Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Characterization of mixed-signal properties of MOSFETs with high-k (SiON/HfSiON/TaN) gate stacks

The correlation between the stoichiometry of HfSiON gate dielectrics and mixed-signal properties of low-power MOSFETs is investigated. MOSFETs with gate length L down to 100 nm were fabricated in a conventional fabrication flow with a thermal budget of 1000/spl deg/C. The equivalent oxide thickness values of the gate stacks ranged from 12.0 to 14.4 /spl Aring/. The inversion thickness t/sub ox//sup inv/ ranged between 16.2 and 18.9 /spl Aring/. Accumulation leakage current density at V/sub g/=V/sub fb/-1 V ranged from 3.1/spl times/10/sup -3/ to 3.9/spl times/10/sup -2/ A/spl middot/cm/sup -2/, corresponding to a leakage reduction of around 1000 times compared with that of SiON/TaN. The inversion leakage current density at V/sub g/=V/sub t/+0.7 V was found to be between 0.18 and 0.66 A/spl middot/cm/sup -2/, i.e., 20 times lower than that of SiON/TaN. The threshold voltage instability (/spl Delta/V/sub t/) of the high-k gate stacks was found to be below 10 mV, corresponding to a (bulk) oxide trap density N/sub ot/<3/spl times/10/sup 10/ cm/sup -2/. Normalized input-referred gate noise spectra S/sub vg/ showed minor dependence on the Hf content of the gate dielectric. This is attributed to the fact that the main sources for the low-frequency (LF) 1/f noise are defects located at the interfaces rather than bulk defects in the gate dielectric. Moderate high- and low-field mobilities of 50%-70% of a SiON/TaN reference device were found in MOSFETs with Hf-based gate dielectric. Of the investigated layers, stoichiometric (55% Hf) and Hf-rich (70% Hf) silicates on SiO/sub 2/ interface show the best compromise in terms of gate leakage reduction, threshold voltage instability, LF noise, drive current, and analog voltage gain. For an HfSiON silicate dielectric layer with 70% Hf and SiO/sub 2/ interface, a low-field peak electron mobility /spl mu//sub eff/=148 cm/sup 2//V/spl middot/s, an oxide trap density N/sub ot/<1.4/spl times/10/sup 10/ cm/sup -2/, and a drive current I/sub ON/=459 /spl mu/A//spl mu/m at I/sub OFF/=9 pA//spl mu/m were found. The analog voltage gain A/sub v/ of a MOSFET with this gate dielectric and W/L=1/0.45 was found to be A/sub v/=121. To meet specifications for mixed-signal properties, optimization of dopant engineering along with tuning of the gate stack properties is required to improve the performance of high-k-based MOSFETs.
A Biomechanics‐Based Rupture Potential Index for Abdominal Aortic Aneurysm Risk Assessment

Abstract: Abdominal aortic aneurysms (AAAs) can typically remain stable until the strength of the aortic wall is unable to withstand the forces acting on it as a result of the luminal blood pressure, resulting in AAA rupture. The clinical treatment of AAA patients presents a dilemma for the surgeon: surgery should only be recommended when the risk of rupture of the AAA outweighs the risks associated with the interventional procedure. Since AAA rupture occurs when the stress acting on the wall exceeds its strength, the assessment of AAA rupture should include estimates of both wall stress and wall strength distributions. The present work details a method for noninvasively assessing the rupture potential of AAAs using patient‐specific estimations the rupture potential index (RPI) of the AAA, calculated as the ratio of locally acting wall stress to strength. The RPI was calculated for thirteen AAAs, which were broken up into ruptured (n= 8 and nonruptured (n= 5) groups. Differences in peak wall stress, minimum strength and maximum RPI were compared across groups. There were no statistical differences in the maximum transverse diameters (6.8 ± 0.3 cm vs. 6.1 ± 0.5 cm, p= 0.26) or peak wall stress (46.0 ± 4.3 vs. 49.9 ± 4.0 N/cm2, p= 0.62) between groups. There was a significant decrease in minimum wall strength for ruptured AAA (81.2 ± 3.9 and 108.3 ± 10.2 N/cm2, p= 0.045). While the differences in RPI values (ruptured = 0.48 ± 0.05 vs. nonruptured = 0.36 ± 0.03, respectively; p= 0.10) did not reach statistical significance, the p‐value for the peak RPI comparison was lower than that for both the maximum diameter (p= 0.26) and peak wall stress (p= 0.62) comparisons. This result suggests that the peak RPI may be better able to identify those AAAs at high risk of rupture than maximum diameter or peak wall stress alone. The clinical relevance of this method for rupture assessment has yet to be validated, however, its success could aid clinicians in decision making and AAA patient management.
Current evidence for the management of rheumatoid arthritis with glucocorticoids: a systematic literature review informing the EULAR recommendations for the management of rheumatoid arthritis

