Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Full SiC version of the EDA5 inverter

Recently, a novel hybrid multilevel inverter topology, the EDA5, was presented. The novel inverter topology comprises of two floating capacitors and 16 active switches to achieve five-level output voltage waveform and achieves higher efficiency at low-modulation index compared to a five-level Active Neural Point Clamped (5L-ANPC) converter. In this work, a full SiC MOSFET version of the inverter is presented, using commercially available 1200V rated devices. A balanced mix of simulation and experimental results are presented to point out the salient features of the topology. The topology is compared with 5L-ANPC inverter in simulation, and experimentally demonstrated up to 12kW output power with 1kV DC link voltage.
First Nondestructive Measurements of Power MOSFET Single Event Burnout Cross Sections

A new technique to nondestructively measure single event burnout cross sections for N-channel power MOSFETs is presented. Previous measurements of power MOSFET burnout susceptibility have been destructive and thus not conducive to providing statistically meaningful burnout probabilities. The nondestructive technique and data for various device types taken at several accelerators, including the LBL Bevalac, are documented. Several new phenomena are observed.
REVIEWS IN BASIC AND CLINICAL GASTROENTEROLOGY Neuroimaging of the Brain-Gut Axis: From Basic Understanding to Treatment of Functional GI Disorders

Altered reflex and perceptual responses within the brain-gut axis have emerged as a generally accepted model to explain the cardinal symptoms of functional gastrointestinal (GI) syndromes. The ability to image the living human brain with various neuroimaging modalities has greatly enhanced our ability to study these brain gut interactions in health and disease. Reflex responses within the brain-gut axis, mediated by lamina I and vagal afferents, and efferents of the autonomic nervous system, play a crucial role in the maintenance of homeostasis during physiological perturbations caused by food intake, contractile activity, and metabolic products of the enteric flora. The insular cortex plays an important role in the conscious perception of all sensations arising from the body, while the dorsal anterior cingulate cortex (dACC), with its connection to effector systems, mediates the affective response and motivational drive. The magnitude and gain of these processes is highly influenced by central arousal systems and top-down corticolimbic modulation, mediating the effect of environmental context, emotions, cognitions, and memories on perception and gut function. The majority of neuroimaging studies of the brain gut axis in humans are consistent with the model of parallel processing of afferent information in insula and dACC. Newer hypothesis driven studies, studying the differential contributions of afferent input, central arousal systems, and cortico-limbic pontine interactions have greatly contributed to our understanding of brain gut interactions in health and disease. fMRI‐mediated detection of changes in the activity and connectivity of brain regions involved in these different processes by pharmacological and behavioral therapies holds great promise for the development of novel approaches to functional GI disorders.
A middle-aged man with generalised weakness and dyspnoea

A 50-year-old male presented with progressive breathlessness and generalised muscular weakness for the last 10 days. He felt extremely weak and could barely walk due to breathlessness. His dyspnoea was increased when lying down and decreased by an upright posture. He had no other respiratory or cardiac symptoms. Can you diagnose this middle-aged man with generalised weakness and dyspnoea? http://ow.ly/mSuQ30dxQ5o
Microstructured Inline Optical Fiber Structure for Dispersion Control and Coherent Supercontinuum Generation

A microstructured optical fiber (MOF) structure with longitudinal dispersion variation is theoretically investigated for broad, coherent supercontinuum (SC) generation in the infrared (IR) region. The MOF possesses anomalous dispersion at 1550 nm but changes its dispersion to normal dispersion by a tapering process. The inline dispersion controlled structure provides a linear chirp and the subsequent pulse compression without additional components. The compressed pulse then seamlessly enters a short normal dispersion section for the coherent SC generation. Our simulation suggests that the inline structure can be as short as around 11.6 cm to realize the pulse compression and the SC generation. In particular, only 0.5-cm-long final normal dispersion section is required for the coherent SC generation, hence avoiding high background loss particularly in the spectral region above 2 μm, where silica glass absorption becomes considerably high. In the structure, the peak power of a pulse is enhanced by 14 times in the compression process, and the corresponding generated SC spectrum has a bandwidth of 1260 nm, extending to wavelengths above 2 μm. The simulation also shows that the generated spectrum is highly coherent. We experimentally demonstrated the dispersion shift from anomalous to normal dispersion with the microstructure fiber fabricated in-house.
Newer approaches to the diagnosis of early onset neonatal sepsis

