Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resistive switching characteristics of epitaxial La0.67Sr0.33MnO3 films for nonvolatile memory applications

The nonvolatile and reversible resistive switching characteristics of epitaxial La0.67Sr0. 33MnO3 films prepared by a pulsed laser deposition (PLD) technique were investigated. Clear resistance switching cycles were observed at room temperature under voltage pulses of ~100ns duration. Reproducible switching properties, involving low write threshold voltage, active pulse width window and long endurance lifetime, demonstrate well controllability with respect to future nonvolatile random access memory applications.
The Effect of R&D Expenses on Earnings and Market Value

The aim of this paper is to examine the effect that Research and Development (R&D) expenditures have on a company’s market value and earnings. Prior literature shows that R&D expenses have a positive impact on a firm’s market performance, as well as a positive impact on a firm’s earnings. The goal of this paper is not only to test the relation between R&D expenses and earnings and between R&D expenditures and market value, but also to prove that this relation changes as time passes. We show that while R&D expenses have an impact on market value in the short-run, their impact on earnings is stronger in the long-run. The sample consists of the companies listed in the North American Stock exchanges for the period 1993-2013 and for the industrial sector. Our results show a positive relation between R&D expenses and market value and between R&D expenses and earnings. JEL Classification: M40, M41, M48
Evaluation of the Contraceptive Potential of Recombinant Human ZP3 and Human ZP3 Peptides in a Primate Model: Their Safety and Efficacy

PROBLEM: The unique recognition events that result in the avid binding of mammalian spermatozoa to the surface of the zona pellucida (ZP) are being exploited in the development of contraceptive vaccines. In this study, the safety and efficacy of a vaccination strategy based on the induction of active immunity against purified, glycosylated, recombinant human ZP3 (rhZP3) has been evaluated in a primate model, Callithrix jacchus.
Crystal Structures of Yeast β-Alanine Synthase Complexes Reveal the Mode of Substrate Binding and Large Scale Domain Closure Movements*

β-Alanine synthase is the final enzyme of the reductive pyrimidine catabolic pathway, which is responsible for the breakdown of uracil and thymine in higher organisms. The fold of the homodimeric enzyme from the yeast Saccharomyces kluyveri identifies it as a member of the AcyI/M20 family of metallopeptidases. Its subunit consists of a catalytic domain harboring a di-zinc center and a smaller dimerization domain. The present site-directed mutagenesis studies identify Glu159 and Arg322 as crucial for catalysis and His262 and His397 as functionally important but not essential. We determined the crystal structures of wild-type β-alanine synthase in complex with the reaction product β-alanine, and of the mutant E159A with the substrate N-carbamyl-β-alanine, revealing the closed state of a dimeric AcyI/M20 metallopeptidase-like enzyme. Subunit closure is achieved by a ∼30° rigid body domain rotation, which completes the active site by integration of substrate binding residues that belong to the dimerization domain of the same or the partner subunit. Substrate binding is achieved via a salt bridge, a number of hydrogen bonds, and coordination to one of the zinc ions of the di-metal center.
Rapid induction of remission in large vessel vasculitis by IL-6 blockade. A case series.

OBJECTIVE To evaluate the effect of IL-6 blockade using tocilizumab in inducing remission of arterial large vessel vasculitides (LVV). METHODS Five consecutive patients with giant-cell arteritis (GCA) and two with Takayasu's arteritis (TA) were treated by tocilizumab infusions (8 mg/kg). Tocilizumab was given every other week for the first month and once monthly thereafter. Clinical symptoms of disease activity, erythrocyte sedimentation rate (ESR), C-reactive protein (CRP) level and glucocorticoid (GC) dosage necessary to maintain remission were prospectively assessed. MR angiography was performed to monitor local inflammation. RESULTS Of the seven patients three were newly diagnosed and four showed GC resistance, i.e. GC could not be lowered to less than 7.5 mg/day. The mean follow-up time was 4.3 months (range 3-7 months). All patients achieved a rapid and complete clinical response and normalisation of the acute phase proteins. Remarkably, prednisone dosage could be reduced within 12 weeks to a mean of 2.5 mg/day (range 0-10 mg/day). No relapse and no drug-related side effects were noted. CONCLUSION Collectively the data suggest that IL-6 blockade using tocilizumab qualifies as a therapeutic option to induce rapid remission in large vessel vasculitides.
Ownership Concentration and Performance Recovery Patterns in the European Union

