Miracle-dz/UniFAR-FTUs huggingface dataset:
On stopping criteria in verified nonlinear systems or optimization algorithms

Traditionally, iterative methods for nonlinear systems use heuristic domain and range stopping criteria to determine when accuracy tolerances have been met. However, such heuristics can cause stopping at points far from actual solutions, and can be unreliable due to the effects of round-off error or inaccuracies in data. In verified computations, rigorous determination of when a set of bounds has met a tolerance can be done analogously to the traditional approximate setting. Nonetheless, the range tolerance possibly cannot be met. If the criteria are used to determine when to stop subdivision of n-dimensional bounds into subregions, then failure of a range tolerance results in excessive, unnecessary subdivision, and could make the algorithm impractical. On the other hand, interval techniques can detect when inaccuracies or round-off will not permit residual bounds to be narrowed. These techniques can be incorporated into range thickness stopping criteria that complement the range stopping criteria. In this note, the issue is first introduced and illustrated with a simple example. The thickness stopping criterion is then formally introduced and analyzed. Third, inclusion of the criterion within a general verified global optimization algorithm is studied. An industrial example is presented. Finally, consequences and implications are discussed.
In Vivo Modelling of ATP1A3 G316S-Induced Ataxia in C. elegans Using CRISPR/Cas9-Mediated Homologous Recombination Reveals Dominant Loss of Function Defects

The NIH Undiagnosed Diseases Program admitted a male patient with unclassifiable late-onset ataxia-like symptoms. Exome sequencing revealed a heterozygous de novo mutation converting glycine 316 to serine in ATP1A3, which might cause disease. ATP1A3 encodes the Na+/K+ ATPase pump α3-subunit. Using CRISPR/Cas9-mediated homologous recombination for genome editing, we modelled this putative disease-causing allele in Caenorhabditis elegans, recreating the patient amino acid change in eat-6, the orthologue of ATP1A3. The impact of the mutation on eat-6 function at the neuromuscular junction was examined using two behavioural assays: rate of pharyngeal pumping and sensitivity to aldicarb, a drug that causes paralysis over time via the inhibition of acetylcholinesterase. The patient allele decreased pumping rates and caused hypersensitivity to aldicarb. Animals heterozygous for the allele exhibited similar defects, whereas loss of function mutations in eat-6 were recessive. These results indicate that the mutation is dominant and impairs the neuromuscular function. Thus, we conclude that the de novo G316S mutation in ATP1A3 likely causes or contributes to patient symptoms. More broadly, we conclude that, for conserved genes, it is possible to rapidly and easily model human diseases in C. elegans using CRIPSR/Cas9 genome editing.
Age and gender influence muscle sympathetic nerve activity at rest in healthy humans.

Muscle sympathetic nerve activity at rest increases with age in humans. The respective influences of the aging process per se and gender on this increase and whether age and gender effects on muscle sympathetic nerve activity can be identified with plasma norepinephrine concentrations, however, have not been established. To examine these issues, nine young women (aged 24 +/- 1 years; mean +/- SEM), eight young men (aged 26 +/- 1 years), seven older women (aged 63 +/- 1 years), and eight older men (aged 66 +/- 1 years) were studied. All were healthy, normotensive (blood pressure < 140/90 mm Hg), nonobese (< 20% above ideal weight), unmedicated, nonsmokers engaged in minimal to recreational levels of chronic physical activity. Arterial blood pressure (manual sphygmomanometry, brachial artery), heart rate, muscle sympathetic nerve activity (peroneal microneurography), and antecubital venous plasma norepinephrine concentrations (radioenzymatic assay) were determined during quiet supine resting conditions. Body weight was higher in men, but there were no age-related differences, whereas estimated body fat (sum of skinfolds) was higher in women and in the older groups (p < 0.05). Estimated daily energy expenditure, arterial blood pressure, and heart rate were not different among the groups. Both muscle sympathetic nerve activity burst frequency and burst incidence at rest were progressively higher in the young women, young men, older women, and older men (10 +/- 1 versus 18 +/- 2 versus 25 +/- 3 versus 39 +/- 5 bursts/min and 16 +/- 1 versus 30 +/- 4 versus 40 +/- 3 versus 61 +/- 6 bursts/100 heartbeats, respectively; all p < 0.05 versus each other). (ABSTRACT TRUNCATED AT 250 WORDS)
ARO-PUF: An aging-resistant ring oscillator PUF design

