Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization and mitigation of process variation in digital circuits and systems

Process variation threatens to negate a whole generation of scaling in advanced process technologies due to performance and power spreads of greater than 30-50%. Mitigating this impact requires a thorough understanding of the variation sources, magnitudes and spatial components at the device, circuit and architectural levels. This thesis explores the impacts of variation at each of these levels and evaluates techniques to alleviate them in the context of digital circuits and systems. At the device level, we propose isolation and measurement of variation in the intrinsic threshold voltage of a MOSFET using sub-threshold leakage currents. Analysis of the measured data, from a test-chip implemented on a 0. 18pm CMOS process, indicates that variation in MOSFET threshold voltage is a truly random process dependent only on device dimensions. Further decomposition of the observed variation reveals no systematic within-die variation components nor any spatial correlation. A second test-chip capable of characterizing spatial variation in digital circuits is developed and implemented in a 90nm triple-well CMOS process. Measured variation results show that the within-die component of variation is small at high voltages but is an increasing fraction of the total variation as power-supply voltage decreases. Once again, the data shows no evidence of within-die spatial correlation and only weak systematic components. Evaluation of adaptive body-biasing and voltage scaling as variation mitigation techniques proves voltage scaling is more effective in performance modification with reduced impact to idle power compared to body-biasing. Finally, the addition of power-supply voltages in a massively parallel multicore processor is explored to reduce the energy required to cope with process variation. An analytic optimization framework is developed and analyzed; using a custom simulation methodology, total energy of a hypothetical 1K-core processor based on the RAW core is reduced by 6-16% with the addition of only a single voltage. Analysis of yield versus required energy demonstrates that a combination of disabling poorperforming cores and additional power-supply voltages results in an optimal trade-off between performance and energy. Thesis Supervisor: Duane Boning Title: Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science Thesis Supervisor: Anantha Chandrakasan Title: Professor of Electrical Engineering & Computer Science
Prevalence of extended spectrum β-lactamase ( ESBL ) producing E . coli and Klebsiella species in urinary isolates

Introduction: Bacterial resistance to β-lactam antibiotics has risen dramatically, with extended spectrum βlactamase (ESBL) contributing to this increase. Early identification of ESBL production is becoming increasingly important. Methodology: A total of 367 consecutive, urine samples from patients suspected to have UTI, were processed. All Escherichia coli and Klebsiella species isolated in significant numbers were included. The isolates were identified by standard microbiological procedures and AST was done according to CLSI guidelines. The isolates were tested for susceptibility to third generation cephalosporins and then tested for Double disc synergy test (DDST) & Phenotypic confirmatory disc diffusion test (PCDDT). Result: Out of 367 urine samples processed in the study, 271 yielded various bacterial isolates. Of these, 96 were Escherichia coli and 58 were Klebsiella species. Out of these total 154 isolates, 117 showed resistance to any one of the three cephalosporins tested. ESBL production was observed in 89(57.79%) isolates by PCDDT. DDST failed to detect ESBLs in four isolates of E.coli and two isolates of Klebsiella spp. Conclusion: The practice of routine ESBL testing for uropathogens along with conventional antibiogram would be useful for all cases which will help in the proper treatment of the patients and also prevent further development of bacterial drug resistance.
Slovenian Employers and the Challenge of the Longer Working Life

