Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Influence of the Thermal Treatment During the Saw Damage Etching Process on the Mechanical Stability of Multicrystalline Silicon Wafers

The influence of the thermal treatment during the saw damage etching process on the mechanical stability of multicrystalline silicon wafers has been investigated for four different alkaline saw damage etching procedures. After the different etching procedures the mechanical stabilities of the multicrystalline wafers have been measured using the concentric ring test and the four-point-bending test. The experimental results are compared to those obtained by numerical simulations
HDL and its Role in Cardiovascular Disease : A Primary Care Perspective

Lipid profiles are a part of the routine blood work ordered by many family physicians. For decades, manipulation of lipid levels has been a central theme in the effort to decrease the impact of cardiovascular disease. In particular, the high density lipoprotein (HDL) fraction has been the subject of much research and controversy. In the 1960’s, strong epidemiological evidence demonstrated an inverse relationship between HDL and the risk of cardiovascular disease. This paper sought to examine the risk reduction of such events by therapeutically targeting HDL with niacin, fibrates or the cholesteryl ester transfer protein (CETP) inhibitors. A literature search yielded 5 relevant articles which were then critically analyzed. Results demonstrated no benefit of increasing HDL with niacin, gemfibrozil, bezafibrate or fenofibratein those patients already treated with statins. However, patients not on statins were found to have a decreased risk of non-fatal MI with niacin and fibrate use. Niacin also reduced the incidence of strokes. Despite disappointing phase three trials with the CETP inhibitors, torcetrapib and dalcetrapib, trials for anacetrapib and evacetrapib are ongoing. *Corresponding author Seema Jain, Department of Family Medicine, Queens University, Kingston, Ontario, Canada, Email: seema. jain@dfm.queensu. ca
Gender or Commu nity : What Drives STEM I nterest Among Middle School Students ?

Much attention has been given to increasing women’s and girls’ interest and participation in STEM fields. One way of increasing STEM interest is to target STEM-gender stereotypes by presenting students with female stereotypedisconfirming exemplars. However, the exemplar approach has had mixed effectiveness in adolescent populations. The present study examined middle school students’ interest in STEM fields and their communal goal interest. Participants were given different interventions that either presented a female exemplar of a scientist or leveraged communal goals. Results found no gender differences in STEM interest, but a correlation between communal goal endorsement and a belief that STEM careers are compatible with communal goals. The intervention that leveraged communal goals effectively increased STEM interest for some students, while the exemplar interventions were ineffective. These findings suggest that with regard to STEM interest in early adolescence, endorsement of communal goals may be a more influential factor than gender category membership.
Effect of a fixed-dose opioid agonist/antagonist on constipation in patients on long-term opioids for non-malignant pain unable to tolerate laxatives.

BACKGROUND Chronic pain affects a large number of patients throughout the world and impacts greatly on their quality of life, including the ability of a patient to sleep, go to work, and socialize. Guidance on the use of opioids in chronic pain patients is available from the British Pain Society; however, patients receiving opioid treatment for their pain often suffer from symptoms associated with opioid-induced bowel dysfunction (OIBD), including constipation. The usual treatment of constipation in these patients is laxatives; however, one study has shown that 54% of patients do not receive the desired results from this approach. Oxycodone/naloxone tablets have been shown to provide analgesia to chronic pain patients, while improving the symptoms of OIBD, as the naloxone component blocks the effects of oxycodone at opioid receptors in the gut. OBJECTIVES The objective of the present study was to assess improvements in quality of life and bowel function in patients receiving oxycodone/naloxone tablets for their chronic non-malignant pain. STUDY DESIGN This was a 12-week observational follow-up study that included 28 outpatients with chronic non-malignant pain attending the Pain Clinic at St. Bartholomew's Hospital in London. All patients had recently been prescribed oxycodone/naloxone tablets as treatment for their pain. METHODS Patients were assessed at baseline, week 1, week 4, and week 12 for functioning and well-being using the Patient Assessment of Constipation Quality of Life questionnaire (PAC-QOL), and for bowel function using the Bowel Function Index (BFI). RESULTS Mean PAC-QOL scores, as well as scores for each of the subscales (worries and concerns, physical discomfort, psychosocial discomfort, and satisfaction) significantly improved from baseline to week 12. Mean BFI scores significantly decreased from baseline to all time-points during the study. Subscale analysis of the BFI scores showed that mean scores for ease of defecation and judgment regarding constipation had significantly decreased at week 12; however, mean scores for feeling of incomplete bowel evacuation had not. LIMITATIONS The results of the current study should be interpreted in relation to the study design. However, the results are consistent with previous studies that included a comparator group, had a longer duration of treatment, and included larger patient numbers. CONCLUSIONS The results of this study indicate that patients receiving oxycodone/naloxone tablets achieved statistically and clinically significant improvements in bowel function as well as quality of life after 12 weeks of treatment.
Preface of special issue: advanced topics on wireless sensor networks

