Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Micromachined high-Q inductors in 0.18 /spl mu/m Cu interconnect low-K CMOS

Spiral inductors fabricated in a 0.18 /spl mu/m 6-level copper interconnect low-K dielectric process are described. A post-CMOS maskless micromachining process compatible to copper interconnect and low-k dielectric CMOS has been developed to create inductors suspended 100 /spl mu/m above the substrate with sidewall oxide removed. Such inductors have higher quality factors as substrate losses are eliminated by silicon removal and have higher self-resonant frequency due to removal of inter-turn dielectrics. Micromachined inductors have the potential to extend the useful operational frequency range of CMOS RF circuits. Quality factors of greater than 7 were obtained at 5.5 GHz for inductors with silicon undercut and inter-turn oxide removed, compared to a Q of 4 for inductors having only their inter-turn oxide removed but without silicon undercut.
Surfing USA

Campuses across the United States continue to welcome a record number of Chinese students coming in pursuit of both academic and cultural goals. Yet, high levels of acculturative stress coupled with difficulties integrating into life abroad jeopardize accomplishing these goals. In this study, we examine Chinese students’ Internet use both prior to and during study abroad, and its effects on stress, integration, and learning while abroad. In-depth interviews were conducted with 18 undergraduate and graduate students from China currently studying in the United States. Findings indicate that although online media and resources provide valuable information to Chinese students, they may also set the stage for entry into established, cohesive co-national peer groups, thereby discouraging integration.
Competition and Achievement Goals in Work Teams

This study examined how competition within teams influences which type of achievement goals employees adopt. We studied how dispositional learning-goal and performance-goal orientation interact with team-level competition and predict whether team members adopt state learning or performance achievement goals. State achievement goals, in turn, were proximal antecedents of two outcome measures: job-related self-efficacy and supervisory ratings of job performance. The participants were 502 employees and 55 supervisors. Results confirmed that competition was positively associated with state performance goals. Trait performance-goal orientation influenced whether competition was negatively associated with state learning goals. In highly competitive teams, trait performance-goal orientation was negatively related to state learning goals, whereas in less competitive teams, a performance-goal orientation was positively related to state learning goals.
Creativity and Imitation: Effects of Regulatory Focus and Creative Exemplar Quality

In creative settings, exposure to creative exemplar products may invite imitation and as such influence creative performance. In understanding creativity, it, therefore, is important to be able to predict imitation of creative exemplar products. Regulatory focus theory can do so, and leads to predictions that deviate from the existing body of knowledge concerning regulatory focus and creativity in the absence of exemplar products. In this study, we proposed that high creative exemplar quality elicits more imitation—and thus lowered creativity—for promotion-focused individuals, whereas creative exemplar quality does not affect the creative process for prevention-focused individuals. To enable a relatively objective measurement of creativity and imitation, these predictions were tested in a laboratory experiment. Results supported predictions, indicating that knowledge about how strongly people engage in imitation in the face of a creative exemplar product leads to more adequate predictions how creative people really are.
Managing educational change: a case of two leadership approaches

This article reports a case study that investigated the ways in which heads of subject departments managed the development and application of new assessment strategies in one secondary school in Hong Kong. The data of the study were gathered through participant observation and interviews with 12 teachers who participated in an assessment for learning project in the school. The results show variation in the leadership approaches adopted by the department heads, highlighting the dichotomy between managerial accountability and professional empowerment as their perceived mandate, and techno-instrumentalism and autonomous explorations as their visions for school-based renewal initiatives. The findings of the study highlight the subcultures within subject departments resulting from the different leadership styles enacted by the subject leaders, and point to the need for further investigations into the mediating roles of culture of subject disciplines and contextual variables that shape the dynamics of educational management.
The Relative Effects of Experimenter and Subject Generated Questions on Learning from Museum Case Exhibits.

Fifty-five undergraduate education majors were randomly assigned to one of three treatment conditions as they entered the “walk-through” cave exhibit at The Florida State Museum. Subjects in treatment I received set induction materials directing them to enter the cave, to observe the cave carefully, and finally to read the information in five case exhibits after exiting the cave. Subjects in treatment II observed the cave exhibit, read the information in the five case exhibits, and answered two experimenter generated questions about each case exhibit immediately after reading the information in it. Subjects in treatment III observed the cave exhibit, read the information in the five case exhibits, and generated two questions about each case exhibit and answered them immediately after reading the information in each exhibit. All subjects received an immediate 20-item posttest. Seven of these items focused on observations from the “walk-through” portion of the cave exhibit. The remaining 13 items covered the information in the case exhibits. Analysis of variance indicated no significant differences between groups on the observation questions; however, a significant difference was detected for the case exhibit questions (p < 0.02). Follow up analyses indicated that subjects who answered the experimenter generated questions performed significantly better than subjects who did not answer any questions. Although no other differences were detected at the 0.05 level, the trend of results indicated that subjects who answered experimenter generated questions performed better than subjects who generated their own questions. These latter subjects performed better than subjects who read the case exhibits without answering any questions.
Designing a smoking cessation intervention for the unique needs of homeless persons: a community-based randomized clinical trial