Accurate and timely diagnosis of early onset neonatal sepsis remains challenging to the clinician and the laboratory. A test with a rapid turnaround time with 100% sensitivity, rather than high specificity, which allows accurate diagnosis and appropriate antimicrobial treatment or which allows antibiotics to be safely withheld in non-infected infants, is desirable. Many potential markers (acute phase reactants, cell surface markers, cytokines) are not routinely available to the laboratory, and most likely combinations of markers will ensure greater diagnostic accuracy. In the future, molecular biology techniques offer the prospect of rapid identification of both pathogens and antimicrobial resistance markers.
Secretory Lysosome Biogenesis in Cytotoxic T Lymphocytes from Normal and Chediak Higashi Syndrome Patients

The lytic proteins mediating target cell killing are stored in the lysosomes of activated cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTL) and are secreted upon recognition of a target cell. These secretory lysosomes cannot be detected in resting T lymphocytes. Interaction of a resting cell with a target cell activates de novo formation of secretory lysosomes. CTL clones in culture mimic this behaviour, and so provide an ideal system for studying secretory lysosome biogenesis and maturation. In the genetic disease, Chediak Higashi syndrome (CHS), all lysosomes in the cells are enlarged and reduced in number compared with wild‐type (WT) cells. We have used CTL from this disease to study secretory lysosome biogenesis and maturation. We show that at early stages after activation the secretory lysosomes are identical in WT and mutant cells, and that delivery of proteins to the secretory lysosome along the biosynthetic and endocytic pathways is normal in the mutant cells. With time, the lysosomes in the mutant cells aggregate, become larger and fewer in number and eventually form giant structures. Our results show that the initial steps of secretory lysosome formation are normal in CHS, but that the organelles subsequently fuse together during cell maturation to form the giant secretory lysosomes.
The vitamin C transporter SVCT2 is expressed by astrocytes in culture but not in situ

&NA; Ascorbic acid (vitamin C) is known to be selectively accumulated by brain cells through sodium‐dependent vitamin C transporters. It is unclear however, whether this uptake occurs in neurons, astrocytes or both. Using Northern analysis we demonstrate that the recently cloned ascorbate transporter isoform SVCT2 is expressed by cultured astrocytes. In contrast, in situ hybridization experiments reveal that SVCT2 mRNA is expressed only in neurons and not in normal astrocytes or astrocytes stimulated by an intrastriatal injection of the neurotoxin quinolinic acid. We conclude that SVCT2 is neuron specific and that the majority of ascorbate storage occurs in neurons. Furthermore, we propose that the observed sodium‐dependent ascorbate transport in cultured astrocytes may be due to artificial upregulation of SVCT2 during cell culturing.
Ontological Rules for UML-Based Conceptual Modeling: Design Considerations and a Prototype Implementation

UML is used as a language for object-oriented software design, and as a language for conceptual modeling of applications domains. Given the differences between these purposes, UML's origins in software engineering might limit its appropriateness for conceptual modeling. In this context, Evermann and Wand have proposed a set of well-defined ontological rules to constrain the construction of UML diagrams to reflect underlying ontological assumptions about the real world. The authors extend their work using a design research approach that examines these rules by studying the consequences of integrating them into a UML CASE tool. The paper demonstrates how design insights from incorporating theory-based modeling rules in a software artifact can be used to shed light on the rules themselves. In particular, the authors distinguish four categories of rules for implementation purposes, reflecting the relative importance of different rules and the degree of flexibility available in enforcing them. They propose distinct implementation strategies that correspond to these four rule categories and identify some redundant rules as well as some rules that cannot be implemented without changing the UML specification. The rules are implemented in an open-source UML CASE tool.
Molecular epidemiology of norovirus infections in sporadic cases of viral gastroenteritis among children in Northern Italy

Surveillance of norovirus infections in sporadic cases of pediatric gastroenteritis admitted to a main hospital in Northern Italy during a full‐year period (2002) showed that noroviruses (10.4%) were the second most common causative viral agent, following rotaviruses (21.1%), and noroviruses (81%) were mostly implicated in mixed infections. The epidemic period of norovirus was September–December, with September and November as months of major prevalence (33.3 and 38.5%, respectively). Six distinct norovirus genotypes were detected (GI.7, GII.1, GII.2, GII.4, GII.7, GII, not assigned named GIIb), and the predominant genotype was GII.4. A “new GII.4 2002 variant” accounted for 82.9% of total strains. Since the severity of norovirus symptoms does not usually require admission to hospital, the burden of norovirus disease in the general children population may be much higher than that suggested by the present hospital‐based investigation. J. Med. Virol. 78:1486–1492, 2006. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Bacterial biofilms and quorum sensing: fidelity in bioremediation technology

