Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A novel third order Delta Sigma Modulator with one opamp shared among three integrator stages

A novel third order delta sigma modulator (DSM) is presented. The third order loop filter in the proposed DSM shares one opamp among three integrator stages through an optimal operation timing, which makes use of load capacitance differences between integrator stages. The power dissipation of the proposed DSM is much lower than conventional third order DSM because power consuming blocks in the DSM are only one opamp and a comparator. The proposed DSM, designed on 0. 35µm CMOS process under 3.3V supply achieves 1mW power dissipation with 100-11kHz band width and 96dB SQNR.
Efficacy of a Web-Based, Tailored, Alcohol Prevention/Intervention Program for College Students: Initial Findings

Abstract Objective: Reduce college student at-risk drinking (ARD) using a Web-based brief motivational alcohol prevention/intervention called Michigan Prevention and Alcohol Safety for Students (M-PASS). Participants: Participants included 1,137 randomly sampled first-year college students, including 59% female, 80% white, and averaged age 18.1 years. Methods: Intervention group participants (n = 616) attended 4 online M-PASS sessions, receiving feedback tailored to individual drinking patterns and concepts from 4 behavior change theories. Control group participants (n = 521) completed a mid-phase survey, and both groups were surveyed at baseline and posttest. Results: Evidence of M-PASS's efficacy was found. The intervention was associated with advanced stage of change, lower tolerance of drinking and drink/driving, fewer reasons to drink, and use of more strategies to avoid ARD. Preliminary evidence of behavioral change was also found. Efficacy was greater for women than men. Conclusions: Web-based programs may be useful in reducing alcohol-related risk among college students. Further evaluation is needed.
A COMPARATIVE ANALYSIS OF SELECTED STUDIES

Predicting student success has long been an interest of institutions of higher education as well as organisations responsible for preparing high-stake, standardised tests administered at national and international levels. This study discusses how performance prediction studies have evolved from those that use demographic data and high school grades to predict success in college to those that utilise sophisticated data collected in non-traditional educational platforms to predict end-of-course performance and to those that show how student progress can be tracked in a continuous manner. A total of 56 studies published since the nineties are discussed. Views on strengths and weaknesses as well as observed opportunities for improvement are presented. The consistently high results reported in many of the studies shall convince the reader that automated solutions to the problem of predicting student progress and performance can either be tailored for specific settings or can be adopted from similar settings in which they have been utilized successfully. A recommendation on how to build upon recent success is provided.
Retinal vascular caliber, iris color, and age-related macular degeneration in the Irish Nun Eye Study.

PURPOSE To evaluate the relationship between retinal vascular caliber (RVC), iris color, and age-related macular degeneration (AMD) in elderly Irish nuns. METHODS Data from 1233 participants in the cross-sectional observational Irish Nun Eye Study were assessed from digital photographs with a standardized protocol using computer-assisted software. Macular images were graded according to the modified Wisconsin Age-related Maculopathy Grading System. Regression models were used to assess associations, adjusting for age, mean arterial blood pressure, body mass index, refraction, and fellow RVC. RESULTS In total, 1122 (91%) participants had gradable retinal images of sufficient quality for vessel assessment (mean age: 76.3 years [range, 56-100 years]). In an unadjusted analysis, we found some support for a previous finding that individuals with blue iris color had narrower retinal venules compared to those with brown iris color (P < 0.05), but this was no longer significant after adjustment. Age-related macular degeneration status was categorized as no AMD, any AMD, and late AMD only. Individuals with any AMD (early or late AMD) had significantly narrower arterioles and venules compared to those with no AMD in an unadjusted analysis, but this was no longer significant after adjustment. A nonsignificant reduced risk of any AMD or late AMD only was observed in association with brown compared to blue iris color, in both unadjusted and adjusted analyses. CONCLUSIONS Retinal vascular caliber was not significantly associated with iris color or early/late AMD after adjustment for confounders. A lower but nonsignificant AMD risk was observed in those with brown compared to blue iris color.
Avaliação do ensino a distância no curso de graduação em odontologia

