Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A Miniature High Gain and Broadband MMIC Distributed Amplifier

A new miniature MMIC distributed amplifier, which combines conventional distributed amplifier (CDA) to extend wider bandwidth and a single-stage cascode amplifier (SSCA) as a gain stage for high gain over several octaves of bandwidth (called CDA-SSCA) is presented in this paper. The low pass filter (LPF) configuration is adopted between the CDA and SSCA while resistive terminations are used in the biasing circuitry to provide broadband matching. The measured small signal gain is 22±1.5 dB from 0.5 to 27 GHz with a chip size of 1.5 × 1 mm2. Another two broadband distributed amplifiers are also designed for comparison and with the same chip size. One is cascaded the two single-stage distributed amplifiers, called two-cascaded single-stage distributed amplifier (2-CSSDA), and the other is a CDA cascaded with a CSSDA, called (CDA-CSSDA). This CDA-SSCA produces a significantly higher gain than the other two designs 2-CSSDA and CDA-CSSDA within the same bandwidth. The flat group delay of this design also proves the feasibility for digital optical communication applications.
Exclusive breastfeeding and risk of atopic dermatitis in some 8300 infants

Earlier studies on breastfeeding and atopy in infants have yielded contradictory results. We examined the relationship between exclusive breastfeeding and atopic dermatitis (AD) in a cohort of infants born between 1 October 1997 and 1 October 1999 in south‐east Sweden. We evaluated the risk of AD ‘at least once’ or ‘at least three times’ during the first year of life in relation to duration of exclusive breastfeeding: <4 months (short exclusive breastfeeding; SEBF) vs. ≥4 months. All data were obtained through questionnaires. Of 8346 infants with breastfeeding data, 1943 (23.3%) had suffered from AD during the first year of life. Duration of exclusive breastfeeding was not associated with lower risk of AD (p = 0.868). SEBF did not influence the risk of any AD (OR = 1.03; 95% CI OR = 0.91–1.17; p = 0.614) or AD at least three times (OR = 0.97; 95% CI OR = 0.81–1.16; p = 0.755) during the first year of life. Adjustment for confounders did not change these point estimates. Neither was there any link between SEBF and risk of AD among infants with a family history of atopy [adjusted odds ratio (AOR) = 1.16; 95% CI AOR = 0.90–1.48; p = 0.254]. Furred pets at home were linked to a lower risk of AD both among infants with a family history of atopy (AOR = 0.76; 95% CI AOR = 0.60–0.96; p = 0.021) and among infants with no such history (AOR = 0.79; 95% CI AOR = 0.69–0.90; p < 0.001). Infants with no family history of atopy were less prone to develop AD if parents smoked (AOR = 0.76; 95% CI AOR = 0.61–0.95; p = 0.016). This study indicates that exclusive breastfeeding does not influence the risk of AD during the first year of life, while presence of furred pets at home seems to be negatively associated with AD.
Tight monolayers of rat alveolar epithelial cells: bioelectric properties and active sodium transport.

Because the pulmonary alveolar epithelium separates air spaces from a fluid-filled compartment, it is expected that this barrier would be highly resistant to the flow of solutes and water. Investigation of alveolar epithelial resistance has been limited due to the complex anatomy of adult mammalian lung. Previous efforts to study isolated alveolar epithelium cultured on porous substrata yielded leaky monolayers. In this study, alveolar epithelial cells isolated from rat lungs and grown on tissue culture-treated Nucleopore filters resulted in tight monolayers with transepithelial resistance greater than 2,000 omega.cm2. Changes in bioelectric properties of these alveolar epithelial monolayers in response to ouabain, amiloride, and terbutaline are consistent with active sodium transport across a polarized barrier. 22Na flux measurements under short-circuit conditions directly confirm net transepithelial absorption of sodium by alveolar epithelial cells in the apical to basolateral direction, comparable to the observed short-circuit current (4.37 microA/cm2). The transport properties of these tight monolayers may be representative of the characteristics of the mammalian alveolar epithelial barrier in vivo.
Does Language Do More Than Communicate Emotion?

