Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Merged two-stage power converter with soft charging switched-capacitor stage in 180 nm CMOS

In this paper, we introduce a merged two-stage dc-dc power converter for low-voltage power delivery. By separating the transformation and regulation function of a dc-dc power converter into two stages, both large voltage transformation and high control bandwidth can be achieved. We show how the switched-capacitor stage can operate under soft charging conditions by suitable control and integration (merging) of the two stages. This mode of operation enables improved efficiency and/or power density in the switched-capacitor stage. A 5-to-1 V, 0.8 W integrated dc-dc converter has been developed in 180 nm CMOS. The converter achieves a peak efficiency of 81%, with a regulation stage switching frequency of 10 MHz.
Low flow anesthesia and volatile anesthetic agents - Concerns

Journal of Anaesthesiology Clinical Pharmacology | Oct-Dec 2012 | Vol 28 | Issue 4 475 How to cite this article: Mallik T, Aneja S, Tope R, Muralidhar V. A randomized prospective study of desflurane versus isoflurane in minimal flow anesthesia using "equilibration time" as the change-over point to minimal flow. J Anaesthesiol Clin Pharmacol 2012;28:470-5. Source of Support: Nil, Conflict of Interest: None declared. machine. ASTM Standards, 1988. p. 509-32. 9. Virtue RW. Minimal flow nitrous oxide anaesthesia. Anesthesiology 1974;40:196-8. 10. Baum Jan A. Low flow anesthesia, the theory and practice of low flow minimal flow and closed system anaesthesia. 2nd ed. Melbourne: Butterwoth-Heinemann; 2001. p. 176-254. 11. Armavov MN, Griffin J D, White PF. The effect of fresh gas flow and anesthetic technique on the ability to control acute hemodynamic responses during surgery. Anesthesia Analgesia 1998;87:666-70. 12. Eger El II, Gong D, Koblin DD, Bowland T, Ionescu P, Laster MJ, et al. Effect of anesthetic duration on kinetic and recovery characteristics of desflurane vs sevoflurane (plus compound A) in volunteers. Anesth Analg 1998;86:414-21.
Structural and functional similarities between the SbcCD proteins of Escherichia coli and the RAD50 and MRE11 (RAD32) recombination and repair proteins of yeast

The destruction of long palindromic DNA sequences in Escherichia coli is mediated by the products of sbcC and sbcD (Leach, 1994, BioEssays 16: 893-900). Mutations in these genes also function as co-suppressors with sbcB of recombination and repair defective recB or recC strains. The sbcB gene product is a 3' ~ 5' single-stranded DNA exonuclease. SbcC and SbcD proteins have ATPdependent double-stranded DNA exonuclease and ATPindependent single-stranded DNA endonuclease activities (J. C. Connelly and D. R. F. Leach, unpublished). Inactivation of these nucleases is proposed to achieve suppression of recBC by stabilizing DNA ends, allowing other recombination enzymes access in order to initiate recombination and DNA repair. Previous studies have shown structural similarities between E. coil SbcD and proteins from bacteriophages T4 (gp47), T5 (gpD12) and Bacillus subti/is (ORF3) (Leach et al., 1992, Genetica 87: 95-100; Sharpies and Lloyd, 1993, Nuc/Acids Res 21:2010). Bacteriophages T4 and T5 also have homologous equivalents of SbcC (T4 gp46 and T5 gpD13). In keeping with their relatedness to E. coli SbcCD, they are responsible for the exonuclease activities which normally degrade chromosomal DNA and are also important for phage replication, recombination and DNA repair. Recently it has been noted that a large number of diverse proteins that cleave phosphoester bonds share a common sequence structure. These enzymes include Ser/Thr protein phosphatases, diadenosine tetraphosphatases, 5' nucleotidases, 2',3'-cyclic phosphodiesterases, sphingomyelinases, an RNA lariat 2 ' -5 ' phosphodiesterase, and exonucleases; SbcD, gp47 and gpD12 belong to the latter group. The phosphoesterase signature sequence is DXH(~X25)GDXXD(~X25)GNHD/E (Zhuo et al., 1994, J Biol Chem 269: 26234-26238). We have noted an additional conserved motif (UUXGHXH, where U specifies a hydrophobic residue) located 84-153 amino acids from the GNHD/E sequence (Fig. 1A and data not shown). While this paper was in preparation we discovered that this fourth motif had also been independently identified (Yeast Update 3.6). Our particular interest focused on members of the phosphoesterase
Radiogenic Ca isotopes confirm post-formation K depletion of lower crust

