Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
2 Stochastic ON / OFF models of gene expression

We present a hybrid model of a biological filter, a genetic cir uit which removes fast fluctuations in the cell’s internal representation of the extra cellular environment. The model takes the classic feed-forward loop (FFL) motif and represents it as a network of continuous protein concentrations and binary, unobserved gene promoter states. We address the probl m of statistical inference and parameter learning for this class of models from partial, di screte time observations. We show that the hybrid representation leads to an efficient algorithm fo r approximate statistical inference in this circuit, and show its effectiveness on a simulated data set.
A broad-band 55-nm BiCMOS T/R switch for mmW 5G small cell access point

This paper shows a passive broad-band SPDT T/R switch in 55-nm BiCMOS technology which covers most of the millimetre-wave bands considered for 5G (from 28 to 86 GHz). It is intended to be integrated into active phased array antenna modules for a 5G small cell access link. The realized switch presents minimum insertion loss of 2.6 dB. The switch isolation is better than 26 dB. Its very wide bandwidth (14-94 GHz) allows it to be used in K, Q, V and E bands. The area occupied by the chip is around 0.3 mm2.
Robust passive control of uncertain singular systems with time-varying delay

By using the Lyapunov-Krasovskii functional approach, the robust passive control problem for uncertain linear singular time-delay systems is investigated. Sufficient conditions are firstly given to ensure that linear singular systems are admissible (that is, regular, stable, impulse-free) and passive. Secondly, based on the linear matrix inequality method and cone complementarity linearization (CCL) technique, the robustly state-feedback controller is designed to guarantee that the resultant closed-loop singular systems are admissible and robustly passive with dissipation. Finally, two illustrative examples and their simulations are presented to show the effectiveness of the obtained results.
Influence of clinical subtype, sex, and lineality on age at onset of major affective disorder in a family sample.

OBJECTIVE The authors analyzed data from a family sample ascertained for a genetic linkage study of bipolar disorder to address the following questions: Do the major clinical subtypes of familial affective disorder have distinct distributions of age at onset? What factors other than clinical subtype affect these distributions? After controlling for these factors, do the differences in age at onset persist among the subtypes? METHODS Eighty-two families were ascertained through a treated proband with bipolar disorder who had a family history of two or more affected siblings or one affected sibling and one affected parent. After participating in an interview conducted by a psychiatrist using the Schedule for Affective Disorders and Schizophrenia--Lifetime Version, 274 probands and their first-degree relatives were diagnosed as having bipolar I, bipolar II, or recurrent unipolar disorder according to Research Diagnostic Criteria. Age at first major affective episode and other clinical data were collected. RESULTS Onset age distributions were similar for bipolar I and bipolar II disorder but significantly different for recurrent unipolar disorder. This finding persisted after adjustment for a significantly earlier onset among females. Subjects with affective disorder in both parental lines (bilineal) also experienced a significantly earlier onset. Substance abuse, physical illness, and sex of the affected parent had no significant impact on onset age. CONCLUSIONS Although differences in age at onset may reflect several factors, these results provide indirect support for the view that bipolar I and bipolar II disorders are genetically related phenotypes and suggest that bilineal families may be more complex than previously assumed.
Preventing ventricular dysfunction in pacemaker patients without advanced heart failure: rationale and design of the PREVENT-HF study.

AIMS Right ventricular (RV) pacing has been shown to cause heart failure symptoms in patients with and without previous systolic left ventricular (LV) dysfunction. The aim here was to evaluate the preventive effect of biventricular pacing vs. RV apical pacing in patients with indication for permanent ventricular pacing. Methods PREVENT-HF is an ongoing multicentre randomized controlled pilot study designed to assess whether biventricular pacing is superior to RV pacing in patients receiving a bradycardia pacemaker for standard indications. Patients with Class I or IIa indication according to ACC/AHA guidelines for cardiac pacing judged likely to require high (>or=80%) ventricular pacing are randomized to receive either RV or biventricular stimulation. Patients are ineligible if younger than 18 years, have Class III or IV heart failure, or experienced a recent myocardial infarction or cardiac surgery. Echocardiographic parameters of LV function are assessed at baseline, 6 months, and 12 months. The primary endpoint is change in LV end diastolic volume. Secondary outcomes include LV ejection fraction, mortality, morbidity, and mitral regurgitation. In subsets of patients, NT-pro-BNP and oxygen uptake are analysed. Centres in Spain (five), Italy (four), and Germany (seven) will enrol 100 patients. CONCLUSION PREVENT-HF will contribute to better define the role of chronic biventricular pacing for advanced atrioventricular block.
Which pneumococcal serogroups cause the most invasive disease: implications for conjugate vaccine formulation and use, part I.

