PR at 25°C from any Anaxipha calling song recorded at any temperature. Other aids to identifying species from their calling songs are the duration and regularity of breaks between pulse sequences and the relationship between PR and carrier frequency (CF). When CF is plotted as a function of PR, the relationship deviates noticeably from linear only in vernalis. We propose that in Anaxipha spp. , as well as in six other genera in four gryllid subfamilies, the synchrony of tooth impacts and the fundamental vibrations of the CF is maintained by the scraper moving continuously over evenly spaced file teeth — rather than by the much-studied (and well-established) catch-and-release mechanism of Gryllus spp. Our proposal is based on the high rates of change in CF with temperature and on differences in the teeth of the stridulatory files. The PR at 25°C of each of the 13 species is remarkable in the degree to which it predicts the mean values of these five characters: file tooth number, tooth density, file length, pulse duration, and pulse duty cycle (Fig. 17). A neotype is designated for Gryllus pulicaria Burmeister (1838), the type species of the genus Anaxipha. With the e-version of this paper, extensive Supplementary Materials provide permanent access to data sets that are basic to our conclusions. These materials include detailed records of the specimens examined and of the more than 1300 recorded songs that were analyzed. Digitized versions of more than 450 of the recordings are archived in Cornell's Macaulay Library of Natural Sounds.
Design and simulation of L-band wideband microstrip filter

In this paper, we present two wide bandpass filter designs using parallel coupled resonator and hairpin resonator for the application of L-band (18cm) receiver of Urumqi 25-m radio telescope with the aid of the microwave simulation software ADS. All the simulations reach the design specification. The parallel coupled filter with preferable passband characteristics possesses a slightly larger structure, whereas the hairpin filter with compact structure has better stopband characteristics by comparison. By combining with software, we summarize the debugging solutions of these two filters which offfer great reference values for design of microstrip filter of other band receivers.
The Abnormal Measures of Iron Homeostasis in Pediatric Obesity Are Associated with the Inflammation of Obesity

Objectives. To determine if the low iron state described in obese children is associated with the chronic inflammatory state seen in obesity. Study Design. Obese children age from 2 to 19 years seen at a weight management clinic were studied prospectively. Data were collected on age, gender, BMI, BMI -score, serum iron, ferritin, transferrin saturation, free erythrocyte protoporphyrin, high sensitivity creactive protein (hs-crp), and hemoglobin concentration. Results. 107 subjects were studied. Hs-crp levels correlated positively with BMI and BMI -score and negatively with serum iron . 11.2% of subjects had low serum iron. Median serum iron was significantly lower for subjects with American Heart Association high risk hs-crp values (3 mg/L) compared to those with low risk hs-crp (1 mg/L), (65 mcg/dL versus 96 mcg/dL, ). After adjusting for age, gender, and BMI -score, serum iron was still negatively associated with hs-crp . Conclusions. We conclude that the chronic inflammation of obesity results in the low iron state previously reported in obese children, similar to what is seen in other inflammatory diseases.
Assessing the Performance of Atlas-Based Prefrontal Brain Parcellation in an Aging Cohort

Objective It is unclear whether atlas-based parcellation is suitable in aging cohorts because age-related brain changes confound the performance of automatic methods. We assessed atlas-based parcellation of the prefrontal lobe in an aging population using visual assessment and volumetric and spatial concordance. Methods We used an atlas-based approach to parcellate brain MR images of 90 non-demented healthy adults, aged 72.7 ± 0.7 years, and assessed performance. Results Volumetric assessment showed that both single-atlas– and multi-atlas-based methods performed acceptably (intraclass correlation coefficient [ICC], 0.74–0.76). Spatial overlap measurements showed that multi-atlas (dice coefficient [DC], 0.84) offered an improvement over the single-atlas (DC, 0.75–0.78) approach. Visual assessment also showed that multi-atlas outperformed single atlas and identified an additional postprocessing step of cerebrospinal fluid removal, enhancing concordance (intraclass correlation coefficient, 0.86; DC, 0.89). Conclusions Atlas-based parcellation performed reasonably well in the aging population. Rigorous performance assessment aided method refinement and emphasizes the importance of age matching and postprocessing. Further work is required in more varied subjects.
Robust method for detection of copy-move forgery in digital images

