Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Generating Reduced Order Models for High Speed VLSI Interconnects using Balancing-Free Square Root Method

This paper presents a model order reduction technique based on balancing-free square root (BSR) method for high speed coupled integrated circuit interconnects. The salient features of this technique are the less CPU time resulting from the passivity of the reduced transfer function, and the availability of provable weighted error bounds for the reduced-order system. This paper shows that the balancing-free square root method produces reduced systems that accurately follow the time- and frequency-domain responses of the original system. All the experiments have been carried out using Cadence Design Simulator which indicate that the proposed BSR achieves more accuracy with less CPU time than the other model order reduction techniques existing in literature.
Investment Decisions in the Renewable Energy Sector: An Analysis of Non-Financial Drivers

Notwithstanding their many environmental, economic and social advantages, renewable energy technologies (RE) account for a small fraction of the world's primary energy supply. One possible cause for this limited diffusion is that private investments in the RE sector, although potentially appealing, remain insufficient. The lack of adequate financing is also a clear indication that our understanding of the process by which investors fund RE ventures is still incomplete. This paper aims to fill in this gap and to shed new light on RE investment decisions. Building upon behavioral finance and institutional theory, we posit that, in addition to a rational evaluation of the economics of the investment opportunities, various non-financial factors affect the decision to invest in renewables. We analyze the investment decisions of a large sample of investors, with the objective to identify the main determinants of their choices. Our results shed new light on the role of institutional and behavioral factors in determining the share of renewable energy technologies in energy portfolios, and have important implications for both investors and policy makers: they suggest that RE technologies still suffer from a series of biased perceptions and preconceptions that favor status quo energy production models over innovative alternatives.
Comparison of Discrete Material Optimization approaches for optimization of laminated composites

Laminated composite structures are used in a number of high performance lightweight structures due to their high specific stiffnesses and strength. The laminated composites considered in this work contain layers of fiber reinforced polymer (FRP) materials, and the structures can both be monolithic and sandwich structures. In monolithic structures all layers consist of the same FRP material whereas sandwich structures typically have stiff outer layers consisting of FRP and inner layers consisting of soft core material like PVC foam, balsa wood, etc. Very often the designers are limited to orient the FRP material at predefined fiber angles, and thus the design problem is often discrete by nature.
Impact of INR monitoring, reversal agent use, heparin bridging, and anticoagulant interruption on rebleeding and thromboembolism in acute gastrointestinal bleeding

Background Anticoagulant management of acute gastrointestinal bleeding (GIB) during the pre-endoscopic period has not been fully addressed in American, European, or Asian guidelines. This study sought to evaluate the risks of rebleeding and thromboembolism in anticoagulated patients with acute GIB. Methods Baseline, endoscopy, and outcome data were reviewed for 314 patients with acute GIB: 157 anticoagulant users and 157 age-, sex-, and important risk-matched non-users. Data were also compared between direct oral anticoagulants (DOACs) and warfarin users. Results Between anticoagulant users and non-users, of whom 70% underwent early endoscopy, no endoscopy-related adverse events or significant differences were found in the rate of endoscopic therapy need, transfusion need, rebleeding, or thromboembolism. Rebleeding was associated with shock, comorbidities, low platelet count and albumin level, and low-dose aspirin use but not HAS-BLED score, any endoscopic results, heparin bridge, or international normalized ratio (INR) ≥ 2.5. Risks for thromboembolism were INR ≥ 2.5, difference in onset and pre-endoscopic INR, reversal agent use, and anticoagulant interruption but not CHA2DS2-VASc score, any endoscopic results, or heparin bridge. In patients without reversal agent use, heparin bridge, or anticoagulant interruption, there was only one rebleeding event and no thromboembolic events. Warfarin users had a significantly higher transfusion need than DOACs users. Conclusion Endoscopy appears to be safe for anticoagulant users with acute GIB compared with non-users. Patient background factors were associated with rebleeding, whereas anticoagulant management factors (e.g. INR correction, reversal agent use, and drug interruption) were associated with thromboembolism. Early intervention without reversal agent use, heparin bridge, or anticoagulant interruption may be warranted for acute GIB.
Silica hollow core fibres for mid-infrared medical applications

