Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
4.5 ms Effective Carrier Lifetime in Kerfless Epitaxial Silicon Wafers From the Porous Silicon Process

Kerfless silicon wafers epitaxially grown on porous silicon (PSI) and subsequently detached from the growth substrate are a promising candidate for reducing the cost of the silicon wafer, which is particularly important for silicon photovoltaics. However, the carrier lifetime of these epitaxial wafers has to be at least as high as that of today's standard Czochralski (Cz)-grown wafers in order to become competitive. Here, we compare the measured lifetimes of n-type epitaxial silicon wafers that grow on PSI and epitaxial silicon wafers that grow on nonporous surfaces of epi-ready wafers. The latter are subsequently ground to have free-standing epitaxial wafers. Gettering improves the carrier lifetime of the ground wafers up to 4.2 ms. In contrast, PSI wafers show regions with effective lifetimes of 4.5 ms, even without gettering. This lifetime value is a factor of four larger than lifetimes of Cz wafers which are typically employed in today's PERC solar cells. We model the lifetime measurements with three Shockley–Read–Hall (SRH) defects: two defects that exist in the PSI and in the epi-ready wafer and a third defect that is only present in the epi-ready wafer.
Efficiency of DC Combination of Rectified Waveforms in Energy Harvesting Systems

Rectifier efficiency is one of the dominant factors of the overall efficiency of an energy harvesting system. The nonlinear nature of the rectifying process hinders the development of optimized circuits for maximum efficiency. This has provided the incentive for researchers to use a different approach for increasing the efficiency of the rectennas. The approach consists of interconnection of multiple rectified signals at the direct current (DC) level through serial, parallel or cascaded connections in multiple antenna receivers. Successful experiments have already been conducted and shown the superiority of the cascaded combination in terms of both efficiency and output voltage at the receiver side, when there are only two rectennas to be combined. In this paper, we aim to formulate and recast this design problem in analytical form for the general case when there are K rectennas in the energy harvesting system. The superiority of the cascaded technique is validated through analysis and comparison of the three combination techniques in terms of efficiency, produced DC voltage and output DC current.
Bridge to recovery in two cases of dilated cardiomyopathy after long-term mechanical circulatory support

Ventricular assist devices (VADs) have become an established therapeutic option for patients with end-stage heart failure. Achieving the potential for recovery of native heart function using VADs is an established form of treatment in a selected group of patients with HF. We report two cases of VAD patients with different types of pump used for mechanical circulatory support, a continuous flow pump (Heart-Ware®) and a pulsatile pump (POLVAD MEV®), which allow regeneration of the native heart. Patients were qualified as INTERMACS level 3-4 for elective implantation of an LVAD. Implantations were performed without complications. The postoperative course was uncomplicated. In the HeartWare patient the follow-up was complicated by episodes of epistaxis and recurrent GIB as well as driveline infection. The follow-up of the POLVAD MEV patient was uneventful. Recurrent GIB forced us to withdraw aspirin and warfarin therapy and maintain only clopidogrel in the HeartWare patient. In mid-February 2013 the patient was admitted due to dysfunction of the centrifugal pump with a continuous low-flow alarm and increase power consumption. Under close monitoring of the patient a decision was made to stop the pump immediately and evaluate cardiac function. The serial echocardiography studies showed significant improvement in LVEF up to 45% and no significant valvular pathology. In February 2013 LVAD explant was performed by left thoracotomy without complications. At six-month follow-up the patient was in a good clinical condition, in NYHA class I/II, and on pharmacological treatment.
Larger Mammalian Body Size Leads to Lower Retroviral Activity

Retroviruses have been infecting mammals for at least 100 million years, leaving descendants in host genomes known as endogenous retroviruses (ERVs). The abundance of ERVs is partly determined by their mode of replication, but it has also been suggested that host life history traits could enhance or suppress their activity. We show that larger bodied species have lower levels of ERV activity by reconstructing the rate of ERV integration across 38 mammalian species. Body size explains 37% of the variance in ERV integration rate over the last 10 million years, controlling for the effect of confounding due to other life history traits. Furthermore, 68% of the variance in the mean age of ERVs per genome can also be explained by body size. These results indicate that body size limits the number of recently replicating ERVs due to their detrimental effects on their host. To comprehend the possible mechanistic links between body size and ERV integration we built a mathematical model, which shows that ERV abundance is favored by lower body size and higher horizontal transmission rates. We argue that because retroviral integration is tumorigenic, the negative correlation between body size and ERV numbers results from the necessity to reduce the risk of cancer, under the assumption that this risk scales positively with body size. Our model also fits the empirical observation that the lifetime risk of cancer is relatively invariant among mammals regardless of their body size, known as Peto's paradox, and indicates that larger bodied mammals may have evolved mechanisms to limit ERV activity.
Imaginativna geografija u hrvatskim ergonimima

