Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
A 3rd-order delta-sigma modulator with timing-sharing opamp-sharing technique

This paper proposes a 3rd-order low-distortion delta-sigma modulator (DSM) structure, which uses the timing-sharing technique between the 2nd and 3rd integrators during one clock phase. Further, since the operation phase of the 1st integrator is different to those of the 2nd and 3rd integrators, the three integrators are realized in just single opamp by the opamp sharing. Therefore, the power consumption can be reduced greatly. Besides, the proposed DSM structure poses the feature of relaxed feedback timing. The quantization and DEM operation can be extended from a non-overlapping interval for a conventional low-distortion structure to half of the clock period. The proposed 3rd-order 4-bit DSM is implemented in a 90-nm CMOS process. Post-layout simulation shows that the modulator achieves 75.1-dB SNDR with 2.5-MHz input signal bandwidth and 80-MHz sampling frequency. The power consumption is only 1.42 mW with 61.1-fJ/conversion-step FOM, and the core area is 683 × 592 μm2.
An improved etching process used for the fabrication of submicron Nb/AlO/sub x//Nb Josephson junctions

It is important to develop a reliable and reproducible fabrication process of submicron Nb/AlO/sub x//Nb Josephson junctions to improve the integration level and the operating speed of the Josephson LSI circuit. For this purpose, we have developed an improved etching process by introducing a dummy etching process and using a scanning electron microscope (SEM) as an etching end-point detector. The dummy etching process improves the anisotropy of a reactive ion etching (RIE) process using CF/sub 4/. The etching residue around a junction is detected easily and correctly by the SEM observation. We have successfully fabricated Nb/AlO/sub x//Nb Josephson junctions with critical current density of 10/sup 4/ A/cm/sup 2/ using the cross-line patterning (CLIP) method and electron beam lithography, where the junction size was varied from 2 /spl mu/m to 0.5 /spl mu/m at 0.1 /spl mu/m intervals. High-quality submicron junctions for integrated circuits with suitable critical current variations were obtained. <<ETX>>
The effects of superimposed electrical stimulation of the quadriceps muscles on performance in different motor tasks.

BACKGROUND Some examples are presented to show how superimposed electrical stimulation of muscles during maximum voluntary effort can be used to enable subjects to achieve greater joint torque, rate of joint torque development, and the joint angular velocity as when performing only voluntarily with maximum effort. METHODS PARTICIPANTS Ten students of physical education not involved into a regular sport training participated the study. INTERVENTIONS The subjects performed isometric and concentric knee extensions and squat jumps, without and with superimposed electrical stimulation of the quadriceps muscles. MEASURES A knee torque and angular displacement were observed during isometric and concentric knee extension. During the jumping, a vertical component of the ground reaction force was measured. RESULTS Results showed that the maximal knee torque, as well as a torque rise, were higher in isometric knee extension trials with superimposed electrical stimulation. The same was observed in concentric knee extensions, where greater knee torque during superimposed electrical stimulation also resulted in higher angular velocity and a more extended knee at the end of the movement. In squat jumps, the application of the superimposed electrical stimulation resulted in poorer performance. CONCLUSIONS It was concluded that superimposed electrical stimulation was effective in some simple motor tasks, but not in more complex tasks where a co-ordination of multiple muscles of different groups was necessary for improved performance.
Rapid urinary iodide test.

Assessment of iodine deficiency and monitoring of iodine supplementation programs demand rapid, simple, and cost-effective methods for the determination of urinary iodide concentrations. We propose a semiquantitative rapid test, based on the iodide-catalyzed oxidation of 3,3',5,5'-tetramethylbenzidine by peracetic acid/H2O2, to yield colored products. The color of the chemical reaction is compared with color categories of a pictogram corresponding to three ranges: <100, 100-300, and >300 microg/L (<0.79, 0.79-2.36, and >2.36 micromol/L) of iodide concentrations. The test is very easy to perform and does not require any instrumentation or apparatus. Sample preparation is simple and consists of the removal of interfering substances by disposable columns, 65 x 10.5 mm, packed with purified activated charcoal. For comparison with a reference method for measuring urinary iodide, by high-performance liquid chromatography, we determined the iodide concentrations of 370 random (untimed) urine samples from consecutive patients by both high-performance liquid chromatography and the rapid test. The results obtained by both methods are in close agreement, with respect to classification of the samples according to the above three ranges, with a maximum difference of less than 5% for each range. Median (y) values of a given distribution of urinary iodide concentrations can be calculated from the percent (x) of samples below 100 microg/L (0.79 micromol/L) using the regression equation: y = 179.78 - 1.60x. This rapid test, therefore, is suited to epidemiological surveys of iodine deficiency, especially in developing countries.
Association Between Topiramate and Zonisamide Use During Pregnancy and Low Birth Weight

