Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Rotary traveling wave oscillator frequency division at nanoscale technologies

Resonant clocking is an alternative to the traditional clock generation and network design which provides a low power, low skew solution for clock generation and distribution [1, 2, 4, 6, 7]. Rotary traveling wave oscillator (RTWO) [7] based resonant clocking technology is a particularly promising approach, which provides high frequency oscillation signals with rail-to-rail signal amplitude and multiple clock phases. However, the cost of a resonant oscillator, such as the power consumption and area overhead, grow rapidly along with the decrease of the target resonant frequency. Due to this inability to down-scale the naturally high frequency of resonant clocks, their application at lower frequencies remains limited. For instance, the resonant clocking implementation on AMD Piledriver chip [5] is only used at high frequencies, and the clock network is multiplexed off to be driven by a non-resonant clock source for lower frequency modes. The only prior work on resonant clock frequency division is in a USPTO-filed patent [3]. The patent [3] describes a circuitry for frequency division of the RTWO-based resonant clocking that uses the “spot-advancing” blocks (SABs) driven by multi-phases of the rotary clock. The circuitry of the spot-advancing block (SAB) is shown in Fig. 1, which is the core cell in the RTWO frequency divider. The SAB is composed of 6 transistors. When operation starts, the SABs advance a 1 value pulse from left to right through the Spot in port to the Spot out port. Suppose Spot out1 of SAB1 becomes 1, a connection is built between Clk2 and Spot mid2 in SAB2. When Spot mid2 discharged to Clk2 and become 0, a path is formed between Clk2 and Spot out2 in SAB2 meanwhile the path between Clk1 and Spot out1 in SAB1 is closed. When the Spot out2 of SAB2 becomes 1, it drives the Spot out1 of SAB1 (which is also
Threshold-voltage temperature drift in ion-implanted MOS transistors

Ion implantation has been widely employed to adjust the threshold voltage of MOS transistors made on low-conductivity substrates. However, the temperature variation of device characteristics associated with the ion implantation has not been fully understood. In this paper, an analysis of the effect of the ion implantation on the threshold-voltage drift is presented, and simple but accurate design equations for predicting the temperature coefficients of the threshold voltages of implanted devices relative to those of unimplanted devices are given. Experimental results from four basic types of devices exhibit close agreement with theory. The analysis presented here is directly applicable to the design of an on-chip NMOS voltage reference based on the threshold voltage difference due to the ion implantation.
User trust assessment: a new approach to combat deception

Deception is rapidly on the rise on the Internet, and email is the attack vector of choice for a broad array of attacks, including ransomware distribution, enterprise-facing cons, and mass-deployed phishing attacks. It is widely believed that this is due to the ubiquity of email and the limited extent to which relevant email security measures have been rolled out. The most troubling type of attack is the targeted attack, in which the attacker poses as somebody the intended victim knows. There are three common ways used by attackers to masquerade as somebody trusted: spoofing, look-alike domain attacks and display name attacks. We collectively refer to these as impersonation attacks.
Impact of Accounting Traditions, Ownership and Governance Structures on Financial Reporting by Italian Firms

Institutional differences across countries present special challenges to achieve uniformity or at least harmony in financial reporting across countries. We evaluate in this paper how accounting traditions, ownership and governance structures of Italian companies affect implementation of the European Union mandated International Financial Reporting Standards (IFRS) by Italian companies. This evaluation will enable investors, especially international investors, to have a better understanding of financial reporting by Italian companies and it will also highlight the problems and issues facing Italian companies to implement IFRS.
A design of high-performance pipelined architecture for H.264/AVC CAVLC decoder and low-power implementation

