Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Design of a flexible very low profile high step-up PV module integrated converter

Recently, improved PV system architectures were proposed with more granular power processing by means of distributed maximum power point tracking (DMPPT). This is achieved by connecting an MPPT unit to each PV module in the PV array. This paper presents a step further in the distributed power tracking approach, with the optimized, very low profile, high step-up, high frequency power converter suitable for integration into a low cost flexible PV module. Additional problems arise in this approach, specifically in the magnetic design and thermal management, due to the tight thermal coupling and specific mechanical requirements for a flexible converter design. Overcoming these limitations presents a challenge, but can lead to a cost effective, reliable solution for PV systems with improved integration level and power density.
Multi-service card for students using JavaCard Global Platform and IAS Specifications The access control use case

The Greyc Laboratory has designed an innovative, interoperable and evolutionary e-student smartcard environment fully compliant with the Java Card Global Platform and IAS/ECC (European Citizen Card) specification, including a smartcard management system, multiple application provider host, multiple acceptance devices and different form factor token. The IAS ECC standard allows interoperability of the e-services cards in Europe. We present in this paper the card, the IT infrastructure and the access control use case. A complete prototype has been developed and we are expecting a deployment in 2013.
Toward Semantic Search for the Biogeochemical Literature

Literature search is a vital step of every research project. Semantic literature search is an approach to article retrieval and ranking using concepts rather than keywords, in an attempt to address the well-known deficiencies of keyword-based search, namely, (1) retrieval of an overwhelming number of results, (2) rankings that do not precisely reflect true relevance, and (3) the omission of relevant results because they do not contain the idiosyncratic keywords of the query. The difficulty of semantic search, however, is that it requires significant knowledge engineering, often in the form of conceptual ontologies tailored to a particular scientific domain. It also requires non-trivial tuning, in the form of domain-specific term and concepts weights. Here we present preliminary, work-in-progress results in the development of a semantic search system for the biogeochemical scientific literature. We report the following initial steps: first, one of the co-authors—a biogeochemistry expert—wrote a sample search query, and ranked the five most relevant articles that were returned for that query from a popular keyword-based search engine. We then hand annotated the five articles and the query with the Environmental Ontology (ENVO), an existing ontology for the domain. Critically, this pilot annotation revealed a number of missing concepts that we will add in future work. We then showed that a straightforward ontology distance metric between concepts in the search query and the five articles was sufficient to produce the expected ranking. We discuss the implications of these results, and outline next steps required produce a full-fledged semantic search system for the biogeochemistry scientific literature.
Elevated Clotting Factor Levels and Venous Thrombosis

Increased plasma levels of fibrinogen, factor VIII (FVIII), factor IX (FIX), factor XI (FXI) and prothrombin all were reported to be independent risk factors of venous thromboembolism (VTE). However there is only limited information on the molecular basis of these plasma phenotypes. In addition some of these plasma phenotypes may form clusters, which may point to defects in common pathways affecting biosynthesis or clearance. Uncertainties as to what should be considered the cut-off for an elevated plasma level and in some cases (FIX, FXI) the lack of published confirmatory and/or prospective studies, have delayed the incorporation of these parameters in thrombophilia screening procedures.
Recovery of slow and fast muscles following nerve injury during early post‐natal development in the rat.

1. The sciatic nerve was crushed in 5‐6‐day‐old rats and the recovery of function of slow and fast muscles was studied. The first signs of recovery of function were seen 10‐12 days after the operation. 2. Maximal tetanic tension developed by the reinnervated muscles was recorded and taken as an indication of their recovery. Two months after nerve crush, slow soleus muscles developed only slightly less tension than the control unoperated soleus muscles. The reinnervated fast muscles tibialis anterior (t.a.) and extensor digitorum longus (e.d.l.) developed only about 50% of the tension of the unoperated controls. 3. The fast muscles never recovered, remaining weaker and smaller throughout the animals' life. 4. The number of muscle fibres in the reinnervated fast muscles was substantially reduced and their fibre composition altered in that they contained mainly muscle fibres with high levels of oxidative enzymes. 5. The reinnervated fast muscles became much more fatigue resistant than the unoperated controls. 6. The possibility that these changes are due to motoneurone death was examined. The motoneurones innervating the fast muscles were labelled by retrograde transport of HRP. No significant reduction in the number of motoneurones innervating the operated muscles was found. 7. These results show that nerve injury during early post‐natal life causes permanent changes in fast muscles that are not caused by motoneurone death.
Input‐output connections of the “hindlimb” region of the inferior olive in cats