Os curriculos dos cursos de Odontologia estao em processo de modernizacao, para se adequarem ao mercado de trabalho voltado as necessidades da populacao. As mudancas buscam um metodo de ensino que propicie ao aluno a autogestao do seu conhecimento atraves de uma visao transdisciplinar. Assim, o objetivo desse trabalho e fazer uma reflexao acerca da formacao dos docentes responsaveis pelas disciplinas de Odontologia, bem como das novas possibilidades de transmissao do conhecimento. Nesse contexto, a educacao a distância se mostra como alternativa para a educacao continuada dos futuros dentistas, abrangendo novas tecnologias e novos metodos de ensino de adultos. Por meio de uma revisao da literatura, discute-se sobre as metas das diretrizes curriculares nacionais e sobre a formacao de professores dos cursos de Odontologia e, ainda, sao apresentadas pesquisas em educacao a distância na area de saude. Os resultados desse estudo revelam sucesso na aplicacao do ensino a distância para alunos adultos nos cursos de Odontologia. // " class="_mp3rocket_overlay_style" style="left: ; top: ; width: ; height: "> // ]]> // " class="_mp3rocket_overlay_style" style="left: ; top: ; width: ; height: "> // ]]>
Arnoldi-based Sampling for High-dimensional Optimization using Imperfect Data

We present a sampling strategy suitable for optimization problems characterized by high-dimensional design spaces and noisy outputs. Such outputs can arise, for example, in time-averaged objectives that depend on chaotic states. The proposed sampling method is based on a generalization of Arnoldi's method used in Krylov iterative methods. We show that Arnoldi-based sampling can effectively estimate the dominant eigenvalues of the underlying Hessian, even in the presence of inaccurate gradients. This spectral information can be used to build a low-rank approximation of the Hessian in a quadratic model of the objective. We also investigate two variants of the linear term in the quadratic model: one based on step averaging and one based on directional derivatives. The resulting quadratic models are used in a trust-region optimization framework called the Stochastic Arnoldi's Method (SAM). Numerical experiments highlight the potential of SAM relative to conventional derivative-based and derivative-free methods when the design space is high-dimensional and noisy.
Molecular Determinants of Inverse Agonist Activity of Biologicals Targeting CTLA-41

Ligation of CD28 or CTLA-4 with some biologicals can activate T cells due to an unexpected superagonist or inverse agonist activity, respectively. The risk of such an outcome limits the therapeutic development of these reagents. Thus, identifying the molecular determinants of superagonist/inverse agonist properties for biologicals targeting costimulatory/inhibitory receptors has not only fundamental value but also important therapeutic implications. In this study, we show that ligation of CTLA-4 with either soluble B7.1 Ig (but not B7.2 Ig) or with a recombinant bispecific in-tandem single chain Fv known as 24:26 induces TCR-independent, T cell activation. Such an inverse agonist activity requires CD28 expression and high CTLA-4 expression and is not seen when CTLA-4 is ligated by membrane-bound B7.1 or B7.2. At the molecular level, the inverse agonist activity of B7.1 Ig or 24:26 correlates with their ability to induce the formation of unique dimer-based, CTLA-4 oligomers on the T cell surface and involves CTLA-4 signaling through its cytoplasmic domain. Our results provide a potential mechanism to explain and to predict inverse agonist activity for CTLA-4 ligands.
Die Passivseite der Bankbilanz. Ein Portfolio-Ansatz

