Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
GaN-Based Light-Emitting Diodes With Step Graded-Refractive Index $({\hbox{ZnO}}) _{x}({\hbox{SiO}}_{2})_{1-x}$  Micropillar Array

Step graded-refractive index (SGRI) <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$({\hbox{ZnO}}) _{x}({\hbox{SiO}}_{2})_{1-{x}}$</tex></formula> micropillar multilayers have been introduced and demonstrated on GaN-based LEDs combined with the mesh ITO. The SGRI <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$({\hbox{ZnO}}) _{x}({\hbox{SiO}}_{2})_{1-{x}}$</tex></formula> micropillars were produced by controlling the <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">${\hbox{Zn}}/{\hbox{Zn}}+{\hbox{Si}}$</tex> </formula> ratio of co-sputtered ZnO and <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">${\hbox{SiO}}_{2}$</tex></formula>. The introduced three-layered SGRI <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$({\hbox{ZnO}})_{x}({\hbox{SiO}}_{2})_{1-x}$</tex> </formula> micropillars improved both critical angle inside GaN LEDs and Fresnel transmittance coefficient (<formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$\eta_{\rm Fr}$</tex></formula>) as well as had better light coupling into the micropillars. Moreover, a high number of layers of the SGRI micropillars would aid the light coupled in the pillars to escape from the side wall of the pillar. LEDs with three-layered SGRI <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$({\hbox{ZnO}})_{x}({\hbox{SiO}}_{2})_{1-{x}}$</tex> </formula> micropillars exhibited output power enhancements of 12.2% with a 20 mA <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">${V} _{f}$</tex> </formula> of 3.19 V. The output power of the mesh ITO LEDs with SGRI <formula formulatype="inline"><tex Notation="TeX">$({\hbox{ZnO}})_{x}({\hbox{SiO}}_{2})_{1-x}$</tex> </formula> micropillars was further enhanced to 15.3% by improving the current spreading.
Iterated extended Kalman filter based visual-inertial odometry using direct photometric feedback

This paper presents a visual-inertial odometry framework that tightly fuses inertial measurements with visual data from one or more cameras, by means of an iterated extended Kalman filter. By employing image patches as landmark descriptors, a photometric error is derived, which is directly integrated as an innovation term in the filter update step. Consequently, the data association is an inherent part of the estimation process and no additional feature extraction or matching processes are required. Furthermore, it enables the tracking of noncorner-shaped features, such as lines, and thereby increases the set of possible landmarks. The filter state is formulated in a fully robocentric fashion, which reduces errors related to nonlinearities. This also includes partitioning of a landmark’s location estimate into a bearing vector and distance and thereby allows an undelayed initialization of landmarks. Overall, this results in a compact approach, which exhibits a high level of robustness with respect to low scene texture and motion blur. Furthermore, there is no time-consuming initialization procedure and pose estimates are available starting at the second image frame. We test the filter on different real datasets and compare it with other state-of-the-art visual-inertial frameworks. Experimental results show that robust localization with high accuracy can be achieved with this filter-based framework.
RADIATION-HYDRODYNAMIC SIMULATIONS OF THE FORMATION OF ORION-LIKE STAR CLUSTERS. II. THE INITIAL MASS FUNCTION FROM WINDS, TURBULENCE, AND RADIATION