Glucocorticoids (GCs) rapidly reduce disease activity in early and advanced rheumatoid arthritis (RA). This systematic review on behalf of the task force on recommendations for the management of RA addresses the efficacy of GCs in RA. A literature search was performed in Medline, Embase, the Cochrane database, and the ACR/EULAR abstracts 2007 and 2008 on a set of questions relating to the use of GCs in RA. Eleven publications (including three Cochrane reviews comprising 33 trials) that met the criteria for detailed assessment were found. Robust evidence that GCs are effective as bridging therapy was obtained. The addition of GCs, to either standard synthetic disease-modifying antirheumatic drug (DMARD) monotherapy or combinations of synthetic DMARDs, yields clinical benefits and inhibition of radiographic progression that may extend over many years. In early RA, the addition of low-dose GCs (<7.5 mg/day) to DMARDs leads to a reduction in radiographic progression; in longstanding RA, GCs (up to 15 mg/day) improve disease activity. There is some evidence that appropriate timing of GC administration may result in less morning stiffness. Only indirect information was found on the best tapering strategy, supporting the general view that GCs should be tapered slowly in order to avoid clinical relapses. GCs are effective in relieving signs and symptoms and inhibiting radiographic progression, either as monotherapy or in combination with synthetic DMARD monotherapy or combination therapy.
Variegated silencing through epigenetic modifications of a large Xq region in a case of balanced X;2 translocation with Incontinentia Pigmenti-like phenotype

Molecular mechanisms underlying aberrant phenotypes in balanced X;autosome translocations are scarcely understood. We report the case of a de novo reciprocal balanced translocation X;2(q23;q33) presenting phenotypic alterations highly suggestive of Incontinentia Pigmenti (IP) syndrome, a genodermatosis with abnormal skin pigmentation and neurological failure, segregating as X-linked dominant disorder. Through molecular studies, we demonstrated that the altered phenotype could not be ascribed to chromosome microdeletions or to XIST-mediated inactivation of Xq24-qter. Interestingly, we found that the Xq24-qter region, which translocated downstream of the heterochromatic band 2q34, undergoes epigenetic silencing mediated by DNA methylation and histone alterations. Among the downregulated genes, we found the inhibitor of kappa light polypeptide gene enhancer in B cells, kinase gamma (IKBKG/NEMO), the causative gene of IP. We hypothesize that a mosaic functional nullisomy of the translocated genes, through a Position Effect Variegation-like heterochromatization, might be responsible for the proband’s phenotypic anomalies. Partial silencing of IKBKG may be responsible for the skin anomalies observed, thereby mimicking the IP pathological condition. In addition to its clinical relevance, this paper addresses fundamental issues related to the chromatin status and nuclear localization of a human euchromatic region translocated proximally to heterochromatin. In conclusion, the study provides new insight into long-range gene silencing mechanisms and their direct impact in human disease.
Social learning and teenage drug use: an analysis of family dyads.

This analysis of drug use in family dyads draws upon data from a series of nationwide studies in which interviews were conducted separately with teenagers and with older members of their families, i.e., their mothers, fathers, and older siblings. The interview schedule for these studies examines each individual's personal experience with a broad range of psychoactive substances. Thus, to the extent that behavioral similarities do occur in family dyads, "same drug links" can be compared to "cross drug links," providing a basis for differentiating evidence of direct imitation from less specific patterns of behavioral similarity. The theoretical implications of these findings are discussed.
Random albumin/creatinine ratio for quantification of proteinuria in manifest pre‐eclampsia