Die Passivseite der Bankbilanzen spiegelt das Portfolioverhalten der Anleger wider. Dabei gehen wir davon aus, dass die Banken die Zinssatze fur die verschiedenen Positionen von Kundeneinlagen festsetzen, die Anleger sich jedoch als Mengenanpasser verhalten und ihr Portfolio ihren Praferenzen gemass zusammenstellen. Im nachsten Abschnitt prasentieren wir ein entsprechendes theoretisches Portfoliomodell. Die Anleger maximieren den erwarteten Nutzen des Endperiodenvermogens. Danach wird das Portfolioallokationsproblem in ein konventionelles Nutzenmaximierungsproblem umformuliert. Durch Anwendung der logarithmischen Form von Roys Identitat ergeben sich Nachfragefunktionen in der Form von Anteilsgleichungen. Die lokale Approximation der indirekten Nutzenfunktion durch eine Translogexpansion resultiert in explizit schatzbaren Nachfragegleichungen. Damit schatzen wir das Anlageverhalten der schweizerischen Bankkunden, wobei die vom Modell erforderten Restriktionen explizit getestet werden. Auch die Hypothese konstanter relativer Risikoaversion lasst sich im Rahmen dieses Modells sehr einfach uberprufen. Die vorliegende Untersuchung steht nicht in der grossen Tradition der Portfoliomodelle, die 1952 von Markowitz gegrundet und durch Sharpe (1964), Lintner (1965), Merton (1973) und Breeden (1979) entscheidend erweitert wurde. Im Unterschied zu diesen Arbeiten handelt es sich hier nicht um einen expliziten Mean-Variance-Ansatz, weshalb auch keine Aussage gemacht werden kann zum Verhaltnis von erwartetem Ertrag und entsprechendem Risiko. Die Fragestellung ist vielmehr, wie sich die Zusammensetzung des Portfolios quantitativ verandert, wenn sich die erwarteten Ertrage andern. Am Anfang dieser Litarturkette steht die theoretische Arbeit von Brainard und Tobin (1968). Samtliche Portfolioanteile hangen von samtlichen Zinssatzen sowie vom Einkommen, nicht jedoch vom Nettovermogen ab. Kopeke (1977) verwendet diesen Ansatz zur empirischen Schatzung des Anlageverhaltens des amerikanischen Haushaltssektors. Friedmans (1980) optimales marginales Anpassungsmodell fur Kreditanlagen unterstellt eine gemeinsame Normalverteilung der Ertrage und vewendet erwartete Ertrage und deren Streuungen zur Erklarung von Portfolioveranderungen. Auch im Modell von Pindyck (1984) hangt der Anteil des Vermogens, der in Aktien investiert wird, lediglich von den erwarteten Ertragen und deren Streuungen ab.
Exon prediction on DNA-genes of Plasmodium falciparum based on coding sequence structure using hidden Markov model

BACKGROUND A hidden Markov model (HMM) is used for exon prediction on DNA of genes Plasmodium falciparum that has a model structure based on exon region structure in coding sequence (CDS). The objective research was to develop a new structure model to predict exon on DNA-genes of Plasmodium falciparum based on CDS structure using the HMM system. METHODS Model design in CDS, between two exon regions can be found one intron region and the model state number is used for its region. Its state number is used by separating start codon from first exon region and stop codon from the last exon region up to 9. The Viterbi algorithm and the backward-forward method for transition as well as emission states are used for training process. Furthermore, Viterbi and Baum-Welch algorithms are used for the testing process. The correlation coefficient (CC) was used as performance indicator, as the ratio of the estimated state in the output and the original state in the input of the model. RESULTS The simulation results has shown that the CC values depend on the given of the backward-forward transition state values randomly. The model with state number 9 showed the highest average of CC values of 0.7289 for Viterbi algorithm, and is 0.7166 for Baum-Welch algorithm. However, the lowest average of CC values has been found for the model with state number five. Its values are 0.6735 by using Viterbi algorithm and 0.6661 by using Baum-Welch algorithm. CONCLUSION The new structure model based on HMM system was valid to predict exon on DNA-genes of Plasmodium falciparum.
On-Off Tremor Suppression Orthosis with Electromagnetic Brake

Pathological tremor is a common neurological movement disorder characterized by involuntary rhythmic oscillation of body parts. Available treatments are often insufficiently effective or are accompanied by severe side effects. This work proposes a lightweight, portable elbow tremor suppression orthosis using an electromagnetic brake (EB) with on-off actuation scheme. The device reduces tremor amplitude and could potentially be donned under clothes. At this stage of the project, the focus is on action tremor (postural) such as essential tremor. The elbow joint is commonly affected by tremor; it can be modelled as a single Degree Of Freedom (DOF) joint and was selected to test our hypothesis and prototype. The orthosis is actuated by an (EB). The algorithm alternates between full suppression and no suppression, and relies on the high frequency nature of tremor relative to the frequency of Activities of Daily Living (ADL). A MEMS gyro signal is processed to assess the tremor component. The system successfully reduces tremor amplitude with over 88% of tremor signal power reduction.
Nanomaterials: Processing and Characterization with Lasers

