Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Advanced nano CMOS using Ge/III–V semiconductors for low power logic LSIs

CMOS utilizing high mobility Ge/III-V channels on Si substrates is expected to be one of the promising devices for high performance and low power advanced LSIs in the future, because of the enhanced carrier transport properties. In addition, Tunneling-FET (TFET) using Ge/III-V materials are regarded as one of the most important steep slope devices for the ultra-low power applications. Thus, the establishment of the device/ process/integration technologies of Ge/III-V MOSFETs and TFETs for satisfying those device requirements is of the paramount importance. In this paper, we address channel, source/drain (S/D) and gate stack engineering for realizing these devices with emphasis on thin EOT and ultrathin body structures, which are mandatory in the future technology nodes.
DARE: Distance and Angle Retrieval Environment: A Tale of the Two Measures

This article presents a visualization tool for information retrieval. Some retrieval evaluation models are interpreted in the two-dimensional space comprising direction and distance. The two different similarity measures-angle and distance-are displayed in the visual space. A new retrieval means based on the visual retrieval tool, the controlling bar, is developed for a search.
Regression Modeling of Competing Risks Data Based on Pseudovalues of the Cumulative Incidence Function

Summary Typically, regression models for competing risks outcomes are based on proportional hazards models for the crude hazard rates. These estimates often do not agree with impressions drawn from plots of cumulative incidence functions for each level of a risk factor. We present a technique which models the cumulative incidence functions directly. The method is based on the pseudovalues from a jackknife statistic constructed from the cumulative incidence curve. These pseudovalues are used in a generalized estimating equation to obtain estimates of model parameters. We study the properties of this estimator and apply the technique to a study of the effect of alternative donors on relapse for patients given a bone marrow transplant for leukemia.
Operational complexity impact on quality and performance of electrical and electronics industry in Malaysia

The contingency view of Quality Management (QM) postulates that QM practices and performance does not always have a direct positive relationship but is contingent upon a third variable that might be moderating it. Despite various QM related publications in the literature, few empirical works were conducted with this view in mind. In this study, operational complexity has been identified as the new moderating variable that is affecting the relationship of QM practices and operational performance. This is based on distinct operational characteristics between original equipment manufacturer (OEM) and contract manufacturer (CM). This survey-based study was conducted in Malaysia’s Electrical and Electronics (E & E) manufacturing industry that contributes significantly to the economy and creation of jobs in the country. Data were obtained from 116 companies with a response rate of 17.8%, using company as unit of analysis. Partial Least Square Structural Equation Modelling (PLS-SEM) technique was applied to analyze the data. All three multidimension variables of QM practices, operational performance and operational complexity were modelled as second-order variables in PLS-SEM. Measurement model was validated using Confirmatory Factor Analysis (CFA) and proven to be reliable. Results of structural model reveal that operational complexity not only has a positive impact on operational performance but also indicate the higher the operational complexity, the stronger the relationship of QM practices and operational performance. There is no significant difference in the level of operational complexity for OEM and CM. The results also reveal that operational complexity is indeed a significant variable that needs more study. The findings imply that high operational complexity is associated with learning organisation and complexity absorption approach enhances QM implementation in organisational level. Meanwhile, low operational complexity is associated with complexity reduction approach and enhances QM implementation in process level. However, based on Complex Adaptive System (CAS), high operational complexity needs to be managed so as not to reach the threshold of a chaotic stage, which will affect performance. Hence, a web-based IT system has been proposed to manage operational complexity in a local CM that faces an increase in frequency of exchange of information with customers. This study contributes to knowledge in contingency view in QM and extended the application of PLS-SEM in operations management research. It provides insights for managers to cope with increasing operational complexity and to improve performance in the current dynamic business environment.
Altered Knee Joint Loading Pattern Following ACL Injury and Reconstruction during Turns

INTRODUCTION ACL reconstruction is often performed in order to restore knee joint stability [1]. However, reports in the literature suggest that reconstruction of an injured ACL does not significantly reduce the risk of knee OA [2]. Previously reported motion pattern differences between ACL-reconstructed (ACL-R) knees and healthy knees indicate that current ACL reconstruction surgeries may not fully restore the joint function [3]. Changes in motion pattern of the knee joint may alter joint loading conditions of ACL-R knees during daily activity. Abnormal motion and joint loading patterns are risk factors of premature OA onset and progression. Greater bilateral differences of knee joint loading during level walking between ACL-R and healthy (ACL-I) knees were reported [4]. Changing direction is a common daily movement which, in average, occurs twice in every ten steps for human daily living. In this study, bilateral differences of knee joint loading during two types of turn were examined for patients with unilateral ACL-R knees. We hypothesized that there were no significant differences in the bilateral kinetic symmetry during turn for ACL-R group after surgery and rehabilitation when compared with ACL-I.
Leaf and stem economics spectra drive diversity of functional plant traits in a dynamic global vegetation model