We report a series of simulations of the formation of a star cluster similar to the Orion Nebula Cluster (ONC), including both radiative transfer and protostellar outflows, and starting from both smooth and self-consistently turbulent initial conditions. Each simulation forms >150 stars and brown dwarfs, yielding a stellar mass distribution that ranges from <0.1 M☉ to >10 M☉. We show that a simulation that begins with self-consistently turbulent density and velocity fields embedded in a larger turbulent volume, and that includes protostellar outflows, produces an initial mass function (IMF) that is consistent both with that of the ONC and the Galactic field, at least within the statistical power provided by the number of stars formed in our simulations. This is the first simulation published to date that reproduces the observed IMF in a cluster large enough to contain massive stars, and where the peak of the mass function is determined by a fully self-consistent calculation of gas thermodynamics rather than a hand-imposed equation of state. This simulation also produces a star formation rate that, while still somewhat too high, is much closer to observed values than if we omit either the larger turbulent volume or the outflows. Moreover, we show that the combination of outflows, self-consistently turbulent initial conditions, and turbulence continually fed by motions on scales larger than that of the protocluster yields an IMF that is in agreement with observations and invariant with time, resolving the “overheating” problem in which simulations without these features have an IMF peak that shifts to progressively higher masses over time as more and more of the gas is heated, inconsistent with the observed invariance of the IMF. The simulation that matches the observed IMF also qualitatively reproduces the observed trend of stellar multiplicity strongly increasing with mass. We show that this simulation produces massive stars from distinct massive cores whose properties are consistent with those of observed massive cores. However, the stars formed in these cores also undergo dynamical interactions as they accrete that naturally produce Trapezium-like hierarchical multiple systems of massive stars.
Temporomandibular Joint Size Decrease in American Blacks: Evidence from Barbados

Hinton and Carlson (Am J Phys Anthrop 50: 325, 1979) have demonstrated a temporal trend of decreasing temporomandibular joint size in Nubian skeletons. Spanning a time range from 3400 B.C. to 1100 A.D., these populations show no evidence of genetic evolution, yet the size of the mandibular fossa of the cranium decreased by 5%. Hinton and Carlson attribute this decrease to gradual reduction of chewing stress, resulting from a change toward softer agriculturally-based dietary substances. We have similarly analyzed mandibular fossa size in a sample of slave skeletons excavated from a burial ground at Newton sugar plantation on Barbados. The burial population spans the period from about 1660 to 1820. Historical records indicate that it represents a broad mixture of various populations imported from the west African coast and possibly a small number from southeast Africa; records also suggest that, by the mid 1700's, the majority was born in Barbados and that, by the late 1700's and early 1800's, between 10 and 15% showed some European
Neurophysiology of inhibitory and excitatory amino acid receptors

Progress in understanding the workings of the vertebrate brain has been unprecedented over the last half century. Much of this advancement has paralleled our understanding of the myriad roles fulfilled by inhibitory and excitatory amino acid neurotransmitter receptors. It seems surprisingly now that interest in amino acid neurotransmitter receptors started with little fanfare. Instead, there was a gradual appreciation amongst the scientific community that the small, endogenous amino acids, l-glutamic acid (l-Glu), γ-aminobutyric acid (GABA) and glycine (Gly), act on pharmacologically distinct neurotransmitter receptor families (Krnjevic, 2010). With the introduction of better pharmacological tools, the pace of progress quickened as it became possible to systematically map out their distribution in the CNS (Fagg & Foster, 1983). By the end of the 1980s, cloning studies gave our first peek at the molecular diversity of the many subunits that make up each receptor superfamily (Grenningloh et al. 1987; Schofield et al. 1987; Hollmann et al. 1989). With their identity known, an entirely new era ensued as more and more molecular techniques and disciplines were brought to bear on deconstructing inhibitory and excitatory neurotransmission. Now, at the close of these last two decades of rapid progress, we are challenged with putting it all back together if the nature of behaviour and disease is to be finally understood.
Models of Local Exchange in Late Bronze Age Cyprus

During the Late Bronze Age in Cyprus, town centers and smaller sites with specialized productive and political-religious functions arose in the context of intensified copper exploitation and increasing long distance trade. This article explores the problem of how those sites were integrated in terms of settlement hierarchies and local exchange networks. Models of islandwide political hierarchy and market-based exchange are problematic. Alternative models of regional polities organized along the lines of wealth and staple finance (cf., D'Altroy and Earle 1985) are proposed, and the test implications by which those constructs may be evaluated in future archaeological research are specified.
Fuzzy Swing-Up and Fuzzy Sliding-Mode Balance Control for a Planetary-Gear-Type Inverted Pendulum

