Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Modelling of Dynamic Properties of Silicon Carbide Junction Field-Effect Transistors (JFETs)

The paper deals with the problem of modelling and analyzing the dynamic properties of a Junction Field Effect Transistor (JFET) made of silicon carbide. An examination of the usefulness of the built-in JFET Simulation Program with Integrated Circuit Emphasis (SPICE) model was performed. A modified model of silicon carbide JFET was proposed to increase modelling accuracy. An evaluation of the accuracy of the modified model was performed by comparison of the measured and calculated capacitance–voltage characteristics as well as the switching characteristics of JFETs.
Resveratrol improves systemic oxidative stress and lower urinary tract dysfunction in obese mice

Hypothesis / aims of study The polyphenol resveratrol is produced in plants and is present in many plant-based foods, such as grapes, peanuts, or berries. Preclinical studies have identified a number of mechanisms and targets by which resveratrol exert benefits against cardiovascular diseases, including vascular dysfunction, hypertension, inflammatory states, cardiac injury, platelet hyperaggregability and oxidative stress. In addition, resveratrol activates lipolysis in rat and human adipocytes, reduces white adipose tissue and liver lipogenic activity, increases liver fatty acid oxidation, and enhances brown adipose tissue and skeletal muscle thermogenesis (1).
Proposta do Uso de Múltiplos Recursos para o Ensino de Pensamento Computacional no Ensino Fundamental II: Um Relato de Experiência

As competências do Pensamento Computacional (PC) são essenciais nos dias de hoje. Existem diversas ferramentas e atividades que educadores podem usar para estimular o desenvolvimento destas habilidades. Este trabalho relata uma experiência de ensino do PC para 16 alunos do 6º ano do Ensino Fundamental. Segundo a percepção dos alunos, a experiência foi positiva e as ferramentas e atividades foram divertidas e fáceis de serem feitas e entendidas.
On the Silent Perturbation of State Estimation in Smart Grid

In this article, we address the problem of integrity of the state estimation in presence of a novel bad data injection threat. We consider persistent adversaries who inject attack vectors “silently,” i.e., they drift the results of the state estimation gradually in multiple steps, with each step bypassing the bad data detection step of state estimation. Prior works on the topic have shown how an adversary can bypass the bad data detection by constructing attack vectors as linear combinations of the column vectors of the measurement Jacobian matrix. We show here that the attack surface is much broader than implied by this assumption. We demonstrate our attack strategy using realistic load patterns from NYISO in the IEEE 14-bus system. We also propose a detection method that uses the expected energy of normalized residues and a paired t-test, and we show its effectiveness. The generality of the proposed attack and detection strategy implies that it can be used in other cyber-physical systems involving state estimation based on linearized state perturbation.
Vascular cognitive impairment and vascular dementia

In the developed world, five to ten percent of people older than 65 years have dementia. One fifth of dementia etiologies are due to vascular brain lesions (VaD – vascular dementia). A milder form is called vascular cognitive impairment (VCI). The main clinical criteria for VaD are: 1. cognitive decline verified with standardized cognitive test/scale, 2. evidence of the associated vascular brain lesion, 3. excluded reversible causes of cognitive decline. The main risk factors for VaD are age, atherosclerosis, diabetes and hypertension. They play a key role in pathogenesis of the cognitive impairment. Depending on the damaged brain region, different cognitive domains may be affected with or without other neurological signs. These diversities in the clinical picture challenge the correct diagnosis. Unique feature of VaD is its progression, which can be stopped, if patients receive an appropriate treatment. The treatment of VCI and VaD symptoms is similar to that in Alzheimer’s disease. More importantly, VCI may be slowed down or even stopped with proper secondary stroke prevention and good rehabilitation. The most efficient is primary stroke prevention with healthy lifestyle and treatment of acquired risk factors.
Implementation of a Pilot Parent-focused Physical Activity Program with Latino Families in a Head Start Program

