Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
CMOS folding ADCs with current-mode interpolation

Folding and interpolating converters offer the speed of flash type devices but at a fraction of the area and power consumption. The performance of bipolar based folding converters has come to rival that of other topologies. This work describes a folding architecture that is compatible with digital CMOS. For speed, the analog circuitry is fully-differential continuous-time current-mode and open loop. This folding architecture is implemented in 6 bit and 8 bit ADCs functioning at 3.3 V.
C. elegans Multidrug Resistance Protein 5 (MRP-5) Transports Vitamin B12 from the Intestine to the Gonad to Support Embryonic Development

Vitamin B12 functions as a cofactor for methionine synthase to produce the anabolic methyl donor S-adenosylmethionine (SAM) and for methylmalonyl-CoA mutase to catabolize the short chain fatty acid propionate. In the nematode Caenorhabditis elegans, maternally supplied vitamin B12 is required for the development of her offspring. However, the mechanism for transporting vitamin B12 from the mother’s intestine into her gonad is not yet known. Here, we use RNAi of more than 200 transporters with a vitamin B12-sensor transgene to identify the ABC transporter MRP-5 as a candidate vitamin B12 exporter. We show that injection of vitamin B12 into the gonad of mrp-5 knockdown mothers rescues embryonic lethality in her offspring. Altogether, our findings identify a maternal mechanism for the transit of an essential vitamin to support the development of the next generation.
CONTENT BASED VIDEO CATEGORIZATION USING RELATIONAL CLUSTERING WITH LOCAL SCALE PARAMETER

This paper introduces a novel approach for efficient video categorization. It relies on two main components. The first one is a new relational clustering technique that identifies video key frames by learning cluster dependent Gaussian kernels. The proposed algorithm, called clustering and Local Scale Learning algorithm (LSL) learns the underlying cluster dependent dissimilarity measure while finding compact clusters in the given dataset. The learned measure is a Gaussian dissimilarity function defined with respect to each cluster. We minimize one objective function to optimize the optimal partition and the cluster dependent parameter. This optimization is done iteratively by dynamically updating the partition and the local measure. The kernel learning task exploits the unlabeled data and reciprocally, the categorization task takes advantages of the local learned kernel. The second component of the proposed video categorization system consists in discovering the video categories in an unsupervised manner using the proposed LSL. We illustrate the clustering performance of LSL on synthetic 2D datasets and on high dimensional real data. Also, we assess the proposed video categorization system using a real video collection and LSL algorithm.
Prosody perception by postlingually-deafened cochlear implant recipients: a cross-language investigation

Due to the inherent device limitations of cochlear implants (CI) and of auditory perception via an electrical-neural interface, the ability of CI listeners to perceive prosody is often reported as being worse than that of normal-hearing listeners. We tested the perceptual ability of postlingually-deafened adult CI listeners with stimuli where prosodic features signalled distinctive semantic contrasts. These contrasts were tested with a Danish (n=18) and a Swedish (n=21) cohort in quiet and in noise. We also tested other speech perceptual abilities that could be linked to prosody perception. These included word recognition, sentence perception in noise, and vowel identification. Results of this study show that speech-in-noise ability by CI listeners is related to abilities that underlie vowel identification, while word recognition is related to the identification of compound words and phrases. Comparison of the mean identification rates of the prosodic tasks showed that there was a disparity in the performance of Danish and Swedish CI listeners over tasks that are similar in both languages.
Bone ultrasonic scanner

Acoustical waves scattered in trabecular bone contain information about its microstructural properties. These properties may change on course of a disease. Standard ultrasonic examinations of bone (densitometry) are performed in transmission and does not provide complete information about bone strength. We have developed the bone ultrasonic scanner that enables measurements of the physical properties of trabecular bone microstructure. Thus the evaluation of bone properties using ultrasonic scanner may be essential for bone diseases diagnosis and treatment monitoring. This study presents application of the scanner operating at 1,5 MHz frequency for examination of trabecular bone (calcaneus) in vivo. Backscattered data were collected and processed in order to obtain power backscattering coefficient (PBSC). Calculated values were compared to these published by several authors in order to verify ultrasonic scanner application as a tool for trabecular bone examination. This study is an approach towards developing a method for the investigation of scattering in trabecular bone that can potentially provide clinically useful information about bone strength and condition.
Unveiling the Intricacies of Helicobacter pylori-Induced Gastric Inflammation: T Helper Cells and Matrix Metalloproteinases at a Crossroad

of the stomach provide a hostile barrier. However, H. pylori possess spiral shaped polar flagella, which permit proficient hydrodynamic movement within gastric mucous. About 20% bacterial population adheres to gastric epithelial cells but majority remains within mucous layer. pylori express several outer membrane proteins (OMPs) which bind to their receptors on gastric epithelial cells. For is an adhesion molecule that binds to the fucosylated Lewis b receptor, SabA binds to sialyl Lewis X receptor and OipA not only adhere onto gastric epithelial cells but also triggers β-catenin activation and secretion of proinflammatory cytokines.
The Causes of Metropolitan Suburbanization