This paper analyses geographical appellations in ergonyms - names of business associations, companies, firms, associations and other organisations. Ergonyms are being interpreted as an element of informal geography, and as the result and indicator of geographical perception subjectivity in the environments where they appear. The markedness of regional identities in Croatia is being reconstructed on the basis of ergonyms. Basic rocognizable locations and areas on the Croatian ergonym imaginary map of the world are being researched as well
The Influence of Chronic and Situational Social Status on Stereotype Susceptibility

We tested whether stereotypical situations would affect low-status group members' performance more strongly than high-status group members'. Experiment 1 and 2 tested this hypothesis using gender as a proxy of chronic social status and a gender-neutral task that has been randomly presented to favor boys (men superiority condition), favor girls (women superiority condition), or show no gender preference (control condition). Both experiments found that women’s (Experiment 1) and girls’ performance (Experiment 2) suffered more from the evoked stereotypes than did men's and boys’ ones. This result was replicated in Experiment 3, indicating that short men (low-status group) were more affected compared to tall men (high-status group). Additionally, men were more affected compared to women when they perceived height as a threat. Hence, individuals are more or less vulnerable to identity threats as a function of the chronic social status at play; enjoying a high status provides protection and endorsing a low one weakens individual performance in stereotypical situations.
Changing the Perspective: Improving Generate thinkLets for Ideation

Creativity techniques provide a variety of approaches for supporting an ideation process. These techniques can be executed using a Group Support System (GSS), thus allowing the ideation process to be distributed across geographical distances. However, experience is necessary for the selection of an appropriate creativity technique, its implementation in a GSS, and the facilitation during the ideation process itself. To tackle these problems, 101 creativity techniques were analysed with respect to their underlying cognitive processes. The results show that there are only three cognitive principles that stimulate the ideation process by providing a change of perspective. Change of perspective can be used to formalize the cognitive process of creativity techniques. The paper shows how this change of perspective can be used to implement an ideation process with a GSS via Generate thinkLets and discuss how this formalisation can improve the applicability of GSS for ideation processes.
Identification of Potential Vaccine and Drug Target Candidates by Expressed Sequence Tag Analysis and Immunoscreening of Onchocerca volvulus Larval cDNA Libraries

ABSTRACT The search for appropriate vaccine candidates and drug targets against onchocerciasis has so far been confronted with several limitations due to the unavailability of biological material, appropriate molecular resources, and knowledge of the parasite biology. To identify targets for vaccine or chemotherapy development we have undertaken two approaches. First, cDNA expression libraries were constructed from life cycle stages that are critical for establishment of Onchocerca volvulus infection, the third-stage larvae (L3) and the molting L3. A gene discovery effort was then initiated by random expressed sequence tag analysis of 5,506 cDNA clones. Cluster analyses showed that many of the transcripts were up-regulated and/or stage specific in either one or both of the cDNA libraries when compared to the microfilariae, L2, and both adult stages of the parasite. Homology searches against the GenBank database facilitated the identification of several genes of interest, such as proteinases, proteinase inhibitors, antioxidant or detoxification enzymes, and neurotransmitter receptors, as well as structural and housekeeping genes. Other O. volvulus genes showed homology only to predicted genes from the free-living nematode Caenorhabditis elegans or were entirely novel. Some of the novel proteins contain potential secretory leaders. Secondly, by immunoscreening the molting L3 cDNA library with a pool of human sera from putatively immune individuals, we identified six novel immunogenic proteins that otherwise would not have been identified as potential vaccinogens using the gene discovery effort. This study lays a solid foundation for a better understanding of the biology of O. volvulus as well as for the identification of novel targets for filaricidal agents and/or vaccines against onchocerciasis based on immunological and rational hypothesis-driven research.
Next-generation angular distribution models for top-of-atmosphere radiative flux calculation from CERES instruments: validation