Introduction and Background. Physical activity (PA), even at young age, is associated with physical and psychological health. This study determined the feasibility of implementing a parent-led PA intervention and evaluated potential outcomes. Methods. Parent-child pairs from a Head Start center were randomized into intervention (N=20) and control (N=18) groups. All families received a bag of play equipment. Parents completed questionnaires assessing their own and their children’s PA, as well as self-efficacy, social control (SC), and social support (SS) regarding their provision of PA to their children. Parents in the intervention were trained in self-regulatory skills, facilitation of PA, and attended two playdates. Parents rated the playdates, activity sheet and equipment on a 5-point Likert scale. Results. Parents rated the playdates (M=4.9, SD=0.3), the activity sheet (M=4.7, SD=0.7) and the equipment bag (M=5, SD=0.0) highly. Child’s PA, parent’s moderate-to-vigorous PA, total PA, parental efficacy, SC, and SS showed no significant intervention effects. Overall, child and parent PA increased significantly over time (p=.02 for both). Conclusions. The intervention was positively received, with 90% completion rate and high ratings of the intervention materials. Longer interventions with more contact may be needed to influence potential outcomes.
Process metrics for software defect prediction in object-oriented programs

Software evolution is an important activity in the life cycle of a modern software system. In the process of software evolution, the repair of historical defects and the increasing demands may introduce new defects. Therefore, evolution-oriented defect prediction has attracted much attention of researchers in recent years. At present, some researchers have proposed the process metrics to describe the characteristics of software evolution. However, compared with the traditional software defect prediction methods, the research on evolution-oriented defect prediction is still inadequate. Based on the evolution data of object-oriented programs, this study presented two new process metrics from the defect rates of historical packages and the change degree of classes. To show the effectiveness of the proposed process metrics, the authors made comparisons with the code metrics and other process metrics. An empirical study was conducted on 33 versions of nine open-source projects. The results showed that adding the proposed process metrics could improve the performance of evolution-oriented defect prediction effectively.
Personalized Medicine Phenytoin Therapy

Phenytoin is one of the antiepileptic drugs most widely prescribed. This drug has narrow therapeutic index, and often treated for a long time. Phenytoin was metabolized by CYP2C9 (major) and CYP2C19 (minor). The purpose of this review is to give a comprehensive understanding of the influence of genetic polymorphisms toward phenytoin response. The methods of review were searching through Pubmed with keywords pharmacogenetic, phenytoin and epileptic. We found 41 journals but only 19 met the criteria, namely: a. human subjects, b. discuss the impact of genetic responses phenytoin. The author adds 1 journal, 1 web (drug bank) and books so that became 22. Search results conclude that: the polymorphisms of genes of metabolizing enzyme (CYP) affect to the kinetic profile of phenytoin.
Pulmonary nontuberculous mycobacterial disease in Croatia