OBJECTIVE: To assess the possible effects of topiramate and zonisamide use during pregnancy on fetal growth. METHODS: The study population was the singleton liveborns born to women who enrolled in the North American Antiepileptic Drug Pregnancy Registry between 1997 and 2012. Data were collected through telephone interviews at enrollment, 7 months of gestation, and postpartum. The prevalence of small for gestational age at birth among neonates exposed to topiramate and to zonisamide when either was used as monotherapy during pregnancy was compared with that among neonates exposed to lamotrigine monotherapy, a weight-neutral therapy, and the most common antiepileptic drug in the Registry. Relative risks (RRs) and 95% confidence intervals (CIs) were estimated with multivariable log-binomial regression to control for potential confounders. RESULTS: Data were available for 347 topiramate, 98 zonisamide, and 1,581 lamotrigine-exposed neonates. The mean gestational length was 39 weeks for all comparison groups. Prenatal exposure to topiramate or zonisamide was associated with a mean lower birth weight of 221 and 202 g, respectively, and a mean lesser neonatal length of 1 cm as compared with lamotrigine exposure (p<.01). The prevalence of small for gestational age was 6.8% for lamotrigine, 17.9% for topiramate (RR 2.4, 95% CI 1.8–3.3) and 12.2% for zonisamide (RR 1.6, 0.9–2.8). Similar results were found when a group of 457 unexposed neonates was used as the reference. CONCLUSIONS: Topiramate and zonisamide have been shown to reduce weight in adults. Our finding of a decrease in mean birth weight and length among neonates exposed in utero raises concern. LEVEL OF EVIDENCE: II
Both Subunits of ADP-Glucose Pyrophosphorylase Are Regulatory1

The allosteric enzyme ADP-Glc pyrophosphorylase (AGPase) catalyzes the synthesis of ADP-Glc, a rate-limiting step in starch synthesis. Plant AGPases are heterotetramers, most of which are activated by 3-phosphoglyceric acid (3-PGA) and inhibited by phosphate. The objectives of these studies were to test a hypothesis concerning the relative roles of the two subunits and to identify regions in the subunits important in allosteric regulation. We exploited an Escherichia coli expression system and mosaic AGPases composed of potato (Solanum tuberosum) tuber and maize (Zea mays) endosperm subunit fragments to pursue this objective. Whereas potato and maize subunits have long been separated by speciation and evolution, they are sufficiently similar to form active mosaic enzymes. Potato tuber and maize endosperm AGPases exhibit radically different allosteric properties. Hence, comparing the kinetic properties of the mosaics to those of the maize endosperm and potato tuber AGPases has enabled us to identify regions important in regulation. The data herein conclusively show that both subunits are involved in the allosteric regulation of AGPase. Alterations in the small subunit condition drastically different allosteric properties. In addition, extent of 3-PGA activation and extent of 3-PGA affinity were found to be separate entities, mapping to different regions in both subunits.
Patternable atmospheric-pressure plasma jets with gas discharge in microfluidic channel array

Application of `small area' plasma has become important for bio/medical applications. In this study, a novel device to create patternable atmospheric-pressure plasma-jet array is newly proposed, and the evaluation results of the fabricated devices are reported for the first time. The array device is fabricated by bonding a PDMS microchannel layer and a glass wafer. Discharge electrodes for plasma creation are fabricated by Au/Cr layers. Since the discharge starting voltages strongly depends on shapes and the gap of two electrodes, they were designed and selected based on the Paschen's law to lower their discharge starting voltages. Micro plasma jet array are created by multi-channel gas discharges individually in microfluidic channels on a chip, and a 2.54mm spatial resolution of plasma-jet was obtained in the first fabricated device.
An automated approach to network features of protein structure ensembles