Physically Unclonable Functions (PUFs) have emerged as a security block with the potential to generate chip-specific identifiers and cryptographic keys. However it has been shown that the stability of these identifiers and keys is heavily impacted by aging and environmental variations. Previous techniques have mostly focused on improving PUF robustness against supply noise and temperature but aging has been largely neglected. In this paper, we propose a new aging resistant design for the popular ring-oscillator (RO)-PUF. Simulation results demonstrate that our aging resistant RO-PUF (called ARO-PUF) can produce unique, random, and more reliable keys. Only 7.7% bits get flipped on average over 10 years operation period for an ARO-PUF due to aging where the value is 32% for a conventional RO-PUF. The ARO-PUF shows an average interchip HD of 49.67% (close to ideal value 50%) and better than the conventional RO-PUF (~45%). With lower error, ARO-PUF offers ~ 24X area reduction for a 128-bit key because of reduced ECC complexity and smaller PUF footprint.
Integrin cytoplasmic domains mediate inside-out signal transduction

We analyzed the binding of fibronectin to integrin alpha 5 beta 1 in various cells; in some cells fibronectin bound with low affinity (e.g., K562 cells) whereas in others (e.g., CHO), it bound with high affinity (Kd approximately 100 nM) in an energy-dependent manner. We constructed chimeras of the extracellular and transmembrane domains of alpha IIb beta 3 joined to the cytoplasmic domains of alpha 5 beta 1. The affinity state of these chimeras was assessed by binding of fibrinogen or the monoclonal antibody, PAC1. The cytoplasmic domains of alpha 5 beta 1 conferred an energy-dependent high affinity state on alpha IIb beta 3 in CHO but not K562 cells. Three additional alpha cytoplasmic domains (alpha 2, alpha 6A, alpha 6B) conferred PAC1 binding in CHO cells, while three others (alpha M, alpha L, alpha v) did not. In the high affinity alpha chimeras, cotransfection with a truncated (beta 3 delta 724) or mutated (beta 3(S752-->P)) beta 3 subunit abolished high affinity binding. Thus, both cytoplasmic domains are required for energy-dependent, cell type-specific affinity modulation. In addition, mutations that disrupted a highly conserved alpha subunit GFFKR motif, resulted in high affinity binding of ligands to alpha IIb beta 3. In contrast to the chimeras, the high affinity state of these mutants was independent of cellular metabolism, cell type, and the bulk of the beta subunit cytoplasmic domain. Thus, integrin cytoplasmic domains mediate inside-out signaling. Furthermore, the highly conserved GFFKR motif of the alpha subunit cytoplasmic domain maintains the default low affinity state.
Electroless Ni-P-ZrO2 metallization for lead-free solder interconnection

Lead-free solder alloy is popular in electronic industry due to its environmental friendly characteristic. However, the interfacial reaction faces the thermal challenge caused by the increased melting temperature of lead-free solder alloy. In the present work, a composite Ni-P-ZrO2 (15 at.% of P) layer was developed by electroless plating as novel under bump metallization (UBM). In order to homogeneously disperse ZrO2 nanoparticle in the Ni-P layer, ultrasonic vibration and magnetic stirring were adopted. The interfacial reaction between electroless Ni-P-ZrO2 layer and lead-free solder alloy was systematically investigated by scanning electronic microscopy (SEM) with EDX. The microstructure shows Ni3Sn4 layers growth at a lower rate in solder/Ni-P-ZrO2 joint compared with solder/Ni-P joint. The top-view intermetallic compounds (IMCs) layer in ZrO2 doped sample demonstrated a refined grain size. The consumption rate of amorphous UBM to crystalline Ni3P phase is limited in solder/Ni-P-ZrO2 joint due to the ZrO2 nanoparticle addition. Moreover, the ZrO2 nanoparticle doped sample consistently demonstrated higher shear strength than plain solder joint as a function of the number of reflow cycles. Therefore, Ni-P-ZrO2 UBM not only suppress the excess growths of IMC layer but also helps to reinforce the mechanical property of solder joint, thus improve the reliability of the interconnect.
Cannabinoid CB2 Receptor Potentiates Obesity-Associated Inflammation, Insulin Resistance and Hepatic Steatosis