In conjunctionwith the increasing availability of cost-efficient laser units during the recent years, laser-based micromachining techniques have been developed as an indispensable industrial instrument of ‘‘tool-free’’ high-precision manufacturing techniques for the production of miniaturized devices made of nearly every type of materials. Laser cutting and drilling, as well as surface etching, have grown meanwhile to mature standard methods in laser micromachining applications where a well-defined laser beam is used to remove material by laser ablation. As an accurately triggerable nonmechanical tool, the ablating laser beam directly allows a subtractive direct-write engraving of precise microscopic structure patterns on surfaces, such as microchannels, grooves, and well arrays, as well as for security features. Therefore, laser direct-write (LDW) techniques imply originally a controlled material ablation to create a patterned surface with spatially resolved three-dimensional structures, and gained importance as an alternative to complementary photolithographic wet-etch processes. However, with more extended setups, LDW techniques can also be utilized to deposit laterally resolved micropatterns on surfaces, which allows, in a general sense, for the laser-assisted ‘‘printing’’ of materials [1, 2]. As outlined in Figure 5.4. 1, the basic setup for an additive direct-write deposition of materials is the laser-induced forward transfer (LIFT), where the laser photons are used as the triggering driving force to catapult a small volume of material from a source film toward an acceptor substrate. In contrast to the classic laser-ablation micropatterning setup where material is removed from the top surface (Figure 5.4.1a), for LIFT applications the laser interacts from the inverse side of a source film, which is typically coated onto a nonabsorbing carrier substrate. The incident laser beam propagates through the transparent carrier before the photons are absorbed by the back surface of the film. Above a specific threshold of the incoming laser energy, material is ejected from the target source and catapulted toward a receiving surface that is placed either in close proximity to or even in contact with the donor film. With adequate tuning of the applied laser energy the thrust for the forward propulsion is generated within the irradiated film volume. The absorbed laser photons cause a partial ablation of the film material, which induces a sharply triggered volume expansion coupled with a pressure jump that catapults the overlying solid material away. However, the energy conversion processes as well as the phase transitions involved in the LIFT process are complex and affected by a large number of diverse parameters. Therefore, the highly dynamic interactions between the laser and the transferred material are not easy to describe in fundamental models. Apart from laser parameters such as emission wavelength,
Laser‐assisted microdissection: applications in molecular pathology

Tissue microdissection is potentially one of the most useful techniques in molecular pathology. Laser‐assisted microdissection has been developed to procure precisely the cells of interest in a tissue specimen, in a rapid and practical manner. Together with multiplex molecular approaches, it is now feasible to study genetic alterations and isolate genes and proteins in defined cell populations from complex normal and diseased tissues. The fundamental advantage of this technique is the possibility of capturing single cells from which high‐quality DNA and mRNA can be isolated for analysis of sequence and quantitation of expression. Moreover, the integration of laser‐assisted microdissection and proteomic analysis could identify novel protein markers for disease. The advent of laser‐assisted microdissection is likely to have a profound impact on molecular pathology. Copyright © 1999 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Hepatic Scavenger Receptor BI Promotes Rapid Clearance of High Density Lipoprotein Free Cholesterol and Its Transport into Bile*

