Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
One-Sided Static Noise Margin and Gaussian-Tail-Fitting Method for SRAM

In this paper, we propose a method to estimate the read failure rate of a static random access memory (SRAM) cell. Conventional read stability metrics cannot accurately estimate the read failure probability as technology scales down, because some metrics cannot characterize read stability and others can no longer be approximated to a known distribution. We first introduce a one-sided static noise margin (OSNM), whose lower tail region follows a Gaussian distribution, and also propose a Gaussian-tail-fitting method that properly models the distribution of the OSNM at the tail region. It is demonstrated that the OSNM can accurately estimate the SRAM cell yield using the proposed Gaussian-tail-fitting method.
Dimension reduction of texture features for image retrieval using hybrid associative neural networks

Current multidimensional indexing structures employed in content based image retrieval systems perform poorly when applied to feature data of high dimensionality. To alleviate this problem, one approach is to reduce the number of dimensions of the image data. The authors present a technique of dimensionality reduction using a neural network that combines heteroassociative and autoassociative functions. We show that besides allowing significant reduction in the number of dimensions, combining these two functions can lead to an improvement in retrieval performance.
Role of the ZWILLE gene in the regulation of central shoot meristem cell fate during Arabidopsis embryogenesis

Postembryonic development in higher plants is marked by repetitive organ formation via a self‐perpetuating stem cell system, the shoot meristem. Organs are initiated at the shoot meristem periphery, while a central zone harbors the stem cells. Here we show by genetic and molecular analyses that the ZWILLE (ZLL) gene is specifically required to establish the central–peripheral organization of the embryo apex and that this step is critical for shoot meristem self‐perpetuation. zll mutants correctly initiate expression of the shoot meristem‐specific gene SHOOT MERISTEMLESS in early embryos, but fail to regulate its spatial expression pattern at later embryo stages and initiate differentiated structures in place of stem cells. We isolated the ZLL gene by map‐based cloning. It encodes a novel protein, and related sequences are highly conserved in multicellular plants and animals but are absent from bacteria and yeast. We propose that ZLL relays positional information required to maintain stem cells of the developing shoot meristem in an undifferentiated state during the transition from embryonic development to repetitive postembryonic organ formation.
The kServer kServer kServer Problem with Parallel Requests and the Compound Harmonic Algorithm

In this paper the (randomized) compound Harmonic algorithm for solving the generalized k-server problem is proposed. This problem is an online k-server problem with parallel requests where several servers can also be located on one point. In 2000 Bartal and Grove have proved that the well-known Harmonic algorithm is competitive for the (usual) k-server problem. Unfortunately, certain techniques of this proof cannot be used to show that a natural generalization of the Harmonic algorithm is competitive for the problem with parallel requests. The probabilities, which are used by the compound Harmonic algorithm are, finally, derived from a surrogate problem, where at most one server must be moved in servicing the request in each step. We can show that the compound Harmonic algorithm is competitive with the bound of the ratio as which has been proved by Bartal and Grove in the case of the usual problem.
Low Power , Compensation Technique for SubMicron CMOS Amplifiers Using Minimally Invasive Process

Process variation is an difficulty in designing reliable CMOS mixed signal systems with high yield. To minimize the variation in voltage gain due to variations in process, supply voltage, and temperature for common trans conductance-based amplifiers, we present a new compensation method based on statistical feedback of process information. We further apply our scheme to two well known amplifier topologies in the sun-micron CMOS process as design examples—an inductive degenerated low-noise amplifier (LNA) and a common source amplifier (CSA). The proposed method improves the variation in S21 of an inductively degenerated cascode LNA from 8.75% to 1.27%, which is a reduction in variation of 85%. The presented scheme is also robust over variations in supply voltage, temperature, and process conditions. The compensation method presented can be utilized to stabilize the gain of a wide variety of amplifiers.
Culture of human dermal fibroblasts in the presence of hyaluronic acid and polyethylene glycol : effects on cell proliferation , collagen production , and related enzymes linked to the remodeling of the extracellular matrix