Background Although smoking prevalence remains strikingly high in homeless populations (~70% and three times the US national average), smoking cessation studies usually exclude homeless persons. Novel evidence-based interventions are needed for this high-risk subpopulation of smokers. Purpose To describe the aims and design of a first-ever smoking cessation clinical trial in the homeless population. The study was a two-group randomized community-based trial that enrolled participants (n = 430) residing across eight homeless shelters and transitional housing units in Minnesota. The study objective was to test the efficacy of motivational interviewing (MI) for enhancing adherence to nicotine replacement therapy (NRT; nicotine patch) and smoking cessation outcomes. Methods Participants were randomized to one of the two groups: active (8 weeks of NRT + 6 sessions of MI) or control (NRT + standard care). Participants attended six in-person assessment sessions and eight retention visits at a location of their choice over 6 months. Nicotine patch in 2-week doses was administered at four visits over the first 8 weeks of the 26-week trial. The primary outcome was cotinine-verified 7-day point-prevalence abstinence at 6 months. Secondary outcomes included adherence to nicotine patch assessed through direct observation and patch counts. Other outcomes included the mediating and/or moderating effects of comorbid psychiatric and substance abuse disorders. Results Lessons learned from the community-based cessation randomized trial for improving recruitment and retention in a mobile and vulnerable population included: (1) the importance of engaging the perspectives of shelter leadership by forming and convening a Community Advisory Board; (2) locating the study at the shelters for more visibility and easier access for participants; (3) minimizing exclusion criteria to allow enrollment of participants with stable psychiatric comorbid conditions; (4) delaying the baseline visit from the eligibility visit by a week to protect against attrition; and (5) regular and persistent calls to remind participants of upcoming appointments using cell phones and shelter-specific channels of communication. Limitations The study’s limitations include generalizability due to the sample drawn from a single Midwestern city in the United States. Since inclusion criteria encompassed willingness to use NRT patch, all participants were motivated and were ready to quit smoking at the time of enrollment in the study. Findings from the self-select group will be generalizable only to those motivated and ready to quit smoking. High incentives may limit the degree to which the intervention is replicable. Conclusions Lessons learned reflect the need to engage communities in the design and implementation of community-based clinical trials with vulnerable populations.
Pilins of Bacteroides nodosus: molecular basis of serotypic variation and relationships to other bacterial pilins

monas aeruginosa. A classification has been made, on a functional basis, into sex pili which are involved in the transfer of genetic material and other non-sex pili (6, 40). The latter, through bacterial adherence, motility, or antiphagocytic properties, often play important roles in the parasitic invasion of host tissues. Antibodies against these pili are effective in combating bacterial invasion, so that pili are valuable agents in prophylactic immunization and form
Overworked Faculty: Job Stresses and Family Demands

Do professors put in very long workweeks solely out of a love of their work, or do expectations for teaching and publishing essentially require a sixty-hour workweek for the successful completion of the job? How do faculty members reconcile the demands of an academic career with the realities of family life? Drawing on a large national survey of postsecondary faculty conducted in 1998, the authors examine the length of the workweek by analyzing its relationship to faculty dissatisfaction with their workload. The authors find evidence that many professors are dissatisfied with their workload. Moreover, dissatisfaction increases among those working the longest hours. The data also indicate that very long hours on the job greatly contribute to research productivity. The very long hours demanded by faculty jobs thus pose a dilemma for parents who want to spend time with their children and their families. The authors conclude by suggesting that the challenge is to create a set of expectations for academic employment that are compatible with responsible parenting in dual-career couples.
Leflunomide or methotrexate for juvenile rheumatoid arthritis.

