Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Alcohol use disorders and psychological distress: a prospective state-trait analysis.

The present study examined the association between alcohol use disorders (AUDs) and psychological distress over an 11-year period using a sample of 378 young adults (46% men, 54% women: baseline age = 18.5; 51% with paternal history of alcoholism). The authors examined this relation using a state-trait model, which decomposes variance in a given construct into a general traitlike factor that spans measurement occasion and more situational, occasion-specific variability. Trait AUD and trait distress were correlated (r =.43), suggesting that the tendency to meet criteria for an AUD is associated with the tendency to experience psychological distress. Much of this association was due to 3rd variables (primarily neuroticism but also childhood stressors and behavioral undercontrol), supporting a common 3rd-variable influence model of comorbidity.
A Reduced Form Representation for State Space Models

Estimating structural state space models with maximum likelihood is often infeasible. If the model can be expressed as a reduced form vector-autoregression (VAR) in the observable data, then two step techniques such as minimum chi-square estimation can reliably recover structural parameter estimates. However, macroeconomists cannot always rely on the existence of a VAR reduced form – as is often the case when estimating dynamic stochastic general equilibrium models. This paper introduces a reduced form representation for general state space models. I use a prediction based criterion to normalize the state vector and generate the reduced form. In particular, I force the state vector to be the best linear recursive predictor of the data. As a byproduct, this representation is intrinsically related to orthonormalized partial least squares regression. Also, a pair of quadratic parameter restrictions characterizes the representation, which enables constrained maximum likelihood estimation. This reduced form disentangles statistical inference from structural identification, greatly clarifying and simplifying the analysis of a broad class of dynamic structural econometric models. Using these results, economists can use a reduced form approach to structural estimation without needing a VAR representation.
The drain current asymmetry of 130 nm MOSFETs due to extension implant shadowing originated by mechanical angle error in high current implanter

The drain current asymmetry of 130 nm n-MOSFETs due to extension and source/drain ion implantation shadowing at the edge of gate electrode has been investigated. The ion implantation angle error is occurred even the tilt and twist angles are mechanically set as 0 degree. This ion implantation angle error is remarkable at periphery area of 200 mm wafer. This angle error originated in wheel design and scanning method of a high current ion implanter. Those are structural limitation of a high current batch type ion implanter. The drain current asymmetry can be dramatically reduced by using 4-step (Tilt/Twist=0/0, 0/90, 0/180, 0/270 deg.) ion implantation for extension implant similar to pocket implant. Therefore, even the low energy, high current ion implantation such as extension and source/drain implant, 4-step ion implantation is indispensable to reduce the drain current asymmetry.
Relationship of cell growth to the regulation of tissue‐specific gene expression during osteoblast differentiation

The relationship of cell proliferation to the temporal expression of genes characterizing a developmental sequence associated with bone cell differentiation can be examined in primary diploid cultures of fetal calvarial‐derived osteoblasts by the combination of molecular, biochemical, histochemical, and ultrastructural approaches. Modifications in gene expression define a developmental sequence that has 1) three principal periods: proliferation, extracellular matrix maturation, and mineralization; and 2) two restriction points to which the cells can progress but cannot pass without further signals. The first restriction point is when proliferation is down‐regulated and gene expression associated with extracellular matrix maturation is induced, and the second when mineralization occurs. Initially, actively proliferating cells, expressing cell cycle and cell growth regulated genes, produce a fibronectin/type I collagen extracellular matrix. A reciprocal and functionally coupled relationship between the decline in proliferative activity and the subsequent induction of genes associated with matrix maturation and mineralization is supported by 1) a temporal sequence of events in which an enhanced expression of alkaline phosphatase occurs immediately after the proliferative period, and later an increased expression of osteocalcin and osteopontin at the onset of mineralization; 2) increased expression of a specific subset of osteoblast phenotype markers, alkaline phosphatase and osteopontin, when proliferation is inhibited; and 3) enhanced levels of expression of the osteoblast markers when collagen deposition is promoted, suggesting that the extracellular matrix contributes to both the shutdown of proliferation and development of the osteoblast phenotype. The loss of stringent growth control in transformed osteoblasts and in osteosarcoma cells is accompanied by a deregulation of the tightly coupled relationship between proliferation and progressive expression of genes associated with bone cell differentiation. — Stein, G. S. ; Lian, J. B. ; Owen, T. A. Relationship of cell growth to the regulation of tissue‐specific gene expression during osteoblast differentiation. FASEB J. 4: 3111‐3123; 1990.
Why study the biogeography of ectomycorrhizal fungi ?