The recent advancement of wireless sensor networks (WSNs) technologies and practices is one of the major roles to the evolution and enrichment of human life with the advent of the next generation convergence network environments. A variety of usages and paradigms for WSNs is a growing interest in the design, development, and deployment of sensor systems for applications with other emerging technologies such as RFID Technology, Multimedia Based Surveillance System, Biomedical Technology, Mobile Agent based Networks, P2P technology and Business Process, and others. With rapid increases in applications, new architecture and techniques are required to support WSNs. Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd.
Positivity of topological field theories in dimension at least 5

In this paper we answer a question of Mike Freedman, regarding the efficiency of positive topological field theories as invariants of smooth manifolds in dimensions greater than 4. We show that simply connected closed 5‐manifolds can be distinguished by such invariants. Using Barden's classification, this follows from our result which says that homology groups and the vanishing of cohomology operations with finite coefficients are detected by positive topological field theories. Moreover, we prove that in the non‐simply connected case, as well as in all dimensions d>5, the universal manifold pairing (and in particular, d‐dimensional positive topological field theories) are not sufficient to distinguish compact d‐manifolds with boundary S3 × Sn, n > 1, and S4k−1, k > 1. The latter case is equivalent to the same statement for closed 4k‐manifolds.
Ultrasonic phytosanitation of pinewood nematode infected wood

Pinewood nematode (Bursaphelenchus xylophilus) mortality was investigated after ultrasonic treatment at 20 and 40 kHz frequency. Experiments were conducted with infected small wood specimens that were ultrasonically treated for 1, 3, 5 and 7 hours and two variable temperature conditions, namely, a gradually increasing from ambient to a maximum of 70oC and a decreasing from ambient to a minimum of 5oC. The results revealed that the ultrasonic treatment itself had no significant effect on the nematode mortality at the 5oC level, while at the 70oC level, considerable nematode mortality was observed in short time periods and at 7 hours of sonic exposure it reached 100%. Therefore, certain combinations of timing and frequency of ultrasonic waves and produced heat can be effective in killing pinewood nematodes thus resulting in phytosanitized wood.
Mutational analysis of protein folding inside the ribosome exit tunnel

Recent work has demonstrated that cotranslational folding of proteins or protein domains in, or in the immediate vicinity of, the ribosome exit tunnel generates a pulling force on the nascent polypeptide chain that can be detected using a so‐called translational arrest peptide (AP) engineered into the nascent chain as a force sensor. Here, we show that AP‐based force measurements combined with systematic Ala and Trp scans of a zinc‐finger domain that folds in the exit tunnel can be used to identify the residues that are critical for intraribosomal folding. Our results suggest a general approach to characterize the folded state(s) that may form as a protein domain moves progressively down the ribosome exit tunnel.
The herpes simplex virus immediate-early protein ICP0 affects transcription from the viral genome and infected-cell survival in the absence of ICP4 and ICP27