There is various forgeries possible on digital images such as image tampering, copy-move forgery and image compositing. Out of these, copy-move forgery is a type of image forgery, in which a part of original digital image is copied and pasted to another part in the same original image to make it, forged one. This paper describes blind image forensics approach for detecting copy-move forgery. In this technique forged image is reduced in dimension using DWT (Discrete Wavelet Transform) [1]. Then the compressed image is divided into overlapping blocks of fixed size. These blocks are sorted using lexicographic sorting and duplicated blocks are identified using Phase Correlation as similarity criterion. Detected forgery is displayed with the help of duplication map that gives count of pixels forged. This approach drastically reduces the time needed for the detection process and improves the accuracy of detection.
O R I G I N a L I N V E S T I G a T I O N Open Access

Glyceraldehyde-derived pyridinium (GLAP) evokes oxidative stress and inflammatory and thrombogenic reactions in endothelial cells via the interaction with RAGE Abstract Background: We have previously shown that serum levels of glyceraldehyde-derived advanced glycation end products (Gly-AGEs) are elevated under oxidative stress and/or diabetic conditions and associated with insulin resistance, endothelial dysfunction and vascular inflammation in humans. Further, Gly-AGEs not only evoke oxidative and inflammatory reactions in endothelial cells (ECs) through the interaction with a receptor for AGEs (RAGE), but also mimic vasopermeability effects of AGE-rich serum purified from diabetic patients on hemodialysis. These observations suggest that Gly-AGE-RAGE system might be a therapeutic target for vascular complications in diabetes. However, since incubation of glyceraldehyde with proteins will generate a large number of structurally distinct AGEs, it remains unclear what type of AGE structures could mediate the deleterious effects of Gly-AGEs on ECs. Aims and Methods: Therefore, in this study, we examined (1) whether glyceraldehyde-derived pyridinium (GLAP), one of the Gly-AGEs generated by the incubation of lysine with glyceraldehyde, elicited reactive oxygen species (ROS) generation and inflammatory and thrombogenic gene expression in human umbilical vein ECs (HUVECs) via the interaction with RAGE and (2) if DNA aptamers raised against Gly-AGEs or GLAP (AGE-aptamer or GLAP-aptamer) inhibited the binding of GLAP to RAGE and subsequently suppressed the harmful effects of GLAP on HUVECs. Results: GLAP stimulated ROS generation in a bell-shaped manner; GLAP at 10 μg/ml increased ROS generation in HUVECs by 40%, which was blocked by the treatment with RAGE-antibody (RAGE-Ab). Ten μg/ml GLAP significantly up-regulated mRNA levels of RAGE, monocyte chemoattractant protein-1, intercellular adhesion molecule-1, vascular cell adhesion molecule-1 and plasminogen activator inhibitor-1 in HUVECs, which were also suppressed by RAGE-Ab. AGE-aptamer or GLAP-aptamer significantly blocked these deleterious effects of GLAP on HUVECs. Moreover, quartz crystal microbalance analyses revealed that GLAP actually bound to RAGE and that AGE-aptamer or GLAP-aptamer inhibited the binding of GLAP to RAGE.
Searching for student intermediate mental steps

This paper presents a general method for identifying student intermediate mental steps from sequences of actions stored by problem solving-based learning environments, in order to provide feedback to teachers on knowledge that statistically seems to be used by a particular student. When many intermediate mental steps are possible, ambiguity is removed using what is already known about the student. The system uses a student model to search within a huge space of possible actions, and updates this student model consequently. The user model distinguishes between two different cognitive processes: (1) planning the action by focusing on a particular part of the environment and considering an action type and (2) performing the action.
Of Time Loops and Derivatives: Christopher Nolan's Interstellar and the Logic of the Futures Market

AS W I L L B E O B V I O U S T O T H E M O S T C A S U A L V I E W E R, S P E C U L A T I V E F I C T I O N of the twenty-first century has been characterized by an extraordinary proliferation of apocalyptic narratives, all featuring the end of the world as we know it. Sometimes the end comes through a gradual fraying of the social fabric, as in Octavia Butler’s Parable of the Sower series (1993; 1998) or Edan Lapucki’s California (2015), until society is reduced to a Hobbesian world ruled by roving bands of thugs, arsonists, and cannibals. Or maybe it’s a nuclear conflict that initiates Armageddon, as in Cormac McCarthy’s The Road (2007) or the Hughes brothers’ The Book of Eli (2010). Some visions of the end, like Margaret Atwood’s Maddaddam trilogy (2002–14) or Paolo Bacigalupi’s The Windup Girl (2009), feature a biogenetic-induced ecological catastrophe. In others, various threats to planetary survival mutually reinforce one another; in John Howard Kunstler’s World Made by Hand series (2009; 2011; 2015) or Omar El
Electromechanical Performance Comparison for Different Piezoelectric Micromachined Ultrasonic Transducer Element Geometries

