Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low-voltage gm-enhanced CMOS differential pairs using positive feedback

Four novel compact differential pair (DP) topologies with enhanced transconductance gain are introduced: direct positive feedback DP, quasi floating gate DP, floating gate DP and tunable quasi floating gate DP. All of them use positive feedback to achieve gm enhancement and have the same supply requirements as the conventional differential pair. Results for 0.13 μm CMOS designs supplied at 1.0 V show that 5 to 10 gm enhancement factors are easily achieved with very small additional hardware and without increasing power dissipation.
Relationship of Homocysteine With Cardiovascular Disease and Blood Pressure

Elevated plasma homocysteine (Hcy) concentration is considered a risk factor for cardiovascular disease and may also be associated with hypertension. Although links have been established between hyperhomocysteinemia and elevated risk for cardiovascular events, the precise role of plasma Hcy in cardiovascular disease is unclear. Plasma Hcy increases with aging and is associated with other health‐related behaviors, including smoking and diet patterns. Both epidemiologic and longitudinal clinical investigations have investigated the possible contribution of plasma Hcy to cardiovascular disease, and most report an association of plasma Hcy with the risk for cardiovascular and cerebral events. Some reports describe a significant relationship between Hcy and blood pressure levels, as well as higher Hcy in hypertensives compared to normotensives. Other studies find that the effect of Hcy disappears following adjustment for other risk factors. Because Hcy cosegregates with other risk factors, it has been difficult to identify an independent effect of Hcy on cardiovascular disease or hypertension. Hcy can be modified to some extent by vitamin supplementation. Hcy reduction may have some benefit in reducing cardiovascular risk in some patients, particularly the elderly. Because the question of an independent role of Hcy on risk for cardiovascular disease has not been determined, the assessment and treatment of Hcy should be approached in the context of other modifiable risk factors.
Challenges of HIV treatment in resource-poor countries: a review.

BACKGROUND The human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome pandemic have posed a significant public health challenge to the global community. Massive therapeutic interventions with antiretroviral drugs are being undertaken, yet problems and challenges exist. This review examines these problems and challenges as they affect the treatment of HIV infection in resource-poor countries such as Nigeria. METHODS The information was sourced from relevant literature using human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome journals, textbooks and Websites on human immunodeficiency virus/acquired immunodeficiency syndrome, highly active antiretroviral therapy, resource-poor countries as key words. RESULTS Several studies have shown that the advent of highly active antiretroviral therapy in 1996 has significantly reduced morbidity and mortality among people living with HIV/AIDS (PLWHA). But in resource-poor countries, initiation and maintenance of highly active antiretroviral therapy has been associated with many challenges and problems such as: poor infrastructural base for the control programs; irregular or non availability of drugs; poor drug adherence; co-morbidities and opportunistic infections/malignancies; drug toxicities; drug/food and drug/drug interactions; laboratory monitoring of viral load; CD4 cell counts; full blood counts; electrolytes, kidney and liver functions. CONCLUSION The review has shown that the solution to the pandemic lies in a multi-sectoral and holistic approach involving International and local agencies, and communities.
Home, smart home

Judging by looks alone, you'd never guess that the simple one-and-a-half-story house on a residential street outside Arhus, Denmark, is anything more than an ordinary single-family home. The stylish little house has the broad windows and long sloping roof of a typical Scandinavian home; a trampoline sits on the neatly trimmed lawn. But this house is different. Using ecologically benign materials, a rooftop of solar panels, and energy scrimping designs, the house generates more than enough power to run itself. Inside, a family of five is testing out the ultimate model home. Windows in all four walls and a slanted skylight flood the first floor with sunshine. Built-in blinds twitch autonomously to adjust to the glare, angling their slats just so. To bring in more fresh air, the skylight slides open with a hiss.
JH probe real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction assay for Bcl‐2/IgH rearrangements