An energy-compensated fuzzy swing-up and balance control is investigated for the planetary-gear-type inverted pendulum (PIP) in this paper. The proposed control scheme consists of a fuzzy swing-up controller (FSC), a fuzzy sliding balance controller (FSBC), and a fuzzy compensation mechanism. The PIP with the designed FSC can upswing the pendulum quickly and have the controlled system be stable in the sense of approaching the desired system energy. The pendulum of PIP system can be stably balanced at the upright position with the presented FSBC, where the chattering effect is significantly eliminated. With the proposed compensation mechanism, the overaccumulated upswing energy can be effectively compensated such that the influence of disturbance can be overcome. The simulation results are included to indicate the effectiveness of the provided controller. Moreover, based on an embedded control kernel, an experimental setup for the PIP control system is built up. It shows that the real-time experiment results empirically support the promising performance of desire.
Cariogram Validity in Schoolchildren: A Two-Year Follow-Up Study

The validity of Cariogram in relation to caries increment over a 2-year period was evaluated. In 2007, the caries risk profile in a group of Sardinian schoolchildren (957) aged 7–9 years was assessed using the Cariogram software. A re-examination using the same criteria was performed 2 years later on 861 individuals from the original sample (drop-out 10.0%). The possible correlated variables were analyzed using the principal component analysis (PCA). The performances of Cariogram in predicting caries increment were evaluated by receiver operating characteristic (ROC) analysis. At follow-up examination, 54.4% of the sample had developed new carious lesions (mean DFS 1.6, 95% CI 1.5–1.8). The mean caries increment (ΔDFS) was 0.5, 95% CI 0.4–0.5. PCA showed that Cariogram, gingival status and dietary sugar frequency, both at baseline and at follow-up, tend to form a separate cluster (goodness of fit ≧0.75). Sensitivity and specificity measured by ROC analysis were 0.83 and 0.85, respectively, so the gain in certainty was 1.68, while the area under the ROC curve was 0.93. A strong correlation between caries risk profiles at baseline and caries incidence in the permanent teeth after 2 years was found. The validity of Cariogram was confirmed, the software fulfilling the criteria for a good risk assessment model: precision, accuracy and ease of use.
Treatment with interleukin 12 in combination with atovaquone or clindamycin significantly increases survival of mice with acute toxoplasmosis

The capacity of interleukin 12 (IL-12) to potentiate drugs in the treatment of murine toxoplasmosis was examined. IL-12 (100 ng/injection), atovaquone (10 mg/kg of body weight/day), or clindamycin (5 mg/kg/day) administered alone caused delayed time to death or minimal survival rates. In contrast, significant survival rates resulted when the same dose of IL-12 was used in combination the same doses of atovaquone (P=0.01) or clindamycin (P=0.001). Infected mice treated with IL-12 plus drug produced significantly higher levels of gamma interferon than controls. Although IL-12 was effective only when administered before infection, these results suggest that this cytokine may be a useful adjunct in the therapy of human toxoplasmosis in situations when cysts reactivate and tachyzoites start multiplying in immunocompromised patients.
Adaptation of Subjective Responses to Alcohol is Affected by an Interaction of GABRA2 Genotype and Recent Drinking.

