Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Mutual Coupling Optimization of Compact Microstrip Array Antenna

In this paper, we perfect the mutual coupling of compact microstrip array antenna by designing a new defected ground structure. When the resonant frequency is 2.45GHz, array element spacing is 0.1 times of free space wavelength, we introduce new defected ground structure into antenna array. Then we use HFSS to make simulation and compare the changing of antenna's parameters before and after adding defected ground structure. The results demonstrate that the parameters representing mutual coupling in new model can reduce by 30dB, which effectively perfects the mutual coupling of compact microstrip array antenna. PDF DOI: http://dx.doi. org/10.11591/ijeecs.v4. i3.pp538-541
A simple estimate of glomerular filtration rate in children derived from body length and plasma creatinine.

Based on statistical analysis of data in 186 children, a formula was derived which allows accurate estimation of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) from plasma creatinine and body lenght (GFR(ml/min/1.73 sq m) = 0.55 length (cm)/Per (mg/dl). Its application to clearance data in a separate group of 223 children reveals excellent agreement with GFR estimated by the Ccr (r = .935) or Cin (r = .905). This formula should be useful for adjusting dosages of drugs excreted by the kidney and detecting significant changes in renal function.
Levels of the Secreted Vibrio cholerae Attachment Factor GbpA Are Modulated by Quorum-Sensing-Induced Proteolysis

ABSTRACT Vibrio cholerae is the etiologic agent of cholera in humans. Intestinal colonization occurs in a stepwise fashion, initiating with attachment to the small intestinal epithelium. This attachment is followed by expression of the toxin-coregulated pilus, microcolony formation, and cholera toxin (CT) production. We have recently characterized a secreted attachment factor, GlcNAc binding protein A (GbpA), which functions in attachment to environmental chitin sources as well as to intestinal substrates. Studies have been initiated to define the regulatory network involved in GbpA induction. At low cell density, GbpA was detected in the culture supernatant of all wild-type (WT) strains examined. In contrast, at high cell density, GbpA was undetectable in strains that produce HapR, the central regulator of the cell density-dependent quorum-sensing system of V. cholerae. HapR represses the expression of genes encoding regulators involved in V. cholerae virulence and activates the expression of genes encoding the secreted proteases HapA and PrtV. We show here that GbpA is degraded by HapA and PrtV in a time-dependent fashion. Consistent with this, ΔhapA ΔprtV strains attach to chitin beads more efficiently than either the WT or a ΔhapA ΔprtV ΔgbpA strain. These results suggest a model in which GbpA levels fluctuate in concert with the bacterial production of proteases in response to quorum-sensing signals. This could provide a mechanism for GbpA-mediated attachment to, and detachment from, surfaces in response to environmental cues.
Identification of Aim2 as a Sensor for DNA Vaccines

Recent human study data have re-established the value of DNA vaccines, especially in priming high-level Ag-specific Ab responses, but also raised questions about the mechanisms responsible for such effects. Whereas previous reports have shown involvement of downstream signaling molecules in the innate immune system, the current study investigated the role of absent in melanoma 2 (Aim2) as a sensor for DNA vaccines. The Aim2 inflammasome directs maturation of the proinflammatory cytokines IL-1β and IL-18 and an inflammatory form of cell death called pyroptosis. Both the humoral and cellular Ag-specific adaptive responses were significantly reduced in Aim2-deficient mice in an IL-1β/IL-18–independent manner after DNA vaccination. Surprisingly, Aim2-deficient mice also exhibited significantly lower levels of IFN-α/β at the site of injection. These results indicate a previously unreported link between DNA vaccine–induced pyroptotic cell death and vaccine immunogenicity that is instrumental in shaping the Ag-specific immune response to DNA vaccines.
Type I, 5'-monodeiodinase activity in the lactating mammary gland.