The science of biogeography maps spatial patterns of biological diversity as a means of understanding the evolutionary and ecolog­ ical processes that structure life on this planet (Lomolino et al., 2006). Understanding spatial patterns of biodiversity has given rise to some of the most important discoveries in modern science. The unique composition of flora and fauna in different parts of the world, coupled with the spatial and tempo­ ral coincidence of allied species, led both Darwin and Wallace to the idea of evolution by natural selection (Darwin, 1859; Wallace, 1855). Similarly, Wegener’s theory of conti­ nental drift was formulated in great part by the realization that the fossil record pro­ vided a window into the past arrangement of landmasses, precisely because of the s patially restricted nature of species distribu­ tions. Biogeography may not be a field familiar to most lay people or most micro­ biologists, but it is a powerful window into life on this planet. The documentation of basic biogeographic patterns is fundamental to understanding any taxonomic group. Knowing the time or place that an organism first arose and diver­ sified provides a window into the ecological and evolutionary processes shaping their diversity and tells us how they responded to past changes in the environment, or how they might fare under new climates. Yet, for the organisms studied by microbiologists (fungi, bacteria, viruses) and that constitute the majority of life on earth, basic details of biogeography remain poorly known, and are still a subject of debate. Biogeography was one of the earliest branches of plant and animal biology, but the development of microbial biogeography lagged, because the use of morphological systematics to differentiate microbes and reconstruct their evolutionary histories was a “fruitless search”, to quote Carl Woese (Woese, 1987). As a result of the paucity of morphological characters, until very recently many microbes were thought to lack distinct biogeographical patterns (Finlay, 2002; Peay et al., 2010c), and the importance of these organisms to the diversity and function The biogeography of ectomycorrhizal fungi – a history of life in the subterranean
Leveraging Students' Knowledge to Adapt Science Curricula to Local Context

Conceptions of ecological processes such as the flow of energy and cycling of matter in an ecosystem are increasingly important understandings in a rapidly changing world. This study utilizes a p-prims, or knowledge in pieces, lens to examine understandings and disconnections in students’ conceptualizations of energy flow and matter cycling specific to our context. Findings from our analysis drove continued refinement of our “Compost” curriculum through modifications designed to build on students’ p-prims and foster deeper understanding of ecological processes.
Expression of antisense RNA against initiation factor eIF-4E mRNA in HeLa cells results in lengthened cell division times, diminished translation rates, and reduced levels of both eIF-4E and the p220 component of eIF-4F

HeLa cells were transformed to express antisense RNA against initiation factor eIF-4E mRNA from an inducible promoter. In the absence of inducer, these cells (AS cells) were morphologically similar to control cells but grew four- to sevenfold more slowly. Induction of antisense RNA production was lethal. Both eIF-4E mRNA and protein levels were reduced in proportion to the degree of antisense RNA expression, as were the rates of protein synthesis in vivo and in vitro. Polysomes were disaggregated with a concomitant increase in ribosomal subunits. Translation in vitro was restored by addition of the initiation factor complex eIF-4F but not by eIF-4E alone. Immunological analysis revealed that the p220 component of eIF-4F was decreased in extracts of AS cells and undetectable in AS cells treated with inducer, suggesting that p220 and eIF-4E levels are coordinately regulated. eIF-4A, another component of eIF-4F, was unaltered.
Quantification and visualization of defects of the functional dopaminergic system using an automatic algorithm.