Our study addresses the link between ownership concentration and corporate performance in the manufacturing sector in the European Union in an economic environment stressed by the global financial and sovereign debt crises. This is, to our knowledge, the first attempt to tackle differences between companies with different origin-countries in EU from the perspective of ownership concentration and corporate performance in a period marked by the adverse impact of the global financial crisis. Ownership concentration is measured by the number of shareholders and the percentage of their individual and collective holdings, while performance is measured by accounting-based and market-based indicators. Our results, based on a detailed and methodical statistical analysis, show a clear division between Western and Eastern companies in terms of ownership concentration and performance, with an impact on businesses’ recovery patterns. Overall, there is a positive link between ownership concentration and corporate performance in the case of Western companies, but not for Eastern-based companies. Moreover, ownership concentration has supported business recovery in EU, but particularly for Western companies. On the other hand, our results suggest that market investors’ assessment of corporate performance is disconnected from business fundamentals and do not acknowledge the role of ownership concentration (either beneficial of detrimental) for performance assessment.
Direct visualization of pancreatic juice flow using unenhanced MRI with spin labeling can be aid in diagnosing chronic pancreatitis.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study is to prospectively assess whether direct visualization of pancreatic juice flow using an unenhanced MRI technique with spin labeling can aid in the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Ten healthy volunteers and 50 patients who were categorized as having no chronic pancreatitis (n = 11), early chronic pancreatitis (n = 7), or established chronic pancreatitis (n = 32) underwent MRI, including direct pancreatic juice visualization using a flow-out technique with a time-spatial labeling inversion pulse, comprising a nonselective inversion recovery pulse immediately followed by a spatially selective inversion labeling pulse. The mean velocities and volumes of pancreatic juice excretion were also obtained. Variance tests were used to evaluate the clinical groups with respect to the appearance rate and mean velocity; the Kruskal-Wallis test was used for volume. RESULTS There were no significant differences between healthy volunteers and patients with no chronic pancreatitis. The appearance rate, mean velocity, and volume of pancreatic juice excretion tended to decrease with the degree of chronic pancreatitis. Although the difference in these values was statistically significant between the healthy group and the established chronic pancreatitis group, the values of the early group and other groups were not statistically significant. There was a significant correlation between the appearance rate of pancreatic juice and the clinical groups (τ = -0.4376, p = 0.0015). CONCLUSION The measurement of directly visualized pancreatic juice flow may aid in establishing the diagnosis of chronic pancreatitis.
Design considerations and parameter optimization of stator wound field synchronous machines based on magnetic the gear effect

Stator wound field synchronous machines (SWFSMs) are gaining more and more research and application interest recently due to the absence of expensive rare earth magnet materials. These machines are characterized by a doubly salient structure, and both the DC field winding and the three phase armature windings are located in the stator. In this paper, taking the basic structure of stator DC excited vernier reluctance machine, which is one type of SWFSM, the design of SWFSMs are studied in detail semi-analytically, by finite element analysis (FEA), and also validated by experiment. First, the effects of stator/rotor slot combinations on performances, including cogging torque, torque and torque ripple, voltage fluctuation of the DC winding are analyzed and compared. Then, the back-EMF, torque and power factor expressions in terms of the geometrical variables are proposed. Also, a 12-stator-slot, 11-rotor-slot machine as an example, the design parameters, including the split ratio, the air gap length, the proportion of the armature and field coil turns in one stator slot, and the stator/rotor tooth arc combination are optimized. The optimization results show that these design parameters have a various influence on electromagnetic performance, and the designers should select the design parameters comprehensively.
Lipoprotein lipase activity and intramuscular triglyceride stores after long-term high-fat and high-carbohydrate diets in physically trained men.

