Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Ultra‐high step‐up two‐input DC–DC converter with lower switching losses

In this study, a novel isolated ultra-high step-up two-input DC–DC converter with low-voltage stress across semiconductors is presented. In the proposed converter, outputs are isolated from the inputs by a high-frequency transformer and the leakage inductance of the transformer is used to soft switching (zero-current switching) of the power switches when they are turned-on and alleviate the reverse recovery problems of the diodes. This converter can be operated as an interleaved single-input converter with a 180° phase shift. The converter benefits from the advantages of both the conventional boost converter and diode-capacitor voltage multiplier (VM) stages. The primary side of the transformer consists of two-input cells based on the conventional boost converter and the secondary side consists of diode-capacitor VM stages which are used to increase the voltage gain and decrease the nominal voltage stress across semiconductors. To confirm the converter performance, the mathematical analysis and simulation result are presented, in addition, the comparison between the proposed converter and other converters which are presented in recent studies is presented. An experimental prototype 410 V/280 W of the converter with 40 and 45 V input voltages is provided to illustrate the correct operation of the presented converter.
Constraint-Based Verification of a Mobile App Game Designed for Nudging People to Attend Cancer Screening

In Norway, cervical cancer prevention involves the participation of as many eligible women aged 25-69 years as possible. However, reaching and inviting every eligible women to attend cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination is difficult. Using social nudging and gamification in modern means of communication can encourage the participation of unscreened people. Simula Research Laboratory together with the Cancer Registry of Norway have developed FightHPV, a mobile app game intended to inform adolescent and eligible women about cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination while they play and, to facilitate their further participation to prevention campaigns. However, game design and health information transfer can be hard to reconcile, as the design of each game episode is more guided by the release of information than gameplay and playing difficulty. In this paper, we propose a constraint-based model of FightHPV to evaluate the difficulty of each episode and to help the game designer in improving the player experience. This approach is relevant to facilitate social nudging of eligible women to participate to cervical cancer screening and HPV vaccination, as shown by the initial deployment of FightHPV and tests performed in focus groups. The design of this mobile app can thus be regarded as a new application case of Artificial Intelligence techniques such as gamification and constraint programming.
A Measurement-Based Model of the Electromagnetic Emissions From a Power Inverter

Rapidly switching semiconductors in modern high power inverter/motor-drive systems generate fast changing voltages and currents which may result in unwanted emissions. While models of power inverters have been built in the past to predict emissions, they are typically “black box” models where the cause of and solution to emissions problems is difficult to analyze. To improve inverter system design strategies, a detailed measurement-based SPICE model of a power inverter system was built in which there is a straightforward correlation between system geometry and parasitic circuit elements. This model was validated through measurements. The model was able to predict transfer characteristics between ports of the inverter within 4 dB from 100 kHz to 100 MHz. Once built, this model was used to identify structures responsible for resonances and to determine possible improvements of the power inverter design to reduce emissions. Measurements of S21 and radiated emissions after adding these improvements demonstrated that they were able to reduce emissions by 10-20 dB, thus confirming the accuracy of the model and its ability to improve understanding of emission mechanisms and to guide development of emissions reduction strategies.
Evaluation of supervised and unsupervised 3D star visualisation algorithms

The 3D Star Coordinate Projection (3DSCP) visualisation algorithm has been developed to address the following key issues: choosing the projection configuration autonomously. preserving the data topology after projection. enhancing resolution. A supervised version of 3DSCP (S3DSCP) is also introduced to improve the computational efficiency of 3DSCP. Comparison with other linear, non-linear and axis-based techniques is performed to illustrate the efficacy of the 3DSCP and S3DSCP methods. Empirical analyses indicate that the 3DSCP and S3DSCP algorithms find hidden patterns in data while overcoming limitations of other techniques.
Percutaneous Viabahn-Assisted Subintimai Recanalization (VASIR) for Severe Femoropopliteal Occlusive Disease

