Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Charge-pump based frequency regulator for precision supply generation

The attenuation of supply noise is crucial in those sensor interface circuits that require the detection of the small signal capacitance. This paper presents an integrated charge-pump based continuous frequency regulator for precision supply voltage generation. The circuit is able to operate with external supply voltage ranging from 3.0 V to 5.5 V. The charge-pump generates a nominal voltage of 3.6 V and is able to operate with 1.3 mA and 2.5 mA load currents while the minimum input noise attenuation is around 53 dB. The output noise of the system is 91.32 µNrms and the active area of the circuit is 0.18 mm2. The technology used for the implementation is 0.35 µm CMOS.
Endovascular repair of a giant carotid pseudoaneurysm with the use of Viabahn stent graft

A 72‐year‐old woman presented with a large pulsatile anterior right neck mass with compressive symptoms of dysphagia and hoarseness. This was due to a large (6 cm by 4 cm) postcarotid endarterectomy pseudoaneurysm of the right common carotid artery. Successful endovascular exclusion of the pseudoaneurysm was performed with a Viabahn stent graft with significant decrease in the size on follow‐up. Other endovascular options such as coil embolization and thrombin injection are also discussed. It is important to exclude infection as the cause of postendarterectomy pseudoaneurysm before considering endovascular repair over surgical repair. Catheter Cardiovasc Interv 2004;62:64–68. © 2004 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Low-voltage high-performance silicon RF power transistors

The high-frequency power performance of mounted discrete silicon bipolar transistors, that have been optimised for low-voltage application, has been evaluated. At 1.8 GHz and 3.5 V a power gain of 14 dB and a power-added efficiency of 60% at an RF power density of 1 W/mm emitter length have been measured. These results demonstrate that also at low supply voltages silicon BJTs have excellent power amplifying capabilities. <<ETX>>
Child maltreatment: Child maltreatment and attachment theory

The study of child maltreatment has grown exponentially in the years since the identification of the “battered child syndrome” (Kempe, Silverman, and Steele, 1962). In that time the area has experienced many of the conflicts and missteps to be expected in an emerging field. Underlying these problems is the lack of a single, comprehensive theoretical approach to child maltreatment (Newberger, Newberger, and Hampton, 1983). It is the purpose of this chapter to examine attachment theory in regard to its adequacy in accounting for the existing data on child abuse and child neglect. Because child abuse was identified as a social issue earlier than child neglect, it will be discussed first. However, in regard to the early literature, the dichotomy is difficult, and sometimes impossible, to make because cases of neglect or abuse-with-neglect were included indiscriminately under the rubric of abuse. One goal of this chapter will be to disentangle the conditions and consider separately how relevant attachment theory is to understanding them. The first studies of child abuse focused on identifying the characteristics of abusers. Although abusers were not usually found to be mentally ill, they were often described as more aggressive, punitive, domineering, and inconsistent than nonabusing parents. As more cases of less severe child abuse were reported and investigated, the incidence of clear parental deviance decreased while the evidence for cultural and child influence increased. The societal variables associated with abuse included unemployment, job dissatisfaction, single-parent families, and social isolation of low-income, multiproblem families.
Verrucous Carcinoma of the Penis Completely Cured with Shaving and Intralesional Interferon

