Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
An improved bridgeless interleaved boost PFC rectifier with optimized magnetic utilization and reduced sensing noise

An improved bridgeless interleaved boost PFC rectifier is proposed to improve power efficiency and component utilization in this paper. By combining the conventional bridge-less PFC circuit and the interleaved technology, the proposed rectifier is comprised of two interleaved boost branches without the front-end diode bridge. Auxiliary diodes are employed to eliminate undesired circulating loop. The magnetic component utilization is improved by symmetrically coupling two inductors on unique core. According to the interleaved approach, each switch can operate in the whole-line cycle. Moreover, this circuit not only decreases the current stress of the switching devices but also reduces the current and voltage ripple. As operating in critical-conduction-mode (CrM), all the switches can achieve soft-switching characteristics to reduce the switching loss and evidently raise the conversion efficiency. Using a conventional interleaved controller, simple control scheme can be employed to the proposed converter. The operational principle and theoretical analysis of the proposed converter are presented. Finally, an 600 W experimental prototype was built to verify the theoretical analysis and feasibility of the proposed converter. The system efficiency was achieved up to 97.3% with very low current THD.
Reporting of safety results in published reports of randomized controlled trials.

BACKGROUND Reports of clinical trials usually emphasize efficacy results, especially when results are statistically significant. Poor safety reporting can lead to misinterpretation and inadequate conclusions about the interventions assessed. Our aim was to describe the reporting of harm-related results from randomized controlled trials (RCTs). METHODS We searched the MEDLINE database for reports of RCTs published from January 1, 2006, through January 1, 2007, in 6 general medical journals with a high impact factor. Data were extracted by use of a standardized form to appraise the presentation of safety results in text and tables. RESULTS Adverse events were mentioned in 88.7% of the 133 reports. No information on severe adverse events and withdrawal of patients owing to an adverse event was given in 27.1% and 47.4% of articles, respectively. Restrictions in the reporting of harm-related data were noted in 43 articles (32.3%) with a description of the most common adverse events only (n = 17), severe adverse events only (n = 16), statistically significant events only (n = 5), and a combination of restrictions (n = 5). The population considered for safety analysis was clearly reported in 65.6% of articles. CONCLUSION Our review reveals important heterogeneity and variability in the reporting of harm-related results in publications of RCTs.
The changing epidemiology of asthma in Shanghai, China

Abstract Objective: To investigate the prevalence of bronchial asthma in Putuo district in Shanghai, China. Methods: Cross-sectional, community-based study was performed with random sampling of a district with a population of one million. The subjects were residents of the district and six or more years of age. Questionnaire and spirometry were completed in all subjects. Asthma was defined as physician-diagnosed asthma. The results were compared with the asthma study of 40 000 population completed by the same team in Pudong area of Shanghai in 1997. Results: We surveyed 27 042 participants. The prevalence of asthma was 1.8% (488/27 042), much higher than the 0.41% (163/40 000) found in the 1997 survey in Pudong area of Shanghai. In subjects with asthma, current smoking, obesity, gender distribution and the combination of allergic diseases between the two studies had no differences. The most prominent causes of asthma exacerbation were cold air, respiratory infection and dust inhalation. Pulmonary function for 428 asthma patients in Putuo survey was analyzed: 228 (53.3%) patients had FEV1%pred lower than 80%. Asthmatics older than 65 years had lower FEV1%pred than other age groups (p < 0.01). Conclusions: The prevalence of physician-diagnosed asthma in urban of Shanghai has increased in recent years. The most important causes of asthma exacerbations were cold air, respiratory infection and dust exposure. The proportion of individuals with decreased percent predicted forced expiratory volume of first second increased with age. Strengthening the prevention and treatment of asthma, especially in children with asthma, may decrease the health burden of asthma in the urban Chinese population.
New Concepts, Experimental Approaches, and Dereplication Strategies for the Discovery of Novel Phytoestrogens from Natural Sources

