Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Low resistance Ti/Al/Ni/Au Ohmic contact to (NH4)2Sx treated n-type GaN for high temperature applications

Low resistance Ti/Al/Ni/Au Ohmic contact to (NH<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>S<sub>x</sub> treated n-type GaN has been studied in the temperature range from 25°C to 600°C It is found that the specific contact resistivity ¿<sub>c</sub> of the sample treated with (NH<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>S<sub>x</sub> solution for 5 min at 90°C decreases with increasing measuring temperature, while the ¿<sub>c</sub> of the sample treated with (NH<sub>4</sub>)<sub>2</sub>S<sub>x</sub> solution for 25 min at 90°C increases with increasing measuring temperature. Excellent agreement with the ¿5 min-treated¿ sample can be obtained by the field emission model with an average Schottky barrier height (SBH) ¿<sub>B</sub>=1.05 eV. Meanwhile, a field emission model with a temperature-dependent effective SBH is suggested to be responsible for the ¿25 min-treated¿ sample in which metal/semiconductor (MS) interface potential pinch-off may occur.
Comparative Analysis of Various Methods Treatment Expert Assessments

The paper deals with the problem of choosing the most effective methods of processing expert information if there are several results of expert evaluation on the problem. The problem of levelling expert assessments, which differ much from the other set of estimates, is considered. Ratios for the weighting factors of individual expert assessments, taking into account the extent of the deviation of each expert's evaluation of the resulting valuation to be obtained from them, are offered. For the problem of estimation of the degree of importance the different components of the computer to ensure the security of data processed in the personal computer, a list of five possible expert data processing methods is formed, and carried out an expert evaluation of the level of the components’ importance on the basis of linguistic variables. Expert estimations are processed by all presented methods. The results of evaluation allowed to identify the most effective methods of treatment; namely median variant of the maximum likelihood method, which is based on a stochastic model of peer review, and proposed in the paper method that takes into account deviations from the specific evaluations of the resulting values.
RF Model and Verification of Through-Silicon Vias in Fully Integrated SiGe Power Amplifier

This letter proposes an RF model of through-silicon via (TSV) considering both skin-depth and lossy substrate effects up to 20 GHz. The TSV is fabricated in 0.18-μm SiGe BiCMOS process with the dimensions of 50 μm in diameter and 100 μm in depth. The equivalent circuit model is extracted from the measured results and physical structure of a single TSV. The frequency-dependent characteristics of TSV can be completely modeled by frequency-independent lumped elements through parameter extraction. Furthermore, a fully integrated SiGe power amplifier (PA) with TSVs is designed to verify the accuracy of the RF model of TSV. Meanwhile, a PA without TSVs is fabricated to compare the performance of the PA with TSVs. Due to the low parasitic impedance of TSVs, the PA with TSVs achieves better performance than that without TSVs, where the improvement is 0.5 dB in power gain and 2% in power-added efficiency, respectively.
Application of MIMO and network coding in two-way relaying applied in LTE

The effective method of two-way relaying for TDD (Time Division Duplex) wireless systems is described. In a traditional two-way relaying without network coding four time slots are needed in the TDD mode to exchange data blocks between two stations, e.g. mobile (MS) and base (BS) stations via a relay station (RS). In the proposed solution the number of slots is reduced to two only - the multiple access and broadcasting slots. Substantial savings in the transmission time resources are achieved thanks to the application of the MIMO technique used by the relay station in the multiple access phase and simple network coding in the broadcasting slot. Contrary to well known solutions, in the proposed system network coding is performed on the decoded information blocks received by the RS from both end stations which participate in two-way relaying. Such an approach results in high performance of each constituent link between the end stations and the RS, which leads to the high overall system performance. Simulation experiments are reported showing satisfactory performance of the proposed two-way relaying system.
Head posture and the morphology of the first cervical vertebra.

