Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Electro-Thermal Design of a Heat Pipe Based High Power Voltage Source Converter Using Emitter Turn-Off Thyristor

Flexible AC transmission system (FACTS) applications are gaining more popularity and have been given a great impetus by the development of multilevel converters for high power applications. In this paper, a high power modular voltage source converter (VSC) is developed based on the newly developed emitter turn-off thyristor (ETO). In order to achieve this modular functionality, heat pipes are used as the cooling system, replacing the traditional water based cooling method. Through the use of non-isolated heat pipes, we can avoid the electrical isolation issue of cooling system in high voltage FACTS application. The heat pipe also helps to increase the VSCs power density and reliability by reducing the amount of pipes used and reduction of components counts. The hardware configuration, thermal calculation as well as component selection and design are presented in this paper
Role of Oxidative Stress in the Neurocognitive Dysfunction of Obstructive Sleep Apnea Syndrome

Obstructive sleep apnea syndrome (OSAS) is characterized by chronic nocturnal intermittent hypoxia and sleep fragmentations. Neurocognitive dysfunction, a significant and extraordinary complication of OSAS, influences patients' career, family, and social life and reduces quality of life to some extent. Previous researches revealed that repetitive hypoxia and reoxygenation caused mitochondria and endoplasmic reticulum dysfunction, overactivated NADPH oxidase, xanthine oxidase, and uncoupling nitric oxide synthase, induced an imbalance between prooxidants and antioxidants, and then got rise to a series of oxidative stress (OS) responses, such as protein oxidation, lipid peroxidation, and DNA oxidation along with inflammatory reaction. OS in brain could trigger neuron injury especially in the hippocampus and cerebral cortex regions. Those two regions are fairly susceptible to hypoxia and oxidative stress production which could consequently result in cognitive dysfunction. Apart from continuous positive airway pressure (CPAP), antioxidant may be a promising therapeutic method to improve partially reversible neurocognitive function. Understanding the role that OS played in the cognitive deficits is crucial for future research and therapeutic strategy development. In this paper, recent important literature concerning the relationship between oxidative stress and cognitive impairment in OSAS will be summarized and the results can provide a rewarding overview for future breakthrough in this field.
Physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of Korean traditional alcoholic beverage, yakju, enriched with mulberry.

UNLABELLED Mulberry fruits (Morus alba L.), rich in health beneficial compounds such as polyphenols, flavonoids, and anthocyananis, have traditionally been used as nutritional foodstuffs and fork medicines. In this study, physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage ``yakju'' enriched with mulberry were evaluated. The beverage was enriched with smoothies prepared from Korean mulberry cultivars of Cheongilppong (CP), Suwonppong (SP), and Daesungppong (DP). In comparison to the control, an increase in alcohol content and total acidity and a decrease in sugar level in yakju enriched with mulberry were observed during 15 d of fermentation. The total polyphenol and total flavonoid content increased in the following order: DP yakju > SP yakju > CP yakju > control yakju. In contrast, the anthocyanin content decreased during the fermentation periods. The trans-resveratrol content of mulberry yakju increased during the fermentation and the resveratrol content of DP yakju (0.24 mg/L) was significantly higher than that of SP yakju (0.21 mg/L) and CP yakju (0.14 mg/L) on the 15th day of fermentation (P < 0.05). The antioxidant activities of mulberry yakju, which was assessed using the 1,1-diphenyl-2-picryl hydrazyl (DPPH), 2,2'-azino-bis-(3-ethylbenozothiazoline-6-sulfonic acid) (ABTS), ferric reducing antioxidant power (FRAP), and reducing power assays, decreased during the 1st day of fermentation and increased into thereafter. The increase in antioxidant activities of mulberry yakju might have been affected primarily by the total flavonoid and total polyphenol content with increasing alcohol concentration, as a good extractor, during the fermentation; however, the antioxidant activities may have also been affected by the total anthocyanin content up to the 1st day of fermentation. PRACTICAL APPLICATION The physicochemical properties and antioxidant activities of a traditional Korean alcoholic beverage ``yakju'' enriched with mulberry were investigated. This analysis is important for the potential applications of mulberry yakju as functional alcoholic drinks.
Dramatic improvement of penile venous leakage upon testosterone administration. A case report and review of literature