BACKGROUND We compared the safety and efficacy of leflunomide with that of methotrexate in the treatment of polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis in a multinational, randomized, controlled trial. METHODS Patients 3 to 17 years of age received leflunomide or methotrexate for 16 weeks in a double-dummy, blinded fashion, followed by a 32-week blinded extension. The rates of American College of Rheumatology Pediatric 30 percent responses (ACR Pedi 30) and the Percent Improvement Index were assessed at baseline and every 4 weeks for 16 weeks and every 8 weeks during the 32-week extension study. RESULTS Of 94 patients randomized, 86 completed 16 weeks of treatment, 70 of whom entered the extension study. At week 16, more patients in the methotrexate group than in the leflunomide group had an ACR Pedi 30 response (89 percent vs. 68 percent, P=0.02), whereas the values for the Percent Improvement Index did not differ significantly (-52.87 percent vs. -44.41 percent, P=0.18). In both groups, the improvements achieved at week 16 were maintained at week 48. The most common adverse events in both groups included gastrointestinal symptoms, headache, and nasopharyngeal symptoms. Aminotransferase elevations were more frequent with methotrexate than with leflunomide during the initial study and the extension study. CONCLUSIONS In patients with polyarticular juvenile rheumatoid arthritis, methotrexate and leflunomide both resulted in high rates of clinical improvement, but the rate was slightly greater for methotrexate. At the doses used in this study, methotrexate was more effective than leflunomide.
Assessment of Diastolic Function With Doppler Tissue Imaging to Predict Genotype in Preclinical Hypertrophic Cardiomyopathy

Background—Unexplained left ventricular hypertrophy (LVH) is considered diagnostic of hypertrophic cardiomyopathy (HCM) but fails to identify all genetically affected individuals. Altered diastolic function has been hypothesized to represent an earlier manifestation of HCM before the development of LVH; however, data regarding the clinical utility of imaging techniques that assess this parameter are limited. Methods and Results—Echocardiographic studies including Doppler tissue imaging (DTI) were performed in a genotyped HCM population with &bgr;-myosin heavy chain (&bgr; -MHC) mutations. Genotype (+) individuals with LVH (G+/LVH+; n=18) and genotype (+) individuals without LVH (G+/LVH−; n=18) were compared with normal control subjects (n=36). Left ventricular ejection fraction (EF) was significantly higher in both genotype (+) groups (75±5% and 71±6%, respectively, versus 64± 5% in control subjects;P <0.0001). Mean early diastolic myocardial velocities (Ea) were significantly lower in both genotype (+) subgroups, irrespective of LVH (P <0.02). However, there was substantial overlap in Ea velocities between the G+/LVH− and control groups. An Ea velocity of ≤13.5 cm/s had 86% specificity and 75% sensitivity for identifying genotype-positive subjects. The combination of EF ≥68% and Ea velocity <15 cm/s was 100% specific and 44% sensitive in predicting affected genotype. Conclusions—Abnormalities of diastolic function assessed by Doppler tissue imaging precede the development of LVH in individuals with HCM caused by &bgr; -MHC mutations. Although Ea velocity alone was not sufficiently sensitive as a sole diagnostic criterion, the combination of Ea velocity and EF was highly predictive of affected genotype in individuals without overt manifestations of HCM.
Orthographic Recognition in Late Adolescents

Reading speed and efficiency are achieved through the automatic recognition of written words. Difficulties in learning and recognizing the orthography of words can arise despite reiterative exposure to texts. This study aimed to investigate, in native Spanish-speaking late adolescents, how different levels of orthographic knowledge might result in behavioral and event-related brain potential differences during the recognition of orthographic errors. Forty-five healthy high school students were selected and divided into 3 equal groups (High, Medium, Low) according to their performance on a 5-test battery of orthographic knowledge. All participants performed an orthographic recognition task consisting of the sequential presentation of a picture (object, fruit, or animal) followed by a correctly, or incorrectly, written word (orthographic mismatch) that named the picture just shown. Electroencephalogram (EEG) recording took place simultaneously. Behavioral results showed that the Low group had a significantly lower number of correct responses and increased reaction times while processing orthographical errors. Tests showed significant positive correlations between higher performance on the experimental task and faster and more accurate reading. The P150 and P450 components showed higher voltages in the High group when processing orthographic errors, whereas N170 seemed less lateralized to the left hemisphere in the lower orthographic performers. Also, trials with orthographic errors elicited a frontal P450 component that was only evident in the High group. The present results show that higher levels of orthographic knowledge correlate with high reading performance, likely because of faster and more accurate perceptual processing, better visual orthographic representations, and top-down supervision, as the event-related brain potential findings seem to suggest.
Institute for Brain and Neural Systems December 30 1997