Natural head posture roentgen-cephalograms from 72 healthy young adults from the north of Finland were analysed in order to detect possible correlations between certain morphological features of the first cervical vertebra and head posture in man. Certain variables for head posture and for the morphological characteristics of the upper part of the cervical spine were measured and correlated. The most notable finding was a significant correlation between head posture and the height of the dorsal arch of the atlas. Correlations between head posture and the intervertebral space were also found, but although the antero-posterior dimension of the atlas showed some correlation with the head posture, this was not the case for its lumen. The findings support the notion that the morphology of skeletal structures is regulated by their functional needs.
The Effect of Financial Flexibility on Payout Policy

We use variation in real estate prices as exogenous shocks to firms’ debt capacity to study the causal effect of financial flexibility on payout policy. We show that an increase in financial flexibility results in higher dividends, share repurchases, and payout flexibility. We find that a 1-standard-deviation increase in a firms’ collateral value results in 0.26- and 0.55-percentage-point increases in nondiscretionary and discretionary payouts, respectively. This effect is stronger for firms with few investment opportunities. Moreover, highly leveraged firms are more likely to cut dividends in response to a sharp decrease in their financial flexibility.
Economic evaluation of a crisis resolution service: A randomised controlled trial

Summary Aims – The use of specialised services to avoid admission to hospital for people experiencing mental health crises is seen as an integral part of psychiatric services in some countries. The aim of this paper is to assess the impact on costs and costeffectiveness of a crisis resolution team (CRT). Methods – Patients who were experiencing mental health crises sufficient for admission to be considered were randomised to either care provided by a CRT or standard services. The primary outcome measure was inpatient days over a six-month follow-up period. Service use was measured, costs calculated and cost-effectiveness assessed. Results – Patients receiving care from the CRT had non-inpatient costs £768 higher than patients receiving standard care (90% CI, £153 to £1375). With the inclusion of inpatient costs the costs for the CRT group were £2438 lower for the CRT group (90% CI, £937 to £3922). If one less day spent as an inpatient was valued at £100, there would be a 99.5% likelihood of the CRT being costeffective. Conclusion – This CRT was shown to be cost-effective for modest values placed on reductions in inpatient stays.
Effects of Retigabine (D‐23129) on Different Patterns of Epileptiform Activity Induced by Low Magnesium in Rat Entorhinal Cortex Hippocampal Slices

Summary: Purpose: The objective of this study was to evaluate the effect of a new antiseizure drug, retigabine (D‐23129; N‐(2‐amino‐4‐[fluorobenzylamino]‐phenyl) carbamic acid ethyl ester) on low‐Mg2+‐induced epileptiform discharges in rat in vitro.
Performance Comparison of Loading Algorithms for 80 MHz IEEE 802.11 WLANs

Wireless local area networks are known to apply the same transmit power and modulation type over all employed OFDM subcarriers. Recent studies show that this can lead to significant performance degradations. As future WLANs will employ even larger bandwidths (80 MHz and above) we study in this paper loading strategies to improve the system performance. In particular, we study the performance of adaptive modulation, power loading and bit loading not only from the physical layer point of view but also by accounting for necessary protocol extensions to accommodate the required control overhead. Our studies reveal that, indeed, loading algorithms can provide significant performance improvements especially for 80 MHz systems. However, the selection of the most appropriate approach depends on channel, protocol and traffic parameters. Hence, this choice is not straightforward and has a substantial impact on the overall system's performance.
A controlled study of the effect of midazolam on abnormal sphincter of Oddi motility.