Functional diversity is critical for ecosystem dynamics, stability and productivity. However, dynamic global vegetation models (DGVMs) which are increasingly used to simulate ecosystem functions under global change, condense functional diversity to plant functional types (PFTs) with constant parameters. Here, we develop an individual‐ and trait‐based version of the DGVM LPJmL (Lund‐Potsdam‐Jena managed Land) called LPJmL‐ flexible individual traits (LPJmL‐FIT) with flexible individual traits) which we apply to generate plant trait maps for the Amazon basin. LPJmL‐FIT incorporates empirical ranges of five traits of tropical trees extracted from the TRY global plant trait database, namely specific leaf area (SLA), leaf longevity (LL), leaf nitrogen content (Narea), the maximum carboxylation rate of Rubisco per leaf area ( vcmaxarea ), and wood density (WD). To scale the individual growth performance of trees, the leaf traits are linked by trade‐offs based on the leaf economics spectrum, whereas wood density is linked to tree mortality. No preselection of growth strategies is taking place, because individuals with unique trait combinations are uniformly distributed at tree establishment. We validate the modeled trait distributions by empirical trait data and the modeled biomass by a remote sensing product along a climatic gradient. Including trait variability and trade‐offs successfully predicts natural trait distributions and achieves a more realistic representation of functional diversity at the local to regional scale. As sites of high climatic variability, the fringes of the Amazon promote trait divergence and the coexistence of multiple tree growth strategies, while lower plant trait diversity is found in the species‐rich center of the region with relatively low climatic variability. LPJmL‐FIT enables to test hypotheses on the effects of functional biodiversity on ecosystem functioning and to apply the DGVM to current challenges in ecosystem management from local to global scales, that is, deforestation and climate change effects.
Metal Ion Interpretation in Resurfacing versus Conventional Hip Arthroplasty and in Whole Blood versus Serum. How should we Interpret Metal Ion Data?

Metal ions generated from joint replacements are a cause for concern. There is no consensus on the best surrogate measure of metal ion exposure, and both serum and whole blood measurements are used in clinical practice. This study provides a guideline for interpretation of metal ion analysis in clinical practice. In a prospective trial comparing hip resurfacing (HR) with a conventional metal-on-metal (MoM) total hip arthroplasty (THA) cobalt and chromium levels were determined for whole blood and serum in 343 paired samples at regular intervals up to 24 months postoperatively. Cobalt whole blood and serum levels increased significantly after both procedures. Cobalt concentrations were significantly higher for the HR group compared to the THA group, at 3, 6 and 12 months, for whole blood and serum. At 24 months cobalt levels decreased and differences between HR and THA were no longer significant. In contrast, chromium whole blood levels remained significantly higher for HR until 24 months. Whole blood and serum levels could not be used interchangeably. The mean differences for cobalt and chromium between blood and serum values were +0.13 μg/L and –0.91 μg/L respectively. Regression analysis provided a formula for conversion from serum to blood of 0.34+[0.88*Co serum] for cobalt and 0.14+[0.58*Cr serum] for chromium, with an acceptable prediction error below ±1.0 μg/L. Cobalt and chromium levels were significantly higher for HR versus THA, especially during the run-in phase of one year. Overall, the metal ion levels were well below 5 μg/L. We cannot recommend the use of whole blood over serum measurements or vice versa. The provided conversion formula between whole blood and serum in combination with the presented practical guidelines may be useful for clinical practice.
Alternative Proteolytic Processing of Mouse Mammary Tumor Virus Superantigens

ABSTRACT Mouse mammary tumor viruses express a superantigen essential for their life cycle. It has been proposed that viral superantigens (vSags) require processing by prohormone convertases (PCs) for activity. We now observe, using a panel of mutant forms of potential PC cleavage sites and in vitro cleavage assays, that only the CS1 (position 68 to 71) and CS2 (position 169 to 172) sites are utilized by furin and PC5. Other members of the convertase family that are expressed in lymphocytes are not endowed with this activity. Furthermore, mutant forms of two different viral superantigens, vSag7 and vSag9, which completely abrogated in vitro processing by convertases, were efficient in functional presentation to responsive T-cell hybridomas. This effect was observed in both endogenous presentation and paracrine transfer of the vSag. Processing by convertases thus appears not to be essential for vSag function. Finally, we have identified the purified endosomal protease cathepsin L as another protease that is able to cleave convertase mutant vSag in vitro, yielding fragments similar to those detected in vivo, thus suggesting that proteases other than convertases are involved in the activation of vSags.
What is the minimum number of patients for quality control of lung cancer management in Norway?