UNLABELLED In SPECT, the binding of radiotracers in brain areas is usually assessed by manual positioning of regions of interest (ROIs). The disadvantages of this method are that it is an observer-dependent procedure and that it may not be sensitive for assessing defects significantly smaller than the ROI. To circumvent these limitations, we developed a fully automatic three-dimensional technique that quantifies neuronal radiotracer binding on a voxel-by-voxel basis. METHODS To build a model of normal 123I-labeled N-omega-fluoropropyl-2beta-carbomethoxy-3beta-(4-iodophenyl) nortropane (FPCIT) binding, 17 studies of healthy volunteers were registered to the same orientation. After registration, the specific-to-nonspecific binding ratio was calculated for each voxel of the striatal volumes of interest (VOIs). The mean and SD of that binding ratio were then calculated on a voxel-by-voxel basis. For the analysis of 10 healthy volunteer studies (control group) and 21 studies of drug-naive patients with Parkinson's disease, the registration and calculation of the specific-to-nonspecific [123I]FPCIT binding ratio were performed by the same method. Subsequently, a voxel of the striata was classified as a diminished [123I]FPCIT binding ratio if its value was lower than the mean -2 x SD. For each subject, the defect size, the relative number of voxels with a diminished binding ratio and the binding ratio of the whole striatal VOIs were calculated and compared with the binding ratio as assessed by the traditional ROI method. RESULTS The results of the automatic method correlated significantly with the results of the traditional ROI method. Furthermore, for the ipsilateral side, the automatically calculated defect size had less overlap between the patient and the control group than the traditionally calculated binding ratio. CONCLUSION The method presented quantifies [123I]FPCIT binding ratio automatically on a voxel-by-voxel basis, by comparison with a model of healthy volunteers. We have shown that it is appropriate to use the automatic method as a replacement for the traditional manual method, which enables us to study the localized dopaminergic degeneration process in Parkinson's disease more precisely and without any inter- or intraobserver variability.
Prevalence of G6721T polymorphism of XRCC7 in an Iranian population

Genetic polymorphism G6721T (rs.7003908) in gene encoding DNA-dependent protein kinase (DNA-PKcs, encoded by the XRCC7 gene) has been defined. In order to get more insight into the genetic structure of Iranian population the present study was carried out on Iranian Persian population living in Shiraz (Fars province, southwest Iran). The total study subjects consisted of 935 (195 males, 740 females) unrelated healthy individuals. Genotypes of XRCC7 G6721T were detected by PCR-RFLP based method. There was no significant difference between males and females for the XRCC7 polymorphism (χ2=1.275, df=2, P=0.529). Prevalence of the G allele was 0.473 (95 % CI: 0.441-0.505) in our sample. The study population was at Hardy-Weinberg equilibrium for the XRCC7 polymorphism (χ2=0.980, df=1, P=0.323). The allelic frequency of the G allele showed high frequency in Iranian population compared to other populations.
Identification of arginine residues important for the activity of Escherichia coli signal peptidase I

Abstract Escherichia coli signal peptidase I (leader peptidase, SPase I) is an integral membrane serine protease that catalyzes the cleavage of signal (leader) peptides from preforms of membrane or secretory proteins. We previously demonstrated that E. coli SPase I was significantly inactivated by reaction with phenylglyoxal with concomitant modification of three to four of the total 17 arginine residues in the enzyme. This result indicated that several arginine residues are important for the optimal activity of the enzyme. In the present study, we have constructed 17 mutants of the enzyme by sitedirected mutagenesis to investigate the role of individual arginine residues in the enzyme. Mutation of Arg127, Arg146, Arg198, Arg199, Arg226, Arg236, Arg275, Arg282, and Arg295 scarcely affected the enzyme activity in vivo and in vitro. However, the enzymatic activity toward a synthetic substrate was significantly decreased by replacements of Arg77, Arg222, Arg315, or Arg318 with alanine/lysine. The kcat values of the R77A, R77K, R222A, R222K, R315A, R318A, and R318K mutant enzymes were about 5.5-fold smaller than that of the wildtype enzyme, whereas the Km values of these mutant enzymes were almost identical with that of the wildtype. Moreover, the complementing abilities in E. coli IT41 were lost completely when Arg77, Arg222, Arg315, or Arg318 was replaced with alanine/lysine. The circular dichroism spectra and other enzymatic properties of these mutants were comparable to those of the wildtype enzyme, indicating no global conformational changes. However, the thermostability of R222A, R222K, R315A, and R318K was significantly lower compared to the wild type. Therefore, Arg77, Arg222, Arg315, and Arg318 are thought to be important for maintaining the proper and stable conformation of SPase I.
Parameter Investigation of Nano-Sized Etching in an ICP Silicon Etching System