Increased contamination of the environment with toxic pollutants has paved the way for efficient strategies which can be implemented for environmental restoration. The major problem with conventional methods used for cleaning of pollutants is inefficiency and high economic costs. Bioremediation is a growing technology having advanced potential of cleaning pollutants. Biofilm formed by various micro-organisms potentially provide a suitable microenvironment for efficient bioremediation processes. High cell density and stress resistance properties of the biofilm environment provide opportunities for efficient metabolism of number of hydrophobic and toxic compounds. Bacterial biofilm formation is often regulated by quorum sensing (QS) which is a population density-based cell–cell communication process via signaling molecules. Numerous signaling molecules such as acyl homoserine lactones, peptides, autoinducer-2, diffusion signaling factors, and α-hydroxyketones have been studied in bacteria. Genetic alteration of QS machinery can be useful to modulate vital characters valuable for environmental applications such as biofilm formation, biosurfactant production, exopolysaccharide synthesis, horizontal gene transfer, catabolic gene expression, motility, and chemotaxis. These qualities are imperative for bacteria during degradation or detoxification of any pollutant. QS signals can be used for the fabrication of engineered biofilms with enhanced degradation kinetics. This review discusses the connection between QS and biofilm formation by bacteria in relation to bioremediation technology.
A ‘Third Culture’ in Economics? An Essay on Smith, Confucius and the Rise of China

China's rise drives a growing impact of China on economics. So far, this mainly works via the force of example, but there is also an emerging role of Chinese thinking in economics. This paper raises the question how far Chinese perspectives can affect certain foundational principles in economics, such as the assumptions on individualism and self-interest allegedly originating in Adam Smith. I embark on sketching a 'third culture' in economics, employing a notion from cross-cultural communication theory, which starts out from the observation that the Chinese model was already influential during the European enlightenment, especially on physiocracy, suggesting a particular conceptualization of the relation between good government and a liberal market economy. I relate this observation with the current revisionist view on China's economic history which has revealed the strong role of markets in the context of informal institutions, and thereby explains the strong performance of the Chinese economy in pre-industrial times. I sketch the cultural legacy of this pattern for traditional Chinese conceptions of social interaction and behavior, which are still strong in rural society until today. These different strands of argument are woven together in a comparison between Confucian thinking and Adam Smith, especially with regard to the 'Theory of Moral Sentiments', which ends up in identifying a number of conceptual family resemblances between the two. I conclude with sketching a 'third culture' in economics in which moral aspects of economic action loom large, as well as contextualized thinking in economic policies.
Stereological estimation of the volume‐weighted mean volume of arbitrary particles observed on random sections *

A stereological estimator of the weighted mean volume of particles of arbitrary shape is described. This unbiased estimator is based on simple point‐sampling of linear intercept lengths. The complete absence of shape assumptions effectively breaks the long‐standing ‘convexity‐barrier’: the only requirement here is that individual particles can be unambiguously identified by their profiles on random sections. Practical details of the simple estimation procedure and an example with very irregular particles are reported. Finally, an estimator of the variance of the weighted distribution of particle volume is discussed. This estimator is also valid for particles of arbitrary shape. For any mixture of ellipsoids (spheres, oblates, prolates and triaxial ellipsoids) the estimator is reduced to a simple function of measurements of diameters in the section plane.
The Multidriver: a reliable multicast service using the Xpress transfer protocol

A unique multicast service that exploits features in the next-generation, real-time transfer layer protocol, the Xpress transfer protocol (XTP), is described. As a modular part of the service interface routines, the multicast facility, the Multidriver, exploits features in XTP in order to provide two multicast services, one unreliable and one reliable. In its reliable mode the service offers error, flow, and rate-controlled multidestination delivery of arbitrary-sized messages, with provision for the coordination of reliable reverse channels. Performance measurements on a single-segment Proteon ProNET-4 4-Mb/s 802.5 token ring with heterogeneous nodes are discussed. <<ETX>>
Factors that affect variability in impairment of maxillary growth in patients with cleft lip and palate treated using the same surgical protocol

Abstract No consensus exists about the causes of restriction of maxillary growth in patients with cleft lip and palate (CLP). The aim of this study was to try to identify causes of this impairment other than the influence of surgical technique and skill. We analysed a sample of 129 consecutively treated 5-year-old children with unilateral cleft lip and palate (UCLP), who were operated on by the same surgeon with the same protocol. Multiple cephalometric measurements of the sample showed a wide distribution of values for maxillary growth. We selected SNA as a value describing maxillary position. Variables investigated were: initial cast measurements; timing of lip and of gingivoalveoloplasty (GAP)/palatal surgery; and presence of permanent lateral incisors. The significance of differences was investigated with Pearson's correlation and analysis of variance (ANOVA). The factor most significantly linked with maxillary protrusion was the presence or absence of the permanent lateral incisor, even when peg laterals and supernumerary laterals were considered. Initial width of the palate measured on infant casts correlated with maxillary growth, but the timing of GAP did not. Although surgical skill and technique may be the most important factors responsible for impairment of maxillary growth, inherent tissue hypoplasia, possibly the lack of lateral incisors, seems to be the most important non-iatrogenic factor.
The bispectral index in the diagnosis of perioperative stroke: a case report and discussion.

