Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
The role of back contact patterning on stability and performance of Si IBC heterojunction solar cells

Interdigitated back contact (IBC) Si heterojunction solar cell initial performance and stability over time exhibits a critical dependence on the patterning processes, especially in defining the gap structure between emitter and base contacts. Patterning processes using photoresist can result in degradation even with dark storage in a dry environment over days, while other processes using a-SiNX:H for patterning yield stable devices over months. Use of photoresist (PR) as a mask in PECVD to form interdigitated contacts results in a gap that is insufficiently passivated and leads to cell degradation. Use of a-SiNX:H as a mask creates a multi-layer gap structure which improves the cell performance and stability. The laser fired base contact (LFC) reduces VOC slightly due to increased recombination loss, but does not cause additional instability. A stable efficiency of 17.9% was achieved in an IBC-Si heterojunction solar cell using all low temperature processes that incorporated a multi-layer gap passivation structure.
Three-dimensional calculations of fault-zone-guided waves in various irregular structures

SUMMARY The detailed structure of fault zones (FZs) plays an important role in problems related to fault mechanics, earthquake rupture, wave propagation and seismic hazard. FZs are thought to consist of an O(10‐100) m wide region of decreased seismic velocity but structural details such as their depth extent, lateral and vertical variations, etc. are elusive. The small spatial scales involved make such structures difficult to image with ray-theoretical methods such as tomography. However, seismic energy trapped inside FZ layers can provide dispersive wave trains that carry information on the FZ structure. These waves can travel many kilometres inside the FZ before reaching the surface and are therefore strongly altered by its properties. Candidate trapped waves have been observed above several active faults. Inversion algorithms exist that can model these observations in terms of planar fault zone structures. However, at present it is not clear how reliable these estimates are, as the effects of (even small) 3-D variations on trapped waves are not well understood. The goal of this study is to distinguish 3-D structures that do and do not significantly affect FZ waves. To achieve this, we perform numerical calculations of wave propagation in various FZ geometries and analyse the waveforms, spectra and envelopes of the synthetic seismograms. The main results are that (1) moderate changes of the shape of FZ or (2) small-scale heterogeneities or (3) depth-dependent properties do not strongly affect the observed FZ waves. In contrast, strong effects are to be expected from (4) breaks in the continuity of FZ structure (e.g. offsets), which may at some point allow imaging of such features at depth.
Doppler flow velocimetry of the uterine and uteroplacental circulation in pregnancies complicated by insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus

UNLABELLED In forty-three pregnancies complicated by insulin-dependent diabetes mellitus, 16 classified White B, 11 White C, 8 White D and 8 White R or F, the resistance-index (PR index) in the main part of the uterine artery and arcuate uterine arteries was measured by duplex-pulsed wave Doppler ultrasound. Recordings of 24 hours' blood glucose profile and glycosylated hemoglobin were parameters of glycemic control. Vascular resistance in the main uterine artery decreased with proceeding gestation as a non-diabetic pregnancy. The uterine artery supplying the placental had lower resistance than the opposite side, with a mean PR index of 0.559 (SD 0.117) and 0.622 (SD 0.133), respectively. The mean difference between both sides was 0.062 (SD 0.102) (p < 0.001). The uterine artery PR index was slightly higher in the presence of evident morphological vasculopathy, with a mean PR index of 0.591 (SD 0.104) in White D*/R/F diabetics and 0.545 (SD 0.063) in White B/C/D#, respectively (p = 0.148). Additionally more than half of the diabetics without manifest complications (B/C/D#) showed a persistent notch. Long- and short-term glycemic control was unrelated to vascular resistance in the uterine artery, with correlation coefficients of 0.027 (p = 0.746) and 0.051 (p = 0.537) for glucose and HbA1C, respectively. Doppler velocimetry could not predict diabetic specific fetal mobidity. Vascular resistance in the uterine arcuate arteries was significantly lower in the subplacental region, with a mean PR index of 0.367 (SD 0.056) compared to 0.427 (SD 0.064) in areas distant to the placenta (p < 0.0005). It was not related to vasculopathy elsewhere. IN CONCLUSION in patients with diabetic vasculopathy the uterine artery is also affected, but there is no relationship with long- or short-term parameters of glycemic control. Doppler flow velocimetry of the uterine artery is a poor predictor of diabetes-specific fetal morbidity; if normal ranges of non-diabetic pregnancies are used for reference. Because of significantly different vascular resistance in the two main uterine arteries, mean values of both-side measurements should be used for analysis, whenever possible.
Mucosal cutting biopsy technique for histological diagnosis of suspected gastrointestinal stromal tumors of the stomach