Abstract Phytoestrogens constitute an attractive research topic due to their estrogenic profile and their biological involvement in womanʼs health. Therefore, numerous studies are currently performed in natural products chemistry area aiming at the discovery of novel phytoestrogens. The main classes of phytoestrogens are flavonoids (flavonols, flavanones), isoflavonoids (isoflavones, coumestans), lignans, stilbenoids as well as miscellaneous chemical groups abundant in several edible and/or medicinal plants, belonging mostly to the Leguminosae family. As for other bioactives, the detection of new structures and more potent plant-derived phytoestrogens typically follows the general approaches currently available in the natural product discovery process. Plant-based approaches selected from traditional medicine knowledge and bioguided concepts are routinely employed. However, these approaches are associated with serious disadvantages such as time-consuming, repeated, and labor intensive processes as well as lack of specificity and reproducibility. In recent years, the natural products chemistry became more technology-driven, and several different strategies have been developed. Structure-oriented procedures and miniaturized approaches employing advanced hyphenated analytical platforms have recently emerged. They facilitate significantly not only the discovery of novel phytoestrogens but also the dereplication procedure leading to the anticipation of major drawbacks in natural products discovery. In this review, apart from the traditional concepts followed in phytochemistry for the discovery of novel biologically active compounds, recent applications in the field of extraction, analysis, fractionation, and identification of phytoestrogens will be discussed. Moreover, specific methodologies combining identification of actives and biological evaluation in parallel, such as liquid chromatography-biochemical detection, frontal affinity chromatography-mass spectrometry and pulsed ultrafiltration-MS will also be presented. Finally, miniaturized methods (microchip and biosensor) will be also discussed. With the current review, we attempt to give a wide and holistic overview of the different approaches which could be employed in the discovery of new phytoestrogens. On the other hand, we anticipate to attract more scientists to the area of phytoestrogens and to indicate the need of multidisciplinary concepts.
Feature-level sentiment analysis by using comparative domain corpora

Feature-level sentiment analysis (SA) is able to provide more fine-grained SA on certain opinion targets and has a wider range of applications on E-business. This study proposes an approach based on comparative domain corpora for feature-level SA. The proposed approach makes use of word associations for domain-specific feature extraction. First, we assign a similarity score for each candidate feature to denote its similarity extent to a domain. Then we identify domain features based on their similarity scores on different comparative domain corpora. After that, dependency grammar and a general sentiment lexicon are applied to extract and expand feature-oriented opinion words. Lastly, the semantic orientation of a domain-specific feature is determined based on the feature-oriented opinion lexicons. In evaluation, we compare the proposed method with several state-of-the-art methods (including unsupervised and semi-supervised) using a standard product review test collection. The experimental results demonstrate the effectiveness of using comparative domain corpora.
Assessment of trachoma prevalence in a mobile population in Central Australia

Trachoma is reported to be hyperendemic in Australia. This study was conducted in a desert area of Central Australia to implement and evaluate the WHO SAFE strategy to control trachoma. The aim of the study was to obtain baseline trachoma prevalence data and to determine whether a single annual visit is adequate for a treatment program targeting households with active cases in a highly mobile population. All registered residents of two Aboriginal communities were eligible for examination. Four visits over the course of 13 months were made to the communities for ocular examinations of residents present at the time of the visit. Examination, diagnosis, and grading of trachoma followed WHO guidelines. The overall examination rate was 75%, refusal rate was <1%, but approximately 50% of community residents were absent during the examination period. Prevalence varied on each visit, but the overall prevalence of active trachoma was 49% over the 13-month period. Children less than 10 years of age had the highest prevalence of active trachoma (79%), over the course of the 13 months, yet the prevalence at any one visit was approximately 60%. Trachomatous scarring was present in 23% of the population. These results suggest that many cases of active trachoma may be missed if a prevalence survey is conducted at only one point in time. Multiple examinations should be conducted to adequately establish prevalence in the population. Antibiotic treatment and health promotion campaigns need to be developed in consideration of local community dynamics.
Experimental analysis of PCPB scheduling algorithm

The problem of energy efficiency appears in every sphere of human activity. At the same time new services require higher processing and transmitting rates. In this paper, the algorithm of tasks scheduling in the server cluster PCPB — Power Consumption and Performance Balance — is presented. It is aimed to reduces the total power consumption of the server cluster without reducing its computing performance. The effectiveness of the algorithm is proved by experiment: an algorithm PCPB is able to increase the performance of the cluster at 3% while reducing power consumption by over 10% in comparison with the widely-used algorithm Round Robin. Existing algorithms of tasks scheduling are analyzed within the paper, including those aimed to increase energy efficiency of the server cluster. One of the key features of the proposed approach is that PCPB involves determining power models for each of the cluster nodes separately. These models are used for the most effective tasks scheduling.
A triple-slot active reflectarray cell using a ferroelectric capacitor

A tunable reflectarray phase-shifting cell, designed for a resonance frequency of 5.5 GHz, is presented. The cell is based on a triple-slot topology and loaded by a ferroelectric thin film capacitor with 60% tunability under 400 kV/cm bias electric field. The use of three slots allows reducing the losses and increasing the bandwidth of the cell. The cell provides 270 degrees of phase range with a maximum of 6 dB loss in the band.
Inhibition of calcium channels in rat central and peripheral neurons by omega-conotoxin MVIIC