Heat flow studies suggest that the lower crust has low concentrations of heat-producing elements. This could be due to either (i) greater fractions of basaltic rock at depth or (ii) metamorphic depletion of radioactive elements from rocks with more evolved (andesitic to granodioritic) compositions. However, seismic data suggest that lower crust is not predominantly basaltic, and previous studies (using Pb and Sr isotopes) have shown that lower crustal rocks have experienced significant losses of U and Rb. This loss, however, is poorly constrained for K, which is inferred to be the most important source of radioactive heat in the earliest crust. Our high precision Ca isotope measurements on a suite of granulite facies rocks and minerals from several localities show that significant losses of K (~60 % to >95 %) are associated with high temperature metamorphism. These results support models whereby reduction of heat production from the lower crust, and consequent stabilisation of continental cratons in the Precambrian, are largely due to high temperature metamorphic processes. Relative changes in whole rock K/Ca suggest that 20-30 % minimum (granitic) melt removal can explain the K depletions.
Hardware support for accurate per-task energy metering in multicore systems

Accurately determining the energy consumed by each task in a system will become of prominent importance in future multicore-based systems because it offers several benefits, including (i) better application energy/performance optimizations, (ii) improved energy-aware task scheduling, and (iii) energy-aware billing in data centers. Unfortunately, existing methods for energy metering in multicores fail to provide accurate energy estimates for each task when several tasks run simultaneously. This article makes a case for accurate Per-Task Energy Metering (PTEM) based on tracking the resource utilization and occupancy of each task. Different hardware implementations with different trade-offs between energy prediction accuracy and hardware-implementation complexity are proposed. Our evaluation shows that the energy consumed in a multicore by each task can be accurately measured. For a 32-core, 2-way, simultaneous multithreaded core setup, PTEM reduces the average accuracy error from more than 12% when our hardware support is not used to less than 4% when it is used. The maximum observed error for any task in the workload we used reduces from 58% down to 9% when our hardware support is used.
eSDN: Rethinking Datacenter Transports Using End-Host SDN Controllers

We propose eSDN; a practical approach for deploying new datacenter transports without requiring any changes to the switches. eSDN uses light-weight SDN controllers at the end-hosts for querying network state. It obviates the need for statistics collection by a centralized controller especially on short timescales. We show that eSDN can scale well and allow a range of datacenter transports to be realized.
Towards a New Internet Routing Architecture: Arguments for Separating Edges from Transit Core

In recent years, the size and dynamics of the global routing table have increased rapidly along with an increase in the number of edge networks. The relation between edge network quantity and routing table size/dynamics reveals a major limitation in the current architecture; there is a conflict between provider-based address aggregation and edge networks’ need for multihoming. Two basic directions towards resolving this conflict have surfaced in the networking community. The first direction, which we dub separation, calls for separating edge networks from the transit core, and engineering a control and management layer in between. The other direction, which we dub elimination, calls for edge networks to adopt multiple provider-assigned addresses to enable provider-based address aggregation. In this paper, we argue that separation is a more promising approach to scaling the global routing system than elimination, and can potentially be leveraged to bring other architectural improvements to today’s Internet that an elimination approach cannot.
Critical protein GAPDH and its regulatory mechanisms in cancer cells