Abstract. The top-of-atmosphere (TOA) radiative fluxes are critical components to advancing our understanding of the Earth's radiative energy balance, radiative effects of clouds and aerosols, and climate feedback. The Clouds and the Earth's Radiant Energy System (CERES) instruments provide broadband shortwave and longwave radiance measurements. These radiances are converted to fluxes by using scene-type-dependent angular distribution models (ADMs). This paper describes the next-generation ADMs that are developed for Terra and Aqua using all available CERES rotating azimuth plane radiance measurements. Coincident cloud and aerosol retrievals, and radiance measurements from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS), and meteorological parameters from Goddard Earth Observing System (GEOS) data assimilation version 5.4. 1 are used to define scene type. CERES radiance measurements are stratified by scene type and by other parameters that are important for determining the anisotropy of the given scene type. Anisotropic factors are then defined either for discrete intervals of relevant parameters or as a continuous functions of combined parameters, depending on the scene type. Significant differences between the ADMs described in this paper and the existing ADMs are over clear-sky scene types and polar scene types. Over clear ocean, we developed a set of shortwave (SW) ADMs that explicitly account for aerosols. Over clear land, the SW ADMs are developed for every 1° latitude × 1° longitude region for every calendar month using a kernel-based bidirectional reflectance model. Over clear Antarctic scenes, SW ADMs are developed by accounting the effects of sastrugi on anisotropy. Over sea ice, a sea-ice brightness index is used to classify the scene type. Under cloudy conditions over all surface types, the longwave (LW) and window (WN) ADMs are developed by combining surface and cloud-top temperature, surface and cloud emissivity, cloud fraction, and precipitable water. Compared to the existing ADMs, the new ADMs change the monthly mean instantaneous fluxes by up to 5 W m−2 on a regional scale of 1° latitude × 1° longitude, but the flux changes are less than 0.5 W m−2 on a global scale.
Do Mid‐Crown Enamel Formation Front Angles Reflect Factors Linked to the Pace of Primate Growth and Development?

Enamel formation front (EFF) angles represent the leading edge of enamel matrix secretion at particular points in time. These angles are influenced by rates of enamel extension (the rates at which tooth crowns grow in height), rates of enamel matrix secretion and the angles that prisms make with the enamel‐dentine junction. Previous research suggests, but has not yet established, that these angles reflect aspects of primate biology related to their pace of growth and development, most notably brain and body size. The present study tested this possibility on histological sections using phylogenetically‐controlled and Bonferroni‐corrected analyses spanning a broad taxonomic range. Ten species were represented in the analysis of anterior teeth; 17 in the analysis of posterior (postcanine) teeth (with varying sample sizes). Also, tested was the relationship of EFF angles to striae of Retzius periodicity (long period growth rhythms in enamel) and degree of folivory, as both factors are related to primate developmental rates. Finally, several analyses were conducted to investigate whether tooth size (operationalized as EDJ length) might mediate these relationships. Central results are as follows: (1) Relationships between EFF angles and brain weight (anterior teeth) and between EFF angles and body mass (anterior and posterior teeth) are statistically significant and (2) Mid‐crown EFF angles are not statistically significantly related to EDJ lengths. These results suggest that tooth size does not mediate relationships between EFF angles and brain weight/body mass and are discussed with respect to underlying enamel growth variables (especially rates of enamel extension and secretion). Anat Rec, 2017. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Anat Rec, 301:125–139, 2018. © 2017 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Detection of Ruptures in Spatial Relationships in Video Sequences

The purpose of this work is to detect strong changes in spatial relationships between objects in video sequences, with a limited knowledge on the objects. First, a fuzzy representation of the objects is proposed based on low-level generic primitives. Furthermore, angle and distance histograms are used as examples to model the spatial relationships between two objects. Then, we estimate the distances between different angle or distance histograms during time. By analyzing the evolution of the spatial relationships during time, ruptures are detected in this evolution. Experimental results show that the proposed method can efficiently detect the ruptures in the spatial relationships, exploiting only low-level primitives. This constitutes a promising step towards event detection in videos, with few a priori models on the objects.
Parallel spectroscopic imaging reconstruction with arbitrary trajectories using k‐space sparse matrices

Parallel imaging reconstruction has been successfully applied to magnetic resonance spectroscopic imaging (MRSI) to reduce scan times. For undersampled k‐space data on a Cartesian grid, the reconstruction can be achieved in image domain using a sensitivity encoding (SENSE) algorithm for each spectral data point. Alternative methods for reconstruction with undersampled Cartesian k‐space data are the SMASH and GRAPPA algorithms that do the reconstruction in the k‐space domain. To reconstruct undersampled MRSI data with arbitrary k‐space trajectories, image‐domain‐based iterative SENSE algorithm has been applied at the cost of long computing times. In this paper, a new k‐space domain‐based parallel spectroscopic imaging reconstruction with arbitrary k‐space trajectories using k‐space sparse matrices is applied to MRSI with spiral k‐space trajectories. The algorithm achieves MRSI reconstruction with reduced memory requirements and computing times. The results are demonstrated in both phantom and in vivo studies. Spectroscopic images very similar to that reconstructed with fully sampled spiral k‐space data are obtained at different reduction factors. Magn Reson Med 61:267–272, 2009. © 2009 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
A Coupled Remote Sensing and Simplified Surface Energy Balance Approach to Estimate Actual Evapotranspiration from Irrigated Fields