In this thesis two types of silica hollow core micr ostructured fibres the Negative Curvature Fibre and the Photonic Bandgap Fibre ar e presented as a novel solution for the flexible delivery of Er:YAG laser radiation. T he Negative Curvature Fibre and Photonic Bandgap Fibre had attenuations of 0.06 dB/ m and 1.1 dB/m at 2.94 μm wavelength, respectively. This is an important wav elength regime for medical applications, specifically surgery, due to the exis tence of a strong absorption peak for water around 3 μm. The guidance of high energy pul ses of the order of 195 mJ and 14.4 mJ respectively is demonstrated. These energi es are sufficient to ablate soft and hard biological tissue. As verification, porcine b one was ablated in air and submerged in water to simulate practical application of a surgic al device. The presented fibres are compared to alternative state-of-the-art solid and hollow core fibres, in respect of the fabrication, attenuation, pulse energy delivery cap ability, bend sensitivity and the output beam profile. The fabrication and characterisation of a novel sapphire endtip is also presented, which seals the hollow cores of the fibr es f om contamination and therefore increases the usability significantly. The endtip w as shown to be mechanically robust, provide a hermetic seal and able to survive practic l ssue ablation in air and water. These encapsulated fibres provide a new fully flexi ble delivery system for high energy Er:YAG laser radiation and hence will open up the p ossibility of new minimally invasive surgical procedures.
Satisfiability Is Quasilinear Complete in NQL

Considered are the classes QL (quasilinear) and NQL (nondet quasllmear) of all those problems that can be solved by deterministic (nondetermlnlsttc, respectively) Turmg machines in time O(n(log n) ~) for some k Effloent algorithms have time bounds of th~s type, it is argued. Many of the "exhausUve search" type problems such as satlsflablhty and colorabdlty are complete in NQL with respect to reductions that take O(n(log n) k) steps This lmphes that QL = NQL iff satisfiabdlty is m QL
New Approaches for Software Watermarking by Register Allocation

QP and QPS algorithms for software watermarking add extra edges to an interference graph of a program and then color the graph to embed a message by allocation of registers to variables. QP algorithm has a drawback that the embedded message is not always retrievable. QPS algorithm has a drawback that it can embed the shorter messages only. In this study, we present two new algorithms color change (CC) and color permutation (CP) that embed a message by changing the colors for the interference graph without changing its structure. CC algorithm is effective when the number of the variables in the program is large enough while CP algorithm is effective when the number of colors used in the interference graph is large enough. Both algorithms can retrieve any embedded messages and they can embed the longer messages into software.
Report Review: Pronolis HD®, the First High Density Hyaluronic Acid Gel for Intra-Articular in Osteoarthritis: Complete and Innovative Range of Viscosupplementation for all Synovial Joints

OA is the most frequent joint disease, with a risk of suffering 2.6 times higher in women than in men [1]. Its frequency increases with age, and in those over 60 years, it is estimated that more than 80% have radiological alterations of OA in at least one joint. The importance of knee OA lies in its high frequency, the discomfort it causes and the significant functional deterioration especially in the knees and hips of patients. Although Platelet-Rich Plasma injections are useful in mild to moderate degree of OA (not for advanced OA with knee deformit) [8], Hyaluronic Acid have appeared for 2 decades to be a safe and effective treatment of mild to moderate OA, an may be helpful in advanced stages of knee OA [9]. Primary osteoarthritis (OA) of the knee is a disease characterized by the deterioration and loss of hyaline articular cartilage, alterations of the subchondral bone as well as the synovial membrane and rest of the periarticular soft tissues. Abstract Osteoarthritis (OA) is a common and debilitating condition associated with pain and loss of mobility that undermines patients’ quality of life. OA is a degenerative joint disease characterized by an accumulation of mechanical stresses to the joints, leading to the destruction of articular cartilage. In OA of the knee, both synovial fluid elastoviscosity and hyaluronan concentration are reduced. For compensation, intraarticular injection of a hyaluronic acid (HA) viscoelastic gel is applied to the affected joint, also referred to as viscosupplementation (VS). Current evidence indicates that HA injections are beneficial and safe for patients with OA of the knee. Intraarticular injections of HA treat the symptoms of knee OA and may also have disease-modifying properties, potentially delaying progression of OA [1].
Determination of rumen microbial growth in vitro from 32P-labelled phosphate incorporation

1. The extracellular phosphate pool in incubations of rumen fluid or washed cell suspensions of mixed rumen bacteria (WCS) was labelled with 32P. From the constant extracellular phosphate pool specific activity and the amount of radioactivity incorporated during incubation, the amount of P incorporated in the microbial fraction was calculated. From the value for nitrogen: P determined in microbial matter, the amount of N incorporated was calculated as a measure of microbial growth. 2. Incorporation of soluble non-protein-N in incubations devoid of substrate protein was 50 and 80 % of the values obtained using the isotope method for rumen fluid and WCS respectively. It is suggested that results obtained using the former method reflect 'net growth' of micro-organisms which is the result of simultaneous growth and degradation. The isotope method measures 'total growth', as isotope incorporation is not affected by degradation of non-growing cells. 3. Incorporation of 32P in P-containing microbial components (mainly nucleic acids) was compared with net synthesis of these components in incubations of WCS. The results showed different specific rates of synthesis and degradation for all components studied. It is concluded that the composition of microbial matter changed during growth. 4. When N incorporation, calculated from results obtained using the isotope method in incubations with rumen fluid, was compared with the amount of carbohydrate substrate fermented and the type of fermentation, values between 18.3 and 44.6 g N incorporated/kg of organic matter fermented were obtained. Low values were associated with large proportions of the substrate being fermented to lactate and the use of glucose instead of disaccharides as substrate. Part of the variation could also be attributed to differences in incubation period, reflected in different proportions of polysaccharide formed. 5. The use of isotopes for determination of rumen microbial growth in vitro is critically discussed.
Allocation of Clients to Multiple Servers on Large Scale Heterogeneous Platforms

