Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
Resistivity measurements of intentionally and unintentionally template-grown doped silicon nanowire arrays

High density, intentionally doped silicon nanowire (SiNW) arrays were fabricated within the pores of anodic alumina (AAO) templates via gold-catalysed vapour–liquid–solid (VLS) growth using silane (SiH4) as the source gas and trimethylboron ((CH3)3B, TMB) and phosphine (PH3) as p-type and n-type dopant sources, respectively. The AAO template serves as a support structure for nanowire growth and fabrication of electrical contacts to the nanowire arrays. Nanowire array resistance was measured as a function of SiNW length for a series of samples prepared with different dopant/SiH4 inlet gas ratios. A method was developed to extract the SiNW resistivity from the measurements of array resistance versus nanowire length. The nanowire resistivity measured from the arrays decreased with increasing dopant/SiH4 ratio and compared favourably with resistivity data obtained from four-point measurements of individual SiNWs grown under identical conditions. Nominally undoped SiNWs grown in the AAO templates were found to be p-type with resistivity in the range of 1–3 Ω cm, indicating the presence of unintentional acceptors in the wires. The resistivity of undoped SiNWs grown under identical conditions but on oxidized (100) Si substrates was much higher, of the order of 104–105 Ω cm, suggesting that the AAO templates are the source of the acceptor impurities.
Synchronization of cell division in eight‐cell bovine embryos produced in vitro: Effects of nocodazole

Current methods of arresting and synchronizing cell division have not been very successful and have had few applications in embryo studies. Our objective was to determine the reliability of a metaphase arrest agent, nocodazole, for halting and synchronizing blastomere division in cleavage‐stage bovine embryos, and to verify its reversibility and toxicity in vitro. Eight‐cell‐stage embryos obtained at 58 hr postinsemination were treated with varying concentrations of nocodazole for 12 hr. Treated embryos were assessed for cleavage arrest, chromatin morphology, DNA synthesis, and histone H1 and myelin basic protein (MBP) kinase activity, and were scored for blastocyst formation and hatching rate. They were subsequently fixed to count the number of nuclei. Complete arrest of cell division was observed at concentrations of 0.4 μg ml−1 and above. Removal from nocodazole treatment led to immediate release from cleavage arrest, and was followed by synchronized mitosis, histone H1 kinase deactivation, and reentry into interphase within 3–5 hr. DNA synthesis was reinitiated at 6 hr after release. Although cell numbers and hatching rate decreased, the proportion of embryos reaching blastocyst stage was not significantly affected in nocodazole‐treated embryos. It is concluded that nocodazole is a suitable choice for the cell‐cycle synchronization of donor embryos for use in studies on the interactions between nucleus and cytoplasm during early embryogenesis. © 1996 Wiley‐Liss, Inc.
Can Corpus Based Measures be Used for Comparative Study of Languages?

Quantitative measurement of inter-language distance is a useful technique for studying diachronic and synchronic relations between languages. Such measures have been used successfully for purposes like deriving language taxonomies and language reconstruction, but they have mostly been applied to handcrafted word lists. Can we instead use corpus based measures for comparative study of languages? In this paper we try to answer this question. We use three corpus based measures and present the results obtained from them and show how these results relate to linguistic and historical knowledge. We argue that the answer is yes and that such studies can provide or validate linguistic and computational insights.
A REVIEW OF CONSTRUCTION METHODS FOR REGULAR LDPC CODES

Low-Density parity-check (LDPC) codes are one of the most powerful error correcting codes available today. Their Shannon capacity approaching performance and lower decoding complexity have made them the best choice for many wired and wireless applications. This paper gives an overview about LDPC codes and compares the Gallager’s method, Reed-Solomon based algebraic method and the Progressive edge growth (PEG) combinatorial method for the construction of regular LDPC codes.
Lifting randomized query complexity to randomized communication complexity