We discuss a case where the bispectral index (BIS; Aspect Medical, Natick, MA) was the earliest indicator of acute perioperative stroke during the removal of an Abiomed BVS 5000 ® (Penn State Cardiovascular Center, Hershey, PA) left ventricular assist device (LVAD). Up to 3% of cardiac surgical patients suffer serious, typically embolic, neurological complications, with an associated 20% mortality rate (1). The opportunity to make an earlier diagnosis may help improve outcome in this group as novel therapeutic options become available.
Necessary and sufficient bit rate conditions to stabilize quantized Markov jump linear systems

This paper studies the mean square stability of a quantized Markov jump linear system (MJLS) that closes its feedback path closed over digital networks. It investigates the effects of the finite constant feedback bit rate on the MJLS' stability. A lower bound is placed on all constant bit rates which could stabilize the MJLS. It also provides a sufficient bit rate for the MJLS, which is shown to be enough to stabilize the system through constructing an appropriate quantization policy. So it is possible to stabilize a quantized MJLS at a finite bit rate. Moreover, it can determine a bit rate range, within which the minimum bit rate required for stability lies. An example is used to verify the achieved theoretical results.
Epidemiology of Avian Influenza Virus in Wild Birds in Switzerland Between 2006 and 2009

Abstract After the spread of H5N1 highly pathogenic avian influenza virus (AIV) from Asia into Russia, the Middle East, Europe, and Africa in 2005–06, the Swiss national AIV surveillance program was extended. One of the new focal points was Lake Constance, where sentinel duck stations and swim-in traps were established within the project Constanze in collaboration with Germany and Austria. More than 2000 samples from 41 species were collected in Switzerland between September 2006 and December 2008. Approximately 4% were AIV-positive by quantitative reverse transcriptase–PCR. Subsequent typing revealed 13 different AIV subtypes, of which H5N2 and H9N2 were the most prevalent. All H7 isolates and all but one H5 isolate were characterized as low pathogenic; however, a highly pathogenic H5N1 AIV was detected in a healthy pochard. This study demonstrates that a wide selection of different AIV subtypes can cocirculate among the waterfowl population in wild bird habitats.
Traumatic Atlantoaxial Dislocation Causing Os Odontoideum in Infants

The pathogenesis of os odontoideum is still a subject of debate. The authors encountered two infants who had traumatic atlantoaxial dislocation and in whom os odontoideum later developed. One of the infants died of tardive cervical myelopathy secondary to cord compression. The authors present their concept that postnatal development of this abnormality results from fracture of the odontoid.
Contribution of donor-specific antibodies to acute allograft rejection: evidence from B cell-deficient mice.

BACKGROUND The role of T lymphocytes in acute allograft rejection is well established. The involvement of B lymphocytes in this process, however, is more controversial. A series of reports showed that mice without a functional B-cell compartment rejected allografts with the same kinetics as control animals. In rats, however, alloantibodies were found to play a decisive role in allograft rejection. To provide an explanation for the discrepant results, we readdressed the role of B cells and antibodies in mice with disrupted immunoglobulin mu chain genes. The use of cyclosporine (CsA), which strongly suppresses T cells, allowed us to focus specifically on the function of B cells. METHODS C57BL/6 mice rendered B cell deficient by targeted disruption of the immunoglobulin mu chain gene (referred to as microMT/microMT mice) and microMT/+ control mice with one functional mu chain were heterotopically transplanted with fully MHC-disparate BALB/c hearts. CsA was administered subcutaneously by Alzet osmotic pumps. Normal and immune serum specific for donor hearts was given to assess the role of antibodies in the rejection process. RESULTS Both B cell-deficient microMT/microMT and heterozygous microMT/+ mice were found to reject transplanted hearts within a similar period of time. In contrast, when T cells were partially suppressed with CsA, graft survival was significantly prolonged in microMT/microMT mice as compared with heterozygous controls. Passive transfer of donor-specific immune serum, obtained from microMT/+ animals rejecting allogeneic hearts, to CsA-treated microMT/microMT mice significantly accelerated allograft rejection as opposed to recipients treated with normal serum. CONCLUSIONS B lymphocytes and antibodies play an important role in acute allograft rejection particularly when the dominant T-cell compartment is partially suppressed.