Background Obesity-associated inflammation is of critical importance in the development of insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease. Since the cannabinoid receptor CB2 regulates innate immunity, the aim of the present study was to investigate its role in obesity-induced inflammation, insulin resistance and fatty liver. Methodology Murine obesity models included genetically leptin-deficient ob/ob mice and wild type (WT) mice fed a high fat diet (HFD), that were compared to their lean counterparts. Animals were treated with pharmacological modulators of CB2 receptors. Experiments were also performed in mice knock-out for CB2 receptors (Cnr2 −/−). Principal Findings In both HFD-fed WT mice and ob/ob mice, Cnr2 expression underwent a marked induction in the stromal vascular fraction of epididymal adipose tissue that correlated with increased fat inflammation. Treatment with the CB2 agonist JWH-133 potentiated adipose tissue inflammation in HFD-fed WT mice. Moreover, cultured fat pads isolated from ob/ob mice displayed increased Tnf and Ccl2 expression upon exposure to JWH-133. In keeping, genetic or pharmacological inactivation of CB2 receptors decreased adipose tissue macrophage infiltration associated with obesity, and reduced inductions of Tnf and Ccl2 expressions. In the liver of obese mice, Cnr2 mRNA was only weakly induced, and CB2 receptors moderately contributed to liver inflammation. HFD-induced insulin resistance increased in response to JWH-133 and reduced in Cnr2 −/− mice. Finally, HFD-induced hepatic steatosis was enhanced in WT mice treated with JWH-133 and blunted in Cnr2 −/− mice. Conclusion/Significance These data unravel a previously unrecognized contribution of CB2 receptors to obesity-associated inflammation, insulin resistance and non-alcoholic fatty liver disease, and suggest that CB2 receptor antagonists may open a new therapeutic approach for the management of obesity-associated metabolic disorders.
Effect on Renal Function of Change From High to Moderate Protein Intake in Type I Diabetic Patients

The effects on renal function of moderate restriction in protein intake were studied in 14- to 20-yr-old type I diabetic patients who had no clinical renal disease or hypertension; matched normal subjects served as controls. After assessment of protein intake and renal function, studies were conducted at the completion of each of two consecutive dietary periods of 1 wk. Diets containing 3.5 and 1.5 g · kg−1 · day1 protein were provided during the first and second periods, respectively. Baseline protein intakes were substantial in both controls (1.86 g · kg−1 · day1) and diabetics (2.17 g · kg−1 · day1). Baseline creatinine clearance was increased in diabetics (P < .043). At the end of the highprotein intake period, both diabetics and controls showed similar high values of glomerular filtration rate (GFR) and renal plasma flow (RPF). GFR and RPF decreased markedly (P < .001) and to a similar degree in both groups after normal protein intake. GFR and RPF in diabetics were not higher than in controls at this point, but filtration fraction was increased in diabetics. Albumin excretion rates were similar in both groups and not influenced by renal function changes. GFR and RPF values correlated significantly with the quantity of protein intake, as estimated from the urea nitrogen appearance rate in both groups. The results suggest that the functional response to variations in protein intake is not altered in the diabetic kidney. In addition, increased renal function in diabetics may be related partly to the excessive protein content in commonly prescribed diabetic diets. Moderate dietary protein restriction is an additional approach for the correction of diabetic hyperfiltration.
Human Memory, but Not Naive, CD4+ T Cells Expressing Transcription Factor T-bet Might Drive Rapid Cytokine Production*