Ciljevi ovog rada su (1) analizirati stavove slovenskih poslodavaca prema starijim radnicima u kontekstu procesa starenja i reforma na tržistu rada i (2) predložiti mjere i inicijative koje bi potaknule poslodavce da zadrže starije radnike i pomogle radnicima da ostanu aktivni. Kako bismo procijenili stavove slovenskih opslodavaca u pogledu zaposljavanja starijih radnika, koristimo empirijske podatke iz istraživanja 200 slovenskih poduzeca. Upitnik je usporediv sa slicnim međunarodnim upitnicima. Podaci su analizirani uz koristenje niza bivarijantnih i multivarijantnih tehnika. Analiza stavova slovenskih poslodavaca u pogledu karakteristika radnika pokazuje da oni smatraju da stariji radnici imaju bolji radni ucinak od svojih mlađih kolega (u usporedbi s prosjekom tvrtke) kada je rijec o profesionalizmu, sposobnosti odlucivanja, spremnosti na naporan rad, pouzdanosti, postenju i integritetu, pozornosti i odanosti. Najveci nedostaci starijih radnika u usporedbi s mlađima su prilagodljivost novim tehnologijama, sposobnost stjecanja novih vjestina i znanja, prilagođavanje promjenama i spremnost za ucenje. Kada se uspoređuje trenutna zaposlenost starijih zaposlenika i aktivno traženje novih zaposlenika u dobi od 50 do 64 godine, nasa studija pokazuje da se slovenske tvrtke ponasaju na isti nacin, bez obzira na sektor poslovanja, velicinu tvrtke, dob ispitanika i obrazovanje ispitanika: vecina zaposljava vrlo mali postotak starijih zaposlenika i gotovo i ne traži aktivno zaposlenike u dobi od 50 do 64 godine. Rezultati istraživanja stoga u nekoj mjeri pokazuju ekonomsko opravdanje za potencijalnu dobnu diskriminaciju kada je rijec o procesu odabira zaposlenika. Isto tako, rezultati pokazuju da je iznimno važno poticati cjeloživotno obrazovanje (glavni nedostatak starijih zaposlenika prema misljenju poslodavaca povezan je s njihovim znanjima i vjestinama), kao i povecati fleksibilnost u zaposljavanju i otpustanju, dok platna lista ne bi trebala ukljucivati sve administrativno određene dodatke koji jos vise umanjuju vjerojatnost zaposljavanja starijih radnika.
Interactions between the spatial and temporal clumping of food affect the intensity of aggression in Japanese medaka

Previous studies have largely supported the predictions that an animal's aggressiveness increases as the clumping of resources increases in space but decreases in time. Such tests of resource defence theory, however, have manipulated only one aspect of resource distribution at a time. We tested for an interaction between the effects of the spatial and temporal clumping of food by allowing groups of 10 Japanese medaka fish, Oryzias latipes, to compete for food in a 2x2 factorial design. There was a significant interaction between the effects of the spatial and temporal clumping of food on both the total rate of aggression in tanks and on the per capita rate of aggression by fish in the feeding patch. Despite these interactions, all trends in per capita rate of aggression in the feeding patch were consistent with the predictions. In contrast, total rate of aggression in the tank, which included fish that were not competing for food, apparently contradicted a key prediction. Our results suggest that powerful tests of resource defence theory should take into account an animal's opportunity to be aggressive. In addition, it may be difficult to extrapolate the results of single-factor tests of resource defence theory to multi-factor or field situations.Copyright 1998 The Association for the Study of Animal Behaviour.
Out-of-Hospital Use of a Pulse Oximeter to Determine Systolic Blood Pressures

Abstract Study objective: Blood pressure (BP) in the out-of-hospital setting is one of the most important diagnostic tools used by emergency medical services (EMS) providers. Conventional methods of palpation and auscultation can be time consuming, and the measurements often are inaccurate because of the adverse working conditions encountered. Pulse oximetry waveform systolic blood pressure (POWSBP) measurement has been used successfully in emergency departments to monitor BP. The objective of this study was to compare the accuracy of field POWSBP measurements obtained by noninvasive electronic BP measurement (NIBPM), auscultation, and palpation in the out-of-hospital environment. Design: Blood pressure measurements used for this study were obtained by POWSBP, NIBPM (PROPAQ model 102; Protocol Systems, Beaverton, Oregon USA), auscultation, and palpation on patients in moving ambulances. Measurement of POWSBP was accomplished by observing the return of the waveform on the pulse oximeter at the time of cuff deflation. The order in which the readings were obtained as well as the arm chosen for measurement were randomized. Setting and participants: Paramedics and emergency medical technicians in an urban, inner-city emergency medical services (EMS) system. Measurements and main results: Bloopressure measurements were sampled from 69 patients. Regression analysis identified significant correlation between POWSBP and the four methods utilized, with r = 0.92 for NIPBM, r = 0.95 for auscultation, and r = 0.97 for palpation, all significant at p<0.0001. Conclusions: The use of POWSBP measurement is a fast, easy, and accurate technique with which to measure systolic BP in the field. It may have special importance for noisy environments and moving vehicles in which conventional methods of auscultation or palpation may be difficult.
Cytochrome P450 isoforms involved in metabolism of the enantiomers of verapamil and norverapamil.

