Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Voltage Multiplier based Non-Isolated Buck-Boost Converter

This paper presents a new non-isolated high-gain Buck-Boost Converter (BBC) that uses a switched-inductor (SL) voltage multiplier. This type of DC-DC converter can be very useful in renewable energy applications, especially PV, where the output DC voltage is stepped up to a higher voltage. The output voltage of the proposed switched-inductor BBC (SLBBC) is around 15 times the input voltage with positive polarity when a 0.75 duty cycle of the power switches is used. This is achieved without the use of a transformer or common-core coupled inductors, so the topology is simple to construct. This high output voltage is achieved by using the SL voltage multiplier, which consists of three diodes and two inductors. There are two power switches that operate synchronously, which is an advantage of the design. However, it is discovered that the voltage gain in the step-down mode of the proposed converter is less than that of the other converters. The proposed converter is analyzed in the Continuous Conduction Mode (CCM). The operating principles and steady-state analysis are presented in detail. MATLAB/Simulink was used to prove the effectiveness of the proposed SLBBC.
Crustal Stress and Strain Measurements on Land for Studying the Nankai Trough Earthquake

Crustal stress and strain measurements in a deep borehole are essential for studying plate subduction earthquakes. Especially in the case of the Nankai Trough earthquake, it is expected that crustal movements are detectable even on land, because the focal region caused by the subduction of the Philippine Sea plate is close to land. We have tried to search for a suitable field and a method for observations and investigations based on some hypotheses. Special emphasis is given to better understanding the hinge line as an adequate related field. The hinge line is located on the surface just above the boundary between creep and seismogeniclocked zones on the upper surface of the descending slab. If soft materials such as serpentine exist on the surface of the slab, deformation and flow here will become initiate an earthquake. The basic data of crustal stress and the rock physical properties were acquired by the scientific drilling of a borehole. This borehole was drilled to a depth of 550 m at Shingu city, Wakayama prefecture, on the Kii Peninsula. In-situ experiments such as crustal stress measurements by the hydraulic fracturing method were conducted in the well. Furthermore, we have developed an intelligent strain meter for measuring in-situ rock stress deeper than 500 m using the overcoring method. The final goal of this study is to monitor temporal changes of in-situ stress and strain, and to reveal their storage processes in relation to a great earthquake.
Evaluation of Anti-Inflammatory Activity of Cassia Angustifolia Seeds Extract in Rat

The present study was designed to perform evaluate antiinflamatory activity of seeds of Cassia angustifolia. Seed of Cassia angustifolia was extracted using methanol as solvent by soxhlet apparatus. The evaluation of antiinflamatory activity was done using carrageenan induced rat paw edema assay. The work entitled evaluation of antiinflamatory activity of seeds of Cassia angustifolia was to determine the efficacy and safety in experimental animals. Both aqueous and methanolic extract of seeds of Cassia angustifolia have shown significant reduction in inflamation in proliferative phase as indicated by decreased granuloma formation in the cotton pellet induced granuloma model in rats. The aqueous and alcoholic extract of seeds of Cassia angustifolia has shown significant decrease in preventing generation of collagen fibres, fibroblast and suppressing mucopolysaccharides.
Basic Interests

A generation ago, scholars saw interest groups as the single most important element in the American political system. Today, political scientists are more likely to see groups as a marginal influence compared to institutions such as Congress, the presidency, and the judiciary. Frank Baumgartner and Beth Leech show that scholars have veered from one extreme to another not because of changes in the political system, but because of changes in political science. They review hundreds of books and articles about interest groups from the 1940s to today; examine the methodological and conceptual problems that have beset the field; and suggest research strategies to return interest-group studies to a position of greater relevance. The authors begin by explaining how the group approach to politics became dominant forty years ago in reaction to the constitutional-legal approach that preceded it. They show how it fell into decline in the 1970s as scholars ignored the impact of groups on government to focus on more quantifiable but narrower subjects, such as collective-action dilemmas and the dynamics of recruitment. As a result, despite intense research activity, we still know very little about how groups influence day-to-day governing. Baumgartner and Leech argue that scholars need to develop a more coherent set of research questions, focus on large-scale studies, and pay more attention to the context of group behavior. Their book will give new impetus and direction to a field that has been in the academic wilderness too long.
Mutation in PNKP presenting initially as axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease

PNKP (polynucleotide kinase 3′-phosphatase, OMIM #605610) product is involved in the repair of strand breaks and base damage in the DNA molecule mainly caused by radical oxygen species. Deleterious variants affecting this gene have been previously associated with microcephaly, epilepsy, and developmental delay.1 According to a previous report, homozygous loss-of-function substitution in PNKP was associated with cerebellar atrophy, neuropathy, microcephaly, epilepsy, and intellectual disability.2 Recently, whole-exome sequencing (WES) performed in a cohort of Portuguese families with ataxia with oculomotor apraxia (AOA) disclosed pathogenic variants in PNKP in 11 individuals. Other clinical features in that study included neuropathy, dystonia, cognitive impairment, decreased vibration sense, pyramidal signs, mild elevation in α-fetoprotein, and low levels of albumin. This condition was named AOA type 4 (OMIM #616267), as the phenotype of AOA has been previously associated with 3 other genes: APTX, SETX, and PIK3R5.3 Altogether, these reports demonstrate the great phenotypic diversity associated with PNKP mutations. In this article, we further enlarge this variability by demonstrating that early-onset axonal sensory-motor neuropathy (or axonal Charcot-Marie-Tooth (CMT) disease) followed years later by ataxia without oculomotor apraxia can be caused by deleterious variants in PNKP. Full consent was obtained from the patient and his parents for this publication. This study was approved by institutional ethics committees.
The impact of heat stress in plant reproduction

The increment in global temperature reduces crop productivity, which in turn threatens food security. Currently, most of our food supply is produced by plants and the human population is estimated to reach 9 billion by 2050. Gaining insights into how plants navigate heat stress in their reproductive phase is essential for effectively overseeing the future of agricultural productivity. The reproductive success of numerous plant species can be jeopardized by just one exceptionally hot day. While the effects of heat stress on seedlings germination and root development have been extensively investigated, studies on reproduction are limited. The intricate processes of gamete development and fertilization unfold within a brief timeframe, largely concealed within the flower. Nonetheless, heat stress is known to have important effects on reproduction. Considering that heat stress typically affects both male and female reproductive structures concurrently, it remains crucial to identify cultivars with thermotolerance. In such cultivars, ovules and pollen can successfully undergo development despite the challenges posed by heat stress, enabling the completion of the fertilization process and resulting in a robust seed yield. Hereby, we review the current understanding of the molecular mechanisms underlying plant resistance to abiotic heat stress, focusing on the reproductive process in the model systems of Arabidopsis and Oryza sativa.
Capacitor balancing circuit and control method for electronic device such as multilevel power inverter

A method of balancing voltages in a group of capacitors of a power electronic device, such as a multilevel power inverter, includes making a balancing determination regarding whether to (i) inject energy into the selected one of the capacitors from an energy storage element, or (ii) extract energy from the selected one of the capacitors into the energy storage element based on the voltage of a selected one of the capacitors, and either injecting energy into the selected one of the capacitors from the energy storage element, or extracting energy from the selected one of the capacitors into the energy storage element based on the balancing determination. Also, a voltage balancing circuit that implements the method is provided. In one particular implementation, a spatial second derivative algorithm is used. In another particular implementation, a comparison to an average capacitor voltage is used.
Forests, Land Use Change, and Water

A forest is a biotic community predominated by trees and woody vegetation that are signifi cantly taller, greater, thicker, and deeper than other vegetation types and generally covers a large area (Chang, 2003). Forests cover approximately 26.2% of the world, with 45.7% of Latin America and the Caribbean being covered, 35% of East Asia and the Pacifi c, and 35% of the European Union. Canada and the United States (U.S.) combined account only for 6.8% of the world’s forests while Africa has even less 5.7% (Forest Types of the World, 2013). In the U.S., forests cover about one-third of its land (Sedell et al., 2000; Jones et al., 2009), totaling about 300 million ha (USDA, 2001). Forested areas in the temperate zone have not changed much in
Effect of CYP2C19 Pharmacogenetic Testing on Predicting Citalopram and Escitalopram Tolerability and Efficacy: A Retrospective, Longitudinal Cohort Study