Accurate crop performance monitoring and production estimation are critical for timely assessment of the food balance of several countries in the world. Since 2001, the Famine Early Warning Systems Network (FEWS NET) has been monitoring crop performance and relative production using satellite-derived data and simulation models in Africa, Central America, and Afghanistan where ground-based monitoring is limited because of a scarcity of weather stations. The commonly used crop monitoring models are based on a crop water-balance algorithm with inputs from satellite-derived rainfall estimates. These models are useful to monitor rainfed agriculture, but they are ineffective for irrigated areas. This study focused on Afghanistan, where over 80 percent of agricultural production comes from irrigated lands. We developed and implemented a Simplified Surface Energy Balance (SSEB) model to monitor and assess the performance of irrigated agriculture in Afghanistan using a combination of 1-km thermal data and 250-m Normalized Difference Vegetation Index (NDVI) data, both from the Moderate Resolution Imaging Spectroradiometer (MODIS) sensor. We estimated seasonal actual evapotranspiration (ETa) over a period of six years (2000-2005) for two major irrigated river basins in Afghanistan, the Kabul and the Helmand, by analyzing up to 19 cloud-free thermal and NDVI images from each year. These seasonal ETa estimates were used as relative indicators of year-to-year production magnitude differences. The temporal water-use pattern of the two irrigated basins was indicative of the cropping patterns specific to each region. Our results were comparable to field reports and to estimates based on watershed-wide crop water-balance model results. For example, both methods found that the 2003 seasonal ETa was the highest of all six years. The method also captured water management scenarios where a unique year-to-year variability was identified in addition to water-use differences between upstream and downstream basins. A major advantage of the energy-balance approach is that it can be used to quantify spatial extent of irrigated fields and their water-use dynamics without reference to source of water as opposed to a water-balance model which requires knowledge of both the magnitude and temporal distribution of rainfall and irrigation applied to fields.
Performance evaluation of dynamic reconfiguration in high-speed local area networks

High-speed local area networks (LANs) consist of a set of switches connected by point-to-point links, and hosts linked to switches through a network interface card. High-speed LANs may change their topology due to switches and hosts being turned on/off, link remapping, and component failures. In these cases, a distributed reconfiguration algorithm analyzes the topology, computes the new routing tables, and downloads them to the corresponding switches. Unfortunately, in most cases, user traffic is stopped during the reconfiguration process to avoid deadlock. Although network reconfigurations are not frequent, static reconfiguration such as this may take hundreds of milliseconds to execute, thus degrading system availability significantly. In this paper, we propose a new deadlock-free distributed reconfiguration algorithm that is able to asynchronously update routing tables without stopping user traffic. This algorithm is valid for any topology, including regular as well as irregular topologies. Simulation results show that the behavior of our algorithm is significantly better than for other algorithms based on a spanning-tree formation.
Gas6 and the Receptor Tyrosine Kinase Axl in Clear Cell Renal Cell Carcinoma

Background The molecular biology of renal cell carcinoma (RCC) is complex and not fully understood. We have recently found that the expression of the receptor tyrosine kinase Axl in the RCC tumors independently correlates with survival of the patients. Principal Findings Here, we have investigated the role of Axl and its ligand Gas6, the vitamin-K dependent protein product of the growth arrest-specific gene 6, in clear cell RCC (ccRCC) derived cells. The Axl protein was highly expressed in ccRCC cells deficient in functional von Hippel-Lindau (VHL) protein, a tumor suppressor gene often inactivated in ccRCC. VHL reconstituted cells expressed decreased levels of Axl protein, but not Axl mRNA, suggesting VHL to regulate Axl expression. Gas6-mediated activation of Axl in ccRCC cells resulted in Axl phosphorylation, receptor down-regulation, decreased cell-viability and migratory capacity. No effects of the Gas6/Axl system could be detected on invasion. Moreover, in ccRCC tumor tissues, Axl was phosphorylated and Gas6 γ-carboxylated, suggesting these molecules to be active in vivo. Significance These results provide novel information regarding the complex function of the Gas6/Axl system in ccRCC.
San Antonio 05, variedad de garbanzo forrajero para la región Ciénega de Chapala, México

‘San Antonio 05’ was developed at the Bajio Experimental Station of INIFAP, Mexico and evaluated during four years during the fall-winter cycle in six environments of three counties in the region Cienega de Chapala, Jalisco (La Barca, Atotonilco El Alto and Jamay), where it was grown under residual moisture and irrigated production systems. Tests for root-rot resistance were conducted at valle de Culiacan Experimental Station in Sinaloa and at Atotonilco El Alto, Jalisco. Results indicated that San Antonio 05 is resistant to root-rots and its yield average in all conducted trials was 2.04 t ha-1 for grain and 2.31 for straw, being superior to the commercial check ‘Lerma’ by 490 kg (31.6%).