Glyceraldehyde-3-phosphate dehydrogenase (GAPDH), initially identified as a glycolytic enzyme and considered as a housekeeping gene, is widely used as an internal control in experiments on proteins, mRNA, and DNA. However, emerging evidence indicates that GAPDH is implicated in diverse functions independent of its role in energy metabolism; the expression status of GAPDH is also deregulated in various cancer cells. One of the most common effects of GAPDH is its inconsistent role in the determination of cancer cell fate. Furthermore, studies have described GAPDH as a regulator of cell death; other studies have suggested that GAPDH participates in tumor progression and serves as a new therapeutic target. However, related regulatory mechanisms of its numerous cellular functions and deregulated expression levels remain unclear. GAPDH is tightly regulated at transcriptional and posttranscriptional levels, which are involved in the regulation of diverse GAPDH functions. Several cancer-related factors, such as insulin, hypoxia inducible factor-1 (HIF-1), p53, nitric oxide (NO), and acetylated histone, not only modulate GAPDH gene expression but also affect protein functions via common pathways. Moreover, posttranslational modifications (PTMs) occurring in GAPDH in cancer cells result in new activities unrelated to the original glycolytic function of GAPDH. In this review, recent findings related to GAPDH transcriptional regulation and PTMs are summarized. Mechanisms and pathways involved in GAPDH regulation and its different roles in cancer cells are also described.
Euthanasia-related strain and coping strategies in animal shelter employees.

OBJECTIVE To identify and evaluate coping strategies advocated by experienced animal shelter workers who directly engaged in euthanizing animals. DESIGN Cross-sectional study. SAMPLE POPULATION Animal shelters across the United States in which euthanasia was conducted (5 to 100 employees/shelter). PROCEDURES With the assistance of experts associated with the Humane Society of the United States, the authors identified 88 animal shelters throughout the United States in which animal euthanasia was actively conducted and for which contact information regarding the shelter director was available. Staff at 62 animal shelters agreed to participate in the survey. Survey packets were mailed to the 62 shelter directors, who then distributed them to employees. The survey included questions regarding respondent age, level of education, and role and asked those directly involved in the euthanasia of animals to provide advice on strategies for new euthanasia technicians to deal with the related stress. Employees completed the survey and returned it by mail. Content analysis techniques were used to summarize survey responses. RESULTS Coping strategies suggested by 242 euthanasia technicians were summarized into 26 distinct coping recommendations in 8 categories: competence or skills strategies, euthanasia behavioral strategies, cognitive or self-talk strategies, emotional regulation strategies, separation strategies, get-help strategies, seek long-term solution strategies, and withdrawal strategies. CONCLUSIONS AND CLINICAL RELEVANCE Euthanizing animals is a major stressor for many animal shelter workers. Information regarding the coping strategies identified in this study may be useful for training new euthanasia technicians.
Mitigating Stuck Cell Failures in MLC NAND Flash Memory via Inferred Erasure Decoding

The multilevel-cell NAND flash memory experiences permanent hard errors due to cell defects (stuck cells). To overcome this problem, stuck cells are either regarded as erasures by the decoder based upon the knowledge of stuck cell location, or the entire memory block containing the stuck cells is marked as bad block and made unavailable for future usage. In this paper, a multiround inferred stuck-cell erasure belief-propagation (BP) decoding (ISED) is proposed in which the stuck cell locations are assumed to be unknown to the decoder. To perform the inferred erasure decoding, the input channel log-likelihood ratio (LLR) information is attenuated before BP decoding by modifying the threshold voltage distribution functions. In case of decoding failure, the probable stuck cell locations are inferred by using the flash’s read-back voltage signal and the decoded code-word bits. For all such inferred stuck cells, the input LLRs are set to zero for subsequent rounds of BP decoding. As the likely incorrect LLRs corresponding to the stuck cells are erased, the performance of BP decoder is substantially improved. Simulation results show that the error-rate performance is improved by more than two orders of magnitude with a moderate increase in decoding complexity under the proposed ISED scheme.
Surface Creep Rate and Moment Accumulation Rate Along the Aceh Segment of the Sumatran Fault From L‐band ALOS‐1/PALSAR‐1 Observations

We analyzed the interferometric synthetic aperture radar data from the ALOS‐1/PALSAR‐1 satellite to image the interseismic deformation along the Sumatran fault. The interferometric synthetic aperture radar time series analysis reveals up to ~20 mm/year of aseismic creep on the Aceh segment along the Northern Sumatran fault. This is a large fraction of the total slip rate across this fault. The spatial extent of the aseismic creep extends for ~100 km. The along‐strike variation of the aseismic creep has an inverse “U” shape. An analysis of the moment accumulation rate shows that the central part of the creeping section accumulates moment at approximately 50% of the rate of the surrounding locked segments. An initial analysis of temporal variations suggests that the creep rate may be decelerating with time, suggesting that the creep rate is adjusting to a stress perturbation from nearby seismic activity. Our study has implications to the earthquake hazard along the northern Sumatran fault.
A Novel Classification System for Autogenous Arteriovenous Fistula Aneurysms in Renal Access Patients