BACKGROUND Subjective perceptions of alcohol intoxication are associated with altered risk for alcohol abuse and dependence. Acute adaptation of these perceptions may influence such risk and may involve genes associated with pleasant perceptions or the relief of anxiety. This study assessed the effect of variation in the GABAA receptor genes GABRG1 and GABRA2 and recent drinking history on the acute adaptation of subjective responses to alcohol. METHODS One hundred and thirty-two nondependent moderate to heavy drinkers, aged 21 to 27, participated in 2 single-blind, counterbalanced sessions, approximately 1 week apart. One session was an intravenous alcohol "clamp," during which breath alcohol concentration was held steady at 60 mg/dl (60 mg%) for 3 hours, and the other an identical session using saline infusion. Subjective perceptions of Intoxication, Enjoyment, Stimulation, Relaxation, Anxiety, Tiredness, and Estimated Number of Drinks were acquired before (baseline), and during the first and final 45 minutes of the clamp. A placebo-adjusted index of the subject's acute adaptation to alcohol was calculated for each of the 7 subjective measures and used in a principal component analysis to create a single aggregate estimate for each subject's adaptive response to alcohol. Analysis of covariance tested whether GABRA2 and GABRG1 single nucleotide polymorphism (SNP) genotypes, gender, placebo session, family history of alcoholism, recent drinking history, and the genotype × recent drinking history interaction significantly predicted the adaptive response. RESULTS Recent drinking history (p = 0.01), and recent drinking history × genotype interaction (p = 0.01) were significantly associated with acute adaptation of the subjective responses to alcohol for the GABRA2 SNP rs279858. CONCLUSIONS Higher recent drinking was found to be associated with reduced acute tolerance to positive, stimulating effects of alcohol in carriers of the rs279858 risk allele. We postulate that the GABRA2 effect on alcohol dependence may, in part, be due to its effect on subjective responses to alcohol.
Three combinations of clonidine in association with tiletamine-zolazepam for anaesthesia induction in rats: evaluation of reflexes and pain sensibility.

The aim of this study was to assess the combination of tiletamine-zolazepam (Zoletil 20 ® ) with three different doses of clonidine for general anaesthesia induction in rats submitted to vascular microsurgery. The evaluation of anaesthetic and analgesic effects was performed in 30 Wistar rats randomly divided into three groups and induced with Zoletil 20 (90 mg/kg Intraperitoneal (IP)) associated with three different doses of clonidine (60-90-120 μg/kg IP). Four clinical parameters were evaluated after induction: loss of righting reflex, voluntary movement, the pedal withdrawal response, and pain sensitivity tested by pinching the tail. The combination of Zoletil with 90 and 120 μg/kg of clonidine provided a surgical anaesthesia; however, 90 μg/kg of clonidine provided the most rapid anaesthesia induction, as confirmed by data obtained by clinical evaluation of the loss of the pedal withdrawal response and the absence of the tail pinch response. The increase in dose of clonidine did not lead to a more rapid action of the α2 agonist, probably due to achievement of a dose-dependent plateau.
Tobacco Taxes and Public Policy to Discourage Smoking

In this paper, we present evidence of the likely impact of cigarette tax hikes on consumers, governments, and producers. We show that 100 percent of a tax hike is passed onto consumers in the form of higher prices. Using both state and individual-level data, we find a cigarette demand elasticity of -0.30 to -0.50, with long-term elasticities 1.75 times the short-term values. We demonstrate that cigarette taxes have become much more regressive over time as smoking rates among the highest income groups have fallen sharply. One reason for this drop is the large decline in smoking rates for the most educated. Given their ability to shift tax increases onto consumers, tobacco companies bear little of the burden of a tax. We estimate that for every $1 raised in tax revenues, cigarette companies lose only 8 cents in before-tax profits. Using daily stock prices, we conduct an event study examining how new information about litigation and settlement of state Medicaid cases against cigarette manufacturers changed the value of the firm. Events that increased the plaintiffs' chances in state Medicaid cases had a statistically significant negative impact on firm value while movements toward settlement greatly increased stock prices. Finally, we consider the external costs of smoking. Although some argue that current tax revenues exceed the external costs of smoking, these estimates typically exclude the costs of maternal smoking. We show that the costs of maternal smoking range from $0.42-$0.72 per pack which makes the question of whether these costs should be considered external critical in any cost-benefit analysis.
Diabetes, an inflammatory process: Oxidative Stress and TNF-alpha involved in hepatic complication