Language can certainly communicate emotions, but growing research suggests that language also helps constitute emotion by cohering sensations into specific perceptions of “anger,” “disgust,” “fear,” and other emotion categories. The powerful role of language in emotion is predicted by a constructionist approach, which suggests that emotions occur when sensations are categorized using emotion category knowledge supported by language. We discuss the accumulating evidence from social-cognitive, neuropsychological, cross-cultural, and neuroimaging studies that emotion words go beyond communication to help constitute emotional perceptions, and perhaps even emotional experiences. We look ahead to current directions in research on emotional intelligence, emotion regulation, and psychotherapy.
Scaling technique of triple play services in passive optical network using subcarrier allocation algorithm

Data consumption increased sharply, all triple play services such as Voice, Data-Internet & Video can be performed on one communication path, even fiber optic has also bandwidth limitations, previous studies tried to maintain the fairness among the users, but there is no fairness of service therefore the allocation of data transmission must be optimized as their needs. A Passive Optical Communication in downstream direction are presented. We proposed to modify current burst methods to scheduling distribution SC on system OFDM from OLT to ONU by utilize FDMA to allocating SubCarrier based on the services are applied. Significant gain of bandwidth efficiency up to 60% obtained when link is being congest.
Fatty Acid Based Microemulsions to Combat Ophthalmia Neonatorum Caused by Neisseria gonorrhoeae and Staphylococcus aureus

The bacterial species Neisseria gonorrhoeae (N. gonorrhoeae) and Staphylococcus aureus (S. aureus) are amongst the main microorganisms that cause ophthalmia neonatorum. The current treatment involves the use of various antibiotics such as ciprofloxacin, cephalosporin, ceftriaxone and cefotaxime. However, this treatment strategy is becoming more ineffective due to the antibiotic resistance in N. gonorrhoeae. The current study explores the potential use of fatty acid based microemulsions (ME) to prevent N. gonorrhoeae and S. aureus infections in new-borns’ eyes without harmful side effects such as corneal or conjunctiva irritation. Pseudo-ternary phase diagrams were constructed to evaluate microemulsion regions and six different α-linolenic acid based microemulsions were prepared. The prepared formulations were characterized for α-linolenic acid content, size, transparency, zeta potential, Polarized light Microscopy, antimicrobial activity and ex vivo ocular toxicity. The mean droplet size of the ME formulations was in the range of 190.4 to 350.5 nm and polydispersity index (PDI) values were in the range of 0.102 to 0.561. All formulations were found stable upon storage for at least 8 weeks. In addition, self-diffusion coefficients determined by nuclear magnetic resonance (NMR) reflected that the diffusability of water increased at higher than 30% w/w water, while that of fatty acids and surfactants was in reverse. The antimicrobial efficacy of microemulsions was determined against N. gonorrhoeae and S. aureus. It was concluded that all microemulsions have strong antimicrobial effects against N. gonorrhoeae and S. aureus. Finally, bovine corneal opacity permeability (BCOP) and hen’s egg chorioallantoic (HET-CAM) tests results showed that all microemulsion formulations were not strong ocular irritants.
A Simian Replication-Defective Adenoviral Recombinant Vaccine to HIV-1 Gag 1

In animal models, E1-deleted human adenoviral recombinants of the serotype 5 (AdHu5) have shown high efficacy as vaccine carriers for different Ags including those of HIV-1. Humans are infected by common serotypes of human adenovirus such as AdHu5 early in life and a significant percentage has high levels of neutralizing Abs to these serotypes, which will very likely impair the efficacy of recombinant vaccines based on the homologous virus. To circumvent this problem, a novel replication-defective adenoviral vaccine carrier based on an E1-deleted recombinant of the chimpanzee adenovirus 68 (AdC68) was developed. An AdC68 construct expressing a codon-optimized, truncated form of gag of HIV-1 induces CD8+ T cells to gag in mice which at the height of the immune response encompass nearly 20% of the entire splenic CD8+ T cell population. The vaccine-induced immune response provides protection to challenge with a vaccinia gag recombinant virus. Induction of transgene-specific CD8+ T cells and protection against viral challenge elicited by the AdC68 vaccines is not strongly inhibited in animals preimmune to AdHu5 virus. However, the response elicited by the AdHu5 vaccine is greatly attenuated in AdHu5 preimmune animals.
Vasculoprotective properties of the endothelial glycocalyx: effects of fluid shear stress