There are few data available on the optimal number of lung cancer patients needed to generate and compare estimates of quality between units managing lung cancer. The number of lung cancer patients per management unit varies considerably in Norway, where there are 42 hospitals that treated between 1 and 454 lung cancer patients in 2011.
Sterilization of air filters for high pre-vacuum autoclaves

Experiments are described with glass fibre filter paper and complete glass filters as fitted to high pre-vacuum autoclaves to determine whether organisms can grow or penetrate through the filters. A filter consisting of four layers of glass fibre paper fitted inside a sterilizer chamber for a year and used for 96 sterilization cycles was found to have retained its initial efficiency.
Standardisation and Implementation of ICT in Swedish Elderly Care

The improvement of elderly care is a cross industry challenge. Our elderly need to be treated fairly but the allocated resources also need to be used efficiently. Technology has developed quickly over the last years and many industries has not adapted to the influx of new solutions and elderly care is one of these industries. Traditionally the elderly lived at home until they could not take care of themselves and then moved into a nursing home. The care delivered at the home where planned by the staff and the residents had little to say about their own care. With the every improving general health many decide to stay at home longer, and the care is implemented more on a case to case basis controlled by the residents themselves. This has led to new challenges within care where the need for a flexible and adaptable industry has formed. The National Board of Health and Welfare has surveyed the situation of the elderly over the last years and Gothenburg has fallen below average for some years. This led to the municipal board of Gothenburg to start an initiative in 2014 to improve elderly care in the region. Most of the improvements suggested involved standardisation, implementation of ICT and organisational changes which set the basis for this thesis. By interviewing relevant actors within the care sector and studying reports the author of this thesis has studied the outcomes of these initiatives. By comparing the results with relevant theory, the results have been analysed and a couple of recommendations has been formed. The replies from the interviews has been sorted in a few key areas where the author believe most of the problems can be identified and these aspects have been discussed in the last chapters. The main goal of the thesis is not to criticise the initiative rather to be a support to understand some factors that need to be addressed to successfully implement new solutions within elderly care.
The application of Facebook to crisis communication management : a case study of Malaysia airlines

Our world is being jolted more increasingly by news of crisis and chaos happening globally; from natural disasters to man-made catastrophes, political revolutions and terrorism to economic woes and corporate crisis all making the headlines. Technological innovations like the social media plays a huge role in crisis communication and management of these occurrences, and allows dialogue between the audience and those effected and affected by the occurrence. The advancement in the use of social media by organisations for their crisis communication has reformed the traditional way of crisis news reporting. Crisis communication now extends to the organisation communicating directly to their stakeholders using their social media handles, and getting response, engagement and feedback directly and simultaneously. The dynamic and transparent nature of social media communication has created a dialogue as opposed to the traditional media which had primary influence through court of public opinion. This thesis, using observation and content analysis methods, explores how Malaysian Airlines (MAS) managed their crises with the use of Facebook for their crisis communication strategy, by looking at the two fatal plane crashes they experienced in 2014. The analysis then extends to how their stakeholders through Facebook made sense of the crisis news and crisis response messages released by MAS. The findings indicate that Malaysia Airlines adopts and uses their social media channels as part of their crisis communication channel and also part of the organisation’s overall communication channel. Their social media channels during the crisis life cycle adopts and uses similar traditional crisis communication strategies in connecting with their stakeholders.
Control strategy of a high power grid simulator for the test of renewable energy grid converter

With the increasing penetration of renewable energy generations such as solar and wind power, negative impacts of the large-scale integration of renewable energy on the bulk grid cannot be ignored. Thus, grid integration testing of inverter-coupled renewable energy is essential. For this reason, a high power gird simulator capable of emulating various types of realistic grid conditions is needed for testing multi-MW converters. This paper proposed a novel 8MW grid simulator consisting of a fundamental generator (FG) and a harmonic generator (HG), which is compatible with the voltage level from 690V to 10kV and each phase is completely independent. The proposed simulator can emulate different kinds of grid disturbances, such as voltage fluctuation and unbalance, voltage sag and swell, sudden change of the frequency, voltage distortion, etc. Control strategy to achieve the required functions is described in details and validated through simulations. The obtained results demonstrate the flexibility of the proposed approach in controlling the output voltage of the grid simulator.
External memory algorithms for state space exploration in model checking and action planning