We show that for a relation $f\subseteq \{0,1\}^n\times \mathcal{O}$ and a function $g:\{0,1\}^{m}\times \{0,1\}^{m} \rightarrow \{0,1\}$ (with $m= O(\log n)$), $$\mathrm{R}_{1/3}(f\circ g^n) = \Omega\left(\mathrm{R}_{1/3}(f) \cdot \left(\log\frac{1}{\mathrm{disc}(M_g)} - O(\log n)\right)\right),$$ where $f\circ g^n$ represents the composition of $f$ and $g^n$, $M_g$ is the sign matrix for $g$, $\mathrm{disc}(M_g)$ is the discrepancy of $M_g$ under the uniform distribution and $\mathrm{R}_{1/3}(f)$ ($\mathrm{R}_{1/3}(f\circ g^n)$) denotes the randomized query complexity of $f$ (randomized communication complexity of $f\circ g^n$) with worst case error $\frac{1}{3}$. In particular, this implies that for a relation $f\subseteq \{0,1\}^n\times \mathcal{O}$, $$\mathrm{R}_{1/3}(f\circ \mathrm{IP}_m^n) = \Omega\left(\mathrm{R}_{1/3}(f) \cdot m\right),$$ where $\mathrm{IP}_m:\{0,1\}^m\times \{0,1\}^m\rightarrow \{0,1\}$ is the Inner Product (modulo $2$) function and $m= O(\log(n))$.
Models of tibial fracture healing in normal and Nf1‐deficient mice

Delayed union and nonunion are common complications associated with tibial fractures, particularly in the distal tibia. Existing mouse tibial fracture models are typically closed and middiaphyseal, and thus poorly recapitulate the prevailing conditions following surgery on a human open distal tibial fracture. This report describes our development of two open tibial fracture models in the mouse, where the bone is broken either in the tibial midshaft (mid‐diaphysis) or in the distal tibia. Fractures in the distal tibial model showed delayed repair compared to fractures in the tibial midshaft. These tibial fracture models were applied to both wild‐type and Nf1‐deficient (Nf1+/−) mice. Bone repair has been reported to be exceptionally problematic in human NF1 patients, and these patients can also spontaneously develop tibial nonunions (known as congenital pseudarthrosis of the tibia), which are recalcitrant to even vigorous intervention. pQCT analysis confirmed no fundamental differences in cortical or cancellous bone in Nf1‐deficient mouse tibiae compared to wild‐type mice. Although no difference in bone healing was seen in the tibial midshaft fracture model, the healing of distal tibial fractures was found to be impaired in Nf1+/− mice. The histological features associated with nonunited Nf1+/− fractures were variable, but included delayed cartilage removal, disproportionate fibrous invasion, insufficient new bone anabolism, and excessive catabolism. These findings imply that the pathology of tibial pseudarthrosis in human NF1 is complex and likely to be multifactorial. © 2008 Orthopaedic Research Society. Published by Wiley Periodicals, Inc. J Orthop Res 26:1053–1060, 2008
Treatment effects of fixed functional appliances in patients with Class II malocclusion: a systematic review and meta-analysis.

OBJECTIVE To assess the treatment effects of fixed functional appliances (FFAs) in treated versus untreated Class II patients by means of lateral cephalometric radiographs. SEARCH METHODS Unrestricted electronic search of 18 databases and additional manual searches up to October 2014. SELECTION CRITERIA Prospective randomized and non-randomized controlled trials reporting on cephalometric angular measurements of Class II patients treated with FFAs and their matched untreated controls. DATA COLLECTION AND ANALYSIS Skeletal, dental, and soft tissue cephalometric data were annualized and stratified according to the time of evaluation in effects. Following risk of bias evaluation, the mean differences (MDs) and 95 % confidence intervals (CIs) were calculated with random-effects models. Patient- and appliance-related subgroup analyses and sensitivity analyses were performed with mixed-effects models. RESULTS Nine studies were included (244 patients; mean age: 13.5 years and 174 untreated controls; mean age: 12.8 years) reporting on cephalometric effects directly after the removal of FFAs. FFAs were found to induce a small reduction of SNA angle (MD = -0.83 degree/year, 95 % CI: -1.17 to -0.48), a small increase of SNB angle (MD = 0.87 degree/year, 95 % CI: 0.30-1.43), and moderate decrease of ANB angle (MD = -1.74 degree/year, 95 % CI: -2.50 to -0.98) compared to untreated Class II patients. FFA treatment resulted in significant dentoalveolar and soft tissue changes. Several patient- or appliance-related factors seem to affect the treatment outcome. Long-term effectiveness of FFAs could not be assessed due to limited evidence. CONCLUSIONS According to existing evidence, FFAs seem to be effective in improving Class II malocclusion in the short term, although their effects seem to be mainly dentoalveolar rather than skeletal.
Acquisition of paclitaxel resistance is associated with a more aggressive and invasive phenotype in prostate cancer