In this paper, we investigate the causes of metropolitan suburbanization. We consider two classes of theories of suburbanization, both of which are important: the first, favored by urban theorists and transportation experts, might be called a natural evolution theory; the second stresses the fiscal and social problems of central cities. We sketch the monocentric model of urban areas, discuss the gradient measure of suburbanization, and offer some cross-country comparisons of suburbanization. Finally we present conclusions and policy implications.
A climatology of tropical congestus using CloudSat

Cumulus congestus clouds have long been identified as an important part of the spectrum of convective clouds in the tropics. These clouds—which range in size from growing cumulus to slightly smaller than a cumulonimbus—make important contributions to precipitation and latent heat fluxes in the tropics. Past studies have used numerical simulations and satellite observations to examine these clouds globally, although definitions of congestus vary between studies. In this study, congestus in the tropics are identified using contiguous cloud area with cloud tops between 5 and 8 km from 5 years of CloudSat reflectivity data. Alternatively, congestus clouds are defined by contiguous cloud areas with infrared brightness temperature ranging from 273 to 260 K and radar‐detected surface rainfall from 14 years of Tropical Rainfall Measuring Mission (TRMM) data. Due to the resolution of CloudSat, the congestus identified using this method represent groups of congestus clouds rather than individual turrets. The regional, seasonal variations of the population of congestus are presented globally. Congestus clouds are found most frequently over the Amazon. There is a strong diurnal variation of congestus clouds over land with a peak in the early afternoon shown by TRMM. General differences are found between the properties of congestus over land and those over ocean, especially the shapes of groups of congestus over land and ocean. Ocean congestus clusters are more bell shaped, while land congestus clusters tend to have flatter sides and larger area above the freezing level. These differences have important implications in the proper representation of congestus in numerical models.
Clinical and Genetic Abnormalities in Patients with Friedreich's Ataxia

A BSTRACT Background Friedreich’s ataxia, the most common inherited ataxia, is associated with a mutation that consists of an unstable expansion of GAA repeats in the first intron of the frataxin gene on chromosome 9, which encodes a protein of unknown function. Methods We studied 187 patients with autosomal recessive ataxia, determined the size of the GAA expansions, and analyzed the clinical manifestations in relation to the number of GAA repeats and the duration of disease. Results One hundred forty of the 187 patients, with ages at onset ranging from 2 to 51 years, were homozygous for a GAA expansion that had 120 to 1700 repeats of the trinucleotides. About one quarter of the patients, despite being homozygous, had atypical Friedreich’s ataxia; they were older at presentation and had intact tendon reflexes. Larger GAA expansions correlated with earlier age at onset and shorter times to loss of ambulation. The size of the GAA expansions (and particularly that of the smaller of each pair) was associated with the frequency of cardiomyopathy and loss of reflexes in the upper limbs. The GAA repeats were unstable during transmission. Conclusions The clinical spectrum of Friedreich’s ataxia is broader than previously recognized, and the direct molecular test for the GAA expansion on chromosome 9 is useful for diagnosis, determination of prognosis, and genetic counseling. (N Engl J Med 1996;335:1169-75.)
Prospects of Private Higher Education in Uzbekistan

Last two-three decades private higher education has become striking phenomenon worldwide namely in Asia, while plays significant role in growing of economy of the region. This paper deals with prospects of Private Higher Education Institutes in Uzbekistan. History and current scenario in higher education system of young independent country have been deliberated, hence issues, challenges, opportunities, benefits described and future development stages of private higher education are proposed.
Preimaginal mortality of Musca domestica (Diptera: Muscidae) due to Habronema muscae (Nematoda: Habronematidae)

Summary In order to study the damage of Habronema muscae (Carter, 1861) on its intermediate host, Musca domestica Linnaeus, 1758, fly larval feeding experiments were carried out. For this, a defined number of praeimaginal stages of M. domestica was transferred in daily intervals (from day 0 to day 10) on faecal samples of a naturally infected horse harboring 269 adult H. muscae in its stomach. The development of M. domestica was monitored until imagines appeared. Harvested pupae were measured and weighted and the success of infection was studied by counting 3rd stage nematode larvae in freshly hatched flies. In addition, time of pupation and duration of the whole development of the flies was noticed. Pupation, hatching and preimaginal mortality rates were calculated and the number of nematode larvae in freshly hatched flies was counted. Adult flies harboured up to 60 Habronema larvae. Lower pupal volumes and weights, lower pupation rates and higher preimaginal mortality rates were found in experimental groups with long exposure to parasite eggs compared to experimental groups with short exposure or to the uninfected control groups. Maggots of the former groups pupated earlier and fly imagines occurred earlier. These findings clearly showed a negative impact of H. muscae on the development of M. domestica. The results are discussed in connection with the destruction of adipose cells in the maggots by developing nematode larvae.
Antihistaminic Treatment, Allergen‐Specific Immunotherapy, and Blockade of IgE as Alternative Allergy Treatments