Men with regular physical training habits voluntarily increased their dietary fat intake from 43 to 54% of energy (E%) for four weeks. This was followed by a low-fat (29 E%), high-carbohydrate diet for another four weeks. During the high-fat diet period, the muscle lipoprotein lipase activity (LPLA) increased from 59 +/- 8 to 106 +/- 12 mU/g (mean +/- SE) (P less than 0.05). After the high-carbohydrate diet, LPLA was 57 +/- 16 mU/g, and unchanged relative to the pre-trial value. The triglyceride content in m. vastus lateralis increased from 30 +/- 4 to 47 +/- 9 mmol/kg d.w. (P less than 0.05; mean +/- SE) following the high-fat diet and to 41 +/- 8 following the high-carbohydrate diet. Neither of the diets affected the serum triglyceride and insulin concentrations, nor glucose, glycerol, beta-hydroxybutyrate, citrate and lactate levels in the blood. Nor did they alter enzyme activities in muscle used as markers for the oxidative (citrate synthase, beta-hydroxy-acyl CoA dehydrogenase) and glycolytic (glyceraldehyde phosphate dehydrogenase, lactate dehydrogenase) capacity. It is concluded that one month's adaptation to a high-fat diet results in increased muscle-LPL activity indicating a higher capacity for uptake of fatty acids from circulating serum triglycerides into the muscle cell in association with a greater capacity for triglyceride storage in the muscle. Under these conditions serum triglycerides were not decreased despite the increased muscle LPLA, and serum insulin variations could not explain the change in muscle LPLA. (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
Leaning Against the Wind: Macroprudential Policy and the Financial Cycle

Should monetary policy lean against financial stability risks? This has been a subject of fierce debate over the last decades. We contribute to the debate about “leaning against the wind” (LAW) along three lines. First, we evaluate the cost and benefits of LAW using the Svensson (2017) framework for the euro area and find that the costs outweigh the benefits. Second, we extend the framework to address a critique that Svensson does not consider the lower frequency financial cycle. Third, we use this extended framework to assess the costs and benefits of monetary and macroprudential policy. We find that macroprudential policy has net marginal benefits in addressing risks to financial stability in the euro area, whereas monetary policy has net marginal costs. This would suggest that an active use of macroprudential policies targeting financial stability risks would alleviate the burden on monetary policy to “lean against the wind”. JEL Classification: E58, G01
Behavioral and Hormonal Responses of Male Song Sparrows to Estradiol-Treated Females during the Non-breeding Season

Previous studies on several species have shown that behavior of female vertebrates given estradiol implants to maintain sexual receptivity resulted in elevated levels of testosterone in males and even delayed termination of breeding in their otherwise untreated mates. However, the efficacy of such treatment in the non-breeding season was unclear. In this study, female song sparrows, Melospiza melodia morphna, given implants of estradiol in autumn showed elevated sexual behavior--especially "chitters," a loud, female-specific vocalization used mostly during the breeding season. Males in autumn appeared to ignore the sexual behavior of these females, showed no difference in response to simulated territorial intrusion, and had basal circulating levels of testosterone when compared with males tested in an area of control females. However, by late winter (February) males in the area where females were treated with estradiol had elevated levels of testosterone compared to control males and those of both groups sampled in autumn. These data indicate that sexual behavior of females, experimentally induced by estradiol implants, failed to increase sexual and territorial behavior in males during the autumn. On the other hand, reproductive behavior of females did appear to accelerate the vernal increase in testosterone concentrations in blood of males.
Population Pharmacokinetics of Valproic Acid Concentrations in Elderly Nursing Home Residents