The main effect of testosterone was long‐time assumed to be on sexual interest and, indirectly, on erectile function. Newer insights demonstrate that testosterone deficiency impairs the anatomical, ultrastructural, biological and physiological/functional substrate of penile erection, which can be, at least in part, restored by normalization of plasma testosterone levels. This is a report on a 56‐year‐old man suffering from diabetes mellitus type II and metabolic syndrome, who had complaints of a severe erectile dysfunction because of venous leakage, confirmed by pharmaco‐cavernosography. He was also testosterone deficient (1.8 ng ml−1). Upon testosterone administration his erectile function improved dramatically. Repeated cavernosography no longer showed venous leakage.
Role of microRNA Pathway in Mental Retardation

Deficits in cognitive functions lead to mental retardation (MR). Understanding the genetic basis of inherited MR has provided insights into the pathogenesis of MR. Fragile X syndrome is one of the most common forms of inherited MR, caused by the loss of functional Fragile X Mental Retardation Protein (FMRP). MicroRNAs (miRNAs) are endogenous, single-stranded RNAs between 18 and 25 nucleotides in length, which have been implicated in diversified biological pathways. Recent studies have linked the miRNA pathway to fragile X syndrome. Here we review the role of the miRNA pathway in fragile X syndrome and discuss its implication in MR in general.
Social Representations in the Paradigm of Vocational Education

This research is part of a PhD research in education. The qualitative approach to research was the analysis of narrative discourse of school directors developed through the program QSR NUD*IST Vivo (Qualitative Solutions and Research – Non-numerical Unstructured Data Indexing and Theorizing). The results of this research allowed the development of an analytical model of social representations, with an approach to social and cultural capital of vocational education in both countries of southern Europe, Portugal and Spain. Building on the cultural habitus it was possible to identify a social structure in the data, and therefore create archetypes models of social representations.
Autism occurrence by MMR vaccine status among US children with older siblings with and without autism.

IMPORTANCE Despite research showing no link between the measles-mumps-rubella (MMR) vaccine and autism spectrum disorders (ASD), beliefs that the vaccine causes autism persist, leading to lower vaccination levels. Parents who already have a child with ASD may be especially wary of vaccinations. OBJECTIVE To report ASD occurrence by MMR vaccine status in a large sample of US children who have older siblings with and without ASD. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS A retrospective cohort study using an administrative claims database associated with a large commercial health plan. Participants included children continuously enrolled in the health plan from birth to at least 5 years of age during 2001-2012 who also had an older sibling continuously enrolled for at least 6 months between 1997 and 2012. EXPOSURES MMR vaccine receipt (0, 1, 2 doses) between birth and 5 years of age. MAIN OUTCOMES AND MEASURES ASD status defined as 2 claims with a diagnosis code in any position for autistic disorder or other specified pervasive developmental disorder (PDD) including Asperger syndrome, or unspecified PDD (International Classification of Diseases, Ninth Revision, Clinical Modification 299.0x, 299.8x, 299.9x). RESULTS Of 95,727 children with older siblings, 994 (1.04%) were diagnosed with ASD and 1929 (2.01%) had an older sibling with ASD. Of those with older siblings with ASD, 134 (6.9%) had ASD, vs 860 (0.9%) children with unaffected siblings (P < .001). MMR vaccination rates (≥1 dose) were 84% (n = 78,564) at age 2 years and 92% (n = 86,063) at age 5 years for children with unaffected older siblings, vs 73% (n = 1409) at age 2 years and 86% (n = 1660) at age 5 years for children with affected siblings. MMR vaccine receipt was not associated with an increased risk of ASD at any age. For children with older siblings with ASD, at age 2, the adjusted relative risk (RR) of ASD for 1 dose of MMR vaccine vs no vaccine was 0.76 (95% CI, 0.49-1.18; P = .22), and at age 5, the RR of ASD for 2 doses compared with no vaccine was 0.56 (95% CI, 0.31-1.01; P = .052). For children whose older siblings did not have ASD, at age 2, the adjusted RR of ASD for 1 dose was 0.91 (95% CI, 0.67-1.20; P = .50) and at age 5, the RR of ASD for 2 doses was 1.12 (95% CI, 0.78-1.59; P = .55). CONCLUSIONS AND RELEVANCE In this large sample of privately insured children with older siblings, receipt of the MMR vaccine was not associated with increased risk of ASD, regardless of whether older siblings had ASD. These findings indicate no harmful association between MMR vaccine receipt and ASD even among children already at higher risk for ASD.
Analysis of Acoustic Features for Automated Multi-Track Mixing