Summary. Follicular lymphoma (FL) characteristically bears the t(14;18)(q32;q21). However, only ∼75% of the consequent Bcl‐2 breakpoints lie within the major breakpoint region (MBR) or the minor cluster region (mcr). While these can be quantified by cluster region‐specific real‐time quantitative polymerase chain reaction (RQ‐PCR), a significant proportion of cases are left requiring a customized approach. Therefore, an RQ‐PCR assay for the quantification of Bcl‐2/IgH breakpoints has been developed that uses germline JH TaqMan probes and germline JH primers in combination with customized forward primers. Validation of this approach by comparison with an established MBR RQ‐PCR showed both techniques to be concordant across a wide range of copy numbers with a sensitivity of five copies per 105 cells. In addition, to generate standard curves equating to diverse Bcl‐2/IgH rearrangements, a strategy for using placental DNA as a surrogate standard was devised. The performance of the assay in detecting molecular evidence of disease in sequential biopsies from five patients (three with atypical Bcl‐2/IgH breakpoints identified by long‐range or inverse PCR, one MBR+ and one mcr+) was tested. This alternative approach represents a sensitive and specific means of quantifying common and atypical Bcl‐2/IgH rearrangements and maximizes the number of patients with FL suitable for molecular monitoring.
Evaluation of Lightning-Induced Voltages on Multiconductor Overhead Lines Located Above A Lossy Dispersive Ground

The paper presents a comprehensive study on the effect of soil dispersion (i.e., frequency dependence of soil conductivity and relative permittivity) on the lightning-induced voltages on single/multiconductor overhead distribution lines. For this aim, a full-wave approach based on the finite-element method is utilized. The soil dispersion is incorporated into the model using available analytical formulae obtained from experimental data. It is shown that for soils characterized by relatively moderate and low resistivity values (less than 1000 Ω.m), lightning-induced voltages are not significantly affected by the soil dispersion property. In the analyses, two different integration paths are used for obtaining the induced voltages by integrating the total vertical component of the electric field. It is shown that the soil dispersion effect on the induced voltages is negligible if the integration path continues vertically from the conductor surface to a point well below the ground surface at which the electric field vanishes. However, the soil dispersion for poorly conducting soils can markedly change the induced voltages if the integration path is considered as a vertical path between the conductor surface and the ground surface.
Fingolimod hydrochloride for the treatment of relapsing remitting multiple sclerosis

ABSTRACT Introduction: Fingolimod was the first oral and the first in class disease modifying treatment in multiple sclerosis that acts as sphingosine-1-phospathe receptor agonist. Since approval in 2010 there is a growing experience with fingolimod use in clinical practice, but also next-generation sphingosin-1-receptor agonists in ongoing clinical trials. Growing evidence demonstrates additional effects beyond impact on lymphocyte circulation, highlighting further promising targets in multiple sclerosis therapy. Areas covered: Here we present a systematic review using PubMed database searching and expert opinion on fingolimod use in clinical practice. Long-term data of initial clinical trials and post-marketing evaluations including long-term efficacy, safety, tolerability and management especially within growing disease modifying treatment options and pre-treatment constellation in multiple sclerosis patients are critically discussed. Furthermore novel findings in mechanism of actions and prospective on additional use in progressive forms in multiple sclerosis are presented. Expert opinion: There is an extensive long-term experience on fingolimod use in clinical practice demonstrating the favorable benefit-risk of this drug. Using a defined risk management approach experienced MS clinicians should apply fingolimod after critical choice of patients and review of clinical aspects. Further studies are essential to discuss additional benefit in progressive forms in multiple sclerosis.
Linguistic Performance in Schizophrenia: a Comparison of Acute and Chronic Patients