Relative performances for three different piezoelectric micromachined ultrasonic transducer (pMUT) element geometries are compared in this work after numerical simulation with a finite element method (FEM) approach. Geometries studied include square, circle and hexagon. Comparisons are presented both for same area and same pitch elements. Obtained results for the main electromechanical parameters describing pMUT behavior include maximum membrane displacement, frequency response, mode shapes and complex impedance. Results indicate significant performance differences between geometries due to the different resonance frequencies affecting the electrodynamics of each system, greater than any possibly incurred numerical error. The square geometry was found to present maximum membrane displacement and highest resonance frequency, followed by the hexagon and the circle.
Multivariate linkage analysis of blood pressure and body mass index

Multivariate linkage analyses of correlated traits provide greater statistical power to identify genetic loci with effects too small to be detected in single trait analyses. We conducted genomewide multivariate analyses of systolic BP, diastolic BP, and body mass index (BMI) in 1,848 non‐Hispanic white subjects (968 females, 880 males) from 279 multigenerational pedigrees from Rochester, Minnesota. Blood pressure was measured by random zero sphygmomanometer; body mass index was calculated from measurements of height and weight; and genotypes were measured at 520 microsatellite marker loci distributed across the 22 autosomes. Univariate linkage analyses demonstrated tentative evidence of linkage (defined by univariate LOD scores of 1.30–1.99) for diastolic BP on chromosome 18 and for BMI on chromosomes 3, 10, and 18. Bivariate linkage analyses showed tentative evidence of linkage (defined by bivariate LOD scores of 2.06–2.86) for systolic and diastolic BP on chromosome 14 and for either measure of BP and BMI on chromosomes 2, 3, 10, and 18; and suggestive evidence of linkage (defined by bivariate LOD scores of 2.87–3.99) for either measure of BP and BMI on chromosomes 10 and chromosome 15. Trivariate linkage analyses of systolic and diastolic BP and BMI provided evidence of a region influencing all three traits on chromosome 10, where the trivariate LOD score rose to a maximum value of 4.09 (at 144 cM, P=0.0007), and possibly on chromosome 2, where it rose to a maximum value of 2.80 (at 77 cM, P=0.0075). For genomewide linkage analyses to succeed in localizing genes influencing BP, it may be advantageous to exploit the greater statistical power of multivariate linkage analyses to identify loci with pleiotropic effects on correlated traits. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Using any machine translation source for fuzzy-match repair in a computer-aided translation setting

When a computer-assisted translation (CAT) tool does not find an exact match for the source segment to translate in its translation memory (TM), translators must use fuzzy matches that come from translation units in the translation memory that do not completely match the source segment. We explore the use of a fuzzy-match repair technique called patching to repair translation proposals from a TM in a CAT environment using any available machine translation system, or any external bilingual source, regardless of its internals. Patching attempts to aid CAT tool users by repairing fuzzy matches and proposing improved translations. Our results show that patching improves the quality of translation proposals and reduces the amount of edit operations to perform, especially when a specific set of restrictions is applied.
Fine tuning of cytosolic Ca 2+ oscillations

Ca 2+ oscillations, a widespread mode of cell signaling, were reported in non-excitable cells for the first time more than 25 years ago. Their fundamental mechanism, based on the periodic Ca 2+ exchange between the endoplasmic reticulum and the cytoplasm, has been well characterized. However, how the kinetics of cytosolic Ca 2+ changes are related to the extent of a physiological response remains poorly understood. Here, we review data suggesting that the downstream targets of Ca 2+ are controlled not only by the frequency of Ca 2+ oscillations but also by the detailed characteristics of the oscillations, such as their duration, shape, or baseline level. Involvement of non-endoplasmic reticulum Ca 2+ stores, mainly mitochondria and the extracellular medium, participates in this fine tuning of Ca 2+ oscillations. The main characteristics of the Ca 2+ exchange fluxes with these compartments are also reviewed.
Autoradiographic Characterization and Localization of Quisqualate Binding Sites in Rat Brain Using the Antagonist [3H]6‐Cyano‐7‐Nitroquinoxaline‐2,3‐Dione: Comparison with (R,S)‐[3H]α‐Amino‐3‐Hydroxy‐5‐Methyl‐4‐Isoxazolepropionic Acid Binding Sites