ICP4, ICP0, and ICP27 are the immediate-early (IE) regulatory proteins of herpes simplex virus that have the greatest effect on viral gene expression and growth. Comparative analysis of viral mutants defective in various subsets of these IE genes should help elucidate how these proteins affect cellular and viral processes. This study focuses on the mutant d97, which is defective for the genes encoding ICP4, ICP0, and ICP27 and expresses the bacterial beta-galactosidase (beta-gal) gene from the ICP0 promoter. Together with the d92 virus (ICP4- ICP27-) and the ICP0-complementing cell line L7, d97 provided a unique opportunity to evaluate ICP0 function in the absence of the regulatory activities specified by ICP4 and ICP27. The pattern of protein synthesis in d97-infected cells was unique relative to other IE gene mutants in that it was similar to that seen in the absence of prior viral protein synthesis, possibly approximating the effect of cellular factors and virion components alone. Inactivation of ICP0 in the absence of ICP4 produced a significant decrease in the levels of the early mRNAs ICP6 and thymidine kinase (tk). There was also a marginal reduction in the levels of the IE ICP22 mRNA, and this was most notable at low multiplicity of infection (MOI). In d97-infected L7 cells, the levels of the viral mRNAs were mostly restored to those observed in infections with d92. Nuclear runoff transcription analysis demonstrated that the presence of ICP0 resulted in an increase in the transcription rates of the analyzed genes. The transcription rates of the early genes were dramatically reduced in the absence of ICP0. At low MOI, the transcription rates of ICP6 and tk were comparable to the rate of transcription of a cellular gene. Relevant to the potential use of d97 as a transfer vector, it was also determined that the absence of ICP0 reduced the cellular toxicity of the virus compared to that of d92. The beta-gal transgene expressed from an IE promoter was detected for up to 14 days postinfection; however, the level of beta-gal expression declined dramatically after 1 day postinfection. In the presence of ICP0, the level of expression of beta-gal was increased; however the infected monolayer was destroyed by 3 days postinfection. Therefore, deletion of ICP0 in the absence of ICP4 and ICP27 reduces toxicity and lowers the level of expression of genes from the viral genome.
Modeling, programming and performance analysis of automotive environment map representations on embedded GPUs

Future Advanced Driver Assistance Systems (ADAS) require the continuous computation of detailed maps of the vehicle's environment. Due to the high demand of accuracy and the enormous amount of data to be fused and processed, common architectures used today, like single-core processors in automotive Electronic Control Units (ECUs), do not provide enough computing power. Here, emerging embedded multi-core architectures are appealing such as embedded Graphics Processing Units (GPUs). In this paper, we (a) identify and analyze common subalgorithms of ADAS algorithms for computing environment maps, such as interval maps, for suitability to be parallelized and run on embedded GPUs. From this analysis, (b) performance models are derived on achievable speedups with respect to sequential single-core CPU implementations. (c) As a third contribution of this paper, these performance models are validated by presenting and comparing a novel parallelized interval map GPU implementation against a parallel occupancy grid map implementation. For both types of environment maps, implementations on an Nvidia Tegra K1 prototype are compared to verify the correctness of the introduced performance models. Finally, the achievable speedups with respect to a single-core CPU solution are reported. These range from 3x to 275x for interval and grid map computations.
Preoperative staging of esophageal cancer: comparison of endoscopic US and dynamic CT.

Fifty patients with esophageal cancer proved by means of biopsy underwent preoperative staging with endoscopic ultrasonography (US); in 42 of the patients, dynamic CT of the chest and abdomen was also performed. All results were compared with the findings at pathologic examination of resected specimens. In staging the depth of tumor growth, endoscopic US was significantly more accurate (46 of 50 tumors [92%]) than CT (25 of 42 tumors [60%]) (P less than .0003). In staging regional lymph nodes, it was more accurate (44 of 50 patients [88%]) than CT (31 of 42 patients [74%]), but this was not statistically significant. In staging distant metastases, however, CT was more accurate (38 of 42 patients [90%]) than endoscopic US (35 of 50 patients [70%]) (P less than .016). The highest concordance with surgical and pathologic findings in overall stage (36 of 42 tumors [86%]) occurred with the combined use of CT and endoscopic US, which was significantly more accurate than use of CT alone (27 of 42 tumors [64%]) (P less than .008).
Subject dependent feature extraction method for motor imagery based BCI using multivariate empirical mode decomposition