In this paper, we propose a highly efficient VLSI architecture for context-based adaptive variable-length coding (CAVLC) decoder. In multimedia data processing systems, the real-time processing requirement is the most critical problem and the only requirement that must be satisfied. Thus, an architecture which has a short processing time though a high throughput, can meet the requirement at low operating frequencies. Consequently, the architecture can have an advantage of low power consumption. We propose two methods to improve the throughput of CAVLC decoders. The first method eliminates the pipeline hazard in a pipelined architecture for CAVLC decoder. The second method expands the capacity of the barrel shifter. Experimental results show that the proposed architecture can improve throughput by about 45%. As a result, the proposed architecture greatly reduces the operating frequency for real-time processing, which is the key factor of reducing power consumption. The synthesis result shows that the design achieves the maximum operating frequency at 125 MHz, and the hardware cost is about 12.6 K under a 0.18 um CMOS process.
Occlusal stabilization appliances. Evidence of their efficacy.

BACKGROUND There is substantial controversy regarding the value of occlusal appliances for managing temporomandibular joint disorders. This article specifically assesses whether the evidence is sufficient to judge occlusal appliances as being efficacious for the management of localized masticatory myalgia, arthralgia or both. A major confounder is that few studies have measured or evaluated whether subjects had strong, ongoing parafunctional activity (such as clenching or grinding) and whether appliances influenced this behavior. LITERATURE REVIEWED The authors evaluated four placebo-controlled studies, several randomized wait-list controlled studies and several random-assignment treatment-comparison studies. Data from the wait-list condition studies vs. those from the occlusal appliance condition studies consistently suggested that the latter treatment's effect on patient symptom level is far more than that of no treatment on a wait-list group's condition. In contrast, the studies on placebo-controlled vs. occlusal appliance studies yielded a mix of data: two showed a positive benefit of occlusal vs. nonoccluding appliances, and two showed a null effect or no difference. CONCLUSIONS Considering all of the available data (pro and con), the authors conclude that the use of occlusal appliances in managing localized masticatory myalgia, arthralgia or both is sufficiently supported by evidence in the literature. CLINICAL IMPLICATIONS The mechanism of action by which occlusal appliances affect localized myalgia and arthralgia probably is behavioral modification of jaw clenching. However, if the behavior continues unabated, even the best splint will not work.
Elucidation of a specific binding site for angiotensin II(3-8), angiotensin IV, in mammalian heart membranes.

Data are presented describing a new angiotensin binding site in rabbit and guinea pig heart, distinct from AT1 and AT2, that demonstrates high specificity and affinity for the hexapeptide fragment angiotensin II(3-8), which will be referred to here as angiotensin IV (AIV). Equilibrium binding in rabbit heart membranes was achieved in 2 hr at 37 degrees C and produced a calculated kinetic KD of . 174 +/- . 018 nM. Saturation equilibrium binding data for rabbit and guinea pig heart were best fit to a one-site model with Hill coefficients near unity. Guinea pig membranes exhibited a KD = 1.33 +/- . 02 nM and a Bmax = 144 +/- 19 fmol/mg protein, and rabbit heart membranes had a KD = 1.70 +/- . 50 nM and a Bmax = 731 +/- 163 fmol/mg protein. The binding site showed a high specificity for AIV, although it exhibited low affinity for angiotensin II, angiotensin III, Sar1,Ile8-angiotensin II, DuP 753, CGP42112A and PD123177. A large number of nonangiotensin-related peptides were unable to compete effectively for 125I-AIV binding. Deletions made from the C-terminal end of AIV caused a decrease in affinity: AIV > AII(3-7) >> AII(3-6) >> AII(3-5). Extension of the C-terminal end of AIV corresponding to the amino acids of human angiotensinogen caused little change in affinity. GTP gamma S had no effect on binding, suggesting non-G protein linkage. Binding was widely distributed throughout the heart; it was observed on cardiocytes and blood vessels as well as in the epicardium and the endocardium.
Ovarian Steroid and Growth Factor Regulation of Female Reproductive Function Involves Modification of Hypothalamic α1‐Adrenoceptor Signaling