The endothelial glycocalyx exerts a wide array of vasculoprotective effects via inhibition of coagulation and leucocyte adhesion, by contributing to the vascular permeability barrier and by mediating shear stress‐induced NO release. In this review, we will focus on the relationship between fluid shear stress and the endothelial glycocalyx. We will address the hypothesis that modulation of glycocalyx synthesis by fluid shear stress may contribute to thinner glycocalyces, and therefore more vulnerable endothelium, at lesion‐prone sites of arterial bifurcations. Finally, we will discuss the effects of known atherogenic stimuli such as hyperglycaemia on whole body glycocalyx volume in humans and its effect on endothelial function.
Overcoming Distributed Debugging Challenges in the MPI + OpenMP Programming Model

There is a general consensus that exascale computing will employ a wide range of programming models to harness the many levels of architectural parallelism [1], including models to exploit parallelism in CPUs and devices, such as OpenMP. To aid programmers in managing the complexities arising from multiple programming models, debugging tools must enable programmers to identify errors at the level of the programming model. However, the question of what the effective levels for debugging in hybrid distributed models are, remains unanswered. In this work, we present a novel framework to build an intuitive stack trace view of MPI+OpenMP programs. We develop a methodology to reconstruct call stacks for OpenMP threads and share our lessons learned from incorporating OpenMP awareness into a highly-scalable, lightweight debugging tool for MPI applications: the Stack Trace Analysis Tool (STAT) [2]. Our framework leverages OMPD [3], an emerging debugging interface for OpenMP, so that we can evaluate the effective levels of debugging for MPI+OpenMP. Our easy-to-understand stack trace views help users debug MPI+OpenMP programs at the user code level by mapping the stack traces to the high-level abstractions provided by programming models.
A tri-band bandpass filter with asymmetric tri-mode resonator

In this paper we propose a compact tri-mode asymmetric resonator that consists of a single-mode and a dual-mode resonator. The behaviour of the proposed configuration is analyzed in detail. To demonstrate the potential of the proposed resonator, tri-band bandpass filter operating at 2.4/3.5/5.2 GHz has been designed, fabricated and measured. The filter is characterized by good performances and very compact size of only 0. 24λg × 0. 115λg.
A capacitively phase-coupled low noise, low power 0.8-to-28.2GHz quadrature ring VCO in 40nm CMOS

This paper presents a novel tunable wide-operating range capacitively phase-coupled low noise, low power ring-based voltage controlled oscillator (VCO) for use in multi-GHz phase-locked loops (PLLs). The basic building blocks of the ring oscillator (RO) design are discussed along with a technique to expand the VCO to a variety of phases and frequencies without the use of physical inductors. Improved performance with minimal phase noise are achieved in this ring VCO design through distributed passive-element injection locking (IL) of the staged phases via a network of symmetrically placed metal interconnect capacitors. Using this method, a 0.8-to-28.2 GHz quadrature ring VCO was designed, fabricated, and physically tested with a PLL in an all-digital 40nm TSMC CMOS process. Most notably the proposed quadrature VCO occupies an area of 0.0024mm2, consumes a power of 0.88mW at a 1.0V supply voltage, and possesses a phase noise of -124.5dBc/Hz at the 10MHz offset for a carrier frequency of 28.0GHz.
Detection of Lexical Stress Using an Iterative Feature Normalization Method

Lexical stress plays an important role in the understandability of non-native speakers. It is known that the perception of stress by native English speakers depends on the prosodic features pitch, energy and duration. However, these features are highly variable, and their realization depends on the mother tongue of the speaker. In this paper we present a system for the automatic detection of lexical stress in English disyllabic words spoken by Hebrew and Native English speakers. A novel normalization technique that reduces the variability of the prosodic features is used. This normalization reduces the variability of the intrinsic phrase features such as speaking rate and the intrinsic phoneme features such as phoneme types within the phrase. The pitch gradient feature is used and found to significantly improve performance on Hebrew speakers while having a modest improvement on Native speakers. Detection rates of the system and of non-expert native listeners were compared in reference to that of native expert transcribers. The system achieved primary stress detection rate that outperforms the average detection rate of non-expert listeners.
Heroin Mismatch in the Motor City: Addiction, Segregation, and the Geography of Opportunity