We analyzed >70 recent data sets to compare the serogroups causing invasive pneumococcal disease (IPD) with those represented in conjugate vaccine formulations. Five to 8 and 10-11 serogroups comprise at least 75% of pneumococcal isolates from young children and older children/adults, respectively, in each geographic region. Serogroups in the 7-valent formulation (4, 6, 9, 14, 18, 19, and 23) cause 70%-88% of IPD in young children in the United States and Canada, Oceania, Africa, and Europe, and <65% in Latin America and Asia. Serogroups in the 9-valent formulation (7-valent+1, 5) cause 80%-90% of IPD in each region except Asia (66%). Serogroup 1 accounts for >6% of IPD in each region, including Europe, except the United States and Canada and Oceania. In contrast, several serogroups not found in 7-, 9-, and 11-valent conjugate formulations are significant causes of disease in older children/adults. Nevertheless, each conjugate formulation could prevent a substantial IPD burden in each region and age group.
Neurological soft signs in neuroleptic-naive and neuroleptic-treated schizophrenic patients and in normal comparison subjects.

OBJECTIVE The goal of this study was to assess neurological soft signs and developmental reflexes in schizophrenic patients who had never received neuroleptic medication and those who were receiving neuroleptic medication. METHOD Neurological soft signs and developmental reflexes were examined in 26 schizophrenic patients who had never received a neuroleptic, 126 schizophrenic patients who were currently receiving neuroleptics, and 117 normal subjects. RESULTS Soft signs were present in 23% of the neuroleptic-naive and 46% of the medicated schizophrenic patients. Developmental reflexes were present in 19% of the neuroleptic-naive and 12% of the medicated patients. Both soft signs and developmental reflexes were absent in the normal subjects. There were significant differences between patients and normal subjects in neurological soft signs and developmental reflexes. The possibly confounding variables of age, age at onset, duration of illness, number of hospitalizations, Abnormal Involuntary Movement Scale (AIMS) scores, and Simpson-Angus Scale extrapyramidal symptom scores were assessed by using logistic regression in the patients who were receiving neuroleptics. AIMS scores and Simpson-Angus Scale scores correlated with soft signs in these patients. CONCLUSIONS The presence of neurological soft signs in schizophrenic patients who had never received neuroleptics indicates that these signs are present independent of medication effects, but it is possible that neuroleptics contribute to the prevalence of these abnormalities, as demonstrated by the patients who were receiving neuroleptics.
Natriuretic peptides in heart failure: their role in daily practice.

Natriuretic peptides (NP) are volume sensitive hormones that have attracted the interest of investigators in the setting of heart failure (HF) during recent years. NP levels may reflect the end-diastolic wall stress which is elevated by both increasing filling pressure and left ventricular dilatation. Brain natriuretic peptide (BNP) and N-terminal pro B-type natriuretic peptide (NT-proBNP) have a negative correlation with left ventricular systolic function and have been proposed as diagnostic tools and prognostic markers in HF patients [1, 2]. Cardiovascular guidelines recommend that both peptides should be considered equal [1].
Work in progress: Simulation software targeted to repair misconceptions regarding the P-N diode

Educational simulations can be useful for visualization of abstract and complex concepts and semiconductor physics seems ideal for this type of instructional support. The P-N diode is the most basic semiconductor device, but research has shown that its non-linear behavior poses problems to the students who struggle to explain its micro-scale behavior. Research in educational technologies for semiconductor materials and devices has shown improved learning with computer simulations. Freely available educational simulations that include the P-N junction show how the depletion width, the internal electric field, and band diagram changes with applied voltage. However, these diagrams are not directly used to visualize the different current components at the micro-scale. This work-in-progress paper discusses the initial design of an educational simulation of a P-N junction diode showing how the different current components vary dynamically with the applied voltage. The proposed simulation fills a void in the instructional materials related to the P-N diode by allowing students to visualize the impact that the applied voltage has on device current and determine its non-linear behavior.
Precopulatory but not postcopulatory male reproductive traits diverge in response to mating system manipulation in Drosophila melanogaster

Abstract Competition between males creates potential for pre‐ and postcopulatory sexual selection and conflict. Theory predicts that males facing risk of sperm competition should evolve traits to secure their reproductive success. If those traits are costly to females, the evolution of such traits may also increase conflict between the sexes. Conversely, under the absence of sperm competition, one expectation is for selection on male competitive traits to relax thereby also relaxing sexual conflict. Experimental evolution studies are a powerful tool to test this expectation. Studies in multiple insect species have yielded mixed and partially conflicting results. In this study, we evaluated male competitive traits and male effects on female costs of mating in Drosophila melanogaster after replicate lines evolved for more than 50 generations either under enforced monogamy or sustained polygamy, thus manipulating the extent of intrasexual competition between males. We found that in a setting where males competed directly with a rival male for access to a female and fertilization of her ova polygamous males had superior reproductive success compared to monogamous males. When comparing reproductive success solely in double mating standard sperm competition assays, however, we found no difference in male sperm defense competitiveness between the different selection regimes. Instead, we found monogamous males to be inferior in precopulatory competition, which indicates that in our system, enforced monogamy relaxed selection on traits important in precopulatory rather than postcopulatory competition. We discuss our findings in the context of findings from previous experimental evolution studies in Drosophila ssp. and other invertebrate species.
Developments in the Characterisation of the Catalytic Triad of α‐Chymotrypsin: Effect of the Protonation State of Asp102 on the 1H NMR Signals of His57