BACKGROUND The effect of a medication on sphincter of Oddi motility should be characterized if it is to be used during sphincter of Oddi manometry. Controversy exists as to whether midazolam influences sphincter of Oddi motility. This study assessed the effect of midazolam on the hypertensive sphincter of Oddi. METHODS The study population consisted of 36 patients who presented with recurrent abdominal pain resulting from sphincter of Oddi dysfunction. The study was nonrandomized, prospective, and placebo controlled. Patient allocation was consecutive. Sphincter of Oddi manometry was performed in standard fashion. Manometric tracings were interpreted while the investigator was blinded to treatment allocation. Eighteen patients in the test group received 2 mg of midazolam intravenously whereas the 18 patients in the control group received saline solution intravenously. Manometric parameters were measured before and 3 minutes after the intravenous infusion. Changes in manometric findings before and after the administration of saline solution and midazolam were compared. RESULTS Midazolam caused a significant reduction in basal sphincter of Oddi pressure (24 mm Hg) as compared with saline solution (p < 0.001). Diagnostic concordance (normal vs. abnormal) between the basal sphincter pressure before and after midazolam was seen in only 77% of patients. CONCLUSIONS Midazolam significantly altered sphincter of Oddi motility. The decrease in sphincteric pressures would have altered diagnosis and management in 4 of 18 patients. Midazolam should not be used during sphincter of Oddi manometry.
Methamphetamine Disposition in Oral Fluid, Plasma, and Urine

Abstract: This review of the disposition of methamphetamine in oral fluid, plasma, and urine is based on a comprehensive controlled dosing study involving five healthy, drug‐free research volunteers who resided on a closed clinical ward for 12 weeks. Subjects were administered four low (10 mg) and high (20 mg) daily oral doses of methamphetamine in two separate sessions. Near‐simultaneous collections of oral fluid and plasma were performed on the first day of each low‐ and high‐dose session. Thereafter, oral fluid was provided on each day of dosing by different oral fluid collection methods. All urine specimens were collected on an ad libitum basis throughout the study. Specimens were analyzed by gas‐chromatography mass spectrometry for methamphetamine and the metabolite, amphetamine, with a limit of quantification of 2.5 ng/mL for each analyte. Methamphetamine and metabolite concentrations in oral fluid appeared to follow a similar time course in oral fluid as in plasma and were dose‐proportional, but oral fluid concentrations exceeded plasma concentrations. Urine drug concentrations were substantially higher than those in oral fluid. Some drug accumulation was noted with daily dosing, but generally did not markedly influence detection times or detection rates of oral fluid tests. Detection times and detection rates for oral fluid and urine were determined at cessation of 4 days of dosing. Generally, detection times and rates for urine were longer than those observed for oral fluid at conventional cutoff concentrations. When contemplating selection of oral fluid as a test matrix, the advantages of oral fluid collection should be weighed against its shorter time of detection compared to that of urine.
The neural communication network: A brief review on neuromodeling and neuroengineering

Biological neural communication network continuously gathers information about the internal state of the organism and its external environment, processes and evaluates this information to eventually coordinate activities of “end devices”, e.g., muscle cells. All activities, i.e., voluntary and involuntary actions of the body, the causes of mental disorders, and any other function or dysfunction of the brain are conditioned on the imposing performance of the neural network that cannot be understood without the knowledge about the process of communication between neurons — the so-called neuro-spike communication. Due to their performances, biological neurons and neural communication network are increasingly involved by the ICT-community to inspire novel neural-like electronic devices and nano-networks that would perform advanced sensing, actuation or stimulation at nano-scale. This paper is intended to review accumulated inter-disciplinary studies and knowledge on the neuro-spike communication and investigate their potential and limitations. The review is conceptualized around the neuromodeling efforts from computational neuroscience and communication and information technology, and neuroengineering efforts from communication technology and electronics.
How adhesion/growth‐regulatory galectins‐1 and ‐3 attain cell specificity: Case study defining their target on neuroblastoma cells (SK‐N‐MC) and marked affinity regulation by affecting microdomain organization of the membrane