The Japanese Gastrointestinal Stromal Tumor (GIST) therapeutic guidelines recommend endoscopic ultrasound‐guided fine‐needle aspiration biopsy for histological diagnosis. However, before 2010, this technique was only carried out at a minority of medical institutions in Japan. In the present study, we investigated the usefulness of mucosal cutting biopsy.
Highly integrated drivetrain solution: Integration of motor, inverter and gearing

Addressing power density and costs as major success factors for drivetrain solutions for e-mobility, a holistic system concept is necessary. Approaches which integrate e-machine, power electronics, control, gearing and cooling into a common housing offer high potential for compact and cost efficient (H)EV drivetrains. The transition to distributed multiphase inverter and motor concepts enables a novel level of system integration. A new smart stator tooth concept is presented. It comprises the integration of a segmented stator tooth together with dedicated power electronics and control electronics. This enables new degrees of freedom in terms of motor design, assembly and control.
Suppression Versus Induction of Androgen Receptor Functions by the Phosphatidylinositol 3-Kinase/Akt Pathway in Prostate Cancer LNCaP Cells with Different Passage Numbers*

The phosphatidylinositol 3-kinase (PI3K)/Akt pathway controls several important biological functions, such as cell growth regulation, apoptosis, and migration. However, the way in which PI3K/Akt controls androgen receptor (AR)-mediated prostate cancer cell growth remains unclear and controversial. Here, we demonstrate that the PI3K/Akt pathway regulates AR activity in a cell passage number-dependent manner. Specifically, PI3K/Akt pathway can suppress AR activity in androgen-dependent LNCaP cells with low passage numbers. In contrast, it can also enhance AR activity in LNCaP cells with high passage numbers. Furthermore, we also demonstrate that insulin-like growth factor-1 can activate the PI3K/Akt pathway that results in the phosphorylation of AR at Ser210 and Ser790. The consequence of these events may then change the stability of AR protein. Together, our results demonstrate that the PI3K/Akt pathway may have distinct mechanisms to modulate AR functions in various stages of prostate cancer cells and that a combined therapy of antiandrogens and anti-PI3K/Akt inhibitors may be worth considering as a future therapeutic approach to battle prostate cancer.
Alternative Metrics for Assessing the Relative Effectiveness of NOx and VOC Emission Reductions in Controlling Ground-Level Ozone.

This study presents a new set of metrics quantifying the response of photochemical air pollution systems to changes in 03 precursor levels. Extending the traditional approach of using domain-wide maximum ozone values as the metric for guiding the development of emission control strategies, the new metrics incorporate attributes of the spatial and temporal pervasiveness and the severity of the ozone episodes considered for strategy development, as well as the impact on potential exposures to ozone. The usefulness of using various alternative criteria to better understand the directionality of the impact of emission controls is demonstrated via a set of 26 simulations of a three-day period of the severe July 1988 episode over the New Jersey-Philadelphia-Delaware Valley area. These simulations model the effect of across-the-board reductions of VOC and NO by 25, 50, 75, and 100% of the base case. The impact of these reductions is found to be dependent on the control objective (e.g., reduction of exposure vs. reduction of the maximum) as well as on the targeted level of the control objective (e.g., reduction of exposures below 120 ppb vs. reduction of exposures below 80 ppb).
East African odontopygid millipedes 4: A restricted redefinition of the genus Rhamphidarpoides Kraus, 1960, a related new genus, five new species, and notes on solenomere function (Diplopoda; Spirostreptida; Odontopygidae).