A computer-assisted analysis of samples of free speech from acute schizophrenics (n = 50), chronic schizophrenics (n = 27) and normal subjects (n = 50) enabled a comparison of the linguistic profiles of the three groups. The chronic group consistently emerged as the most impaired, on measures of complexity, integrity (error) and fluency of speech, with the acute patients performing less well than normal speakers but better than chronic patients. Demographic differences could account for only a small number of the linguistic differences. A comparison of chronic schizophrenics from the community and those from long-stay wards suggested that their poor linguistic performance was in some way related to the illness process and not to institutionalisation. Three possible explanations for these results were considered, particularly the possibility that low complexity of speech, negative symptoms and poor outcome are in some way related.
Trading Range Breakout Test on Daily Stocks of Indian Markets

In the financial literature Efficient Market Hypothesis (EMH) has been one of the dominant topics. An implication of weak-form of efficiency/random walk is that the trading rules will not generate economic profits. The purpose of this study is to analyze results of application of trading range breakout (TRB) test on daily stock prices of Indian Markets, thus investigating its efficiency at the weak form level (Fama,1970). The results from the trading rule tests indicated that the technical trading rules do not yield statistically significant forecasting power. It means that forecasting of returns based on trading rules cannot be employed to earn abnormal returns.
Three-Dimensional Black-Blood T1-Weighted Turbo Spin-Echo Techniques for the Diagnosis of Deep Vein Thrombosis in Comparison With Contrast-Enhanced Magnetic Resonance Imaging: A Pilot Study

Objectives The objective of this study was to evaluate the feasibility of a novel 3-dimensional turbo spin-echo technique with isotropic resolution for the diagnosis of deep vein thrombosis (DVT) in comparison with contrast-enhanced magnetic resonance imaging (CE-MRI) and sonography. Materials and Methods Thirteen patients (8 males, 17–93 years) with proven DVT in duplex ultrasound (n = 11) or with pulmonary embolism and suspected to have DVT (n = 2) were consecutively imaged at 3.0 T with 1.2-mm isotropic-resolution volumetric isotropic turbo spin-echo acquisition (VISTA). Sensitivity (SE), specificity (SP), positive and negative predictive values (PPV and NPV, respectively), Cohen &kgr;, as well as accuracy of VISTA-MRI were calculated and compared with CE-MRI and sonography as a standard of reference. Image quality and diagnostic confidence were assessed on a 4-point scale. Results Image quality and diagnostic confidence level of VISTA-MRI and CE-MRI were comparable (3.54 vs 3.55 and 3.80 vs 3.77; both P values are nonsignificant). Using CE-MRI as the criterion standard, there was a high agreement between the CE-MRI and the 3-dimensional VISTA examinations for the detection of DVT, with &kgr; of 0.89 for reader 1 and &kgr; of 0.88 for reader 2 (both P < 0.001). The SE, SP, PPV, NPV, as well as accuracy of VISTA-MRI were 92.5%, 97.9%, 89.3%, 98.6%, and 97.1% for reader 1 as well as 90.7%, 97.9%, 89.1%, 98.3%, and 96.8% for reader 2. For both readers, combined comparison of VISTA-MRI and sonography resulted in an SE, SP, PPV, and NPV of 77.8%, 94.8%, 85.4%, and 91.6%, respectively. Conclusions Volumetric isotropic turbo spin-echo acquisition magnetic resonance imaging can be used to diagnose DVT with good to excellent agreement compared with CE-MRI and sonography. It might be useful when contrast media is prohibited and in patients with suspected thrombosis of the iliac veins, which can be hard to detect with sonography.
The Use of Animals for Research on Animal Diseases: Its Impact on the Harm–Benefit Analysis