Abstract: The ovarian steroids estradiol (E2) and progesterone (P) act on target neurons in the hypothalamus and preoptic area to coordinate the expression of female reproductive behaviors with the timing of the preovulatory luteinizing hormone (LH) surge. This chapter will summarize evidence that E2 and P facilitation of the receptive component of female reproductive behavior, lordosis, involves changes in both the expression of and intracellular signal transduction pathways engaged by α1‐adrenergic receptors in the hypothalamus and preoptic area. The α1‐adrenoceptors are thought to mediate the facilitatory effects of the catecholamine neurotransmitter norepinephrine on both lordosis behavior and LH release. E2 first induces the expression of the α1B‐adrenergic receptor subtype in the hypothalamus and preoptic area. P then acts in an E2‐dependent manner to promote linkage of hypothalamic α1‐adrenoceptors to an intracellular signaling pathway involving nitric oxide and cyclic GMP. This chapter will also describe recent findings that implicate brain insulin‐like growth factor‐I (IGF‐I) receptors as obligatory co‐mediators of hormonal regulation of hypothalamic α1‐adrenoceptors and female neuroendocrine function. Additional studies suggest that E2 and IGF‐I facilitate lordosis behavior by activating kinases traditionally associated with growth factor signal transduction (mitogen‐activated protein kinases and phosphatidlyinositol‐3‐kinases). These molecular events are proposed to help coordinate the timing of ovulation with the expression of sexual receptivity, thereby maximizing reproductive success.
When a school offers hope: An initial report of research in a special school for behaviour disordered students

This paper reports the first findings of an ethnographic research and evaluation project undertaken over two years in a school for behaviour disordered students in Sydney. These students are at-risk of school exclusion, and have frequently experienced short-term exclusion from more than one school. The John Berne School is the only such school within the Catholic system, and it is privately run by a Catholic Religious Order. This paper reports the experiences and cognitions of a graduating class of students, Yr 1
Genetics of Parkinson’s disease and parkinsonism

The past 10 years has seen a shift in our etiological concepts of Parkinson’s disease, moving from a nearly exclusively environmentally mediated disease towards a complex disorder with important genetic contributors. The identification of responsible mutations in certain genes, particularly α-synuclein, Parkin, PINK1, DJ-1 and LRRK2, has increased our understanding of the clinical and pathological changes underlying Parkinson’s disease, with implications for patient diagnosis, management and future research. This review will outline the specific genetic advances, discuss their implications for clinical practice and hint at future directions for research into this common and disabling disease.
A user's guide to nonlinear optimization algorithms

The purpose of this paper is to provide a user's introduction to the basic ideas currently favored in nonlinear optimization routines by numerical analysts. The primary focus will be on the unconstrained problem because the main ideas are much more settled. Although this is not a paper about nonlinear least squares, the rich structure of this important practical problem makes it a convenient example to illustrate the ideas we will discuss. We will make most use of this example in the first three sections which deal with the helpful concept of a local modeling technique and the attendant local convergence analysis. Stress will be put on ways used to improve a poor initial solution estimate, since this is one of the keys to choosing the most suitable routine for a particular application. This material is covered in the rather long Section IV. The discussion of the constrained problem in Section V will be a brief outline of the current issues involved in deciding what algorithms to implement. Section VI is devoted to some concluding remarks including sparse comments on large problems.
Adult Transitions to Learning in the USA: What Do PIAAC Survey Results Tell Us?

This project has been funded by the American Institutes for Research through a contract with the National Center for Education Statistics (NCES) of the U.S. Department of Education. This report is based on PIAAC data released in October 2013. The views expressed in this paper do not necessarily reflect the views or policies of the American Institutes for Research, National Center for Education Statistics, or the U.S. Department of Education, nor does mention of trade names, commercial products, or organizations imply endorsement of same by the U.S. Government. Suggested Citation: Patterson M. B. and Paulson U. G. (2015). Adult Transitions to Learning in the USA: What Do PIAAC Survey Results Tell Us? Retrieved [insert date], from [insert website].
A robust Lane Detection and Tracking System based on Bayesian State Estimation Master ’ s Thesis