RAM is a scarce resource. Several real-world problems in model checking and action planning are beyond the reach of traditional RAM-based algorithms, due to the so-called state space explosion problem. This dissertation aims at designing a set of algorithms that mitigates the memory bottle-neck problem in model checking and planning, through a controlled and eﬃ-cient usage of secondary storage mediums, such as hard disks. We consider a broad variety of system models ranging from simple undirected and un-weighted state spaces to highly complex Markov decision processes (MDP). Path/cycle search problem in the case of deterministic state spaces and policy search problem in the case of MDPs are the focal points of this thesis. The state spaces, or the implicit graphs, are not provided beforehand, but are generated on-the-ﬂy through a set of initial states and a set of transformation rules. The proposed algorithms belong to the category of External Memory (EM) algorithms and are analyzed for their asymptotic I/O complexity. An EM guided search algorithm, called External A* (for being derived from the famous Best-First Search algorithm A*), is developed. External A* distinguishes itself from other external guided search approaches by being completely oblivious to the state space structure. Directed model checking has proved itself to be very eﬀective in delivering shorter error trails and in memory savings. We incorporate external search into automata-based LTL model checking of concurrent systems through an extended variant of External A*. Accepting cycle detection lies at the heart of LTL model checking. Due to the inherent diﬃculty in cycle search in large graphs, earlier disk-based approaches distanced themselves from taking care of the full LTL model checking. In this dissertation, two algorithms for accepting cycle detection are put forward: a blind search algorithm based on Breadth-First
Hyperoxia in lethal methemoglobinemia: Effects on oxygen transport, tissue oxygenation, and survival in pigs*

Background:Treatment of severe methemoglobinemia includes the avoidance of methemoglobin-inducing drugs, the application of methylene blue, and the administration of supplementary oxygen. However, the efficacy of the latter on oxygen transport, tissue oxygenation, and survival in the treatment of extreme methemoglobinemia is ambiguous. The objective was to assess whether using hyperoxic ventilation as the sole therapeutic intervention (i.e., ventilation with pure oxygen, Fio2 1.0) improves the short-term (6-hr) survival rate during otherwise lethal methemoglobinemia. Design:Prospective, randomized, controlled study. Setting:Experimental animal laboratory of a university hospital. Subjects:Fourteen anesthetized, mechanically ventilated pigs. Interventions:After induction of profound methemoglobinemia (60 ± 2%) by the injection of 15 mg/kg 4-dimethylaminophenol, artificial ventilation either was continued with room air (G 0.21, n = 7) or was changed over to hyperoxic ventilation (G 1.0, n = 7). A constant level of methemoglobinemia was maintained by continuous infusion of 4-dimethylaminophenol throughout a 6-hr follow-up period. Measurements and Main Results:All animals died within the 6-hr follow-up period, but survival time was prolonged in animals ventilated with pure oxygen (G 0.21, 105 ± 30 mins; G 1.0, 210 ± 64 mins, p < .05). No differences were encountered between G 0.21 and G 1.0 with respect to the investigated variables of macrohemodynamics, oxygen transport, and tissue oxygenation. Conclusions:Hyperoxic ventilation has negligible effects on oxygen transport and tissue oxygenation during lethal methemoglobinemia; nevertheless, survival was increased without severe adverse reactions provoked by hyperoxic ventilation.
Cloning and Characterization of Two Human VIP1-like Inositol Hexakisphosphate and Diphosphoinositol Pentakisphosphate Kinases*

Eukaryotes possess numerous inositol phosphate (IP) and diphosphoinositol phosphate (PP-IPs or inositol pyrophosphates) species that act as chemical codes important for intracellular signaling pathways. Production of IP and PP-IP molecules occurs through several classes of evolutionarily conserved inositol phosphate kinases. Here we report the characterization of a human inositol hexakisphosphate (IP6) and diphosphoinositol pentakisphosphate (PP-IP5 or IP7) kinase with similarity to the yeast enzyme Vip1, a recently identified IP6/IP7 kinase (Mulugu, S., Bai, W., Fridy, P. C., Bastidas, R. J., Otto, J. C., Dollins, D. E., Haystead, T. A., Ribeiro, A. A., and York, J. D. (2007) Science 316, 106–109). Recombinant human VIP1 exhibits in vitro IP6 and IP7 kinase activities and restores IP7 synthesis when expressed in mutant yeast. Expression of human VIP1 in HEK293T cells engineered to produce high levels of IP7 results in dramatic increases in bisdiphosphoinositol tetrakisphosphate (PP2-IP4 or IP8). Northern blot analysis indicates that human VIP1 is expressed in a variety of tissues and is enriched in skeletal muscle, heart, and brain. The subcellular distribution of tagged human VIP1 is indicative of a cytoplasmic non-membrane localization pattern. We also characterized human and mouse VIP2, an additional gene product with nearly 90% similarity to VIP1 in the kinase domain, and observed both IP6 and IP7 kinase activities. Our data demonstrate that human VIP1 and VIP2 function as IP6 and IP7 kinases that act along with the IP6K/Kcs1-class of kinases to convert IP6 to IP8 in mammalian cells, a process that has been found to occur in response to various stimuli and signaling events.