Sir, In their recent article, Wikström et al.1 found a poor correlation between a random albumin/creatinine ratio taken at some periods of the day and 24-hour urine albumin excretion. They used the ‘24-hour collection’ as the ‘gold standard’; however, they did not mention how they validated that it was a true 24-hour collection. At the ‘15th World Congress of the International Society for the Study of Hypertension in Pregnancy’, in July 2–5, 2006, at Lisbon, Côté et al.2 concluded: ‘the accuracy of (routine) 24hr urine collections was <50% when using urinary creatinine excretion to estimate completeness. Although considered the gold standard for quantification of proteinuria in hypertensive disorder of pregnancy (HDP), 24hr urine collection has several disadvantages, and is prone to collection error. Alternative methods to quantify proteinuria, such as the spot protein/ creatinine ratio, merit further consideration to quantify proteinuria in HDP’. In contrast to the results of Wikström et al., in our recent study of 75 women with hypertension (38 women with pre-eclampsia and 37 with transient or chronic hypertension), we found a strong correlation between the protein/ creatinine ratio at any time of the day and 24-hour proteinuria.3 In order to determine that the 24-hour urine collections were complete, we assayed creatinine, and 24-hour urine collections with <600 mg creatinine were discarded.
Photo-Sensitivity Enhancement of ${\rm HfO}_{2}$-Based MOS Photodiode With Specific Perimeter Dependency Due to Edge Fringing Field Effect

On account of edge fringing field effect, deep depletion would happen and charge collection would be largely enhanced at edge. Hafnia (HfO2)/SiO2-stacked metal-oxide-semiconductor photodiode is proposed and perceived by analyzing the photocurrents with various elongated edge perimeter. This structure of HfO2/SiO2 exhibits an enhanced edge charge collection characteristic that could be applied to generate the considerable photocurrent in magnitude. Higher tunneling probability in the deeper depletion region at edge makes explicitly larger portion of current, pass through this area due to edge fringing field effect. Under illumination, photo-excited charge collection would be largely enhanced at the edge. Moreover, responsivity R and photosensitivity Ps, which were evaluative figures for photo-electrical applications, were examined and discussed. The slope \mmbκ of photo-current versus irradiance curves reaches to 1.59 which is feasible for image sensor. These results are attributed to the enhanced edge-deep depletion absorption of light due to edge-fringing field effect.
Treatment with Anti-LFA-1 Delays the CD8+ Cytotoxic-T-Lymphocyte Response and Viral Clearance in Mice with Primary Respiratory Syncytial Virus Infection

ABSTRACT Cytotoxic T lymphocytes (CTLs) play an important role in the immune response against respiratory syncytial virus (RSV) infection. The cell surface molecule lymphocyte function-associated antigen 1 (LFA-1) is an important contributor to CTL activation, CTL-mediated direct cell lysis, and lymphocyte migration. In an attempt to determine the role of LFA-1 during RSV infection, we treated BALB/c mice with monoclonal antibodies to LFA-1 at days −1, +1, and +4 relative to primary RSV infection. Anti-LFA-1 treatment during primary RSV infection led to reduced illness and delayed clearance of virus-infected cells. CTLs from RSV-infected mice that were treated with anti-LFA-1 exhibited diminished cytolytic activity and reduced gamma interferon production. In addition, studies with BrdU (5-bromo-2′-deoxyuridine)- and CFSE [5-(and 6)-carboxyfluorescein diacetate succinimidyl ester]-labeled lymphocytes showed that anti-LFA-1 treatment led to delayed proliferation during RSV infection. These results indicate that LFA-1 plays a critical role in the initiation of the immune response to RSV infection by facilitating CTL activation. These results may prove useful in the development of new therapies to combat RSV infection or other inflammatory diseases.
Production of peptide antibiotics by Bacillus sp. GU 057 indigenously isolated from saline soil

A total of 112 soil samples were taken from differents areas of district D.I. Khan and Kohat (KPK) Pakistan and screened for production of antibiotics against the Micrococcus luteus and Staphylococcus aureus. Widest zone of inhibition (18mm) was produced by microorganism isolated from saline soil. The strain was later identified as Bacillus GU057 by standard biochemical assays. Maximum activity (18mm inhibition zone) was observed against Staphylococcus aureus after 48 hours of incubation at pH 8 and 4% concentration of glucose. The antibiotic was identified by autobiography as bacitracin. The Bacillus strain GU057 was confirmed as good peptide antibiotic producer and can effectively be indulged as biocontrol agent.
Draft Genome Sequence of the Oleaginous Yeast Cryptococcus albidus var. albidus