The capability of the average person to generate digital music content has rapidly expanded over the past several decades. While the mechanics of creating a multi-track recording are relatively straightforward, using the available tools to create professional quality work requires substantial training and experience. We address one of the most fundamental processes to creating a finished product, namely determining the relative gain levels of each track to produce a final, mixed song. By modeling the time-varying mixing coefficients with a linear dynamical system, we train models that predict a weight vector for a given instrument using features extracted from the audio content of all of the tracks.
Myogenic Basic Helix-Loop-Helix Proteins and Sp1 Interact as Components of a Multiprotein Transcriptional Complex Required for Activity of the Human Cardiac α-Actin Promoter

ABSTRACT Activation of the human cardiac α-actin (HCA) promoter in skeletal muscle cells requires the integrity of DNA binding sites for the serum response factor (SRF), Sp1, and the myogenic basic helix-loop-helix (bHLH) family. In this study we report that activation of the HCA correlates with formation of a muscle-specific multiprotein complex on the promoter. We provide evidence that proteins eluted from the multiprotein complex specifically react with antibodies directed against myogenin, Sp1, and SRF and that the complex can be assembled in vitro by using the HCA promoter and purified MyoD, E12, SRF, and Sp1. In vitro and in vivo assays revealed a direct association of Sp1 and myogenin-MyoD mediated by the DNA-binding domain of Sp1 and the HLH motif of myogenin. The results obtained in this study indicate that protein-protein interactions and the cooperative DNA binding of transcriptional activators are critical steps in the formation of a transcriptionally productive multiprotein complex on the HCA promoter and suggest that the same mechanisms might be utilized to regulate the transcription of muscle-specific and other genes.
Nonresponse to reinstituted lithium prophylaxis in previously responsive bipolar patients: prevalence and predictors.

OBJECTIVE The authors explored the prevalence and predictors of nonresponse to reinstituted lithium prophylaxis in bipolar patients who had relapsed after discontinuation of successful lithium treatment. METHOD The study was conducted with 54 bipolar patients for whom lithium had been reintroduced after one or more recurrences following discontinuation of successful prophylaxis. They were followed up, through bimonthly personal interviews, for 1 year after recovery from the episode during which lithium treatment had been resumed, or up to the first recurrence with onset after lithium reinstitution. RESULTS During the follow-up period, 44 patients did not have any affective episodes, whereas 10 had at least one recurrence. The only significant difference between the two patient groups was the longer duration of prediscontinuation lithium treatment for the patients who relapsed. CONCLUSIONS Nonresponse to reinstituted prophylaxis should be considered among the possible risks of the interruption of effective long-term lithium treatment.
Cardiovascular risk and inhibition of cyclooxygenase: a systematic review of the observational studies of selective and nonselective inhibitors of cyclooxygenase 2.