Protonated or not? 1H NMR spectra of α-chymotrypsin were recorded as a function of pH (from top to bottom pH 8.6, 5.1 and 4.2). Slow exchange is observed for the NH protons of His57 between two environments due to different protonation states of Asp102. © 2007 Wiley-VCH Verlag GmbH & Co. KGaA.
A comparative analysis of channel equalization algorithms

Channel equalization removes noise and ISI effects in the channel by training the equalizer using specific algorithms. One such algorithm is Particle Swarm Optimization (PSO) derived from the social behavior of bird flocking, fish schooling etc. It gives minimum possible value for mean square error at the expense of low convergence. Teaching Learning Based Optimization (TLBO) algorithm depends on teacher's influence on learners' output in a class. It does not require parameters like cognitive, social and inertia weight which are specific to algorithms. In this work, a comparison of Mean Square Error (MSE) is performed against above two algorithms. Simulation results show that the TLBO algorithm performs better than PSO. Also it gives lowest MSE in very less number of iterations especially when the number of variables is more.
Patents and standardization, part 1: A tutorial on patents

In an ideal world, the standards promulgated by standards-development organizations (SDOs), such as the IEEE, ITU, and ETSI, would always result from an impartial comparison of proposed solutions made in an environment "free of distortion, bias, or manipulation by private interests. " In the real world, however, standards tend to be a result of compromises and, in some cases, hardfought battles among parties, often competitors, who have diverse private interests. Considerations beyond technical merit are generally in play. For better or worse, one of those considerations is often the understanding that intellectual property may protect a candidate solution. Of the four types of intellectual property - patents, trademarks, copyrights, and trade secrets - the one that looms largest in the standards-development context is patents. This article provides a foundational overview of patents and patent systems with a specific focus on the patent laws and procedures of the United States. Where feasible, the article also identifies similarities and differences in the patent laws and procedures of other countries.
Concept of bounded error to improve wireless sensor network data compression

In wireless sensor networks (WSNs), energy consumption remains one of the major limitations of this technology. Since WSN costs lot of energy to transmit data from node to node, it is reasonable to reduce power consumption by reducing data transfer. In our previous research, D-BEDCA uses bounded-error data compression to compress data and keep the data distortion in certain range at the same time. However, it has some shortages. In this paper, IBEC is proposed to improve both the temporal correlation compression and the data correlation compression in D-BEDCA. We also design a new spatial correlation compression scheme for IBEC.
Public conceptions and attitudes about suicide.

A sample survey using personal interviews was conducted in the Reno, Nevada, area to assess public conceptions of suicide and suicidal actions, attitudes toward the notion of suicide, attitudes toward people personally known to have committed or attempted suicide, and various degrees of familiarity with suicidal behaviors. Suicidal behavior by others was personally familiar to 74 percent of the respondents, and the general conceptions of suicide included shame and social disgrace, but not blame, to the family. Suicide generally was seen as something that happens to a person, rather than something he intentionally brings about. Public health implications of the data are discussed.
Development of ketoprofen loaded proliposomal powders for improved gastric absorption and gastric tolerance: in vitro and in situ evaluation

Abstract The aim of the current investigation was to improve dissolution rate, gastric absorption and tolerance of a water insoluble non-steroidal anti-inflammatory drug ketoprofen by developing proliposomal powders. Ketoprofen proliposomal powders were prepared by solvent evaporation method with varying ratios of hydrogenated soyphosphatidyl choline (HSPC) and cholesterol. The prepared proliposomal powders were characterized for vesicle size, micromeritics, entrapment efficiency and in vitro dissolution behavior. Proliposomal powder (KPL3) composed of equimolar ratios of HSPC and cholesterol loaded on pearlitol SD 200 was selected as optimized formulation as it produced smaller liposomes (5.24 ± 1.35 μm) upon hydration with highest entrapment efficiency (53.16 ± 0.06%). All proliposomal powders showed improved dissolution characteristics than pure drug, however dissolution of drug from KPL3 was found to be highest (91.17 ± 6.3) and which is about 24 times higher than pure ketoprofen within 5 min. The transformation of crystalline ketoprofen to amorphous form was confirmed by solid state characterization. The absorption rate per hour for pure ketoprofen and proliposomal formulation (KPL3) was assessed in the stomach by conducting in situ gastric absorption studies in Wistar rats and was found to be 27 ± 1.22 and 36.98 ± 1.95%, respectively. In conclusion, enhanced dissolution and gastric absorption rate of ketoprofen from proliposomal powders suggest them as potential candidate for oral bioavailability improvement of ketoprofen.
Investigation of Thermal Neutron Induced Soft Error Rates in Commercial Srams with 0.35 μm to 90 nm Technologies