Allergies mediated by immunoglobulin E (IgE) are the most common immunological hypersensitivity diseases. The prevalence has been continuously increasing in recent decades, and more than 25% of the population is currently affected. Symptoms of aller ‐ gies can be observed in the skin and respiratory and gastrointestinal tracts, and systemic manifestations include anaphylactic shock. If an allergy is not properly diagnosed and treated, it tends to progress to a severe and chronic debilitating disease. Understanding the mechanisms by which the immune system induces and controls allergic inflamma ‐ tion depends on knowing the structure of several allergens and identifying epitopes, which are critical for the design of new strategies for treating allergies. Strategies for immunotherapy will be reviewed. Allergen‐specific immunotherapy has been used for nearly a century and remains one of the few antigen‐specific treatments for inflammatory diseases. There is a strong rationale for improving the efficacy of allergen‐specific immu ‐ notherapy by reducing the incidence and severity of adverse reactions mediated by IgE. Approaches to address this problem, including the use of modified allergens, synthetic peptides as vaccines, and alternative strategies for blocking IgE, will be discussed.
11th Int'l Symposium on Quality Electronic Design 2010

Excessive current density within interconnects is a major concern for IC designers, which if not effectively mitigated leads to electromigration and electrical overstress. This is increasingly a problem in modern ICs due to smaller feature sizes and higher currents associated with lower supply voltages. Detailed analysis of all interconnect nets is both time-consuming and cannot be done until physical design is complete, when it is too late for easy f xes. To address these problems, we introduce (i) a powerful terminal current model and (ii) an eff cient methodology to determine the worst-case bounds on segment currents of the interconnect. This early-stage calculation enables nets to be separated into critical and non-critical sets; only the set of critical nets, which is typically considerably smaller, requires subsequent special consideration during physical design and layout verif cation due to current density design limits. The presented algorithms are fast enough to run on every net, and work with known and unknown net topology, leading to several practical uses, such as (i) the pre-layout identif cation of nets that are potentially troublesome and may need sizing, (ii) as f lter to avoid time-consuming detailed current-density analysis of net layouts, and (iii) to evaluate the effect of interconnect temperature and process changes on the number and distribution of current-density-critical nets.
Coefficients of Sylvester's Denumerant

For a given sequence α = [α 1 , α 2 , . , α N +1 ] of N + 1 positive integers, we consider the combinatorial function E(α)(t) that counts the non-negative integer solutions of the equation α 1 x 1 + α 2 x 2 + · · · + α N x N + α N +1 x N +1 = t, where the right-hand side t is a varying non-negative integer. It is well-known that E(α)(t) is a quasi-polynomial function in the variable t of degree N . In combinatorial number theory this function is known as Sylvester's denumerant. Our main result is a new algorithm that, for every fixed number k, computes in polyno-mial time the highest k + 1 coefficients of the quasi-polynomial E(α)(t) as step polynomials of t (a simpler and more explicit representation). Our algorithm is a consequence of a nice poset structure on the poles of the associated rational generating function for E(α)(t) and the geometric reinterpretation of some rational generating functions in terms of lattice points in polyhedral cones. Our algorithm also uses Barvinok's fundamental fast decomposition of a polyhedral cone into unimodular cones. This paper also presents a simple algorithm to predict the first non-constant coefficient and concludes with a report of several compu-tational experiments using an implementation of our algorithm in LattE integrale. We compare it with various Maple programs for partial or full computation of the denumerant.
History and Ecology of Chloroethene Biodegradation: A Review

Biodegradation of chloroethene compounds has been a matter of intense scientific investigation since these compounds were first identified in the late 1970s as common contaminants in groundwater systems. Over this period, perspectives on chloroethene biodegradation and on the role of organochlorine compounds in the environment have changed substantially. Before 1980, chloroethene contaminants were considered recalcitrant to biodegradation. Today, biodegradation is viewed as an essential component of chloroethene plume remediation and several microbial mechanisms for chloroethene transformation have been identified. The purpose of this review is to place these shifting perspectives within historical and ecological contexts, summarize the recent advances in the scientific understanding of reductive and oxidative biodegradation mechanisms, and identify critical needs affecting the application of in situ chloroethene biodegradation to groundwater remediation.
Usability and Acceptability of a Home Blood Pressure Telemonitoring Device Among Community-Dwelling Senior Citizens With Hypertension: Qualitative Study