The clearance of free cholesterol from plasma lipoproteins by tissues is of major quantitative importance, but it is not known whether this is passive or receptor-mediated. Based on our finding that scavenger receptor BI (SR-BI) promotes free cholesterol (FC) exchange between high density lipoprotein (HDL) and cells, we tested whether SR-BI would effect FC movement in vivo using [14C]FC- and [3H]cholesteryl ester (CE)-labeled HDL in mice with increased (SR-BI transgenic (Tg)) or decreased (SR-BI attenuated (att)) hepatic SR-BI expression. The initial clearance of HDL FC was increased in SR-BI Tg mice by 72% and decreased in SR-BI att mice by 53%, but was unchanged in apoA-I knockout mice compared with wild-type mice. Transfer of FC to non-HDL and esterification of FC were minor and could not explain differences. The hepatic uptake of FC was increased in SR-BI Tg mice by 34% and decreased in SR-BI att mice by 22%. CE clearance and uptake gave similar results, but with much slower rates. The uptake of HDL FC and CE by SR-BI Tg primary hepatocytes was increased by 2.2- and 2.6-fold (1-h incubation), respectively, compared with control hepatocytes. In SR-BI Tg mice, the initial biliary secretion of [14C]FC was markedly increased, whereas increased [3H]FC appeared after a slight delay. Thus, in the mouse, a major portion of the clearance of HDL FC from plasma is mediated by SR-BI.
Sexual assault history and its association with the use of drinking protective behavioral strategies among college women.

OBJECTIVE The current study examined the relationship between sexual assault history and drinking protective behavioral strategies (PBS). Given the relationship between sexual assault history and alcohol use, we hypothesized that after we controlled for drinking behavior, women with a childhood sexual abuse (CSA) history would use fewer drinking PBS than those without a CSA history. We also hypothesized that a history of adolescent/adult sexual assault (ASA) involving incapacitation and force would be associated with lower use of drinking PBS after controlling for CSA history and drinking behavior. METHOD A total of 800 undergraduate college women completed a survey online. RESULTS Regression analyses indicated that the only sexual assault history type that was consistently related to all three types of drinking PBS was ASA involving incapacitation. Women with a history of incapacitated ASA were less likely to use any type of drinking PBS than women without such history. A history of other types of sexual assault (CSA, physically forced ASA, and verbally coerced ASA) was associated only with lower use of serious harm-reduction drinking PBS, such as going home with a friend or knowing the location of your drink. CONCLUSIONS This was the first study to examine the relationship between different sexual assault histories and drinking PBS, and it furthers our understanding of the relationship between alcohol and sexual assault. Possible reasons for this relationship between ASA and PBS use are discussed.
Seven Years' Experience of Isolation of Rickettsia spp. from Clinical Specimens Using the Shell Vial Cell Culture Assay

Rickettsiae are strict intracellular Gram negative bacteria associated with arthropods. Various diseases have been described, including spotted fever group rickettsioses and typhus group rickettsioses. Diagnosis of such diseases can be achieved using either serology 1 or culture and PCR-based detection. 2 Over the last 7 years (from November 1995 to May 2002), our laboratory has adapted a centrifugationcell culture system, the shell vial assay, 3 for isolation of bacteria. This technique is used routinely in a biosafety level 3 equipped laboratory for the isolation of rickettsiae and other strictly, or facultatively, intracellular bacteria from tissue biopsies, especially tick-bite eschars, and blood samples. In this study we report our experience of 7 years of isolation of rickettsiae in clinical specimens using the shell vial culture system as compared to PCR-based detection. Culture was performed as follows: heparinized blood was sedimented for 1 h, and 1 mL of the supernatant was collected for inoculation in shell vials; skin biopsy specimens were homogeneized in 1 mL of sterile brain heart infusion broth, and the homogenate was aspirated into a 1 mL syringe through a 27 gauge needle to filter out coarse material. Samples were inoculated into shell vials containing a monolayer of human embryonic lung (HEL) fibroblasts grown on a 1 cm 2 coverslip. Three shell vials were inoculated and then centrifuged for 1 h at 700 × g and 22 ° C. The brain heart infusion was discarded and replaced with culture medium (Eagle’s minimal essential medium with 4% fetal calf serum and 2 mM L glutamine) and shell vials were incubated at 32 ° C. Detection of rickettsial organisms on the coverslip was carried out, while it remained inside the shell vial, by Gimenez staining and indirect immunofluorescence assay after 3, 6, and 14 days. If immunofluorescence was positive, the culture was reported as positive and culture supernatants were sampled in order to identify the isolate by a specific PCR assay. The remaining supernatants of positive shell vials as well as the third shell vial were inoculated on confluent layers of HEL cells in 25 cm 2 culture flasks in order to propagate isolates. Strains were also