Verrucous carcinoma is a rare variant of squamous cell carcinoma that may have local aggressivity but only rarely metastasizes. Surgical treatment is generally recommended; however, many cases have been treated with radiotherapy [1] and chemotherapy [2], usually with poor results. A few cases have been treated with subcutaneous or intramuscular recombinant interferon · (IFN), which appears to be only an adjuvant therapy. There is no experience with intralesional IFN. We describe a patient with verrucous carcinoma of the penis who was completely cured with intralesional alfa-2b IFN and shaving of the tumor. A 60-year-old man had been circumcised because of phimosis 20 years previously. At the operation, a tumor involving almost completely the glans was found. Histological examinations showed hyperkeratosis, parakeratosis, acanthosis, perinuclear vacuolar changes and lymphocytic infiltrate. A diagnosis of verrucous carcinoma of the penis was made. Chest roentgenography and laboratory studies were unremarkable. PCR studies for HPV were negative. The patient refused radical surgery, and superficial shaving of the lesion was performed followed by intralesional IFN alfa-2b, 3 million IU 3 times weekly during 30 weeks (total dose 90 ! 106 IU). The treatment was well tolerated and there has been no evidence of recurrence after 30 months. The treatment of verrucous carcinoma is not well established and classically consists in a wide surgical excision. Chemotherapy and radiotherapy have been unsuccessful in obtaining a complete remission; in addition, radiotherapy occasionally appears to transform verrucous carcinoma into poorly differentiated squamous cell carcinoma. Due to its antitumoral, antiproliferative and immunomodulatory activities, treatment with IFN-· has occasionally been used in this disease [3–12]. In 1988, Zachariae et al. [3] reported the first case of verrucous carcinoma of the penis treated with IFN. To date 5 patients have been treated with IFN alone, either subcutaneously or intramuscularly. This treatment was effective in 2 patients; in the other 3 it did not prevent surgery. There have been at least 10 patients treated with IFN + surgery; in most of these cases, IFN has been considered a useful adjuvant therapy. Therapy with intralesional IFN has only been performed in 1 case: this patient had a verrucous carcinoma on the left leg, IFN did not improve the disease and finally the leg was amputated [11]. In our patient, the shaving was not deep and we believe that IFN has had a primary role in the complete cure. Recurrences after local surgical treatment are common; in addition, many patients refuse amputation of the penis and in other circumstances total excision is not possible. In these cases the physicians must try other treatments. Shaving of the tumor and intralesional IFN-·, like in this case, may be an alternative therapy.
Improving the testing process by program static analysis

This paper describes a test process improvement aiming to improve software quality in a large organization that has a large number of software projects. First, we identified activities in the testing process in the organization and analyzed their characteristics. As a result, we identified that dynamic tests have been performed well and static tests have been less performed. Improvement plan was requested that contributes to the product quality without increasing development efforts for the projects. We then decided a plan to introduce static analysis tools and establish the testing process in which static analysis tools are applied as much as possible. Implementation of the improvement plan consists of two steps: introductory and complete application of tools to the organization. The characteristics of this process improvement are not only that tools have been evaluated and confirmed in pilot projects before actual introduction but also procedures have been designed carefully for the application of the tools to projects. The effectiveness of this approach was confirmed in the analysis of applied projects in which static problems were removed successfully before system test.
Therapeutic plasma exchange in a patient with erythropoietic protoporphyria status post orthothopic liver transplantation as a bridge to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation

To the Editor: We read with interest a recent article by Pagano et al. describing the use of both therapeutic plasma exchange (TPE) and red blood cell (RBC) exchange (RCE) to treat a patient with erythropoietic protoporphyria (EPP) [1]. We describe a case using TPE after an orthotopic liver transplantation (OLT) in a patient with EPP as a bridge to hematopoietic stem cell transplantation (HSCT). The patient is a 26-year-old male who was diagnosed with EPP at age 5 after an episode of pruritis and skin edema following sun exposure. He had stable disease until age 15 when he started to drink alcohol heavily. Due to a worsening liver function, he received an OLT at age 20 (2007), which was complicated by rejection and recurrent EPP. Three years after his first OLT (2010), he received an umbilical cord blood stem cell transplant, which failed to engraft. He was then treated with hemin infusions every 3 weeks until he received OLT#2 in 5/2013. TPE was performed at day 11 after OLT#2 to prevent damage to the transplanted liver while awaiting HSCT#2. A total of 22 TPE procedures (1-PV exchange) were performed over 5 months prior to HSCT (Fig. 1). The first procedure was followed by three every other day procedures after a week, due to bleeding complications that prohibited TPE. Thereafter, 18 weekly procedures were performed. Albumin and plasma were used in the first two procedures due to his coagulopathy. All subsequent procedures utilized albumin solely as the replacement fluid. He tolerated all procedures well without major complications. He also received hemin infusions at weekly or biweekly intervals (Fig. 1). After the first procedure, the patient’s plasma protoporphyrin (PPP) level decreased from 434.7 to 40.8 mg/dL. This level remained stable until day 1106 when his PPP level began to increase after a prolonged interval of TPE and hemin infusion. His PPP level decreased to 17.3 mg/dL after resumption of weekly TPE and hemin infusions. His liver enzymes were stable within the reference range throughout the treatment course. He received a minor ABO-mismatched related peripheral blood stem cell transplant on 10/2013. Neutrophils and platelets engrafted on day 119 and day 115, respectively. EPP is a rare disease due to a decrease in ferrochelatase activity, resulting in the accumulation of protoporphyrin IX. Painful photosensitivity is the most common clinical presentation. In a few cases, patients can develop cirrhosis and liver failure. TPE, RCE, RBC hypertransfusion, hemin infusions, and N-acetylcystein have been used as therapies but are not curative. HSCT has been proposed as a cure for EPP [2]. There is a paucity of data regarding the safety and efficacy of TPE for the reduction of PPP and subsequent hepatic uptake as a treatment for EPP. It is not an indication included in the current guidelines published by
Recovery of airway structure and function after hyperoxic exposure in immature rats.