ABS TRACT Introduction: Cutaneous fillings are a common procedure in today’s dermatology, with the majority being carried out with hyaluronic acid isolated or combined with other substances. Objective: To study the effects of adding hyaluronic acid and polyethylene glycol to cultures of human dermal fibroblasts. Methods: The study evaluated: cell proliferation and production of type 1 collagen (COL1A1) in the presence or absence of anti-CD44 antibodies (membrane receptor for hyaluronic acid); the synthesis of metalloproteinase-1 (mmp-1), of tissue factor inhibitor of metalloproteinase-1 (TIMP1) and of transforming growth factor-α (TGF-α) through the analysis of gene expression via PCR (polymerase chain reaction); cell proliferation through the detection of the incorporation of a thymidine analogue in the cellular DNA. Results: Increased proliferation of fibroblasts and collagen synthesis were observed in the cultures exposed to hyaluronic acid, partially inhibited by the presence of anti-CD44 antibodies in the cultures. The exposure of cultures to hyaluronic acid enhances the production of TIMP-1 and TGFα, and reduces the expression of MMP-1. These effects were not noticed in the cultures exposed to polyethyene glycol. Conclusion: In an in vitro setting, the addition of hyaluronic acid to cultures of human dermal fibroblasts increases proliferation and synthesis of COL1A1, TIMP-1 and TGF-α, decreasing that of MMP-1. The addition of anti-CD44 to the cultures reduces cell proliferation and collagen synthesis, which may indicate the role of that receptor in mediating those events.
Statin therapy and changes in hip circumference among HIV-infected participants in the ALLRT Cohort

Background We aimed to determine whether statin exposure in antiretroviral-treated individuals is associated with increases in hip circumference compared with HIV treatment without concomitant statin use. Methods This was a prospective multicentre cohort study involving individuals who had received antiretroviral therapy for at least 40 weeks and who were enrolled in the AIDS Clinical Trials Group Longitudinal Linked Randomized Trials cohort. There were 2,223 participants in the statin-unexposed group and 371 in the statin-exposed group. The main outcome measure was change in hip circumference at week 32. Results The 32-week change in hip circumference in the statin-exposed group was 0.60 cm greater (95% confidence interval 0.11–1.10; P=0.02) than in the statin- unexposed group after adjustment for age, gender, race, baseline body mass index and thymidine analogue exposure. Conclusions Our findings support the hypothesis that statins might be beneficial in lipoatrophy. Given the limited treatment options for this important problem, further studies are needed to confirm this effect and to determine its clinical significance.
Neuronal morphology data bases: morphological noise and assesment of data quality

For technical, instrumental and operator-related reasons, three-dimensional reconstructions of neurons obtained from intracellularly stained neuronal pieces scattered in serial sections are blurred by some morphological noise. This noise may strongly invalidate conclusions drawn from models built using the three-dimensional reconstructions and it must be taken into account when retrieving digitized neurons from available databases. We analyse the main generating sources of the noise and its consequences for the ‘quality’ of the data. We provide tools for detecting and evaluating the noise in any database providing sufficient information is given in the database. We propose a unified format for submitting data and a new neuron viewer/editor to analyse the digitized neurons with our tools.
Performance analysis and optimization of a parallel carbon molecular dynamic code on a Cray T3E

An analysis of the primary factors influencing the performance of a parallel implementation on a Cray T3E of a Carbon Molecular Dynamics code developed at Department of Physics and Astronomy at Michigan State University is presented. We show that classical load-sharing techniques combined with careful analysis of Amdahl's law can be successfully used to significantly increase the performance of the code. This report describes the quantitative analysis of these factors and the solutions used to diminish or eliminate their effects. By slightly modifying the code we reduced its sequential portion to less than 0.1%. We also demonstrate that the MPI collective communications implementation on the Cray T3E dramatically reduces the communication overhead for our code. In the end, a speedup of 170 was obtained using 256 Cray T3E processing elements. These results create the prospect of simulating the dynamics of 1,000-atom nanotubes in the microsecond regime (/spl ap/1,000,000 time steps).
Emergence of Mycobacterium simiae in respiratory specimens

Temporal changes in epidemiology of non-tuberculous mycobacteria (NTM) infections have hardly been explored. Frequency of isolation of different NTM species varies geographically. We aimed to determine whether the distribution of Mycobacteria species isolated from respiratory specimens had changed from 1996 to 2003. We analysed data on 484 patient mycobacterial isolates from 23,483 respiratory specimens submitted to the Laboratory of Microbiology in a tertiary medical centre. The proportion of patients with Mycobacterium tuberculosis isolates decreased from 44.6% in period I (1996–1999) to 20.6% in period II (2000–2003). Among the NTM, the proportion of some species increased significantly (Mycobacterium simiae: 8.4% to 31.6%; Mycobacterium fortuitum 12% to 20%; and Mycobacterium chelonae 4.8% to 11.3%), while others decreased (Mycobacterium avium complex 31.3% to 17.3%; Mycobacterium kansasii 28.9% to 7.5%; and Mycobacterium haemophilum 1.2% to 0%). These findings disclose major temporal changes in the distribution of mycobacterial species in respiratory specimens with an impressive emergence and takeover of M. simiae.
Novel dual mode operation of phase-shifted full bridge converter to improve efficiency under light load condition