Lane recognition is one of the essential components of modern driver assistance systems. It enables the system to form a comprehensive ”understanding”of the current situation, on which further decisions are based. Lane recognition is best performed by vision systems and is composed of two parts. The first detects the lane in the image and the second tracks the detected lane in time-domain. The combination of these comprises a challenging task in terms of image processing and non-linear state estimation. There are two approaches which are commonly used for tracking algorithms in image processing: Kalman filtering and Particle filtering. This project focused on Particle filtering for two reasons; firstly, Particle filtering is an approximation of an optimal non-linear estimator, whereas Kalman filtering is an optimal linear estimator which approximates a non-linear system. The second reason is that Particle filtering is able to introduce non-Gaussian measurement likelihoods. Both of these reasons, make Particle filtering the better choice for dealing with the estimation problem of LDT algorithms. Its barrier to widespread application so far has been the high computation power that is needed to run the system in real-time. Fortunately, with steadily increasing computer hardware performance, this barrier is diminishing, and Particle filtering is gaining more and more significance in state estimation. In this thesis work a robust lane detection and tracking (LDT) algorithm for highway applications was designed and successfully implemented. The Particle filter design is supported by a detailed description of the mathematical background, which points out the connections between the background and the LDT implementation. In addition, the major implementation issues of Particle filters in general and the ways these affect the LDT algorithm are discussed. Finally, the algorithm accuracy and performance is analyzed and illustrated to demonstrate the possibility of using Particle filtering for realtime LDT algorithms.
An algorithm of Association Rules for exploring defects of college teaching

The teaching appraisal must be done every semester in most of the universities. There are large amounts of data accumulated. In order to find out the relevance between individual background of a teacher and his teaching performance, this thesis introduces an algorithm based on multidimensional Association Rules Mining, which has explored teaching defects when there are the individual differences and use the verdict to guide teachers' work.
Management of patients with low-risk papillary thyroid carcinoma.

OBJECTIVE To define a rational, cost-effective, simple approach to managing most patients with papillary thyroid cancer (PTC) who are at low-risk of either cause-specific mortality or tumor recurrence. METHODS Taking advantage of the collective experience of a cohort of 2512 patients with PTC who had initial definitive treatment at the Mayo Clinic in Rochester, Minnesota, between 1940 and 2000, a 5-step approach to the management of low-risk PTC has been devised. This program is based on appropriate preoperative ultrasound localization of neck disease and potentially curative surgery consisting of near-total or total thyroidectomy, with appropriate neck nodal exploration and resection. RESULTS The emphasis of the present program is on the extent of initial surgery, where optimal care is ascribed to a near-total thyroidectomy with curative intent and appropriate neck nodal resection as predicated by appropriate preoperative ultrasonography evaluation of regional lymph nodes. Radioiodine remnant ablation (RRA) is not applicable to patients with PTC who are defined on the day of definitive initial surgery to be at low risk as defined by a metastasis, age, completeness of resection, invasion, and size (MACIS) score of less than 6. CONCLUSION The outlook for patients with low-risk PTC is very optimistic, with rates at 30 postoperative years of only 1% for cause-specific mortality and less than 15% for tumor recurrence at any site. The long-term results obtained by potentially curative bilateral resection, appropriate regional lymph nodal excision, and selective use of RRA are excellent. Realistically improving these acceptably low rates for cause-specific mortality and tumor recurrence may be difficult.
The P300: Where in the Brain Is It Produced and What Does It Tell Us?