Introduction: Arteriovenous fistulae (AVFs) constructed for hemodialysis access are prone to aneurysmal degeneration. This can lead to life-threatening sequelae such as aneurysmal rupture. The literature includes various guidelines on the management of certain aspects of access-related aneurysm formation; however, no classification system exists to guide reporting or prognostication. We aimed to create a universally acceptable classification for these aneurysms and establish guidance about their management. Methods: We clinically examined, duplex scanned, and photographed all of the autologous arteriovenous fistulae in our local renal failure population in January 2010 in order to categorize morphology. We then followed up the cohort for 2 years prospectively to assess outcomes, primarily of rupture or surgical intervention for bleeding. Results: A total of 344 patients were included (292 currently needling their fistula and 52 with low creatinine clearance awaiting dialysis). In all, 43.5% of dialyzed patients had aneurysmal fistulae. We propose a classification system as follows: type 1a: dilated along the length of the vein; type 1b: postanastomotic aneurysm; type 2a: classic “camel hump”; type 2b: combination of type 2a and 1b; type 3: complex; and type 4: pseudoaneurysm. Six fistulae needed emergency surgery for bleeding in the 2-year follow-up period and 5 of these were type 2 aneurysms. The remaining one was in the nonaneurysmal group, although it had become aneurysmal by the time it bled. Conclusion: Type 1 aneurysms are much commoner in patients who have not yet needled their fistula and have a relatively innocuous course although type 1a aneurysms should be monitored for high flow and physiological consequences thereof. Type 2 aneurysms are associated with needling of AVFs. They are at significant risk of rupture and need to be monitored carefully or treated prophylactically.
Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF)-mediated ganglion cell survival in a rodent model of non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION)

Background Ciliary neurotrophic factor (CNTF) has been shown to protect retinal ganglion cells (RGCs) in traumatic optic nerve injury. We sought to evaluate this neuroprotective effect of CNTF after an ischaemic event using rodent anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (rAION), a mouse model of non-arteritic anterior ischaemic optic neuropathy (NAION). Methods We induced rAION in Thy1-cyan fluorescent protein (CFP) transgenic mice by exposing the optic nerve to frequency doubled neodymium yttrium aluminium garnet laser pulses following intravenous rose bengal injection. One day after rAION induction, an intravitreal injection of 0.75 μg CNTF or vehicle (sham injection) was given. Animals were euthanised on day 15 after induction, tissues isolated and CFP cells in the RGC layer were counted using stereology in flat-mounted retina. The average number of CFP-positive (CFP+) cells was determined for each study group and the percentages of RGC loss were compared between the different groups. Results Two weeks after rAION induction, significantly more (CFP+) cells were preserved in CNTF-treated eyes than in sham-injected controls. Sham-treated animals showed a 58% loss of CFP+ cells. In contrast, CFP+ cell density in CNTF-treated eyes decreased by only 10%, when compared with untreated control eyes. This increased survival was statistically significant (p<0.05). Conclusions CNTF exerts a neuroprotective effect in ischaemic optic nerve injury and promotes RGC survival, suggesting that CNTF may be effective in the clinical treatment of human NAION.
Physical pathways of nutrient supply in a small, ultraoligotrophic arctic lake during summer stratification