The effect of process parameters on the performance of silicon nano-sized etching in an Inductive-Coupled-Plasma Reactive-Ion-Etching (ICP-RIE) system is studied by the Taguchi experimental method. The Standard L9 orthogonal array is considered to evaluate the parameter effect and to obtain the optimum conditions. A total of 9 parameter settings are conducted to investigate the four parameters with three levels for each. The four parameters include the substrate temperature, bias power, gas cycle time and C4F8gas flow rate. The source power and the SF6gas flow rate are respectively fixed to a value of 500 W and 120 sccm. The etching bottom roughness and the etching rate are the quality characteristics to evaluate the parameter effect. The results show that both the C4F8flow rate and the bias power have the significant influence on the bottom roughness, while both the cycle time and the bias power play an important role on etching rate. And, the optimum conditions are obtained, of which the predicted quality has been confirmed by verification experiment.
Activation of Nuclear Factor-k B in Human Metastatic Melanoma Cells and the Effect of Oxidative Stress 1

The biological basis for the general pharmacological resistance of human melanoma is unknown. A unique biochemical feature of the melanocyte is the synthesis of melanin, which leads to the generation of hydrogen peroxide and the consumption of reduced glutathione. This activity produces a state of chronic oxidative stress in these cells. We demonstrated previously that the expression of the c-jun family was dysregulated in metastatic melanoma cells compared with normal human melanocytes (D. T. Yamanishi et al., J. Invest. Dermatol., 97: 349–353, l991). In the current investigation, we measured the levels of two major redox response transcription factors, nuclear factor-kB (NF-kB) and activator protein-1, in metastatic melanoma cells and normal melanocytes and their response to oxidative stress. The basal DNA-binding activity of NF-kB as measured by the electrophoretic mobility shift assay in metastatic melanoma cells was increased 4-fold compared with that of normal melanocytes. This level of binding was paralleled by a 1.5to 4-fold increase in the expression of p50 (NF-kB1), p65 (Rel-A), and IkB-a as measured by Northern blot analysis. In contrast, the expression of p75 (c-rel) was markedly decreased (60%) in melanoma cells compared with normal melanocytes. Following oxidative stress produced by enzyme-generated H2O2, free H2O2, or incubation with buthionine sulfoximine, NF-kB binding activity increased 1.5to 2.5-fold in melanoma cells (buthionine sulfoximine > H2O2), but only slightly in normal melanocytes. In contrast, activator protein-1 binding activity was unaffected or increased in normal melanocytes in response to oxidative stress, but was either unaffected or decreased in melanoma cells. These results suggest that the redox regulation of melanoma cells at the molecular level is fundamentally different from normal melanocytes and may offer a unique avenue for preventive or therapeutic intervention as well as new insights into the pathogenesis of melanocyte transformation.
Role of IL28B for chronic hepatitis C treatment toward personalized medicine