Background: Human memory CD4+ T cells mediate adaptive immune responses via rapidly producing effector cytokines. Results: Memory CD4+ T cells highly express T-bet, which is closely correlated with IFN-γ production. Conclusion: Pre-existence and nuclear mobilization of T-bet in memory CD4+ T cells contribute to regulating the rapid production of IFN-γ. Significance: We declared a possible transcriptional mechanism for rapid production of cytokines by memory CD4+ T cells. We found that after stimulation for a few hours, memory but not naive CD4+ T cells produced a large amount of IFN-γ; however, the mechanism of rapid response of memory CD4+ T cells remains undefined. We compared the expression of transcription factors in resting or activated naive and memory CD4+ T cells and found that T-bet, but not pSTAT-1 or pSTAT-4, was highly expressed in resting memory CD4+ T cells and that phenotypic characteristics of T-bet+CD4+ T cells were CD45RAlowCD62Llow CCR7low. After short-term stimulation, purified memory CD4+ T cells rapidly produced effector cytokines that were closely associated with the pre-existence of T-bet. By contrast, resting naive CD4+ T cells did not express T-bet, and they produced cytokines only after sustained stimulation. Our further studies indicated that T-bet was expressed in the nuclei of resting memory CD4+ T cells, which might have important implications for rapid IFN-γ production. Our results indicate that the pre-existence and nuclear mobilization of T-bet in resting memory CD4+ T cells might be a possible transcriptional mechanism for rapid production of cytokines by human memory CD4+ T cells.
Altitude acts as an environmental filter on phylogenetic composition, traits and diversity in bee communities

Knowledge about the phylogeny and ecology of communities along environmental gradients helps to disentangle the role of competition-driven processes and environmental filtering for community assembly. In this study, we evaluated patterns in species richness, phylogenetic structure and life-history traits of bee communities along altitudinal gradients in the Alps, Germany. We found a linear decline in species richness and abundance but increasing phylogenetic clustering in communities with increasing altitude. The proportion of social- and ground-nesting species, as well as mean body size and altitudinal range of bee communities, increased with increasing altitude, whereas the mean geographical distribution decreased. Our results suggest that community assembly at high altitudes is dominated by environmental filtering effects, whereas the relative importance of competition increases at low altitudes. We conclude that inherent phylogenetic and ecological species attributes at high altitudes pose a threat for less competitive alpine specialists with ongoing climate change.
Competition of intrinsic and topographically imposed patterns in Bénard–Marangoni convection

The structure of Benard-Marangoni convection cells can be controlled by periodic topographic patterns on the heated surface that generates the convection. When the periodicity of the topographic pattern matches the intrinsic periodicity of the convection cells, a convective pattern is formed that is 1:1 commensurate with the topographic pattern. Arrays of hexagonal, square, and triangular convection cells were generated over the appropriately designed topographic patterns, and visualized by infrared imaging. For imposed patterns with periodicity in two dimensions, as the ratio of the intrinsic and perturbing length scales changes, the pattern of the convection cells shows sharp transitions between different patterns commensurate with the imposed pattern. For imposed patterns with periodicity in one dimension (i.e., lines) the convection cells use the unconstrained dimension to adapt continuously to the external perturbation. Topographically controlled convection cells can be used to assemble microscopic particles into externally switchable regular lattices. (C) 2001 American Institute of Physics.
An analytic solution for the perspective 4-point problem

The perspective n-point (PnP) problem is the problem of finding the position and orientation of a camera with respect to a scene object from n correspondence points. The authors propose an analytic solution for the perspective 4-point problem. The solution is found by replacing the four points with a pencil of three lines and by exploring the geometric constraints available with the perspective camera model. The P4P problem is cast into the problem of solving a biquadratic polynomial equation in one unknown. <<ETX>>
Load-Independent Control of Switching DC-DC Converters with Freewheeling Current Feedback

In this paper, a load-independent converter with freewheeling current feedback, whose output is controlled by a comparator, is presented. This control method is very useful for single-inductor multiple-output (SIMO) converters. A single-inductor bipolar-output (SIBO) converter with the proposed control scheme is implemented in a 0.5 mum power BiCMOS process and uses 3.2 mm2 of die area. The current sensing gain can be increased and and the circuit is less sensitive to switching noise than CPM converters are because the slope compensation used in CPM converters reduces the current sensing gain to comply with low supply voltage.
DNA‐based monitoring of total bacterial community structure in environmental samples