Objective: Epidemiology and clinical relevance of isolation of nontuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) in Croatia are largely unknown. We aimed to measure the isolation rate of NTM species obtained from pulmonary samples, record geographical differences, assess the clinical relevance of different NTM species, and burden of pulmonary NTM disease (PNTM). Methods: Retrospective analysis of all Croatian residents with NTM isolated in the period from 2006 through 2012. Microbiological and whole criteria of the American Thoracic Society (ATS) were used to establish a case definition of PNTM. Result: NTM species were isolated from 1613 individuals. The most frequently isolated NTM species were Mycobacterium gordonae and M. xenopi. Average annual incidence of NTM isolation was 3.9/100 000. M. avium (p<0.001) and M. xenopi (p<0.0001) were more frequent in coastal region, and M. gordonae (p<0.0001) and M. terrae (p<0.0005) in the continental region. We reviewed medical records for over 26% of all isolates and found good correlation between the microbiological and the whole ATS criteria. Most cases of PNTM were caused by M. xenopi and M. avium complex. We estimated the average annual incidence of PNTM at 0.32/100 000 in TORAKS 2014 - 4. kongres Hrvatskog torakalnog drustva Zagreb, 4 - 7. 6. 2014. the coastal and 0.16/100 000 in the continental region. The overall annual incidence of PNTM amounts to 0.22/100 000 which represents a four-fold increase compared to the previous 5 year period. The incidence of the PNTM increases with age, and in persons over 50 years amounts to 0.5/100 000. Of all symptoms and risk factors, only haemoptysis and low body mass index are significantly connected with PNTM compared to colonization of respiratory tract. Most commonly found co-morbidities in patients with PNTM are COPD, bronchiectasis and prior history of tuberculosis. In Croatia, nodular-bronchiectatic type of disease prevails over cavitary type, while treatment of PNTM significantly deviates from the ATS guidelines. Conclusion: The incidence of PNTM in Croatia is increasing, but overall burden of PNTM is still low compared to tuberculosis. Geography plays a role in NTM species distribution in Croatia, and the burden of the disease is higher in the coastal compared to the continental region. We found good correlation between the microbiological and the whole ATS criteria in the estimation of the PNTM incidence. There is a clear need to increase both knowledge and awareness about PNTM among respiratory physicians in Croatia.
Immune Thrombocytopenia Purpura (ITP) with Grave’s Disease, in a Plasmodium Vivax Positive Patient. A Case Report

Hyperthyroidism and thrombocytopenia have long been associated with each other. We present a case of 38 years old female presenting with complaints of bleeding from gums, bleeding per rectum, hematuria and easy bruising since 7 days ago. She also had a diffuse, non-tender neck swelling moving with deglutition and positive bruit on auscultation. Her laboratory results indicated thrombocytopenia (22 × 10^9/L) and her thyroid function test revealed TSH of 0.01 mIU/ml (normal: 0.17 - 4.05), free T3 of 19.19 pg/ml (normal: 1.6 - 3.7), free T4 of 4.09 ng/dl (normal: 0.89 - 1.79). Thyroid scan showed diffuse goiter with increased tracer uptake. Furthermore, her serum anti-thyroglobulin and anti-thyroid peroxide were elevated to 205 IU/ml and 713 IU/ml respectively. She was started on carbimazole and methylprednisolone immediately. On the 3rd day of admission, she was tested to be positive for Plasmodium Vivax after a fever spike and was started on Chloroquine (CQ) and later shifted to Primaquine (PQ). During 2 weeks of admission, her platelet count kept fluctuating between <10 × 10^9/L and <100 × 10^9/L with frequent transfusions of mega units of platelets. During 3rd week, her platelets improved and she was discharged with a platelet count of 370 × 10^9/L. This case, therefore, supports the association between autoimmune thyroid diseases such as Graves’ disease and idiopathic thrombocytopenic purpura (ITP) strongly suggesting the need for evaluating thyroid disease in cases of severe thrombocytopenia especially those refractory to treatment. Also, the effectiveness of treatment of thyroid disease on thrombocytopenia is also highlighted. In addition, it showed the possible added exacerbating effects of malarial infection on thrombocytopenia.
Humour in interaction and cognitive linguistics: critical review and convergence of approaches

Linguistic humour studies have been undertaken from different perspectives. The present paper offers a review of the most influential theories seeking synergies and convergence between them under the umbrella of cognitive linguistics, and, more specifically, resorting to Langacker’s (2001) current discourse space (CDS) as the overall framework which can accommodate and encompass those perspectives, along with Fauconnier and Turner’s (2003) Conceptual Integration Theory. A sketch of various theories is included (Raskin, 1985; Attardo, 1994; Coulson, 2005a; Veale, 2015, etc.), along with an analysis of points of convergence and similarities as the rationale for bringing them together against the backdrop of the CDS.
Teaching epidemiology and principles of infectious disease using popular media and the case of Typhoid Mary