The objective of this study was to identify factors that affect valproic acid (VPA) apparent clearance (CL/F) in elderly nursing home residents. Inclusion criteria included residency in a nursing home for at least 2 months, aged 65 years or older, a stable dosing regimen of VPA for at least 4 weeks, VPA concentration, and complete dosing information. CL/F was analyzed by a nonlinear mixed effects model. A one-compartment model with first-order absorption and elimination was used. Both volume and absorption rate constant were fixed (14 L and 1 hr−1, respectively). Covariates were tested by forward inclusion and backward elimination. Interindividual variability in clearance was estimated using an exponential error model and expressed as a coefficient of variation. Residual error was estimated using a combined additive and constant coefficient of variation error model. The study consisted of 405 observations from 146 (52 men, 94 women) elderly nursing home residents. CL/F was not affected by age or weight. The population CL/F was 0.843 L/hr. CL/F was 1) 27% lower in female residents; 2) 41% greater when the resident was on concomitant metabolic inducers carbamazepine or phenytoin cotherapy; and 3) 25% greater when the syrup formulation was used. Variability in CL/F was 32.9%. Coefficient of variation and standard deviation of the residual error were 18.2% and 10.6 mg/L, respectively. The increased CL/F in patients taking VPA syrup may be the result of a decreased bioavailability (F) rather than an increased CL that could be associated with pathology requiring use of the syrup rather than an inherent property of the drug formulation. The results from this study may be useful for individualizing dose regimens in the nursing home population based on patient-specific factors.
Changes in cross-sectional measurements of the spinal canal and intervertebral foramina as a function of body position: in vivo studies on an open-configuration MR system.

OBJECTIVE The purpose of this study was to evaluate physiologic changes of the cross-sectional area of the spinal canal and neural foramina in young asymptomatic volunteers. SUBJECTS AND METHODS Twelve asymptomatic volunteers were examined in a 0.5-T open-configuration MR system. T2-weighted fast spin-echo sequences were obtained in upright neutral, upright flexed, upright extended, and supine extended positions. The cross-sectional area of the spinal canal and the thickness of the ligamentum flavum were measured on angled axial images at the L4-L5 level. The anteroposterior diameter of the spinal canal and cross-sectional areas of the neural foramina were measured on sagittal images from L1 to S1. RESULTS At disk level, the cross-sectional area of the spinal canal varied significantly between body positions, most notably between the upright flexed (mean, 268 mm2) and the upright extended (mean, 224 mm2) positions (p < .0001). The maximum thickness of the ligamenta flava increased in the extended positions (p < .0001). The cross-sectional area of the neural foramina underwent position-dependent variations of as much as 44.4%. The smallest cross-sectional areas were found in the extended positions. CONCLUSION In asymptomatic volunteers, MR imaging is able to show position-dependent changes in the cross-sectional areas of the spinal canal and the intervertebral foramina. The extended positions best reveal important findings.
Direct circuit simulation algorithms for parallel processing [VLSI]

The improvement in computational throughput of VLSI circuit simulation is addressed. A high degree of natural parallelism exists in the circuit simulation problem; potentially a large number of processor can be used efficiently. Three distinct approaches for obtaining parallel execution in direct-method circuit simulators are investigated. These approaches differ primarily in the size of the individual tasks used to obtain parallel execution. The relative advantages of each approach are examined, and performance data from simulations on parallel processing systems are presented. For the third approach, very good parallel efficiency was obtained; in some cases, 99% parallelism has been observed. >
Zinc Intake From Supplements and Diet and Prostate Cancer

Laboratory and animal studies suggest a beneficial effect of zinc on prostate cancer. We evaluated the association between dietary and supplemental zinc and prostate cancer within the VITamins And Lifestyle (VITAL) cohort, a study specifically designed to evaluate the impact of dietary supplements and cancer risk. Of 35,242 men who completed the baseline dietary and supplemental questionnaire, 832 men developed invasive prostate cancers between October 2000 and December 2004. Ten-year average intake of supplemental zinc was not associated with a reduced prostate cancer risk overall (adjusted hazard ratio (HR) = 0.82 (95% confidence interval (CI) 0.58–1.14) for >15mg/day vs. nonuse, P for trend = 0.44); however, risk of advanced prostate cancer (regionally invasive or distant metastatic, n = 123) decreased with greater intake of supplemental zinc (adjusted HR = 0.34, 95% CI = 0.13–1.09 for 10-yr average intake > 15 mg/day vs. nonuse, P for trend = 0.04). Dietary zinc was not associated with prostate cancer. In this prospective cohort, long-term supplemental zinc intake was associated with reduced risk of clinically relevant advanced disease. This study had limited ability to study early-stage disease because detection of early-stage disease is highly related to having a PSA test, and information on PSA was only available at baseline. Because few other epidemiologic studies have investigated the association between zinc and prostate cancer, and these have not yielded consistent findings, further research is needed.
Decreased NADPH:cytochrome P-450 reductase activity and impaired drug activation in a mammalian cell line resistant to mitomycin C under aerobic but not hypoxic conditions.