Based mainly on morphology of the solenomere, a restricted redefinition of the millipede genus Rhamphidarpoides Kraus, 1960, is given. R. aberdarei (Brolemann, 1920), R. aloysiisabaudiae (Silvestri, 1907), R. alticolus (Brolemann, 1920), R. austrosudanicus n.sp. , (South Sudan), R. collinus n.sp. , (Kenya), R. cyclopyge (Attems, 1935), R. filigerus (Attems,1938), R. kenyanus (Brolemann, 1920), R. kilimanjaronus (Attems, 1909) n. comb. ex Odontopyge, R. lobiferus (Attems, 1938), R. milobontei Pierrard, 1970, R. pectinatus n.sp. , (Kenya), R. regina (Carl, 1909), and R. ruandensis Kraus, 1960, are referred to Rhamphidarpoides in the restricted sense. Raduliverpa n.gen. is described to accommodate R. serpentispina n.sp. (TYPE SPECIES; Tanzania, Kenya), R. mitis n.sp. (Tanzania). R. serrata (Kraus, 1960), n.comb. ex Rhamphidarpoides, and R. sicaria (Attems, 1935) n. comb. ex Prionopetalum. Rhamphidarpe aculeata Attems, 1938, Rhamphidarpe armata Attems, 1938, Rhamphidarpoides bidens Kraus, 1960, Rhamphidarpoides bidenticulatus Pierrard, 1970, and Odontopyge winspearei Silvestri, 1907, are excluded from Rhamphidarpoides and placed incertae sedis.
Molecular rearrangement of lactose plasmid DNA associated with high‐frequency transfer and cell aggregation in Lactococcus Iactis 712

High‐frequency conjugation of the lactose plasmid pLP712 is associated with a constitutive cell aggregation phenotype and is facilitated by cointegration with a sex factor. Analysis of 23 independently derived enlarged lactose plasmids revealed that the sex factor DNA present in cointegrates varied in size. This suggested that more than simple cointegration with a sex factor plasmid was involved. Further analysis led to the discovery of a chromosomally located sex factor that could excise and be lost or exist as labile plasmid DNA. Cointegration with this sex factor was shown to be promoted by transposition of a copy of ISSI present on the lactose plasmid, and models are presented to account for the complex and variable structures of the resulting enlarged lactose plasmids.
Nonparametric Bayes Modeling of Populations of Networks

ABSTRACT Replicated network data are increasingly available in many research fields. For example, in connectomic applications, interconnections among brain regions are collected for each patient under study, motivating statistical models which can flexibly characterize the probabilistic generative mechanism underlying these network-valued data. Available models for a single network are not designed specifically for inference on the entire probability mass function of a network-valued random variable and therefore lack flexibility in characterizing the distribution of relevant topological structures. We propose a flexible Bayesian nonparametric approach for modeling the population distribution of network-valued data. The joint distribution of the edges is defined via a mixture model that reduces dimensionality and efficiently incorporates network information within each mixture component by leveraging latent space representations. The formulation leads to an efficient Gibbs sampler and provides simple and coherent strategies for inference and goodness-of-fit assessments. We provide theoretical results on the flexibility of our model and illustrate improved performance—compared to state-of-the-art models—in simulations and application to human brain networks. Supplementary materials for this article are available online.
Bronchoscopic treatment of end-stage chronic obstructive pulmonary disease