Background—Various antidepressant agents are metabolized by the CYP2C19 enzyme, including Citalopram and Escitalopram. Variation in CYP2C19 expression might give rise to different plasma concentrations of the active metabolites, potentially affecting both drugs’ efficacy and tolerability. Aim—The aim of this study was to evaluate differences in the Escitalopram and Citalopram efficacy and tolerability between different CYP2C19 genotype-based metabolizing categories in outpatients suffering from major depressive disorder (MDD). Methods—In a retrospective, longitudinal cohort study of electronic medical-record data, 283 patients with MDD who were prescribed Escitalopram or Citalopram with the available CYP2C19-genotyping test were enrolled. The primary efficacy end point was adverse drug reactions recorded in the medical files. A proportional-odds, multilevel-regression model for longitudinal ordinal data was used to estimate the relation between the CYP2C19 genotype and adverse drug reactions, adjusting for potential confounding variables and other explanatory variables. Latent-class analysis (LCA) was utilized to detect the presence of clinically significant subgroups and their relation to an individual’s metabolizing status for CYP2D6/CYP2C19. Results—With poor CYP2C19 metabolizers as a reference, for each unit difference in the activity score of the CYP2C19 phenotype, the odds ratio for drug intolerability was lowered by 0.73 (95% credible intervals: 0.56–0.89), adjusting for significant covariates. In addition, applying LCA, we identified two qualitatively different subgroups: the first group (61.85%) exhibited multiple side effects, low compliance, and frequent treatment changes, whereas the second group (38.15%) demonstrated fewer side effects, good adherence, and fewer treatment changes. The CYP2C19 phenotype was substantially associated with the group membership. Conclusions—We found a positive association between the CYP2C19 activity scores, as inferred from the genotype, and both the efficacy of and tolerability to both Es/Citalopram. LCA enabled valuable insights into the underlying structure of the population; the CYP2C19 phenotype has a predictive value that discriminates between low-adherence, low-drug-tolerance, and low-response patients and high-adherence, high-drug-tolerance, and high-response patients. Personalized medicine based on CYP2C19 genotyping could evolve as a promising new avenue towards mitigating Escitalopram and Citalopram therapy and the associated side effects and enhancing treatment success.
Seismic wave anisotropy in the upper crust of the Bam area in the south- central Iran

The seismic anisotropy is a subject of interest for seismologists and geologists. The information of seismic anisotropy has significant role in geology interpretations (Savage, 1999). In this study, we have investigated the upper crust anisotropy in Bam area by means of shear wave splitting Sg phase. We have selected more than three hundred aftershocks from IIEES local temporary seismic network that had been installed after 26 December 2003 Bam earthquake. In the present study, due to using local waveform data, type of Sg phase and shallow depth of events, the estimated values of seismic anisotropy could be related to heterogeneities within upper crust of Bam area. The shear wave, upon entering the anisotropic region, splits into two phases with
Feasibility and Implementation Determinants of a Structured Goal Setting and Goal Management System

Abstract Importance: There is no evidence-based system to guide occupational therapists in implementing theory-based, client-engaged goal setting and goal management. A new system is needed to support high-quality goal setting and goal management. Objective: To determine the acceptability, appropriateness, feasibility, credibility, and expectancy of a new structured theory-based, client-engaged goal setting and goal management system, called MyGoals, for occupational therapists. We explored MyGoals’ implementation determinants, potential positive outcomes, and comparative advantages. Design: This was a mixed-methods feasibility study. Setting: Community. Participants: Occupational therapists (N = 7). Outcomes and Measures: Acceptability, appropriateness, and feasibility were assessed using the Acceptability of Intervention Measure (AIM), Intervention Appropriateness Measure (IAM), and Feasibility of Intervention Measure (FIM). Credibility and expectancy were assessed with the Credibility and Expectancy Questionnaire (CEQ). Semistructured 1:1 interviews were conducted to explore occupational therapy perspectives on MyGoals and its implementation-related factors. Results: MyGoals had high AIM (M = 18.1, SD = 1.9), IAM (M = 17.9, SD = 2.2), FIM (M = 17.3, SD = 2.1) scores and high CEQ Credibility (M = 22.1, SD = 5.0) and Expectancy (M = 20.6, SD = 4.3) scores. Interview data revealed suggestions to improve MyGoals, implementation determinants across the individuals involved, inner setting, and intervention characteristic domains, client- and clinician-related potential positive outcomes, and comparative advantages. Conclusions and Relevance: MyGoals is an acceptable, appropriate, feasible, credible, and promising system to guide occupational therapists in implementing theory-based, client-engaged goal setting and goal management for adults with chronic conditions in community-based rehabilitation. What This Article Adds: MyGoals is an easy-to-use, appealing, and helpful system to support occupational therapists in delivering theory-based goal setting and goal management components and to enable adults with chronic conditions to actively engage in their rehabilitation. This study supports the usefulness of MyGoals in community-based rehabilitation to improve goal setting and goal management quality and personally meaningful rehabilitation goal achievement in this population.
Monitoreo de sistemas urbanos a través de índices e indicadores orientados a la planificación

Fil: Barbero, Dante Andres. Consejo Nacional de Investigaciones Cientificas y Tecnicas. Centro Cientifico Tecnologico Salta. Instituto de Investigacion en Energia No Convencional. Grupo Vinculado al Inenco - Instituto de Investigacion y Politicas del Ambiente Constituido; Argentina
5G-EmPOWER: A Software-Defined Networking Platform for 5G Radio Access Networks