Determining the structure of bacterial communities and their response to stimuli is key to understanding community function and the interactions that occur between microorganisms and the environment. However, bacterial communities often comprise complex assemblages of large numbers of different bacterial populations. An approach is presented which allows bacterial community structure to be determined by fractionation of the complex mixture of total bacterial community DNA using the DNA‐binding dye bisbenzimidazole which imposes G + C‐dependent changes in the buoyant density of DNA. Bacterial community structure presented as percentage of total DNA vs. percentage G + C content of DNA is an indication of the relative abundance of phylogenetic groups of bacteria. Changes in the composition of a soil bacterial community in response to perturbations in the form of carbon amendment and altered water status were monitored.
S Adaptive Web Service Composition Based on Interface Description

Web services have received much interest due to their potential to design and build complex inter-enterprise business applications. A particular interest concerns dynamic Web services composition that offers the opportunity for creating new Web services at runtime from those already published. In this paper we focus on mismatches occurring during dynamic composition of Web services. These mismatches require adaptation to insure the correct working of the involved components in the service composition. We propose an approach for dynamic and automatic composition and adaptation of Web services. The approach is based on the information that is already available in interface descriptions. The approach allows programmers to define dynamic Web service composition and adaptation without changing the source code.
Figures of merit of avalanche-mode silicon LEDs

The silicon avalanche-mode light-emitting diode (AMLED) opens a route for on-chip opto-electronic applications in standard CMOS, both due to its relatively broad spectral overlap with the spectral responsivity of silicon photodiodes and due to its high speed capability. This work presents closed form models for the key figures of merit (FOMs) of AMLEDs, namely, current (or power) density, cut-off frequency, radiative efficiency, and specifically for optical data communication energy cost per photon. Their derivations are based on one-dimensional analyses of an abrupt single-sided (p+n or n+p) junction and of a p-i-n diode. TCAD simulations for optimized device structures, including the recently reported superjunction (SJ) LED, were performed to validate the model. Measurements on single-sided abrupt junctions and SJ diodes are shown to validate some of the modelled trends. The results show that a p-i-n or an SJ diode is favorable to a conventional single-sided junction diode for the AMLED design. In addition, as confirmed for conventional AMLEDs by earlier reports, the results indicate that for a yet higher efficiency the carrier supply should be increased. For this a combination of a separate minority carrier injector and SJLED is proposed, referred to as the injection-avalanche CMOS SJLED. However, more experimental optical data (e.g., absolute photon flux) are needed for a more accurate model validation.
Linear Control Design for a Plastic Extruder

In this paper, we describe the process of design, simulation and measuring of a PID control used on a plastic extruder built up to work with polypropylene pellets. Even though there are standard values given by controller makers, we have used pole placement techniques based on a model obtained for the extruder with specific values that characterize it. The resulted constants are then introduced in a commercial device in order to regulate temperature to fuse the plastic while flowing through the output. Such value of temperature is measured to feedback the control loop, but it is also recorded in order to compare it with the values calculated by simulation. Both sets of data show a good match for the setpoint, confirming that our model as well as our PID design are in agreement with those real devices and processes that are being emulated.
Photoluminescence of Hybrid Structure Base in ZnO@SiO2 Core-Shell Nanoparticles inside Porous Silicon

In this work, core-shell ZnO@SiO2 nanoparticles (NPs) were infiltrated into a macro/meso-porous silicon (PS) structure, to study its luminescent properties. The core-shell ZnO@SiO2 NPs were obtained by colloidal synthesis. The core-shell ZnO@SiO2 NP was 5 nm in diameter. The macro/meso-PS structure was made in two steps: we obtained the macroporous silicon (macro-PS) layer fist and the mesoporous silicon (meso-PS) layer second. This process was conducted using different electrolyte solutions, and the change of electrolyte led to a decrease in the special charge region over the wall macro-PS layer; this allowed the building of the meso-PS layers on the walls and the bottom of the macro-PS layer. The SEM results show the cross-section of the macro/meso-PS structure with and without core-shell ZnO@SiO2 NPs. These SEM images show that the core-shell ZnO@SiO2 NPs that infiltrated into macro/meso-PS structure were more efficiently bonded over all the porous walls. The core-shell ZnO@SiO2 PL interacted with the macro/meso-PS structure, modifying its PL intensity and controlling a shift toward a lower wavelength.