Purpose of review Chronic obstructive pulmonary disease (COPD) is a progressive, debilitating disease that in its final stages cripples the patient. The disappointing results of the National Emphysema Treatment Trial study led to a decrease in the acceptance of lung volume reduction surgery as a therapy. Thus, it became clear that debilitated COPD patients would need innovative alternative nonsurgical procedures to potentially alleviate their symptoms. This review will address the various techniques of bronchoscopic lung volume reduction (BLVR). Recent findings In recent years, a variety of noninvasive BLVR procedures were developed in the hope of improving the respiratory status of these patients. BLVR aims to decrease the extent of hyperinflation due to emphysema and result in a beneficial effect similar to that from surgical resection. The most widely used BLVR devices are: endobronchial valves, foam sealant, metallic coils, airway bypass stents and vapor thermal ablation. In the USA, BLVR remains in the experimental phase. The treatment modalities should be individually tailored for each patient. Endobronchial valves are designed to exclude the most affected emphysematous regions from ventilation in order to induce lobar absorption atelectasis. Airway bypass stents target homogenous emphysema, whereas valves and thermal vapor ablation target heterogeneous emphysema. Biological sealants and endoscopic coil implants have been used in both homogenous and heterogeneous emphysema. Summary BLVR appears to be safer than surgery and presents an attractive alternative for the treatment of COPD patients. Unfortunately, the outcome data to date are inconclusive; the procedures remain experimental and any benefits unproven. However, the data that are emerging continue to appear promising.
Toward an Interprofessional Mentoring Program in Palliative Care - A Review of Undergraduate and Postgraduate Mentoring in Medicine, Nursing, Surgery and Social Work

Objective: Key to effective Palliative Care is interdisciplinary collaboration and holistic support of members of the multidisciplinary team. Mentoring is increasingly seen as being a critical facet of this process however; there is a dearth of guidance on establishing such a program within the Palliative Care setting. To fill this gap, this review analyzes mentoring programs in medicine, surgery, nursing and social work in order to identify key elements and common facets of successful mentoring programs that can be used to create a multi-professional mentoring program in Palliative Care. Methods: A review of systematic review of undergraduate and postgraduate mentoring programs in medicine, surgery, nursing and social work involving senior clinicians and junior doctors and/or medical students. Results: A total of 20 reviews were included. One review was on mentoring in medicine and nursing, 10 in medicine, 4 in surgery and 5 in nursing. There were no reviews of mentoring in social work. Thematic analysis revealed 3 themes, which were definition of mentoring, components of a mentoring approach and elements of the mentoring process Conclusion: Despite its context sensitive, goal specific and mentee- and mentor- dependent features, common features in mentoring in medicine, surgery and nursing lay the foundation for a learning theory of interprofessional mentoring that can guide construct effective mentorship programs.
Colorectal Cancer Risk Factors: A Study of Knowledge, Attitude and Practice Among Adults in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia

Background: Colorectal cancer ranked the second cancers in the Kingdom of Saudi Arabia, accounting for 10.4% of all newly diagnosed cancers in 2010. There are several risk factors affecting the incidence of colorectal cancer where some factors influence the risk more than others. Colorectal cancer is easily preventable through screening which can detect the disease in its early stages and improve survival rates. Aim: We aimed to determine the level of knowledge, attitude and practice of colorectal cancer and its risk factors among mall adult visitors in Riyadh, Saudi Arabia. Methods: Across-sectional study was conducted in five randomly selected malls (120 from each mall were randomly recruited), using a modified validated questionnaire. Means, standard deviations, frequencies, percentages were calculated for the differences in the level of awareness among the study participants. Results: The response rate was 70% (55% were females and 45% were males). More than one-third of the participants identified cigarette smoking, family history of colorectal cancer and inflammatory bowel disease as risk factors for the disease. In addition, the majority of responses reported that screening tools are useful in colorectal cancer prevention and control. Conclusion: Implementation of awareness programs is needed to establish a strong link between the public, health centers and educational institutions to increase the level of awareness of colorectal cancer
Analysis of Airborne Contamination with Bacteria and Moulds in Poultry Farming: a Case Study