Drug resistance is a major limitation to the successful treatment of advanced prostate cancer (PCa). Patients who have metastatic, castration‐resistant PCa (mCRPC) are treated with chemotherapeutics. However, these standard therapy modalities culminate in the development of resistance. We established paclitaxel resistance in a classic, androgen‐insensitive mCRPC cell line (DU145) and, using a suite of molecular and biophysical methods, characterized the structural and functional changes in vitro and in vivo that are associated with the development of drug resistance. After acquiring paclitaxel‐resistance, cells exhibited an abnormal nuclear morphology with extensive chromosomal content, an increase in stiffness, and faster cytoskeletal remodeling dynamics. Compared with the parental DU145, paclitaxel‐resistant (DU145‐TxR) cells became highly invasive and motile in vitro, exercised greater cell traction forces, and formed larger and rapidly growing tumors in mouse xenografts. Furthermore, DU145‐TxR cells showed a discrete loss of keratins but a distinct gain of ZEB1, Vimentin and Snail, suggesting an epithelial‐to‐mesenchymal transition. These findings demonstrate, for the first time, that paclitaxel resistance in PCa is associated with a trans‐differentiation of epithelial cell machinery that enables more aggressive and invasive phenotype and portend new strategies for developing novel biomarkers and effective treatment modalities for PCa patients. J. Cell. Biochem. 114: 1286–1293, 2013. © 2012 Wiley Periodicals, Inc.
Generalization of fear-potentiated startle in the presence of auditory cues: a parametric analysis

Intense fear responses observed in trauma-, stressor-, and anxiety-related disorders can be elicited by a wide range of stimuli similar to those that were present during the traumatic event. The present study investigated the experimental utility of fear-potentiated startle paradigms to study this phenomenon, known as stimulus generalization, in healthy volunteers. Fear-potentiated startle refers to a relative increase in the acoustic startle response to a previously neutral stimulus that has been paired with an aversive stimulus. Specifically, in Experiment 1 an auditory pure tone (500 Hz) was used as the conditioned stimulus (CS+) and was reinforced with an unconditioned stimulus (US), an airblast to the larynx. A distinct tone (4000 Hz) was used as the nonreinforced stimulus (CS−) and was never paired with an airblast. Twenty-four hours later subjects underwent Re-training followed by a Generalization test, during which subjects were exposed to a range of generalization stimuli (GS) (250, 1000, 2000, 4000, 8000 Hz). In order to further examine the point at which fear no longer generalizes, a follow-up experiment (Experiment 2) was performed where a 4000 Hz pure tone was used as the CS+, and during the Generalization test, 2000 and 8000 Hz were used as GS. In both Experiment 1 and 2 there was significant discrimination in US expectancy responses on all stimuli during the Generalization Test, indicating the stimuli were perceptually distinct. In Experiment 1, participants showed similar levels of fear-potentiated startle to the GS that were adjacent to the CS+, and discriminated between stimuli that were 2 or more degrees from the CS+. Experiment 2 demonstrated no fear-potentiated startle generalization. The current study is the first to use auditory cues to test generalization of conditioned fear responses; such cues may be especially relevant to combat posttraumatic stress disorder (PTSD) where much of the traumatic exposure may involve sounds.
Criteria for weaning from mechanical ventilation.