Mammary homogenates from lactating, weaned, pregnant, and nonpregnant rats were analyzed for 5'-monodeiodinase activity (5'-MA). Only lactating glands exhibited significant enzyme activity. Competitive analysis showed that mammary 5'-MA is not inhibited by high (10 microM) concentrations of T4 or T3, but is highly sensitive to prophythiouracil (5 mM). Kinetic parameters demonstrate an acompetitive bisubstrate enzymatic mechanism known as the ping-pong type. The Km and maximum velocity for rT3 were 0.40 microM and 1.42 nmol/mg.min, respectively. These results provide the first evidence that 5'-MA is present in the lactating mammary gland and suggest that this enzymatic activity corresponds to type I enzyme.
Faculty Development in Communication Skills Instruction: Insights from a Longitudinal Program with “Real‐time Feedback”

Responsibility for teaching communication skills often falls to a multidisciplinary group of faculty who lack both a common model for teaching and prior experience teaching communication in small groups. This article describes East Tennessee State University's multifaceted faculty development program in teaching communication skills. The program was developed and implemented in three phases. First, a two-step Delphi approach helped identify core communication skills. Phase two gave faculty the opportunity to practice identifying communication teaching issues and effective strategies for working with small groups. The third phase involved the videotaping of faculty teaching small groups of students. These tapes were reviewed both individually and in faculty groups. The tapes were also reviewed by students, who provided realtime, moment-to-moment feedback to the faculty. Implementation and review of the program has helped to identify new strategies for effectively facilitating small-group teaching of communication skills.
Characterization of the Fur Regulon in Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000

ABSTRACT The plant pathogen Pseudomonas syringae pv. tomato DC3000 (DC3000) is found in a wide variety of environments and must monitor and respond to various environmental signals such as the availability of iron, an essential element for bacterial growth. An important regulator of iron homeostasis is Fur (ferric uptake regulator), and here we present the first study of the Fur regulon in DC3000. Using chromatin immunoprecipitation followed by massively parallel sequencing (ChIP-seq), 312 chromosomal regions were highly enriched by coimmunoprecipitation with a C-terminally tagged Fur protein. Integration of these data with previous microarray and global transcriptome analyses allowed us to expand the putative DC3000 Fur regulon to include genes both repressed and activated in the presence of bioavailable iron. Using nonradioactive DNase I footprinting, we confirmed Fur binding in 41 regions, including upstream of 11 iron-repressed genes and the iron-activated genes encoding two bacterioferritins (PSPTO_0653 and PSPTO_4160), a ParA protein (PSPTO_0855), and a two-component system (TCS) (PSPTO_3382 to PSPTO_3380).
The Epstein-Barr virus-encoded nuclear antigen EBNA-5 accumulates in PML-containing bodies

EBNA-5 is one of the Epstein-Barr virus (EBV)-encoded nuclear proteins required for immortalization of human B lymphocytes. In the nuclei of EBV-transformed lymphoblastoid cell lines EBNA-5 is preferentially targetted to distinct nuclear foci. Previously we have shown (W.Q. Jiang, L. Szekely, V. Wendel-Hansen, N. Ringertz, G. Klein, and A. Rosen, Exp. Cell Res. 197:314-318, 1991) that the same foci also contained the retinoblastoma (Rb) protein. Using a similar double immunofluorescence technique, we now show that these foci colocalize with nuclear bodies positive for PML, the promyelocytic leukemia-associated protein. Artificial spreading of the chromatin by exposure to the forces of fluid surface tension disrupts this colocalization gradually, suggesting that the bodies consist of at least two subcomponents. Heat shock or metabolic stress induced by high cell density leads to the release of EBNA-5 from the PML-positive nuclear bodies and induces it to translocate to the nucleoli. In addition to their presence in nuclear bodies, both proteins are occasionally present in nuclear aggregates and doughnut-like structures in which PML is concentrated in an outer shell. Nuclear bodies with prominent PML staining are seen in resting B lymphocytes. This staining pattern does not change upon EBV infection. In freshly infected cells EBNA-5 antigens are first distributed throughout the nucleoplasm. After a few days intensely staining foci develop. These foci coincide with PML-positive nuclear bodies. At a later stage and in established lymphoblastoid cell lines EBNA-5 is almost exclusively present in the PML-positive nuclear foci. The colocalization is restricted to EBV-infected human lymphoblasts. The data presented indicate that the distinct EBNA-5 foci are not newly formed structures but the result of translocation of the viral protein to a specialized domain present already in the nuclei of uninfected cells.
Using Allogeneic Bone Marrow Mesenchymal Stem Cells Prevents Tissue Damage in Collagen-Induced Arthritis