Using quantitative autoradiography, we have investigated the binding sites for the potent competitive non‐N‐methyl‐D‐aspartate (non‐NMDA) glutamate receptor antagonist [3H]6‐cyano‐7‐nitro‐quinoxaline‐2,3‐dione ([3H]‐CNQX) in rat brain sections. [3H]CNQX binding was regionally distributed, with the highest levels of binding present in hippocampus in the stratum radiatum of CA1, stratum lucidum of CA3, and molecular layer of dentate gyrus. Scatchard analysis of [3H]CNQX binding in the cerebellar molecular layer revealed an apparent single binding site with a KD= 67 ± 9.0 nM and Bmax= 3.56 ± 0.34 pmol/mg protein. In displacement studies, quisqualate, L‐glutamate, and kainate also appeared to bind to a single class of sites. However, (R,S)‐α‐amino‐3‐hydroxy‐5‐methyl‐4‐isoxazolepropionic acid (AMPA) displacement of [3H]CNQX binding revealed two binding sites in the cerebellar molecular layer. Binding of [3H]AMPA to quisqualate receptors in the presence of potassium thiocyanate produced curvilinear Scatchard plots. The curves could be resolved into two binding sites with KD1= 9.0 ± 3.5 nM, Bmax= 0.15 ± 0.05 pmol/mg protein, KD2= 278 ± 50 nM, and Bmax= 1.54 ± 0.20 pmol/mg protein. The heterogeneous anatomical distribution of [3H]CNQX binding sites correlated to the binding of L‐[3H]glutamate to quisqualate receptors and to sites labeled with [3H]AMPA. These results suggest that the non‐NMDA glutamate receptor antagonist [3H]CNQX binds with equal affinity to two states of quisqualate receptors which have different affinities for the agonist [3H]AMPA.
An island-model framework for evolving neuro-controllers for planetary rover control

Autonomous navigation and robust obstacle avoidance are prerequisites for the successful operation of a planetary rover. Typical approaches to tackling this problem rely on complex and computationally expensive navigation strategies based upon the creation of 3D maps of the environment. In contrast, this research proposes a simple artificial neural network relying on infrared sensory input as the control structure. This paper presents a unified framework for designing such control structures for a simulated rover, taking advantage of code parallelisation and the latest advances in global optimisation research. In particular, it details a 3D physics-based simulation of a planetary rover and a tool set for performing the optimisation of ANN parameters within the island model. This paper also presents preliminary results showing that the aforementioned framework can parallelise the controller design process without any loss in performance over traditional methods, and will outline research directions, which aim to take full advantage of this technique's potential.
Quantitative Electroencephalographic Biomarkers in Preclinical and Human Studies of Huntington’s Disease: Are They Fit-for-Purpose for Treatment Development?

A major focus in development of novel therapies for Huntington’s disease (HD) is identification of treatments that reduce the burden of mutant huntingtin (mHTT) protein in the brain. In order to identify and test the efficacy of such therapies, it is essential to have biomarkers that are sensitive to the effects of mHTT on brain function to determine whether the intervention has been effective at preventing toxicity in target brain systems before onset of clinical symptoms. Ideally, such biomarkers should have a plausible physiologic basis for detecting the effects of mHTT, be measureable both in preclinical models and human studies, be practical to measure serially in clinical trials, and be reliably measurable in HD gene expansion carriers (HDGECs), among other features. Quantitative electroencephalography (qEEG) fulfills many of these basic criteria of a “fit-for-purpose” biomarker. qEEG measures brain oscillatory activity that is regulated by the brain structures that are affected by mHTT in premanifest and early symptom individuals. The technology is practical to implement in the laboratory and is well tolerated by humans in clinical trials. The biomarkers are measureable across animal models and humans, with findings that appear to be detectable in HDGECs and translate across species. We review here the literature on recent developments in both preclinical and human studies of the use of qEEG biomarkers in HD, and the evidence for their usefulness as biomarkers to help guide development of novel mHTT lowering treatments.
Concentration Dependent Ion Selectivity in VDAC: A Molecular Dynamics Simulation Study

The voltage-dependent anion channel (VDAC) forms the major pore in the outer mitochondrial membrane. Its high conducting open state features a moderate anion selectivity. There is some evidence indicating that the electrophysiological properties of VDAC vary with the salt concentration. Using a theoretical approach the molecular basis for this concentration dependence was investigated. Molecular dynamics simulations and continuum electrostatic calculations performed on the mouse VDAC1 isoform clearly demonstrate that the distribution of fixed charges in the channel creates an electric field, which determines the anion preference of VDAC at low salt concentration. Increasing the salt concentration in the bulk results in a higher concentration of ions in the VDAC wide pore. This event induces a large electrostatic screening of the charged residues promoting a less anion selective channel. Residues that are responsible for the electrostatic pattern of the channel were identified using the molecular dynamics trajectories. Some of these residues are found to be conserved suggesting that ion permeation between different VDAC species occurs through a common mechanism. This inference is buttressed by electrophysiological experiments performed on bean VDAC32 protein akin to mouse VDAC.