Measurement of soft error rates (SER) often commercial SRAMs of 0.35 μm to 90 nm technologies have been completed at the Institut Laue-Langevin (ILL) neutron facility. Results establish the sensitivity of old and recent SRAM technologies showing the impact of 10B concentrations in BPSG and p-type regions. 10B results are also compared to high-energy neutron SER
Bronchitis in two integrated steel works: III. Respiratory symptoms and ventilatory capacity related to atmospheric pollution

Lowe, C. R. , Campbell, H. , and Khosla, T. (1970). Brit. J. industr. Med.,27, 121-129. Bronchitis in two integrated steel works. III. Respiratory symptoms and ventilatory capacity related to atmospheric pollution. This is the third in a series of papers presenting the results of an epidemiological study of respiratory symptomatology and lung function among men employed in two integrated steel works in South Wales. In this paper measurements of atmospheric pollution are related to respiratory symptoms and ventilatory capacity among 10 449 men who spent the greater part of their working hours in one or other of 114 defined working areas. The problem has been explored in three different ways. In the first, each man was assigned the mean value of sulphur dioxide and respirable dust for the area in which he was working and this was related to his ventilatory capacity (FEV1·0), age, smoking habits, and the number of years he had spent in his present department. In the second, the 114 working areas were divided into four sub-groups, according to defined levels of atmospheric pollution, and the prevalence of chronic bronchitis and mean FEV1·0 in the four sub-groups was examined. In the third way, the mean atmospheric pollution levels in each of the 114 areas were related to the prevalence of bronchitis and to the mean FEV1·0, age, and smoking habits in those areas. The analysis demonstrates very clearly the over-riding importance of cigarette smoking in the aetiology of chronic bronchitis, but, so far as the main purpose of the survey is concerned, it is concluded that, if there is any relation between respiratory disability and atmospheric pollution in the two steel works, it is so slight that none of the three approaches to the problem was sensitive enough to detect it. The implications of this are discussed in the light of the levels of pollution that were recorded in and around the two works.
Renal Sequelae To Nephropathia Epidemica

Clinical data and renal biopsy findings were studied in 9 patients 4–5 years after the acute phase of Nephropathia epidemica. Laboratory data suggested slightly depressed tubular function, but glomerular function was normal. Light microscopy of renal biopsy specimens showed slight residual interstitial fibrosis and occasionally atrophic tubuli, tubular casts, increased number of hyalinized glomeruli, and minor changes in other glomeruli. Two specimens showed fibrotic scars in the cortex. Electron microscopy revealed degenerative changes in the glomeruli, arterioles and tubules. The immunohistochemical study showed no fixed immunoglobulins in the kidney. The study shows that practically complete and lasting clinical recovery follows the acute phase of Nephropathia epidemica and that the disease does not leave diagnostic structural changes in the kidneys.
The Electroencephalographic Effects of IV Anesthetic Doses of Melatonin: Comparative Studies with Thiopental and Propofol

We have demonstrated that large-dose IV melatonin can exert hypnotic effects similar to those caused by thiopental and propofol. In this study, we compared the electroencephalographic (EEG) effects of melatonin with those of thiopental and propofol. Sprague-Dawley rats were assigned to receive equipotent bolus doses of thiopental (23.8 mg/kg), propofol (14.9 mg/kg), or melatonin (312 mg/kg). EEG effects were recorded at periodic intervals over 10 minutes. Of eight processed EEG variables analyzed, only relative total power (rTP), relative spectral edge 95% (rSE95), and relative approximate entropy (rAE) were altered by all drugs compared with their control vehicles. Drug administration decreased the values relative to baseline, with subsequent return toward baseline during the 10-min time course. Thiopental significantly increased rTP, whereas propofol and melatonin did not. All drugs significantly decreased rSE95. However, the time course of peak effect and duration differed for each, with melatonin exhibiting a slower onset and a more sustained EEG effect. All drugs significantly decreased rAE, with similar time courses for thiopental and propofol and a slower onset/longer duration for melatonin. Melatonin produced effects on processed EEG variables similar to those of thiopental and propofol, specifically a decrease in the rSE95 and a decrease in the rAE.