AIMS The present study was conducted to evaluate metabolism of the enantiomers of verapamil and norverapamil using a broad range of cytochrome P450 isoforms and measure the kinetic parameters of these processes. METHODS Cytochrome P450 cDNA-expressed cells and microsomes from a P450-expressed lymphoblastoid cell line were incubated with 40 microm concentrations of R- or S-verapamil and R- or S-norverapamil and metabolite formation measured by h.p.l.c. as an initial screening. Those isoforms exhibiting substantial activity were then studied over a range of substrate concentrations (2.5-450 microm ) to estimate the kinetic parameters for metabolite formation. RESULTS P450s 3A4, 3A5, 2C8 and to a minor extent 2E1 were involved in the metabolism of the enantiomers of verapamil. Estimated Km values for the production of D-617 and norverapamil by P450 s 3A4 and 3A5 were similar (range=60-127 microm ) regardless of the enantiomer of verapamil studied while the Vmax estimates were also similar (range=4-8 pmol min-1 pmol-1 P450). Only nominal production of D-620 by these isoforms was noted. Interestingly, P450 2C8 readily metabolized both S- and R-verapamil to D-617, norverapamil and PR-22 with only slightly higher Km values than noted for P450s 3A4 and 3A5. However, the Vmax estimates for P450 2C8 metabolism of S- and R-verapamil were in general greater (range=8-15 pmol min-1 pmol-1 P450) than those noted for P450 s 3A4 and 3A5 with preference noted for metabolism of the S-enantiomer. Similarly, P450 s 3A4, 3A5 and 2C8 also mediated the metabolism of the enantiomers of norverapamil with minor contributions by P450 s 2D6 and 2E1. P450s 3A4 and 3A5 readily formed the D-620 metabolite with generally a lower Km and higher Vmax for S-norverapamil than for the R-enantiomer. In contrast, P450 2C8 produced both the D-620 and PR-22 metabolites from the enantiomers of norverapamil, again with stereoselective preference seen for the S-enantiomer. CONCLUSIONS These results confirm that P450s 3A4, 3A5 and 2C8 play a major role in verapamil metabolism and demonstrate that norverapamil can also be further metabolized by the P450s.
Population genetic structure of Monimopetalum chinense (Celastraceae), an endangered endemic species of eastern China.

BACKGROUND AND AIMS Monimopetalum chinense (Celastraceae) standing for the monotypic genus is endemic to eastern China. Its conservation status is vulnerable as most populations are small and isolated. Monimopetalum chinense is capable of reproducing both sexually and asexually. The aim of this study was to understand the genetic structure of M. chinense and to suggest conservation strategies. METHODS One hundred and ninety individuals from ten populations sampled from the entire distribution area of M. chinense were investigated by using inter-simple sequence repeats (ISSR). KEY RESULTS A total of 110 different ISSR bands were generated using ten primers. Low levels of genetic variation were revealed both at the species level (Isp=0.183) and at the population level (Ipop=0.083). High clonal diversity (D = 0.997) was found, and strong genetic differentiation among populations was detected (49.06 %). CONCLUSIONS Small population size, possible inbreeding, limited gene flow due to short distances of seed dispersal, fragmentation of the once continuous range and subsequent genetic drift, may have contributed to shaping the population genetic structure of the species.
TESTING ADAPTIVE PLASTICITY TO UV: COSTS AND BENEFITS OF STEM ELONGATION AND LIGHT‐INDUCED PHENOLICS