Software-defined networking (SDN) is making their way into the fifth generation of mobile communications. For example, 3GPP is embracing the concept of control-user plane separation (a cornerstone concept in SDN) in the 5G core and the radio access network (RAN). In this paper, we introduce a flexible, programmable, and open-source SDN platform for heterogeneous 5G RANs. The platform builds on an open protocol that abstracts the technology-dependent aspects of the radio access elements, allowing network programmers to deploy complex management tasks as policies on top of a programmable logically centralized controller. We implement the proposed solution as an extension to the 5G-EmPOWER platform and release the software stack (including the southbound protocol) under a permissive APACHE 2.0 license. Finally, the effectiveness of the platform is assessed through three reference use cases: 1) active network slicing; 2) mobility management; and 3) load-balancing.
IAES International Journal of Artificial Intelligence (IJ-AI)

Received Feb 4, 2021 Revised Oct 14, 2021 Accepted Oct 22, 2021 The primary goal of traveling salesman problem (TSP) is for a salesman to visit many cities and return to the starting city via a sequence of potential shortest paths. Subsequently, conventional algorithms are inadequate for large-scale problems; thus, metaheuristic algorithms have been proposed. A recent metaheuristic algorithm that has been implemented to solve TSP is the plant propagation algorithm (PPA), which belongs to the rose family. In this research, this existing PPA is modified to solve TSP. Although PPA is claimed to be successful, it suffers from the slow convergence problem, which significantly impedes its applicability for getting good solution. Therefore, the proposed partial-partitioned greedy algorithm (PPGA) offers crossover and three mutation operations (flip, swap, and slide), which allow local and global search and seem to be wise methods to help PPA in solving the TSP. The PPGA performance is evaluated on 10 separate datasets available in the literature and compared with the original PPA. In terms of distance, the computational results demonstrate that the PPGA outperforms the original PPA in nine datasets which assures that it is 90% better than PPA. PPGA produces good solutions when compared with other algorithms in the literature, where the average execution time reduces by 10.73%.
Usability testing of a website through different devices: a task-based approach in a public university setting in Bangladesh

Purpose This study aims to investigate the usability of a public university website for measuring its efficiency, users’ satisfaction or anxiety while searching for and retrieving information through different devices. Design/methodology/approach A task-based approach was adopted for the study. Twenty-eight participants were asked to complete 11 information-searching tasks on the website. The participants were divided into two groups. The tasks were carried out by members of each group, using desktop and mobile devices in a rotating fashion. Volunteers observed the participants' actions and recorded information regarding their productivity, time usage (using a timer), satisfaction or annoyance while performing each task. Finally, based on the use of the devices, a comparison was established between the participants' performance accuracy, efficiency and anxiety. Findings The study provides an overview of a task-based user experience carried out on the university website using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods. According to the results, participants' satisfaction levels were generally high, and their anxiety levels were low while completing the tasks on a mobile device. In comparison to the desktop, it took less time overall to complete all tasks. On the other hand, using a desktop computer (97.1%) resulted in better task completion success rates for participants than using a mobile device (85.7%). Originality/value No previous task-based evaluation study of this kind has been conducted to assess the usability of any university website in Bangladesh.
Urinary Collectrin as Promising Biomarker for Acute Kidney Injury in Patients Undergoing Cardiac Surgery

Background: Early detection of acute kidney injury (AKI) is crucial for timely intervention and improved patient outcomes after cardiac surgery. This study aimed to evaluate the potential of urinary collectrin as a novel biomarker for AKI in this patient population. Methods: In this prospective, observational cohort study, 63 patients undergoing elective cardiac surgery with cardiopulmonary bypass (CPB) were studied at the Medical University of Vienna between 2016 and 2018. We collected urine samples prospectively at four perioperative time points, and urinary collectrin was measured using an enzyme-linked immunosorbent assay. Patients were divided into two groups, AKI and non-AKI, defined by Kidney Disease: Improving Global Outcomes Guidelines, and differences between groups were analyzed. Results: Postoperative AKI was found in 19 (30%) patients. Urine sample analysis revealed an inverse correlation between urinary collectrin and creatinine and AKI stages, as well as significant changes in collectrin levels during the perioperative course. Baseline collectrin levels were 5050 ± 3294 pg/mL, decreased after the start of CPB, reached their nadir at the end of surgery, and began to recover slightly on postoperative day (POD) 1. The most effective timepoint for distinguishing between AKI and non-AKI patients based on collectrin levels was POD 1, with collectrin levels of 2190 ± 3728 pg/mL in AKI patients and 3768 ± 3435 pg/mL in non-AKI patients (p = 0.01). Conclusions: Urinary collectrin shows promise as a novel biomarker for the early detection of AKI in patients undergoing cardiac surgery on CPB. Its dynamic changes throughout the perioperative period, especially on POD 1, provide valuable insights for timely diagnosis and intervention. Further research and validation studies are needed to confirm its clinical usefulness and potential impact on patient outcomes.