Extracting efficient features is an important stage in Brain Computer Interface (BCI). In motor imagery (MI) based BCI, features that characterize ERS/ERD phenomenon could favor the discriminant of different kinds of MI tasks. Common Spatial Pattern (CSP), a spatial filtering method which is often used in MI-EEG feature extraction, shows outstanding performance due to its effectiveness in maximizing the difference of variance between each class. But one of the shortcomings of CSP is that performance is greatly affected by the frequency of the signal, because the variances can be used to discriminate each class only by processing those task related frequency bands. However, individual differences existed in EEG is an obstacle for CSP. Although MI related frequency bands focus on mu and beta rhythms, for every subject, the distinguishing bands could be different. In this paper, a novel feature extraction method (Subject Dependent Multivariate Empirical Mode Decomposition, SD-MEMD) for MI based BCI is proposed, it utilizes MEMD algorithm to decompose the multi-channel EEG into a set of Intrinsic Mode Functions (IMFs), each IMF represents an inherent oscillation mode of the raw signal. Then an enhanced EEG is re-constructed after a careful selection of the task related IMF subset. Classification accuracy for right hand and left hand MI tasks is improved by 5.76% on our dataset.
Pre-school children's use of the articles in definite and indefinite referring expressions

ABSTRACT Three experiments investigated the ability of children aged 2; 2–4; 10 to use identifying expressions to introduce new referents and the definite article to refer to already introduced referents. The results suggest that young children initially master the nominative use of a, but that from the age of 3 they have mastered the non-egocentric use of the definite article. On first mention their referring expressions are predominantly indefinite, and on second mention definite. The results are discussed in relation to previous studies, and the questions of suitable adult controls and ‘appropriateness’ of article usage are also considered.
Active and reactive power control strategies for electric vehicles in smart grids

Electric vehicles (EV) can be used as distributed energy storage devices to provide to the smart grid different regulation services. However, to have enough impact in the grid, the trend is to jointly manage a set of EV by means of a new stakeholder called aggregator. Knowing the availability, mobility habits, and the state of charge (SOC) of each EV battery, the aggregator performs the allocation of an active and/or reactive set-point to each EV within a time slot. This paper aims to propose reference charger currents for each EV from the individual set-point received by an aggregator. Control strategies for bidirectional active power control are compared under ideal and distorted source conditions. Besides, to contribute to reactive power support and voltage control in the bus where the set of EVs are connected, a reactive control strategy is proposed and validated by simulation. The proposed control strategies are applied to a Mode 2 single-phase EV battery charger connected to a single-phase grid. Simulation tests have been conducted using different control strategies and active/reactive set-points provided by the aggregator.
A subset of neurons controls the permeability of the peritrophic matrix and midgut structure in Drosophila adults

ABSTRACT The metazoan gut performs multiple physiological functions, including digestion and absorption of nutrients, and also serves as a physical and chemical barrier against ingested pathogens and abrasive particles. Maintenance of these functions and structures is partly controlled by the nervous system, yet the precise roles and mechanisms of the neural control of gut integrity remain to be clarified in Drosophila. Here, we screened for GAL4 enhancer-trap strains and labeled a specific subsets of neurons, using Kir2.1 to inhibit their activity. We identified an NP3253 line that is susceptible to oral infection by Gram-negative bacteria. The subset of neurons driven by the NP3253 line includes some of the enteric neurons innervating the anterior midgut, and these flies have a disorganized proventricular structure with high permeability of the peritrophic matrix and epithelial barrier. The findings of the present study indicate that neural control is crucial for maintaining the barrier function of the gut, and provide a route for genetic dissection of the complex brain–gut axis in adults of the model organism Drosophila. Summary: Neuronal activity of a subset of neurons is required to maintain the organized proventricular structure and physical barriers of the peritrophic matrix and epithelia in Drosophila gut.
Blessings: The Influence of a Spirituality‐Based Intervention on Psychospiritual Outcomes in a Cardiac Population

Cardiovascular disease affects an individual's body, mind, and spirit. The multidimensional impact of heart disease requires holistic care that includes the spiritual dimension for patients to achieve optimal healing and recovery. This pretest, posttest repeated-measures quasi-experimental study sought to examine the influence of a spiritual intervention on psychospiritual outcomes in a cardiac population.
RESPONSE OF LUNG NK1.1-POSITIVE NATURAL KILLER CELLS TO EXPERIMENTAL SEPSIS IN MICE