Abstract On exposure to ultraviolet radiation (UV), many plant species both reduce stem elongation and increase production of phenolic compounds that absorb in the UV region of the spectrum. To demonstrate that such developmental plasticity to UV is adaptive, it is necessary to show that the induced phenotype is both beneficial in inductive environments and maladaptive in non‐inductive environments. We measured selection on stem elongation and phenolic content of seedlings of Impatiens capensis transplanted into ambient‐UV and UV‐removal treatments. We extended the range of phenotypes expressed, and thus the opportunity for selection in each UV treatment, by pretreating seedlings with either a low ratio of red:far‐red wavelengths (R:FR), which induced stem elongation and reduced phenolic concentrations, or high R:FR, which had the opposite effect on these two phenotypic traits. Reduced stem length relative to biomass was advantageous for elongated plants under ambient UV, whereas increased elongation was favored in the UV‐removal treatment. Selection favored an increase in the level of phenolics induced by UV in the ambient‐UV treatment, but a decrease in phenolics in the absence of UV. These results are consistent with the hypotheses that reduced elongation and increased phenolic concentrations serve a UV‐protective function and provide the first explicit demonstration in a wild species that plasticity of these traits to UV is adaptive. The observed cost to phenolics in the absence of UV may explain why many species plastically upregulate phenolic production when exposed to UV, rather than evolve constitutively high levels of these compounds. Finally, pretreatment with low R:FR simulating foliar shade did not exacerbate the fitness impact of UV exposure when plants had several weeks to acclimate to UV. This observation suggests that the evolution of adaptive shade avoidance responses to low R:FR in crowded stands will not be constrained by increased sensitivity to UV in elongated plants when they overtop their neighbors.
Reconstruction of the Infection Curve for SARS Epidemic in Beijing, China Using a Back-Projection Method

The infection curve of Severe Acute Respiratory Syndrome (SARS) using the back-projection method was reconstructed for the SARS outbreak period (from March 1, 2003 to June 20, 2003) in Beijing to assess the effectiveness of the intervention measures. There were 2,521 confirmed SARS cases with a population size of 13 million. The SARS outbreak pattern corresponded well with the major events timeline over the SARS outbreak. Despite the limited resources with such a large population size, the intervention measures taken by the Beijing Municipal Government seemed to be effective in containing the SARS epidemic in Beijing.
Report on a limited anopheline survey at Ifakara, South-Eastern Tanzania.

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Reevaluating significance of perineural invasion in gastric cancer based on double immunohistochemical staining.

CONTEXT In gastric cancer, the significance of perineural invasion remains controversial. Detecting perineural invasion with hematoxylin-eosin staining often leads to misdiagnosis. Labeling nerves by immunohistochemistry greatly assists perineural invasion detection, but it might also be misdiagnosed, because scattered cancer cells are difficult to recognize. OBJECTIVE To reevaluate the significance of perineural invasion in gastric cancer by double immunohistochemical staining that labels both nerves and cancer cells, and to examine agreements on perineural invasion detection between double immunohistochemical staining and single immunochemical staining (to label nerves) or hematoxylin-eosin staining. DESIGN We evaluated perineural invasion in 160 cases of gastric cancer with double immunohistochemical staining, single immunochemical staining, and hematoxylin-eosin staining, respectively; then we investigated the prognostic significance of perineural invasion. RESULTS Perineural invasion was detected in 65.0% (104 of 160), 38.1% (61 of 160), and 56.9% (91 of 160) of cases with double immunohistochemical staining, hematoxylin-eosin staining, and single immunohistochemical staining, respectively. Agreement was low between double staining and hematoxylin-eosin staining (κ = .34), and most false reports occurred in diffuse gastric cancer. Agreement between single immunochemical staining and double staining was good (κ = .67), but it declined in diffuse gastric cancer (κ = .28). Perineural invasion was closely associated with other clinicopathologic variables. Although perineural invasion-positive patients had a worse outcome than perineural invasion-negative patients, it was not an independent prognostic factor (P = .11; hazard ratio, 0.637; 95% confidence interval, 0.366-1.110). CONCLUSIONS Double immunohistochemical staining could improve accuracy of perineural invasion detection in gastric cancer, particularly in the diffuse type. Moreover, perineural invasion predicts a poor outcome in gastric cancer, but it cannot provide more information than traditional clinicopathologic variables.
Growth hormone secretagogue receptor antagonists