Chronic lower extremity ischemia secondary to atherosclerotic disease is a major health problem in the United States and Western Europe and has been associated with a 20% annual mortality, mostly from cardiovascular and cerebrovascular events (1, 2). The primary treatment for critical limb ischemia presenting with ulceration or rest pain has been surgical bypass (3, 4), whereas the mainstay of treatment for intermittent claudication has been aggressive risk factor control, exercise programs, and pharmacologic therapy, with bypass being reserved for patients failing this conservative approach (5, 6). Infrainguinal bypass can be done with a very low mortality but a surprisingly high morbidity due to associated co-morbid conditions (7-9). In addition patients often experience an extended recovery period after bypass that can last as long as six months (10). Beginning with the report of Bolia (11), percutaneous angioplasty of the leg arteries has come to be accepted as an alternative primary modality for treating occlusions of the superficial femoral artery (12-18) because of significantly lower morbidity, more rapid recovery of functional status, and increasingly better long-term results. However, these techniques suffer from the problems of irregular or suboptimal lumens and of restenosis and stent fracture and are generally not recommended in occlusions of the SFA longer than 15-20 cm. The purpose of our study was to evaluate the use of the Viabahn, a highly-flexible PTFE-lined stent, in severe occlusions of the SFA.
Developments in the reduction of heat stress in the endurance horse

Horses have metabolisms capable of producing large amounts of heat due to the inefficient conversion of stored energy to mechanical energy (Hodgson et al, 1994). Dissipation of twothirds of this heat is achieved via sweating with sweat losses of up to 10 L/hr reported (Hodgson et al, 1994) despite a small surface area relative to body mass when compared to other species. Heat not dissipated through sweating is stored (causing an increase in core body temperature) or dissipated via the respiratory tract and other machanisms.
Existe um efeito de borda na caatinga? : evidência de comunidades de liquens em Poço Verde, Sergipe

A destruicao e fragmentacao dos habitats para expansao de cultivos agricolas tem contribuido com a perda de diversidade no mundo. Uma das principais consequencias da fragmentacao e a formacao de bordas artificiais, que modificam o microclima, desencadeando modificacoes em processos biologicos. Essas alteracoes sao consideradas efeitos de borda e podem ter sua intensidade e magnitude aumentada a depender de fatores como distância da borda, tamanho do fragmento, estrutura do dossel, tempo de corte, matriz e grupo taxonomico. Os fungos liquenizados sao organismos sensiveis as modificacoes microclimaticas e bons preditores das perturbacoes antropicas. Embora os efeitos de borda sobre os ec ossistemas florestais sejam bem estudados, as suas consequencias para o bioma Caatinga ainda sao pouco exploradas. Dessa forma, o objetivo deste trabalho foi investigar se a riqueza e composicao de especies de liquens corticicolas mudam ao longo de um gradiente de borda-interior. O estudo foi realizado em um remanescente localizado na Fazenda Santa Maria da Lage , municipio de Poco Verde, Sergipe. Foram coletadas 972 amostras de liquens corticicolas distribuidas em 80 forofitos em diferentes distâncias de bo rda (0 a 330 m da borda). Dess e total, foram identificadas 182 especies, distribuidas em 1 6 familias e 57 generos. As analises estatisticas mostr aram uma diferenca significativa em relacao a composicao de especies de liquens entr e as distâncias no gradiente borda-interior. Por outro lado, nao houve resultado significativo em relacao a riqueza de especies. Dentre os fatores abioticos, apenas o fator de luminosidade (transmitância difusa) obteve resultado significativo em relacao a riqueza de especies de liquens corticicolas. O presente trabalho enfatiza a importância do estudo de liquens em relacao ao efeito de borda na Caatinga, reforcando a inclusao destes organismos em estrategias para conservacao da biodiversidade neste ambiente.
Recent Advances in Orbital Tumors—A Review of Publications from 2014‐2016