Network theory applied to protein structures provides insights into numerous problems of biological relevance. The explosion in structural data available from PDB and simulations establishes a need to introduce a standalone‐efficient program that assembles network concepts/parameters under one hood in an automated manner. Herein, we discuss the development/application of an exhaustive, user‐friendly, standalone program package named PSN‐Ensemble, which can handle structural ensembles generated through molecular dynamics (MD) simulation/NMR studies or from multiple X‐ray structures. The novelty in network construction lies in the explicit consideration of side‐chain interactions among amino acids. The program evaluates network parameters dealing with topological organization and long‐range allosteric communication. The introduction of a flexible weighing scheme in terms of residue pairwise cross‐correlation/interaction energy in PSN‐Ensemble brings in dynamical/chemical knowledge into the network representation. Also, the results are mapped on a graphical display of the structure, allowing an easy access of network analysis to a general biological community. The potential of PSN‐Ensemble toward examining structural ensemble is exemplified using MD trajectories of an ubiquitin‐conjugating enzyme (UbcH5b). Furthermore, insights derived from network parameters evaluated using PSN‐Ensemble for single‐static structures of active/inactive states of β2‐adrenergic receptor and the ternary tRNA complexes of tyrosyl tRNA synthetases (from organisms across kingdoms) are discussed. PSN‐Ensemble is freely available from http://vishgraph.mbu. iisc.ernet. in/PSN‐Ensemble/psn_index. html.
Envelope Variable Region 4 Is the First Target of Neutralizing Antibodies in Early Simian Immunodeficiency Virus mac251 Infection of Rhesus Monkeys

ABSTRACT A major goal of AIDS vaccine development is to design vaccination strategies that can elicit broad and potent protective antibodies. The initial viral targets of neutralizing antibodies (NAbs) early after human or simian immunodeficiency virus (HIV/SIV) infection are not known. The identification of early NAb epitopes that induce protective immunity or retard the progression of disease is important for AIDS vaccine development. The aim of this study was to determine the Env residues targeted by early SIV NAbs and to assess the influence of prior vaccination on neutralizing antibody kinetics and specificity during early infection. We previously described stereotypic env sequence variations in SIVmac251-infected rhesus monkeys that resulted in viral escape from NAbs. Here, we defined the early viral targets of neutralization and determined whether the ability of serum antibody from infected monkeys to neutralize SIV was altered in the setting of prior vaccination. To localize the viral determinants recognized by early NAbs, a panel of mutant pseudoviruses was assessed in a TZM-bl reporter gene neutralization assay to define the precise changes that eliminate recognition by SIV Env-specific NAbs in 16 rhesus monkeys. Changing R420 to G or R424 to Q in V4 of Env resulted in the loss of recognition by NAbs in vaccinated monkeys. In contrast, mutations in the V1 region of Env did not alter the NAb profile. These findings indicate that early NAbs are directed toward SIVmac251 Env V4 but not the V1 region, and that this env vaccination regimen did not alter the kinetics or the breadth of NAbs during early infection.
The Endogenous Lectin Cerebellar Soluble Lectin and Its Ligands in Central Nervous System Myelin of Myelin‐Deficient (mld) Mutant Mice

Abstract: The myelin‐deficient (mld) mutation is an autosomal recessive mutation in the murine CNS exhibiting severe hypomyelination. The primary defect results in a drastic reduction of myelin basic protein synthesis caused by a duplication of the myelin basic protein gene with partial inversion of the upstream gene copy. The severe deficit of myelin basic protein is responsible for the absence of the major dense line but cannot explain the heterogeneity of myelin compaction found in mid. We have tested the hypothesis that the endogenous cerebellar soluble lectin (CSL) and/or its endogenous glycoprotein ligands could be involved in myelin abnormalities in the dysmyelinating mutant, mld. Immunocytochemical and immunoblotting techniques showed that the CSL level was not reduced significantly in the mld mutant. Furthermore, two ligands of CSL, the myelin‐associated glycoprotein and an axonal glycoprotein, with a relative molecular mass of 31 kDa, were not decreased in level in the purified myelin fraction isolated from mld mice. In contrast, three minor glycoprotein ligands of CSL of relative molecular mass of 23, 18, and 16 kDa were greatly reduced in content. The reduced concentration of these low‐molecular‐mass glycoproteins in mld myelin suggests that they are constituents of compact myelin. Furthermore, the observation that CSL is specifically localized in vivo in regions where mld myelin is more compact and absent from regions devoid of myelin compaction may suggest that the endogenous CSL lectin, as well as its minor glycoprotein ligands, plays a role in the stabilization of the myelin sheath.
Short androgen receptor poly‐glutamine‐promoted endometrial cancer is associated with benzo[a]pyrene‐mediated aryl hydrocarbon receptor activation