The use of animals in scientific experiments is sometimes controversial. Usually, the debate focuses on the advantages or disadvantages of using animals in biomedical research or for testing products for safety or efficacy in humans. This has been the case in the previous World Congresses on Alternatives and Animal Use in the Life Sciences. Such studies can be subjected to a harm–benefit analysis that attempts to assess the expected benefits of the research to be done in relation to the harm done to the experimental animals. This paper suggests that studies carried out in the target species offer a higher level of fidelity and discrimination (confidence in the proper expression of the disease and greater ability to detect the impacts of any treatments under investigation) than do experiments carried out in animal models of a different species. A number of examples are given to show the benefits that have accrued to the welfare of domesticated animals through research on the diseases from which they suffer. These examples suggest that there will be an ongoing need to use animals in research to develop methods for the control or eradication of newly emergent diseases.
Negotiating ‘otherness’ as skilled migrants

While culture is beginning to be understood as a mechanism of stratification in the labor market alongside attribute-based discrimination, we lack a corresponding understanding of how skilled migrants deal with their otherness in the labor market. This article seeks to contribute to an understanding of the lived experiences of skilled migrants by identifying the material and social consequences of performing extra work to obtain cultural legitimacy. In contrast to the recent focus on understanding cultural others’ responses to pressures for conformity in terms of identity conflict, this study identifies the context in which cultural legitimacy is required and constructed, both in terms of macro-societal and institutional influences on identity regulation within organizations as well as interactional dynamics and power relations. Based on interviews with migrants in the field of accounting and finance in Australia, I draw out the main features of ‘cultural work’ and show the potential consequences of not performing cultural work as well as the means of migrants’ resistance against pressures for conformity.
Exposure to benzene and risk of leukemia among shoe factory workers.

OBJECTIVES The study attempted to add years of follow-up to an earlier study describing excess leukemia among workers exposed to benzene-based glues in a shoe-factory and to conduct a quantitative exposure assessment of the exposure to benzene and the risk of leukemia. METHODS The cohort comprised 1687 persons with complete work histories, at work on 1 January 1950, and followed through 31 December 1999. For each subject, time-specific cumulative exposure (ppm-years) was calculated as the sum of the products of job-specific concentrations of benzene (ppm) and the duration (years) for each job. Standardized mortality ratios (SMR) were estimated using national and regional rates specific for gender, age, and period. RESULTS The cumulative exposure ranged from 0 to >500 ppm-years. The SMR values for all hematolymphopoietic malignancies and leukemia for the men and women combined were elevated in all but the lowest exposure category. Leukemia risk was significantly elevated in the highest exposure category and the most evident among the men. The SMR values for the men were 1.4 [95% confidence interval (95% CI) 0.2-5.0], 3.7 (95% CI 0.1-20.6), 3.0 (95% CI 0.4-10.9), and 7.0 (95% CI 1.9-18.0) for benzene, the cumulative exposure equaling <40, 40-99, 100-199, and >200 ppm-years, respectively. CONCLUSIONS The results indicate that leukemia mortality is associated with exposure to benzene in this factory and that the risk increases with increasing cumulative exposure. The relevance of these findings for estimating risk at much lower levels is limited because of the small study size.
Parental engagement, new technologies and education : between two cultures

Parental involvement has underpinned various educational policies and practices in many countries, particularly in "Western developed" countries. Much research suggests parental engagement links positively to children's achievement. Within this discourse, the possibilities for new technologies to enhance parents' engagement with their children's education are widely hailed, yet scantily studied. Scholars have highlighted that the premise of this mediation depends on parents' technological competence, socioeconomic and cultural identities and positions. Minority classed and ethnic parents are often positioned in policy as "hard to reach" or less engaged. However, new technologies are rarely studied in relation to the impact of complex intersecting classed, racial, and migratory identities and the colonial legacy on minority group's ability to participate in education. This study focuses on the impact of subjectification, intersecting identities and post-colonial theory on minority group parents' abilities to engage with schools in their children's education. This study adopts an in-depth qualitative methodology, consisting of 10 months of interviews, observations and recordings (2013-2015) to collect data from 13 parents recently migrated to London from West Africa. Theoretically, the thesis draws broadly from a Bourdieuian theoretical framework of capitals, habitus, and field, from post-colonial theory, and from intersectional theorising to examine how migrant parents in England, who have also experienced schooling in Nigeria or Ghana, engage in their children's home learning and communicate with their schools using technology. Using both class and racial lens, this thesis highlights how a racialised group negotiate complex experiences of subjectification and oppression. It shows the complexity of black ethnicity and the relationships to education through its focus on West African migrants (as distinct from assumptions on aggregating African and Caribbean groups), and advances Erel's (2010) concept of migrating cultural capital to illuminate how a minority racial group's migration and shifting class positions affects their ability to engage in home learning. Migrant parents' accounts show how postcolonial theory can also be used in technology studies to illuminate how seemingly liberating forces such as new technology can inadvertently contribute to oppression rather than alleviate it. This study also demonstrates that informants who belong to multiple subordinate identity groups experience greater discrimination and subjection: intersectionality theory helps explicate their everyday experiences.
Heritability in neuromuscular coordination: implications for motor control strategies.