Galectins are potent effectors with conspicuous cell‐type‐specific activity profile. Its occurrence poses the question on the nature of the underlying biochemical determinants, in human SK‐N‐MC neuroblastoma cells involved in negative growth regulation. Since increase of surface presentation of ganglioside GM1 and homodimeric galectin‐1 precedes growth inhibition, a direct interaction is suggested. We thus examined cell binding depending on glucosylceramide synthesis. It was drastically reduced by N‐butyldeoxynojirimycin and threo‐1‐phenyl‐2‐decanoylamino‐3‐morpholino‐1‐propanol, adding decisive evidence for the assumed galectin/ganglioside binding. Glycoproteins do not compensate ganglioside depletion which was verified by measuring lipid‐bound sialic acid. Binding affinity is significantly lowered by disrupting microdomain integrity, also effective for the competitive inhibitor galectin‐3. This was caused by cell treatment with either 2‐hydroxypropyl‐β‐cyclodextrin or filipin III. In this cell system, target specificity and topology of ligand presentation act together to enable high‐affinity binding. © 2010 IUBMB IUBMB Life, 62(8): 624–628, 2010.
The Role of Educational Leaders in Implementing a Culturally Responsive Pedagogy Designed to Increase the Learning Opportunities for Diverse Students

While there has been a dramatic shift in the demographic educational landscape of the UnitedStates, to a more culturally diverse student population, the characteristics of teachers andeducational leaders have remained largely homogeneous. Classroom teachers and schoolprincipals remain predominately White, approximately 90%, and 84% respectively (National Centerfor Education Statistics, as cited in Taylor & Whittaker, 2003). According to many experts, thedifferences between school and home culture result in lower rates of academic achievement fordiverse learners. This article focuses on the challenge facing educational leaders to respond to thisdemographic shift by leading the implementation of a more culturally inclusive pedagogy that willimprove the learning opportunities of diverse students.
Risk factors for developing sleep-disordered breathing in patients with recent ischaemic stroke.

INTRODUCTION There are several studies that reported a higher frequency of sleep-disordered breathing (SDB) among ischaemic stroke patients with increasing evidence linking SDB and cardiovascular complications. Many showed prevalence between 43 percent and 72 percent, taking the apnoea-hypopnoea index (AHI) equal to or greater than ten. The main objective of this study was to determine the frequency of SDB in recent ischaemic stroke patients admitted to Hospital Universiti Kebangsaan Malaysia (HUKM) and the relationship between SDB and known risk factors of ischaemic stroke. METHODS This was a cross-sectional, prospective study involving 28 consecutive acute ischaemic stroke patients admitted to HUKM over three months. Sleep studies were done within one to four weeks after stroke onset. Demographical data and associated risk factors were recorded and data were analysed. RESULTS There were 20 men and eight women, with mean age of 60.3 +/- 8.9 years. There were eight Malay, 16 Chinese and four Indian patients. The prevalence of SDB in ischaemic stroke depending on the AHI cut-off was: 92.8 percent for AHI greater than or equal to five, 78.5 percent for AHI greater than or equal to ten, 44.5 percent for AHI greater than or equal to 15, and 37.7 percent for AHI greater than or equal to 20. We discovered that diabetes mellitus and smoking history were important factors predicting significant SDB (AHI greater than or equal to 15) in recent ischaemic stroke cases. CONCLUSION There was a high prevalence of SDB in recent ischaemic stroke patients in HUKM, comparable to other studies. Diabetes mellitus and smoking history were strong predictors of the occurrence of SDB after an ischaemic stroke.
Downregulation of MED23 promoted the tumorigenecity of esophageal squamous cell carcinoma