Objective. Mesenchymal stem cells (MSCs) are precursors of tissue of mesenchymal origin, but they also have the capacity to regulate the immune response by suppressing T and B lymphocyte proliferation in a non–major histocompatibility complex–restricted manner. Use of MSCs as immunosuppressant agents in autoimmune diseases has been proposed and successfully tested in animal models. We explored the feasibility of using allogeneic MSCs as therapy for collageninduced arthritis, a mouse model for human rheumatoid arthritis. Methods. DBA/1 mice were immunized with type II collagen in Freund’s complete adjuvant, and some of the animals received an intraperitoneal injection of allogeneic MSCs. Results. A single injection of MSCs prevented the occurrence of severe, irreversible damage to bone and cartilage. MSCs induced hyporesponsiveness of T lymphocytes as evidenced by a reduction in active proliferation, and modulated the expression of inflammatory cytokines. In particular, the serum concentration of tumor necrosis factor was significantly decreased. MSCs exerted their immunomodulatory function by educating antigen-specific Tregs. Conclusion. Our results suggest an effective new therapeutic approach to target the pathogenic mechanism of autoimmune arthritis using allogeneic MSCs. However, further studies are required before these results can be translated to clinical settings.
Chemokine networks in vivo: involvement of C-X-C and C-C chemokines in neutrophil extravasation in vivo in response to TNF-alpha.

In this study, we have evaluated the role of specific chemotactic cytokines in leukocyte recruitment to s.c. tissue in response to TNF-alpha in vivo. Injection of TNF-alpha into s.c. air pouches led to a rapid, transient accumulation of leukocytes. Maximal accumulation of leukocytes in the air pouch was observed at between 2 and 4 h after injection of TNF-alpha. The cellular exudate comprised predominantly neutrophils, with smaller numbers of eosinophils and mononuclear phagocytes also being recruited. However, lymphocyte recruitment was not observed. TNF-alpha injection induced a time-dependent increase in the levels of immunoreactive macrophage inflammatory protein (MIP)-2, MIP-1alpha, and JE in the pouch exudate as well as increased steady-state mRNA levels of KC, MIP-2, MIP-1alpha, and JE in the tissue lining the s.c. pouch and of MIP-2, MIP-1alpha, and JE in the exudate cell population. Passive immunization with specific Abs directed against each of these chemokines significantly inhibited the accumulation of neutrophils, mononuclear phagocytes, and eosinophils in response to TNF-alpha. Taken together, these data demonstrate the existence of a chemokine network in vivo involving at least four individual chemokines that regulates recruitment of the major peripheral blood granulocytes and mononuclear phagocytes to s.c. sites during acute inflammation. To our knowledge, these data are also the first demonstration that the C-C chemokine JE is involved in neutrophil recruitment in a physiologic system in vivo.
Optical tracking of contrast medium bolus to optimize bolus shape and timing in dynamic computed tomography

One of the biggest challenges in dynamic contrast-enhanced CT is the optimal synchronization of scan start and duration with contrast medium administration in order to optimize image contrast and to reduce the amount of contrast medium. We present a new optically based approach, which was developed to investigate and optimize bolus timing and shape. The time-concentration curve of an intravenously injected test bolus of a dye is measured in peripheral vessels with an optical sensor prior to the diagnostic CT scan. The curves can be used to assess bolus shapes as a function of injection protocols and to determine contrast medium arrival times. Preliminary results for phantom and animal experiments showed the expected linear behavior between dye concentration and absorption. The kinetics of the dye was compared to iodinated contrast medium and was found to be in good agreement. The contrast enhancement curves were reliably detected in three mice with individual bolus shapes and delay times of 2.1, 3.5 and 6.1 s, respectively. The optical sensor appears to be a promising approach to optimize injection protocols and contrast enhancement timing and is applicable to all modalities without implying any additional radiation dose. Clinical tests are still necessary.
Multistage list decoding of generalized Reed-Solomon codes over Galois rings