Natural killer cells (NKC) participate in the initiation of the immune response and coordination between innate and adaptive immune mechanisms. Their role in systemic inflammation induced by trauma or infection (sepsis) is still controversial. In the present study, lung NKC and their response to experimental sepsis were investigated. Mice were subjected to cecal ligation and puncture (CLP) to induce sepsis and acute lung injury (ALI). Animals were sacrificed 1, 4, and 7 days postoperatively, and lung histopathology, pulmonary vascular permeability, and inflammatory cells accumulation were assessed. On day 4, parameters of ALI were most prominent, and lung NK1.1+CD3− cells were isolated and studied by flow cytometry. Although CLP did not change the absolute number of lung NKC (2.47 ± 0.52 × 105/lung compared with 2.97 ± 0.27 x105/lung in the sham group), the peak of the CLP-induced ALI was associated with severe dysfunction of lung NKC. Cell cytotoxicity decreased to 25.1 ± 2.4% (P = 0.002), and percentage of perforin-positive NKC to 2.7 ± 0.5% (P = 0.03). Cytokine profile of lung NK1.1+CD3− cells was prominently changed. The percentage of IFN-γ−positive cells decreased to 19.7 ± 5.7% (P = 0.047), but TNF-α−positive cells grew to 26.7 ± 3.3% (P = 0.02). In summary, severe CLP-induced dysfunction of lung NK1.1+CD3− cells was demonstrated. This may influence the outcome of the animals during sepsis and acute lung damage.
A supervised learning method using duality in the artificial neuron model

あらまし 階層型のニューラルネットワークにおいて,外部から見えない隠れ層に対し教師あり学習を行う方 法として一般的に誤差逆伝播法が用いられている. しかし,この方法を適用するためにはニューロンモデルの出 力関数が微分可能でなければならない. 本論文では隠れ層ニューロンに対して教師あり学習を行うための方法と して,出力層ニューロンに存在する結合重みの学習則と双対性を利用して隠れ層ニューロンに対する教師信号を 計算する手法を提案する. この手法はニューロンモデルに双対性が存在すれば適用できるため,出力層,隠れ層 ニューロンが微分可能である必要はない. 誤差逆伝播法が適用できない場合の例として出力関数がステップ関数 であるニューロンで構成されるパーセプトロンに対して本手法を適用し,ネットワーク全体に対する学習則を得 ることが出来た. また実際に XOR 問題を学習させたところ,シグモイド関数を出力関数とするニューロンで構 成されるパーセプトロンに対する誤差逆伝播法と同等の学習成功率を得ることができた. キーワード 双対性,ニューラルネットワーク,学習則,教師あり学習,パーセプトロン,XOR 問題
Automatic detection of clouds in multispectral images subjected to interchannel parallax

The present paper considers a multistage algorithm of the automatic detection and segmentation of clouds on images of the Earth surface acquired by scanners performing multi-temporary imagery in different spectral bands. High reliability of the cloud detection is reached by taking into account a stereoscopic effect becoming apparent in the mutual shift of cloud bounds. At the first stage all white color objects are selected. At the second stage selected objects are filtered by the parallax criterion. Such multistage approach allows increasing the algorithm performance. The paper contains evaluations of the cloud segmentation reliability and algorithm performance.
Comparison of H.264/AVC and MPEG-4 ASP coding techniques designed for mobile applications using objective quality assessment methods

Due to its exceptional efficiency and performance a number of today's global organizations and alliances recognized and embraced new and constantly developed H.264/A VC compression method designed for a broad range of video applications. This article describes advantages of H.264/AVC in mobile communication systems with limited bandwidth. Due to very efficient compression method H.264/AVC enables and provides transport of high quality video on low data rates. In order to demonstrate these abilities we made a comparison of H.264/AVC coding technique with MPEG-4 ASP (advanced simple profile) coding technique currently used in mobile systems. Quality measurement and assessment of encoded video test sequences was performed with peak signal to noise ratio (PSNR), video quality metric (VQM) and structural similarity (SSIM) objective quality measurement methods. Results showed and confirmed great efficiency and performance possibilities which will make H.264/A VC ubiquitous coding technique of multimedia world in time to come.