We consider the problem of allocating a large number of independent, equal-sized tasks to a heterogeneous large scale computing platform. We model the platform using a set of servers (masters) that initially hold (or generate) the tasks to be processed by a set of clients (slaves). All resources have different speeds of communication and computation and we model contentions using the bounded multi-port model. This model corresponds well to modern networking technologies, but for the sake of realism, another parameter needs to be introduced in order to bound the number of simultaneous connections that can be opened at a server node. We prove that unfortunately, this additional parameter makes the problem of maximizing the overall throughput NP-Complete. On the other hand, we also propose a polynomial time algorithm, based on a slight resource augmentation, to solve this problem. More specifically, we prove that, if d_j denotes the maximal number of connections that can be opened at server node S_j, then the throughput achieved using this algorithm and d_j+1 simultaneous connections is at least the same as the optimal one with d_j simultaneous connections. This algorithm also provides a good approximation for the dual problem of minimizing the maximal number of connections that need to be opened in order to achieve a given throughput, and it can be turned into a standard approximation algorithm (i.e., without resource augmentation). Finally, we also propose extensive simulations to assess the performance of the proposed algorithm.
Bioresorbable Scaffolds for Atheroregression: Understanding of Transient Scaffolding

This review focuses on the clinical and biological features of the bioresorbable scaffolds in interventional cardiology highlighting scientific achievements and challenges of the transient scaffolding with Absorb BVS. Special attention is granted to the vascular biology pathways which, involved in the resorption of scaffold, artery remodeling and mechanisms of Glagovian atheroregression setting the stage for subsequent clinical applications. Twenty five years ago Glagov described the phenomenon of limited external elastic membrane enlargement in response to an increase in plaque burden. We believe this threshold becomes the target for development of strategies that reverse atherosclerosis, and particularly transient scaffolding has a potential to be a tool to ultimately conquer atherosclerosis.
Finite model reasoning on UML class diagrams via constraint programming

Finite model reasoning in UML class diagrams is an important task for assessing the quality of the analysis phase in the development of software applications in which it is assumed that the number of objects of the domain is finite. In this paper, we show how to encode finite model reasoning in UML class diagrams as a constraint satisfaction problem (CSP), exploiting techniques developed in description logics. In doing so we set up and solve an intermediate CSP problem to deal with the explosion of "class combinations" arising in the encoding. To solve the resulting CSP problems we rely on the use of off-the-shelf tools for constraint modeling and programming. As a result, we obtain, to the best of our knowledge, the first implemented system that performs finite model reasoning on UML class diagrams.
Biomarkers and Integrated Environmental Risk Assessment: Are There More Questions Than Answers?

Abstract The introduction of the European Commission's Water Framework Directive (WFD; 2000/60/EC) established a new era in environmental risk assessment. In addition to incorporating the compliance of chemical quality standards, the key objective of the WFD is the general protection of the aquatic environment in its entirety. This new approach emphasizes the need for an integrated environmental risk assessment and offers the potential for the incorporation of biological effects measures, including the use of biomarkers in this process. Biomarkers have been suggested as practical tools for environmental management for a number of decades, but their inclusion has not been universally accepted because of a number of unanswered questions regarding sensitivity, practicality, and reproducibility. With this in mind, this paper addresses these potential questions and shows how, by taking a weight-of-evidence approach, biomarkers may be successfully incorporated within environmental risk assessment frameworks such as the WFD.
Evidence of Coal-Fly-Ash Toxic Chemical Geoengineering in the Troposphere: Consequences for Public Health

The widespread, intentional and increasingly frequent chemical emplacement in the troposphere has gone unidentified and unremarked in the scientific literature for years. The author presents evidence that toxic coal combustion fly ash is the most likely aerosolized particulate sprayed by tanker-jets for geoengineering, weather-modification and climate-modification purposes and describes some of the multifold consequences on public health. Two methods are employed: (1) Comparison of 8 elements analyzed in rainwater, leached from aerosolized particulates, with corresponding elements leached into water from coal fly ash in published laboratory experiments, and (2) Comparison of 14 elements analyzed in dust collected outdoors on a high-efficiency particulate air (HEPA) filter with corresponding elements analyzed in un-leached coal fly ash material. The results show: (1) the assemblage of elements in rainwater and in the corresponding experimental leachate are essentially identical. At a 99% confidence interval, they have identical means (T-test) and identical variances (F-test); and (2) the assemblage of elements in the HEPA dust and in the corresponding average un-leached coal fly ash are likewise essentially identical. The consequences on public health are profound, including exposure to a variety of toxic heavy metals, radioactive elements, and neurologically-implicated chemically mobile aluminum released by body moisture in situ after inhalation or through transdermal induction.
Rotational Malalignment After Intramedullary Nailing of Femoral Fractures