Background Hypertension is a major cause of cardiovascular disease in older individuals. To ensure that blood pressure (BP) levels are within the optimal range, accurate BP monitoring is required. Contemporary hypertension clinical practice guidelines strongly endorse the use of home BP measurement as a preferred method of BP monitoring for individuals with hypertension. The benefits of home BP monitoring may be optimized when measurements are telemonitored to care providers; however, this may be challenging for older individuals with less technological capabilities. Objective The objective of this qualitative study was to examine the usability and acceptability of a home BP telemonitoring device among senior citizens. Methods We conducted a qualitative descriptive study. Following a 1-week period of device use, individual, semistructured interviews were conducted. Interview audio recordings were anonymized, de-identified, and transcribed verbatim. We performed thematic analysis on interview transcripts. Results Seven senior citizens participated in the usability testing of the home BP telemonitoring device. Participants comprised females (n=4) and males (n=3) with a mean age of 86 years (range, 70-95 years). Overall, eight main themes were identified from the interviews: (1) positive features of the device; (2) difficulties or problems with the device; (3) device was simple to use; (4) comments about wireless capability and components; (5) would recommend device to someone else; (6) would use device in future; (7) suggestions for improving the device; and (8) assistance to use device. Additional subthemes were also identified. Conclusions Overall, the home BP telemonitoring device had very good usability and acceptability among community-dwelling senior citizens with hypertension. To enhance its long-term use, few improvements were noted that may mitigate some of the relatively minor challenges encountered by the target population.
The Toolbox for Conditional Zebrafi sh Cancer Models

Here we describe the conditional zebrafi sh cancer toolbox, which allows for fi ne control of the expression of oncogenes or downregulation of tumor suppressors at the spatial and temporal level. Methods such as the Gal4/UAS or the Cre/lox systems paved the way to the development of elegant tumor models, which are now being used to study cancer cell biology, clonal evolution, identifi cation of cancer stem cells and anti-cancer drug screening. Combination of these tools, as well as novel developments such as the promising genome editing system through CRISPR/ Cas9 and clever application of light reactive proteins will enable the development of even more sophisticated zebrafi sh cancer models. Here, we introduce this growing toolbox of conditional transgenic approaches, discuss its current application in zebrafi sh cancer models and provide an outlook on future perspectives.
Fractionation and determination of trace elements in plants, soils and sediments

Abstract With the aid of more sensitive instrumental methods it is possible to determine trace elements after separation of different fractions from soil and plant samples. Fractions of soils and sediments are obtained by extraction with different reagents, chosen in function of biological, ecological or chemical considerations. In plant samples it is possible to separate free ions and organo-mineral complexes combining techniques of extraction, sephadex gel filtration and ion exchange, thin layer chromatography, electrophoresis and molecular filtration.
Targeted Methods for Finding Quantitative Trait Loci

Conventional genetic mapping methods typically assume parametric models with Gaussian errors, and obtain parameter estimates through maximum likelihood estimation. We propose a general semiparametric model to map quantitative trait loci (QTL) in experimental crosses. In contrast with widely-used interval mapping (IM) derived methods, our model requires fewer assumptions and also accommodates various machine learning algorithms. Estimation using both targeted maximum likelihood and collaborative targeted maximum likelihood methods is compared to a composite interval mapping (CIM) approach. We demonstrate with simulations and real data analyses that, on average, our semiparametric targeted learning approach produces less biased QTL effect estimates than those from parametric models. Targeted Methods for Finding Quantitative Trait Loci Hui Wang, Sherri Rose, and Mark van der Laan Division of Biostatistics, School of Public Health, University of California, Berkeley, California 94720
DNA-based species delimitation in algae

Given the problems of species delimitation in algae using morphology or sexual compatibility, molecular data are becoming the standard for delimiting species and testing their traditional boundaries. The idea that species are separately evolving metapopulation lineages, along with theoretical progress in phylogenetic and population genetic analyses, has led to the development of new methods of species delimitation. We review these recent developments in DNA-based species delimitation methods, and discuss how they have changed and continue to change our understanding of algal species boundaries. Although single-locus approaches have proven effective for a first rapid and large-scale assessment of species diversity, species delimitation based on single gene trees falls short due to gene tree–species tree incongruence, caused by confounding processes like incomplete lineage sorting, trans-species polymorphism, hybridization and introgression. Data from unlinked loci and multi-species coalescent methods, which combine principles from phylogenetics and population genetics, may now be able to account for these complicating factors. Several of these methods also provide statistical support regarding species boundaries, which is important because speciation is a process and therefore uncertainty about precise species boundaries is inevitable in recently diverged lineages.