The aim of the present study was to establish whether gracile afferents to the inferior olive are topographically organized and whether such inputs coincide with the location of cells that output to the hindlimb C1 zone in the cerebellar posterior lobe. Small injections (n = 15) of the anterograde tracers Fluoro‐Ruby or biotinylated dextran amine were made into gracile, resulting in anterograde labelling often distributed in partially separate, rostrocaudally directed columns within the lateral half of the contralateral rostral dorsal accessory olive (rDAO). In 12 cases, anterograde labelling was also located within the caudolateral medial accessory olive. Evidence for a topographical organization was obtained, suggesting that medial gracile targets only the most lateral part of rDAO, whereas lateral gracile also targets more medial parts. Gracile injections centred dorsally also resulted in more extensive terminal fields in rDAO than similar sized injections centred ventrally which may relate to the representation of the distal hindlimb in dorsal gracile (e.g., Millar and Basbaum, 1975). Injections of retrograde tracer (green beads) into the C1 zone in the ipsilateral caudal paramedian lobule (7 cases), resulted in retrograde cell labelling in the middle one‐third of contralateral DAO in two columns that fused caudally. The proportion of labelled cells that overlapped with anterograde labelled terminals was related to the dorsoventral locus of the gracile injection site: gracile injections centred dorsally produced the largest degree of overlap and therefore, potentially, the greatest functional convergence. In summary, the results suggest that a topographical organization is present within the gracilo‐olivo‐cerebellar projection which is discussed in relation to the functional organization of the olivocerebellar system. J. Comp. Neurol. 399:513–529, 1998. © 1998 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Shigella infection of Henle intestinal epithelial cells: role of the bacterium

Epithelial cell infection by Shigella flexneri 2a was studied in an in vitro model system. Using the Henle 407 human intestinal epithelial cell line as host cells, a standardized experimental protocol which allowed quantitative measurement of infection was developed. Intravellular residence of infecting organisms was confirmed by indirect fluorescent-antibody staining of unfixed and methanol-fixed (Henle 407) cells and by quantitative bacteriological culture of disrupted host cells after infection. The process of shigella entry into cells was evaluated by chemical or physical modulation of the bacterium under controlled experimental conditions. Shigella were subjected to mild heat, ultraviolet radiation aminoglycoside antibiotics, and immunoglobulins raised against S. flexneri 2a. The data show that heat-stable antigens on the bacterial surface are not solely responsible for infectivity of S. flexneri 2a. Furthermore, it was shown that physiological and synthetic functions of shigellae are required for entry into host cells.
Cancer‐associated mis‐sense and deletion mutations impair p16INK4 CDK inhibitory activity