Genome‐wide association studies recently revealed that certain interleukin‐28B (IL28B) polymorphisms are strongly associated with responses to pegylated interferon (PEG‐IFN) and ribavirin (RBV) therapy in patients chronically infected with hepatitis C virus (HCV) genotype 1, as well as with spontaneous clearance of HCV. Subsequent reports revealed that IL28B genotypes also affect treatment efficacy in chronic infection with other HCV genotypes. Furthermore, there have been several reports that implicate IL28B genotypes in inflammatory status, progression of fibrosis and adverse clinical outcomes in chronic hepatitis C (CHC). Therapy of CHC recently entered a new era with the deployment of direct‐acting antivirals. These include nonstructural 3/4A protease inhibitors which have shown promise in combination with PEG‐IFN/RBV in several clinical trials. IFN‐free therapy is expected to be useful especially in IFN‐resistant patients and may become the standard of care in the future. Several clinical trials have revealed an association between IL28B genotype and treatment efficacy in triple therapy or IFN‐free regimens. On the other hand the mechanism of the effect of IL28B on HCV infection has not yet been elucidated. Recently, it was shown that the polymorphism of IFN‐lambda 4 (IFNL4) is in high linkage disequilibrium with that of near IL28B, and more strongly associated with spontaneous or treatment‐induced HCV clearance than IL28B genotypes, especially in individuals of African ancestry. This finding provides new insights into the genetic regulation of HCV clearance and its clinical management. IL28B genotyping will be also useful for personalized CHC treatment in the forthcoming era of direct‐acting antivirals.
Biped Hopping Control Bazsed on Spring Loaded Inverted Pendulum Model

Human running can be stabilized in a wide range of speeds by automatically adjusting muscular properties of leg and torso. It is known that fast locomotion dynamics can be approximated by a spring loaded inverted pendulum (SLIP) system, in which leg is replaced by a single spring connecting body mass to ground. Taking advantage of the inherent stability of SLIP model, a hybrid control strategy is developed that guarantees a stable biped locomotion in sagittal plane. In the presented approach, nonlinear control methods are applied to synchronize the biped dynamics and the spring-mass dynamics. As the biped center of mass follows the mass of the mass-spring model, the whole biped performs a stable locomotion corresponding to SLIP model. Simulations are done to obtain a repeatable hopping for a three-link underactuated biped model. Results show that periodic hopping gaits can be stabilized, and the presented control strategy provides feasible gait trajectories for stance and swing phases.
Combining ALOS AVNIR-2 and PALSAR for land cover classification

Recent lunched ALOS satellite carries both optical AVNIR-2 and full polarimetric PALSAR sensors that provide both surface spectral and scattering information of the Earth ground surface. The full polarimetric PALSAR is particularly important in relation to target identification and recognition, since it contains additional real physical target information. Therefore, combination of optical and polarimetric data has the potential to improve the land cover classification accuracy. As a consequence, the development of techniques for efficiently and conveniently handling combined multi-source data for land cover classification is becoming increasingly important. The objective of this paper is to assess the potential synergies and complementary nature of optical, full polarimetry PALSAR intensity data, and polarimetric features (indicators) for land cover classification and evaluate the recent developed subspace method for the combined optical and SAR data classification.
Does Stock Return Predictability Imply Improved Asset Allocation and Performance? Evidence from the U.S. Stock Market (1954-2002)

This paper provides evidence on the economic significance of the predictability in U.S. stock returns using a real-time asset allocation framework. We examine the performance of a Bayesian investor who relies on conditioning information (dividend yield, T-bill yield, default spread, and term spread) to forecast future returns and contrast it with that of an otherwise identical investor who believes in i.i. d. returns. We find that the relative performance of the information-based strategy is unstable over time, being noticeably poor during 1989–2002. In marked contrast, the strategy performs significantly better when it relies on a model-based approach based on the CAPM.
Optimizing Schottky S/D offset for 25-nm dual-gate CMOS performance

For the first time, mixed mode simulation is used to optimize the design of ultrathin-body dual-gate metal source/drain 25-nm CMOS, showing an advantage for source/drain-to-gate underlap, rather than overlap. The effect of source/drain workfunction and silicon thickness on the optimal underlap, and on the resulting circuit speed, is examined. A substantial performance advantage versus doped source/drain is demonstrated.