Abstract: The aim of this review article is to provide an update of the current literature on orbital tumors. The authors conducted a PubMed literature search of English language articles published between January 2014 and December 2016 using the following search items: orbit, tumors, lacrimal gland, lymphoma, hemangioma, lymphangioma. The authors included reviews, original articles, case series, and case reports with relevant new information. There is new information about the clinical spectrum of orbital tumors, capillary hemangioma, cavernous hemangioma, lymphangioma, orbital venous malformation, lacrimal gland tumors, and orbital lymphoma. This review highlights the current understanding, practice, and guidelines in the diagnosis and management of common tumors of the orbit.
The Role of Cognitive and Affective Challenge in Entertainment Experience

Recent approaches in entertainment research highlight the distinction between hedonic (pleasure-seeking) and eudaimonic (truth-seeking) entertainment experiences. However, insights into the underlying processes that give rise to these different types of entertainment experiences are still scarce. This study examines the assumption that individuals’ entertainment experience varies by the level of cognitive and affective challenge posed by the media content. We tested this assumption in a 2 × 2 experiment in which we examined the effects of cognitive and affective challenge on individuals’ entertainment experience (fun, suspense, and appreciation). Cognitive and affective challenges resulted in stronger appreciation of the movie, affective challenges resulted in heightened suspense, whereas the absence of both cognitive and affective challenges fostered the experience of fun. These results further the theoretical understanding of hedonic and eudaimonic entertainment in that they support the idea that fun is linked to recreation, whereas appreciation is linked to cognitive challenge and personal growth.
Two-dimensional silicon and carbon monochalcogenides with the structure of phosphorene

Phosphorene has recently attracted significant interest for applications in electronics and optoelectronics. Inspired by this material an ab initio study was carried out on new two-dimensional binary materials with a structure analogous to phosphorene. Specifically, carbon and silicon monochalcogenides have been considered. After structural optimization, a series of binary compounds were found to be dynamically stable in a phosphorene-like geometry: CS, CSe, CTe, SiO, SiS, SiSe, and SiTe. The electronic properties of these monolayers were determined using density functional theory. By using accurate hybrid functionals it was found that these materials are semiconductors and span a broad range of bandgap values and types. Similarly to phosphorene, the computed effective masses point to a strong in-plane anisotropy of carrier mobilities. The variety of electronic properties carried by these compounds have the potential to broaden the technological applicability of two-dimensional materials.
Topographic and temporal spectral analysis of EEG signals during anaesthesia

In this study, we present the spatial and temporal evolution of EEG signal spectrum under anaesthesia. Studied features include SEF-90, α-β power ratios, spectral entropy that are known to be used in commercially available depth of anaesthesia monitors. As an additional and comparing feature, we also present Higuchi fractal dimension that is used for analysis of non-linear systems. By means of spatial analysis, we verified the shift of occipitally dominant alpha activity to frontal regions and demonstrated corresponding topographic plots.
Paying for care episodes and care coordination.

The fee-for-service system of provider payment is increasingly viewed as an obstacle to achieving effective, coordinated, and efficient care.1 It rewards the overuse of services, duplication of services, use of costly specialized services, and involvement of multiple physicians in the treatment of individual patients. It does not reward the prevention of hospitalization or rehospitalization, effective control of chronic conditions, or care coordination. Pay for performance is one strategy for moving from payment based solely on the quantity of services rendered to payment based on the quality or efficiency of care.2 Such payment systems are now widely used in private health .
High twinning rate in Cândido Godói: a new role for p53 in human fertility.

BACKGROUND Cândido Godói (CG) is a small town in South Brazil, which has the highest prevalence of twin births in Brazil. Recently, a number of studies have shown that p53 plays an important role in reproduction through blastocyst implantation and intra utero embryo survival. Thus, gene polymorphisms in the p53 pathway were investigated in this population. METHODS Single nucleotide polymorphisms from five genes in the p53 pathway were investigated, as well as background characteristics of 42 mothers of twins (cases) and 101 mothers of singletons (controls), all residents from CG. RESULTS Mothers of twins have higher number of pregnancies and higher frequencies of P72 allele at TP53 and T allele at MDM4 genes compared with controls. Logistic regression shows that both TP53 and number of pregnancies maintained their association with twinning (P =0.004 and P =0.002, respectively), with TP53 having a higher odds ratio than number of pregnancies (2.73 versus 1.70, respectively). No interactive effect between TP53 and MDM4 (P =0.966) is observed. As expected, mothers of twins have three times more cases of cancer in their first-degree relatives than control mothers (P =0.011). CONCLUSIONS Our results suggest that the P72 allele of TP53 is a strong risk factor for twinning in CG, while the number of pregnancies and the T allele at MDM4 may represent weaker risk factors. These two alleles are associated with infertility, but the anti-apoptotic effect of low levels of p53 in general, and of the P72 allele in particular, may play a role after implantation, enhancing the chance for a double pregnancy to succeed to term.
Pharmacological Effects of Capparis spinosa L.