The p16INK4 gene is a candidate tumour‐suppressor gene which maps to the genomic locus 9p21, and mutations of this gene are associated with melanoma and other cancers. Biochemical studies suggest that p16INK4 mediates its effects by specifically inhibiting the G1 cyclin‐dependent kinases CDK4 and CDK6, thereby regulating progression through G1 into S phase of the cell cycle. To evaluate the functional effects of mutations in p16INK4 which have been observed in primary cancers and cancer cell lines, we constructed a series of deletion mutants comprising amino acid regions 9–72, 9–131, 73–131 and 73–156; a mis‐sense mutation identified in melanoma (ArgB7Pro); and the polymorphism Ala148Thr and investigated their ability to inhibit cyclin D1/CDK4 kinase activity in vitro. Removal of 25 amino acids from the carboxy terminus of p16INK4 (9–131) had little impact on its inhibitory activity. In contrast, deletion of the 65 N‐terminal amino acids comprising the first and second ankyrin repeats of p16INK4 (73–131) abolished its inhibitory activity. The carboxy (73–156) and amino terminal (9–72) fragments of p16INK4 also failed to inhibit cyclin D1/CDK4 activity. These results indicate that the core region (73–131) as well as amino acids N‐terminal of this sequence are important, whereas sequences C‐terminal of amino acid 131 are less important for the inhibitory activity of this molecule. The melanoma‐associated Arg87Pro mutation resulted in loss of inhibitory activity, whereas the Ala148Thr polymorphic variant was as effective as the alanine variant of p16INK4 in inhibiting D1/CDK4 kinase activity. Binding assays revealed that inhibition was invariably associated with p16INK4 binding to CDK4. Hence, our studies indicate that minor perturbations in p16INK4 primary structure can lead to loss of its inhibitory activity, possibly contributing to oncogenesis in numerous cell types. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Effect of Cell Wall Ductility and Toughness on Compressive Response and Strain Rate Sensitivity of Aluminium Foam

The study presents the effect of cell wall ductility and toughness on the compressive behaviour of closed-cell Al foams under static and dynamic loading and localised deformation by indentation. Two kinds of Al alloys including relatively ductile AlSiMg alloy and high-strength AlZnMg alloy, which comprises a great amount of brittle eutectic domains, were used as matrix materials. Both kinds of Al foams were fabricated via newly developed melt processing using the CaCO3-foaming agent without Ca additive. Mechanical behaviour of Al foams under quasi-static compression and indentation was examined and compared with that performed under dynamic loading using direct impact tests. Characteristic events revealed in deformation patterns of Al foams at quasi-static compression were also monitored with the CCD camera. Significant differences in stress-strain response and strain rate sensitivity of Al foams arose from the difference in the microstructure, and hence, ductility and toughness of the cell wall material were investigated and discussed.
Management of cocaine-induced cardiac arrhythmias due to cardiac ion channel dysfunction

Cocaine use is common in many areas of the world, particularly the United States and Western Europe. Toxicity following the use of cocaine is associated with a wide range of clinical features. In this review, we will focus on the cocaine-associated cardiac arrhythmias and, in particular, some of the controversies in their etiology and management. Cocaine can produce arrhythmias either through the production of myocardial ischemia or as a direct result of ion channel alterations. Excessive catecholamines, combined with sodium and potassium channel blockades, give rise to a wide variety of supra-ventricular and ventricular rhythms. The animal and human evidence for ion channel dysfunction is reviewed, and the effects of catecholamines are followed from the cardiac action potential to the development of arrhythmias. Finally, theoretical constructs are combined with existing evidence to develop a rational treatment strategy for patients with cocaine-induced cardiac arrhythmias. In particular, we review the evidence concerning the controversies relating to the use of lidocaine in comparison with sodium bicarbonate, in terms of QRS prolongation secondary to sodium channel blockade.
Energy-efficient execution for repetitive app usages on big.LITTLE architectures

Smartphones are now equipped with high-performance processors to meet the increasing complexity of apps. However, these processors drain the battery quickly, which has become a major concern for Smartphone users. The latest big.LITTLE multicore architecture provides new energysaving facilities in addition to traditional DVFS technique. But this mechanism has not been well exploited by current Smartphones. In this paper, we propose a framework that records the performance demands for repetitive app usage scenarios, and adjusts the big.LITTLE processor to an energy-efficient configuration for subsequent executions of these scenarios. We implemented our framework on Android Smartphones, and the experiments achieve 30% energy saving on average without compromising user experience.
IGF-I in epithelial ovarian cancer and its role in disease progression