The patent claims peptidic/nonpeptidic inhibitors of the ghrelin receptor, the growth hormone secretagogue receptor (GHSR) 1A. Among these compounds, it was disclosed that the addition in some compounds of a GlyMetAla tripeptide at the N-terminus of the ghrelin peptide agonists converts them into ghrelin receptor antagonists. One of these peptides, among the few that have been studied in vivo, was shown to be able to reduce food intake and body weight gain in rats.
Dissociation between top‐down attentional control and the time course of visual attention as measured by attentional dwell time in patients with mild cognitive impairment

Studies of the time course of visual attention have identified a temporary functional blindness to the second of sequentially presented stimuli in that the attentional cost of attending to one visual stimulus may lead to impairments in identifying a second stimulus presented within 500 ms of the first. This phenomenon is known as the attentional blink or attentional dwell time. The neural correlates of the attentional blink and its relationship to mechanisms that control attention are unknown. To examine this relationship we tested healthy controls and subjects in the preclinical stage of Alzheimer's disease, known as mild cognitive impairment (MCI), on a paradigm which affords quantification of both the attentional blink and the top‐down control of attention. When subjects were asked to identify both a number and a letter that were rapidly and sequentially presented on a visual display, the detrimental effect that identifying the first stimulus had on the ability to identify the second served as a measure of the attentional blink. When asked to identify only one of the two stimuli, the ability to ignore the first stimulus was a function of their top‐down attentional control. The MCI subjects demonstrated a normal attentional dwell time but in contrast they showed impaired top‐down attentional control within the same paradigm. This dissociation suggests that these two aspects of visual attention are subserved by different neural systems. The possible neural correlates of these two attentional functions are discussed.
Reconfigurable OTDM Demultiplexing Using Time- and Wavelength-Interleaved Pulses in an Optical Parametric Amplifier

We demonstrate a new technique of reconfigurable demultiplexing of optical time-division-multiplexing (OTDM) signal. The operation is achieved by pump depletion in an optical parametric amplifier using probe pulses from a time- and wavelength-interleaved laser source. Error-free operations have been achieved for both adjacent and alternate two-channel demultiplexing with power penalties less than 0.6 dB at 40 Gb/s.
Blunt carotid arterial injuries: implications of a new grading scale.

BACKGROUND Blunt carotid arterial injuries (BCI) have the potential for devastating outcomes. A paucity of literature and the absence of a formal BCI grading scale have been major impediments to the formulation of sound practice guidelines. We reviewed our experience with 109 BCI and developed a grading scale with prognostic and therapeutic implications. METHODS Patients admitted to a Level I trauma center were evaluated with cerebral arteriography if they exhibited signs or symptoms of BCI or met criteria for screening. Patients with BCI were treated with heparin unless they had contraindications, and follow-up arteriography was performed at 7 to 10 days. Endovascular stents were deployed selectively. A prospective database was used to track the patients. RESULTS A total of 76 patients were diagnosed with 109 BCI. Two-thirds of mild intimal injuries (grade I) healed, regardless of therapy. Dissections or hematomas with luminal stenosis (grade II) progressed, despite heparin therapy in 70% of cases. Only 8% of pseudoaneurysms (grade III) healed with heparin, but 89% resolved after endovascular stent placement. Occlusions (grade IV) did not recanalize in the early postinjury period. Grade V injuries (transections) were lethal and refractory to intervention. Stroke risk increased with injury grade. Severe head injuries (Glasgow Coma Scale score < or =6) were found in 46% of patients and confounded evaluation of neurologic outcomes. CONCLUSION This BCI grading scale has prognostic and therapeutic implications. Nonoperative treatment options for grade I BCI should be evaluated in prospective, randomized trials. Accessible grade II, III, IV, and V lesions should be surgically repaired. Inaccessible grade II, III, and IV injuries should be treated with systemic anticoagulation. Endovascular techniques may be the only recourse in high grade V injuries and warrant controlled evaluation in the treatment of grade III BCI.