CONTEXT Evidence that rofecoxib increases the risk of myocardial infarction has led to scrutiny of other nonsteroidal anti-inflammatory drugs (NSAIDs). Regulatory agencies have provided variable advice regarding the cardiovascular risks with older nonselective NSAIDs. OBJECTIVE To undertake a systematic review and meta-analysis of controlled observational studies to compare the risks of serious cardiovascular events with individual NSAIDs and cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors. DATA SOURCES Searches were conducted of electronic databases (1985-2006), scientific meeting proceedings, epidemiological research Web sites, and bibliographies of eligible studies. STUDY SELECTION Eligible studies were of case-control or cohort design, reported on cardiovascular events (predominantly myocardial infarction) with cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitor, NSAID use, or both with nonuse/remote use of the drugs as the reference exposure. Of 7086 potentially eligible titles, 17 case-control and 6 cohort studies were included. Thirteen studies reported on cyclooxygenase 2 inhibitors, 23 on NSAIDs, and 13 on both groups of drugs. DATA EXTRACTION Two people independently extracted data and assessed study quality with disagreements resolved by consensus. DATA SYNTHESIS Data were combined using a random-effects model. A dose-related risk was evident with rofecoxib, summary relative risk with 25 mg/d or less, 1.33 (95% confidence interval [CI], 1.00-1.79) and 2.19 (95% CI, 1.64-2.91) with more than 25 mg/d. The risk was elevated during the first month of treatment. Celecoxib was not associated with an elevated risk of vascular occlusion, summary relative risk 1.06 (95% CI, 0.91-1.23). Among older nonselective drugs, diclofenac had the highest risk with a summary relative risk of 1.40 (95% CI, 1.16-1.70). The other drugs had summary relative risks close to 1: naproxen, 0.97 (95% CI, 0.87-1.07); piroxicam, 1.06 (95% CI, 0.70-1.59); and ibuprofen, 1.07 (95% CI, 0.97-1.18). CONCLUSIONS This review confirms the findings from randomized trials regarding the risk of cardiovascular events with rofecoxib and suggests that celecoxib in commonly used doses may not increase the risk, contradicts claims of a protective effect of naproxen, and raises serious questions about the safety of diclofenac, an older drug.
Measurement of glucose by using modulating ultrasound with optical technique in normal and diabetic human blood serum

This paper describes the effect of various glucose concentrations in normal and diabetic human blood serums mixed with intralipid phantoms. Amplitude modulated ultrasound and infrared techniques were utilized here. Modulated ultrasound causes signature specific molecular vibrations through the area of its propagation. The infrared light of specific wavelength is used here to detect the target glucose molecules. The infrared photo sensor detects the resultant signal and undergoes series of signal processing steps to yield the output value. The trend obtained from the result indicates that human diabetic blood serum occupies highest peak values in Fast Fourier Transform domain as compared to the normal human blood serum peak values. The proposed method provides a new dimension for noninvasive blood glucose measurement techniques. Noninvasive method for blood glucose detection is the need of hour. Tight control regimen with noninvasive glucometer will change the way of living of the diabetes affected population.
Selective Escape from CD8+ T-Cell Responses Represents a Major Driving Force of Human Immunodeficiency Virus Type 1 (HIV-1) Sequence Diversity and Reveals Constraints on HIV-1 Evolution

ABSTRACT The sequence diversity of human immunodeficiency virus type 1 (HIV-1) represents a major obstacle to the development of an effective vaccine, yet the forces impacting the evolution of this pathogen remain unclear. To address this issue we assessed the relationship between genome-wide viral evolution and adaptive CD8+ T-cell responses in four clade B virus-infected patients studied longitudinally for as long as 5 years after acute infection. Of the 98 amino acid mutations identified in nonenvelope antigens, 53% were associated with detectable CD8+ T-cell responses, indicative of positive selective immune pressures. An additional 18% of amino acid mutations represented substitutions toward common clade B consensus sequence residues, nine of which were strongly associated with HLA class I alleles not expressed by the subjects and thus indicative of reversions of transmitted CD8 escape mutations. Thus, nearly two-thirds of all mutations were attributable to CD8+ T-cell selective pressures. A closer examination of CD8 escape mutations in additional persons with chronic disease indicated that not only did immune pressures frequently result in selection of identical amino acid substitutions in mutating epitopes, but mutating residues also correlated with highly polymorphic sites in both clade B and C viruses. These data indicate a dominant role for cellular immune selective pressures in driving both individual and global HIV-1 evolution. The stereotypic nature of acquired mutations provides support for biochemical constraints limiting HIV-1 evolution and for the impact of CD8 escape mutations on viral fitness.
Creative Innovation: Possible Brain Mechanisms