Insulin-like growth factor-I (IGF-I) is known to be involved in the development and progression of several types of solid tumors including ovarian cancer. IGF-I levels in local tissue is subject to both endocrine and paracrine/autocrine regulation. To investigate which regulation is more importantly involved in IGF-I action in ovarian cancer regarding tumor progression, we analyzed IGF-I mRNA expression (assuming only from paracrine/autocrine regulation) and peptide concentration (subject to both endocrine and paracrine/autocrine regulation) as well as a genetic polymorphism (CA dinucleotide repeats) in 215 epithelial ovarian cancer patients. Genomic DNA, total RNA and cytosol proteins were extracted from fresh tumor samples. Two alternatively spliced IGF-I transcripts (IGF-IA and IGF-IB) were analyzed using real-time PCR. Cytosol levels of free and total IGF-I were measured with enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. DNA sizing analysis was performed to determine the CA polymorphism. The study showed that the CA polymorphism had a weak influence on IGF-I expression, but no effect on tumor progression. High levels of free, not total, IGF-I peptide were associated with elevated risk of disease progression (HR = 2.06; 95%CI: 1.22–3.50), and the association was independent of clinicopathologic features of the disease. One of the IGF-I transcripts (IGF-IA) had a similar but less significant impact on disease progression. Women with high IGF-I mRNA and peptide were at greater risk for disease progression compared to those with low in both (HR = 2.13; 95%CI: 1.13–3.95). These findings support the notion that IGF-I is involved in ovarian cancer progression and free IGF-I plays a more important role in the disease. The study also suggests that both endocrine and paracrine/autocrine are involved in the regulation of IGF-I activity in ovarian cancer.
Skills, Knowledge, and Attitudes Important for Present‐Day Auditors

Recent accounting scandals have challenged and transformed the present-day role of auditors, making it timely and important to re-examine the skills, knowledge, and attitudes (SKAs) required of auditors in today's business environment. While prior studies have examined SKAs of accountants and internal auditors, and personal attributes of auditors, there is little research on auditors' SKAs. We propose and examine 20 SKAs important to present-day auditors. We survey experienced auditors in Singapore about the importance of these SKAs. Our participants rate professional integrity, assessing audit evidence, and having a questioning mind (indicative of professionalism competency) as the three most important SKAs. The participants also assess entry-level auditors' (ELAs) performance for each SKA. The difference between their importance and performance ratings is largest for business competency, particularly for knowledge of client's business. Our findings have implications for various accounting constituencies in terms of developing auditors' competencies.
Salsalate, a nonacetylated salicylate, is as efficacious as diclofenac in patients with rheumatoid arthritis. Salsalate-Diclofenac Study Group.

OBJECTIVE To investigate the efficacy of salsalate, a nonacetylated salicylate, in the treatment of patients with rheumatoid arthritis (RA). METHODS Three hundred and one patients meeting the ACR criteria for RA were drawn from 16 centers. After withdrawal of nonsteroidal antiinflammatory drugs (NSAID) and subsequent flare, patients were randomized to receive either salsalate or diclofenac for 8 weeks, according to a double blind, double dummy protocol. Initial doses of salsalate 3.0 g/day and diclofenac 75 mg/day were titrated for the first 5 weeks. The primary outcome measure was a multivariate analysis at 8 weeks of tender joint count, pain, visual analog scale score, and physician's global assessment. RESULTS One hundred and ninety patients completed the study. The mean stabilized dose of salsalate was 3.55 g/day, and that of diclofenac 112 mg/day. Discontinuations were due to lack of efficacy (17 salsalate vs 15 diclofenac); adverse events [19 salsalate (mainly tinnitus and hearing loss; p = 0.0001 and p = 0.04, respectively) vs 9 diclofenac]; laboratory abnormalities (3 salsalate vs 1 diclofenac); and other reasons, including protocol violations, intercurrent illness, and personal factors (24 salsalate vs 23 diclofenac). Both treatments produced significant improvement from flare (p < 0.0001). Post hoc power analysis showed that the study had sufficient power (0.60 to 0.90) to detect clinically important differences between the 2 drugs in the primary outcome measures; however, no statistically significant (p = 0.29) or clinically important treatment differences were recorded. Other than a difference in erythrocyte sedimentation rate that favored salsalate, there were no significant differences in secondary outcome measures between the 2 groups. All outcomes showed a tendency for more improvement with salsalate. CONCLUSION Salsalate is as efficacious as diclofenac. Salsalate may be considered an alternative to other NSAID in the first line treatment of patients with RA.
Difference in the Effects of Low Temperatures on the Tension of Human Pulmonary Artery and Vein Ring Segments