ABSTRACT We report the complete draft genome sequence of Cryptococcus albidus var. albidus, an oleaginous yeast, which can utilize various organic carbon sources for lipid synthesis. Availability of this genome will help elucidate factors driving lipid accumulation in C. albidus and contribute toward bioprocess development and optimization for engineered lipid production.
Unconventional Computing Using Memristive Nanodevices: From Digital Computing to Brain-like Neuromorphic Accelerator. (Calcul non conventionnel avec des nanocomposants memristifs : du calcul numérique auxaccélérateurs neuromorphiques)

By 2020, there will be 50 to 100 billion devices connected to the Internet. Two domains of hot research to address these high demands of data processing are the Internet of Things (IoT) and Big Data. The demands of these new applications are increasing faster than the development of new hardware particularly because of the slowdown of Moore’s law. The main reason of the ineffectiveness of the processing speed is the memory wall or Von Neumann bottleneck which is comming from speed differences between the processor and the memory. Therefore, a new fast and power-efficient hardware architecture is needed to respond to those huge demands of data processing. In this thesis, we introduce novel high performance architectures for next generation computing using emerging nanotechnologies such as memristors. We have studied unconventional computing methods both in the digital and the analog domains. However, the main focus and contribution is in Spiking Neural Network (SNN) or neuromorphic analog computing. In the first part of this dissertation, we review the memristive devices proposed in the literature and study their applicability in a hardware crossbar digital architecture. At the end of part I, we review the Neuromorphic and SNN architecture. The second part of the thesis contains the main contribution which is the development of a Neural Network Scalable Spiking Simulator (N2S3) suitable for the hardware implementation of neuromorphic computation, the introduction of a novel synapse box which aims at better learning in SNN platforms, a parameter exploration to improve performance of memristor-based SNN, and finally a study of the application of deep learning in SNN.
Effect of Cyclosporin A on Cell Adhesion Molecules and Leukocyte-Endothelial Cell Interactions in Experimental Colitis

Background:Cyclosporin A (CsA) is an immunosuppressive agent that is believed to act primarily through effects on T-helper lymphocyte function and proliferation. The aim of this study was to investigate whether modulation of leukocyte recruitment and expression of cell adhesion molecules contribute to the therapeutic efficacy of CsA in a model of experimental colitis. Methods:The therapeutic effects of CsA were assessed in mice with dextran sulfate sodium–induced colitis. Leukocyte-endothelial cell interactions were determined in colonic venules by intravital microscopy. The expression of cell adhesion molecules intercellular adhesion molecule 1 (ICAM-1), vascular cell adhesion molecule 1 (VCAM-1), and mucosal addressin cell adhesion molecule 1 (MAd-CAM-1) was measured by the radiolabeled antibody technique. Results:Treatment with CsA (4 mg/kg/day) significantly improved the clinical course of colitis, decreasing weight loss, diarrhea, rectal bleeding, disease activity index, colon weight, and colonic shortening. Microscopic damage score, myeloperoxidase activity, tumor necrosis factor alpha (TNF-&agr;), and interleukin-6 in colonic tissue were significantly diminished by CsA. CsA also significantly reduced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1, but not MAdCAM-1, expression in colitic mice. TNF-&agr;–induced ICAM-1 and VCAM-1 expression in primary cultures of human umbilical vein endothelial cells was reduced by co-incubation with CsA. The reduction in adhesion molecule expression was followed by a marked decrease in leukocyte adhesion in colonic venules of colitic mice. Conclusions:CsA ameliorates experimental colitis in mice. Reduced adhesion molecule expression resulting from diminished pro-inflammatory cytokine production and from a direct effect of CsA in endothelial cells decreases leukocyte recruitment into the inflamed intestine, contributing to this protective effect.
Assignment1 of the inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatase type I gene (INPP4A) to human chromosome band 2q11.2 by in situ hybridization