Inhibition of voltage-dependent calcium channels by omega-conotoxin MVIIC (omega-CTx-MVIIC) was studied in various types of rat neurons. When studied with 5 mM Ba2+ as charge carrier, omega-CTx-MVIIC block of N-type calcium channels in sympathetic neurons was potent, with half- block at 18 nM. Block of N-type channels had a rapid onset (tau approximately 1 sec at 1 microM omega-CTx-MVIIC) and quick reversibility (tau approximately 30 sec). The rate of block was proportional to toxin concentration, consistent with 1:1 binding of toxin to channels, with a rate constant (k on) of approximately 1 X 10(6) M-1. sec-1. Both potency and rate of block were reduced dramatically with increasing concentrations of extracellular Ba2+ omega- CTx-MVIIC also blocked P-type calcium channels in cerebellar Purkinje neurons, but both development and reversal of block were far slower than for N-type channels. The rate of block was proportional to toxin concentration, with k on -1.5 x 10(3) M-1. sec-1 at 5 mM Ba2+. From this value and an unblocking time constant of approximately 200 min, a dissociation constant of approximately 50 nM was estimated. Thus, block of P-type channels is potent but very slow. In hippocampal CA3 pyramidal neurons, omega-CTx-MVIIC blocked approximately 50% of the high-threshold calcium channel current; one component (approximately 20%) was blocked with the rapid kinetics expected for N-type channels, whereas the other component was blocked slowly. The component blocked slowly was reduced but not eliminated by preexposure to 200 nM or 1 microM omega-Aga-IVA.
Sequence similarity of human caliciviruses and small round structured viruses

The application of reverse transcription‐polymerase chain reaction (RT‐PCR) using primers directed to the RNA dependent RNA polymerase region within ORF1 of Norwalk virus (NV) showed that 31 percent of morphologically typical human caliciviruses (HuCV) and 57% of small round structured viruses (SRSVs) produced a product of 470 bp similar to the NV control, NV 8Flla/68/US. Alignment of the amino acid sequences of morphologically typical HuCVs with previously published sequences for SRSVs, NV, and Snow Mountain agent (SMA) showed a high degree of homology (90–92%) with SMA and a lesser extent of homology with NV (60–61%). The amino acid sequence of two strains of HuCV, HuCV/3C/92/UK, and HuCV/5C/92/UK differed by only one or two amino acids respectively in the RNA dependent RNA polymerase region from that of two strains of SRSV obtained from children in the United Kingdom, SRSV/4S/90/UK and Japan, SRSV/OTH‐25/89/J which were found to have identical amino acid sequences. The use of an EIA for detection of NV antigen employing antisera raised to recombinant NV protein indicated that HuCVs and SRSVs obtained from children and adults in the United Kingdom were antigenically distinct from the prototype Norwalk Virus, NV/8flla/68/US. © 1994 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Excipient effects on in vitro cytotoxicity of a novel paclitaxel self-emulsifying drug delivery system.

Paclitaxel is a potent chemotherapeutic agent currently administered intravenously in polyoxyethylated castor oil (Cremophor EL) and dehydrated ethanol (1:1) for the treatment of solid tumors. The objective of this work was to develop a novel self-emulsifying drug delivery system (SEDDS) devoid of cremophor for the i.v. /oral delivery of paclitaxel and to investigate the in vitro cytotoxicity of the combined excipients. The SEDDS formulations were characterized in terms of droplet size using a ternary phase diagram. The Caco-2 cell line was used to monitor the cytotoxicity of the excipients. Cell viability was determined colorimetrically at 570 nm utilizing the MTT assay. The distribution of the formulations on the phase diagram indicated the presence of macroemulsions ( approximately 1 microm), submicron emulsions (50-200 nm), and microemulsions (below 10 nm). An increase in the sodium deoxycholate excipient content led to an increase in physical stability but caused more chemical degradation of the drug and more cytotoxicity. The drug in the novel SEDDS was chemically stable for at least 1 year when kept as a two-part formulation. The drug loading was increased by approximately fivefold compared to the marketed i.v. formulation; the excipients presented a significantly reduced cytotoxicity and led to a stable microemulsion.
STRESS HORMONES,EFFORT SENSE, AND PERCEPTIONS OF STRESS DURING INCREMENTAL EXERCISE: AN EXPLORATORY INVESTIGATION

Exercise elicits intensity-dependent increases in epinephrine (Epi), norepinephrine (NE), cortisol (CORT), and lactate (Lac), whereas at rest the hormonal responses to mental stress include increases in Epi, NE, and CORT, but not Lac. Additionally, elevations in CORT at rest are associated with negative affect. Finally, as exercise intensity increases, perceptions of effort (RPE) increase and affect becomes more negative. The purpose of this study was to examine the responses of Epi, NE, CORT, Lac, RPE, and affect during incremental increases in exercise to maximum. Seven highly-trained male runners completed a discontinuous treadmill protocol that included 10 minutes at 60%, 10 minutes at 75%, 5 minutes at 90%, and 2 minutes at 100% of &OV0312;O2max. Blood samples were collected through an intravenous catheter before, during, and following exercise during the experimental condition, and during a time-matched control condition. RPE and affect were assessed just prior to each blood draw. The Epi, NE, CORT, and Lac displayed the expected incremental increases, however affect became more negative at higher exercise intensities, and RPE increased as exercise intensity increased. Data suggest that CORT follows the same pattern of response to graded exercise as affect. Since perceptual and affective responses to exercise are associated with motivation, these documented negative affective shifts during exercise should be considered in order to develop strategies that lead to enhanced exercise adherence and performance.
Intergenerational transfers between older people and their migrant children in rural China: strategic investments strategic returns.