In this article, the authors used data from economic and ethnographic interviews with heroin users from Detroit, Michigan, as well as other sources, to illustrate the relationship between heroin users’ mobility patterns and urban and suburban environments, especially in terms of drug acquisition and the geography of opportunity. The authors found that although geographic location and social networks associated with segregation provided central city residents and African Americans with a strategic advantage over White suburbanites in locating and purchasing heroin easily and efficiently, this same segregation effectively focuses the negative externalities of heroin markets in central city neighborhoods. Finally, the authors consider how the heroin trade reflects and reproduces the segregated post-industrial landscape and discuss directions for future research about the relationship between ethnic and economic ghettos and regional drug markets.
Biphenyl-inducible Promoters in a Polychlorinated Biphenyl-degrading Bacterium, Rhodococcus sp. RHA1

Five transcriptional promoters of biphenyl-degradation genes in Rhodococcus sp. RHA1 were characterized. We newly identified the etbA4 promoter region, which was located adjacent upstream from a ferredoxin reductase gene, etbA4 and a dihydrodiol dehydrogenase gene, bphB2. The etbA4 promoter activity was determined in RHA1 using a promoter probe vector with a luxAB luciferase reporter gene, and was induced by a variety of aromatic compounds as well as the bphA1, ebdA1, etbA1, and etbD1 promoters. All these promoters were induced by aromatic compounds in a closely related heterologous host, R. erythropolis IAM1399 in the presence of RHA1 bphST genes, suggesting that these five promoters are under the control of bphST-coding two-component regulatory system. Sequence comparison of the bphA1 promoter with the ebdA1 and etbA1 promoters, whose transcription starts were determined by primer extension analysis, revealed a consensus sequence centering 42-bp upstream from the transcription start. This consensus was also conserved in the etbA4 and etbD1 promoters, and deletions of the bphA1 promoter affecting the consensus impaired inducible promoter activity. These results suggest that this consensus plays a role in transcription induction and/or the promotion of biphenyl degradation genes in RHA1.
Long-acting β-agonists: a review of formoterol safety data from asthma clinical trials

The safety of long-acting β2-agonist (LABA) treatment in asthma has been questioned following reported increased respiratory deaths when salmeterol was added to usual pharmacotherapy. The aim of this study was to examine whether asthma, cardiac or all-cause mortality and morbidity were increased with formoterol use. The analysis included all AstraZeneca randomised controlled parallel-group asthma trials of 3–12-months duration involving formoterol. Risks associated with formoterol use compared with non-LABA treatment, overall and in combination with inhaled corticosteroids (ICS), were assessed using an intention-to-treat analysis of the rates and rate ratios of deaths and serious adverse events (SAEs). The main objective of this study was to compare asthma-related mortality in patients using formoterol and those not using formoterol. There were eight asthma-related deaths (0.34 per 1,000 person-yrs) among 49,906 formoterol-randomised patients (92% using ICS), and two (0.22 per 1,000 person-yrs) among 18,098 patients (83% using ICS) not randomised to formoterol, which was nonsignificant. Asthma-related SAEs (>90% of which were hospitalisations) were significantly fewer among formoterol-randomised patients (0.75 versus 1.10%). There was no increase in asthma-related SAEs with increased daily doses of formoterol (9, 18 or 36 μg). There was no significant difference in cardiac mortality or noncardiac nonasthma-related mortality in formoterol-randomised compared to non-LABA-treated patients. All-cause mortality was similar. In the data set in which all subjects were prescribed ICS at baseline, there were seven asthma-related deaths (0.32 per 1,000 person-yrs) among 46,003 formoterol-randomised patients and one (0.14 per 1,000 person-yrs) among 13,905 patients not randomised to formoterol, which was also nonsignificant. There were few asthma-related or cardiac-related deaths among patients randomised to formoterol, and all differences were nonsignificant compared with non-long-acting β2-agonist-randomised patients. However, despite data on >68,000 patients, the power was insufficient to conclude that there was no increased mortality with formoterol. Cardiac-related serious adverse events were not increased, and asthma-related serious adverse events were significantly reduced with formoterol.
La realidad virtual en las intervenciones psicológicas con pacientes oncológicos