Diabetes mellitus (DM) is a serious and growing worldwide health problem and is associated with severe acute and chronic complications that negatively influence both quality of life and survival of affected individuals. It is a heterogeneous deregulation of carbohydrate metabolism. The liver is a central regulator of carbohydrate homeostasis and releases glucose according to metabolic demands. In the last years, the liver injury has been recognized as a major complication of DM. In fact, evidence suggests that in diabetic patients, the mortality rate due to liver cirrhosis is even higher than that due to cardiovascular disease and it has been suggested that there is a two-fold increased risk of liver disease in diabetic patients. Among the different types of diabetes, we analyze type 1 diabetes mellitus as a chronic disorder and an inflammatory process, which is also associated with increased risk of chronic liver injury. Animal models have contributed extensively to the study of diabetes, and it is well established that administration of a unique dose of streptozotocin (STZ) induces insulin-dependent type 1 diabetes mellitus. We analyzed the contribution of Tumor Necrosis Factor alpha (TNF-α) intracellular pathway and oxidative stress in the development of apoptosis in the liver of streptozotocin-induced diabetic animals. In this review, we describe the role of upstream mediators of the interaction between TNF-α and its receptor, TNF-R1, by assessing the ability of the in vivo treatment with etanercept (TNF-α blocking antibody) to protect against TNF-α-induced apoptosis. Also, we studied the role of iNOS-induction in the TNF-α-induced liver apoptosis by type 1 diabetes, by treatment of diabetic rats with aminoguanidine (selective iNOS inhibitor), which blocked the induction of apoptosis. Interestingly, iNOS inhibition significantly reduced TNF-α levels, evidencing an interaction between TNF-α and iNOS activity. On the other hand, we found that the administration of antioxidants/hydroxyl radical scavengers (Tempol and Desferal) prevented oxidative stress by reducing the effects of hydroxyl radical production and both lipid peroxidation (LPO) levels and apoptosis. Taken together, our studies support that, at least in part, the hydroxyl radical acts as a reactive intermediate, which leads to liver apoptosis in a model of STZ-mediated hyperglycemia. Conclusion and Future: The relevance of the present review is to provide further knowledge about the mechanisms which may contribute to the disease process in the liver during the course of an inflammatory process as it is type 1 diabetes. Regulation of hepatic TNF-α levels and oxidative stress in the diabetic state could be of therapeutic relevance for the improvement or delay of the hepatic complications linked to chronic hyperglycemia.
Cancer Risk Associated with Residential Proximity to Industrial Sites: A Review

Abstract In this study, the authors sought to review available epidemiologic studies of cancer risk and its association with residence in a neighborhood characterized by industrial sites and to discuss options for future study design. The authors attempted to identify all case-control studies published from January 1980 through July 1997 in which investigators examined exposure resulting from residential proximity to an industrial site neighborhood relative to an increased risk of lung, urinary tract, and lymphohematopoietic malignancies. During these years, some authors reported significant associations between lung cancer risk and residential proximity to (a) smelters, (b) complex industrial areas, and (c) other localized emission sources. There was some evidence that leukemia and lymphomas occurred in the neighborhoods that contained industrial sites.
Pretreatment fibrinogen levels are associated with response to chemotherapy in patients with small cell carcinoma of the lung: Department of veterans affairs cooperative study 188

Small cell carcinoma of the lung (SCCL) responds commonly to combination chemotherapy but resistance to therapy follows. Prior reports have suggested that a relationship may exist between plasma fibrinogen levels and response to therapy in SCCL. This study was designed to determine the possible predictive value of the fibrinogen level for tumor response (chemoresistance) in SCCL. Pretreatment fibrinogen levels were correlated with outcome and response to therapy in a cohort of 119 previously untreated patients with SCCL who were admitted to VA Cooperative Study 188. Higher pretreatment fibrinogen levels at diagnosis correlated significantly with more advanced stage of disease at entry (P 0.001) and with reduced overall survival (P 0.030). In addition, higher pretreatment fibrinogen levels were correlated significantly with a reduced likelihood of achieving subsequent disease regression with combination chemotherapy (P = 0.005). Because several clinical trials have shown that anticoagulant therapy improves tumor response rates and survival of SCCL, we postulate that tumor cell thrombin generation not only promotes SCCL growth but may also be primarily responsible for both increased fibrinogen levels and for resistance to chemotherapy. These findings provide incentive for studies of thrombin effects on the development of multidrug esistance, and for new clinical trials of more potent and specific inhibitors of thrombin that may further improve tumor response and survival in SCCL. ©1995 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.