Our paper presents microbiological air pollution inside and outside two different poultry farms in Lower Silesia, Poland. The smaller poultry house (A) with 18,000 broiler chickens was surrounded by a protective green tree belt; the larger poultry house (45,000) was surrounded by a field without trees. Air samples were taken at ten sampling sites using a MAS-100 air sampler (Merck) in the summer, autumn, and winter of 2009 and in spring 2010. Seasonal variations were observed in all locations with regard to the numerous microorganisms. According to the Kruskal-Wallis test, the difference between the total number of bacteria in the indoor air of the poultry houses and surrounding area was statistically significant. It has been stated that the total number of heterotrophic bacteria (as CFU/m 3 ) in distant points (10 m, 50 m, 100 m) in summer at houses A and B was higher with regard to Polish Norms and ranged between between 6.0×10
Use of Risk Assessment and Likelihood Estimation to Analyze Spatial Distribution Pattern of Respiratory Infection Cases

Obvious spatial infection patterns are often observed in cases associated with airborne transmissible diseases. Existing quantitative infection risk assessment models analyze the observed cases by assuming a homogeneous infectious particle concentration and ignore the spatial infection pattern, which may cause errors. This study aims at developing an approach to analyze spatial infection patterns associated with infectious respiratory diseases or other airborne transmissible diseases using infection risk assessment and likelihood estimation. Mathematical likelihood, based on binomial probability, was used to formulate the retrospective component with some additional mathematical treatments. Together with an infection risk assessment model that can address spatial heterogeneity, the method can be used to analyze the spatial infection pattern and retrospectively estimate the influencing parameters causing the cases, such as the infectious source strength of the pathogen. A Varicella outbreak was selected to demonstrate the use of the new approach. The infectious source strength estimated by the Wells‐Riley concept using the likelihood estimation was compared with the estimation using the existing method. It was found that the maximum likelihood estimation matches the epidemiological observation of the outbreak case much better than the estimation under the assumption of homogeneous infectious particle concentration. Influencing parameters retrospectively estimated using the new approach can be used as input parameters in quantitative infection risk assessment of the disease under other scenarios. The approach developed in this study can also serve as an epidemiological tool in outbreak investigation. Limitations and further developments are also discussed.
Caesarean section versus vaginal delivery for preventing mother to infant hepatitis C virus transmission.

BACKGROUND Observational studies have generally not provided evidence that delivery by caesarean section reduces perinatal hepatitis C virus (HCV) transmission. However, these studies have methodological weaknesses with potential for bias and their findings should be interpreted with caution. OBJECTIVES To assess the evidence from randomised controlled trials that a policy of delivery by planned caesarean section versus vaginal delivery reduces mother to infant HCV transmission. SEARCH STRATEGY We searched the Cochrane Pregnancy and Childbirth Group's Trials Register (April 2006) and the Cochrane Central Register of Controlled Trials (The Cochrane Library 2006, Issue 2). SELECTION CRITERIA Controlled trials using random or quasi-random participant allocation that compared a policy of planned elective caesarean section versus vaginal birth for mothers with HCV infection. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS We did not identify any randomised controlled trials. MAIN RESULTS We did not identify any randomised controlled trials. AUTHORS' CONCLUSIONS Currently, there is no evidence from randomised controlled trials upon which to base any practice recommendations regarding planned caesarean section versus vaginal delivery for preventing mother to infant hepatitis C virus transmission. In the absence of trial data, evidence to inform women and carers is only available from observational studies that are subject to biases. Systematic review of these studies is needed. There is a need to determine whether women and healthcare providers would support a large pragmatic randomised controlled trial to provide evidence regarding the benefits and harms of planned elective caesarean section versus planned vaginal birth for women with HCV infection.
Comparison of two meteorological models using self-organizing maps

Self-Organising Maps (SOM) method has been used for obtaining characteristic surface wind patterns modelled by two state-of-the-art mesoscale meteorological models, Aladin/HR and WRF-ARW, operational in the northern Adriatic. SOM patterns encompassed major wind regimes in the area, bura, jugo and maestral-tramontana winds, which did not differ much between models. However, the largest difference occurred in their temporal evolution, especially during transitional periods and for sea-breeze winds, which were not properly described by Aladin/HR patterns. We found the wind patterns more related to the actual synoptic situation and less dependent on the numerical model used.