Allied health students often struggle to understand how particular content, such as epidemiology, connects to their future careers. This activity uses the case of Typhoid Mary as a foundation for exploring epidemiology and infectious disease principles. Students utilize popular media (book, podcast, video) to look at both the scientific and social aspects of infection and public health. This approach provides students the opportunity to learn and engage with content while also discovering its importance in their future as health care professionals. Citation: Siegesmund, A. 2016. Teaching Epidemiology and Principles of Infectious Disease using Popular Media and the Case of Typhoid Mary. CourseSource. https://doi.org/10.24918/cs.2016. 19 Editor: Mary Mawn, SUNY Empire State College, Saratoga Springs, NY Received: 06/08/2015; Accepted: 02/05/2016; Published: 02/23/2016 Copyright: © 2016 Siegesmund. This is an open-access article distributed under the terms of the Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License, which permits unrestricted non-commercial use, distribution, and reproduction in any medium, provided the original author and source are
Phenotypic evaluation and gene expression analysis of metal homeostasis genes in barnyard millet (Echinochloa frumentaceae) lines

Barnyard millet, a versatile and multi-purpose crop, is nutritionally superior to other major cereals and it is known for the efficient accumulation of metals, mainly Fe. To study the phenotypic variation in different barnyard millet lines for selecting desirable phenotype with varying metal accumulation, a pot culture experiment was conducted with nineteen barnyard millet lines and screened at seedling, vegetative, flowering and maturity stages. The experiments were laid out in a completely randomized design with three replications. Out of nineteen lines screened, the increased plant height, total dry matter production, total chlorophyll content and nitrate reductase activity, was observed in the variety MDU1 and the performance of ACM-16-5 was comparatively lower. The results showed that performance of MDU1 and ACM-16-5 was significantly varied. Since, barnyard millet is an active accumulator Fe, gene expression study was carried out to unveil the transporters that are involved in Fe and Zn uptake and translocation at seedling and vegetative growth stages of MDU1, with rice (ASD16) as control. Of all six genes studied, the expression of NAS1, NAS2 and YSL2 in leaf of MDU1 at seedling and vegetative stages was variably expressed when compared to ASD16 and this could pave the way for enhanced metal uptake and its utilization in plant growth and development.
The effect of activating serotonergic neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus on control of vigilance state

Based on results from genetic, neuropharmacological and electrophysiological studies, serotonin (5-HT) neurons in the dorsal raphe nucleus (DRN) apparently function predominantly to promote wakefulness and inhibit REM sleep. However, the effects of 5-HT on sleep architecture are complicated and not fully understood. The present study focused on the specific contribution of DRN serotonergic neurons to vigilance state switch. We used an optogenetic approach, which allowed us to manipulate the activity of cell type-specific neuronal populations with high temporal and spatial precision in freely moving animals. Channelrhodopsin-2 (ChR2 [C128S]) is a 470nm blue light-sensitive cation channel, which evokes action potentials in targeted cells under photostimulation. ChR2 was incorporated into central 5-HT neurons by breeding Tph2-tTA and tetO-ChR2 (C128S)/EYFP mice (Tanaka et al., Cell Rep. 2012, 397-406). Whole-cell patch clamp recordings from acute brain slices confirmed that photostimulation with blue light pulses increased the frequency of action potentials in ChR2-expressing 5-HT neurons. Optogenetic activation of 5-HT neurons in the DRN in vivo induced a transition from NREM (non-rapid eye movement) sleep to active wakefulness within seconds and the state was maintained throughout the photostimulation period. Finally, we activated 5-HT neurons in the medulla to eliminate the possibility that light propagating through the brain tissue could activate these medullary 5-HT neurons, but their activation did not affect the vigilance state. Our results suggest that DRN serotonergic neuronal activity plays an important role in the control of vigilance state.
Macromodeling of Electric Machines From Ab Initio Models