This article reviews and develops some theories about the neurobiological basis of creative innovation (CI). CI is defined as the ability to understand and express novel orderly relationships. A high level of general intelligence, domain-specific knowledge and special skills are necessary components of creativity. Specialized knowledge is stored in specific portions of the temporal and parietal lobes. Some anatomic studies suggest that talented people might have alterations of specific regions of the posterior neocortical architecture, but further systematic studies are needed. Intelligence, knowledge and special skills, however, are not sufficient for CI. Developing alternative solutions or divergent thinking has been posited to be a critical element of CI, and clinical as well as functional imaging studies suggest that the frontal lobes are important for these activities. The frontal lobes have strong connections with the polymodal and supramodal regions of the temporal and parietal lobes where concepts and knowledge are stored. These connections might selectively inhibit and activate portions of posterior neocortex and thus be important for developing alternative solutions. Although extensive knowledge and divergent thinking together are critical for creativity they alone are insufficient for allowing a person to find the thread that unites. Finding this thread might require the binding of different forms of knowledge, stored in separate cortical modules that have not been previously associated. Thus, CI might require the co-activation and communication between regions of the brain that ordinarily are not strongly connected. The observations that CI often occurs during levels of low arousal and that many people with depression are creative suggests that alterations of neurotransmitters such as norepinephrine might be important in CI. High levels of norepinephrine, produced by high rates of locus coeruleus firing, restrict the breadth of concept representations and increase the signal to noise ratio, but low levels of norepinephrine shift the brain toward intrinsic neuronal activation with an increase in the size of distributed concept representations and co-activation across modular networks. In addition to being important in divergent thinking, the frontal lobes are also the primary cortical region that controls the locus coeruleus-norepinephrine system. Thus creative people may be endowed with brains that are capable of storing extensive specialized knowledge in their temporoparietal cortex, be capable of frontal mediated divergent thinking and have a special ability to modulate the frontal lobe-locus coeruleus (norepinephrine) system, such that during creative innovation cerebral levels of norepinephrine diminish, leading to the discovery of novel orderly relationships.
Lack of association between hippocampal volume reduction and first-onset alcohol withdrawal seizure. A volumetric MRI study.

AIMS AND METHODS Magnetic resonance imaging (MRI) of the hippocampus has been extensively studied in both neurological and psychiatric disorders. Furthermore, hippocampal volume reductions on MRI have been reported in patients with chronic alcoholism. The present volumetric MRI study was undertaken to determine whether an association exists between hippocampal volume reduction and first-onset alcohol withdrawal seizure. Until recently, no data as to whether hippocampal volume reductions in alcoholics might serve as a predictor of withdrawal seizures were available. RESULTS We found the average hippocampal volumes measured by high resolution MRI to be significantly reduced in 52 alcoholics compared with 30 healthy controls. Besides a decrease of hippocampal volume in patients with chronic alcoholism, we could not find any significant correlation between the occurrence of seizures during alcohol withdrawal and the amount of hippocampal volume reduction in these patients. CONCLUSIONS Thus, the alcoholism-related atrophy within the hippocampal formation in patients suffering from chronic alcoholism does not seem to be the source of convulsive activity in these patients. Neither does the amount of atrophy allow the occurrence of first-onset withdrawal seizures to be predicted.
Optimizing sleep to maximize performance: implications and recommendations for elite athletes

Despite a growing body of literature demonstrating a positive relationship between sleep and optimal performance, athletes often have low sleep quality and quantity. Insufficient sleep among athletes may be due to scheduling constraints and the low priority of sleep relative to other training demands, as well as a lack of awareness of the role of sleep in optimizing athletic performance. Domains of athletic performance (e.g., speed and endurance), neurocognitive function (e.g., attention and memory), and physical health (e.g., illness and injury risk, and weight maintenance) have all been shown to be negatively affected by insufficient sleep or experimentally modeled sleep restriction. However, healthy adults are notoriously poor at self‐assessing the magnitude of the impact of sleep loss, underscoring the need for increased awareness of the importance of sleep among both elite athletes and practitioners managing their care. Strategies to optimize sleep quality and quantity in athletes include approaches for expanding total sleep duration, improving sleep environment, and identifying potential sleep disorders.