This is written to provide a semi-annual progress report for the contract N00014-91-J-1316 entitled "Neuromorphic Systems: From Biological Foundations to System Properties and Real World Applications. " The major goal of our research is to elucidate the biological mechanisms that underlie learning and memory: to find principles of organization that can account both for experimental data on the cellular level and, when applied to large numbers of neurons that receive sensory and/or interneuronal information, for various higher level system properties. Then to apply this in the construction of advanced neural architectures that can be used in practical applications such as mine detection. Among our detailed objectives are the following: to clarify the dependence of learning on synaptic modification, to elucidate the principles that govern synapse formation or modification, to use principles of organization that can account for observations on a cellular level to construct neurallike systems that can learn, associate, reproduce such higher level cognitive acts as abstraction and computation, and perform in various situations of practical interest. The approaches employed to achieve these objectives include both theory and experiment. Our ongoing work has lead to a theory of synaptic plasticity that appears to be in agreement with much visual cortex experimental data. In addition, recent experimental work on slice preparations seems to confirm the underlying hypotheses of the theorythe variation of synaptic modification with post-synaptic de-polarization as well as of the movement of the LTP/LTD crossover point as a function of postsynaptic activity. We have applied this biologically based synaptic modification rule to the design of neural-like systems that have proven their value in practical applications.
Atrial fibrillation following intravenous zolendronic acid for osteoporosis.

S ince the publication of the HORIZONPivotal Fracture Trial in 2007, there has been a great concern regarding the possible association of intravenous (IV) zolendronic acid treatment of postmenopausal osteoporosis with atrial fibrillation (AF). The frequency of serious AF was found to be increased 2.5-fold in patients treated with zolendronic acid compared with placebo. A retrospective review of the safety data from the Fracture Intervention Trial, a randomized study of alendronate involving 6459 postmenopausal women revealed a trend toward a significant increase of serious AF events in alendronatetreated patients (hazard ratio, 1.51; 95% confidence interval, 0.97Y2.40; P = 0.07). This finding raised further concern for a possible class effect of bisphosphonates. However, a later meta-analysis did not associate the use of alendronate with an increased risk of AF. In addition, other randomized controlled trials of zolendronic acid in patients with hip fracture (HORIZON-Recurrent Fracture Trial), in osteoporotic men, or in the 6-year extension of the HORIZON-Pivotal Fracture Trial, did not confirm the initial results. Nevertheless, the latter study did report a significant increase of strokes in the zolendronic acid group. A report issued in 2008 by the US Food and Drug Administration found no association between overall bisphosphonate exposure and the rate of serious or nonserious AF. However, in cancer patients, where much higher doses of bisphosphonates are used for hypercalcemia and bone metastasis, an increased frequency of AF was found in case-control and cohort studies. Likewise, a recent metaanalysis pooling data from both osteoporotic and cancer patients derived from 6 randomized controlled trials and 6 observational studies suggested an association between bisphosphonate use and the onset of AF. It should be mentioned that data from large registries regarding the use of IV bisphosphonates in osteoporosis are lacking. In addition, there is no published information on AF in osteoporotic patients treated with IV zolendronic acid from single centers, reflecting everyday clinical practice where comorbidities and concomitant medications have to be taken into consideration. Several potential mechanisms have been proposed by which bisphosphonates could predispose to the development of AF. One possibility is that these drugs exert their arrhythmogenic effect by reducing serum levels of calcium and phosphate. Another possibility could be the release of proinflammatory cytokines following parenteral administration of bisphosphonates. Finally, a third hypothesis is that bisphosphonates could affect atrial
Who is left-wing, and who just thinks they are?

A common assumption in political economy is that there exists a consistent and well defined policy space. Often, this space is assumed to be adequately represented by a single `left' - `right' dimension. This paper makes the case that it is not only convenient but also meaningful to talk of the left and the right. Motivated, in part, by recent work in political psychology, this paper compares how individuals place themselves on a left-right scale with their answers to substantive policy questions, to provide evidence that the left-right scale has a consistent meaning across time and place. It is also finds consistent differences in how different demographic groups perceive the `left'-`right' continuum. In particular, it finds important differences associated with ageing, gender, income and education. It provides evidence that this is true for both abstract alternatives and concrete choices, questions of redistribution and broader conceptions of social justice. Heterogeneity is taken seriously, analysing variation within cohorts defined by country, date of birth, and gender - a variety of different forms are hypothesised, tested for, and rejected. Finally, it provides evidence that increases in income may lead to increased levels of political polarisation.