Searching The following databases were searched from 1971 to 1998 (the search strategies used were provided in the report): MEDLINE, EMBASE, HealthSTAR, CINAHL, the Cochrane Controlled Trials Register and the Cochrane Database of Systematic Reviews. The authors also examined reference lists, handsearched Respiratory Care (from 1997 to 1999), and searched their personal files. The authors did not search for unpublished studies.
Faulty Node Detection in Wireless Sensor Networks Using Cluster

Since the accuracy of data is important to the whole system's performance, detecting nodes with faulty readings is an essenti al issue in network management. Removing nodes with faulty readings from a system or replacing them with good ones improve the whole system's performance and at the same time prolong the lifetime of the network. In general, wireless sensor nodes may experience two types of faults that would lead to the degradation of performance. One type is function fault, which typically results in the crash of individual nodes, packet loss, routing failure or network partition. The other type of error is data fault, in which a node behaves normally in all aspects except for its sensing results, leading to either significant biased or random errors.
Serum-based protein biomarkers for detection of lung cancer

Lung cancer is one of the most common cancers in terms of both incidence and mortality.The major reasons for the increasing number of deaths from lung cancer are late detection and lack of effective therapies. To improve our understanding of lung cancer biology, there is urgent need for blood-based, non-invasive molecular tests to assist in its detection in a cost-effective manner at an early stage when curative interventions are still possible. Recent advances in proteomic technology have provided extensive, high throughput analytical tools for identification, characterization and functional studies of proteomes. Changes in protein expression patterns in response to stimuli can serve as indicators or biomarkers of biological and pathological processes as well as physiological and pharmacological responses to drug treatment, thus aiding in early diagnosis and prognosis of disease. However, only a few biomarkers have been approved by the FDA to date for screening and diagnostic purposes. This review provides a brief overview of currently available proteomic techniques, their applications and limitations and the current state of knowledge about important serum biomarkers in lung cancer and their potential value as prognostic and diagnostic tools.
Scaling distributed energy storage for grid peak reduction

Reducing peak demand is an important part of ongoing smart grid research efforts. To reduce peak demand, utilities are introducing variable rate electricity prices. Recent efforts have shown how variable rate pricing can incentivize consumers to use energy storage to cut their electricity bill, by storing energy during inexpensive off-peak periods and using it during expensive peak periods. Unfortunately, variable rate pricing provides only a weak incentive for distributed energy storage and does not promote its adoption at scale. In this paper, we present the storage adoption cycle to describe the issues with incentivizing energy storage using variable rates. We then propose a simple way to address the issues: augment variable rate pricing with a surcharge based on a consumer's peak demand. The surcharge encourages consumers to flatten their demand, rather shift as much demand as possible to the low-price period. We present PeakCharge, which includes a new peak-aware charging algorithm to optimize the use of energy storage in the presence of a peak demand surcharge, and use a closed-loop simulator to quantify its ability to flatten grid demand as the use of energy storage scales. We show that our system i) reduces upfront capital costs since it requires significantly less storage capacity per consumer than prior approaches, ii) increases energy storage's ROI, since the surcharge mitigates free riding and maintains the incentive to use energy storage at scale, and iii) uses aggregate storage capacity within 18% of an optimal centralized system.
Properties of Poly(Lactic Acid)/ Organo-Montmorillonite Nanocomposites Prepared by Solution Intercalation

Poly(lactic acid)/organo-montmorillonite (PLA/OMMT) nanocomposite films were prepared through solution intercalation using dichloromethane as solvent. X-ray diffraction indicated that organo-montmorillonite (OMMT) was well intercalated and the interlayer spacing d increased by 0.94–1.47 nm. Transmission Electron Microscopy showed that a majority of OMMT was fully exfoliated and uniformly dispersed in the PLA matrix at low filler loading, whereas more intercalated tactoids and aggregates of OMMT existed at high loading. The crystallinity of PLA was hardly changed with the addition of OMMT. Additionally, CO2 permeability and water vapor transmission rate of the composite films were reduced with increasing content of OMMT. At 5 wt% OMMT loading, CO2 permeability and water vapor transmission rate were reduced by 75.8% and 23.9%, respectively. The tensile strength (TS) and Young's modulus of the PLA/OMMT nanocomposites were first enhanced, and then decreased with increasing content of OMMT. Compared with pure PLA, a 83.8% increase in the Young's modulus and a 76.0% improvement in TS were obtained with the addition of 3 wt% OMMT.
Effective Video Streaming using Mesh P2P with MDC over MANETs