This investigation studied how older parents and their adult children in rural China strategically engaged in reciprocal transfers with each other. We asked whether downstream investments by parents enhanced the ability of children to migrate and accumulate resources that could then be used to make upstream transfers to parents. Data derived from 1180 parents aged 60+ who participated in 2001 and 2003 surveys of older people in rural Anhui Province. Parents reported about time and money transfers with 4652 adult children. Random effects models revealed that older parents enabled their children to migrate by offering them childcare and financial support. Migrant children--particularly sons--reciprocated for their parents earlier economic contributions by providing them with greater upstream financial transfers and farm labor. Migrants and non-migrants reciprocated child-care equally. Results support a mutual-aid model of the rural Chinese family in which intergenerational transfers are reciprocal and multiple family needs are met. (authors)
Foreign aid, macroeconomic policies and economic growth nexus in India: An ARDL bounds testing approach

The purpose of this paper is to examine the effectiveness of foreign aid on economic growth in Indian economy using annual data from 1970 to 2014. The cointegration test confirms a long run relationship between real GDP per capita and foreign aid for India. The study finds a positive and significant impact of foreign aid on economic growth in India both in long run and in short run. Our results provide strong evidence that effectiveness of foreign aid on economic growth is contingent on macroeconomic policy environment in India. The VECM results confirm short-run and long run unidirectional causality running from foreign aid, government expenditure and trade openness to economic growth in India. Further, the results of the variance decomposition approach indicate that economic growth in India mostly explained by foreign aid. Further, the impulse response function result indicates that there is positive response in economic growth due to shock stemming in foreign aid. The findings and the results are useful guidelines for major stakeholders, including donors and the government of recipient countries for designing framework for aid effectiveness.
Study on Human-Computer Interaction System Based on Binocular Vision Technology

The image processing and rapid location algorithm was studied to realize a human-computer interaction system based on DSP platform for image processing. Finger recognition and fast location were implemented during the process of acquiring image sequence. There were three key points in this process: finger recognition, fingertip location and coordinate mapping. Consider of the movement characteristics of the finger, algorithm for moving object extraction was designed by combining consecutive frames subtraction and background subtraction. Canny arithmetic operator was used for edge segmentation of the region of interest and the fingertip was recognized through template matching. Finally, fast fingertip location algorithm based on the look-up table method was developed according to the binocular vision theory. Location of the fingertip and mapping between space physical coordinates and computer screen coordinates were consequently implemented.
Effects of Glucocorticoids on Adrenal Chromaffin Cells

The mammalian adrenal gland consists of two anatomically distinct parts: an outer cortex that synthesizes steroids and a central medulla that contains catecholamine‐producing chromaffin cells. Although derived from different embryological origins, the two secretory tissues in the adult animal are functionally as well as structurally linked. Glucocorticoids, a class of steroid hormones produced by the cortex, exert a variety of effects on medullary chromaffin cells. They modulate the expression of specific genes via activation of glucocorticoid receptors that act as transcription factors and either up‐ or down‐regulate mRNA synthesis. The direct binding to and modulation of cation channels by glucocorticoids as well as the control of mRNA or protein stability are other proposed mechanisms of glucocorticoid action. The activity of phenylethanolamine N‐methyltransferase, the enzyme that converts noradrenaline into adrenaline, is stimulated by glucocorticoids, which causes the conversion of noradrenergic to adrenergic chromaffin cells. Other phenotypic manifestations of glucocorticoid action include the upregulation of catecholamine synthesis, storage, and secretion. Furthermore, glucocorticoids have been implicated in chromaffin cell differentiation. However, recent gene knockout experiments suggest that glucocorticoid signalling is required only for the acquisition of the adrenergic but not the noradrenergic phenotype.
External Statistical Data: Understanding Users and Improving Access

Every year, government agencies, financial institutions, and other businesses spend millions of dollars gathering and publishing statistical data, presumably intended for use by other organizations in planning. From the point of view of the end user, these data are external statistical data (ESD) because they are provided by external sources over which the end user has little control. Typical sources of ESD include national statistical agencies, such as the Australian Bureau of Statistics (ABS), regional information services, and various state and national government departments.