The androgen receptor (AR) poly‐glutamine polymorphism (AR‐Q) was reported to play role in endometrial cancer (EMCA) development, yet controversial. Environmental factors interact with genetic variation have been reported in EMCA. Aerosol toxins, polycyclic aromatic hydrocarbon benzo[a]pyrene (BaP), are EMCA facilitators. This report examined the interplay between AR‐Qs and BaP in EMCA. During analysing patient AR‐Q polymorphism and Aryl hydrocarbon Receptor (AhR) expressions, we found overall survival (OS) benefit is ascending with AR‐Q lengths (5‐year OS of 61.3% in Q length <20 and 88% in Q length >23). And AhR is higher expressed in short AR‐Q tumour compared to that in long AR‐Q patient. In vitro study found androgen‐response element (ARE) activity descends with AR‐Qs length (Q13 > Q25 > Q35), whereas BaP suppresses ARE activities in EMCA cells. Furthermore, AR‐Q13 (but not AR‐Q25, or ‐35) enhances BaP‐induced dioxin‐responsive element (DRE) activity. Lastly, AR‐Q13 exerts higher colony‐forming capacity than other AR‐Qs, and knock‐down AhR abolished AR‐Q13‐mediated colony numbers. This study demonstrated a possible interaction of gene (AR‐Q polymorphism) and environmental toxins (e.g. BaP) to affect cancer progression. A large‐scale epidemiology and public health survey on the interaction of environmental toxin and AR poly‐Q in EMCA is suggested.
Mitigating Use-After-Free Attack with Application Program Loader

In the area of software security, use-after-free vulnerabilities have been reported since 2006. When the target vulnerable application is run, the attack exploits a dangling pointer after the heap memory is released. Until today, use-after-free attacks have been frequently reported in popular software such as browsers. This is a serious software security problem because a use-after-free attack allows an attacker to execute an arbitrary code to hijack an application control flow or to force a system crash. Some countermeasures have been proposed to thwart such attacks. However, most of these countermeasures have some problems such as the necessity of a source code or the problem of dependency. In this paper, we propose and evaluate the implementation of an application-level program loader to mitigate the use-after-free attack.
SenseNet: 3D Objects Database and Tactile Simulator

The majority of artificial intelligence research, as it relates from which to biological senses has been focused on vision. The recent explosion of machine learning and in particular, dee p learning, can be partially attributed to the release of high quality data sets for algorithm s from which to model the world on. Thus, most of these datasets are comprised of images. We believe that focusing on sensorimotor systems and tactile feedback will create algorithms that better mimic human intelligence. Here we present SenseNet: a collection of tactile simulators and a large scale dataset of 3D objects for manipulation. SenseNet was created for the purpose of researching and training Artificial Intelligences (AIs) to interact with the environment via sensorimotor neural systems and tactile feedback. We aim to accelerate that same explosion in image processing, but for the domain of tactile feedback and sensorimotor research. We hope that SenseNet can offer researchers in both the machine learning and computational neuroscience communities brand new opportunities and avenues to explore.
Antibiotic use in relation to the risk of breast cancer