El objetivo de este trabajo es presentar las principales aportaciones de la Realidad Virtual (RV) en el tratamiento psicologico con pacientes oncologicos, y describir un programa de intervencion que utiliza esta tecnologia para promover bienestar emocional en pacientes hospitalizados. La RV se presenta como una prometedora herramienta de apoyo al paciente oncologico. Diversos estudios plantean su utilidad para hacer algunos tratamientos medicos mas tolerables, para reducir los niveles de distres y dolor, asi como promover mayores niveles de emociones positivas. Se ha empleado principalmente con pacientes ambulatorios, existiendo una menor proporcion de propuestas dirigidas al periodo de hospitalizacion. La intervencion que ha desarrollado nuestro grupo aborda esta condicion desde un foco tambien poco explorado: la promocion de bienestar. Esta intervencion se compone de 4 sesiones (modulos de distraccion y reminiscencia) implementadas individualmente en la habitacion del paciente. Antes y despues de cada sesion se evaluo el estado emocional (escalas visuales), la percepcion de paso del tiempo (en minutos), de cambio en el estado de animo y de satisfaccion con el procedimiento. Los resultados iniciales senalan incrementos en las emociones positivas despues de cada sesion, existiendo cambios significativos en la primera y tercera sesion. Ademas, la mayoria de pacientes informo que su estado de animo habia mejorado despues de las sesiones. A partir de estos hallazgos se observa que los entornos virtuales y las tecnologias de la informacion y la comunicacion muestran utilidad no solo para disminuir el malestar sino tambien para promover bienestar emocional, especialmente durante periodos de tratamiento y hospitalizacion.
Regulation of the Human TNF Promoter by the Transcription Factor Ets (*)

Tumor necrosis factor (TNF) affects the growth, differentiation, and function of a multitude of cell types and is viewed as a potent mediator of inflammation and cellular immune responses. In order to delineate functional domains that control TNF gene transcription, we have analyzed a 5′ flanking region of the human TNF promoter spanning base pairs −115 to −98. This region contains a PEA3/Ets-1 binding motif 5′ GAGGA 3′ in direct juxtaposition to an AP-1/ATF-like palindromic sequence motif 5′ TGAGCTCA 3′. Specific binding of Ets and Jun to their respective elements is demonstrated by competition analysis as well as by supershift assays. As shown by promoter deletion analysis, these two binding sites were essential for both basal promoter activity and responsiveness to the phorbol ester phorbol 12-myristate 13-acetate. Co-transfection of c-ets or c-jun expression plasmids along with TNF promoter-CAT reporter constructs revealed the participation of both transcription factors in the regulation of TNF gene transcription. Correspondingly, site-specific mutation of either Ets or Jun sites led to a complete loss of responsiveness to the respective transcription factor. These data suggest an essential role of Ets for the activation of TNF gene transcription.
Successful Pregnancy After Thermal Balloon Endometrial Ablation

BACKGROUND: Thermal balloon ablation is as effective as other electrosurgical modalities used for endometrial ablation. Pregnancy rate after endometrial ablation is 0.24–0.68%. We report a near-term viable pregnancy after thermal balloon uterine ablation. CASE: Thermal balloon uterine endometrial ablation was performed on a 38-year-old woman with menorrhagia. She conceived 11 months after the operation and decided to continue the pregnancy. After 35 weeks of uneventful gestation, she spontaneously delivered a liveborn infant. CONCLUSION: Although rare, pregnancy after endometrial ablation is possible. Obstetric complications, such as pathologic placental adherence and fetal demise due to a small, scarred uterine cavity, have been reported. This pregnancy went to 35 weeks without complication despite a three-chambered appearance of the uterus.
Automatic line-based estimation of radial lens distortion

Line-based camera calibration methods estimate the radial lens distortion by using the constraint that straight lines in the 3D world must project to straight lines in the image plane, if the distortion is compensated. Thereby line-based approaches neither need a calibration pattern nor information about other camera parameters and can be applied to single views. Former line-based approaches are impaired by real curved lines in the 3D world that are misinterpreted as straight lines. This affects their robustness and reduces the accuracy of the estimation. This contribution solves the problem by a novel efficient outlier elimination of real curved lines in the 3D world. Results of studies on synthetic and natural camera images indicate a significant improvement of robustness and accuracy of the estimation by the applied outlier elimination method.