Inositol polyphosphate 4-phosphatases (4ptases) catalyze the hydrolysis of the 4-position phosphate of phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate, a lipid second messenger generated by phosphoinositide 3-kinases (PI-3 kinases). The cDNA of two 4ptases have been cloned (4ptase type I and II) that encode proteins with 37% amino acid identity (Norris et al., 1995; 1997b). 4ptase I has been implicated in the regulation of PI 3-kinasemediated signal transduction in human platelets. The stimulation of human platelets results in the inactivation of 4ptase I by calpain-mediated proteolysis which correlates with the calcium-dependent accumulation of phosphatidylinositol 3,4-bisphosphate (Norris et al., 1997a). In addition, 4ptase I has been shown to co-immunoprecipitate with the p85 subunit of PI 3kinase from human platelets (Munday et al., 1999). Here we report the localization of the human gene for 4ptase I, INPP4A, to chromosome 2q11.2 by fluorescence in situ hybridization.
POMDP Framework for Building an Intelligent Tutoring System

When an intelligent tutoring system (ITS) teaches its human student on a turn-by-turn base, the teaching can be modelled by a Markov decision process (MDP), in which the agent chooses an action, for example, an answer to a student question, depending on the state it is in. Since states may not be completely observable in a teaching process, partially observable Markov decision process (POMDP) may offer a better technique for building ITSs. In our research, we create a POMDP framework for ITSs. In the framework, the agent chooses answers to student questions based on belief states when it is uncertain about the states. In this paper, we present the definition of physical states, reduction of a possibly exponential state space into a manageable size, modelling of a teaching strategy by an agent policy, application of the policy tree method for solving a POMDP, and online teaching strategy improvement. We also describe an experimental system implementing the framework, some initial experimental results, and result analysis.
Features of the choriocapillaris in myopic maculopathy identified by optical coherence tomography angiography

Aim To describe the choriocapillaris features imaged by optical coherence tomography angiography (OCTA) in eyes with myopic maculopathy. Methods In this retrospective, non-invasive, observational case series, 26 eyes with myopic maculopathy and 12 age-matched healthy eyes underwent fluorescein angiography, indocyanine green angiography (ICGA) (highly myopic eyes only), OCT and OCTA, and the choriocapillaris features seen on OCTA and ICGA were compared. Results In all five (19%) eyes with patchy atrophy of the 26 highly myopic eyes, OCTA showed complete loss of the choriocapillaris and large choroidal vessels in the atrophic area. In nine (35%) eyes with diffuse atrophy in the atrophic area, OCTA showed low-density choriocapillaris in all eyes and medium and large choroidal vessels in seven (78%) eyes. In 23 eyes (88%) with lacquer cracks, OCTA showed partial loss of the choriocapillaris in 22 (96%) eyes in the area of the lacquer cracks. OCTA could not visualise the full length of the lacquer cracks in any eyes compared with ICGA. Conclusions OCTA visualised the choriocapillaris clearly. The choriocapillaris features differed depending to the category of myopic maculopathy. In eyes with lacquer cracks, choriocapillaris rupture might be less advanced than the breaks in Bruch's membrane and retinal pigment epithelium.
A review of the influence of long-term patterns in research and technological development (R&D) formalisation on university-industry links

Interest has been growing in the study of the role played by university-industry links in the development and strengthening of economic systems. It is commonly agreed that universityindustry links play a crucial role in the economy, and many studies have examined the factors that influence their occurrence. Two sets of factors can be identified from these studies: demand-side factors (i.e. relating to industry) and supply-side factors (i.e. relating to universities). This paper reviews the literature covering these issues, concentrating on the influence of long-term patterns in RD O32
Purchasing factor concentrates in the 21st century through competitive tendering

The increasing intensity of treatment, the widespread adoption of factor VIII and IX prophylaxis and increasing usage over the past decade have led to haemophilia becoming an almost uniquely expensive condition to treat. The average adult with severe haemophilia A in the UK used 250 000 IU of factor VIII in 2011/2012, at a cost in excess of £100 000 p.a. The cost to the end‐user may be considerably higher than this for some US patients supplied by home care companies with high on‐costs. This has led to a high level of administrative scrutiny of treatment and an imperative to procure clotting factor concentrates more efficiently and collectively. National procurement schemes have run successfully in various countries and will become commoner. The UK system of procurement is described. This system, following EU procurement rules, evaluated products technically and by price. The price of bioequivalent products was determined by reverse e‐auction. Considerable cost reductions were achieved whilst retaining all suppliers and maintaining a degree of prescribing freedom. Elements of this system could be more widely applied.