A two-stage list decoder for generalized Reed-Solomon codes over GR (p/sup l/,m) that can exceed the Guruswami-Sudan decoding radius t/sub GS/ with significant probability for p=2, l/spl ges/2 and m=1 was recently proposed. It makes a distinction between error values which are units and those which are zero divisors in order to exceed t/sub GS/. This letter presents an extension of that approach by exploiting the fact that each element of GR (p/sup l/,m) has a unique p-adic expansion, culminating in a multistage decoder that outperforms the two-stage decoder.
Multi chip stacking & reliability challenges using TSV-micro C4 solder interconnection for FCCSP TSV package

Through silicon via (TSV) is a three-dimensional packaging technology involving vertical chips stacking using metal-filled via holes and bumps. TSV stacked chip drastically reduces interconnect distance than conventional multi-stack wire bond silicon chips, enabling faster speeds, lower power consumption and smaller microelectronic package size for 22nm tech node and below. TSI (Thru Silicon Interposer) enables interconnect pitch matching between a high I/Os top chip and low cost organic substrate and is crucial in mitigating risks of low K layer delamination and provide additional routing capability to enable the use of low cost organic substrate. This paper demonstrate with aid from finite element analysis, the daunting processibility challenges and reliability performance for a 2 die and 4 die thin die stacking on a strip organic substrate using standard flip chip machines in a mass production scenario. Critical factors such as 1× versus 2× reflow process flow, material properties fundamentals, bill of material (BOM), substrate & package structure design and its influence on thermo-mechanical stress, package warpage and joint cracks in conjunction with process breakthrough to enable multiple die stacking, multi-gap flux cleaning and capillary underfilling will be discussed in great details. In addition, Micro C4 solder bumps joints with TiW/Cu/Ni under bumps metallization (UBM) and TiW/Cu/Ni/Au bond pad were shown to be reliable with integrity of the UBM with regards to IMC growth and solder diffusion up to 1000 thermal cycles. Establishment of all these fundamental capabilities is required to strengthen the low cost high volume production capability for thru silicon stacking (TSS).
Merging software architectures with conflicts detections

All software systems are built by teams of programmers working in parallel. In this context, software merging concerns the creation of a version of the system that integrates the concurrent changes. Such techniques have been widely used at the levels of programs and model-driven engineering. The objective of this paper is to show that this technique can be used at software architecture level, taking into account the advantages of the latter. More precisely, we represent software architecture by an internal form. This permits to capture all mapping and differences between components of software architectures, detect conflicts, and merge them in a new version if they are compatibles. Also this paper shows the applicability of this approach through an appropriate example.
Speaker normalization on conversational telephone speech

This paper reports on a simplified system for determining vocal tract normalization. Such normalization has led to significant gains in recognition accuracy by reducing variability among speakers and allowing the pooling of training data and the construction of sharper models. But standard methods for determining the warp scale have been extremely cumbersome, generally requiring multiple recognition passes. We present a new system for warp scale selection which uses a simple generic voiced speech model to rapidly select appropriate frequency scales. The selection is sufficiently streamlined that it can moved completely into the front-end processing. Using this system on a standard test of the Switchboard Corpus, we have achieved relative reductions in word error rates of 12% over unnormalized gender-independent models and 6% over our best unnormalized gender-dependent models.
Morphosyntax and Phonological Awareness in Children with Speech Sound Disorders

The goals of the current study were to examine concurrent and longitudinal relationships of expressive morphosyntax and phonological awareness in a group of children with speech sound disorders. Tests of phonological awareness were administered to 38 children at the end of their prekindergarten and kindergarten years. Speech samples were elicited and analyzed to obtain a set of expressive morphosyntax variables. Finite verb morphology and inflectional suffix use by prekindergarten children were found to predict significant unique variance in change in phonological awareness a year later. These results are consistent with previous research showing finite verb morphology to be a sensitive indicator of language impairment in English.
Using word-level ATPG and modular arithmetic constraint-solvingtechniques for assertion property checking