Medicinal plants have been known as one of the most important therapeutic agents since ancient times. During the last two decades, much attention has been paid to the health‐promoting effects of edible medicinal plants, because of multiple beneficial effects and negligible adverse effects. Capparis spinosa L. is one of the most common medicinal plants, used widely in different parts of the world to treat numerous human diseases. This paper aims to critically review the available scientific literature regarding the health‐promoting effects of C. spinosa, its traditional uses, cultivation protocols and phytochemical constituents. Recently, a wide range of evidence has shown that this plant possesses different biological effects, including antioxidant, anticancer and antibacterial effects. Phytochemical analysis shows that C. spinosa has high quantities of bioactive constituents, including polyphenolic compounds, which are responsible for its health‐promoting effects, although many of these substances are present in low concentrations and significant changes in their content occur during processing. In addition, there is negligible scientific evidence regarding any adverse effects. Different health promotion activities, as well as tremendous diversity of active constituents, make C. spinosa a good candidate for discovering new drugs. However these findings are still in its infancy and future experimental and clinical studies are needed. Copyright © 2016 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Heterozygote advantage at MHC DRB may influence response to infectious disease epizootics

The effect of MHC polymorphism on individual fitness variation in the wild remains equivocal; however, much evidence suggests that heterozygote advantage is a major determinant. To understand the contribution of MHC polymorphism to individual disease resistance or susceptibility in natural populations, we investigated two MHC class II B loci, DQB and DRB, in the New Zealand sea lion (NZSL, Phocarctos hookeri). The NZSL is a threatened species which is unusually susceptible to death by bacterial infection at an early age; it has suffered three bacterial induced epizootics resulting in high mortality levels of young pups since 1997. The MHC DQB and DRB haplotypes of dead NZSL pups with known cause of death (bacteria, enteritis or trauma) were sequenced and reconstructed, compared to pups that survived beyond 2 months of age, and distinct MHC DRB allele frequency and genotype differences were identified. Two findings were striking: (i) one DRB allele was present only in dead pups, and (ii) one heterozygous DRB genotype, common in live pups, was absent from dead pups. These results are consistent with some functional relationship with these variants and suggest heterozygote advantage is operating at DRB. We found no association between heterozygosity and fitness at 17 microsatellite loci, indicating that general heterozygosity is not responsible for the effect on fitness detected here. This result may be a consequence of recurrent selection by multiple pathogen assault over recent years and highlights the importance of heterozygote advantage at MHC as a potential mechanism for fitness differences in wild populations.
Gamma interferon levels during Chlamydia trachomatis pneumonia in mice

Host defense against murine Chlamydia trachomatis (mouse pneumonitis agent [MoPn]) in a murine model was investigated. Gamma interferon (IFN-gamma) was produced in the lungs by both MoPn-susceptible nude athymic (nu/nu) and MoPn-resistant heterozygous (nu/+) mice. In vivo depletion of IFN-gamma in nu/nu mice led to exacerbation of infection. Fluorescence-activated cell sorter analysis disclosed induction of GL3 antibody-positive cells (putatively gamma/delta+ T cells) in nu/nu mouse lung during infection with MoPn. Treatment of nu/nu mice in vivo with antibody to NK cells (anti-asialo GM1 antibody) or to gamma/delta cells (UC7-13D5) did not significantly decrease IFN-gamma production in the lung. However, treatment of severe combined immunodeficiency mice (which lack gamma/delta cells) with antibody to NK cells significantly reduced lung IFN-gamma levels.
Axin, a negative regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway, forms a complex with GSK‐3β and β‐catenin and promotes GSK‐3β‐dependent phosphorylation of β‐catenin