CONTEXT Use of antibiotics may be associated with risk of breast cancer through effects on immune function, inflammation, and metabolism of estrogen and phytochemicals; however, clinical data on the association between antibiotic use and risk of breast cancer are sparse. OBJECTIVE To examine the association between use of antibiotics and risk of breast cancer. DESIGN, SETTING, AND PARTICIPANTS Case-control study among 2266 women older than 19 years with primary, invasive breast cancer (cases) enrolled in a large, nonprofit health plan for at least 1 year between January 1, 1993, and June 30, 2001, and 7953 randomly selected female health plan members (controls), frequency-matched to cases on age and length of enrollment. Cases were ascertained from the Surveillance, Epidemiology, and End Results cancer registry. Antibiotic use was ascertained from computerized pharmacy records. MAIN OUTCOME MEASURE Association between extent of antibiotic use and risk of breast cancer. RESULTS Increasing cumulative days of antibiotic use were associated with increased risk of incident breast cancer, adjusted for age and length of enrollment. For categories of increasing use (0, 1-50, 51-100, 101-500, 501-1000, and > or =1001 days), odds ratios (95% confidence intervals) for breast cancer were 1.00 (reference), 1.45 (1.24-1.69), 1.53 (1.28-1.83), 1.68 (1.42-2.00), 2.14 (1.60-2.88), and 2.07 (1.48-2.89) (P<.001 for trend). Increased risk was observed in all antibiotic classes studied and in a subanalysis having breast cancer fatality as the outcome. Among women with the highest levels of tetracycline or macrolide use, risk of breast cancer was not elevated in those using these antibiotics exclusively for acne or rosacea (indications that could be risk factors for breast cancer due to altered hormone levels), compared with those using them exclusively for respiratory tract infections, adjusted for age and length of enrollment (odds ratio, 0.91; 95% confidence interval, 0.44-1.87). CONCLUSIONS Use of antibiotics is associated with increased risk of incident and fatal breast cancer. It cannot be determined from this study whether antibiotic use is causally related to breast cancer, or whether indication for use, overall weakened immune function, or other factors are pertinent underlying exposures. Although further studies are needed, these findings reinforce the need for prudent long-term use of antibiotics.
Formulation Development, Physicochemical Characterization and In Vitro-In Vivo Drug Release of Vaginal Films.

PURPOSE The purpose of this study was formulation and optimization of vaginal film formulation containing abacavir (ABC), a potent nucleoside reverse transcriptase inhibitor. METHODS Vaginal films were prepared by solvent evaporation method using hydroxypropyl methylcellulose (HPMC) blended with polyvinyl pyrrolidone (PVP). Various physicochemical parameters of the prepared films such as drug content, thickness, tensile strength, percentage elongation at break, drug polymer interaction, swelling capacity, folding endurance, bio-adhesion, pH, and moisture content were evaluated with morphological studies. In vitro release study and in vivo release study were also performed. RESULTS Films exhibited favorable physicochemical properties. The in vitro study showed that HPMC-PVP combination can control the release of abacavir through vaginal films with higher amount of PVP in the formulation resulting in an enhanced drug release rate. During the in vivo study in rabbits, systemic absorption of the drug was noted and the films remained intact for long in vagina without causing any sort of irritations. CONCLUSION Thus, in a nutshell, the findings of our experimental work indicate that such films can be considered as a novel drug carrier system for the treatment of AIDS and other sexually transmitted diseases (STDs), and are suitable for local as well as systemic effects.
Coexistence of Multiple Partition Plan Based Physical Database Design

Big Data has brought great challenges to traditional DBMS. Nearly all the Big Data management systems choose to handle Big Data by partitioning it according to some specific attributes and distributing the partitioned data in cluster. However, when data relationships and query requirements are exceedingly complex, it is difficult to decide which attributes should be chosen to partition data, because a data table can only be partitioned in exactly one specific way while different query requirements may need different partition plans which are in conflicts with each other. In the same time, replication is a common approach to obtain high fault tolerance. Consequently, it is a reasonable way to improve system performance by using multiple replicas to resolve partition conflicts. ; AB@In this paper we analyzed the reasons of contradictions and presented a method to identify and resolve them. Our method first classifies queries into different categories by their requirements, and then uses partition algorithm to search the optimal partition plan for each query category. By introducing a two-tier server architecture, we could make more effective use of these replicas. TPC-E and TPC-H are chosen to evaluate our method, the evaluation results demonstrate that our method could improve system performance by up to 4x over single partition plan method.