Objectives: Intramedullary nailing has been accepted as the treatment of choice for femoral shaft fractures. The aim of our study was to determine the incidence and implications of rotational malalignment after intramedullary nailing using computed tomography measurements. Design: Cohort study. Setting: Patients who postoperatively visited the orthopaedic outpatient and radiology clinics. Patients: Seventy-six patients, 59 men and 17 women, with a mean age of 28.4 years (15–88). Intervention: Patients treated on a fracture table with an antegrade reamed AO nail (n = 46) or Grosse Kempf nail (n = 30) for a unilateral femoral shaft fracture between 1988 and 1998 were included in the study. Main Outcome Measurements: Patients filled out a questionnaire concerning pain, daily activities, and sport. Oxford, Western Ontario and McMaster University osteoarthritis index, and Harris Hip and Knee Society scores were obtained. Physical exams and computed tomography measurements were established. Results: Twenty-one patients (28%) were found to have a rotational malalignment of 15° or more. There was no significant difference in rotational deformity with either the AO or Grosse Kempf nail. The incidence of malrotation was independent of the fracture level. Patients with a torsional deformity had difficulties with more demanding activities like running, sports, and climbing stairs. Patients with an external rotational malalignment (n = 12) have more functional problems than patients with an internal rotational malalignment (n = 9). Clinically determined rotation differences are not accurate (±20°) compared with the established computed tomography measurements. Conclusions: Rotational malalignment after intramedullary nailing for femoral fractures is found in 28% of the patients in this study. These patients have difficulties with more demanding activities, especially when they have an external torsional deformity.
Sequence analysis Prediction of both conserved and nonconserved microRNA targets in animals

Motivation: MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are involved in many diverse biological processes and they may potentially regulate the functions of thousands of genes. However, one major issue in miRNA studies is the lack of bioinformatics programs to accurately predict miRNA targets. Animal miRNAs have limited sequence complementarity to their gene targets, which makes it challenging to build target prediction models with high specificity. Results: Here we present a new miRNA target prediction program based on support vector machines (SVMs) and a large microarray training dataset. By systematically analyzing public microarray data, we have identified statistically significant features that are important to target downregulation. Heterogeneous prediction features have been non-linearly integrated in an SVM machine learning framework for the training of our target prediction model, MirTarget2. About half of the predicted miRNA target sites in human are not conserved in other organisms. Our prediction algorithm has been validated with independent experimental data for its improved performance on predicting a large number of miRNA down-regulated gene targets. Availability: All the predicted targets were imported into an online database miRDB, which is freely accessible at http://mirdb.org. Contact: xwang@radonc.wustl. edu Supplementary information: Supplementary data are available at Bioinformatics online.
Iterative Tuning of Internal Model Controllers With Application to Air/Fuel Ratio Control

A new tuning method for internal model controllers (IMCs) is presented. The parameters of an IMC can be structurally assigned to two groups: 1) parameters of the internal model and 2) parameters of the controller. The method described in this brief suggests a sequential tuning of the two parameter groups. For both groups, the parameter values are found by minimizing a predefined cost function. The optimization is run with a gradient-based minimization procedure where, analogously to the well-known iterative feedback tuning (IFT) scheme, the gradients are computed from signals obtained from closed-loop experiments. Thus, for the calculation of the gradient, the unknown plant is utilized, whereas other ¿local¿ tuning methods suggest the replacement of the real plant by its model to calculate the gradient. The main advantages of the suggested algorithm are its inherent operation in the closed control loop and the fact that, for the tuning of the internal model, no information about the disturbance model is required. The method can be used either for an initial tuning of the controller or for autotuning during operation.
Accurate Nano-Circuits Reliability Evaluations Based on Combining Numerical Simulations with Monte Carlo

This paper proposes a new approach to accurately evaluate the reliability of future nano-circuits. The proposed approach combines the accuracy and intuitiveness of Monte Carlo (MC) simulation with the simplicity and high modeling capacity of numerical simulations. This approach is important and timely as the expected size of future nano-circuits will make the exclusive usage of MC simulation timely prohibitive. At the same time, simulation methods that depend solely on numerical simulations are unfortunately not accurate enough. Experimental results show that the circuit reliability calculated by the proposed approach is very close to the reliability calculated based on MC simulation only.