The main theme of this paper is to propose switching method to reduce the loss of phase-shift controlled full-bridge converter under light load and standby conditions. It will be shown that the efficiency can be improved using the proposed switching control technique. The presented switching control technique controls the full-bridge converter by PWM switching mode under light load condition and PWM switching with burst mode under standby condition. The transition point between phase-shift switching method and the proposed method is investigated and confirmed by experimental results. An FPGA-based digital-controlled experimental system has been set up. The specifications of the converter include: input voltage = 400 V, output voltage = 12V and output power = 400 W. Experimental results show that the efficiency improvement can be up to 26% under light load condition and the standby power is less than 1 W. These results confirm the effectiveness of the proposed switching control technique.
Entropy-Based Spectral Processing on the IEEE 802.11A OFDM Waveform

The problem of non-matched filter signal detection, identification and/or characterization is of significant interest to military planners who require increased situational awareness of radio frequency (RF) systems operating in a given area. Situational awareness can also provide a management tool for interference avoidance by allowing the integration of new RF-based devices without affecting the performance of existing ones. This research introduces an entropy-based spectral processing technique for passively identifying and characterizing communication signals. The proposed technique is based on well-established concepts of sequence entropy or concentration occurring within a specified transformation space of the signal of interest. As demonstrated here, performance of the entropy-based spectral processing technique is dictated by input variables which partition the signal interest, transform the partitioned signal to the spectral domain, and calculate an entropy-based metric for each transformed partition. The process produces a spectral-entropy response for the signal of interest. A proof-of-concept demonstration was conducted by applying the proposed technique to both a simulated and an experimentally collected IEEE 802.11a OFDM waveform. Features which emerge within the spectral-entropy response are visually correlated with known deterministic and random components of the 802.11a waveform at different signal-to-noise ratios (SNR). These components are readily identifiable through their comparatively low spectral-entropy response (high concentration) at SNR's approaching -5.0 dB
Compact Bandpass Filter With High Selectivity Using Quarter-Mode Substrate Integrated Waveguide and Coplanar Waveguide

This letter presents a bandpass filter (BPF) based on a hybrid structure of quarter-mode substrate integrated waveguide (QMSIW) and coplanar waveguide (CPW). By incorporating two CPW resonators into two QMSIW resonators, the proposed filter obtains a high selectivity as the coupling between two CPW resonators is electric coupling, which helps to generate two transmission zeros. It also achieves compact layout as the embedded CPW resonators do not occupy extra area. In order to verify the design, a BPF with a center frequency of 8.7 GHz is fabricated and measured. The measured results show good agreement with the simulation results.
Stump sprout dominance probabilities of five oak species in southern Indiana 25 years after clearcut harvesting

When regenerating oak or mixed-hardwood forests in southern Indiana, oak (Quercus spp.) stump sprouts are vital to sustaining their presence and long-term dominance. In 1987, a study began in the Hoosier National Forest in southern Indiana. The study goal was to predict the sprouting potential and dominance probability of oaks. Before clearcut harvesting, we sampled 2,188 trees of five oak species—white oak, chestnut oak, black oak, scarlet oak, and northern red oak. Measurements were taken before and 1, 5, and 25 years after clearcut harvesting. We used logistic regression to develop two preharvest predictive models and four postharvest models for dominance probabilities of the five species 25 years after harvest.
Crystallization of a Deglycosylated T Cell Receptor (TCR) Complexed with an Anti-TCR Fab Fragment*

A strategy to overexpress T cell receptors (TCRs) in Lec3.2.8.1 cells has been developed using the “Velcro” leucine zipper sequence to facilitate α-β pairing. Upon secretion in culture media, the VSV-8-specific/H2-Kb-restricted N15 TCR could be readily immunopurified using the anti-leucine zipper monoclonal antibody 2H11, with a yield of 5-10 mg/liter. Mass spectrometry analysis revealed that all attached glycans were GlcNAc2-Man5. Following Superdex 200 gel filtration to remove aggregates, wild-type N15 or N15s, a C183S variant lacking the unpaired cysteine at amino acid residue 183 in the Cβ domain, was thrombin-cleaved and endoglycosidase H-digested, and the two derivatives were termed iN15ΔH and N15sΔH, respectively, and sized by Superdex 75 chromatography to high purity. N-terminal and C-terminal microsequencing analysis showed the expected unique termini of N15 α and β subunits. Nevertheless, neither protein crystallized under a wide range of conditions. Subsequently, we produced a Fab fragment of the murine TCR Cβ-specific hamster monoclonal antibody H57 and complexed the Fab fragment with iN15ΔH and N15sΔH. Both N15sΔH-Fab[H57] and iN15ΔH-Fab[H57] complexes crystallize, with the former diffracting to 2.8-Å resolution. These findings show that neither intact glycans nor the conserved and partially exposed Cys-183 is required for protein stability. Furthermore, our results suggest that the H57 Fab fragment aids in the crystallization of TCRs by altering their molecular surface and/or stabilizing inherent conformational mobility.
High‐resolution maps of magnetization transfer with inherent correction for RF inhomogeneity and T1 relaxation obtained from 3D FLASH MRI