During the ice‐free period in the Arctic, the thermal structure and mixing dynamics of small lakes change with the passing of air masses. In Toolik Lake, Alaska, stable warm air masses during the ice‐free season were associated with lake warming, daily winds were maximally 4–7 m s−1 for less than 12 h duration, lake numbers (LN) varied daily between 2 and 80, and values of the coefficient of vertical eddy diffusivity ranged from molecular to 10−6 m2 s−1. For the 3‐week warming period following ice‐off, vertical mixing, which occurred primarily near the lake's sloping boundaries, supplied inorganic nitrogen only to phytoplankton in the chlorophyll maxima and only at rates sufficient to support 10–22% of their daily needs. In the upper water column, chlorophyll concentrations and primary productivity decreased by a factor of three relative to the maximum at ice‐off. In contrast, during transitions between warm and cold air masses or the converse, wind speeds exceeded 5 m s−1 for over 1 d and LN decreased to values of 3 or lower for periods of 1–2 d. In consequence, turbulence increased by one to two orders of magnitude, dispersing the chlorophyll maximum into multiple layers and increasing solute concentrations in hypolimnetic waters. Increased precipitation accompanied cold air masses, and in one case stream discharge of ~30 times base flow led initially to an overflow and subsequently to a metalimnetic intrusion with loading of inorganic nitrogen 10 times the daily needs of phytoplankton. Overall, the frequency with which frontal systems moved through the region determined the temporal variance in nutrient supply. Spatial variability within the lake was generated by the degree of penetration of incoming streams and the vertical layering of intrusions. These temporal events and the layers induced are hot spots of activity important for sustaining growth in oligotrophic lakes.
Analysis for the design of open applications on mobile devices

In recent years the use of smartphones has increased because the convergence of technologies related in the development of these mobile devices. This convergence relates to communication, handheld devices and applications. The most common development platforms are Android, iOS, Windows Phone and Symbian. In most cases mobile application developers restrict the development to one or two platforms, since there is not strong multi-platform execution support. For example, an iOS application will not run on Android or another system. One solution is web development, but it presents some problems such as adaptability, overload on servers, low use of device capabilities, and poor code reuse. A better solution is to develop a middleware that helps to develop open applications. This paper gives an analysis of the problems involved in the design of open mobile applications, challenges and some solutions.
Development of Catechol 2,3-Dioxygenase-Specific Primers for Monitoring Bioremediation by Competitive Quantitative PCR

ABSTRACT Benzene, toluene, xylenes, phenol, naphthalene, and biphenyl are among a group of compounds that have at least one reported pathway for biodegradation involving catechol 2,3-dioxygenase enzymes. Thus, detection of the corresponding catechol 2,3-dioxygenase genes can serve as a basis for identifying and quantifying bacteria that have these catabolic abilities. Primers that can successfully amplify a 238-bp catechol 2,3-dioxygenase gene fragment from eight different bacteria are described. The identities of the amplicons were confirmed by hybridization with a 238-bp catechol 2,3-dioxygenase probe. The detection limit was 102 to 103 gene copies, which was lowered to 100 to 101 gene copies by hybridization. Using the dioxygenase-specific primers, an increase in catechol 2,3-dioxygenase genes was detected in petroleum-amended soils. The dioxygenase genes were enumerated by competitive quantitative PCR with a 163-bp competitor that was amplified using the same primers. Target and competitor sequences had identical amplification kinetics. Potential PCR inhibitors that could coextract with DNA, nonamplifying DNA, soil factors (humics), and soil pollutants (toluene) did not impact enumeration. Therefore, this technique can be used to accurately and reproducibly quantify catechol 2,3-dioxygenase genes in complex environments such as petroleum-contaminated soil. Direct, non-cultivation-based molecular techniques for detecting and enumerating microbial pollutant-biodegrading genes in environmental samples are powerful tools for monitoring bioremediation and developing field evidence in support of natural attenuation.
Nondeterministic Computations in Sublogarithmic Space and Space Constructibility

The open problem of nondeterministic space constructibility for sublogarithmic functions is resolved. We show that there are no unbounded monotone increasing nondeterministically space constructible functions with supn→∞s(n)/log(n)=0. Consequently, the space constructibility cannot be used to separate nondeterministic space from deterministic one, since functions like loglog(n), and \(\sqrt {\log (n)}\)are not space constructible by nondeterministic Turing machines.
Sleeping Android : Exploit through Dormant Permission Requests

I declare that this assignment is all my own work and that I have acknowledged all quotations from the published or unpublished works of other people. I declare that I have also read the statements on plagiarism in Section 1 of the Regulations Governing Examination and Assessment Offences and in accordance with it I submit this project report as my own work.