Mitomycin C (MMC) is regarded as the prototype bioreductive alkylating agent in clinical use. To elucidate the biochemical basis of MMC resistance, we isolated a drug resistant derivative (designated CHO-MMC) of a Chinese hamster ovary cell line (CHO-K1) by exposure to progressively higher concentrations of MMC. CHO-MMC cells exhibited a 17-fold increase in resistance to MMC and were 33-fold cross-resistant to the monofunctional derivative, decarbamoyl mitomycin C. In contrast, CHO-MMC cells showed only a 2-fold level of resistance to BMY 25282, a more easily activated analogue of MMC, and exhibited parental sensitivity to MMC under radiobiologically hypoxic conditions. CHO-MMC cells showed no increased resistance to a range of DNA damaging agents including several other alkylating agents (e.g., melphalan and methyl methanesulfonate). Cross-resistance to drugs associated with the multidrug resistant phenotype (e.g., Adriamycin and vincristine) was present only at very low levels. Using a specific high performance liquid chromatography technique, we examined the rates of reduction of MMC and BMY 25282 in cell extracts from CHO-K1 and CHO-MMC cells under both aerobic (air) and hypoxic (N2) conditions. Reduction rates for both drugs were at least 30-fold faster under nitrogen than in air. Metabolism of MMC was undetectable in air but was readily detectable under nitrogen and was 2- 3-fold slower in CHO-MMC cell extracts than in CHO-K1 cell extracts. Although BMY 25282 was more readily reduced under nitrogen, no difference was detected between extracts from CHO-K1 or CHO-MMC cells in the rate of reduction of BMY 25282 under either air or nitrogen. The activity of NADPH:cytochrome P-450 (cytochrome c) reductase, an enzyme implicated in the bioreductive activation of MMC, was 3-4-fold lower in CHO-MMC cells than in the parental line. These findings suggest that the resistance of CHO-MMC cells to MMC under aerobic conditions may be due to impaired metabolic activation of the drug as a result of a decrease in NADPH:cytochrome P-450 reductase activity. This supports the view that decreased bioreductive enzyme activity may be a significant mechanism for acquired resistance to MMC in tumor cells in vivo and that more readily activated analogues may be potentially useful in overcoming this specific form of resistance.
Direct ribosome isolation from soil to extract bacterial rRNA for community analysis

A simple method that combines an adapted ribosome isolation method and a common RNA extraction step has been developed for selective recovery of intact rRNA from natural microbial communities in soil. After mechanical cell lysis, ribosomes are separated by centrifugation steps, avoiding massive humic acid contamination and RNA degradation. The protocol accommodates the complex composition of soils by blocking adsorbing surfaces and humic acids with polyvinylpyrrolidone and bovine serum albumin. A usual RNA extraction step yields rRNA accessible for hybridization or reverse transcription-PCR. Hybridization with specific oligonucleotide probes was used for group-specific yield comparison. By using a probe hybridizing to the 16S rRNA of the bacterial kingdom, total bacterial rRNA yield was estimated to be in the range of 0.2 microgram per g for different soils. Group-specific probes did not indicate a selectivity of the isolation procedure and differentiated the compositions of different soil microbial communities. The sequence diversity of the isolated RNA population was also revealed by temperature gradient gel electrophoresis of reverse transcription-PCR amplification products by using a region of the 16S rRNA as a target. The pattern obtained by this analysis differed from a similar one resulting from the separation of amplification products of community DNA preparations. This different view of the community composition is attributable to the correlation of ribosome numbers to the metabolic activity of bacteria in the habitat under observation.