Peer-to-Peer (P2P) streaming and Mobile Ad hoc Networks (MANETs) have turned out to be two of the most active research areas for pervasive computing. These areas were developed independently of each other with the result that there is insufficient verification of whether the P2P distribution paradigm and specifically P2P real-time video streaming would work on MANETs. In this paper, we demonstrate that mesh-based P2P streaming together with Multiple Description Coding (MDC) over MANETs effectively provides real-time video streaming. MDC, a promising video coding technique, is emerging as an alternative way to improve video quality for both P2P over an internet and for MANET applications. This paper shows that mesh-based P2P when combined with MDC results in improvement in delivered video quality making it acceptable for ad hoc networks. For that purpose, the GloMoSim simulator was modified to support mesh-based P2P and MDC. This kind of video streaming will be useful for many ad hoc applications such as search and rescue applications, military applications, inter-vehicular communication, and video conferencing.
A Potent (R)-alpha-bis-lipoyl Derivative Containing 8-Hydroxyquinoline Scaffold: Synthesis and Biological Evaluation of Its Neuroprotective Capabilities in SH-SY5Y Human Neuroblastoma Cells

A novel bis-lipoyl derivative containing 8-hydroxyquinoline scaffold (LA-HQ-LA, 5) was synthesized as a new multifunctional drug candidate with antioxidant, chelant, and neuroprotective properties for the treatment of neurodegenerative diseases. We have investigated the potential effectiveness of LA-HQ-LA against the cytotoxicity induced by 6-OHDA and H2O2 on human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cell line. Our outcomes showed that LA-HQ-LA resulted in significant neuroprotective and antioxidant effects against H2O2- and 6-OHDA-induced neurotoxicity in human neuroblastoma SH-SY5Y cells, as assessed by MTT assay. In particular, it showed potent neuroprotective effects against 6-OHDA in RA/PMA differentiated cells at all the tested concentrations.
Termination of Rewriting'

This survey describes methods for proving that systems of rewrite rules are terminating programs. We illustrate the use in termination proofs of various kinds of orderings on terms, including polynomial interpretations and path orderings. The effect of restrictions, such as linearity, on the form of rules is also considered. In general, however, termination is an undeeidable property of rewrite systems.
Body temperature changes during simulated bacterial infection in a songbird: fever at night and hypothermia during the day

ABSTRACT Although fever (a closely regulated increase in body temperature in response to infection) typically is beneficial, it is energetically costly and may induce detrimentally high body temperatures. This can increase the susceptibility to energetic bottlenecks and risks of overheating in some organisms. Accordingly, it could be particularly interesting to study fever in small birds, which have comparatively high metabolic rates and high, variable body temperatures. We therefore investigated two aspects of fever and other sickness behaviours (circadian variation, dose dependence) in a small songbird, the zebra finch. We injected lipopolysaccharide (LPS) at the beginning of either the day or the night, and subsequently monitored body temperature, body mass change and food intake for the duration of the response. We found pronounced circadian variation in the body temperature response to LPS injection, manifested by (dose-dependent) hypothermia during the day but fever at night. This resulted in body temperature during the peak response being relatively similar during the day and night. Day-to-night differences might be explained in the context of circadian variation in body temperature: songbirds have a high daytime body temperature that is augmented by substantial heat production peaks during activity. This might require a trade-off between the benefit of fever and the risk of overheating. In contrast, at night, when body temperature is typically lower and less variable, fever can be used to mitigate infection. We suggest that the change in body temperature during infection in small songbirds is context dependent and regulated to promote survival according to individual demands at the time of infection. Summary: Circadian variation in body temperature is associated with (mimicked) infection; small songbirds may balance fever responses depending on their metabolic status.
Message From The Chairs

Energy, water and transportation infrastructure directly affect every individual in society. The energy, water and transportation services must be sustainable, clean, safe and affordable. The future smart grid and cities are socio-technical systems that should be developed to be efficient, sustainable and resilient. In order to achieve this, a major social transformation is required. The active involvement of the society, especially governmental and non-governmental organizations, representatives of industry and business, entrepreneurs, regulatory agencies, universities, research institutions, schools, local administrations, associations, and the media is required for such transformation.