PURPOSE The aim of this study was to assess the relative power of genetic and environmental contribution to the variation observed in neuromuscular coordination. METHODS Using the twin model and comparing intrapair differences between monozygotic (MZ) and dizygotic (DZ) twins, we derived heritability estimates (h2). Forty healthy male twins, 10 MZ and 10 DZ pairs, aged 21.5 +/- 2.4 and 21 +/- 2.1 yr, respectively, performed a series of elbow flexions in one degree of freedom with different velocities attempting to accurately reach a target. Neuromuscular coordination was evaluated for both accuracy and economy of movement and assessed by kinematics and EMG activity. RESULTS The heritability in movement accuracy as assessed by the displacement from the target at 70% maximal velocity was 0.87. The accuracy at 30% and 50% of maximal velocity showed that the intrapair variation of MZ twins did not differ significantly from that of DZ twins. High heritability indexes of 0.85 and 0.73 were found for neuromuscular coordination as expressed by movement economy, assessed by the relative EMG activity of biceps long head at 70% and 50% of maximal velocity; no genetic dependence was found for low velocities. CONCLUSION In this study, heredity accounted for most of the existing differences in neuromuscular coordination in fast movements. This implies that movement strategies, which are organized in the CNS and control fast movements, are also strongly genetically dependent.
QoE aware placement of content in edge networks on the example of a photo album cloud service

The paradigm of Software as a Service has gained great achievements in the last decade. By transferring computation and storage to the cloud and migrating services to the edge network, users benefit from using demanding services on lightweight devices. However, the user perceived quality of experience (QoE) for these services is facing the challenges of network impairments and the accessibility of users. Unlike a typical PC-based software, the cloud provides users a location-aware, flexible placement of resource for a cost effective service. The geographical placement of content is therefore one of the key factors that affects the user's satisfaction. The closer the content to the user geographically is, the faster it will be delivered to the user that will also increase the user perceived QoE. In this work, we estimate more precisely the QoE for photo loading time in a particular usage of a photo album cloud service with regard to the influence of various parameters. Firstly, we validate a TCP throughput model and use it to calculate the photo loading time from a given photo size and network QoS. Thereafter, we formulate a mapping function to calculate the MOS value from a QoE model adding the output of the TCP model. From this mapping function, we can estimate QoE for photo loading time from a given photo size, its placement and network QoS. Our main contribution is to determine the tradeoff between the size of photo and its placement to acquire a high QoE for photo loading time, which is important for the development of a photo album cloud service.
Design of a compact CPW ultra-wideband antenna

In this paper, a design and analysis of compact coplanar waveguide-fed ultra wideband antenna is presented. The antenna design exhibits a very wide operating bandwidth of 14.3GHz with a return loss better than 10dB in the frequency range from 3.7GHz to 18GHz. The gain of the proposed antenna is around 4.8dBi. This antenna configuration would be useful for UWB indoor application as it is easy to fabricate and integrate with RF circuitry. All simulations in this work were carried out by using the electromagnetic software.