We have previously demonstrated that hyperoxic exposure (> 95% O2 for 8 d) induces airway cholinergic hyperresponsiveness and remodeling in 21-d-old rats. To examine the potential relationship between airway hyperresponsiveness and remodeling in these animals, we exposed rats to air or hyperoxia for 8 d, returned them to air-breathing, and measured airway responsiveness to inhaled acetylcholine (ACh) and layer thicknesses immediately after or 16 or 48 d after cessation of air or O2 exposure. The ACh concentration required to increase resistance by 100% (EC200ACh) was calculated by linear interpolation. Small airway (circumference < 1,000 microns) and medium-sized, conducting airway (1,000 to 3,000 microns) epithelial and smooth muscle layer mean thicknesses and fractional areas (layer area/luminal cross-sectional area) were determined from lung sections by contour tracing using a digitizing pad and computer. As we reported previously, after 8 d of O2 exposure, group mean log EC200ACh was significantly reduced relative to that in control animals (p < 0.001). Similarly, hyperoxic exposure was associated with significant increases in all parameters of airway layer thickness assessed (p < 0.05). However, by 16 d after cessation of O2 exposure, there were no longer statistically significant differences in log EC200ACh, airway layer thickness, or fractional area between control and O2-exposed animals. Further studies, in a second cohort of animals killed 0, 3, 6, 8, or 13 d after cessation of O2 exposure, demonstrated progressive reductions in small airway epithelial and smooth muscle layer thicknesses, confirming that hyperoxia-induced airway remodeling resolves by approximately 2 wk after termination of O2 exposure. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
In vivo serotonin 5HT(2A) receptor binding and personality traits in healthy subjects: a positron emission tomography study.

Using positron emission tomography (PET) and [(11)C]raclopride, an association between striatal D(2) dopamine receptors and emotional detachment has been recently reported. Several laboratory findings indicate a link between the serotoninergic system and harm avoidance. In this study we investigated, in a group of healthy volunteers, the relationship between the in vivo binding of 3-(2'-[(18)F]fluoroethyl)spiperone ([(18)F]FESP) to cortical 5HT(2) and striatal D(2) receptors and three personality dimensions, i.e., "novelty seeking," "reward dependence," and "harm avoidance. " Eleven healthy volunteers were evaluated by means of the Tridimensional personality Questionnaire (C. R., Arch. Gen. Psychiatry 44: 573-588.) and underwent a PET scan with [(18)F]FESP. Harm avoidance showed a significant inverse correlation with [(18)F]FESP binding in the cerebral cortex, particularly in the frontal cortex (R(2) = -0.709, P = 0.0145) and left parietal cortex (R = -0.629, P = 0.038) but not in the basal ganglia (r = -0.176, P = 0.651). Similar results were obtained using SPM at a P threshold of 0.05. No significant correlation was observed with novelty seeking or reward dependence. In the cerebral cortex, high values of [(18)F]FESP binding values are associated with a high tendency to avoid danger, indicating involvement of the serotoninergic system and, in particular, 5HT(2A) receptors, in this trait of personality. The results of this as well as of previous studies on personality dimensions indicate the existence of a relationship between behavioral and neurobiological factors. In addition these results support the concept that the variability of PET data may be explained by neurochemical differences related to the prevalence of specific personality traits.
Accessory Protein 5a Is a Major Antagonist of the Antiviral Action of Interferon against Murine Coronavirus