Esophageal squamous cell carcinoma (ESCC) is one of the most common tumors in the world. It is very urgent to develop new therapeutic strategies. MED23, a component of the mediator complex, is known as a hub to integrate various signaling pathways. However, the function of MED23 in ESCC remains unknown. Here, we found that the expression of MED23 was downregulated in the clinical ESCC samples and the expression of MED23 reversely correlated with tumor size and clinical stage. Moreover, overexpression of MED23 in ESCC cells inhibited cell growth dramatically, while downregulation of MED23 promoted the tumorigenecity of ESCC cells in vitro and in vivo. Mechanistically, knockdown the expression of MED23 inhibited cell apoptosis by downregulation of Bax, activated Caspase 3, activated Caspase 9 and upregulation of cyclinD1 and Bcl2. Taken together, our study revealed the suppressive role of MED23 in ESCC and MED23 might be an important therapeutic target in ESCC. © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Apoptosis, Onset and Maintenance of Spermatogenesis: Evidence for the Involvement of Kit in Kit-Haplodeficient Mice1

Abstract Kit/stem cell factor (SCF ) has been reported to be involved in survival and proliferation of male differentiating spermatogonial cells. This kinetics study was designed to assess the role of Kit/SCF during spermatogenesis in mice, and the extent of male programmed germ cell death was measured between 8 and 150 days of age. For this purpose, 129/Sv inbred mice in which one Kit allele was inactivated by an nlslacZ sequence insertion (KitW-lacZ/+) were compared with 129/Sv inbred mice with wild-type alleles at the Kit locus. Four different approaches were used: 1) morphometric study to assess spermatogenesis, 2) flow cytometry to study testicular cell ploidy, 3) in situ end labeling to detect apoptosis, and 4) follow-up of reporter gene expression. Spermatogenesis was lower in KitW-lacZ/+ heterozygous mice both at the onset of spermatogenesis and during adulthood. Indeed, greater apoptosis occurred at the onset of spermatogenesis. This was followed in the adult by a smaller seminiferous tubule diameter and a lower ratio between type B spermatogonia and type A stem spermatogonia in KitW-lacZ/+ mice compared with Kit+/+ mice. These differences are probably related to the Kit haplodeficiency, which was the only difference between the two genotypes. Germ cell counts and testicular cell ploidy revealed delayed meiosis in KitW-lacZ/+ mice. Reporter gene expression confirmed expression of the Kit gene at the spermatogonial stage and also revealed Kit expression during the late pachytene/diplotene transition. These results suggest involvement of Kit/SCF at different stages of spermatogenesis.
Dopaminergic Role in Regulating Neurophysiological Markers of Sleep Homeostasis in Humans

While dopamine affects fundamental brain processes such as movement control, emotional responses, addiction, and pain, the roles for this neurotransmitter in regulating wakefulness and sleep are incompletely understood. Genetically modified animal models with reduced dopamine clearance exhibit hypersensitivity to caffeine, reduced-responsiveness to modafinil, and increased homeostatic response to prolonged wakefulness when compared with wild-type animals. Here we studied sleep–wake regulation in humans and combined pharmacogenetic and neurophysiologic methods to analyze the effects of the 3′-UTR variable-number-tandem-repeat polymorphism of the gene (DAT1, SLC6A3) encoding dopamine transporter (DAT). Previous research demonstrated that healthy homozygous 10-repeat (10R/10R) allele carriers of this genetic variant have reduced striatal DAT protein expression when compared with 9-repeat (9R) allele carriers. Objective and subjective estimates of caffeine sensitivity were higher in 10R allele homozygotes than in carriers of the 9R allele. Moreover, caffeine and modafinil affected wakefulness-induced changes in functional bands (delta, sigma, beta) of rhythmic brain activity in wakefulness and sleep in a DAT1 genotype-dependent manner. Finally, the sleep deprivation-induced increase in well established neurophysiologic markers of sleep homeostasis, including slow-wave sleep, electroencephalographic slow-wave activity (0.5–4.5 Hz), and number of low-frequency (0.5–2.0 Hz) oscillations in non-rapid-eye-movement sleep, was significantly larger in the 10R/10R genotype than in the 9R allele carriers of DAT1. Together, the data suggest that the dopamine transporter contributes to homeostatic sleep–wake regulation in humans.