Intracranial recordings, lesion studies, and the combination of functional imaging with source analysis have produced a solid body of evidence about the generators of the P300 event-related potential. Although it is impossible to square all findings obtained across and within methodologies, a consistent pattern of generators has emerged, with target-related responses in the parietal cortex and the cingulate and novelty-related activations mainly in the inferior parietal and prefrontal regions. Stimulus modality-specific contributions come from the inferior temporal and superior parietal cortex for the visual and from the superior temporal cortex for the auditory modality. The P300 continues to be an important signature of cognitive processes such as attention and working memory and of its dysfunction in neurologic and mental disorders. It is increasingly being investigated as a potential genetic marker of mental disorders. Knowledge about the generators of the P300 will be crucial for a better understanding of its cognitive significance and its continuing clinical application.
Steroid Sparing with Tacrolimus and Mycophenolate Mofetil in Renal Transplantation

Evidence suggests that steroid sparing in renal transplantation is associated with good outcomes, although there are limited data regarding steroid sparing in Tacrolimus and Mycophenolate Mofetil (MMF)‐based regimes. In this study we describe the use of these agents in 101 consecutive patients undergoing renal transplantation using only a 7‐day course of prednisolone.
Treatment of sleep problems in families with small children: is written information enough?

The aim of this study was to evaluate a standardized sleep programme, i.e. a two‐step variation of graduated extinction, where the child is first taught to fall asleep by him/herself at bedtime (first intervention) and 2 wk later also after night wakings (second intervention). The outcome after consultations with a therapist followed by telephone support during both interventions was compared with the outcome after giving written information only during the first intervention and therapist support during the second. A total of 67 families with infants exhibiting spontaneous awakening and crying episodes during the night were randomly assigned to either programme. There were no significant differences in terms of outcome between the two groups. In both groups the number of registered night wakings decreased immediately following the first intervention. At registration, at 1 mo and 3 mo later, all parents, with the exception of one couple at the 3‐mo follow‐up, reported that the sleep problem had improved.
Prognostic value of platelet indices as determined by ADVIA 120 in patients suspected of having disseminated intravascular coagulation

Recent technological advances have made it possible to record a variety of platelet indices using automated hematology analyzers. Disseminated intravascular coagulation (DIC) is associated with the dramatic hemostasis activation, with evidence of fibrin formation and platelet consumption. We investigated the prognostic significance of platelet indices as measured by ADVIA in 222 patients suspected of having DIC. The presence of overt DIC was defined using the scoring system of the International Society of Thrombosis and Haemostasis Subcommittee. Twenty‐eight day hospital mortality was used as a clinical prognosis parameter. Median platelet count and platelet‐crit (PCT) levels markedly decreased in nonsurvivors, whereas mean platelet volume (MPV), platelet component distribution width (PCDW) and platelet dry mass distribution width (PMDW) were significantly increased in nonsurvivors. In terms of ROC analysis, which was conducted to predict 28‐day mortality, areas under the receiver operating characteristic curve (AUC) were; 0.73 platelet count, 0.72 for PCT, 0.69 for PCDW, 0.65 for PMDW and 0.61 for MPV. The odds ratio of a reduced platelet count for the relative risk of 28‐day mortality was 5.249 (95% CI: 2.399–11.486), and the odds ratio for PCDW was 3.240 and for PMDW 3.262. Among these indices, platelet count, PCDW and PMDW were found to be more predictive of 28‐day hospital mortality. Our results suggest that these indices may provide prognostic information on hospital mortality in the patients suspected of having DIC.
Effects of common agricultural tasks on measures of hearing loss.

BACKGROUND Among agricultural populations, hearing loss caused by excessive noise exposure is common. However, examinations of associations between exposure to agricultural tasks and hearing loss are limited. METHODS Audiometry and lifetime exposure to 11 agricultural tasks were analyzed among 1,568 participants. Gender stratified multivariable linear regression was used to estimate associations between exposure duration and three hearing loss metrics. RESULTS Among men, significant associations were observed between hearing loss and hunting or target shooting, all-terrain vehicle (ATV) or motorcycle riding, chain saw use, electric or pneumatic tool use, living on a farm, and all agricultural tasks combined. When all significant exposure metrics were included in a single model, associations remained for hunting or target shooting, electric or pneumatic tool use and living on a farm. Significant associations were sparse among women, and in all cases paradoxical. CONCLUSIONS Despite imprecise estimation of noise exposure, specific agricultural tasks were associated with hearing loss.