We extract the lumped-parameter model of a wound-rotor synchronous machine from its physics-based magnetic-equivalent circuit model. Model extraction is formulated as a weighted least square optimization with nonlinear constraints in which time-domain trajectories of flux linkages, currents, and the electromagnetic torque are used as input data to obtain the parameters of the <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$qd0$</tex-math></inline-formula> model of the machine. The resulting problem is non-convex and cannot be solved using standard methods. The optimization problem is, therefore, convexified using a cone programming relaxation. The solution to the relaxed problem is used as an initial point for the interior-point method, leading to a reliable framework. Accurate estimations on stator resistance, leakage and mutual inductances in stator and rotor, rotor speed, effective turns-ratio between the field and stator windings, and the number of poles are obtained. Estimated parameters are validated against measured and estimated values reported in literature, and are used to develop a behavioral <inline-formula><tex-math notation="LaTeX">$qd0$</tex-math></inline-formula> macromodel of the machine.
Seroepidemiology of Chlamydia Pneumoniae in Northern Greece

The prevalence of IgG and IgA antibodies to Chlamydia pneumoniae was evaluated in a group of an apparently healthy population in northern Greece. Serum samples were obtained over a period of one year (June 2006 to May 2007) from 530 individuals (300 males and 230 females, aged from 1 month to 90 years). The sera were tested for specific antibodies to C. pneumoniae by two commercial methods, an ELISA and a micro-IF assay based on the principles of MIF. The prevalence of IgG and IgA antibodies to C. pneumoniae was 53.2% and 45.9%, respectively, and was found to be unrelated to gender, even in the elderly >61 years old. The IgG antibody prevalence was low in children under 5 years old (7.7%), sharply increased by the age of 20 (40%) and continued to increase, gradually, to reach 80.1% in the elderly. IgA antibodies also increased with similar kinetics to IgG, although at a lower level (3.8–66.1%). Our results show that infection with C. pneumoniae is common in northern Greece. The high prevalence of IgA specific antibodies reported in the present study is due to primary infection at a young age, while in the elderly is probably due to infection or reinfection, although the option of persistence cannot be excluded.
Effect of Group Cognitive-Behavioral Techniques Training on Social Anxiety in Nursing Students

1. Health and Social Research Center, Golestan University of Medical Sciences, Gorgan, Iran. 2. MSc. in Psychology, Department of Psychology, Science and Research Unit, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. 3. Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Science and Research Branch, Islamic Azad University, Tehran, Iran. 4. Assistant Professor, Department of Psychology, Ahvaz Branch, Islamic Azad University, Ahvaz, Iran.
Credibility Detection in Twitter Using Word N-gram Analysis and Supervised Machine Learning Techniques

: With the evolution of social media platforms, the Internet is used as a source for obtaining news about current events. Recently, Twitter has become one of the most popular social media platforms that allows public users to share the news. The platform is growing rapidly especially among young people who may be influenced by the information from anonymous sources. Therefore, predicting the credibility of news in Twitter becomes a necessity especially in the case of emergencies. This paper introduces a classification model based on supervised machine learning techniques and word-based N-gram analysis to classify Twitter messages automatically into credible and not credible. Five different supervised classification techniques are applied and compared namely: Linear Support Vector Machines (LSVM), Logistic Regression (LR), Random Forests (RF), Naïve Bayes (NB) and K-Nearest Neighbors (KNN). The research investigates two feature representations (TF and TF-IDF) and different word N-gram ranges. For model training and testing, 10-fold cross validation is performed on two datasets in different languages (English and Arabic). The best performance is achieved using a combination of both unigrams and bigrams, LSVM as a classifier and TF-IDF as a feature extraction technique. The proposed model achieves 84.9% Accuracy, 86.6% Precision, 91.9% Recall, and 89% F-Measure on the English dataset. Regarding the Arabic dataset, the model achieves 73.2% Accuracy, 76.4% Precision, 80.7% Recall, and 78.5% F-Measure. The obtained results indicate that word N-gram features are more relevant for the credibility prediction compared with content and source-based features, also compared with character N-gram features. Experiments also show that the proposed model achieved an improvement when compared to two models existing in the literature.