Background: Although limited data suggest that pulmonary flushing with organ preservation solutions should not be performed at too low temperatures, the influence of temperature on pulmonary vascular tone is unclear. Objective: The purpose of this study was to examine the effect of low temperatures of the tension of human pulmonary artery and vein ring segments and the vascular resistance of perfused rat lungs. Methods: 5 sets of human pulmonary artery and vein ring segments were suspended from a force displacement transducer at 37, 24 and 8°C, and the effect of 30 mM K+ on the tension was monitored. The effect of 30 mM K+ on vascular resistance was also examined at low temperatures in 5 perfused rat lungs. Results: Pulmonary artery segments dilated at 24°C, and more significant vasodilatation was observed at 8°C. In contrast, there was a significant constriction of pulmonary veins at 8°C. Vasoconstriction induced by 30 mM K+ at 37°C was significantly inhibited at low temperatures in both pulmonary arteries and veins. In rat lungs, perfusion at 8°C caused a significant increase in pulmonary vascular resistance, even though no further increase was observed in the presence of 30 mM K+. Conclusions: Our data indicate that pulmonary arteries dilate and the veins constrict at 8°C and may increase pulmonary vascular resistance. We conclude that the different effect of low temperatures between pulmonary arteries and veins may explain why pulmonary vascular flushing with organ preservation solutions at room temperature is more satisfactory.
3D stackable vertical-gate BE-SONOS NAND flash with layer-aware program-and-read schemes and wave-propagation fail-bit-detection against cross-layer process variations

This work demonstrates a 3D vertical-gate (3DVG) NAND Flash with circuit-level techniques to overcome degradations in speed, yield, and reliability resulting from cross-layer process variations. The key enables include: (1) layer-aware program-verify-and-read (LA-PV&R), (2) layer-aware-bitline-precharge (LA-BP), and (3) a wave-propagation (WP) fail-bit detection (FBD) scheme. A fabricated 2-layer 3DVG NAND testchip confirms that proposed layer-aware schemes achieve different target cell-program-threshold-voltages (VTHP) in each layer and a 40% reduction in sensing-margin (SM) loss due to background-pattern-dependency (BPD), with less than 0.1% area penalty for a Gb-scale 3DVG NAND. The WP-FBD also achieves a 9+x increase in FBD speed.
Análisis de casos publicados del indicador EC1 del GRI en entes sin fines de lucro. Efectos de la vigencia de la RT36

El presente trabajo tiene por objeto analizar el contenido en la practica del indicador EC1 de la Guia de Reportes GRI, en entes sin fines de lucro. Para esto, se realizo un estudio empirico de reportes publicados en los que se observaron las formas de presentacion del indicador y sus particularidades. Las conclusiones demuestran que existe una significativa dispersion de formas, contenidos y conceptos que afecta la capacidad de este indicador de generar informacion verdaderamente util. El trabajo se completa con la vision de los autores en relacion a los avances y desafios que presenta el Estado de Valor Economico Generado y Distribuido incorporado por la Resolucion Tecnica No 36, en reemplazo del EC1.
Strong formulation of open-space initial boundary-value problems in the form of closed ones for compact waveguide transformers

The outcome of a search for efficient and correct ways for the truncation of the computational domain in direct numerical methods that are used for the electrodynamic analysis of complex waveguide junctions is presented. The relevant mathematical problem is resolved rigorously, both for two-dimensional scalar model problems and for three-dimensional vector problems. We describe briefly only one typical three-dimensional situation. The peculiarities associated with a change to the analysis of other similar three- and two-dimensional vector and scalar problems are also covered.