ABSTRACT The type I interferon (IFN) response plays an essential role in the control of in vivo infection by the coronavirus mouse hepatitis virus (MHV). However, in vitro, most strains of MHV are largely resistant to the action of this cytokine, suggesting that MHV encodes one or more functions that antagonize or evade the IFN system. A particular strain of MHV, MHV-S, exhibited orders-of-magnitude higher sensitivity to IFN than prototype strain MHV-A59. Through construction of interstrain chimeric recombinants, the basis for the enhanced IFN sensitivity of MHV-S was found to map entirely to the region downstream of the spike gene, at the 3′ end of the genome. Sequence analysis revealed that the major difference between the two strains in this region is the absence of gene 5a from MHV-S. Creation of a gene 5a knockout mutant of MHV-A59 demonstrated that a major component of IFN resistance maps to gene 5a. Conversely, insertion of gene 5a, or its homologs from related group 2 coronaviruses, at an upstream genomic position in an MHV-A59/S chimera restored IFN resistance. This is the first demonstration of a coronavirus gene product that can protect that same virus from the antiviral state induced by IFN. Neither protein kinase R, which phosphorylates eukaryotic initiation factor 2, nor oligoadenylate synthetase, which activates RNase L, was differentially activated in IFN-treated cells infected with MHV-A59 or MHV-S. Thus, the major IFN-induced antiviral activities that are specifically inhibited by MHV, and possibly by other coronaviruses, remain to be identified.
Setting future standards for KRAS testing in colorectal cancer.

predictive biomarker that is available, and it is now widely accepted that KRAS testing needs to be performed before EGFR targeting therapy is administered in patients with metastasized colorectal cancer [2]. Research into the EGF pathway has gone from bench to bedside. The EGFR receptor is a growth receptor expressed on many cells and overexpression occurs in many different forms of cancer, especially carcinomas. Overexpression can be due to amplification of the gene, mutations in the gene or post-translational factors. Binding of a ligand (EGF, TGF-α, epiregulin) to the receptor leads to dimerization of EGFR and stimulation of intracellular signal transduction pathways ultimately resulting in the stimulation of cell growth and proliferation and the inhibition of apoptosis. Therefore, EGFR is an attractive target for therapeutic strategies. Several approaches using either small molecules or monoclonal antibodies have become available and have shown effect in a variety of tumor types, including cancer of the epithelia of the oropharynx and larynx [9], lung cancer [8] and colorectal cancer [3,4]. Since not all patients respond to this treatment studies into predictive factors were initiated, comparing responding to nonresponding patients. An obvious target for study was the EGFR itself but the response to EGFR targeting agents appeared not to be limited to patients expressing EGFR on their tumors [10] and also, many patients with EGFR expression on the tumor cells did not respond. An increased EGFR gene copy-number, however, is associated with increased responsiveness to cetuximab in patients with advanced colorectal cancer [11], but is an uncommon event and many patients without EGFR gene amplification do respond. Mutations in the intracellular domain of the EGFR are observed in non-small-cell lung cancer and associated with response to the EGFR small molecules gefitinib and erlotinib [8] but in colorectal cancer these mutations are only very Selection of patients with metastasized colorectal cancer, who do not benefit from treatment directed against the epidermal growth factor receptor (EGFR) is now feasible. Since the start of the new millennium, the outlook for patients with metastasized colorectal cancer has improved significantly, mainly thanks to the introduction of new, biological treatments that targets the vascular endothelial growth factor receptor (VEGFR) or the EGFR. However, not all patients benefit from these treatments and much effort is undertaken to identify predictive markers that can be used to select patients most likely to benefit from these expensive and potentially toxic agents. The most relevant and recent development in this field is the discovery that in patients with metastasized colorectal cancer EGFR targeting treatment is only effective in those patients that have wild-type KRAS [1,2], a discovery that has attracted wide publicity.
Adaptive Null-Move Pruning