An empirical equation for the magnetization transfer (MT) FLASH signal is derived by analogy to dual‐excitation FLASH, introducing a novel semiquantitative parameter for MT, the percentage saturation imposed by one MT pulse during TR. This parameter is obtained by a linear transformation of the inverse signal, using two reference experiments of proton density and T1 weighting. The influence of sequence parameters on the MT saturation was studied. An 8.5‐min protocol for brain imaging at 3 T was based on nonselective sagittal 3D‐FLASH at 1.25 mm isotropic resolution using partial acquisition techniques (TR/TE/α = 25ms/4.9ms/5° or 11ms/4.9ms/15° for the T1 reference). A 12.8 ms Gaussian MT pulse was applied 2.2 kHz off‐resonance with 540° flip angle. The MT saturation maps showed an excellent contrast in the brain due to clearly separated distributions for white and gray matter and cerebrospinal fluid. Within the limits of the approximation (excitation <15°, TR/T1 ≪ 1) the MT term depends mainly on TR, the energy and offset of the MT pulse, but hardly on excitation and T1 relaxation. It is inherently compensated for inhomogeneities of receive and transmit RF fields. The MT saturation appeared to be a sensitive parameter to depict MS lesions and alterations of normal‐appearing white matter. Magn Reson Med 60:1396–1407, 2008. © 2008 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Recreational Program and Its Association with Job Satisfaction

This article conceptually discussed recreational program, job satisfaction, and the relationship between both of them, the importance of recreational program and leisure satisfaction. Hence, it is essential to the organization to ensure; “does the recreational program contribute to job satisfaction? ”, “Does the recreational program could achieve organizational objectives? ” and “what will be the contributions of running these programs? ” The discussion indicates that recreational programs are known in a wide variety of forms of programs, and many published reported on the job satisfaction and recreational programs. Besides that, many fields of studies have been carried out primarily in health industries; however, lack of studies in services industries. The positive linkage of recreational and job satisfaction, and recreational and leisure satisfaction need to be proven in future research.
Performance Analysis of Enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination in LTE-Advanced Heterogeneous Networks

The performance of enhanced Inter-Cell Interference Coordination (eICIC) for Long Term Evolution (LTE)- Advanced with co-channel deployment of both macro and pico is analyzed. The use of pico-cell Range Extension (RE) and time domain eICIC (TDM muting) is combined. The performance is evaluated in the downlink by means of extensive system level simulations that follow the 3GPP guidelines. The overall network performance is analyzed for different number of pico-eNBs, transmit power levels, User Equipment (UE) distributions, and packet schedulers. Recommended settings of the RE offset and TDM muting ratio in different scenarios are identified. The presented performance results and findings can serve as input to guidelines for co-channel deployment of macro and pico-eNBs with eICIC.
Determinants of the expected real long-term interest rates in the G 7-countries

The paper investigates which factors determine the expected real long-term interest rates of the G7-countries as a whole within a single equation error correction model. Inflationary expectations are generated using the low frequency component of inflation provided by the Hodrick-Prescott filter. A comparision of the calculated expected inflation rates with those resulting from index-linked and conventional UK bonds suggests this approach to be appropriate. Expected real long-term interest rates turn out to be influenced positively by real short-term interest rates, capacity utilization and structural public borrowing. JEL Classification: C22, E43
Service Quality Expectations: Exploring the Importance of SERVQUAL Dimensions from Different Nonprofit Constituent Groups

Given the multiplicity of “customers” in the nonprofit sector, the need for nonprofits to ensure that quality service delivery matches customer expectations is difficult yet paramount. Nonprofit organizations serve several constituent groups: the service recipient, donor, volunteer, and general public at large. While each constituent group may not be perceived as a customer in the general sense, each group is making quality assessments that may affect performance evaluations, donations, volunteerism, and brand equity decisions. Hypothesis support was found, distinguishing between the importance of the different SERVQUAL dimensions and the perspective roles played within the nonprofit scenarios. Respondents playing the role of volunteer rated Empathy and Assurance highest and Tangibles lowest. Respondents playing the role of donor rated Reliability and Tangibles highest and Empathy lowest. Respondents playing the role of recipients rated Empathy and Responsiveness highest and Tangibles lowest. Finally, respondents playing the role of volunteer rated Assurance and Reliability highest and Tangibles lowest.
Optimal Tuning of Two-Dimensional Keyboards

We give a new analysis of a tuning problem in music theory, pertaining specifically to the approximation of harmonics on a two-dimensional keyboard. We formulate the question as a linear programming problem on families of constraints and provide exact solutions for many new keyboard dimensions. We also show that an optimal tuning for harmonic approximation can be obtained for any keyboard of given width, provided sufficiently many rows of octaves.