Glycogen synthase kinase‐3 (GSK‐3) mediates epidermal growth factor, insulin and Wnt signals to various downstream events such as glycogen metabolism, gene expression, proliferation and differentiation. We have isolated here a GSK‐3β‐interacting protein from a rat brain cDNA library using a yeast two‐hybrid method. This protein consists of 832 amino acids and possesses Regulators of G protein Signaling (RGS) and dishevelled (Dsh) homologous domains in its N‐ and C‐terminal regions, respectively. The predicted amino acid sequence of this GSK‐3β‐interacting protein shows 94% identity with mouse Axin, which recently has been identified as a negative regulator of the Wnt signaling pathway; therefore, we termed this protein rAxin (rat Axin). rAxin interacted directly with, and was phosphorylated by, GSK‐3β. rAxin also interacted directly with the armadillo repeats of β‐catenin. The binding site of rAxin for GSK‐3β was distinct from the β‐catenin‐binding site, and these three proteins formed a ternary complex. Furthermore, rAxin promoted GSK‐3β‐dependent phosphorylation of β‐catenin. These results suggest that rAxin negatively regulates the Wnt signaling pathway by interacting with GSK‐3β and β‐catenin and mediating the signal from GSK‐3β to β‐catenin.
The Self and Mental Health: Self-Salience and the Emergence of Internalizing and Externalizing Problems∗

How do schemas about self-salience—the importance of the self versus the collective in social relations—affect mental health? We propose that self-salience shapes the likelihood of experiencing internalizing or externalizing problems. Schemas that privilege others over the self increase the risk of internalizing symptoms, including depressive symptoms and anxiety, whereas those that privilege the self over others predispose individuals to externalizing behaviors of antisocial behavior and substance abuse. Furthermore, we propose that these schemas contribute to the gender differences that exist in these problems. We test these predictions with data from adolescents, the stage at which these problems and the gender differences in them arise. Results show that self-salience underlies both internalizing and externalizing problems. In addition, schemas about self-salience help explain the gender differences found in mental health problems.
Low Power Design in Deep Submicron 65 & 45 nm Technologies

This paper is an introduction to a special session about low power design in 65 and 45 nm technologies and consisting in the next three papers about logic design, high- level models for power estimation and processor core design in these very advanced technologies. This introduction will consider the new design problems in 65 and 45 nm technologies and will conclude on possible futures for microelectronics.
Transcriptional census of 36 microdissected colorectal cancers yields a gene signature to distinguish UICC II and III

UICC stage II and III colorectal cancers (CRC) differ fundamentally in prognosis and therapeutic concepts. To analyze differential gene expression between both stages and to establish a relationship between molecular background and clinical presentation, tumor material from 36 unselected consecutive patients presenting with sporadic CRC, 18 UICC stage II and 18 UICC stage III, were laser microdissected to separate epithelial tumor cells. Gene expression levels were measured using U133A Affymetrix gene arrays. Twelve CRC associated signal transduction pathways as well as all 22,000 probe sets were screened for differential gene expression. We identified a signature consisting of 45 probe sets that allowed discrimination between UICC stage II and stage III with a rate of correct classification of about 80%. The most distinctive elements in this signature were the gene GSTP‐binding elongation factor (GSPT2) and the transcription factor HOXA9. Differential expression of these genes was confirmed by quantitative real‐time polymerase chain reaction (p(HOXA9) = 0.04, p(GSTP2) = 0.02). Despite the reliability of the presented data, there was no substantial differential expression of genes in cancer‐related pathways. However, the comparison with recently published data corroborates the 45 gene signature showing structural agreement in the direction of fold changes of gene expression levels for our set of genes chosen to discriminate between both stages. © 2006 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.