General wisdom deems strong chess programs to be brute-force searchers that explore game trees as exhaustively as possible within the given time limits. We review the results of the latest World Computer-Chess Championships and show how grossly wrong this notion actually is. The typical brute-force searchers lost their dominance of the field around 1990 when the null move became popular in microcomputer practice. Today, nearly all world-class chess programs apply various selective forward-pruning schemes with overwhelming success.
Hydraulic flow model of plant organs in response to physical and environmental factors

A mechanistic hydraulic flow model based upon plant physiological behavior is proposed in this work to determine functionality of different plant organs in handling flows of water. The model is developed by introducing various standard elements in bond graph lexicon. Out of all the resistive elements of plants, stem xylem resistance and stomatal resistance are modeled by taking diurnal variation. The value of stem xylem resistance of the plant is the maximum value at midday ( 2 . 96 × 10 7 MPa s/m3) and the minimum value ( 2 . 4 × 10 7 MPa s/m3) in the dark period. A Jarvis–Stewart type model for stomatal conductance is implemented for developing stomatal resistance. The process of transpiration which is formulated with the help of Ohm’s law analogy is also incorporated in the model. Thermal behavior of the vegetation is introduced by taking the boundary layer, aerodynamics, ambient temperature, relative humidity and global solar radiation into account. Simulations are performed for specific kinds of plants and for specific sights. Finally, various environmental and physical influencing factors are considered to study the response of the plant model, and this modeling technique offers a novel modeling tactic alternative to field measurements. The transpirational flow at constant water potential of −0.15 MPa varies between 1 . 2 × 10 − 8 to 2 . 25 × 10 − 8 m3/s during the day period. The rate of transpiration reaches a maximum value of about 2 . 0 × 10 − 8 m3/s during the early hours in each day while the value of solar radiation is about 700 Wm−2. Leaf water potential depletes to a minimum value of −1.5 MPa at the 5th day of the drying cycle period.
A Cost Model of Open Source Software Adoption

A limited budget for IT may lock public bodies in obsolete inefficient solutions slowing down their process of innovation. Various actions of estimating, controlling, and reducing IT costs have been already performed at national and European levels and Open Source Software (OSS) has been often pointed as a promising alternative that may also render public services and the underlying business processes more transparent and accessible to citizens. In this chapter, we propose a model of cost of a migration to OSS as a decision making instrument that helps public bodies being autonomous and independent in the IT adoption. The model is empirically validated in the real daily operations of more than 3,500 users. If adopted systematically our model might be a powerful tool to support transformational government and to establish an empirical open knowledge base on the economic advantages of OSS on which to found future strategies of OSS adoption.
Site-directed mutagenesis studies with EcoRV restriction endonuclease to identify regions involved in recognition and catalysis.

Guided by the X-ray structure analysis of a crystalline EcoRV-d(GGGATATCCC) complex (Winkler, in preparation), we have begun to identify functionally important amino acid residues of EcoRV. We show here that Asn70, Asp74, Ser183, Asn185, Thr186, and Asn188 are most likely involved in the binding and/or cleavage of the DNA, because their conservative substitution leads to mutants of no or strongly reduced activity. In addition, C-terminal amino acid residues of EcoRV seem to be important for its activity, since their deletion inactivates the enzyme. Following the identification of three functionally important regions, we have inspected the sequences of other restriction and modification enzymes for homologous regions. It was found that two restriction enzymes that recognize similar sequences as EcoRV (DpnII and HincII), as well as two modification enzymes (M.DpnII and, in a less apparent form, M.EcoRV), have the sequence motif -SerGlyXXXAsnIleXSer- in common, which in EcoRV contains the essential Ser183 and Asn188 residues. Furthermore, the C-terminal region, shown to be essential for EcoRV, is highly homologous to a similar region in the restriction endonuclease SmaI. On the basis of these findings we propose that these restriction enzymes and to a certain extent also some of their corresponding modification enzymes interact with DNA in a similar manner.