We present a new approach to checking assertion properties for register-transfer level (RTL) design verification. Our approach combines structural word-level automatic test pattern generation (ATPG) and modular arithmetic constraint-solving techniques to solve the constraints imposed by the target assertion property. Our word-level ATPG and implication technique not only solves the constraints on the control logic, but also propagates the logic implications to the datapath. A novel arithmetic constraint solver based on modular number system is then employed to solve the remaining constraints in datapath. The advantages of the new method are threefold. First, the decision-making process of the word-lever ATPG is confined to the selected control signals only. Therefore, the enumeration of enormous number of choices at the datapath signals is completely avoided. Second, our new implication translation techniques allow word-level logic implication being performed across the boundary of datapath and control logic and, therefore, efficiently cut down the ATPG search space. Third, our arithmetic constraint solver is based on modular instead of integral number systems. It can thus avoid the false-negative effect resulting from the bit-vector value modulation. A prototype system has been built that consists of an industrial front-end hardware description language (HDL) parser, a property-to-constraint converter, and the ATPG/arithmetic constraint-solving engine. The experimental results on some public benchmark and industrial circuits demonstrate the efficiency of our approach and its applicability to large industrial designs.
NMR based solvent exchange experiments to understand the conformational preference of intrinsically disordered proteins using FG‐nucleoporin peptide as a model

The conformational preference of a peptide with three phenylalanine‐glycine (FG) repeats from the intrinsically disordered domain of nucleoporin 159 (nup159) from the yeast nucleopore complex is studied. Conformational states of this FG‐peptide in dimethyl sulfoxide (DMSO), a non‐native solvent, are first studied. A solvent exchange scheme is designed and performed to understand how the conformational preferences of the peptide are altered as the solvent shifts from DMSO to water. An ensemble of structures of a 19‐residue peptide is determined based on 13Cα, 1Hα, and 1HN chemical shifts and with inter‐proton distances. An experimental model is then presented where chemical shifts and amide‐proton temperature dependence is probed at changing DMSO to water ratios. These co‐solvent experiments provide evidence of a conformational change as the fraction of water increases by the stark change in the behavior of amide protons under varied temperature. This investigation provides a NMR based experimental method in the field of intrinsically disordered proteins to realize conformational transitions from a non‐native set of structures (in DMSO) to a native set of disordered conformers (in water). © 2013 Wiley Periodicals, Inc. Biopolymers (Pept Sci) 102: 69–77, 2014.
A Doherty Amplifier With Modified Load Modulation Scheme Based on Load–Pull Data

We present the design and development of a Ka-band Doherty power amplifier (DPA) that achieves high efficiency at power backoff (PBO) using a new load modulation scheme and a proposed load–pull-based design technique. Using the proposed technique, the device size of the peaking amplifier and the impedance of the quarter-wavelength (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\lambda $ </tex-math></inline-formula>/4) inverter are properly chosen to achieve high power-added efficiency (PAE) at a specific PBO level. The DPA is fabricated in a 0.15-<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$\mu {\text{m}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula> gallium arsenide pseudomorphic high-electron mobility transistor enhancement mode process and achieves a measured small signal gain of 10.5 dB, output power at 1-dB compression point (<inline-formula> <tex-math notation="LaTeX">$P_{1\,{\text{dB}}}$ </tex-math></inline-formula>) of 27 dBm, and measured maximum PAE of 38%. The PAE at 6-dB PBO and 8-dB PBO are 32% and 28.5%, respectively. Furthermore, the PAE at 6-dB PBO maintains higher than 28.4% over a 1-GHz bandwidth from 29.25 to 30.25 GHz.
Cloning of cDNA Derived from mRNA of the Electric Lobe of Torpedo marmorata and Selection of Putative Cholinergic‐Specific Sequences

Abstract: With the aim of selecting cDNA sequences expressed in neurons utilizing exclusively cholinergic synaptic transmission, cDNA derived from Torpedo electric lobe was cloned and screened by hybridization with probes originating from another brain region known for its low content of cholinergic neurons (cerebellum) and a nonneuronal tissue (muscle). This method led to the isolation of 18 clones among 3, 200 showing no hybridization with probes other than those derived from electric lobe. These clones can therefore be considered to represent sequences involved in the expression of cholinergic function in neurons.